The HOOPSCOOP Online
Published by The HOOP SCOOP, Inc., P.O. Box 37122, Louisville, KY 40233
Email Address:  hoopscooponline@msn.com   Phone (502) 500-4667   Fax (502) 254-2646
Editor & Publisher Clark Francis   All rights reserved - Copyright 2011

The Members Section of HOOP SCOOP Online provides you with everything we publish on a daily basis, plus National Player Lists, Ranking of Recruiting Classes, and State-by-State and Area Reports.  So get your Visa or MasterCard ready and click on Subscribe.  The cost is $49 per month, $125 for three months, $250 for six months, or $499 per year.

13 REASONS WHY YOU WILL WANT TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MEMBERS SECTION

1.  Player Rankings - ranging from 5th Year Players all the way down to 6th, 7th, & 8th Graders, it's a joke how far ahead we are of the competition. 

2.  Hot Recruiting Information Section - this section has been updated with all the latest recruiting information on a daily basis continuously since 1998, which once again puts us way ahead of our competition. 

3.  Insight & Analysis that you can't get anywhere else - not only are we true to our name in terms of providing you with the hoop scoop, but we also tell you why things are happening and how they fit into the grand scheme of things.

4.  Historical Perspective - HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis has been to every NCAA Final Four since 1973 and has only missed two of the superstar oriented shoe company camps (i.e. NIKE, adidas, & Reebok) since 1983.  It's our guess that there is not another person alive who can make such a claim. 

5. Accuracy - our track record speaks for itself.   But, if you don't believe just ask the college coaches, fans, and players who make ours the most read basketball recruiting web site on the internet. 

6.  Links - we used to provide you with the links page to all the other best web sites in the Visitors Section, but now it's time to ante-up.

7.  Controversy - we always try to be fair & accurate, but we also call it like we see and, as a result, sometimes really stir things up.  But that's also part of our charm. 

8.  Dates & Future Events - we also have a complete list of all of the top upcoming events, along with the date and location. 

9.  Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date - tracking the race to see who has the best recruiting class is one of the best things we do and, as a result, I'm surprised that our competition hasn't picked up on it yet.  But, then, again, it's probably too much work for all of the amateurs out there. 

10.  Archives - we have player rankings of the top players in each class dating back to 1983 and rankings of the top recruiting classes dating back to 1998 from both the Fall and the Spring Signing Periods.  And we break it down a number of different ways, including by which school signed the most good players, talent rating average per recruiting, who signed the best two players, who signed the best three players, who signed the best four players over a two-year period, and conference-by-conference rankings of the top recruiting classes.   

11.  Network of writers & correspondents that is second to none - the people we have writing for us, like our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, New England Editor Adam Finkelstein, Florida Editor Rick Staudt, Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman, Tennessee Correspondent, Andre Whitehead, West Coast Editor Alan Utter, Washington/DC Editor Dennis Marshall, Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson, Alabama Editor Mark Komara, and Texas Editor Tim Miller, help keep us way ahead of the curve.   

12.  We look at things in ways nobody else does - the best example is our ranking of the Top 5th Year Players, which includes all the players who are in their 9th semester or more of high school and/or prep school.  And this is important not just because most 5th Year Players have an age advantage, but also because certain state associations (i.e. New York) do not allow their members to play against teams that have 5th Year Players. 

13.   When we say "Basketball's our Business, we mean it - unlike a lot of our competition, we don't try and cover other sports (i.e. football) and we don't have hundreds of people, many of whom have never met one another and don't know what the other is even doing, working for us. 

SEVEN REASONS WHY THE HOOP SCOOP IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NEW NCAA LEGISLATION REGARDING RECRUITING AND SCOUTING SERVICES

 The NCAA Bylaw 13.14.3 can be found in blue and why the HOOP SCOOP is in compliance can be found in black

1)  Your service is made available to all institutions desiring to subscribe and at the same fee rate for all subscribers?  Invoices are sent to Division I college coaches wishing to subscribe on an annual basis and it is their choice whether they subscribe online or via a check through the mail.  The HOOP SCOOP's subscription prices are available to all at $499 per year, $250 for six months, $125 for three months, and $49 for one-month. 

2)   You publicly identify all applicable rates?  The HOOP SCOOP's subscription rates are applicable to all and can be found by going to the HOOP SCOOP's home page and clicking onto subscribe. 

3)   You disseminate information (e.g., reports, profiles) about prospective student-athletes at least four times per calendar year?  We publish enough information to fulfill this requirement on a weekly basis. 

4)   You provide information via your website (e.g., do not send out hard copy and/or e-mail reports) please note this.  All of our information is disseminated via our web site, which can be found at http://www.hoopscooponline.com. 

5)   You publicly identify the geographical scope of your service (e.g., local, regional, national) and it reflects broad-based coverage of the geographical area in the information you provide/ disseminate?  The HOOP SCOOP began as a publication that would cover college and high school basketball in Kentucky & Indiana in 1983, but quickly become national in scope.  And now we spell this fact out on our homepage. 

6)   You provide analysis in the information you post/disseminate beyond demographic information or rankings of prospective student-athletes?  The HOOP SCOOP provides a plethora of information, which includes national player rankings; state-by-state and regional reports; coverage of camps, tournaments, and events; rankings of the top recruiting classes; and analysis of recruits, where they fall on the spectrum, and how they will fit in once they have picked a Division I college or university. 

7)   You provide access to samples or previews of the information you post/disseminate prior to purchase of a subscription and/or subscribing?  If you provide video is restricted to regularly scheduled (regular season) high school, preparatory school or two-year college contests and for which a university made no prior arrangements for recording?  (Note:  This provision is applicable only if the subscription includes video services.)  The visitors section of this web site has our Ranking of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes from the Conclusion of the Fall Signing Period; our up-to-date ranking of the top 10 players nationally in each class ranging from 5th Year Players to 6th Graders; and, at least once a week, we publish something in the visitors section in an attempt to entice people to want more and eventually subscribe to the Members Section.

And to go one step even further, ESPN's Dana O'Neil mentioned us in a favorable light in her article on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 when she talked about "cleaning up college basketball from within" and wrote about proposed NCAA legislation under the heading "Payments to recruiting services run by people associated with prospects."  She said "these aren't to be confused with the legit services run by people like Dave Telep, Tom Konchalski, and Clark Francis, who work independently of any team." 

HOOP SCOOP'S RANKING OF THE TOP PLAYERS NATIONALLY IN EACH CLASS

FINAL RANKING OF THE TOP  RECRUITING CLASSES FOR THE CLASS OF 2011

On our rating 1-10 rating scale a top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range nationally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 gets one point.  Junior college and prep school are factored in as if they were the equivalent of a high school senior.

Our complete list of the Top 336 Recruiting Classes was published Exclusively in the Members Section on July 4, 2011
Our Conference-by-Conference Breakdown of the Top Recruiting Classes was published Exclusively in the Member Sections on July 5, 2011
Our Different Ways to Look at Recruiting Section was published Exclusively in the Members Section on July 6, 2011

1.    ST. JOHN'S (51 Points)..........9 Recruits..........5.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference.......... (8) Nurideen Lindsey, 6'3, PG, Redlands (JC) OK; (8) Maurice Harkless, 6'7, WF, South Kent (Prep) CT; (8) DeAngelo Harrison, 6'3, 2G Missouri City (Ft. Bend Dulles) TX; (6) Amir Garrett, 6'6, WF, Henderson (Findley Prep) NV; (6) Jakarr Sampson, 6'8, WF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; (4) God's Gift Achiuwa, 6'9, PF, Erie (JC) NY; (4) Norvel Pelle, 6'9, C, Los Angeles (Price) CA; (4) Dominique Pointer, 6'5, 2G, Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC; (3) Phil Greene, 6'1, PG, Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL. 

2.    KENTUCKY (38 Points)..........4 Recruits.........9.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(10) Michael Gilchrist, 6'8, PF, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; (10) Anthony Davis, 6'10, C, Chicago (Perspectives) IL;(10) Marquis Teague, 6'2, PG, Indianapolis (Pike) IN; (8) Kyle Wiltjer, 6'8, PF, Portland (Jesuit) OR. 

3.    DUKE (38 Points)..........5 Recruits..........7.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(10) Austin Rivers, 6'4, 2G, Winter Park (H.S.) FL; (8) Quinn Cook, 6'0, PG, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; (8) Michael Gbinije, 6'6, WF, Richmond (Benedictine) VA; (6) Alex Murphy, 6'9, WF, Southborough (St. Mark's) MA; (6) Marshall Plumlee, 6'11,  C, Arden (The Christ School) NC. 

4.    LOUISVILLE (36 Points)..........6 Recruits.........6.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference..........(8) Chane Behanan, 6'6, PF, Bowling Green (H.S.) KY; (8) Wayne Blackshear, 6'5, 2G, Chicago (Morgan Park) IL; (8) Kevin Ware, 6'4, 2G, Conyers (Rockdale County) GA; (6) Angel Nunez, 6'8, WF, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA; (4) James "Zac" Price, 6'10, C, Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY; (2) Ryan Taylor, 6'5, 2G, Louisville (Western) KY.

5.    TEXAS (32 Points)..........6 Recruits..........5.4 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference.........(8) Myck Kabongo, 6'2, PG, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV; (6) Sterling Gibbs, 6'0, PG, West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ; (6) Sheldon McClellan, 6'5, WF, Houston (Bellaire) TX; (6) Julien Lewis, 6'5, WF, Galveston (La Marque) TX; (3) Jonathan Holmes, 6'8, PF, San Antonio (Antonian) TX; (3) Kevin Thomas, 6'8, PF, Creedmoor (Christian Faith) NC. 

6.    RUTGERS (32 Points)..........8 Recruits..........4.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference.........(8) Myles Mack, 5'8, PG, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ; (6) Kadeem Jack, 6'8, C, Somerset (Central Jersey Each One Teach One.) NJ; (3) Elijah Carter, 6'2, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; (3) Derrick Randall, 6'8, PF, South Kent (Prep) CT; (3) Malick Kone, 6'6, WF, Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA.; (3) Jerome Seagers, 6'1, PG, Red Springs (Flora MacDonald) NC; (3) Michael Taylor, 6'3, 2G, Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY; (3) Greg Lewis, 6'8, C, Baltimore (St. Frances) MD. 

7.    WEST VIRGINIA (27 Points)..........7 Recruits..........3.9 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference.........(6) Keaton Miles, 6'7, WF, Dallas (Lincoln) TX; (6) Jabarie Hinds, 6'0, PG, Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY; (4) Aaron Brown, 6'5, WF, Lansdowne (Penn Wood) PA; (3) Tommie McCune, 6'8, PF, Saginaw (H.S.) MI; (3) Dominic Rutledge, 6'8, PF, Western Texas (JC) TX; (3) Pat Forsyth, 6'9, C, Brunswick (H.S.) OH; (2) Gary Browne, 6'1, PG, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL.

8.    ALABAMA (27 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.4 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) Trevor Lacey, 6'3, 2G, Huntsville (Butler) AL; (6) Nick Jacobs, 6'8, C, Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA; (6) Moussa Gueye, 7'0, C, Lake Land (JC) IL; (4) Levi Randolph, 6'4, 2G, Madison (Bob Jones) AL; (3) Rodney Cooper, 6'5, 2G, Phenix City (Russell County) AL..

9.    NORTH CAROLINA (26 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.2 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(9) James McAdoo, 6'8, PF, Norfolk (Christian) VA; (9) P.J. Hairston, 6'5, 2G, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA; (3) Jackson Simmons, 6'9, PF, Sylva (Smoky Mountain) NC; (3) Desmond Hubert, 6'9, C, New Egypt (H.S.) NJ; (2) Stilman White, 5'11, PG, Wilmington (Hoggard) NC.

9.    OHIO STATE (26 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.2 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) LaQuinton Ross, 6'8, WF, Burlington (Life Center) NJ; (6) Shannon Scott, 6'2, PG, Alpharetta (Milton) GA; (6) Amir Williams, 6'9, C, Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI; (3) Sam Thompson, 6'7, WF, Chicago (Whitney Young) IL; (3) Trey McDonald, 6'10, C, Battle Creek (Central) MI. 

11.    BOSTON COLLEGE (26 Points)..........9 Recruits..........2.9 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(6) Ryan Anderson, 6'8, PF, Long Beach (Poly) CA; (3) Kyle Caudill, 6'11, C, Brea (Brea-Olinda) CA; (3) Lonnie Jackson, 6'3, 2G, Valencia (H.S.) CA; (3) Dennis Clifford, 6'10, C, Milton (Academy) MA; (3) Jordan Daniels, 5'8, PG, Etiwanda (H.S.) CA; (2) Patrick Heckmann, 6'5, WF, Germany; (2) Eddie Odio, 6'6, WF, Miami (Columbus) FL; (2) John Carney, 67, PF, Bryn Mawr (Shipley School) PA; (2) Ryan Kilcullen, 6'7, WF, Exeter (Phillips Exeter) NH.

12.    MISSISSIPPI STATE (25 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) Marquavius "Deville" Smith, 5'11, PG, Jackson (Callaway) MS; (8) Rodney Hood, 6'7, WF, Meridian (H.S.) MS; (3) David Gardner, 6'8, 2G, Okolona (H.S.) MS; (3) Shawn Long, 6'10, C, Morgan City (H.S.) LA; (3) Roquez Johnson, 6'7, PF, Montgomery (Carver) AL. 

12    ARKANSAS (25 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) B.J. Young, 6'4, 2G, Florissant (McClure North) MO; (6) Hunter Mickelson, 6'10, PF, Jonesboro (Westside) AR; (4) Aaron Ross, 6'7, WF, Little Rock (Parkview) AR; (4) Ky Madden, 6'5, 2G, LePanto (East Poinsett County) AR; (3) Devonte Abron, 6'8, PF, Dallas (Seogoville) TX. 

14.    OREGON (24 Points)..........6 Recruits..........4.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-10 Conference..........(6) Jabari Brown, 6'3, 2G, Oakland (H.S.) CA; (6) Carlos Emory, 6'7, PF, Howard (JC) TX; (3) Brett Kingma, 6'1, 2G, Mill Creek (Jackson) WA; (3) Bruce Barron, 6'2, PG, Carbondale (Brehm Prep) IL; (3) Chris Larson, 6'11, C, Black Hawk (JC) IL; (3) Austin Kuemper, 6'9, PF, Portland (Westview) OR.

15.    SETON HALL (23 Points)..........6 Recruits..........3.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference..........(8) Kevin Johnson, 6'9, C, Woodland Hills (Taft) CA; (4) Aaron Cosby, 6'2, 2G, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA; (3) Haralds Karlis, 6'5, 2G, Canarias Basketball Academy; (3) Brandon Mobley, 6'9, PF, Delafield (St. John's Northwest Military) WI; (3) Sean Grennan, 6'1, PG, Toms River (Monsignor Donovan) NJ; (2) Fred Wilson, 6'1, 2G, New Haven (Hillhouse) CT.

16.    WESTERN KENTUCKY (23 Points)..........7 Recruits..........3.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(6) Derrick Gordon, 6'2,WF, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; (3) George Fant, 6'7, PF, Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY; (3) Nigel Snipes, 6'4, 2G, Atlanta (Paideia) GA, (3) Vinny Zollo, 6'8, PF, Winchester (Clark County) KY; (3) Kevin Kaspar, 6'1, PG, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV; (3) O'Karo Akamune, 6'8, PF, Eastern Oklahoma (JC) OK; (2) T.J. Price, 6'3, 2G, Slidell (Salmen) LA.

17.    TEXAS TECH (23 Points)..........9 Recruits..........2.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit...........Big-12 Conference.........(3) Toddrick Gotcher, 6'4, 2G, Garland (Lakewood Centennial) TX; (3) Terran Petteway, 6'5, WF, Galveston (Ball) TX; (3) Jaron Nash, 6'8, PF Tyler (JC) TX; (3) Kader Tapsoba, 6'10, Tyler (JC) TX; (3) Ty Nurse, 6'1, PG, Midland (JC) TX; (2) Kevin Wagner, 5'8, PG, Lubbock (Estacado) TX; (2) Hershey Robinson, 6'7, PF, Humble (Christian Life) TX; (2) Jordan Tolbert, 6'7 PF, Tyler (All Saints Episcopal) TX; (2) Daouda Soumaoro, 6'9, C, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.

18.    MOREHEAD STATE (23 Points).........11 Recruits..........2.1 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Ohio Valley Conference..........(3) Kahlil Owens, 6'6, PF, Northwest Florida State (JC) FL; (3) Marshall Holden, 5'11, 2G, San Jacinto (JC) TX; (2) Devon Atkinson, 6'0 PG, Brunswick (JC) NC; (2) Jeff Drew, 6'8, PF, Waynesboro (Fishburne Military) VA; (2) Milton Chavis, 6'5, WF, Kilgore, (JC) TX; (2) Will Bailey, 6'4, 2G, Columbus (Brookstone) GA: (2) Angelo Warner, 6'3, 2G, Orlando (Jones) FL; (2) Bruce Reed, 6'7, PF, Hutchinson (JC) KS; (2) Corey Heyward, 6'0, PG, Suwanee (Peachtree Ridge) GA; (2) Shaq Morris, 6'0, PG, Suwanee (Peachtree Ridge) GA; (1) Orlando Coleman, 6'4, WF, Pleasant Grove (H.S.) AL. 

19.    ARIZONA (22 Points)..........4 Recruits..........5.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-10 Conference..........(8) Josiah Turner, 6'2, PG, Sacramento (H.S.) CA; (6) Nick Johnson, 6'3, 2G, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV; (4) Sidiki Johnson, 6'8, PF, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; (4) Angelo Chol, 6'10, C, San Diego (Hoover) CA. 

20.    MARSHALL (22 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.4 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Conference USA..........(8) Robert Goff, 6'9, C, Hutchinson (JC) KS; (4) Jamir Hanner, 6'8, PF, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA; (4) Dennis Tinnon, 6'8, PF, Kansas City (JC) KS; (3) Chris Martin, 6'0, PG, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; (3) Devince Boykins, 6'3, 2G, Forest City (East Rutherford) NC. 

20.    MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (22 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.4 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Sun Belt Conference..........(8) Marcos Knight, 6'2, 2G, Chipola (JC) FL; (6) Raymond Citron, 6'1, 2G, Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS; (3) Bruce Massey, 6'3, PG, Dodge City (JC) KS; (3) Julian Edmonson, 6'1, PG, Keller (Fossil Ridge) TX; (2) Jacquez Rozier, 6'7, PF, Waynesboro (Burke County) GA.

22.    CINCINNATI (22 Points)..........6 Recruits..........3.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference.........(6) Shaquille Thomas, 6'7, PF, Newark (Nia Prep) NJ;.(4) Jermaine Sanders, 6'5, WF, New York (Rice) NY; (3) Cheikh Mbodji, 6'9, C, Grayson County (JC) KS; (3) Ge-Lawn Guyn, 6'2, 2G, South Kent (Prep) CT; (3) Octavious Ellis, 6'8, PF, Memphis (White Station) TN; (3) Jeremiah Davis, 6'3, 2G, Huntington (Prep) WV. 

22.    WASHINGTON (22 Points)..........6 Recruits..........3.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-10 Conference..........(8) Tony Wroten, 6'3, 2G, Seattle (Garfield) WA; (3) Jernard Jarreau, 6'10, PF, New Orlerans (McDonough) LA; (3) Hikeem Stewart, 6'3, 2G, Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA; (3) Kevin Davis, 6'9, PF, Tacoma (JC) WA; (3) Martin Breunig, 6'8, PF, Delafield (St. John's Military Academy) WI; (2) Andrew Andrews, 6'1, PG, Portland (Benson) OR.

22.     GEORGIA (22 Points)..........6 Recruits..........3.7 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) Kentavious Caldwell, 6'6, WF, Greenville (H.S.) GA; (3) Nick Marshall, 6'2, 2G, Rochelle (Wilcox County) GA; (3) Tim Dixon, 6'10, C, Oldsmar (Christian) FL; (3) John Florveus, 7'0, C, Hillsborough (JC) FL; (3) Nemanja Djurisic, 6'8, PF, South Kent (Prep) CT; (2) John Cannon, 6'10, Burnsville (Mountain Heights) GA.

25.    BAYLOR (21 Points)..........3 Recruits..........7.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(9) Quincy Miller, 6'8,  PF, High Point (Westchester Country Day) NC; (8) Pierre Jackson, 5'11, PG, Southern Idaho (JC) ID; (4) Quddus "Deuce" Bello, 6'3, 2G, High Point (Westchester Country Day) NC.

RECENT ITEMS PUBLISHED IN THE HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION SECTION OF THE MEMBERS SECTION THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO MISS

Monday, December 12, 2011

It promises to be the premier middle school event in the nation and will be the place were the up-and-coming star of tomorrow can get ahead start on the future while playing against the top competition in the country.  We're talking about The HOOP SCOOP All-American Camp, which is being officially announced today in a variety of different venues.  The camp will be held at HOOPS in Louisville, KY on July 2nd-4th, 2012 and will feature players in the Class of 2016, Class of 2017, Class of 2018, and Class of 2019.  That's current 5th, 6th, 7th, & 8th Graders, who, at the time of the camp, will be rising 6th, 7th, 8th, & 9th Graders.  The Camp Executive Director is yours truly (HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis) and I have been the one national scout that has paid attention to these age groups in recent years.  Van Coleman will be the Camp Operations Director and he has plenty of experience in this department dating back to the days when he was running the Future Stars Basketball Camps like a well oiled machine.  The Camp Director of Scouting will be Brick Oettinger, who not only is the guy who discovered Michael Jordan, but also has been second to none as a talent evaluator dating back to when he broke into the business in 1977 as a recruiting analyst and columnist for the ACC Sports Journal.  And this is important, because the three of us have been in this business for a combined total of over 100 years.  We also each have a vote for the McDonald's All-American Team and have an incredible amount of insight and perspective with regards to recruiting, grassroots basketball, and evaluating and ranking players.  I also have lined up three more of my favorite people in the business to help recruit players and be the head coach for three of the four above mentioned age groups.  We're talking about Rick Lewis, who runs the North Carolina Phenom 150 Camp and now is making a name for himself in the business with his Phenom Hoop Report; Rick Bolus, who has been in the business for 33 years with the Blue Chip Basketball Camp and for 39 years with the High Potential Scouting Service; and Horace Neysmith, who is the co-owner of AllMetroSports.com, the head coach of the Atlanta Celtics 15-Under Team, a valuable contributor to the HOOP SCOOP, and the brains behind all of the Elite Hoops Showcases throughout the South.  We're also are excited about the fact that our own Ron Naclerio will be one of the instructors and will provide the campers with top individual development drills (i.e. ball handling, dribbling, passing, & shooting).  Patrick Stanwood also is on board and his vast array of contacts in the business and great gift for public relations should be invaluable.  We also have a number of other surprises that we plan to announce as time goes on.  In other words, we're going to take middle school basketball and getting a head start on the future to a whole new level, as this promises to be "The Camp to End All Camps - For the Superstars of Tomorrow."  Obviously the talent level at this camp will be at a very high level and, as a result, it is by "invitation only."  However, we also have made it easy to apply for an invitation with an application that can be found by going to our new HOOP SCOOP All-American Camp web site.  We also want to stress the importance of signing up early, as the criteria necessary to get an invitation will become much more stringent as time goes on and spots fill up.  And, this too is important, because getting a head start on the future at a camp like this will provide those in attendance with a huge advantage as they make the transition from middle school to enter high school and, soon thereafter, really start the recruiting process.  Van Coleman also adds some important perspective"  “In my over 30 years of evaluating talent and 20 years of running basketball camps and events, I have found three areas that can maximize a player’s improvement both individually and as a team player.  These areas are ball handling, shooting and physical development.  These are the areas that we’ll concentrate on at Hoop Scoop All-American Camp.  We will teach players how these skills affect their game, what it takes to improve, and then provide them with a workout program to continue that improvement once they leave camp.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

One week from today I will be flying to Ft. Myers, FL to cover the State Farm City of Palms Classic and, as a result, next Thursday is the drop dead date on my current project, which is our updated Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2012.  And, while everybody knows that 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV will be the top-ranked player on our list (we've had him ranked #1 in his class dating all the way back to the end of his freshman year), it will probably come as a major surprise to a lot of people that we will be reshuffling our ranking of the top five players by moving 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA up into the #2 spot, ahead of 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'8 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, and 6'4 Marcus Smart from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX.  And, while it really is almost too close to call between Jefferson and Anderson, we have to give the nod to Jefferson based on his length, athleticism, and still untapped potential.  Speaking of Jefferson, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Jefferson has eliminated Stanford, Temple, and Maryland and is still trying to decide from among a list of schools that includes Ohio State, Kentucky, N.C. State, Villanova, and Connecticut.  Rubin also tells us that 6'6 Savon Goodman, who transferred from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA to Philadelphia (Constitution) PA in an attempt to put himself into a position where can meet the academic requirements necessary to be eligible at a four-year Division I college or university, also still appears to be a long way away from making a college decision.  However, as things stand now, his list includes Kentucky, UCLA, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Texas Tech, Louisville, Oregon, USC, and Villanova.  We also find it interesting that the two common denominators on both lists are Kentucky and Villanova.  On the other hand, if Goodman was going to stay home and pick the Wildcats, we don't think he would have reneged on Villanova the first time around.  As for Kentucky, it would not surprise us one bit if Wildcats head coach John Calipari used his strong Philly ties to land both Jefferson and Goodman.  If you will recall, Calipari worked for Larry Brown an assistant of the Philadelphia 76ers during the 1999-2000 season and he's landed some really big fish, including Dajuan Wagner and Tyreke Evans, from this area over the years.  And, if this does indeed happen, it would be more than enough to ensure once again that Kentucky, which also already 6'5 Archie Goodwin from Little Rock (Sylvan Hills) AR, 6'8 Alex Poythress from Clarksville (Northeast) TN, and 7'1 Willie Cauley from Olathe (Northwest) KS in the fold, has the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation.  We also find it interesting that Texas Tech is on Goodman's list.  But this too is easily explained when one remembers that Red Raiders assistant coach Chris Walker was previously both a player and an assistant coach at Villanova.  Rubin also tells us that 6'3 Ryan Arcidiacono from Langhorne (Neshaminy) PA has once again been sidelined with a lower back injury and is expected to have surgery in a couple weeks.  He also is expected to spend six to eight weeks in rehab and likely will miss the entire season.  And this would be too bad, because this out-of-sight/out-of-mind scenario will probably cause the value of Arcidiacono's stock to plummet in the national rankings and cost him a spot on the McDonald's All-American Team.  However, for now he is right on the buddle, as a sneak preview of our Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 shows that he checks in at #24 on this list, behind 1) 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 2) 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 3) 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 4) 6'8 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 5) 6'4 Marcus Smart from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, 6) 6'9 Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 7) 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 8) 6'4 Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian Academy) NC, 9) 5'11 Kevin Ferrell from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN, 10) 6'5 Archie Goodwin from Little Rock (Sylvan Hills) AR, 11) 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 12) 6'9 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 13) 6'6 Savon Goodman from Philadelphia (Constitution) PA, 14) 6'1 Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA, 15) 6'6 Ricardo Gathers from Reserve (Riverside) LA, 16) 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Southwind) TN, 17) 6'8 Samuel Dekker from Sheboyan (Lutheran) WI, 18) 6'0 Dominic Artis from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 19) 6'9 Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX, 20) 6'5 Jordan Price from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 21) 6'7 T.J. Warren from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 22) 5'11 Javan Felix from New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA, and 23) 6'9 Shaquille Cleare from Houston (The Village) TX.  And, of the seven players on this list (Muhammad, Jefferson, Parker, Bennett, Goodman, Gathers, and Stokes) that are still available, the next shoe to drop will likely be Stokes.  If you will recall, Stokes is ineligible to play after transferring last summer from Memphis (Central) TN to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and then returning home in the fall to Memphis (Southwind) TN.  And this is important, because it looks like Stokes is on track to pass all of the courses necessary to graduate from high school later this month and be eligible to enroll into college and beginning playing in early January.  The list of schools still vying for Stokes services currently includes Memphis, Kentucky, Florida, Connecticut, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Florida. 

Sunday, December 4, 2011

The next big thing on our schedule is the State Farm City of Palms Classic, which will be held on December 16th-21st in Ft. Myers, FL and this will be the 15 consecutive year and the 19th of the last 21 years that I will have attended this event.  And this is important, because I do try to  go to the best events and, once again, this year's field is jam packed with great talent and more than it's share of high level teams.  We start with the list of teams, which includes Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, Montverde (Academy) FL, Louisville (Trinity) KY, Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, Philadelphia (Constitution) PA, Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA, Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, Gladstone (Gill St. Bernard's) NJ, Richmond (Salesian) CA, Cincinnati (Taft) OH, Pompano Beach (Ely) FL, Lake Wales (H.S.) FL, and Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL in the regular 16-team field tournament; Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, Tilton (School) NH, Wilbraham (Wilbraham-Monson) MA, and Ulm (Urspringschule) Germany in the four-team Signature Series; and Tallahassee (Godby) FL, Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, Miami (Norland) FL, and Cape Coral (Mariner) FL in a pair of Sunshine Series Games.  The tournament will tip-off on Friday, December 16th, with Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA versus Gladestone (Gill St. Bernard) NJ at 3:00 PM, followed by another first round game with Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV versus Pompano Beach (Ely) FL at 4:45 PM, a Signature Series Game with Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL versus Tallahassee (Godby) FL at 6:30 PM, and two more first round games with Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL versus Lake Wales (H.S.) FL at 8:15 PM, and Montverde (Academy) FL versus Richmond (Salesian) CA at 10:00 PM.  The schedule on Saturday, December 17th, will begin with a consolation game (the loser of Game #1 versus the loser of Game #4 ) at 11:00 AM, followed by two more first round games with Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY versus Louisville (Trinity) KY at 12:45 PM and Cincinnati (Taft) OH versus Arlington (Grace Prep) TX at 2:30 PM, a Sunshine Series Game with Cape Coral (Mariner) FL versus Miami (Norland) FL at 4:15 PM, another first round game with Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX versus Philadelphia (Constitution) PA at 6:00 PM, the first quarterfinals game with Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA versus the winner of Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA-Gladstone (Gill St. Bernard) NJ at 8:00 PM, and the final first round game with Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus the winner of Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL-Lake Wales (H.S.) FL at 9:45 PM.  Sunday, December 18th, will be an off-day and, when action resumes on Monday, December 19th, there will be three consolation games at 9:00 AM, 10:45 AM, and 12:30 AM, followed by a Signature Series Game with Ulm (Urspringschule) Germany versus Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA at 2:15 PM, a quarterfinals game at 4:15 PM, another Signature Series Game with Tilton (School) NH versus Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA at 6:00 PM, and the final two quarterfinals games at 8:15 PM and 10:00 PM.  Then, things should really get interesting on Tuesday, December 20th, as there will be two Challenge Round Games for the four winless teams in the tournament at 8:45 AM and 10:25 AM, two Consolation Semi-Finals at Noon and 1:45 PM, a pair of Fifth Place Semi-Finals games at 3:30 PM and 5:15PM, and the two Semi-Finals Games at 8:25 PM and 9:30 PM.  And finally on the final day there will be two more Challenge Round games at 9:00 AM and 10:40 AM, the Signature Series Consolation Game at 12:20 PM, the Consolation Championship Game at 2:00 PM, the Fifth-Place Final at 3:45 PM, the Third Place Final at 5:30 PM, the Signature Series Final at 7:15 PM, and the Championship Game at 9:00 PM.  The tournament also will feature five of our top 14-ranked seniors nationally in 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'7 Ricardo Gathers from Reserve (Riverside Academy) PA, and 6'6 Savon Goodman from Philadelphia (Constitution) PA and ironically all five are still unsigned and uncommitted.  And so are 6'9 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH, and 6'1 Jr Kasey Hill from Montverde (Academy) FL, who are our #2, #3, and #4-ranked juniors nationally.  Also on our list of top players to watch in this year's State Farm City of Palms Classic are 7'0 Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'8 Roscoe Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'7 Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH, 6'5 Nkereuwon Okoro from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'8 Ben Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Michael Frazier from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'7 Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Brandon Morris from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'6 Daniel Dingle from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Jalen Hornbeck from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'2 Louis Dabney from Riverside (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'2 Daiquan Walker from Philadelphia (Constitution) PA, 6'4 Dominique Bull from Tilton (School) NH, 6'1 Charles Foster from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'5 Adolphis Washington from Cincinnati (Taft) OH, 6'7 Nathan Dieudonne from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'5 Jr Jabari Bird from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 5'11 Jr Jaylen Brantley from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA, 6'7 Jr Jordan Mickey from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'8 Jr Goodluck Okonoboh from Tilton (School) NH, 6'4 Darryl Hicks from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'1 Jr Jaren Sina from Gladestone (Gill St. Bernard) NJ, 6'1 Jr Elijah Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Jr Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'1 Jr Shane Rector from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'2 Jr James Quick from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'6 Soph Stanley Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Soph Wayne Seldon from Tilton (School) MA, 6'3 Soph Emmanuel Mudiay from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'5 Soph Micah Seaborn from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'0 Soph Conrad Chambers from Philadelphia (Constitution) PA, 6'8 Soph Ricky Doyle from Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL, and 7'0 Frosh Stephen Zimmerman from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV. 

Monday, November 28, 2011

I've spent the last five days working diligently on our Ranking of the Top 280 Recruiting Classes from the 2011 Fall Signing Period and Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the 2011 Fall Signing Period and, once again, I can honestly say that ours is the most complete and up-to-date list currently available.  Not only have I done my homework and crosschecked all of the signings and commitments that we've tracked on an on-going basis, but I also have added a number of junior college players, thanks to JucoJunction.com, to the list that more often than not would otherwise fall under the radar screen.  And a classic is example is the late addition of 6'9 Cheikh Fall from Barstow (JC) CA to the University of Nevada's recruiting class, which is now tied at #63, along with Old Dominion, Georgia State, and Rider, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012 and also includes 6'3 Marqueze Coleman from Mission Hills (Bishop Alemany) CA, 6'8 Cole Huff from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, and 6'8 Raphael Carter from Diablo Valley (JC) CA.  Fall is not ranked among the top 150 players in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and their three paragraph article doesn't tell you anything about where Fall stands in the pecking order.  However, upon further investigation, we did find some great quotes about Fall by Wolfpack head coach David Carter.  "He's very athletic.  He's strong at 240 pounds,  He's not built like Kevin Panzer, but he scores like him.  He's a face-up guy with a back-to-the basket game......He's a high-major guy.  We wouldn't have been able to get him in the springtime.  Coach Gates was going after him.  When the high-majors miss on their players in the first signing period, these are their fall-back guys.  It was very important for us to get a guy like this in the early period."  We also found out earlier in the article that Fall speaks four different languages, was born in the Senegal, spent his high school years in Japan, and arrived in the United States three years ago.  It also appears that Coach Gates previously was an assistant coach at Utah State and now holds the same position at Florida State.  As for our Ranking of the Top 280 Recruiting Classes from the 2011 Fall Signing Period, we did make some important last minutes adjustments after attending the National Prep Showcase a week ago in New Haven, CT.  And right at the top of the list is the fact that Providence's recruiting class has moved into a tie at #9, along with Kentucky, based on the fact that 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has superstar written all over him.  We also moved Xavier's recruiting class into a tie at #24, along with Michigan State, based on how well 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'10 James Farr from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 6'2 Semaj Christon from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA all played in this same event.  We also are fascinated by the fact that the battle really does appear to be on among the schools along Tobacco Road for supremacy in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as N.C. State, North  Carolina, and Wake Forest check in at #1, #2, #3 in our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the 2011 Fall Signing Period and Duke also has another likely McDonald's All-American in the fold in 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX.  And what about the fact that Providence and South Florida have the two top-ranked recruiting classes in the Big East Conference?  There also appears to be a shift in the balance of power underway in Conference USA, as UTEP, Houston, and Marshall are right at the top of the league in recruiting for the second consecutive year.  We also are intrigued with the fact the Mid-American Conference checks in at #9, right behind the ACC, Big-12, Big East, Pacific-10, Big-10, SEC, CUSA, and Atlantic-10, in our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the 2011 Fall Signing Period.  On the other hand, this should come as no surprise when one finds out that Western Michigan, Kent State, and Ball State check in with recruiting classes that are ranked #30, #44, and #56 in our Ranking of the Top 280 Recruiting Classes from the 2011 Fall Signing Period.  Even more impressive is the fact that those three schools are in pretty fast company, along with Cleveland State, Wichita State, UNLV, Harvard, Towson, Murray State, and  Pennsylvania, on our list of the top 10-ranked recruiting classes among schools that do not belong to the top eight aforementioned high major or high major-minus conferences.  Editor's Note:  Tomorrow we will totally wrap-up recruiting with our Different Ways to Look at Recruiting Section, which will include a list of the Top Talent Rating Average Per Recruit by both conference and team and a list of which teams signed the best two players, the best three players, and the best four players over a two-year period. 

Monday, November 21, 2011

We've spent the last three days covering the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, CT and our Ranking of the Top Players Primarily on Performance in this event is as follows:  1) 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from South Kent (Prep) CT (Providence), 2) 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH, 3) 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA (Xavier), 4) 6'3 Akosa Maduegbunam from Winchendon (School) MA (Penn State), 5) 6'8 William Howard from Landover Hills (New Hope) MD, 6) 6'8 T.J. Warren from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH (N.C. State), 7) 6'8 Soph Noah Vonleh from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 8) 6'7 Ryan Taylor from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 9) 6'5 Raphael Davis from La Porte (La Lumiere School) IN (Purdue), 10) 6'7 Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH (Iowa State), 11) 6'3 Codi Miller-McIntyre from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA (Wake Forest), 12) 6'6 Amir Garrett from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME (St. John's), 13) 6'8 Montrezl Harrell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA (Virginia Tech), 14) 6'2 Semaj Christon from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH (Xavier), 15) 6'8 Jakaar Sampson from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 16) 6'9 James Farr from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME (Xavier), 17) 6'8 Darnell Harris from La Jolla (Prep) CA (Cleveland State), 18) 6'8 Aaron Ross from Delafield (St. John's Northwest Military Academy) WI, 19) 5'11 Antonio Drummond from La Porte (La Lumiere School) IN (Southern Illinois), 20) 6'4 Sam Cassell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 21) 6'3 Soph Jared Terrell from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 22) 6'5 Jr Chris Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 23) 5'11 Jr Jaylen Brantley from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA, 24) 6'6 Malik Nichols from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 25) 6'3 Darrick Wood from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME (St. John's), 26) 6'8 Strahinja Gavrilovic from La Jolla ((Prep) CA ( USC), 27) 6'3 Adonis Filer from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA (Clemson), 28) 6'7 Darnell Harris from La Jolla (Prep) CA (Northern Illinois), 29) 6'7 Marcus Crider from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 30) 6'8 Ethan O'Day from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA (Vermont), 31) 5'11 Trey Davis from Saxtons Rivers (Vermont Academy) VT (Massachusetts), 32) 6'5 Ryan Oliver from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 33) 6'2 Olivier Hanlan from New Hampton (Prep) NH (Boston College), 34) 6'11 Mike Tobey from Blairstown (Blair Academy) ME (Virginia), 35) 7'0 Laimonas Chatkevicius from South Kent (Prep) CT (Kansas State), 36) 6'8 Kion Brown from Fork Union (Military) VA, 37) 6'8 Jr Dominic Woodson from Saxtons River (Vermont Academy) VT, 38) 6'9 Jalen Reynolds from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH (Xavier), 39) 6'3 Jeremiah Jones from Delafield (St. John's Northwest Military Academy) WI, 40) 6'3 Ky Howard from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 41) 6'7 Jarion Henry from La Jolla (Prep) CA (Oklahoma), 42) 5'11 Joey Boyle from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 43) 6'8 Chris Ortiz from South Kent (Prep) CT, 44) 6'2 A.J. English from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 45) 6'6 Jesse Reed from Saltsburg (Kiski School) PA (American University), 46) 6'4 Jr Donelle Munda from Saxtons River (Vermont Academy) VT, 47) 5'10 Francisco Lopez from Landover Hills (Hope Academy) MD, 48) 6'9 Hanner Perea from La Porte (La Lumiere School) IN (Indiana), 49) 6'1 Jacoby Davis from Delafield (St. John's Northwest Military Academy) WI, and 50) 6'3 Corban Collins from Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA.  And conspicuous by their absence are a number of other highly ranked players who played in this event, but who did not play to a level where they needed to be to be mentioned on this list.  Obviously the first player that this applies to is 6'10 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who prior to this event was our #1-ranked 5thYear Players, but averaged only 7.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg and was no better than the sixth best player on his team in their two games at the National Prep Showcase.  However, in sharp contrast to McGary, his teammate 6'5 Aaron Thomas from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who also didn't make the above list, deserves a special mention, because he was both a great role player and an excellent complement to the four players - 6'8 T.J. Warren, 6'2 Semaj Christon, 6'8 JaKarr Sampson, and 6'9 Jalen Reynolds - that did most of the damage in Brewster's two easy wins against Waynesboro (Fishburne Military Academy) VA and Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA.  Also not making the above list were 6'7 Jr Goodluck Okonobh from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Soph Wayne Seldon from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'3 Dominique Bull from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.  But on this team there were not enough basketball's to go around, as 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel and 6'7 Georges Niang combined for 41 of their team's 79 points, had 19 of their team's 37 rebounds, and combined for 18-25 field goals against Saltsburg (Kiski School) PA.  We also were intrigued by the athleticism, upper body strength, and ball handling and passing skills of 6'0 Teven Jones from Woodstock (Fishburne Military) VA.  However, he did shoot the ball very well in either game and his assist-to-turnover ratio (four assists and seven turnovers) was nothing to write home about.  Also absent from the above list are Notre Dame-6'9 Zach Auguste from New Hampton (Prep) NH, New Mexico-bound 7'0 Obij Aget from La Porte (La Lumiere School) IN, and Purdue-bound 6'9 Jay Simpson frrom La Porte (La Lumiere School) IN, all of whom were solid, but didn't do anything to set the world on fire.  We also want to mention 6'3 Jeremiah Jones from Delafield (St. John's Northwest Military Academy) WI, who was a bust at the offensive end (he he had 18 points, 4-23 field goals, 2-10 3-pointers, and 8-12 free throws), but still got ranked #39 in the event due to the fact he did a good job defensively against 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from South Kent (Prep) CT in their head-to-head match-up on Saturday night. 

November 14, 2011

With just a couple of days left in the Fall Signing Period, now is a great time to take a step back and see where things stand with regards to who is still left on the board and our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  A quick look at our national rankings shows that three of our top 10-ranked seniors, six of our top 20-ranked seniors, 10 of our top 50-ranked seniors, and 17 of our top 100-ranked seniors are still available.  That list includes 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'7 Ricardo Gathers from LaPlace (Riverside) LA, 6'5 Savon Goodman from Philadelphia (Constitution) PA, 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Southwind) TN, 6'8 Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Charles Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'8 Devonta Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS, 6'5 Torian Graham from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'11 Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'0 Nino Jackson from Ardmore (H.S.) OK, 6'8 Zena Edosomwan from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'3 Anrio Adams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'6 Jordan Tebbutt from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Chris Washburn from Grand Prairie (South) TX, and 6'8 Arik Armstead from Elk Grove (Pleasant Grove) CA.  And, when we dig a little further, we also find that one of our top dozen-ranked 5th Year Players is still available in 6'5 Andrew White from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA and seven of top 15-ranked junior college players by JucoJunction.com are still available in 6'8 Titus Rubles from Blinn (JC) TX, 6'6 Nick Wiggins from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, 6'1 Xavier Munford from Iowa Western (JC) IA, 6'6 Du Vaughn Maxwell from Western Nebraska (JC) NE, 6'6 Shavon Coleman from Howard (JC) TX, 6'5 Rod Rucker from Northwest Florida State (JC) FL, and 6'8 Calvin Godfrey from Howard (JC) TX.  As for our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012, it looks like all of the hard work that Arizona head coach Sean Miller, who was named the Most Visible Head Coach-of-the-Summer in 2010 and was our Runner-up Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer this past summer, has done on the recruiting trail the last several years has paid big dividends.  Not only do the Wildcats have three quality big men in 6'8 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 7'0 Kaleb Tarczewski from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'9 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA and a skilled scoring 2-guard in 6'2 Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA in the fold, but they also have the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  And, when all the dust has cleared, which will most likely be in the spring, we also suspect that UCLA and Kentucky will be in the mix for the top-ranked recruiting class.  However, for that to happen, the former will have to land both 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV and 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, who currently are the top two-ranked seniors still available, and the latter will have to add any two of the five top 40-ranked players that they're still recruiting.  We're talking about about 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Southwind) TN, and 6'8 Devonte Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS.  There also is the possibility that N.C. State could move up to the #1 spot, if 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA picks the Wolfpack.  We also find it interesting that five conferences (Atlantic Coast with N.C. State, North Carolina, and Wake Forest; Big-10 with Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan; Big-12 with Texas and Oklahoma State; Pacific-12 with Arizona; and Southeastern with Kentucky) account for all 10 of the 10-ranked recruiting classes.  The Big East does get in on the board with three of the top 20-ranked recruiting classes and eight of the top 50-ranked recruiting classes.  But, any way you slice it, the big winner appears to be the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has five of the top 20-ranked recruiting classes and nine of the top 50-ranked recruiting classes.  Some other interesting notes include that fact South Florida, which checks in at #13 on our list, has the top-ranked recruiting class in the Big East Conference; Kent State, which is ranked #26, and Western Michigan, which is ranked #29, have the two highest ranked recruiting classes among schools that are not in BCS football conferences; and N.C. State's Mark Gottfried, Missouri's Frank Haith, Providence's Ed Cooley, Texas Tech's Billy Gillispie, Kent State's Rob Senderoff, Georgia Tech's Brian Gregory, Maryland's Mark Turgeon, UNLV's Dave Rice, Miami-FL's Jim Larranaga, and Murray State's Steve Prohm have wasted no time on the job at their new school by lining up recruiting classes that are ranked among the top 50 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012. 

Monday, November 7, 2011

Coming right on the heels of our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Juniors), which was published right here in the Members Section two weeks ago, and our Ranking of the Top 350 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Sophomores), which was published right here in the Members Section a week ago, is our Ranking of the Top250 Players Nationally in the Class of 2015 (Freshmen).  And, after pretty much doing nothing but work on this list for the last four days, I can quite honestly say that this might be the best list that we've ever published in terms of accuracy and being as up-to-date as possible.  Not only does this list include the high school for each player (most of the other lists that we've seen for this age group do not do this), but all of the heights and positions have been crosschecked to reflect where things right stand now and we give you an exact order in terms of where we think each player belongs, instead a list by height, in alphabetical order, or with some jargon that puts each player into a group that isn't very specific.  We also do not have any hidden agendas like some of the self-proclaimed experts that are now trying to cover basketball at this age level.  Can you believe that one guy who is really a hairstylist by trade has his own rankings and his son is the #1-ranked player on the entire list?  It's also obvious that our previous Ranking of the Top 175 Players Nationally in the Class of 2015, which was published on April 28, 2011, currently is the primary source of information for all of the other people ranking the top players nationally in this age group.  And to reinforce even further that we are light years ahead of the competition is the fact that most of the people that cover basketball and recruiting at the high school level have not yet started paying attention and pooh pooh watching players at an early age.  As for our list itself, there is no change at the top, as 6'2 Frosh Malik Newman from Jackson (Callaway) MS once again is the top player on our list.  Newman did not live up to expectations a month ago at the John Lucas Basketball Resources Midwest Invitational Camp in Louisville, KY.  However, he has big time moves and athleticism, is capable of putting up prolific numbers and scoring anytime he wants, and is savvy well beyond his age and class, as is evident by the fact that he had 28 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, two turnovers, 10-19 field goals, 5-12 3-pointers, and 3-4 free throws in his first varsity high school basketball game, which was a 72-69 win on Saturday night.  The #2 and #3-ranked players - 6'4 Frosh Tyler Dorsey from Los Angeles (Ribet Academy) CA and 6'7 Frosh Mickey Mitchell from Plano (West) TX - on our latest list also have not changed.  However, after that it's major shake-up time as 6'8 Frosh Elijah Thomas from Rockwall (H.S.) TX has moved up from #8 to #4, 5'10 Frosh Marcus Lovett from Burbank (Providence) CA has moved up from #26 to #5, 6'10 Frosh Diamond Stone from Milwaukee (Dominican) WI has gone from not being on the list at all to #6, 6'3 Frosh Austin Grandstaff from Rockwall (H.S.) TX has dropped from #5 to #7, 6'3 Frosh Isaiah Briscoe from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ has moved up from #14 to #8, 5'11 Frosh Justin Jenifer from Bel Air (John Carroll) MD has moved up from #37 to #9, and 6'10 Frosh Stephen Zimmerman from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV has moved up from #19 to #10.  This class also has the size, star power, and depth necessary to be the next great class in high school basketball.  With 6'8 Frosh Elijah Thomas from Rockwall (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Frosh Diamond Stone from Milwaukee (Dominican) WI, 6'10 Frosh Stephen Zimmerman from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Frosh Broderick Jones from Playa del Rey (St. Bernard) CA, and 6'10 Frosh Karl Towns from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, six of our top 17-ranked players in this class are 6'8 or bigger and most of them seem to know that their bread-and-butter is playing inside.  There also is no doubt that 6'2 Frosh Malik Newman from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'4 Frosh Tyler Dorsey from Los Angeles (Ribet Academy) CA, 5'10 Frosh Marcus Lovett from Burbank (Providence) CA, 6'3 Frosh Isaiah Briscoe from Newark (St Benedict's) NJ and all of the aforementioned big men depending upon the continued growth and development have a chance to be great players.  As for the depth of the class, there are a lot guys in the 50-100 who can really play.  And, if that weren't enough, there also is a lot of quality at the point guard position with the likes of 5'10 Frosh Marcus Lovett from Burbank (Providence) CA, 5'11 Frosh Justin Jenifer from Bel Air (John Carroll) MD, 6'0 Frosh Allonzo Trier from Oklahoma City, OK, 5'10 Frosh A.J. Harris from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 5'7 Frosh Jerron Love from Fresno (Clovis West) CA, 5'11 Frosh Nassir Barrino from Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Sean McGee from Ft. Wayne (North Side) IN, 5'10 Frosh Nick Smith from Memphis (White Station) TN, 5'9 Frosh Sam Foreman from Haverford (School) PA, 5'9 Frosh Joshere Hardnett from Gulfport (H.S.) MS, 6'0 Frosh Jordan Ash from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, and 5'10 Frosh Chris Atkinson from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY.  On the other hand, the players in this class need to be especially careful not to get too caught up in all of the hype, as the level of entitlement among both the players and the parents in this age group appears to be at an all-time high.   Editor's Note:  Now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section in order to find out exactly how everything stacks up in our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Juniors), our Ranking of the Top 350 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Sophomores) and our Ranking of the Top250 Players Nationally in the Class of 2015 (Freshmen). 

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Coming right on the heels of our updated Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Juniors), which was published right here in the Members Section a week ago, is our Ranking of the Top 350 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Sophomores).  And, although it appears to be pretty much status quo for most of the top players in this class, there are some very important things to point out.  First, is our ranking of 6'1 Soph Joel Berry from Orlando (Lake Highland Prep) FL as the #4-ranked player in the class.  This is a guy that we've been watching for three years now dating back to when he played up a year in class and was so good that he was ranked as the fifth best player at the 14-Under AAU Nationals in Lake Buena Vista, FL.  Berry has big-time athleticism, is capable of putting up prolific numbers, and has the ball handling and passing skills, court savvy, unselfishness, and feel for the game necessary to play point guard.  However, with the exception of Van Coleman, who has Berry ranked #16 in his Class of 2014 Post Summer Top 75 on his Hot100Hoops.com web site, nobody in our business has come close to figuring out how good this guy is both now and with regards to his upside and potential.  Second, thanks to a tip from, believe it or not, Brandon Bender, who is a name from the past, we have 6'8 Soph Ray Kasongo from Lick Creek (East Ridge) KY ranked #24 in our Ranking of the Top 350 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Sophomores).  "Kasongo is the best sophomore in the state and nobody's ever heard of him," is what Bender told us three weeks ago at the John Lucas Basketball Resources Midwest Invitational Camp in Louisville, KY.  Bender also showed us a two-minute highlight film of this freak-like athlete, which was impressive to say the least with numerous and plenty of acrobatic moves to the basket.  Upon even further investigation we find that Kasongo was ranked #191 nationally back when we last published our Ranking of the Top 250 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 back on March 11, 2011.  This name obviously was given to us via Ro Russell, who runs the Grassroots Canada club team organization.  And to make the story even more interesting is the fact that NorthPoleHoops.com has Kasongo ranked #3 in the Class of 2014 and #13 overall among players from Canada who are currently playing both north of the border and in the United States.  We also find that Kasongo had 20 points in the Gold Division of the Heinbuch Classic, was named the Tournament MVP in the Mark Walton Invitational, and had 21 points consolation semi-finals in the Eastern School of Commerce Holiday Classic while playing last winter for Toronto (Mother Teresa) ON.  And, while the level competition may be suspect in Canada, that's still pretty darn impressive when one remembers that Kasongo was just a freshman in high school and playing against the likes of players two and three years older.  So, if Kasongo turns out to be a one of the biggest surprises to come down the pike in a long time, remember that we went out on a limb on his first.  And, if he turns out to be a bust, still give us credit for doing our homework and identifying somebody early who could turn out to be a great player.  Third, we have 6'6 Soph Dante Buford from Greenville (Oakwood) NC ranked #25 based totally on the recommendation of our North Carolina Editor Rick Lewis, who saw Buford for the first time over the weekend at Scout Focus Elite 80 Showcase in Greensboro, NC.  "Simply put, Buford was a “man among boys” at this event and without question was the top prospect in attendance" is the way Lewis' evaluation begins.  "We are talking about a super athletic 6’6 wing that can do a little bit of everything, as he used the courts at Proehlific Park as his personal playground to showcase his athleticism and skill sets.  Of course, like many athletic wings, he loves to get out in transition and dunk everything in sight.  And yes, Buford had his fair share of highlight dunks. Without question, he was a dunking machine in transition, but his impeccable timing off missed shots for slam dunks were more impressive.  In addition, he was equally impressive with his outstanding range on 3-pointers, as in one sequence had three consecutive treys from NBA range.  He was coming down in transition and pulling up and making nifty moves off the dribble for threes.  He also has great elevation and lift on his jumper, above average ball handling abilities, and is unselfish in the open court, as he made no look passes to open teammates.  Buford plays extremely hard on both ends of the court and competes like a warrior, as he goes hard and high for every rebound!  While one can become intoxicated with his performance at an exposure/evaluation event, Buford is definitely a prospect high major schools should follow and monitor over the next few years."  And right now nobody (except us) has him on their national radar screen.  Fourth, it's clear that most our competition wasn't watching when 6'8 Soph Craig Victor from New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA was average at best when we saw him the Las Vegas Fab 48 Tournament this past summer at Bishop Gorman High School. Victor has been ranked among the top five players nationally in his class by the HOOP SCOOP since we first saw him back when he was in 6th Grade.  However, he was a bust in Vegas and, as a result, now he checks in a #58 in our Ranking of the Top 350 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Sophomores).  And, we would drop him some more, if we had to rank him as a wing forward, which is the position where some people in our business have projected him for down the road.   Editor's Note:  Now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section in order to find out exactly how everything stacks up in both our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Juniors) and our Ranking of the Top 350 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Sophomores).  

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The two best high school players in the nation regardless of class are 6'8 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL and 6'9 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Academy) TX.  I bring this up because we are now ready to publish our updated Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Juniors) and they are the top two-ranked players on this list.  We give the slight edge right now to Parker, because he's more consistent, is equally effective both inside and outside, and has the skills, athleticism, and versatility necessary to draw Carmelo Anthony-like comparisons.  Randle has a bigger upside due to his incredible combination of size, strength, athleticism, post moves, ball handling skills, and footwork and he also put on the best individual performance that we've seen in a long time when had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8-13 field goals, and 14-17 free throws prior to fouling out in his team's one-point overtime loss in the quarterfinals of the NIKE Peach Jam.  There is a big drop after these first two, but 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH is the best shot blocker to come down the pike in a long time and, although he doesn't always play as hard as we'd like, he does have a tendency to pick it up in big games.  And this is important, because, whether it be his high school team, prep school team, or in a camp setting, his team usually wins and he's primarily responsible.  The final two spots in the top five are clearly debatable.  However, based on talent and athleticism, we give the nod to 6'1 Jr Kasey Hill from Montverde (Academy) FL, who is an incredible athletic that promises to be the next in a long line of prolific scoring guards (i.e Nick Calathes, Kenny Boynton, and Brandon Knight) to hail from the Sunshine State and 6'8 Jr Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, who is one of the best athletes in the nation and is one of the best there is when it comes time attacking the basket and being aggressive in the paint.  You also can make a strong case for putting both of 6'5 Jr Aaron Harrison from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX and 6'5 Jr Andrew Harrison from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX, who check in at #6 and #8 respectively, into the top five.  And there aren't too many players better than the well-traveled 6'5 Jr Chris Thomas, who is originally from Denver, CO, but now is at South Kent (Prep) CT.  Although in this case, Thomas needs to earn it, as is evident by the fact that he has already attended three high schools in two years and has also reclassified, which makes him at least a year older than his grade.  Rounding out our top 10 are 6'1 Jr Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, who is the best pure point guard in the nation, and 6'5 Jr Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA, who is an undersized inside guy with an expanded mid-range game, but still doesn't get the respect that he deserves even tough he took turns this past spring and summer with 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX being the best player on the Houston Hoops club team.  We also think it is interesting to point out that five our top 16-ranked juniors (Julius Randle, Aaron Harrison, Andrew Harrison, Matt Jones, and Keith Frazier) are from the Lone Star State and that 17 of our top 100-ranked juniors are already off the board.  This list includes 6'8 Jr Isaiah Hicks from Oxford (Body of Christ) NC to North Carolina, 6'4 Jr Billy Garrett from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL to DePaul, 6'5 Jr Deonte Burton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH to Marquette, 6'9 Jr Brandon Watkins from Atlanta (Grady) GA to West Virginia, 6'9 Jr Christian Wood from Henderson (Henderson Findlay) NV to UNLV, 6'3 Jr Eric Cooper from La Verne (Lutheran) CA to Arizona, 6'5 Jr Malcolm Hill from Belleville (East) IL to Illinois, 6'5 Jr Collin Hartman from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN to Indiana, 6'1 Jr Bryson Scott from Ft. Wayne (Northrop) IN to Purdue, 6'7 Jr Kyle Wilson from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX to Baylor, 6'9 Jr Bobby Portis from Little Rock (Hall) AR to Arkansas, 6'7 Jr V.J. Beachem from New Haven (H.S.) IN to Notre Dame, 6'4 Jr Kendall Stephens from St. Charles (East) IL to Purdue, 6'0 Jr Conner Frankamp from Wichita (North) KS to Kansas, 6'8 Jr Marc Loving from Toledo (St. John's) OH to Ohio State, 6'3 Jr Jalen James from Chicago (Hope) IL to Illinois, and 6'4 Jr Devin Davis from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN to Indiana.  And seven of those aforementioned players who are already verbally committed are bound for Big-10 schools.  Obviously this also helps explain why the top four-ranked schools (Purdue, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois) on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2013, which is updated daily exclusively right here  in the Members Section, are all from this conference.  And this Big-10 dominance would be even greater if we bought into all of the hype surrounding Ohio State-bound 6'8 Jr Marc Loving from Toledo (St. John's) OH and Wisconsin-bound 6'2 Jr Bronson Koenig from La Crosse (Aquinas) WI.  Both players are currently ranked much higher by most of our competition than where we now have them at #80 and #99 respectively.  Another interesting trend involves the fact the recruiting process has really been slowed down for the players on the top half of the list, as is evident the fact that there are only two top 50-ranked juniors who are already off the board.  And this comes on the heels of this year's senior class, where 18 of the top 40-ranked players are still available.  In contrast, there are only 13 players in the 41-100 range still available in the Class of 2012.  Editor's Note:  Now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section in order to find out exactly how everything stacks up in our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Juniors).

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

I ran across something very interesting in the latest Five-Star Basketball Recruiting Roundup, which was published earlier today and written by Harrison Sanford.  The headline screams "Anderson shocked by Arits' de-commitment" and the article begins saying "UCLA seemingly had their backcourt of the near future set.  Five-Star rated point guard guard Kyle Anderson (Fairview, NJ/St. Anthony) was to team with top-100 floor general Dominic Artis (Richmond, CA/ Findlay Prep, NV) to create a dynamic 2012 tandem."  And then it quotes Anderson saying Artis "is a kinda like Myle Mack (Anderson's former St. Anthony teammate playing at Rutgers).  He shoots the ball well, I could have found him in open spots."  The articles goes on to say "Bruins fans might not get the duo in wake of Artis' de-commitment a few weeks back.  The news was a blow to Anderson and Westwood as UCLA is left without any other top-100 options at point guard in the 2012 class, leaving Anderson as the sole ball handler."  Then it's back to Anderson who says "I was wondering why he (Artis) did it.  I was surprised he de-committed, but it is what it is...he had to do what's best for him.  He said he is going to weight his options, felt like he rushed into it."  The article concludes by saying that Artis is still considering UCLA, along with Oregon and California.  First of all, I want to point out that de-commit is not a word.  However, if people want to insist on using it, I also want to reinforce the fact that de-commit does not eloquently describe what a slim ball the coach that you gave your word to thinks you are after you've reneged and he has to start all over in the recruiting process to find another player to fill the same position.  As for Artis, people close to the situation at the time told me that the reason Artis decided to renege on his decision to attend UCLA was the fact that the Bruins coaching staff had told Artis that Anderson was going to be the point guard and, as a result, it looked like Artis was going to be the old man out.  And,, at the time we were kind of scratching our head.  As things stand now, Artis is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is capable of playing either guard spot, thanks to his good ball handling and passing skills, excellent decision making, and ability to flat out shoot the basketball.  We thought also thought Anderson and Artis would complement one another perfectly and be interchangeable in the backcourt.   Artis also would be able to more than offset Anderson's inability to defend a smaller and quicker guard defensively and, when need be at the offensive end, beat defenders off the dribble in a way that Anderson would not be able to do.  Now also is a good time to point out that UCLA will also have North Carolina transfer 6'2 Jr Larry Drew waiting in the wings this year and he will become eligible when the players in the 2012 recruiting class arrive on campus a year from now as college freshmen.  And this is important, because Anderson will not be only point guard in the program who had a top 100 résumé as a college senior.  So we think it's safe to assume that the UCLA coaching staff didn't want to create too much of a long jam in the backcourt, as their top priority is still landing 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  This too is huge, because one of the primary reasons why Anderson picked UCLA is that he wants to play on the same college team with Muhammad.  And those in the know think that the same also holds true for 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 6'8 William "Shaq" Goodwin from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, all of whom also are high on UCLA's priority list.  The University of Memphis is another school high on the list of Parker and Goodwin and our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that they were both at Memphis Madness on Friday, along with a long list of other high level players that also included 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Southwind) TN, 6'7 Jr Nick King from Memphis (East) TN, 6'8 Jr Austin Nichols from Eads (Briarcrest) TN, 6'7 Soph LeRon Black from Memphis (White Station) TN, and 6'5 Soph Develle Roby from Memphis (White Station) TN.  The other big shoe to drop over the weekend in the recruiting world involves 6'4 D'vantes Smith-Rivera from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who picked Georgetown over Louisville, N.C. State, Memphis, and UCLA.  We're talking about a strong athletic scoring combo guard who is ranked #35 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is ideally suited for the physicality.  Smith-Rivera joins 6'8 Brandon Bolden from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA in a recruiting class that is now ranked #32 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  However, even more important, the addition Smith-Rivera gives the Hoyas a that they have not previously had into one of the most fertile recruiting hotbeds in the country.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'5 Derrick Stewart from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA and 6'6 Terry Turner from Scranton (H.S.) PA have both verbally committed to Rider, 6'0 Carson Puriefoy from Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ is bound for Stony Brook, and 6'3 Kyle Molock from Dublin (Coffman) OH has decided to attend St. Joseph's.  Yes, Molock is the same guy who originally verbally committed to Purdue back when he was a sophomore in high school, but re-opened his recruitment this past summer after tearing an ACL 15 months ago and missing his entire junior season.  The reports that we're getting is that he's now fully recovered.  And, assuming that's the case, this appears to be a major steal.  Molock not only is a smart tough hardnosed point guard who knows how to run a team, but he's also a lock down defender with incredible athleticism and a 39-inch vertical leap.  Puriefoy is a pure point guard who knows how to run a team, score, dish, and hit the outside shot.  Stewart is a combo forward who can step out and hit the three, is a good rebounder and defender, and brings that Philly toughness to the table.  Turner promises to be the best player from the Scranton area since Gerry McNamara, but this very skilled and athletic wing player is going to have to learn to work harder in the off season if he's going to live up his lofty press clippings.  Rubin also tells us that 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA has visits lined up each the next three weekends to Kentucky, Stanford, and N.C. State.  He also already has been to Ohio State and Connecticut and plans to take unofficial visits to Temple, Villanova, and Maryland.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

The two most interesting things that we've recently run across on the recruiting trail in the involves the verbal commitments that 6'4 Melvin Johnson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ has made a couple of days ago to Miami-FL and 5'11 Stefan Moody from Kissimmee (Poinciana) FL has made earlier this week to Florida Atlantic.  The former is ranked #53 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks this is big for a number of reasons.  First, Johnson has a scorer's mentality and can really shoot the basketball, which is something that most New York City guards don't do well.  Second, he has big time athleticism and that New York City toughness and he's improved leaps and bounds since last season when he was junior at New York (Rice) NY.  Third, he not only promises to be the heir apparent to 6'3 Jr Durand Scott, who will graduate year after next, at the two-guard spot, but he also helps keep the Hurricanes' strong NYC pipeline intact.  If you will recall, Scott is an alumnus of New York (Rice) NY and 6'1 Sr Malcolm Grant graduated from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY prior to going the prep school route for a year to Winchendon (School) MA.  And to make the story even more interesting is the fact that new Miami-FL head coach Jim Larranaga also has strong NYC roots dating back to his high school playing days at Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY.  The latter is a jet quick point guard who came out of the woodwork this past summer to now be ranked #60 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We're talking about a guy with an incredible vertical leap, the ability to beat you with his outside shooting, and the speed and quickness necessary to be a lockdown defender.  In other words, we're talking about a major steal for the Owls, as well as an excellent complement to 6'7 Chris Bryant from Waynesboro (Fishburne Military Academy) VA, who also is already apart of a recruiting class that is now tied at #39, along with Michigan and West Virginia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  We also are not surprised that 6'8 Grant Verhoeven from Visalia (Central Valley Christian) CA has picked Stanford and we have no doubt that 6'1 Joe Rahon from San Diego (Torrey Pines) CA will be a perfect fit at Boston College.  Rahon is a pure point guard with a great frame, good skills, a high energy level, the surprising lateral quickness, and the toughness necessary to evolve into a big time player.  Verhoeven needs to get bigger and strong physically, but he's got a high basketball IQ, good skills, and is very effective around the basketball for a finesse player, as is evident by the fact that he averaged 23.0 ppg and 17.0 rpg a year ago.  The fact that his Dad (Pete Verhoeven) played at Fresno State and for six years in the NBA is just an added bonus.   And what about the two verbal commitments that Princeton recently garnered from 7'1 Edo Lawrence from New Haven (Canterbury) CT and 6'8 Hans Brase from Pottstown (The Hill School) PA?  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Brase is a face-up four-man who can shoot the basketball and is very effective on the boards at 6'8, 230-pounds.  Lawrence is another guy who has improved dramatically during the past year and he's got the developing skills, frame to get bigger and stronger physically, and the upside and potential necessary to become a force to be reckoned with in the Ivy League.  We also think that 6'7 Jr V.J. Beachem from New Haven (H.S.) IN is a great catch for Notre Dame for a number of reasons.  First, he's a very good player, as is evident by the fact that he's a consensus top 50-100 range junior nationally.  Second, he's a skilled wing with nice size and he can flat out light it up from behind the arc.  Third, he's a homegrown kid, which is important for the Irish, as the attend to battle Indiana and Purdue for the top players in the state.  Fourth, he should fit in perfectly with the three players - 6'6 Cameron Beidschied from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 6'8 Austin Burgett from Avon (H.S.) IN, and 6'9 Zach Auguste from New Hampton (Prep) NH - who are already apart of Notre Dame's currently recruiting class, which is currently ranked #31 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  On the other hand, we're not impressed with the fact that 6'6 Negus Webster-Chan from Huntington (Prep) WV has verbally committed to the University of Missouri.  He's was awful last summer at the NBA Players Association Camp in Charlottesville, VA and were not surprised that he changed his mind about going to the University of Louisville, which is where he originally verbally committed back when Tigers assistant coach Tim Fuller was on the Cardinals coaching staff.  We also have a number of junior college commitments to pass along, including 6'5 Darren Goodson from Pensacola (JC) FL to Kent State, 6'5 Arthur McMillan from Lawson State (JC) AL to Appalachian State, 6'0 Trantell Knight from Chipola (JC) FL to Middle Tennessee State, 6'1 Darrington Banks from Collin County (JC) KS and 6'8 Marcus Bell from Marshalltown (JC) IA both to the University of Idaho.  The first one and the last one are especially noteworthy, as Goodson is a 6'5, 240-pound physical presence with great hands and the ability to put up impressive numbers to the tune of 17.1 ppg and 6.1 rpg a year ago, and Bell is a great athlete who was good enough a year ago to be named the MVP of the Western Division of the Northwest Athletic Association of the Community College Conference. 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

The biggest thing that has happened in the recruiting world during the last several days has to be the verbal commitment that 6'6 Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA has made to the University of Colorado.  We're talking about an athletic wing with a good mid-range game, the versatility to play multiple positions, and the skills necessary to be ranked #77 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  He's also a terrific kid and a great team player, as is evident by the fact that he played out of position for his high school team last winter and accepted his role this past summer on a loaded Dream Vision team that featured 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 7'0 Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA.  And this is important, because it likely explains why the value of Johnson's stock has dropped so much in the last year and why we suspect that he will end up being a better player in college than he was in high school.  In other words, Johnson has the talent and the character necessary to be exactly what the doctor ordered as the Buffaloes get ready to enter the Pacific-10 Conference.  We also find it interesting that Johnson is following the footsteps of 6'4 Spencer Dinwiddie from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'1 Askia Booker from Los Angeles (Price) CA, and 6'6 Damien Cain from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, all of who signed with Colorado a year ago.  And to make the story even more interesting is the fact that Johnson and Dinwiddie were teammates on the Double Pump Elite team that won the adidas Super 64 Tournament the summer before last in Las Vegas, NV.  We're not sure why the the Buffaloes are recruiting so well in Southern California, but we do know that Buffaloes assistant coach Tom Abatemarco has proven over the years that he's one of the best there is on the recruiting trail and Buffaloes assistant coach Jean Prioleau is one of the rising stars in the business.  We also have confirmed that earlier this week Colorado added 6'7 Chris Jenkins from Detroit (Jesuit) MI to a recruiting class that is now tied at #18, along with Missouri and Xavier, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012 and already includes 6'10 Josh Scott from Monument (Lewis-Palmer) CO and 6'7 Wesley Gordon from Colorado Springs (Sierra) CO.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with the scoop on 6'9 Jermaine Davis from Garfield Heights (H.S.) OH verbally committing to La Salle.  We're talking about good old-fashioned big bodied center with good post moves and an aggressive on the boards, whereby, he doesn't take any prisoners around the basket.  And a tough hardnosed physical specimen like Davis is exactly what the doctored ordered for Explorers head coach John Giannini and his staff, as he promises to be the perfect complement to 7'0 Frosh Matt Lopez, 6'11 Frosh Steve Sax, and 6'8 Frosh Devon White, all of whom are already in the program.  Rubin also tells us that 6'1 Jr Jaren Sina from Gladestone (St. Bernard's) NJ has decided to renege on the verbal commitment that he made last winter to the University of Alabama.  On the other hand, we thought this was a strange fit for a number of reasons.  First, it's a big change of lifestyle when one makes the move from North Jersey to the Deep South.  Second, Sina is very skilled and can shoot the lights out, but lacks the speed, quickness, and athleticism necessary to be an impact player in the Southeastern Conference.  Third, we never bought the hype that Sina was a big time player.  Instead, we thought he would be a better fit for somebody in the Atlantic-10 Conference or Colonial Athletic Association.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also checks in and he thinks Fairfield has stolen one in 6'8 Amadou Sidibe from Bronx (Cardinal Hayes) NY.  "He's only been playing basketball for three years," says Naclerio.  "But he's a tremendous shot blocker and rebounder and his offensive game is starting to catch up with his defensive game.   He's developing a hook shot and some nice moves around the basket.  He's originally from the Ivory Coast and also was considering schools like Hofstra, Fordham, Iona, Boston University, Drexel, St. Peter's, and Siena."  We also have some junior college verbal commitments to pass along, as 6'6 Kenny Williams from Moberly (JC) MO has picked UTEP, 6'9 Fahro Alihodzic from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA is bound for the University of Nebraska, 6'0 Richard Carter from Cloud County (JC) KS has decided on Drake University, and 6'5 Ronald McGee from Dodge City (JC) KS will attend  Eastern Illinois.  That first one is especially significant, because Williams has the skills, mid-range game, and résumé to be touted as one of the top five junior college players in the nation.  And to reinforce this point even further is the fact that this athletic combo forward averaged 22.1 ppg and 13.9 rpg and was named a Third Team All-America in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) ranks a year ago.  At 6'9, 240-pounds and already 22-years old, Alihodzic has a good combination of size, strength, experience, pedigree, and maturity and, although he's primarily a back to the basket type of guy, he also can step out and knock down the 3-point shot.  Carter also appears to be a steal for the Bulldogs, as he averaged 12.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 4.2 apg en route to Freshman-of-the-Year honors in the touch Jayhawk Conference a year ago.  McGhee is a long wiry athletic wing who can beat you with both his good mid-range game and excellent outside shooting. 

Friday, September 30, 2011

When we found out earlier this week that 6'4 Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian Academy) NC was going to make an unofficial visit to N.C. State, along with 5'11 Tyler Lewis from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'7 T.J. Warren from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, we knew that Purvis was a done deal for the Wolfpack.  And, if N.C. State can also seal the deal with Warren, then they will be three-for-three when it comes to getting the top three players from along Tobacco Road to stay at home.  If you will recall, Lewis is originally from Statesville, NC and played the last three years at Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC and Warren is from Raleigh, NC and he played at Raleigh (Word of God) NC a year ago.  And, if that weren't enough of a connection, did you know that Warren's father (Tony Warren) played for the Wolfpack in the late 70's and is a big N.C. State basketball fan?  It also looks like N.C. State and Florida are the two schools that you have to beat for 6'9 Brice Johnson from Cordova (Edisto) SC, they recently had 6'3 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera on campus for an official visit, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA is expected to make an official visit on November 5th, and they are hoping to join West Virginia, Kansas Louisville, and Texas and get the final visit from 6'7 Andrew White from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA.  In other words, N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried and his staff have done a magnificent job of hitting the ground running after getting hired this past spring.  And, with Purvis and Lewis already in the fold, their recruiting class checks in at #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  If they also get Warren, then this class will move up to #3, right behind UCLA and Indiana and ahead of Arizona, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Virginia, Florida State, Providence, and Wake Forest, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  Add any one or two of the other four aforementioned players to the list and N.C. State should be right there when the dust has cleared next spring and we're talking about who has the top-ranked recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2012.  As for Purvis, he's an incredible athlete, is capable of playing either guard spot, and is good enough to be ranked #9 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The other big commitment that we've tracked during the last 24 hours involves 6'10 Mading Thok from Hull (Western Christian) IA, who has made it official for Ball State.  Thok is ranked #132 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but his upside and potential are off the chart due to his length, athleticism, ability to run the court, and blocks shots.  He does need to get bigger and stronger physically and develop more of an offensive repertoire.  In other words, he's far from being a finished product, but it wouldn't surprise us one bit if he evolved into the best player in the league someday.  Thok also promises to be the perfect complement to 6'6 Bo Calhoun from South Bend (Washington) IN, 6'4 Michael Ramey from Indianapolis (Southport) IN, and 6'1 Marcus Posley from Winnebago (H.S.) IL in a recruiting class that is now ranked #33 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with the scoop on 6'8 Donovan Jack from Reading (Bucks Catholic) PA, who has picked Duquesne over St. Bonaventure and St. Joseph's.  Jack is another pencil thin post player, but he's ranked #242 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the skills and footwork in the paint necessary to emerge into an impact player down the road in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  Rubin also tells us that the University of Pennsylvania has landed the big man that they were searching for in 6'10 Darian Nelson-Henry from Kirkland (Lake Washington) WA.  Nelson-Henry picked the Quakers over Washington State, Gonzaga, Boise State, and Columbia and he has the size, mobility, and back-to-the-basket game necessary to potentially start as a freshman a year from now.  He also joins 6'2 Tony Hicks from Chicago (St. Rita) IL and 6'0 Jamal Lewis from Washington (Sidwell Friends) WA in a recruiting class that is now tied, along with Harvard, for the top spot in the Ivy League.  It also looks like new Towson head coach Pat Skerry hasn't lost his touch as an excellent recruiter, as the Tigers have added 6'3 Jerome Hairston from Arden (The Christ School) NC to a recruiting class that already includes 6'2 Frank Mason from Petersburg (H.S.) VA and 6'8 Barrington Alston from Christchurch (School) VA.  Hairston is ranked #290 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and he's one of those guys that is like a jack-of-all-trades, as he does everything pretty well, but nothing exceptionally well.  We also have confirmed that 5'11 Dalante Dunklin from San Diego (Parker) CA has picked UC-Santa Barbara, 6'6 Nate Kratch from Watertown (Watertown-Mayer) MN is bound for Santa Clara, 6'5 Corey Arentsen from Breese (Mater Dei) IL has decided to attend Austin Perry, 6'5 Jeff Moss from Madison (Bob Jones) AL has cast his lot with Murray State.  And on the junior college recruiting trail it's being reported that 5'10 Denzel Douglas from Casper (JC) WY has verbally committed to the University of Idaho, 6'8 Lamont Prosser from Sheridan (JC) WY has verbally committed to Portland State, 6'4 Cameron Solomon from Brevard (JC) FL has verbally committed to Georgia State, 6'8 Juan Coronado from Palm Beach (JC) FL has verbally committed to Liberty, 7'0 Anthony Allen from Southern Idaho (JC) ID has verbally committed to Ohio University and 5'9 Frosh Jerran Foster from Southern Idaho (JC) ID has verbally committed to Winthrop.  We also think it's important to mention that those last two (Allen and Foster) are both freshmen this year and, as a result, count as apart of the Class of 2013 for their respective schools. 

Friday, September 23, 2011

It looks like we knew what we were talking about yesterday when we told you that 6'4 Musa Abdul Aleem from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA was on the verge of making his college decision and that the race was between South Florida and Memphis.  He made it official for the Bulls this afternoon and Dave Dennis, who is the associated head coach at Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, not only confirms the fact that Aleem is a great 3-point shooter, but also adds that Aleem has a very good mid-range game and is very adept at both shooting and scoring.  "He does both equally well," says Dennis.  "He's also is an excellent defender, but the best thing about him is his character."  Aleen averaged 13.9 ppg and 5.5 rpg a year ago and this strong physical guard should be exactly what the doctor ordered in terms of providing the Bulls with needed outside firepower when he arrives on campus a year from now.  He also promises to evolve into one of the better players in the tough Big East Conference and we're intrigued by all of the connections that the South Florida coaching staff had to get this one done.  Not only is Aleem originally from Tampa, FL, but his father still lives there and Dennis, who played high school basketball back in the day against South Florida head coach Stan Heath in Detroit, MI, sent one of his players (Jay Brown) to Lamar, where he played for current Bulls assistant coach Steve Roccaforte.  It also looks like Cornell head coach Bill Courtney and his staff are doing a good job of putting the pieces together, as their latest recruit is 6'8 Holt Harmon from Plano (West) TX.  We're talking about a guy who can score on the block, is crafty around the basket, and is good enough to be ranked #32 in the state's senior class by TexasHoops.com.  If you will recall, the Big Red also landed 6'4 Nolan Cressler from Pittsburgh (Plum) PA three-and-a-half weeks ago and got what is believed to be the earliest commitment ever made to an Ivy League school by 6'10 Jr Tim Higgins from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA back in late August.  What Cressler does best is shoot the basketball.  But the big prize here is Higgins, who has grown two inches in the last year and, as a result, at 6'10, 205-pounds, is going to need some time for his body to catch up with his growth.  However, he has a high motor, great hands, runs the court, blocks shots, and has incredible IQ both on and off the court.  And the connection here is interesting as well, as it looks like Courtney, who was an assistant coach at Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, and George Mason, has gone back to his old stamping grounds to steal a big guy with the upside and potential necessary to evolve into one of the best players in the league someday.  There also is the addition of 6'8 Austin Haldorson from Highlands Ranch (H.S.) CO to a University of Wyoming recruiting class that already includes 6'0 Josh Adams from Parker (Chaparral) CO and 6'4 Jason McManamen from Torrington (H.S.) WY.  Halderson needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but has solid skills, good athleticism and mobility, and a great bloodline, as is evident by the fact that he is the grandson of University of Colorado All-American Burdette Haldorson.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Zach Auguste from New Hampton (Prep) NH has verbally committed to Notre Dame.  And we think this is a great catch for a number of reasons.  First, Auguste is good enough right now to be ranked #19 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players.  Second, this long skinny athletic big white kid has a huge upside and the skills and versatility necessary to be perfect for Irish head coach Mike Breys' system.  Third, he promises to be an excellent complement to 6'6 Cameron Beidschield from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO and 6'8 Austin Burgett from Avon (H.S.) IN in a recruiting class that is now ranked #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also tells us that 6'9 Tyler Berantino from Brooksville (Nature Coast) FL has verbally committed to Massachusetts, 6'4 Ronny Paden from Willingboro (H.S.) NJ has verbally committed to St. Peter's, 6'4 Khalil Alford from Waynesboro (Fishburne Military Academy) VA has verbally committed to Rider, and 6'5 Grant Ellis from Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ has verbally committed to Iona.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

With the verbal commitment a couple of days ago by 6'7 Jerami Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Syracuse University and 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ expected to pick either Seton Hall or UCLA on Tuesday, it's now easier to provide you with a list of who is left than who is already off the board.  Currently that number stands at 40 and it includes 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 DaJuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 6'4 Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian Academy) NC, 6'5 Archie Goodwin from Sherwood (Sylvan Hills) AR, 6'6 Savon Goodman from Philadelphia (Constitution) PA, 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Southwind) TN, 6'7 T.J. Warren from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'4 Gary Harris from Fishers (Hamilton Southeastern) IN, 6'7 Charles Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'8 Perry Ellis from Wichita (Heights) KS, 6'8 William "Shaq" Goodwin from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA 6'8 Rosco Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'4 D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Alex Poythress from Clarksville (Northeast) TN, 6'8 Devonta Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS, 6'5 Torian Graham from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'6 Twymond Howard from Pearl (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Robert Carter from Snellville (Shiloh) GA, 6'9 Prince Ibeh from Garland (Namann Forest) TX, 6'8 Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH, 6'4 Melvin Johnson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Brice Johnson from Cordova (Edisto) SC, 6'8 Ben Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 5'11 Stefan Moody from Poinciana (H.S.) FL, 6'11 Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'0 Nino Jackson from Ardmore (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'10 Joel James from Palm Beach Gardens (Dwyer) FL, 6'8 Zena Edosomwan from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'9 Landen Lucas from Portland (Westview) OR, 6'4 Junior Lomomba from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'3 Anrio Adams from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'10 Willie Cauley from Olathe (Northwest) KS, 6'6 Jordan Tebbutt from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'8 Chris Washburn from Grand Prairie (South) TX.  Grant picked the Orangemen over Rutgers and Notre Dame and is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, what really makes this a great catch is the fact that Grant is a phenomenal athlete with a tremendous upside and an unbelievable bloodline (his father and uncle both played in the NBA, his three older brothers all played college basketball, and his younger brother is one of the top rising freshmen in the nation and has the potential to be the best player in the family).  We also find it interesting that one of the deciding factors in Grant's decision was Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim's incredible success with similar like players (i.e. Carmelo Anthony, Wesley Johnson, and Donte Green).  As for Anderson, he's ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and also still has Florida, St. John's, and Georgetown on his list.  However, after a number of calls earlier this evening, everybody that we've talked with thinks it will be either Seton Hall or UCLA.  If he picks the former, it will be one of the major recruiting coups of the entire Fall Signing Period.   Not only is Anderson capable of playing any position from point guard to power forward, but he also has an incredible basketball IQ and is the marquee player that Pirates head coach Kevin Willard needs to take the program to another level.  On the other hand, if Anderson picks the latter, then he would be the perfect complement to 6'0 Dominic Artis from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV and 6'5 Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in a recruiting class that is ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  However, even more important, Anderson will also likely be the pied piper that UCLA head coach Ben Howland and his staff need to get them over the top in their quest to get 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who is our #1-ranked senior nationally and the Bruins top recruiting priority. Another top priority is 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and now has a top three that includes UCLA, Ohio State, and Duke.  And, if UCLA were to really hit the jackpot and were to get Muhammad, Anderson, and Parker to along Artis and Adams, then everybody would be talking about the "Fab Five" recruiting class that we first mentioned back in July. 

Sunday, September 11, 2011

One of the best things that we do all year is our "Best of the Summer Awards," which always provide an interesting perspective and accurate reflection of what we saw out on the recruiting trail from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  And this time around the Player-of-the-Summer and the Best Senior in the Nation was one in the same.  Obviously we're talking about 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, who began the summer with that dominant performance at the Pangos All-American Camp and ended the summer when he scored 25 points and shared MVP honors at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Game in Venice Beach, CA.  And he was so incredible in a game on the first day of Live Evaluation Period at the adidas Invitational in Indianapolis, IN that our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson called me and told me that we can cancel the entire summer.  Muhammad had 47 points in that game and he was so good at getting to the basket that he also wrapped up the award as Best Slasher on that very first day.  Muhammad also is a tremendous competitor who played hurt, but still put up prolific numbers while leading his team to a runner-up finish in the adidas Super 64 Tournament in Las Vegas, NV.  And Muhammad still has plenty of upside and potential, as he needs to develop more of an outside shooter's mentality and to continue to improve his mid-range game.  He also has some serious competition from 6'8 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX and 6'8 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL with regards to our choice as the Best Player in the Nation Today Regardless of Class.  As a matter of fact, we think the race among these three players is too close call and, as a result, they (Muhammad, Randle, and Parker) are the tri-winners of this award.  Randle does possess an incredible combination of size, skills, athleticism, and footwork and he did turn in the Best Individual Performance that we've seen in a long time when we saw him finish with 30 points against Memphis YOMCA in the quarterfinals of the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC.  On the other hand, Parker does edge out Randle as the Best Junior in the Nation due to the fact that he was a little more consistent throughout the entire summer.  Parker also has changed his body in the last year and, as a result, is now quick enough and athletic enough to guard smaller guys out on the perimeter and now projects as a 2-guard or a wing forward at the highest level.  We also continue to think that 6'10 Soph Dakari Johnson from Montverde (Academy) FL is the Best Sophomore in the Nation and that 6'2 Frosh Malik Newman from Jackson (Callaway) MS is the Best Freshman in the Nation.  Newman also gets our Top Gun Award after scoring 32 of his team's 38 points in an opening round playoff loss of the 14-Under AAU Boys National Basketball Championship in Lake Buena Vista, FL.  However, before anybody gets too concerned about Newman's propensity for pulling the trigger, it's also important to remember that he will be playing high school basketball for Wayne Brent at Jackson (Callaway) MS.   Not only is Brent a former assistant coach at Ole Miss, but he's also great at developing players and preparing them for the next level.  Our Top-Ranked 5th Year Player and the winner of our Mr. Hustle Award is 6'9 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who played with boundless energy and enthusiasm in his quest for the latter award and edged out an impressive list of big time players like 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and 6'11 Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT for the former ranking.  Speaking of Drummond, he was both the Most Widely Debated Player of the Summer and the guy who gets the award for Doing The Least With the Most Amount of Talent.  If you recall, Drummond has an incredible combination of size, athletic, and natural talent, but is out of shape, lacks post moves, has no heart, and has NBAidis, meaning that he's already bought into all of the hype and his plan is to get to the league as fast as possible.  And, while we've been on his case for several years now, many others marvel at Drummond's upside and potential and some even go so far as to predict that he will be the #1-pick in the NBA Draft a year from now.  And to make the story even more interesting is the fact that Drummond recently decided to forego another year in prep school at Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA and, instead, has enrolled at the University of Connecticut, where he will play for a no non-sense head coach who has a history of getting the most out of his players.  In sharp contrast to Drummond is 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA.  And, if Drummond was a stock, now would be a good time to buy due to the fact that most of our competition still does not appear to have figured it out yet, despite the fact that he was the most consistent player that we saw all summer.  Jefferson also was the clearly best player at the NBA Player Association Camp, was great when we saw him play in the Las Vegas Fab 48 Tournament and, in our mind, was the best player at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Game in Venice Beach, CA.  He's also a great kid, excellent student, and has the length and athleticism necessary to have as much potential as anybody in the Class of 2012.  Thus, explains, why he wins the Sportsmanship Award, is our Runner-up Player-of-the Summer, and is ranked among the top five seniors nationally.  We also can't say enough good things about 6'4 Marcus Smart from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, who not only was the catalyst behind his team's championship in the adidas 64 Tournament, but also was easily the Biggest Surprise of the Summer.  Smart also is one of the most versatile players in the class, as he can play the one through the four spots, and was one of the leading candidates for Best Defensive Player of the Summer.  However, in the final analysis, that ended up being a tie between 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX and 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH.  Noel also is the best shot blocker to come down the pike in a long time, so it should come as no surprise that he gets the nod as the Best Shot Blocker.  The Best Playmaker was 6'1 Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA, the Best Outside Shooter was 5'11 Phillip Forte from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, and the Best Athlete was 6'5 Archie Goodwin from Sherwood (Sylvan Hills) AR.  The guy with the Most Potential is 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  He hasn't quite put it all together yet, but Bennett reminds us a lot of Larry Johnson at the same stage.  And, if Bennett develops the same type of work ethic, he has a chance to be just as good.  The Biggest Disappointment was 6'9 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  If you will recall, this is the guy that we thought had a chance to be the #1-ranked player in the senior class nationally when we saw him on Memorial Day weekend at the NIKE (EYBL) Elite Youth Basketball League (Session #3) in Torrance, CA.  However, his team (the Oakland Soldiers were a major bust this summer) and Ashley wrapped things up in late August with only two points in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Game.  Our Missing In Action Award goes to 6'9 Jordan Hare from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI and 6'1 Nino Jackson from Ardmore (H.S.) OK, both of whom failed to show up early in the summer at the NBA Players Association Camp in Charlottesville, VA and were not seen at any of the major events during the month of July.  The Most Improved was 6'11 Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, the Biggest Sleeper to emerge was 6'3 Devon Bookert from Las Vegas (Impact Academy) NV, and the Most Unheralded Player was 6'8 Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  And it looks like San Diego State assistant coach Brian Dutcher agrees with us on those last two players, as he was a fixture at all of their games in the adidas Super 64 and Las Vegas 48 Fab 48 Tournament in Las Vegas, NV.  We mention this, because Dutcher gets our Most Visible Assistant Coach of the Summer Award.  And, as things stand now, the Aztecs are 0-1 in recruiting the two aforementioned players.  If you will recall, Bookert recently verbally committed to Florida State and Shepard is still on the board and has San Diego State right at the top of his list.  The Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer was UCLA's Ben Howland.  And this is especially important, because there usually is a direct correlation between coaches that you see on the recruiting trail and coaches that end up landing highly ranked recruiting classes.  In the case of UCLA, the Bruins already have 6'0 Dominic Artis from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV and 6'5 Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA both in the fold, are one of the final five for 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and still appear to be the team you have to beat for 6'5 Shabazz Muhmmad from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  This theory also holds true with Arizona head coach Sean Miller, who won this award a year ago and was our Runner-up Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer this time around.  Remember, a year ago the Wildcats landed 6'2 Josiah Turner from Sacramento (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Nick Johnson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'8 Sidiki Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'10 Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA and now they already have 6'8 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, and 6'2 Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA in a recruiting class that is currently ranked #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.   

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

There were a surprising number of verbal commitments over the long holiday weekend and right at the top of the list was the decision yesterday by 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to return home and play for new Providence head coach Ed Cooley.  Actually this is the second time that Ledo has picked the Friars, as he committed to the previous regime back in December, but then re-opened his recruitment again in January.  Ledo also has been around the block a few times during his high school career, as he's already made stops at Warwick (Bishop Hendricken) RI, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, and South Kent (Prep) CT.  However, Ledo also is ranked #2 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and has the incredible natural talent and athleticism and ability to put up prolific numbers and score in a variety of ways necessary to be the best player to ever wear the Providence College uniform.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that Jimmy Walker, Marvin Barnes, and Ernie DiGregorio were all terrific players back in the day for the Friars.  Ledo also had Kentucky, Connecticut, Syracuse, and West Virginia on his list, but now Providence's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'3 Kris Dunn from Wilbraham (Wilbraham-Monson) MA and 6'5 Joshua Fortune from Hampton (Kecoughtan) VA, is now ranked #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Dates of the Class of 2012.  It also looks like Baylor University got the pure point guard it was searching for in 6'3 L.J. Rose from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX.  If you will recall, the Bears have added three very talented guards during the last year in 5'11 Pierre Jackson from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'3 Quddus "Deuce" Bello from High Point (Westchester Country Day) NC, and 6'3 Soph Gary Franklin, who transferred from the University of California at the semester break last winter.  But none of those guys is ideally suited to step in and run the show.  Rose is not a great player, but he is good enough to be ranked #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, understands his role, and does a good job of making those around him better.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also checks in with three verbal commitments by 6'10 Devontae Watson from Midland (Lincoln Park) PA to Temple, 6'8 Brandon Taylor from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ to Penn State, and 6'4 Chazz Patterson from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ to Mount St. Mary's.  That last one is a great catch for the Mountaineers, because we're talking about an athletic wing who is best known for his athletic highlight film-like dunks, but also isn't afraid to do the dirty work, set picks and screens, and play good defense.  Taylor is ranked #140 nationally in the senior class, but has the potential to be ranked at least 100 spots higher, if he ever decides to take advantage of his quickness and ability to score and rebound around the basket.  Instead, he'd rather shoot 3-pointers and play out on the perimeter.  Watson is an high energy big guy who averaged a triple-double while leading his team to the championship game in the PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) Class A State Tournament.  But what makes Rubin think Watson is a steal for the Owls are his upside and potential.  Apparently he's only been playing organized basketball for three years and he's one of those guys who gets better every time you see him play.  Antonio Curro of NY2LA Sports was the first person to call and tip us off about 6'4 Jr Deonte Burton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH making an early verbal commitment last Friday to Marquette.  Actually this strong physical athletic wing is just returning home after spending most of his high school career at one of the premier basketball factories in the tough New England Prep School ranks.  There also were the verbal commitments by 6'5 Montay Brandon from High Point (Wesleyan Christian Academy) NC to Florida State, 6'8 Skylar Spencer from Los Angeles (Price) CA to San Diego State, 6'7 Jarmal Reid from Decatur (Columbia) GA to Oregon State, 6'5 Shavon Shields from Olathe (Northwest) KS to the University of Nebraska, 6'4 Jordan Chatman from Vancouver (Union) WA to Brigham Young, and 6'1 Ka'Darryl Bell from Oak Park (Oak  Park-River Forest) IL to Bradley.  Bell is a pure point guard, which was a top priority for the new Braves coaching staff.  Chatman is an athletic wing who appears to be following in his father's footsteps (Jeff Chatman is one of the leading scorers and best players in school history).  Shields established himself this past summer as a defensive specialist and he too appears to be keeping it in the family, as his father (Will Shields) was a former All-American on the gridiron for the Cornhuskers.  Reid is listed by a lot of people as wing forward, but what he does best at 6'8, 230-pounds, is rebound and score around the basket.  Spencer is ranked #162 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and his athleticism and ability to run the court, block shots, and rebound appears to be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Aztecs.  Brandon is ranked #17 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and his athleticism and ability to score in a variety of ways makes him a perfect complement to 6'2 Devon Bookert from Las Vegas (Impact Academy) NV and 6'5 Aaron Thomas from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH in a recruiting class that is now ties at #7, along with Iowa State, Virginia, and Wake Forest, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Dates of the Class of 2012.

Monday, August 29, 2011

It really was a great way to wrap up the summer.  We're talking about the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Game, which was held yesterday afternoon in Venice Beach, CA and featured an overwhelming number of the very elite high school players in the nation.  The Marques Johnson Squad beat the Raymond Lewis Squad, 142-132.  However, even more important, a lot of guys reinforced what we already think with regards to their rankings and projections at both the college and professional levels.  We start with with 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who were the three best players in the game and are all ranked among our top five seniors nationally.  For our money Jefferson, who finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots, and 10-17 field goals, was the best player in the game.  But, once again, he's almost too efficient for his own good and, as a result, once again didn't get the respect that he deserves, as Muhammad and 5'7 Jr Aquille Carr from Baltimore (Patterson) MD edged him out for team MVP honors.  Muhammad did have 25 points, nine rebounds, two blocked shots, and 12-22 field goals.  But most of his points came off of dunks and baskets in transition.  On the other hand, Muhammad does deserve extra credit because he is still being hampered by a high ankle sprain and was advised to not even play in the game.  He also did a great job of running the court and playing with a lot of energy, which appeared to be contagious to a lot of the other players in the game.  Carr clearly was the biggest overachiever, as he used his up tempo style and Baltimore toughness to adapt perfectly to the up-and-down pace en route to 21 points, 10 assists, 9-17 field goals, and 3-3 free throws.  The same also can be said about 6'5 Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is a relentless competitor and made a living off transition and dunking the basketball en route to 23 points and an impressive 11-12 field goals.   Anderson also was one of the catalysts for the winning Marques Johnson Squad and shared team MVP honors with 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.   Speaking of the other Anderson, he finished with 18 points, four rebounds, eight assists, and 9-14 field goals and was one of the most unselfish players and most skilled players in the game.  Two other unsung heroes for the Marques Johnson Squad were 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX and 6'5 Jr Andrew Harrison from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX.  They both only had two points apiece in the first half, but finished with 15 points and 14 points apiece respectively when the final horn had sounded.  They also combined for 10 assists and made a number of big plays that helped spark their team at key points in the game.  And what about the battle of the big men, which was won by 6'9 DeJuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY and 6'8 Robert Carter from Snellville (Shiloh) GA?  The former finished with 14 points, three rebounds, 5-9 field goals, and 4-5 free throws and the latter had 16 points, six rebounds, and 8-9 field goals.  In contrast, the other two big physical specimens in the game - 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA and  6'9 Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX had only eight points and two rebounds and six points and four rebounds respectively.  We're also still trying to figure out what happened to 6'9 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who was a total bust with only four points and 2-4 field goals.  Currently we have Parker ranked #4, Ashley #6, and Coleman ranked #8 nationally in the senior class.  However, after watching this game, it's pretty clear that Coleman is the best of the three, Parker should be second on that list, and Ashley probably needs to drop out of the top 10 nationally.  Another one of the unsung heroes was 6'5 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, who finished with 12 points, six rebounds, two steals, and 6-8 field goals and, once again, always seemed to be in the right place at the right time to make the play.  We also have to give 6'9 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA credit for stepping up and playing better than expected with eight points and 4-8 field goals.  But we continue to wonder about all of the hype with regards to 6'2 Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA, who finished with only five points and 2-5 field goals.  We also expected more out of 6'8 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, who showed some flashes, but only had 10 points four rebounds, and 4-7 field goals, and 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tifton (School) NH, who had several terrific blocks, but finished with only two points, five rebounds, and 1-4 field goals.  On the other hand, 6'8 Perry Ellis from Wichita (Heights) KS, who had only two points, two rebounds, and 1-5 field goals, pretty much picked up where he left off this summer and, as a result, the value of his stock continues to drop.  It was pretty much status quo for the rest of the players in the game, as 6'4 Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian Academy) NC had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and 5-9 field goals; 6'1 Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA had eight points, two assists, and 4-10 field goals; 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV had eight points, five rebounds, two blocked shots, and 4-8 field goals; 6'5 Jr Aaron Harrison from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX had eight points, two assists, and 4-8 field goals; 6'1 Jr Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC has six points, two assists, two steals, and 3-5 field goals; and 6'4 Shaquille Johnson from Alpharetta (Milton) GA had six points, three assists, and 3-3 field goals.  And, last but not least, is 6'10 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who did not play in the game due to the fact that he was injured while breaking the backboard in the warm-ups prior to the start of the game.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the outdoors court appeared to have a major influence the outside shooting, as both teams combined to hit only 1-13 3-pointers.  In contrast, most of the players in the game had no problem making dunks and finishing in transition, as the Marques Johnson Squad shot 67-103 (65.0/%) from the field and the Raymond Lewis Squad shot 61-112 (54.5%) from the field.  And really that was the big difference in the game.  We also want to give Ronnie Flores of ESPN Rise a special mention, because he did a great job of putting together the teams and playing a key role in running the game. 

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Rick Bolus, who is the publisher of the High Potential Basketball Recruiting Service, has released his post summer ranking of the top players in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and it reinforces what we previously thought in a number of areas.  First, the senior class in the state has a lot of good mid-major players, but the pickings are pretty slim for schools like the University of Louisville and University of Kentucky, as his list of the top dozen-ranked players includes 6'7 Lemon Gregory from Greenville (Muhlenberg County) KY, 6'4 MeKale McKay from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'0 Jaylen Beckham from Lexington (Bryan Station) KY, 6'7 Jay Johnson from Versailles (Woodford County) KY, 6'4 Adam Wing from Morehead (Rowan County) KY, 6'7 Devon Rowan from Goshen (North Oldham) KY, 6'2 Taylor Barnette from Lexington (Christian) KY, 6'3 Tamron Manning from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'2 Desmond Dorsey from Jeffersontown (Scott County) KY, 6'0 Charles Foster from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'4 Max Clemons from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, and 6'8 Sawyer Williams from Owenton (Owen County) KY.  Second, there are some pretty good young players in state, as his list of the top dozen underclassmen includes 6'4 Jr Darryl Hicks from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'8 Jr Derrick Willis from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, 6'3 Soph D'Angelo Russell from Louisville (Central) KY, 5'11 Soph Quinton Snider from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'6 Soph Trey Grundy from Lexington (Henry Clay) KY, 6'2 Soph Brandon Hatton from Ft. Mitchell (Dixie Heights) KY, 6'6 Soph Justin Johnson from Inez (Sheldon Clark) KY, 6'8 Soph Jackson Davis from Lexington (Lafayette) KY, 6'3 Jr Larry Morton from Lexington (Bryan Station) KY, 6'4 Jr Darius Brown from Paducah (Tilghman) KY, 6'0 Jr Dominique Hawkins from Richmond (Madison (Central) KY, and 6'4 Soph Jordan Green from Lexington (Henry Clay) KY.  And this interesting, because the top sophomores in the state have already overtaken the top juniors, as the aforementioned group includes seven players in the Class of 2014 and only five players in the Class of 2013.  Third, there also are some good middle school players to keep an eye on, as his report includes youngsters like 5'10 8th Grader Braxton Beverly from Hazard (Perry County Central) KY, 6'2 8th Grader Chris Drabo from Louisville (Johnson Middle School) KY, 6'0 8th Grader Quentin Goodin from Campbellsville (Taylor County Middle School) KY, and 6'0 7th Grader A.J. Youngman from Greenup (Greenup County) KY.  And, in the case of Beverly, he started as a 7th Grader on a team that advanced into the Kentucky State Tournament this past March.  Not only does that put him in pretty fast company, along with O.J. Mayo, who led Ashland (Rose Hill) KY to a state tournament appearance as a 7th Grader back in 2003, but Beverly also is good enough to be ranked among the Second Dozen Underclassmen in the state right now.  "It's too early to project his level for college," says Bolus.  "But Beverly definitely will be a Division I point guard.  He's a good playmaker, see the floor, handles, distributes, and has surprisingly good speed, quickness, and athleticism."  Beverly also was named to play in the Top All-Star Game and shared Top Underclassmen honors, along with 6'5 Soph Justin Johnson from Inez (Sheldon Clark) KY, at the "Blue-Chip" Camp at Georgetown College in Georgetown, KY on July 17th-22nd.  Drabo also played in the High School Division and played well enough make the Second All-Star Game.  Goodin and Youngman also were at this session of camp and the former was named the Camp Runner-up MVP in the Junior Division and the latter was one of only two 7th Graders to be named to play in the "Blue-Chip" Junior All-Star Game.  Now also is probably a good time to mention that the Blue-Chip Camp's Junior Division included some other very good players, like 5'11 8th Grader Brad Hall from Milford, OH, who took home Camp MVP honors; 6'3 8th Grader Spencer Cline from Mason (H.S.) OH, who took home All-Star Game MVP honors; and 6'0 Frosh Calvin Johnson from Killeen (Shoemaker) TX, who took home All-Star Game Runner-Up MVP honors.  Among the other names to remember from this session's High School Division are 6'1 James "Woo" Brown from Trotwood (Trotwood-Madison) OH, who was named the Camp MVP and also was the Runner-up MVP in the Top All-Star Game; 6'7 Jauan Akins from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, who was named the Camp Runner-up MVP; 5'9 Aaron Edwards from Payson (Payson Seymour) IL, who was named the MVP in the Top All-Star Game; and 6'2 8th Grader Yalen Reed from Antioch (Lighthouse Christian) TN, who not only played up, but was good enough to be named to play in the Top All-Star Game.  For more information about either the camp or his latest report, we encourage you to contact Bolus via phone at 1-502-543-7308, email at bolus@insightbb.com, or by going to his "Blue-Chip" Basketball Camp web site. 

Friday, August 19, 2011

In recent years the Basketball Hall of Fame's Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA has evolved into what is arguably the premier high school basketball event of the entire year.  They have a first class venue, the organization is second to none, the level of talent and quality of teams are off the hook, and Greg Procino, who is the manager of events and awards for the Hall of Fame and the driving force behind this event, is one of the class acts in the business.  This year's event is scheduled for January 12th-16th and the first two days will offer the local teams and players a chance to show their wears.  Things will tip-off with Springfield (Commerce) MA versus Springfield (Science & Technology) MA at 4:00 PM, followed by Springfield (Cathedral) IN versus Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA at 5:30 PM, Springfield (Central) MA versus Springfield (Putnam) MA at 7:00 PM, and Orange (Ralph C. Maher Regional) MA versus Westhampton (Hampshire Regional) NY at 8:30 PM on Thursday, January 12th.  Then, there will be three Girls games sandwiched in between the two boys games, which will include Springfield (Sabis International Charter) MA versus Springfield (New Leadership Charter) MA at 4:30 PM and East Longmeadow (H.S.) MA versus Longmeadow (H.S.) MA at 9:00 PM, on Friday, January 13th.  And, for our purposes, things should really get interesting on Saturday, January 14th, as it will be Springfield (Central) IL versus Windsor (H.S.) CT at Noon, Washington (Gonzaga) DC versus Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA at 2:00 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX at 4:00 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus La Verne (Lutheran) CA at 6:00 PM, and West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT versus Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD at 8:00 PM.  The schedule for Sunday, January 15th, features a number of the top prep school teams in the nation, as it includes Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD at 10:00 AM, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus New Hampton (Prep) NH at Noon, Southborough (St. Mark's) MA versus Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA at 2:00 PM, Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH at 4:00 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Tilton (School) NH at 6:00 PM, and a Skills Challenge at 8:00 PM.  And, as usual, we expect, the first four games of the day on Monday, January 16th, to be televised live on ESPNU, as it will be Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA at 11:00 AM, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD versus Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV at 1:00 PM, Chicago (Simeon) IL versus Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV at 3:00 PM, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY versus San Ana (Mater Dei) CA at 5:00 PM, and Grandy (H.S.) MA versus Pittsfield (St. Joseph's) MA at 7:00 PM.  And, to provide even further evidence of just how good this event will be, the long list of outstanding players who are expected to be in attendance includes 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'10 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'9 Brandon Jefferson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'11 Andre Drummond from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA, 6'6 Ricardo Gathers from LaPlace (Riverside) LA, 6'10 Steven Adams from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'11 Kaleb Tarczewski from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 T.J. Warren from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'0 Dominic Artis from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Georges Niang from Tilden (School) NH, 6'7 Jerami Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'8 Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'5 Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 5'11 Tyler Lewis from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Rosco Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 6'5 Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'3 James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'1 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 Kris Dunn from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA, 6'8 Steve Taylor from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'8 Ben Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Damien Wilson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Jordan Tebbutt from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Nik Staukas from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'0 Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'5 Aaron Thomas from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'2 Sam Cassell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'1 Dominique Bull from Tilden (School) NH, 6'7 Brandon Morris from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'11 A.J. Hammons from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Christopher Obekpa from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'8 Demetris Morant from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'2 Semaj Christon from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'9 Jalen Reynolds from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'9 Zach Auguste from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'7 Jerome Frink from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'2 Olivier Hanlon from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'6 Arthur Edwards from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'7 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilden (School) NH, 6'1 Jr Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'0 Jr Jaylen Brantley from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA, 6'8 Jr Kuran Iverson from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT, 6'3 Jr Nigel Williams-Goss from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'4 Jr Kris Jenkins from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'8 Jr Austin Colbert from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Jr Christian Wood from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'8 Jr BeeJay Anya from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'3 Jr Eric Cooper from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 6'2 Jr Kendrick Dunn from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'7 Jr Goodluck Okonoboh from Tilden (School) MA, 6'2 Jr Jaylon Tate from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'7 Jr Deonte Burton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Jr R.J Curington from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jr Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'6 Jr Jairus Lyles from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Jr Jordan Fuchs from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'4 Soph Stanley Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Soph Wayne Seldon from Tilden (School) MA, and 6'2 Soph Phil Booth from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD.  And to really illustrate the top heaviness of this event, our top six-ranked 5th Year Players (McGary, Ledo, Drummond, Tarczewski, Davis, and Niang), six of our top seven-ranked seniors (Muhammad, Anderson, Parker, Jefferson, Ashley, and Bennett), and our top three-ranked juniors (Randle, Parker, adn Noel) will all be on hand at this year's Hoophall Classic. 

Friday, August 12 2011

Earlier today I had the privilege of being able to attend the iHoops First Team Summer Conference at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine Hotel in San Diego, CA and I received a first hand look at the official youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and the NBA.  The two driving forces behind the iHoops First Team program are Greg Turner, who is the Associate Director of Programs, and Duke Pryor, who is the Assistant Director of Programs, and this "year round education and mentoring program designed to promote education and the proper role of athletics in the educational process" is exactly what the doctored ordered to help these student-athletes make an informed college decision and be successful both on and off the court the rest of their lives.  "It helps prospective basketball student-athletes and their parents navigate the collegiate recruiting process and understand initial eligibility requirements.  Participants are identified by their athletic ability but not selected solely on that basis.  They enter the program as rising ninth graders and remain in the program throughout high school."  First Team alumni includes Cole Aldrich, Darryl Bryant, D.J. Byrd, Michael Conley, Daequan Cook, Randy Culpepper, Austin Freeman, Sterling Gibbs, Eric Gordon, P.J. Hill, Kyrie Irving, Brandon Knight, Kendall Marshall, O.J. Mayo, Leslie McDonald, Sean Mosley, Greg Oden, Patrick Patterson, Travis Releford, Jonathan Scheyer, Jerry Smith, Josh Smith, Dexter Strickland, Billy Walker, and Chris Wright.  Among the sessions that were offered yesterday were "What's in a Ranking? Understanding the Digital World of Scouting," "Making the Decision & Making the Transition," "Recruiting & IE (Initial Eligibility)," "I Got This/Sophomore Jinx," "2 Down 2 To Go," "Talk to Me (Communications/Media Training)," "Five Key Players of a Winning Game Plan," and "Haven't you Heard?  I'm the Man!"  We also enjoyed getting to see and/or talk with a number of the players who were in attendance, like 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 6'1 Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA, 6'3 James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'9 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) AZ, 6'1 Mike Gessell from South Sioux City (H.S.) NE, 6'2 Dallas Anglin from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'9 Jr Jonathan Williams from Memphis (Southwind) TN, 6'1 Jr Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'9 Jr Austin Colbert from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Alex Foster from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 6'5 Jr Colin Hartman from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN, 6'10 Soph Dakari Johnson from Montverde (Academy) FL, 5'9 Soph Parker Cartwright from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'6 Soph Paul White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'0 Soph Tyus Jones from Apple Valley (H.S.) MN, 6'0 Soph Larry Austin from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'5 Soph Jackson Davis from Lexington (Lafayette) KY, 6'0 Frosh Allonzo Trier from Oklahoma City, OK, 6'2 Frosh Isaiah Briscoe from Union, NJ, 6'10 Frosh Stephen Zimmerman from Las Vegas, NV, and 6'7 Frosh Daniel Giddens from Marietta, GA.  Another one of the highlights was getting a chance to see Lawrence Funderburke, who was happy to remind us that we had him ranked among the top 10 high school players in the nation, instead of the top five, back when he was a senior at Columbus (Wehrle) OH in 1989.  Funderburke, who is now a financial planner and Founder & President of The Lawrence Funderburke Youth Organization, Inc, also did a great job of providing insight into the "Five Reasons Why Pro Athletes Go Broke" and the "Money Ball - Life & Financial Planning Playbook" when he talked about the "Five Key Players of a Winning Game Plan."  We also thought Anthony Calhoun, who is the Sports Director at WISH-TV Channel in Indianapolis, IN, did a great job of providing insight and perspective into dealing with the media in the session "Talk to Me (Communications/Media Training).  I also was honored to join ESPN.com's Paul Biancardi and Derek Whittenburg, who has done it all as a player, coach, and television analyst, in the session "What's in a Ranking? Understanding the Digital World of Scouting."  Last, but not least, Turner and Pryor did a great job on their "Late Day with Greg Turner" television program, which included San Diego Chargers Director of Player Development Arthur Hightower, Root Sports Color Analyst Francis Williams, and Kyrie Irving, who was the #1-ranked pick in the NBA Draft a month-and-a-half ago.  We also think it is interesting to point out that the iHoops Board Members include NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver, NBA Executive Vice President of Social Responsibility and Player Programs Kathy Behrens, NBA Executive VP of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, NCAA, Vice President of Division I Women's Basketball Sue Donohoe, NCAA Senior VP of Basketball and Business Strategies Greg Shaheen, and Duke University Men's Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski.  The iHoops Staff includes Chief Executive Officer Len Elmore, Director of Digital Media Matt Bortz, Vice President of Sales Steve Hagen, Director of Finance & Administration Ronda Hite, Manager of Events and Special Projects Sheli Kuhl, Associate Director of Marketing Juli Morris, Assistant Director of Programs Duke Pryor, Sales Activation Manager Whitney Rubush, and Associate Director of Programs Greg Turner.  The iHoops Advisory Committee includes Women's Basketball Coaches Association, Executive Director Beth Bass, WNBA Vice President of Basketball Operations & Player Relations Renee' Brown, Amateur Athletic Union, President Bobby Dodd, National Basketball Coaches Association, Executive Director Michael Goldberg, Albany City Rocks, Director Jim Hart, National Federation of High School Associations, Executive Director Bob Kanaby, Special Assistant to the Commissioner/NBA Global Ambassador Bob Lanier, National Association of Basketball Coaches, Deputy Executive Director Reggie Minton, NCAA, Retired Head Men's Basketball Coach (South Carolina and Wake Forest) Dave Odom, NIKE, Manager/Women's College Basketball Jim Pizzotti, USA Basketball,  Executive Director Jim Tooley, YMCA of the USA, Corporate Relations Manager Layney McGinn, Boys & Girls Club of America, Vice President of Corporate & Partner Relationships Frank Sanchez, and Boo Williams Summer League, President Boo Williams.  Unfortunately the one person missing is Neil Dougherty, who had been working as the Director of Athlete and Coach Programs for Ihoops prior to dying of an apparent heart attack in early July.  Dougherty previously was the head coach at Texas Christian and an assistant coach at the University of Kansas during the Roy Williams era.  He also was a long time friend of the HOOP SCOOP and we always looked forward his keen wit, insight, and perspective.   Needless to say, Dougherty was one of the good guys and his loss is a tragedy. 

Friday, August 5, 2011

I'm a strong advocate of not beating around the bush when it comes to recruiting and making your college decision.  And it looks like 6'0 Soph Quentin Snider from Louisville (Ballard) KY subscribes to that theory as well, as he wasted no time accepting the scholarship offer that University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino made to him just a couple of days ago.  We're talking about a pure point guard who is ranked #21 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP and started this past season as a freshman on one of the best high school teams in the state.  Snider does need to get bigger and stronger physically but also has excellent court savvy, a high basketball IQ, and can score in a variety of ways.  Add the fact that Snider attends Ballard High School and he's always been a Cardinals fan and there really are a lot of similarities to former Louisville point guard Dejuan Wheat, who not only was equally adept at playing either guard spot, but also ended up being one of the best players in school history.  Snider also joins 6'2 Soph James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN and 6'9 Soph Tony Lyles from Indianapolis (Tech) IN, both of whom verbally committed to Indiana University nearly a year ago, as one of only three players in the Class of 2014 who have already made up their mind in terms of their college decision.  However, even more important is the fact that the Cardinals have the guy who promises to be the next great one to come out of their backyard and he also may be the link that helps get some of the other top young players in the city, like 6'3 Soph D'Angelo Russell from Louisville (Central) KY, who also was offered a scholarship earlier this week by the Cardinals, to stay home.  This also has been a good week for the Ball State, as a couple of days ago the Cardinals landed 6'4 Michael Ramey from Indianapolis (Southport) IN and yesterday they also received a verbal commitment from 6'6 Bo Calhoun from South Bend (Washington) IN.  And both of these guys can flat out fill it up.  In the case of Calhoun, he has excellent skills, a great work athletic, deep shooting range, and averaged 18.0 ppg and 9.1 rpg this past season.  He also has a long wing span, rebounds well for his size, and plays bigger than 6'6, which means he may also see significant playing time inside due to the fact that the Cardinals currently only have three post players (Aaron Adeoye, Zach Fields, and Matt Kamieniecki) slated to be on their roster a year from now.  Ramey averaged 19.5 ppg and shot an incredible 66-126 (52.4%) from behind the arc and 69-79 (87.3%) from the charity stripe this past season.  It also looks like Arizona State Herb Sendek is doing a good job of getting some of the better players in his backyard to stay at home, as 6'2 Calaen Robinson from Chandler (Corona Del Sol) AZ has joined 6'10 Eric Jacobson from Chandler (Hamilton) AZ and 6'9 Kenny Martin from Glendale (Kellis) AZ in a recruiting class that is now ties at #16, along with Michigan State and Virginia Commonwealth, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  Robinson has excellent speed and quickness and is capable of playing either guard spot.  However, he's really more of a 2-guard due to his nice stroke, excellent range, and the ability to credit his own shot.  Our North Carolina Editor Rick Lewis tells us that 6'5 Aaron Bacote from Hampton (Bethel) VA has verbally committed to Old Dominion, but he scolds us for not including this athletic 2-guard on our List of the Top 200 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012, which was published earlier this week exclusively right here in the Members Section.  "Bacote shoots the three, attacks the basket, and is a local kid," says Lewis.  Another player who was left off our List of the Top 200 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 is 6'10 Ismail Dauda from Boca Raton (Grandview prep) FL who previously was ranked #89 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was verbally committed to Miami-FL.  Now it looks like he' s back on the board and is attending Polk State (JC) FL.

Monday, August 1, 2011

It's finally over!  I'm talking about that the fact the Summer Evaluation Period is over and, after having been on the road pretty much non-stop for the last four months watching the top high school players in the nation on numerous occasions and in multiple venues, it's time to step back and  put things into perspective.  And what better way to start than with our Updated Ranking of the Top 20 5th Players & Top 200 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Rising Seniors), which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today.  It should come as no surprise that 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV is our #1-ranked player in the class.  He's been the top guy in the class since the end of his freshman year and right now he's so far out in front of the competition that it kind of reminds me of the way Secretariat won the Belmont by 30 lengths 38 years ago.  So really the battle is for second and, after the way 6'4 Marcus Smart from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX played in the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas, NV, he's the favor of the day and, as a result, gets the nod over 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, and 6'9 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who are all bunched up pretty close in the 2-6 range.  We also suspect that 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who checks in next on the list at #7, will pass up ultimately pass up most of the players ranked ahead of him.  However, it is the editorial position of the HOOP SCOOP to let a player earn it.  And, although Bennett has all the ingredients necessary to evolve into a superstar, he hasn't put it altogether yet.  We also probably have 5'11 Kevin "Yogi" Ferrell from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN ranked higher than a lot of people might expect.  And he also is the highest ranked player in the class who is off the board, as he is the marquee player in Indiana's current recruiting class, which is ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012.  Speaking of players who have already made early verbal commitments, we also tracked commitments by 6'3 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX to Duke, 6'5 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA to Villanova, 6'1 Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA to North Carolina, 6'8 Samuel Dekker from Sheboygan (Lutheran) WI to Wisconsin, 6'0 Dominic Artis from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV to UCLA, 6'9 Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX to Texas, 6'5 Jordan Price from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) TX to Auburn, 6'3 Ryan Arcidiacono from Langhorne (Neshaminy) PA to Villanova, 6'5 Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to UCLA, 5'11 Tyler Lewis from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC to N.C. State, 6'5 Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to Virginia, 6'9 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA to Arizona, 6'5 Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY to Connecticut, 6'9 Aaron Rountree from Wilson (Greenfield) NC to Wake Forest, 7'0 Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX to Baylor, 6'8 Montrezl Harrell from Virginia Tech, 6'10 Daniel Ochefu from Westtown (Friends) PA to Villanova, 6'5 Torian Graham from Raleigh (Word of God) NC to N.C. State, 6'6 J.P. Tokoto from Menomonee Falls (H.S.) WI to North Carolina, 6'6 Cameron Beidscheid from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO to Notre Dame, 6'7 Glenn Robinson from Saint John (Lake Central) IN to Michigan, 6'2 Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA to Arizona, 6'9 Gavin Ware from Starkville (H.S.) MS to Mississippi State, 6'2 Codi Miller-McIntyre from Concord (First Assembly) NC to Wake Forest, 5'11 Ronnie Johnson from Indianapolis (North Central) IN to Purdue, 6'5 Nkereuwem Okoro from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY to Iowa State, 6'8 Hanner Perea from La Porte (La Lumiere) IN to Indiana, 6'4 Michael Frazier from Tampa (Plant) FL to Florida, 6'8 Evan Nolte from Alpharetta (Milton) GA to Virginia, 7'5 Sim Bhullar from Huntington (Prep) WV to Xavier, 6'0 Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC to Florida, 6'7 Jeremy Hollowell from Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN to Indiana, 6'5 Damien Wilson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Memphis, 6'0 Daquan Cook from Baltimore (Digital Harbor) MD to UNLV, 6'3 Ron Patterson from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN to Indiana, 6'6 Jaron Blossomgame from Alpharetta (Chattahoochee) GA to Clemson, 6'10 Josh Scott from Colorado Springs (Lewis-Palmer) CO to Colorado, 7'0 Peter Jurkin from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NV to Indiana, 6'5 Fred Thomas from Mississippi State, 6'5 Raphael Davis from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN to Purdue, and 6'8 Arik Armstead from Elk Grove (Pleasant Grove) CA to USC (football).  In other words, 41 of our 100-ranked rising seniors are already off the board.  And that number increases even more when one looks at our 5th Year List, where five of the top dozen-ranked players are currently committed to four-year Division I colleges and universities, as we've tracked 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to Xavier, 6'7 Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH to Iowa State, 6'11 Isaiah Hill from Grand Prairie (God's Academy) TX to Seton Hall, 6'6 Nik Stauskas from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA to Michigan, and 6'9 Jordan Goodman from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL to Texas Tech.  We also think it's important to point out that we have 6'11 Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT ranked no higher than #3 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players, behind 6'10 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) MA and 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  However, McGary, who plays with incredible heart and passion and is much more skilled that Drummond, and Ledo, who is one of the most naturally gifted and athletic guys to come down the pike in a long time, are not chopped liver, as they both would be ranked in the 6-10 range, if they were still high school seniors.  And Drummond, who actually played the best we've ever seen him play in the adidas Super 64 Tournament, would check in at #10 on our Ranking of the Top 200 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012, if he was eligible to be on that list.  But there are still to many question marks, like post moves, being in shape, having the heart and desire necessary to be a great player, and being caught up in all the hype of being one of the guys who has to get to the NBA as fast as possible, for Drummond to be ranked any higher.  Or to put this another way, right now Drummond is currently on track to be the next Kwame Brown.  However, if the light ever click on, he could end up being a $100 million man. 

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The 4th Annual Desert Duel Charity Basketball Tournament at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, AZ has become the place to be in recent years after all the tournaments have concluded in Las Vegas, NV and this year's tournament provided some of the very elite traveling teams with a chance to redeem themselves after getting knocked off early in the playoffs just a few days early.  We pick things up with about three minutes remaining and the score tied at 64-64 in the semi-finals game between the Mac Irvin Fire and the Long Island Island.  That's when 6'8 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL took over the game with a lay-up, a 3-pointer, a pair free throws, and several big rebounds en route to an impressive 71-67 win against a tough hardnosed athletic team that appeared to have the Fire on the ropes midway through the second half.  Parker finished with 19 points and clearly was the best player in the entire tournament.  Also coming up big for the Mac Irvine Fire was 6'8 Steve Taylor from Chicago (Simeon) IL with 17 points.  The Long Island Lighting was led by 6'4 Melvin Johnson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who finished with 26 points in this game and was consistently one of the best 3-point shooters and leading scorers in the entire tournament.  We also were really impressed with 6'5 Oscar Assie from Putnam (Putnam Science) NY, who is a high energy under the radar screen athletic four-man that runs the floor and had at least four power dunks en route to a very impressive 14-point performance.  And once again 6'1 Kareem Canty from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME was a handful in transition and did a good job of knocking down the outside shot, as he finished with three treys in that game.  The Playaz Basketball Club beat the Atlanta Celtics by one-point in the other semi-finals game and, after the Mac Irvin Fire jumped out to 43-20 half-time lead in the championship game, it looked like that was pretty much all she wrote for the Playaz.  However, after Parker hit a three to start the second half, the Playaz countered with three straight threes by 6'4 Darrick Wood from Newark (Nia Prep) NJ, who was the guy who elevated the value of this stock the most in this tournament.  Soon the game was tied at 50-50 and, when the dust had cleared, the Playaz had outscored the Fire 42-19 in the second half.  And the Playaz also scored eight unanswered points in the overtime en route to a 70-62 victory.  The key turning point was that the Playaz switched from a man-to-man defense in the first half to a zone in the second half and the Fire settled for jump shots.  The Playaz also featured a balanced attack, as Wood had 18 points and also hit another big 3-pointer in overtime, 6'6 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA had 14 points and 11 rebounds, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ had 13 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, two blocked shots, and two steals, and 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA had 14 points.  The two best players once again for the Fire were Parker with 15 points, six rebounds, three blocks, and three steals and Taylor with 15 points and seven rebounds.  Also chipping in with 12 points and eight rebounds was 6'8 Jermaine Morgan from 12 points and eight rebounds.  Now also is probably a good time mention that 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA turned in one of the best individual performances of the entire tournament when he knocked down seven 3-pointers in the quarterfinals against the Mac Irvin Fire 16-Under Team.  Another one of the best players was 6'9 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who had 26 points against Team 94 (CA) and was a model for consistency throughout the entire tournament.  The same thing also can be said about 6'10 Josh Scott from Colorado Springs (Lewis-Palmer) CO, who had 22 points, 18 points, and 15 points in three straight consolation bracket games, and 6'8 Damien Wilson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who was the guy primarily responsible for leading the Atlantic Celtics to a spot in the final four.  We also can't say enough good things about 5'9 Maurice Watson from Philadelphia (Boys Latin) PA, because he not only did was the floor general who ran the show for Team Philly, but he also did a great job of making his teammates better and he even tossed in 24 points in one game.  It also comes as no surprise that the Florida Assault Showtime Ballers, which featured some incredible athletes, like 6'1 Jr Rashawn Powell from Orlando (Dt. Phillips) FL, 6'5 Andre Nation from Valrio (Durant) FL, 6'1 Anthony Tompkins from Orlando (Agape) FL, and 6'6 Billydee Williams from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, advanced all the way to the championship game in the consolation bracket.  And we want to give special mention to Nation, who had 20 points when we saw him against the Arizona Magic Pump N Run and later put up 36 points against the World Wide Renegades in the consolation bracket semi-finals.  Not only is he long and athletic, has a great nose for the ball, and is a thoroughbred in transition, but he also was arguably the best player in the tournament that we didn't know about previously.  Some other guys who we have not previously written about, but who deserve special mention are 6'6 Cameron Forte from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ, who finished with 28 points in a second round game against the Mac Irvin Fire and appears to be a steal for Texas Tech; 6'4 Derreck Brooks from Mesa (Desert Ridge) AZ, who is a long lanky prolific scoring 2-guard that knocked down four treys and had 24 points against Florida Assault, and 6'8 Jr Mike Young from Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ, who is a skinny athletic shot blocking inside who had 28 points for the Playaz Red 16-Under Team. 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Believe it or not, the best individual performance that we saw all day at the Las Vegas Fab 48 Tournament at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NC was by 6'0 Dominic Artis from Richmond (Salesian) CA, who had 29 points and seven 3-pointers in the Oakland Soldiers 86-69 win over the Juice All-Stars.  However, even more interesting is what Artis told us about his recruiting, as he confirmed that he will be attending Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV next season and also makes note of the fact that UCLA is currently the leader in the sweepstakes for his point guard services.  Artis also smiles when confronted with the possibility of playing with the likes of 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 6'5 Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who a month ago verbally committed to UCLA, and says that the Bruins coaching staff is attempting to put together a Fab Five-like recruiting class.  Now also is a good time to point out that UCLA coach Ben Howland has been one of the hardest working guys on the recruiting trail this summer and, as a result, now appears to be the leading candidate to win our Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer Award.  We also were impressed with the way 6'9 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA took over the game down the stretch (he hit a baseline jumper with 2:25 left in the game to give his team the lead for good) en route to an impressive  win 68-66 over the New Jersey Playaz and the likes of 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'6 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, and 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  Length and athleticism, quickness and body control, great moves to the basket, and a tremendous motor are just some of the things that make Jefferson one of our favorite players in the senior class nationally.  And this time around he finished with 22 points and clearly got the better of Anderson, who not only couldn't guard him, but also had only 11 points in the game and zero points in the second half.  Goodman picked up the slack with 19 points, but was not in the same class with Jefferson, who very well may be the fifth player, along with 6'5 Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'9 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and on our list of the top five seniors nationally.  Jefferson also is a great kid and excellent student and right now it looks like Villanova, Temple, Maryland, N.C. State, Miami-FL, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, and Stanford are the schools that you have to beat for his services.  And, when asked about the likelihood that Jefferson will stay home and join 6'5 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'3 Ryan Aricidacono from Langhorne (Neshaminy) PA, 6'10 Daniel Ochefu from Westtown (Friends) PA in Villanova's recruiting class that is currently ranked #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012, he not only didn't rule out the possibility, but also mentioned the fact that Goodman is one of his best friends and that he's known and has been playing against Aricidacono since their junior high school days.  Another one of our favorite players of the day was 6'6 Andrew White from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, who has 11 points against Team Philly and has the athleticism, outside shooting, and perimeter skills to emerge as one of the premier 5th Year Players in the nation next year.  And, it looks like a lot of big time schools agree, as his list of school currently includes Louisville, West Virginia, South Florida, Providence, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Richmond.  Two of the biggest sleepers of the day were 5'11 Stefan Moody from Poinciana (H.S.) FL and 6'4 Brandon Channer from Tampa (Blake) FL and together they combined for 39 points and led Team Breakdown to an impressive 68-61 win over Belmont Shore.   The best young player that we didn't know about prior to today was 6'5 Soph Rashad Vaughn from Minneapolis (Cooper) MN, who has the big time athleticism, work ethic, mid-range game, and the ability to slash to the basket necessary to evolve into one of the premier players in the Class of 2014.  We also should probably mention 7'0 Jordan Dickerson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who appears to be prep school bound to Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.  Dickerson is still a project, but he had 16 points against the Oakland Soldiers and his confidence level, skills, and moves have improved 500% since we saw him last winter.  The most disappointing player of the day and a player who continues to head South after we first saw him 15 months ago at the Hoop Group's Providence Jam Fest is 6'9 Jr Kuran Iverson from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT.  He had nine points against the Mac Irvine Fire, but has lost the explosiveness necessary to blow past defenders when he brings the ball up the court and more often than not sets up out on the perimeter, which is a problem because he's not a very consistent outside shooter.  His attitude and a lack of consistency also appear to be problems as he does appear to have any idea that his most value assets are his size and potential to be a dominant force around the basket.  On the positive side, there are a lot of good prep school right in his backyard and, if he doesn't wake up and turn this around, he may be looking for one at this time two years from now.  We also were not impressed with 6'8 Brandon Taylor from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ even though his team pulled out a 57-49 over Team Loaded.  Taylor is so lazy and unwilling to run the court that his teammates frequently have to slow the game down and what for him to walk up the court.  And, when he finally does get into a position where he can be apart of the offense, he rather jack up threes out on the perimeter than utilize his strength and size inside, where he could have a field day scoring around the basket and dominating on the glass.  Another guy who was not only top of his game today was 5'11 Tyler Lewis , who recently decided that he will transfer from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  However, we can't criticize Lewis for a lack of effort, as fatigue appeared to set in as the game wore on and he still finished with 17 points and also did a good job of getting his teammates involved.  It also was only just an average day at the office 6'8 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who had 14 points for the Mac Irvin Fire against the Juice All-Stars and is arguably the best player in the tournament regardless of class.

Friday, July 15, 2011

A number of very interesting things happened when the playoffs began last night at the Elite Youth Basketball League Finals at the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC.  We start with the 79-56 good old-fashioned ass kicking that B.A.B.C. put on Team Takeover, which was the tournament's defending champions from a year ago.  There also was the hard fought battle where the Georgia Stars beat the Mac Irvin Fire in a game that was not as close as the 74-60 final score might indicate.  And even though the Playaz Basketball Club did not have enough horses to knock off the Oakland Soldiers, which won the game 79-73, 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ made a strong case for being the most consistent player in the tournament with 20 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists.  This also came right on the heels of Anderson's triple-double when he had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists against CP3 in the morning session.  However, it was the 69-68 overtime thriller with Memphis YOMCA over the Team Texas Titans that created the biggest buzz.  And, in that game, 6'10 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX had 30 points, 10 rebounds, 8-13 field goals, 0-0 3-pointers, and 14-17 free throws prior to fouling out on a controversial charging foul near the end of regulation.  However, that only begins to tell the story, as Randle's high level of intensity, incredible moves and footwork, unbelievable combination of size, strength, quickness, and athleticism, and the ability to score pretty much whenever and from wherever he wanted put him on a whole another level.  In other words, this was one of the all-time great performances in the history of the tournament and a strong case can now be made for Randle being one of the best players to come down the pike in the 28-history of the HOOP SCOOP.  This also makes calling him the best high school player in the nation regardless of class a no-brainer and predicting that he will be a  future #1 pick in the NBA Draft an easy call.  Yes, Randle was that good!  And anybody who saw him play last night will tell you the same thing.  The other great story in the playoffs involved 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH and the entire B.A.B.C. team, which picked up where they left off last night in the semi-finals this morning when they jumped out to a 12-2 lead and totally took the Oakland Soldiers out of their game with their toughness on defense and the incredible shooting blocking of Noel, who turned in his second triple-double of the tournament with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots.  Noel also had a controversial goal tending call, altered numerous other shots, and totally shut down 6'8 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who, any way to slice it, is one of the top five-ranked seniors nationally, but had only 10 points, three rebounds, three blocked shots, and 4-12 field goals against Noel.  We also want give 5'11 Jr Jaylen Brantley from Wilbraham Wilbraham-Monson) MA, 6'8 Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH, 6'2 Jr Rene Castro from Chestnut Hill (Beaver Country Day) MA, and 6'8 Jake Layman from Wrenton (King Phillip) MA their props, because this truly was a team effort.  Brantley finished with 17 points,  five assists, two turnovers, two steals, 6-11 field goals, 3-6 3-pointers, and 2-2 free throws and he is the tough hardnosed point guard who runs the show, makes big 3-point shots, and provides the clue necessary for this to be a great team.  Niang had 18 points and 7-10 field goals and he is always a physical presence inside with his great physic and killer mentality.  Castro had 12 points, seven assists, and 5-10 field goals and he provided the perfect complement to Brantley in the backcourt with his relentless defense, excellent passing, and ability to slash to the basket.  Layman had only seven points, 3-4 field goals, and 1-2 3-pointers, but his upside and potential are off the chart due to his length, athleticism, and ability to flat out shoot the basketball.  We also were impressed with the way Brantley, Castro, and 6'3 Domoniq Bull from Tilton (School) NH totally shut down 6'1 Dominic Artis from Richmond (Salesian) CA, who was as bad as he was good the night before when he turned in one of the better performances that we saw all week with 26 points, five rebounds, three assists, four turnovers, 8-14 field goals, 6-9 3-pointers, 4-5 free throws against the Playaz Basketball Club.  This time around Artis had only five points, four assists, four turnovers, 2-8 field goals, and 1-4 3-pointers.  The other semi-finals game this morning between Memphis YOMCA and the Georgia Stars also was not as close as the 78-64 final score might indicate.  And the big difference in this game was the dominance inside by 6'8 William Goodwin from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, who had 29 points, 12 rebounds, 12-16 field goals, and 5-7 free throws and played as well as we've ever seen him play, and 6'8 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Central) TN, who had 12 points and 17 rebounds.  In contrast, 6'8 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA was average at best with only eight points, eight rebounds, and 4-10 field goals and 6'8 Alex Poythress from Clarksville (Northeast) TN was not nearly as good as he was earlier in the week, as he finished with only 11 points, four rebounds, and 3-10 field goals.  Another one of the highlights of the entire week came when 6'7 Jr Nicholas King from Memphis (East) TN tipped the ball in with six-tenths of a second remaining to give his team a 74-73 overtime win over the CP3 All-Stars in the Championship Game of the 16-Under Division.  King finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds, but Memphis YOMCA's best player was 6'8 Jr Jonathan Williams from Memphis (Southwind) TN, who impressed us with his length, athleticism, and ability to score, rebound, and block shots to the tune of 21 points, six rebounds, and seven rejects in the title game.  Editor's Note:   We were unable to hang around for the 17-Under Championship Game due to our travel schedule (the original time in the afternoon was changed to 7:00 PM in the evening in order to accommodate the game being televised live by ESPNU).  However, it looks like BABC picked up where they left off last night and earlier today win a 84-67 win over Memphis YOMCA in the title game.  A quick look at the stats shows that BABC was led by 5'11 Jr Jaylen Brantley from Wilbraham Wilbraham-Monson) MA with 24 points, four rebounds, 9-15 field goals, and 4-5 3-pointers, 6'8 Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH with 21 points, seven rebounds, and 9-12 field goals, and 6'10 Jr Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH with 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, six blocked shots, four steals, and 8-19 field goals.  The leading scorer for the Memphis YOMCA was the sharpshooting 6'3 Anthlon Bell from Memphis (Bartlett) TN with 19 points, 7-12 field goals, and 5-8 3-pointers. 

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson and yours truly (Clark Francis) were at the 2011 LeBron James Skills Academy earlier today in Akron, OH and two things are already very clear about this camp.  First, the top three-ranked juniors in the nation - 6'9 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'9 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, and 6'11 Jr Nerlens Noel from Everett (H.S.) MA - are already just as good as all of the top seniors in both the camp and the country.  And, if you don't believe it, just look below and check out the fact that Randle and Parker are right at the top of the list and Noel also is included among the top 10-ranked players in camp.  Second, this camp has an overabundance of quality inside guys, as  is evident by the fact that 12 of the 20 players in camp play the power forward and center positions.  And what makes this even more impressive is the fact that Johnson saw 6'11 Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Dulles) TX, 7'0 Kalen Tarczewski from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'9 Shaquille Cleare from Houston (The Village) TX, 6'10 Joel James from Palm Beach Gardens (Dwyer) FL, and 6'9 Jr Chris Walker from Bonifay (Holmes County) FL perform yesterday at the adidas Invitational in Indianapolis, IN and 7'0 Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX appears to have extended his summer vacation by another three days.  Johnson also gives the people running the camp their props for emphasizing team play, making sure that the big guys touch the ball, and providing a structured environment.  Our Ranking of the Top Players in Camp includes 1) 6'9 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 2) 6'9 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 3) 6'9 DaJuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 4) 6'9 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 5) 6'6 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6) 6'8 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 7) 6'4 Jr Matt Jones from  De Soto (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'8 T.J. Warren from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 9) 6'9 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 10) 6'11 Jr Nerlens Noel from Everett (H.S.) MA, 11) 6'5 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 12) 6'1 Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC, 13) 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 14) 6'7 Jr Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 15) 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 16) 6'10 Soph Jahlil Okafor from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 17) 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Central) TN, 18) 6'4 Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian) NC, 19) 6'5 Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 20) 6'7 Charles Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 21) 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 22) 6'5 Jordan Price from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 23) 6'1 Dominic Artis from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 24) 7'0 Adam Woodbury from Sioux City (East) IA, and 25) 6'3 James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  Our Ranking of the Top Centers in Camp includes 1) 6'9 DaJuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 2) 6'9 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 3) 6'11 Jr Nerlens Noel from Everett (H.S.) MA, 4) 6'9 Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 5) 6'10 Soph Jahlil Okafor from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6) 6'9 Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Central) TN, 7) 7'0 Adam Woodbury from Sioux City (East) IA, 8) 6'10 Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 9) 6'11 Prince Ibeh from Garland (Naaman Forest) TX, 10) 6'11 Soph Dakari Johnson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 11) 6'8 Jr Kennedy Meeks from Charlotte (West) NC, and 12) 6'11 Daniel Ochefu from Westtown (Friends) PA.  Our Ranking of the Top Power Forwards in Camp includes 1) 6'9 Jr Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 2) 6'8 Brandon Ashley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 3) 6'9 Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 4) 6'8 Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 5) 6'7 Jr Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6) 6'7 Charles Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 7) 6'9 Jr Danrad Knowles from Houston (Home School) TX, 8) 6'9 Christopher Obekpa from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 9) 6'8 Alex Poythress from Clarksville (Northeast) TN, 10) 6'10 Brice Johnson from Orangeburg (Edisto) SC, 11) 6'10 Jr Jimmie Taylor from Greensboro (H.S.) AL, and 12) 6'8 Jr Isaiah Hicks from Creedmoor (Webb) NC.  Our Ranking of the Top  Wing Forwards in Camp includes 1) 6'9 Jr Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 2) 6'6 Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 3) 6'8 T.J. Warren from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 4) 6'5 Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 5) 6'8 Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6) 6'7 Tyler Roberson from Union (H.S.) NJ, 7) 6'9 Steve Taylor from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 8) 6'7 J.P. Tokoto from Menomonee Falls (H.S.) WI, 9) 6'6 Jamel Artis from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 10) 6'6 Arnaud Moto from Alexandria (Episcopal) VA.  Our Ranking of the Top 2-Guards in Camp includes 1) 6'4 Jr Matt Jones from  De Soto (H.S.) TX, 2) 6'5 Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 3) 6'5 Jordan Price from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 4) 6'5 Shaquille Johnson from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 5) 6'7 Jr Troy Williams from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 6) 6'7 Jodan Price from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 7) 6'5 Jr  Nick King from Memphis (East) TN, 8) 6'3 Soph Wayne Selden from Tilden (School) NH, 9) 6'6 Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 10) 6'6 Gary Harris from Fishers (Hamilton Southeastern) MI.  Our Ranking of the Top Point Guards in Camp includes 1) 6'1 Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC, 2) 6'4 Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian) NC, 3) 6'1 Dominic Artis from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 4) 6'3 James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5) 6'2 Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA, 6) 6'3 Soph Emmanuel Mudiay from Arlington (Grace Prep) NJ, 7) 6'2 Jr Anthony Barber from Hampton (H.S.) VA, 8) 6'3 L.J. Rose from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 9) 6'2 J-Mychal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX, 10) 6'4 D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 11) 6'4 Jr Allerick Freeman from Charlotte (Olympic) NC, and 12) 6'0 Jr Jaren Sina from Gladestone (Gill-St. Bernard) NJ.  Editor's Note:  These rankings are based primarily on performance in camp and not necessarily college or pro potential and were published exclusively in the Members Section after the first day of camp.  So it's obvious that you will have to subscribe in order to find out who played well and who did not play well and what changes we made in our final ranking of the top players at the LeBron James Skills Academy.

Friday, July 1, 2011

It is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to move each player in every class up one year on July 1st and, with that in mind, this is the perfect time to publish our Final Ranking of the Top 500 Players in the Class of 2011 (Graduating Seniors), which can be found exclusively in the Members Section.  And right on it's heels we plan to publish our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2011 on Monday, our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference for the Class of 2011 on Tuesday, and our Different Ways to Look at Recruiting section on Wednesday.  And, if I get done in time, I will head to Indianapolis, IN on Wednesday, June 6th, and kick off the Summer Evaluation Period at the adidas Invitational.  However, regardless of whether I end that day in Indianapolis, IN or Louisville, KY, the next morning I will held to Akron, OH and will cover the LeBron James Skills Academy on June 7th and June 8th.  Friday, June 9th, will be a travel day to Myrtle Beach, SC, where I will cover the Big Shots Tournaments on Sunday, June 10th, and Monday, June 11th.  The next stop will be NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC and I will cover that in its entirety on June 12th-15th.  I also will be at the AAU 14-Under Nationals in Orlando, FL during the dead period between July 16th-July 20th.  And, once I'm done there, Thursday, July 21st will be a travel day to Las Vegas, NV, where I will check in and get organized for the adidas Super 64 Tournament, the Las Vegas Fab 48 Tournament, and the Big Foot Basketball Tournament, which will be taking place between July 22nd-26th.  My final two stops at the end of the month will be the Desert Duel in Phoenix, AZ on July 27th-28th and the Best of the Summer Tournament in Anaheim, CA on July 29th-31st.  Then, I plan on going home for four days on August 1st, but will be back on the West Coast again on Friday, August 5th for the Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA.  Obviously I'm going to be very busy for the next five weeks and, in the process, will be providing you with the coverage on a daily basis of what's going on in the grassroots basketball world.  So make sure you check back on a daily basis because nobody covers all of this as well as we do.  Nor do they quite have our perspective, as this is the 29th consecutive summer that I will be out covering all of the major tournaments and events.  Getting back to our Final Ranking of the Top 500 Players in the Class of 2011 (Graduating Seniors), the most important thing to note is the fact that 6'9 Khem Birch from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has moved into our top five, along with 6'8 Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St.  Patrick) NJ, 6'10 Anthony Davis from Chicago (Perspectives Christian) IL, 6'4 Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'2 Marquis Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, and 6'6 Samuel "P.J." Hairston from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has moved into our top 10, along with 6'4 Bradley Beal from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'8 James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA, 6'8 Quincy Miller from High Point (Westchester Country Day) NC, and 6'6 Branden Dawson from Gary (Wallace) IN, on our list.  And, in both cases, we think this is an easy call, especially in light of the fact that  Birch was our #1-ranked player last summer at the LeBron James King City Classic in Cleveland, OH and was one of the best players in both the McDonald's All-American Game with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocked shots and the Jordan Brand Classic with 15 points, seven rebounds, and five blocked shots.  And Hairston was pretty good in the McDonald's All-American Game as well with 15 points.  However, it looks like once again our competition is out to lunch.  Van Coleman's new Hot100Hoops and Rivals both have Birch ranked #9, ESPN has him ranked #11, Scout has him #14, and Rob Harrington has him ranked #25  in the Recruiter's Handbook.  Hairston is ranked as high as #12 by the Recruiter's Handbook and ESPN and as low as #20 by Scout.  On the other hand, this should come as no surprise, as we're always way ahead of the curve in terms of rankings and accuracy.  And, if you don't believe it, just look around and see who else had Jared Sullinger ranked #1 in their final ranking of the top players in the Class of 2010.  We also encourage you to check our archives, which can be found by subscribing to the Members Section and then clicking onto Ranking of the Top Players Nationally, and compare our rankings with the competition. 

Friday, June 24, 2011

The field for the 39th Annual State Farm City of Palms Classic, which will be held at Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers, FL on December 16th-21st, was officially being released yesterday and it includes Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, Thomasville (H.S.) GA, Montverde (Academy) FL, Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, Louisville (Trinity) KY, Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, Pompano Beach (Ely) FL, Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA, Richmond (Salesian) CA, Cincinnati (Taft) OH, Gladstone (Gill St. Bernard) NJ, Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL, and the City of Palms/USSSA Division III state champion, which will determined this weekend.  There also will be a Signature Series, which will include Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, Tilton (School) NH, Sugar Land (Trent International) TX, and Ulm (Urspringschule) Germany, and a Sunshine Series Game between Tallahassee (Godby) FL and Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL.  City of Palms Classic Vice-President Donnie Wilkie, who is the guy that invites the teams for the tournament, likes to tout the fact that 99 players who have played in this tournament have gone on to become McDonald's All-Americans and there were 45 players who played on NBA teams who have participated in his tournament.  And there should be a lot more, as the list of players expected to be in attendance in this year field includes 6'5 Jr Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Jr Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Jr Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 7'0 Jr Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'7 Jr Ricardo Gathers from Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA, 6'6 Jr Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Jr Robert Carter from Thomasville (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Jr Rosce Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Jr Nkereuwem Okoro from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Jr Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH, 6'9 Jr Ben Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Jr Jordan Goodman from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'0 Jr Dominic Artis from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 6'6 Jr Daniel Dingle from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Jr Carlos Morris from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'3 Jr Jelon Hornbeck from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'8 Jr Nick Baynard from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'5 Jr Michael Carey from Sugar Land (Trent International) TX,  6'8 Jr Demetris Morant from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'2 Jr Louis Dabney from Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA, 6'9 Jr Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'9 Jr Wannah Bail from Sugar Land (Trent International) TX, 6'8 Jr Willie Clayton from Thomasville (H.S.) GA, 6'2 Jr Eli Stalzer from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Ronnie Stanley from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'0 Jr Charles Foster from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'5 Jr Adolphus Washington from Cincinnati (Taft) KY, 6'8 Soph Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'10 Soph Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH, 6'0 Soph Kasey Hill from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'4 Soph Darryl Hicks from Louisville (Trinity) KY,6'4 Soph Trey Boykin from Jacksonville (Arlington  6'9 Soph Goodluck Okonoboh from Tilton (School) NH, 6'5 Soph Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Soph Jabari Bird from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 6'1 Soph Jason Sina from Gladston (Gill St. Bernard) NJ,6'4 Soph Dominique Bull from (Tilton School) NH, 6'6 Frosh Shaqquan Aaron from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Frosh Stanley Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Frosh Emmanuel Mudiay from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'4 Frosh Wayne Seldon from Tilton (School) NH, and 6'8 Frosh Ricky Doyle from Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL.  Or to put this into even better perspective, four of the consensus top 10-ranked juniors (Muhammad, Parker, Jefferson, and Austin), three of our top five-ranked sophomores (Randle, Noel, and Hill), and two of our top 10-ranked freshmen (Aaron and Johnson) will be showing the wears in this tournament.  And that doesn't even include the Harrison twins, as the word on the street is that 6'5 Soph Aaron Harrison and 6'5 Soph Andrew Harrison will be transferring from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX to Sugar Land (Trent International) TX.  We also continue to hear rumors about 6'6 Frosh Shaqquan Aaron from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA transferring from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to Las Vegas ((Bishop Gorman) NV.  But either way, he'll be in what promises to be the premier high school basketball event in the entire country during next year's Christmas Holiday Season. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson and yours truly (HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis) talked with a number of players at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, which was held last week at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, and a lot of these guys are still wide open.  We start with 6'8 Jr Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who has a 3.4 gpa and mentioned schools like Villanova, Temple, Maryland Ohio State, N.C. State, Connecticut, Stanford, Miami-FL, Wake Forest, West Virginia, and Penn State.  Among those involved with 6'10 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH are Maryland, Connecticut, Florida, West Virginia, Marquette, Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, North Carolina, Duke.  The list for 6'5 Jr Alex Caruso from College Station (A&M Consolidated) TX includes UCLA, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington Arizona, Arizona State, Utah, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Colorado, Colorado State, Northern Colorado, Richmond, and Sam Houston State.  The early list for 6'1 Soph Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC includes North Carolina, Villanova, Georgetown, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami-FL, Xavier, Duke, Pittsburgh, Texas, Arizona, and Boston College.  Everybody in the Pac-10 and the Big-12 appears to be recruiting 6'5 Jr Jordan Tebbutt from Tualatin (Horizon Christian) OR.  Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Christian, UTEP, Houston, Maryland, Arizona, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Colorado, California, USC, North Carolina South Carolina, and Jacksonville State were all mentioned by 6'7 Jr Daniel House from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX.  UCLA, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon Oregon State, California, Stanford, Texas, Florida, Florida State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Georgetown are involved with 6'6 Jr Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Ohio State and Duke still appear to be the leaders for 6'9 Jr Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA.  But he also mentioned Memphis, Texas, Kansas, North Carolina, Georgia, and Georgia Tech.   It looks like Georgetown, Florida, Kansas, N.C. State, Louisville, Ohio State, and North Carolina are going to be the ones who will battle it out for 6'7 Jr T.J. Warren from Raleigh (Word of God) NC.  Georgia, Memphis, UCLA, Florida, and Alabama are the top five for 6'8 Jr William Goodwin from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA.  Florida, Florida State, Texas, Cincinnati, and Ohio State are involved with 6'8 Jr Robert Carter from Thomasville (H.S.) GA.  Kansas, Louisville, Baylor, Oregon, and Texas A&M are the leaders for 6'2 Jr J-Mychal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX.  However, his Dad also mentioned schools like Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, LSU, Providence, and Texas.  The list for 6'4 Jr L.J. Rose from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX includes UCLA, Texas, Kentucky, Kansas, Baylor, and Virginia.  When 6'5 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA recently reneged on his commitment to USC, the door was opened for schools like Arizona, Baylor, N.C. State, Syracuse, and Florida to get involved.  St. John's, Connecticut, Syracuse, LSU, Arizona, Texas, Baylor, Kansas, California, Memphis, and USC promise to make things interesting in the race for 6'7 Jr Ricardo Gathers from Reserve (Riverside Academy) LA.  Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Memphis, Iowa State, Tennessee, Louisville, and Kansas are all already in the hunt for 6'8 Soph Chris Walker from Bonifay (Holmes County) MS.  Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Kentucky, Duke, N.C. State, Georgetown, and LSU are on the list of 6 '8 Jr Devonta Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS.  A wide range of schools including Iowa, Iowa State, Stanford, Creighton, Harvard, Boston College  are recruiting 6'2 Jr Mike Gesell from Sioux City (South) NE.  Maryland, Arizona, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Miami-FL, and Florida were the schools mentioned by 6'9 Jr Shaquille Cleare from Houston (The Village School) TX.  Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Texas, Ohio State, Maryland, Purdue, Indiana, and Virginia make up an interesting the list for 6'11 Jr A.J. Hammonds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  North Carolina, Ohio State, Miami-FL, Florida, Florida State, and West Virginia are involved with 6'10 Jr Joel James from Palm Springs (Dwyer) FL.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

It looks like most of the top high school players in the nation will be in attendance when this year's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp begins tomorrow at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA.  Among those on the list of players that was officially released yesterday are a two guys who will be 5th Year Players next year in 6'10 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and 6'1 Kareem Canty from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME; 94 players who will be seniors in high school next year in 6'5 Jr Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Jr Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Jr Brandon Ashley from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA, 6'9 Jr Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Jr Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'10 Jr Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Jr Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Jr Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian) NC, 6'10 Jr Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX, 6'8 Jr Perry Ellis from Wichita (Heights) KS, 6'8 Jr Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Central) TN, 6'6 Jr Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'11 Jr Kevin Ferrell from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN, 6'4 Jr Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 6'7 Jr Jerami Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'7 Jr Ricardo Gathers from LaPlace (Riverside Academy) LA, 6'5 Jr Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'3 Jr James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'8 Jr Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'6 Jr Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Acadmey of the New Church) PA, 6'3 Jr Ryan Arcidiacono from Langhorne (Neshaminy) PA, 6'0 Jr Tyler Lewis from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC, 6'1 Jr Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA, 6'9 Jr Grant Jarrett from LaVerne (Lutheran) CA, 6'9 Jr Rosco Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Jr Alex Poythress from Clarksville (Northeast) TN, 6'7 Jr Montrezl Harrell from Tarboro (North Edgecombe) NC, 6'8 Jr Devonta Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS, 6'5 Jr Archie Goodwin from Little Rock (Sylvan Hills) AR, 6'5 Jr Jordan Price from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 6'8 Jr William Goodwin from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 6'10 Jr Daniel Ochefu from Westtown (Friends) PA, 6'0 Jr Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC, 6'5 Jr Michael Frazier from Tampa (Plant) FL, 6'4 Jr Gary Harris from Fishers (Hamilton Southeast) IN, 6'8 Jr Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH, 6'8 Jr Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'8 Jr Robert Carter from Thomasville (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Jr Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'2 Jr J-Mychal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Jr L.J. Rose from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'3 Jr Marcus Smart from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, 6'7 Jr T.J. Warren from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'4 Jr D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'9 Jr Hanner Perea from La Porte (La Lumiere) IN, 6'7 Jr Sam Dekker from Sheboygan (Lutheran) WI, 6'6 Jr J.P. Tokoto from Menomonee Falls (H.S.) WI, 6'8 Jr Evan Nolte from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 6'0 Jr Javan Felix from New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA, 6'7 Jr Cameron Biedscheid from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 6'8 Jr Steve Taylor from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'2 Jr Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA, 6'6 Jr Armaud Moto from Alexandria (Episcopal) VA, 6'11 Jr A.J Hammons from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Twymond Howard from Pearl (H.S.) MS, 6'6 Jr Glenn Robinson from Lake Central (St. John) IN, 6'10 Jr Landon Lucas from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 Jr Shaquille Cleare from Houston (The Village School) TX, 6'5 Jr Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Anrio Adams from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'7 Jr George Niang from Tilton (School) NH, 6'3 Jr Ron Patterson from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN, 6'5 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Jr Marcus Hunt from North Clayton (H.S.) GA, 6'2 Jr Nino Jackson from Ardmore (H.S.) OK, 6'0 Jr Ronnie Johnson from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 7'0 Jr Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'5 Jr Jordan Tebbutt from Tualatin (Horizon Christian) OR, 6'5 Jr Raphael Davis from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN, 6'2 Jr Mike Gesell from Sioux City (South) NE, 6'5 Jr Kellen Dunham from Pendleton (Heights) IN, 6'10 Jr Jordan Hare from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'7 Jr Jeremy Hollowell from Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN, 6'9 Jr Brice Johnson from Cordova (Edisto) SC, 6'4 Jr Shawn Smith from Jacksonville (Providence School) FL ,6'3 Jr Kris Dunn from New London (H.S.) CT, 6'8 Jr Gavin Ware from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Zena Edosomwan from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'7 Jr Daniel House from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'5 Jr Denzel Valentine from East Lansing (Sexton) MI, 6'11 Jr Adam Woodbury from Sioux City (East) IA, 6'10 Jr Joell James from Palm Springs (Dwyer) FL, 6'6 Jr Andrew White from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 6'9 Jr Matt Costello from Linwood (Bay City Western) MI, 6'5 Jr Alex Caruso from College Station (A&M Consolidated) TX, 6'2 Jr Codi Miller-McIntyre from Charlotte (First Assembly) NC, 6'4 Jr Charles Mann from Milton (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Jr Negus Webster-Chan from Huntington (Prep) WV, 6'5 Jr Jabari Bird from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 6'9 Jr Josh Scott from Colorado Springs (Lewis Palmer) CO, 6'6 Jr Damien Wilson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jr Kellen McCormick from Pontiac (Notre Dame) MI, 6'8 Jr Kenny Kaminski from Medina (Senior) OH, and 5'11 Jr Tyler Clark from Sterling (H.S.) NJ; and 14 players who will be juniors in high school next year in 6'11 Soph Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH, 6'4 Soph Chris Thomas from Phoenix (Windward Prep) AZ, 5'8 Soph Kuran Iverson from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT, 6'1 Soph Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'8 Soph Chris Walker from Bonifay (Holmes County) FL, 6'3 Jr Anton Gill from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 6'4 Soph Miles Overton from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA, 6'7 Soph A.J. Davis from Atlanta (Greater Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'4 Soph Allerick Freeman from Charlotte (Olympic) NC, 6'3 Soph Elijah Brown from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, 6'2 Soph Aubrey Dawkins from Palo Alto (H.S.) CA, 6'1 Soph Dirk Minniefield from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'6 Soph Reggie Theus from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'5 Soph DeLante Victory from Fredericksburg (Chancellor) VA.  Or to put this into even better perspective the only four consensus top 50-ranked players in the Class of 2012 that are missing from the above list are 6'9 Jr Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 7'0 Jr Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 7'0 Jr Kalen Tarczewski from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, and 6'0 Jr Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  In other words, most of the gang is going to be there and, as a result, the HOOP SCOOP's ranking of the top players based on performance, which will be updated daily from the camp and published exclusively right here in the Members Section, will be an important indicator in terms of where things stand as we get ready to begin the Summer Evaluation Period.  So, with this in mind, now is the perfect time to subscribe!

Friday, June 10, 2011

With the verbal commitment a couple of days ago by 6'6 Grandy Glaze from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to Saint Louis, there is now only one player ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who still available.  And, when the dust has cleared, we suspect that 6'10 Joseph Uchebo from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, who is ranked #51 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will end up at the University of Missouri, thanks at least in part to the strong ties that new Tigers assistant coach Tim Fuller has along Tobacco Road.  As for Glaze, he is ranked #75 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and appears to be exactly what the doctor ordered for Billikens head coach Rick Majerus and his staff who were in search of a tough hardnosed athletic undersized inside guy who can step in next season and provide immediate help on the boards.  Glaze picked Saint Louis over Providence and South Florida and he joins 6'11 John Manning from Chantilly (H.S.) VA, who is ranked #289 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the only the player in the Billikens' current recruiting class.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'5 Jr Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY made a visit to the University of Connecticut earlier this week and, upon his return, decided to pull the trigger for the Huskies.  And this is big for a number of reasons.  First, we're talking about somebody who is ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, the addition of Calhoun perpetuates the UConn's already strong pipeline into the Big Apple.  Third, Calhoun is a great outside shooter who can flat out shoot the lights out.  Fourth, Calhoun is an excellent student, which is important due to the fact that the Huskies have recently penalized by the NCAA for falling below where they are required to be on the Academic Progress Rate Public Report.  Fifth, Calhoun is a great kid who potentially could be like the Pied Piper in terms of helping Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun and his staff continue to attract more great players.  It also looks like Clemson may have stolen with their early verbal commitment from 6'0 Jr Jordan Roper from Irmo (H.S.) SC.  We're talking about a scoring point guard who is explosive in transition, good at getting into the lane, and has a good mid-range jump shot.  He does need to improve his outside shooting, but does have an incredible work ethic, is an in-state player, and is a winner, as is evident by the fact that he led his team to the AAAA State Championship three months ago.  There also is the commitment by 6'7 Seth Gearhart from Wilsonville (H.S.) OR to Rice and a pair of junior college commitments by 6'7 DeAngelo Scott from Arizona Western (JC) AZ to Texas Southern and 6'7 Ronnie Boggs from Moberly (JC) MO to Jacksonville State.  Boggs is ranked #84 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and averaged 15.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.6 apg this past season.  Scott is ranked #99 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and received Third Team NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American enrolls after averaging 14.0 ppg and 7.1 rpg this past season.  Did you also know that there is still plenty of action left to occur on the recruiting trail by players in the junior college ranks, as a quick look at the rankings in JucoJunction.com shows that 15 of the 75-ranked junior college players are still available.  And right at the top of the list is 6'8 Karron Johnson from Midland (JC) TX, who is ranked #1 on the list and is back on the board after being suspended from his junior college team during the season and having his scholarship offer rescinded by Oklahoma State.   Next on this list are #19-ranked 6'10 Monterale Clark from Highland (JC) IL, #24-ranked 6'10 Bryant Crowder from Eastern Utah (JC) UT, #27-ranked 6'8 Will Ohuaregbe from Chipola (JC) FL, #28-ranked 6'0 Widget Washington from Northeastern (JC) CO, #39-ranked 6'5 Anthony Rapley from Aiken Tech (JC) SC, #40-ranked 6'0 Johnnie Lacey from Howard (JC) TX, #46-ranked 6'3 JaMichael Rivers from Snead State (JC) AL, #58-ranked 6'8 Richard Anderson from Tallahassee (JC) FL, #64-ranked 6'1 Marquis Glaze from Daytona State (JC) FL, #66-ranked 6'1 Vernon Payne from Cape Fear (JC) NC, #68-ranked 6'10 Chris Brand from Western Texas (JC) TX, #69-ranked 6'11 Melvyn Oliver from Southwest (JC) TN, #71-ranked 6'4 Andre Paulk from Cincinnati State (JC) OH and #73-ranked 6'6 Niko Stejilkovic from Lon Morris (JC) TX. 

Friday, June 3, 2011

I am still on the West Coast and today I am getting ready for the Ninth Annual Pangos All-American Camp, which will be held this year at Cal State-Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA and will feature a number of the top high school players in the nation, including 6'5 Jr Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Jr Brandon Ashley from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA, 6'10 Jr Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 7'0 Jr Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'7 Jr Xavier Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'10 Jr Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX, 6'7 Jr Ricardo Gathers from LaPlace (Riverside Academy) LA, 6'6 Jr Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'9 Jr 6'1 Jr Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn Mar) IA, 6'5 Jr Jordan Adams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Jr Tyler Lewis from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC, 6'5 Jr Archie Goodman from Little Rock (Sylvan Hills) AR, 6'8 Jr Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'8 Jr Roscoe Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'8 Jr Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'4 Jr Junior Lomomba from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'2 Jr Nino Jackson from Ardmore (H.S.) OK, 6'3 Jr Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA, 6'8 Jr Charlie Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'5 Jr Jordan Tebbutt from Tualatin (Horizon Christian) OR, 6'5 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jr Jelon Hornbeak from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 7'0 Jr Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'5 Jr Twyond Howard from Pearl (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Kale Abrahamson from West Des Moines (Valley) IA, 6'8 Jr Akoy Agau from Omaha (Central) NE, 6'9 Jr Stefon Jankovich from Huntington (Prep) WV, 7'1 Jr Adam Woodbury from Sioux City (East) IA, 6'1 Jr Mike Gesell from Sioux City (South) IA, 6'0 Jr Dominic Artis from Richmond (Salesian) CA, 6'11 Jr Mading Thok from Sioux City (East) IA, 6'8 Jr Ben Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Jr Demarquise Johnson from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ, 6'8 Jr Tevin Glass from Norcross (Meadowcreek) GA, 6'6 Jr Alex Caruso from College Station (Consolidated) TX, 6'2 Jr Calaen Robinson from Tempe (Corona del Sol) AZ, 6'8 Jr  Zena Edsowoman from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'3 Jr Jarryn Skeete from Brampton (Wasatch Academy) ON, 6'3 Jr Kris Dunn from New London (H.S.) CT, 6'7 Jr David Andoh from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, 6'7 Jr Chris Reyes from La Verne (Damien) CA, 6'8 Jr Christian Wood from Palmdale (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Jr Demetris Morant from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'4 Soph Chris Thomas from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ, 6'6 Soph Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'5 Soph Isaac Hamilton from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'3 Soph Eric Cooper from La Verne (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Soph Roschon Prince from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'3 Soph Nigel Williams-Goss from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 Jr Maurice Kirby from Chandler (Basha) AZ, 6'5 Soph Jabari Byrd from Richmond (Salesian) VA, 6'3 Soph Tyree Robinson from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, 6'3 Soph Tyrel Robinson from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, 6'4 Soph Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Soph R.J. Currington from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Soph Stephen Domingo from San Francisco (St. Ignatius Prep) CA, 6'8 SophTreshaun Bolden from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'0 Soph Solomon Poole from Jacksonville (Parker) FL, 6'4 Soph Dakari Allen from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 6'7 Soph Brannen Greene from Forsyth (Persons) GA, 6'1 Soph Ikenna Iroegbu from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Soph Tyler Ennis from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Soph Aqunwa Okolie from Ajax (O'Connor) ON, 6'6 Frosh Shaqquan Aaron from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Frosh Stanley Johnson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Frosh Rashad Jackson from Bakersfield (Garces) CA, 6'4 Frosh Xavier Rathan-Mayers from Toronto, ON, 6'4 8th Grader Tyler Dorsey from Los Angeles (Ribet Academy) CA, 6'8 8th Grade Horace Spencer from Westminster, PA, and 6'10 8th Grader Stephen Zimmerman from Las Vegas, NV.  Dinos Trigonis, who is the director of the camp, is touting 6'5 Jr Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'10 Jr Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 7'0 Jr Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX as the three best players in the junior class nationally.  However, after watching 6'9 Jr Brandon Ashley from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA play last weekend in the NIKE (EYBL) Elite Youth Basketball League (Session #3), we think this athletic big man from the Bay Area could very well could end up being the chief challenger to Muhammad for the #1-billing in the Class of 2012.  And to make things even more interesting is the fact that 6'10 Jr Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX is a good old-fashioned post player and a physical specimen inside who is ranked among everybody's top 10 juniors nationally; 7'0 Jr Robert Upshaw from Fresno (San Joaguin Memorial) CA and 7'1 Jr Adam Woodbury from Sioux City (East) IL have both dramatically improved in the last year; and 6'8 8th Grade Horace Spencer from Westminster, PA and 6'10 8th Grader Stephen Zimmerman from Las Vegas, NV are a pair of highly touted middle school guys who will have to grow up in a hurry if they want to be successful while playing against the likes of this crowd.  The camp will begin with check-in from 1:00 PM-5:00 PM at the Renaissance Hotel in Long Beach, CA, followed by dinner and distribution of gear at Cal State-Dominguez Hills from 6:00 PM-7:00 PM, opening remarks/instructions from 7:00 PM-7:15 PM, individual instruction by former NBA and NCAA assistant coach Dave Miller from 7:15 PM-8:30 PM, and camp games from 8:30 PM-10:00 PM.   Things will get going on Saturday, June 4th, with lunch at Noon, followed by strength & conditioning with Steve Campbell from 1:00 PM-1:30 PM, Individual Instruction with Dave Miller from 1:30 PM-3:00 PM, camp games from 3:00 PM-5:00 PM, dinner from 5:00-6:00 PM, Recruiting Roundtable (questions and answers with national scouts) from 6:00-6:40 PM, camp games from 6:40 PM-8:30 PM, and a media reception at Hotel Avia's Rooftop Deck from 9:45 PM-Midnight.  The schedule on Sunday, June 5th, will begin with breakfast from 8:00 AM-8:45 AM, followed by camp games from 9:00 AM-11:00 AM, an announcement of all-star teams and final remarks from 11:00 AM-11:30 AM, the "Cream of the Crop" Top 40 Game from 11:30 AM-12:30 PM, the "Cream of the Crop" Top 20 Game from 12:30 PM-1:30 PM, and the closing of the camp and transportation to the airport from 1:30 PM-2:00 PM.  Editor's Note:  We will publish all the highlights, comments about the top players, and a ranking of the top players in the camp early next week exclusively in the Members Section.  So obviously now is the perfect time to subscribe.

Friday, May 27, 2011

I am already on the West Coast and I am looking forward to getting my first look this spring at a lot of the players that are playing on NIKE-sponsored teams at the NIKE (EYBL) Elite Youth Basketball League Session #3, which will be held this weekend at the Hangar Athletic XChange in Torrance, CA.  Things will tip-off tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM with CIA Bounce (Canada) versus NIKE Team Florida on Court #1, the New York Gauchos versus the Playaz Basketball Club on Court #2, Athletes First  versus the Alabama Challenge on Court #3, Iowa Attack versus the Boo Williams Summer League Team on Court #4, the Georgia Stars versus Playground Elite (WI) on Court #5, and the Arkansas Wings Elite versus CP3 (Chris Paul) on Court #6.  The next round of games will begin at 11:00 AM with the Jackson Tigers versus the Southern Kings on Court #1, the Houston Hoops versus MoKan Elite on Court #2, All Ohio Red versus Mac Irvin Fire on Court #3, BABA (MA) versus the Charlotte Royals on Court #4, Baltimore Elite versus the St. Louis Eagles on Court #5, and California Supreme versus ICP-Portland on Court #6.   Then at 12:30 PM it will be the King James Shooting Stars versus Louisiana Select on Court #1, the Albany City Rocks versus Spiece on Court #2, the Oakland Soldiers versus E1T1 (FL) on Court #3, The Family versus the Team Texas Titans on Court #4, means Streets versus Memphis YOMCA on Court #5, and Team Final versus the Metro Hawks on Court #6.  In the middle of the afternoon things will slow down at 2:00 PM with only two games apiece with Howard Pulley versus Team Takeover on Court #1 and Seattle Rotary Select versus the Tennessee Travelers on Court #2 and at 3:30 PM with NIKE Team Florida versus the New York Gauchos on Court #1 and the All Iowa Attack versus the Alabama Challenge on Court #2.  The next set of games at 5:00 PM will feature CP3 (Chris Paul) versus Baltimore Elite on Court #1, ICP-Portand versus Arkansas Wings Elite on Court #2, the Southern Kings versus the Houston Hoops on Court #3, MoKan Elite versus the Jackson Tigers on Court #4, Playground Elite versus CIA Bounce (Canada) on Court #5, and the Mac Irvin Fire versus BABC on Court #6.  At 6:30 PM it will be Athletes First versus the Boo Williams Summer League Team on Court #1, the Playaz Basketball Club versus the Georgia Stars on Court #2, Team Final versus The Family on Court #3, Memphis YOMCA versus All Ohio Red on Court #4, Means Streets versus the Metro Hawks on Court #5, and the Charlotte Royals versus the Team Texas Titans on Court #6.  And finally at 8:00 PM it will be Spiece versus Seattle Rotary on Court #1, the Tennessee Travelers versus the King James Shooting Stars on Court #2, E1T1 (FL) versus Team Takeover on Court #3, the Oakland Soldiers versus Howard Pulley on Court #4, Louisiana Select versus the Albany City Rocks on Court #5, and the St. Louis Eagles versus California Supreme on Court #6.  The times of the games will be exactly the same on Sunday, May 29th, as things will begin at 9:30 AM with All Ohio Red versus the Team Texas Titans on Court #1, BABC versus the Metro Hawks on Court #2, the Charlotte Royals versus Team Final on Court #3, Memphis YOMCA versus the Mac Irvin Fire on Court #4, The Family versus Mean Streets on Court #5, and CP3 (Chris Paul) versus MoKan Elite on Court #6.  They will be followed at 11:00 AM by the St. Louis Eagles versus ICP-Portland on Court #1, the King James Shooting Stars versus E1T1 (FL) on Court #2, Baltimore Elite versus the Jackson Tigers on Court #3, the Arkansas Wings Elite versus the Houston Hoops on Court #4, the Alabama Challenge versus NIKE Team Florida on Court #5, and California Supreme versus the Southern Kings on Court #6.   The third set of games of the day at 12:30 PM will include Team Takeover versus Seattle Rotary on Court #1, Louisiana Select versus the Oakland Soldiers on Court #2, the Albany City Rocks versus the Tennessee Travelers on Court #3, the Howard Pulley Panthers versus Spiece on Court #4, Playground Elite versus the Playaz Basketball Club on Court #5, and the Georgia Stars versus All Iowa Attack on Court #6.  Then at 2:00 PM it will be the New York Gauchos versus the Boo Williams Summer League Team on Court #1 and CIA Bounce (Canada) versus Athletes First on Court #2 and at 3:30 PM it will be Mean Streets versus B.A.B.C. versus Mean Streets on Court #1 and The Family versus All Ohio Red on Court #2.  The evening session will begin at 5:00 PM with the Mac Irvin Fire versus the Charlotte Royals on Court #1, Team Final versus Memphis YOMCA on Court #2, the Metro Hawks versus the Team Texas Titans on Court #3, Arkansas Elite versus Baltimore Elite on Court #4, the Jackson Tigers versus California Supreme on Court #5, and the Southern Kings versus ICP-Portland on Court #6.  Then at 6:30 PM it will be MoKan Elite versus the St. Louis Eagles on Court #1, the Houston Hoops versus CP3 (Chris Paul) on Court #2, the Howard Pulley Panthers versus Louisiana Select on Court #3, the Oakland Soldiers versus the Albany City Rock on Court #4, Seattle Rotary versus the King James Shooting Stars on Court #5, and Spiece versus Team Takeover on Court #6.  And finally at 8:00 PM it will be the Boo Williams Summer League Team versus CIA Bounce (Canada) on Court #1, the All Iowa Attack versus the New York Gauchos on Court #2, the Playaz Basketball Club versus Athletes First on Court #3, NIKE Team Florida versus Playground Elite on Court #4, the Alabama Challenge versus the Georgia Stars on Court #5, and E1T1 Florida versus the Tennessee Travelers on Court #6.  We also will get a final look at all of the teams with a morning set of games on Monday, May 30th, beginning at 8:00 AM with the Albany City Rocks versus the Howard Pulley Panthers on Court #1, Team Takeover versus the King James Shooting Stars on Court #2, the Team Texas Titans versus BABC on Court #3, the Charlotte Royals versus the Metro Hawks on Court #4, Team Final versus the Mac Irvin Fire on Court #5, and Memphis YOMCA versus The Family on Court #6.  The 9:30 AM games will includes Spiece versus the Oakland Soldiers on Court #1, Seattle Rotary versus E1T1 (FL) on Court #2, Baltimore Elite versus the Houston Hoops on Court #3, CP3 (Chris Paul) versus the Jackson Tigers on Court #4, the Georgia Stars versus the Boo Williams Summer League Team on Court #5, and the New York Gauchos versus the Alabama Challenge on Court #6.  At 11:00 AM it will be the Tennessee Travelers versus Louisiana Select on Court #1, All Ohio Red versus Mean Streets on Court #2, Athletes First versus Playground Elite on Court #3, the All Iowa Attack versus NIKE Team Florida on Court #4, CIA Bounce (Canada) versus the Playaz Basketball Club on Court #5, and the St. Louis Eagles versus the Southern Kings on Court #6.  And the final two games will tip-off at 12:30 PM with California Supreme versus the Arkansas Wings Elite on Court #1 and the ICP-Portland versus MoKan Elite on Court #2.  A quick look at the rosters also shows that this tournament will be absolutely loaded, as the list of top players that we expect to be in attendance includes 6'2 Myles Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'8 Jr Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'8 Jr Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'9 Jr DaJuan Coleman from Jamesville (Jamesville-DeWitt) NY, 6'7 Jr Ricardo Ledo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Jr Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian Academy) NC, 6'7 Jr Ricardo Gathers from La Place (Riverside Academy) LA, 6'6 Jr Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'10 Jr Brandon Ashley from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd CA, 6'8 Jr Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Central) TN, 6'3 Jr Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 6'3 Jr L.J. Rose from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'2 Jr J-Mychal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jr Jerami Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'1 Jr Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA, 6'5 Jr Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'3 Jr James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'7 Jr Anthony January from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'1 Jr Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'5 Jr Torian Graham from Raleigh (Word of Gord) NC, 6'8 Jr Alex Poythress from Clarksville (Northeast) TN, 6'8 Jr Steve Taylor from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'8 Jr Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH, 6'3 Jr D'vante Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'5 Jr Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) VA, 7'0 Jr Aaron Hammons from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jr Cameron Biescheid from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 6'10 Jr Willie Cauley from Overland Park (Olathe (Northwest) KS. 6'8 Jr William Goodman from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 6'8 Jr Evan Nolte from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 6'0 Jr Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC, 6'5 Jr Archie Goodwin from Little Rock (Sylvan Hills) AR, 6'4 Jr Jordan Price from Decatur (Southwest DeKalb) GA, 6'4 Jr Darryl Hicks from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'5 Jr Arroyo Edwards from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'8 Jr Anthony Bennett from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'5 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Jr Nino Jackson from Ardmore (H.S.) OK, 6'4 Jr Reggie Dillard from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 5'11 Jr Siyani Chambers from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 7'5 Jr Sim Bhullar from Huntington (Prep) WV, 6'10 Jr Stefan Jankovic from Huntington (Prep) WV, 6'0 Jr Justin Pride from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'5 Jr Raphael Davis from Ft. Wayne (Southside) IN, 6'1 Jr Mike Gesell from South Sioux (H.S.) IA, 7'1 Jr Adam Woodbury from Sioux City (East) IA, 6'0 Jr Dashawn Suber from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Isaiah Miles from Owings Mills (Glenelg Country School) MD, 6'9 Jr Justin Tuoya from Hampton (Lovejoy) GA, 5'9 Jr Stephen Clark from Oklahoma City (Douglass) OK, 6'4 Jr Jamal Ferguson from Norfolk (Maury) VA, 6'8 Jr Cimmeon Bowers from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'7 Jr Georges Niang from Tilton (School) NH, 6'3 Jr Craig Sword from Montgomery (Carver) AL, 6'6 Jr Derrick Finner from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'2 Jr Brian Bernardi from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'8 Jr Brandon Morris from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'3 Jr Louis Dabney from La Place (Riverside Academy) LA, 6'3 Jr Domoniq Bull from Tilton (School) MA, 6'10 Jr Prince Ibeh from Garland (Namaan Forest) TX, 7'0 Jr Mike Tobey from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 6'8 Jr Jermaine Morgan from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'6 Jr Leroy Fludd from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY, 6'4 Jr Anrio Adams from Seattle (Garfield) WA,6'9 Jr Jordan Hare from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'5 Jr Junior Lombomba from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'8 Jr Richard Longrus from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA, 6'0 Jr Jacolby Mobley from Starkville (H.S.) TN, 6'6 Jr Jalen Jackson from West Memphis (H.S.) AR, 6'7 Jr Lorenzo Cugini from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, 6'5 Jr Jeff Neverson from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY, 6'7 Soph Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'8 Soph Julius Randle from Plano (Prestonwood Academy) TX, 6'9 Soph Nerlens Noel from Tilton (School) NH, 6'6 Soph Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA, 6'6 Soph Peter Jok from West Des Moines (H.S.) IA, 6'8 Soph Beejay Anya from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'9 Soph Tommy Hamilton from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'9 Soph Jonathan Williams from Memphis (Southwind) TN, 6'6 Soph Roschon Prince from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'6 Soph Ishmail Wainwright from Raytown (South) MO, 6'9 Soph Austin Colbert from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Soph Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'8 Soph Marc Loving from Toledo (St. John's) OH, 6'7 Soph Rondae Jefferson from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'8 Soph Torren Jones from Chandler (Basha) AZ, 6'8 Soph Tyrek Coger from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian) NC, 6'6 Soph Semilore Ojeleye from Ottawa (H.S.) KS, 6'2 Soph Duane Wilson from Milwaukee (Dominican) WI, 6'7 Soph Alian Chigha from Gainesville (The Rock School) FL, 6'6 Soph Jason Boswell from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Soph Goodluck Okonoboh from Tilton (School) NH, 6'1 Soph Brenton Scott from Ft. Wayne (Northrop) IN, 6'0 Soph Bryson Scott from Ft. Wayne (Northrop) IN, 6'2 Soph Shane Rector from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'8 Soph Shannon Hale from Johnson City (Science Hill) TN, 6'4 Soph Tyrell Robinson from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, 6'4 Soph Tyree Robinson from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, 6'4 Soph Billy Garrett from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 5'11 Soph Britton Lee from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'7 Frosh Andrew Wiggins from Toronto (Vaughn) ON, 6'1 Frosh Joel Berry from Orlando (Lake Highland Prep) FL, 6'5 Frosh Stanley Robinson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'10 Frosh Tre Lyles from Indianapolis (Tech) IN, 6'2 Frosh Shep Gardner from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'0 Frosh Tyus Jones from Apple Valley (H.S.) MN,  6'4 Frosh Wayne Selden from Tilton (School)) NH, 6'6 8th Grader Kejuan Johnson from Atlanta, GA, 6'7 8th Grader Mickey Mitchell from Plano (Prestonwood Academy) TX, and 6'0 8th Grader Allonzo Trier from Oklahoma City, OK.  Editor's Note: We'll have all the highlights, rankings, and comments about the top players from this weekend's NIKE (EYBL) Elite Youth Basketball League exclusively in the Members Section early next week.  So obviously now is the perfect time to subscribe.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Originally the plan had been to deal with whatever signings and commitments trickled in over the weekend and today.  However, the only interesting things that we've run across involved a couple of transfers.  The first is 6'0 K.C. Ross-Miller, who is leaving the University of New Orleans after just one year and is now bound for New Mexico State.  If you will recall, this is the same guy who verbally committed to the University of Kentucky back when he was a freshman in high school, but then backed out of that commitment two years ago after the coaching change.  Ross-Miller also verbally committed to LSU back in February 2010, but then failed to get cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse and enrolled last fall at Florida International.  But that didn't work out either and he ended up playing at the Division II level this past season for the Privateers, where he averaged 9.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 3.4 agp.  "The Aggies have most of their players back and they need a point guard who can come in and run show," says Tim Miller, who is Ross-Miller's father.  The second is 6'5 Soph Luke Hancock, who, after the recent coaching change at George Mason, is following in the footsteps of his former prep school coach to the University of Louisville.  If you will recall, Kevin Keatts, who previously was the head coach at Chatham (Hargrave Military Academy) VA, was recently hired by Rick Pitino as an assistant coach for the Cardinals.  Hancock averaged 10.9 ppg 4.2 rpg, and 4.3 apg and played a key role in the Patriots first round upset against Villanova in the NCAA Tournament this past March.  He will redshirt next year and then should be ideally suited to step in and replace 6'4 Jr Kyle Kuric, who will graduate after next season.  There also has to be more than meets the eye with regards to Penn State head coach Ed DeChellis making the move earlier today to a similar position at Navy.  After going 19-15 overall and 9-9 in the league and advancing into the NCAA Tournament two months ago, we thought this would be the perfect time for DeChellis to ask for a raise.  On the other hand, four of the Nittany Lions' top five players will graduate this spring and 6'2 Frosh Taran Buie decided to transfer last month.  However, we really don't want to go there either due to the fact I've already put the finishing touches on our updated Ranking of the Top 100 Players Nationally in the Class of 2016 (7th Graders).  And what is really amazing is the fact that 10 of the top 25-ranked players in this class are already 6'4 or taller.  We're talking about 12 and 13-year-olds and this list includes 6'8 7th Grader Deron Davis from Denver, CO, 6'9 7th Grader Khalea Turner from Marrero, LA, 6'5 7th Grader V.J. King from Charlotte, NC, 6'4 7th Grader Dedric Lawson from Memphis, TN, 6'5 7th Grader Antoyne Jackson from Indianapolis, IN, 6'7 7th Grader Edrice Adebayo from Newton, NC, 6'4 7th Grader Sam Green from Bowie, MD, 6'10 7th Grader Raekwon Long from Davidson, NC, 6'4 7th Grader Joe Hampton from Riverdale, MD, and 6'4 7th Grader Harry Giles from Flat Rock, NC.  And this list doesn't even include 6'10 7th Grader Thon Maker from Australia, who was one of the better players that we saw a week ago at the John Lucas Basketball Resources Camp in Houston, TX, and 6'2 7th Grader Sebastian Baugh from Pelta, IA and 6'3 7th Grader Devin Young from Sacramento, CA, both of whom have the shoe size necessary to project as a potential 7-footer someday.  We also plan to publish our updated Ranking of the Players Nationally in the Class of 2017 (6th Graders) sometime within the next week.  And then the process will start all over again with our Final Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players and Final Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Graduating Seniors), which will be published in late June.  A quick check of our archives also shows that we published our most recent Ranking of the Top 55 Year Players on December 2, 2010; our most recent Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Seniors) on November 2, 2010; our most recent  Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Juniors) on November 24, 2010; our most recent Ranking of the Top 400 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Sophomores) on March 7, 2011; our most recent  Ranking of the Top 250 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Freshman) on March 11, 2011; and our most recent Ranking of the Top 175 Players Nationally in the Class of 2015 (8th Graders) on April 28, 2011.  That's a grand total of 2,230 names and we don't cop out like a lot of our competition by listing them with stars, at the level at which we think they might play, or in alphabetical or numerical order.  In other words, with this type of clarity there is no doubt that now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section in order to find out where any or all of these players are ranked. 

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Today is the final day of the Spring Signing Period and, as a result, it is fitting that 6'3 Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, who was the only player ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally that had yet to pick a school (Kevin Ware, Joseph Uchebe, and Grandy Glaze also are still available, but are back on the board after a coaching change), has finally made his college decision.  And, in the end, Lacey decided to stay home by opting for the University of Alabama over Kentucky, Kansas, N.C. State, and Auburn.  Obviously this huge, because we're talking about a guy who averaged 32.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, and 3.1 spg and for this second straight year was named the state's Mr. Basketball.  Lacey is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOPand also is terrific at slashing to the basket and beating you with his outside shooting.   He's also a winner, as is evident by the fact that he led his team to three state titles in four years, and is exactly what the doctor ordered to complement 6'8 Nick Jacobs from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 7'0 Moussa Gueye from Lake Land (JC) IL, 6'4 Levi Randolph from Madison (Bob Jones) Al, and 6'5 Rodney Cooper from Phenix City (Russell County) AL in a recruiting class that is now ranked #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  It also looks like 6'4 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is ranked #75 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was verbally committed to USC, has reneged on the Trojans; 6'5 Nick Faust from Baltimore (City College) MD, who is ranked #33 nationally in the senior class and is one of the best 3-pointers to come down the pike in a long time, is back in the fold after asking for and obtaining a release from the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall with the University of Maryland; and 6'8 Jamari Traylor from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, who is a high energy athletic power forward that is very active around the basket, has become Kansas' fourth recruit.  And what about the fact that 6'8 Thomas De Thaey from the Canarias Basketball Academy (Spain) is bound for N.C. State and 6'1 Zeke Chapman from Scottsdale (Chapparal) AZ has picked Ball State?  Chapman doesn't have his father's incredible athleticism (his father is former Kentucky All-American and NBA player Rex Chapman), but he is a very good outside shooter and promises to be an excellent piece to the puzzle for Cardinals head coach Billy Taylor.  DeThaey averaged 18.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg while playing for the Belgium 20-Under Team last summer and, at 6'8, 235-pounds, is both a force to be reckoned with around the basket and a match-up problem out on the perimeter, thanks to his excellent 3-point shooting.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that 6'2 Brett Arrington from Jackson (Southern Sports Academy) MS, 6'5 Blake Ralling from Kennesaw (North Cobb) GA, and 5'10 Roger Hubbard from Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA are all bound for Mississippi Valley State.  "I don't know much about the two Georgia kids," says Jackson.  "But Arrington is a long athletic combo guard who is excellent defensively and should be a good fit in Sean Woods' up tempo  system."  We also have a plethora of signings and commitments by players in the junior college ranks.  And right at the top of the list is 6'5 Larry McGaughey from Lawson State (JC) AL, who is bound for Fresno State and was a Division II First Team NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American.  Next are the pair of commitments that University of Seattle head coach Cameron Dollar has received from 6'6 Allen Tate from Lamar (JC) CO, who is an extremely talented versatile wing player, and 6'9 Louis Green from Moraine Valley (JC) IL, who is ranked #79 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  The rest of the list includes 6'10 Ilija Ivanjkovic from Santa Fe (JC) FL to the University of Charlotte, 6'6 Corbin Thomas from John A. Logan (JC) IL to Missouri State, 6'3 Demetrice Jacobs from Missouri State-West Plains (JC) MO to Northwestern State, 6'7 Tarvin Gaines from Lawson State (JC) AL to Jacksonville State, 6'10 Elhadji Ndieguene from Lake Land (JC) IL to Hampton, 6'7 Bruce Reed from Hutchinson (JC) KS to Morehead State, 6'10 Jordan Hickert from Neosho County (JC) KS to Eastern Washington, 6'9 Antonio Kalpic from Roane State (JC) TN to Campbell, 6'4 Derick Beltran from Tallahassee (JC) FL to Southeastern Louisiana, 6'4 Kameron Pearce from Northeastern (JC) CO to Idaho State, 6'8 Kareen Ferguson from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL to St Peter's, 6'1 Carlyle Francis from Tallahassee (JC) FL to Binghamton, 6'6 Nate Drayton from USC-Salkehatchie (JC) SC to Florida A&M, 6'2 Matt Samuels from South Suburban (JC) IL to Chicago State, and 6'2 Kevin Schaffartzik from Odessa (JC) TX and 6'4 DeMarcus Gatlin from Naverro (JC) TX both to Sam Houston State.

Thursday, May 12, 2011

It was just an average year in terms of the number of head coaching changes at the Division I level in college basketball until the recent flurry of movement that included Texas A&M's Mark Turgeon saying yes to the University of Maryland after the retirement of Gary Williams, Vermont's Mike Lonergan getting the nod to replace Karl Hobbs at George Washington, and Navy head coach Billy Lange returning to his old stamping grounds as the new associate head coach at Villanova.  These last three moves bring the number to 50 head coaching changes this year, which is three above the 47.4 average for the last eight years.  Using ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, Sports Illustrated.com, and Wikipedia.org as sources of reference, we have found that there were 43 head coaching changes in 2002-2003, 37 head coaching changes in 2003-2004, 45 head coaching changes in 2004-2005, 61 head coaching changes in 2005-2006, 62 head coaching changes in 2006-2007, 45 head coaching changes in 2007-2008, 32 head coaching changes in 2008-2009, and 54 head coaching changes in 2009-2010.  And this year's number could increase by another one or two, if Texas A&M, Vermont, Navy, and Alabama A&M, which are the four schools that still have head coaching vacancies, hire a somebody who is currently a Division I head coach.  The most likely is Texas A&M, which now appears to have a list of candidates that includes Wichita State's Gregg Marshall, UTEP's Tim Floyd, Nebraska's Doc Sadler, Colorado's Tad Boyle, and ESPN television analyst Fran Franschilla after Memphis' Josh Pastner and Marquette's Buzz Williams both quickly let be known that they aren't interested.  As for 50 head coaching opening that have already occurred, we divide the list up into four different categories.  The first are the 12 big time high profiles jobs at the high major level, which include Mark Turgeon replacing Gary Williams at the University of Maryland, Mark Gottfried replacing Sidney Lowe at N.C. State, Brian Gregory replacing Paul Hewitt at Georgia Tech, Jim Larranaga replacing Frank Haith at Miami-FL, Ed Cooley replacing Keno Davis at Providence College, Cuonzo Martin replacing Bruce Pearl at the University of Tennessee, Mike Anderson replacing John Pelphrey at the University of Arkansas, Frank Haith replacing Mike Anderson at the University of Missouri, Lon Kruger replacing Jeff Capel at the University of Oklahoma, Billy Gillispie replacing Pat Knight at Texas Tech, the job that is currently open at Texas A&M, and Larry Krystowiak replacing Jim Boylen at the University of Utah.  The second are the 10 good jobs in conferences that are better than the mid-major level, but not in the BCS Conferences.  This list includes Dave Rice replacing Lon Kruger at UNLV, Archie Miller replacing Brian Gregory at the University of Dayton, Mike Lonergan replacing Karl Hobbs at George Washington, Paul Hewitt replacing Jim Larranaga at George Mason, Larry Shyatt replacing Heath Schroyer at the University of Wyoming, Michael White replacing Kerry Rupp at Louisiana Tech, Paul Lusk replacing Cuonzo Martin at Missouri State, Geno Ford replacing Jim Les at Bradley, Rodney Terry replacing Steve Cleveland at Fresno State, and Ron Hunter replacing Rod Barnes at Georgia State.  The third are seven jobs at the mid-to-low major level, where the previous coach left the cupboard full, there is great fan support, an excellent recruiting base, and/or enough tradition to make it a good job.  This list includes Rod Senderoff replacing Geno Ford at Kent State, Mitch Henderson replacing Sydney Johnson at Princeton, Sydney Johnson replacing Ed Cooley at Fairfield, Pat Skerry replacing Pat Kennedy at Towson, Todd Howard replacing Ron Hunter at IUPUI, Pat Knight replacing Steve Roccaforte at Lamar, and the job that is currently open at the University of Vermont.  The fourth are the seven jobs at the mid-major level, which includes Steve Masiello replacing Barry Rohrssen at Manhattan, King Rice replacing Dave Calloway at Monmouth, Rob Murphy replacing Charles Ramsey at Eastern Michigan, Porter Moser replacing Jim Whitesell at Loyola-Chicago, Mark Montgomery replacing Ricardo Patton at Northern Illinois, Marty Wilson replacing Tom Asbury at Pepperdine, and Willis Wilson replacing Perry Clark at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.  The fifth are 14 tough jobs in conferences at the bottom of the Division I level, which include the job that is now open at Navy, Steve Payne replacing Mike Sutton at Tennessee Tech, Jim Hayford replacing Kirk Earlywine at Eastern Washington, Casey Alexander replacing Derek Waugh at Stetson, Matt Langel replacing Emmett Davis at Colgate, Andy Enfield replacing Dave Balza at Florida Gulf Coast, Tony Jasick replacing Dane Fife at IPFW, Lewis Preston replacing Tony Ingle at Kennesaw State, Jim Les replacing Gary Stewart at UC-Davis, Rod Barnes replacing Keith Brown at Cal State-Bakersfield, Roman Banks replacing Rob Spivey at Southern University, Luther Riley replacing Larry Smith at Alcorn State, Clemon Johnson replacing Eugene Harris at Florida A&M, and the job that is still open at Alabama A&M.  We also think it's interesting to point out that the average life expectancy of a Division I head coach is 7.2 years based on the fact that there are currently 346 Division I schools and an average of 47.8 heading coaching changes per season over the last nine years. 

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The big story right now in the recruiting world involves 6'9 Jr Alex Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but has signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent with Duke and plans to enroll into school this fall.  Murphy, who originally was in the Class of 2011, but reclassified several years ago, joins 6'9 Jr Khem Birch from  Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA as the second high profile player in this class to reclassify, but then rejoin his original class and graduate from high school earlier than was originally anticipated.  And to make the story even more interesting is the fact that Murphy was absolutely sensational last fall when he had 18 points and 17 rebounds against Lee (Academy) ME in the National Prep Showcase in New Haven, CT, but has struggled every time we've seen him since.  However, the addition of Murphy is still very important, because it moves the Blue Devils' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'4 Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Quinn Cook from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, and 6'11 Marshall Plumlee from Arden (The Christ School) NC, up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  It's also being reported that 6'8 Corderio Maclin from Connors State (JC) OK is bound for UT-Martin, 6'8 Dejan Kostur from Triton (JC) IL has signed with Idaho State, and 6'10 Anthony Borden from Holmes (JC) MS has picked Central Arkansas, and 6'3 Kenny Smith from St. Petersburg (Boca Ciega) FL and 6'2 Raheem Appleby from Jacksonville (H.S.) AR have both made it official for Louisiana Tech.  But that's it, as the signing and commitments have really slowed down as the end of the Spring Signing Period is now less than a week away.  So now is a good time to step back for a minute and see where things stand on a number of fronts.  First, is our ranking of the top 100 seniors, which now shows that there are only four players left on the board.  However, 6'4 Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale County) GA, who originally picked Tennessee, 6'10 Joseph Uchebo from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, who originally picked N.C. State, and 6'6 Grady Glaze from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who originally picked UNLV, are currently on the rebound after recent coaching changes.  So that means that 6'3 Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL is the only player ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who has remained available all the way through.  There also is one big name high profile 5th Year Player still left on the board in 6'8 DeAndre Daniels from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and five of the top 25-ranked junior college players by JucoJunction.com are also still available.  We're talking about 6'8 Karron Johnson from Midland (JC) TX, 6'8 Dwight Miller from Midland (JC) TX, 6'10 Monterale Clark from Highland (JC) IL, 6'0 Antonio Biglow from Mt. San Antonio (JC) CA, and 6'10 Bryant Crowder from Eastern Utah (JC) UT, who are ranked #1, #10, #19, #23, and #24 respectively on this list.  We also find it interesting that 32 of our top 100-ranked juniors have already made early verbal commitments, as 6'9 Jr Khem Birch from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to Pittsburgh, 6'9 Jr Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX to Texas, 6'11 Jr Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX to Baylor, 6'9 Jr Alex Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA to Duke, 6'0 Jr Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY to St. John's, 6'5 Jr Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA to Villanova, 6'3 Jr Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX to Duke, 6'3 Jr Ryan Arcidiancono from Langhorne (Neshaminy) PA to Villanova, 6'1 Jr Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA to North Carolina, 5'11 Jr Kevin Ferrell from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN to Indiana, 5'11 Jr Tyler Lewis from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC to N.C. State, 6'9 Jr Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA to Arizona, 6'5 Jr Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to Maryland, 6'7 Jr Jeremy Hollowell from Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN to Indiana, 6'9 Jr Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX to Kansas, 6'6 Jr J.P. Tokoto from Menomonee Falls (H.S.) WI to North Carolina, 6'10 Jr Daniel Ochefu from Westtown (Friends) PA to Villanova, 6'8 Jr Evan Nolte from Alpharetta (Milton) GA to Virginia, 6'7 Jr Montrezl Harrell from Tarboro (North Edgecomb) NC to Virginia Tech, 6'6 Jr Cameron Beidschied from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO to Notre Dame, 6'0 Jr Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC to Florida, 6'4 Jr Michael Frazier from Tampa (Plant) FL to Florida, 6'11 Jr Isaiah Hill from Grand Prairie (God's Academy) TX to Seton Hall, 6'8 Jr Hanner Perea from La Porte (La Lumiere) IN to Indiana, 6'4 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to USC, 6'3 Jr Ron Patterson from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN to Indiana, 6'5 Jr Denzel Valentine from Lansing (Sexton) MI to Michigan State, 6'5 Jr Raphael Davis from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN to Purdue, 6'8 Jr Brandon Bolden from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA to Georgetown, 6'9 Jr Matt Costello from Bay City (Western) MI to Michigan State, 7'0 Jr Peter Jurkin from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC to Indiana, and 7'5 Jr Sim Bhullar from Huntington (Prep) WV are all already off the board.  However, as we mentioned above 6'9 Jr Khem Birch from  Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and  6'9 Jr Alex Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA won't be included the next time we update these rankings due to the fact that they both plan to rejoin their originally class and enroll into college this fall. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

There are two things that I've been working on for well over a month whenever I haven't been traveling, covering an event, or dealing with the latest recruiting news and/or business of day.  One is Ron Naclerio's updated New York City Report and the other is our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2015 (8th Graders).  And I am happy to report that the former was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today and the latter will be published in the same place either tomorrow or Friday.  The New York City Report includes Naclerio's ranking of the top 100 seniors, top 75 juniors, top 50 sophomores, top 25 freshmen, top 11 8th Graders, top 10 7th Graders, and top six 6th Graders within the five boroughs of New York City, some interesting analysis and commentary by yours truly, and our six All-Metro New York teams, which include the top 30 players in the New York Metropolitan area regardless of class and position.  And the contrast between the level of talent inside the city and within the metropolitan area is dramatic.  We also have included in this report some of the latest recruiting news from the city, which previously had not been reported by the HOOP SCOOP.  We start with the commitment that 6'3 Evan Conti from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, who is ranked #12 in the senior class on Naclerio's list, made two days ago to Quinnipiac.  "Conti is not a pure point guard, but he does make his teammates better and he knows when to pick his spots and score," says Naclerio.  "He also knows how to use his body, moves well without the ball, and always puts up consistent numbers."  He also has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and is a good rebounder for his size, as is evident by the fact that he averaged 17.1 ppg, 10.0 rpg, and 5.0 apg this past season.  Conti, who is ranked #420 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also is expected to be another important piece to the puzzle for Bobcats head coach Tom Moore, because he's got that New York City toughness and competitiveness and he promises to be an excellent complement to 6'4 Zaid Hearst from Salisbury (School) CT and 6'8 Qusmane Drame from Thompson (Marianapolis Prep) CT.  We also are interested in the fact that 6'0 Davontay Grace from Brooklyn (Thomas Jefferson) NY and 6'10 Edson Avila from Brooklyn (Thomas Jefferson) NY have both changed their minds about attending Manhattan College after the coaching change this spring and suspect that they both will end up in prep school due to the fact that Avila still hasn't made it academically and Grace had such a bad senior season that even schools at the mid-major level are now hard pressed to take him.  However, Grace also is a classic example of what can happen when you're ranked too high too early,  If you will recall, we had this guy ranked as the #1 7th Grader in the nation when we published our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2011 back on February 4, 2006.  Unfortunately Grace never grew, never developed a jump shot, never toned down his body, and and we stopped cheating on his height (at that time we had him listed at 6'2).  It also looks like Wichita State may have stolen one in 6'5 Osamuede "Ede" Egharevba from Jamaica (Edison) NY via Charlotte (Evelyn Mack) NC.  "Egharevba is excellent slashing to basket, can pull up and hit the outside shot, and has almost unlimited untapped potential," says Naclerio.  And he's pretty good right now, as Naclerio tells us that Egharevba would be a legitimate First Team All City Player, if he was still in New York and was still a high school senior.  Naclerio also backs this up even further when he tells us that Egharevba is a better all-around player and a better athlete than 6'5 Jermaine Sanders from New York (Rice) NY, who is currently ranked #1 in the city's senior class by Naclerio and #82 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  So how does Wichita State get a kid originally from the sidewalks of New York to go to the plains of the Midwest?  Our guess is Devon Smith, who the Shockers' Director of Player Development and a close confidant of the legendary Howard Garfinkel.  Editor's Note:  Our updated Ranking of the Top 175 Players in the Class of 2015 (8th Graders) was published on Thursday, April 28, 2011.  So to get both this and Ron Naclerio's New York City Report, there is no time like the present to subscribe to the Members Section. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin talked with a number of the top players over the weekend at the Hoop Group's Pittsburgh Jam Fest in Pittsburgh, PA and it comes as no surprise that 6'8 Jr Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA has Villanova, Temple, Stanford, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Texas, and Ohio State right at the top of his list.  Seton Hall, Arizona, UCLA, Villanova, St. John's, Xavier, and Kentucky appear to be the leaders for 6'8 Jr Kyle Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Maryland, Rutgers, Georgetown, Virginia, Clemson, and Virginia Tech were the schools mentioned 6'8 Jr Jerami Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  The early favorites for 6'8 Soph Beejay Anya from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD appear to be Texas, St. John's, UCLA, Maryland, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh.  The list for 6'9 Mitch McGary from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH includes schools like Arizona, Texas, Connecticut, Florida, Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Florida State, Maryland, and Marquette.  Among those showing the most interest in 6'10 Jr C.J. Gettys from Findlay (H.S.) OH are Penn State, Virginia Tech, Xavier, Toledo, Oregon State, Bowling Green, Holy Cross, UNC-Wilmington, and Eastern Michigan.  It looks like Boston College, Butler, Richmond, Duquesne, Drake, William & Mary, and Colgate are all in the hunt for 6'2 Jr Micah Mason from Natrona Heights (Highlands) PA.  There is a wide range of schools, like Dayton, LSU, Cincinnati, Ball State, Oakland, and Ohio University, showing varying degrees of interest in 6'8 Jr Deontae Hawkins from Dayton (Dunbar) OH.  The three favorites for 6'7 Jr Marshall Wood from Rustburg (H.S.) VA are Richmond, William & Mary, and Liberty.  We also are sure that Duquesne, St. Francis-PA, and Youngstown State are doing everything they can to convince 6'2 Jr Justin Dobbs from Pittsburgh (Allderdice) PA to stay close to home.  We also find it extremely interesting that 6'4 Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale County) GA signed an athletic aid agreement yesterday with Central Florida (NCAA rules prohibit a student-athlete from signing more than one National Letter-of-Intent in the same year and Ware signed with the University of Tennessee last fall, but was released after the recent coaching change).  If you will recall, the University of Louisville was supposed to have been the favorite for this athletic 2-guard who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And making the story more interesting is the fact that Ware is supposed to play this weekend in the Kentucky Derby Festival Classic in Louisville, KY.  Talk about going from being the fan favorite to the goat in a New York-minute.  All he had to do was wait until next week to let his decision by known.  However, for our purposes the highest ranked senior still available is now off the board and his addition moves the Knights' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'10 Michael Chandler from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'6 Rod Days from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 6'6 Kasey Wilson from North Port (H,.S.) FL, and 6'8 Wayne Martin from Jacksonville (Providence School) FL, moves it into a tie at #26, along with Western Kentucky and Oregon, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  We also find it ironic that Chandler originally verbally committed to University of Louisville back when he was a sophomore in high school, but later changed his mind, then committed to Xavier, and then reneged again.  It also looks like the new coaching staff at the University of Wyoming has snagged one of the better big men still available in 6'10 Lekan Ajayi from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC and his teammate - 6'9 Dwight Meikle from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC is back on the board after being released from the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall with St. John's.  It's being reported as a mutually arrived at decision.  But do you suppose that the Red Storm are after a bigger fish - i.e. 6'9 God's Gift Achiuwa from Erie (JC) NY, who averaged 13.1. ppg and 13.5 rpg and is ranked #21 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com?  Achiuwa will be on campus at St. John's this weekend and he also still has the University of Washington and University of Cincinnati on his list.  It also looks like 6'2 Jarrett Jones from Evanston (Township) IL is bound for New Hampshire and 6'2 Jr Javion Watson from San Ysidro (H.S.) CA has made an early verbal commitment to Long Beach State.  There also is the usual daily plethora of junior college signings and commitments, which include 6'6 Nathaniel Butler from John A. Logan (JC) TX to Texas Christian, 6'4 Cedric Martin from Lee (JC) UT to the University of Utah, 6'5 Rashard McGill from Tallahassee (JC) FL to Southern Miss, 6'2 Xavier Roberson from Paris (JC) TX to South Alabama, 6'9 Brennan Cougill from Kirkwood (JC) MO to Wisconsin-Green Bay, 6'0 Rodney Melvin from Midland (JC) TX to Appalachian State, 6'5 Jonathan King from East Mississippi (JC) MS to Stephen F. Austin, and 6'2 Brandon Thompson from South Plains (JC) TX to Long Island. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Today is the first day of the Spring Signing Period, but we don't expect a lot of action when it comes time for the top players to make their college decision.  As a matter of fact, the only two players - 6'4 Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale County) GA and 6'3 Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL - left on the board that are ranked among our top 50 seniors nationally both appear to be a long way away from picking a school.  As things stand right now, the University of Louisville is the leader for Ware, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the skills and athleticism necessary to step in right away and make an immediate impact a year from now at the 2-guard spot.  However, UCLA, Georgia, Florida State, Kentucky, Baylor, Virginia, and Central Florida are also on Ware's list and he won't even begin setting up visits until next week.  Lacey is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class and he will begin what promises to be a busy five days when University of Kentucky head coach John Calipari makes an in-home visit on Friday.  Then, it will be off to Tuscaloosa, AL on Saturday, where Lacey will make an on-campus visit and attend the University of Alabama's annual Crimson-White spring football game, where over 90,000 fans are expected to be in attendance.  Next, Kansas' Bill Self will make an in-home visit on Sunday, April 17th, and finally new N.C. State head coach Mark Gottfried will return to his old stamping grounds on Tuesday and make the final in-home visit.  Instead, the big news of the day appears to be Marquette's signing of 6'3 Todd Mayo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and the two early verbal commitments by a pair of foreign exchange students to Northwestern.  They are 6'11 Jr Alex Olah from Whitestown (Traders Point Christian Academy) IN and 6'7 Soph Milos Kostic from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN and Wildcats assistant coach Ivan Vujic, who originally is from Split, Croatia and is the obvious connection, deserves a raise for getting this done (especially so early).  Olah is not ranked among the top 500 juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he led his team to the Indiana Independent School State Championship, where he was named MVP, and has improved dramatically since arriving in the United States a year ago from Romania.  And, at 6'11, 240-pounds, he's got the skills, mobility, work ethic, frame, and upside necessary to project as a NBA player down the road.  Schools like Illinois, Purdue, Boston College, California, and Texas A&M were also showing interest, but the fact that Northwestern is a great academic institution also appears to have been one of the deciding factors in his decision.  Kostic is ranked #193 nationally in the sophomore class and he averaged 7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 2.7 apg on a team that advanced all the way to the Indiana Class 2A State Championship Game three weeks ago in Indianapolis, IN.  He also is your stereotypical Eastern European player in that he doesn't like to bang inside, but has an excellent skill package out on the perimeter and is a really good outside shooter.  However, it's the upside and potential of this native of Serbia and the fact that he is ideally suited for their system that should get Wildcats head coach Bill Carmody and his staff excited.  As for Mayo, he's ranked #7 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players, has a great bloodline (he's the younger brother of O.J. Mayo), and is capable of putting up prolific numbers to the tune of 22.0 ppg.  Mayo also has the skills necessary to play point guard and he's an excellent passer (6.0 apg).  But, when you can score like he can, why diminish what he does best by making him run the show?  We also were not surprised that over the weekend 6'4 Soph Billy Garrett from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL made an early verbal commitment to DePaul and were intrigued by the fact that 6'10 Braeden Anderson from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA picked the University of Kansas.  Is Anderson good tough to step in and start or make a major impact as a freshman next year for the Jayhawks?  Probably not due to the fact that he's still very raw around the basket.  But he does have nice size and athleticism.  And, once he gets bigger and stronger physically and develops some post moves, there is no telling how good be may become down the road.  Garrett is ranked #128 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he's capable of playing either guard spot, averaged 15.0 ppg a good team this past season, is a straight "A" student, and is the son of DePaul assistant coach Billy Garrett, whose job is to lock up the top players in the Windy City.  So, obviously in this case, it is mission accomplished.  Among the signings and commitments that are being reported today, the only thing new is 6'3 P.J. Torres from New Rochelle (H.S.) NY picking Duquesne over schools like College of Charleston, Hofstra, and Rhode Island; 6'5 Dwayne Davis and 6'5 Darren White, both of whom played important roles on the Midland Junior College team that finished second in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Tournament in Hutchinson, KS, picking Southern Miss and Campbell respectively; 6'2 Travis Smith from Gulf Coast (JC) FL and 6'2 Shaquille Harris from Enterprise-Ozark (JC) GA both signing with Mercer; 6'9 Bernard Webb from Salt Lake (JC) UT opting for Cal State-Fullerton, and 6'10 Dominique Youmans from Snow (JC) UT selecting South Carolina State.  Other verbal commitments that we've recently run across include 6'1 Wesley Washpun from Cedar Rapids (Washington) IA to the University of Tennessee, 6'9 Kris Obasekia from Manuel (H.S.) TX to Oral Roberts, 6'8 Breon Dixon from Tifton (Tift County) GA to Troy, and 6'11 Jaleel Roberts from Greensboro (Day) NC to UNC-Asheville.  We've also have tracked early verbal commitments by 6'6 Jr Dominic Hoffman from Gladstone (Gill St. Bernard's) NJ to Bucknell and 6'3 Soph Jared Fay from Chestnut Hill (Brimmer & May) MA and 6'3 Soph Jake Fay from Chestnut Hill (Brimmer & May) MA both to Fordham. 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Next season starts this weekend for people in our business and the first stop on our spring and summer tour will be at the Big Shot DC Assault Tournament, which will be held at the Capital Sports Complex in District Heights, MD on Saturday, April 9th, and Sunday, April 10th and will feature an interesting array of players that include 6'7 Jr Montrezl Harrell from Tarboro (North Edgecomb) NC, 6'1 Jr Daquan Cook from Baltimore (Digital Harbor) MD, 6'3 Jr James Ford from Christ Church (School) VA, 6'3 Jr Lionel Greene from Bel Air (John Carroll) MD, 6'8 Jr Aaron Roundtree from Wilson (Greenfield) NC, 6'4 Jr Shaq Patterson from Martinsville (Magna Vista) VA, 5'8 Jr Maurice Watson from Philadelphia (Boys Latin) PA, 6'1 Soph Nate Britt from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'2 Soph Brandon Austin from Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA, 6'4 Soph Kris Jenkins from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'7 Soph Kyle Wilson from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, and 6'6 Soph Derrick Finner from Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  The tournament will have three different divisions in the 17-Under age group and we are told that we should expect to find some major sleepers in the Orange Bracket, which will include first round games on Saturday with the Under Armour Baltimore Panthers versus BWSL Woods on Court #1 at 2:50 PM, the LBA Seawolves versus Delaware Assault Griffin on Court #2 at 2:50 PM, Team Redemption versus Maryland Sure Shots on Court #1 at 4:00 PM, DC Assault Blue versus Team Philly on Court #2 at 4:00 PM, Cecil-Kirk versus Virginia Assault Gold on Court #9 at 4:00 PM, Loudoun Triple Threat versus SELF Carolina Elite on Court #10 at 4:00 PM, Fairfax Stars versus Maryland 3D Basketball on Court #7 at 5:10 PM, and Richmond Phenoms 16 versus DC Assault Gold on Court #8 at 5:10 PM.  The second round will feature winners bracket quarterfinals games at 6:20 PM and 8:40 PM on Saturday night, the semi-finals games will be at 1:40 PM on Sunday afternoon, and the Championship Game will be on Court #1 at 5:10 PM on Sunday afternoon.  We also hope to get a head start on the future by watching the 15- Division, which will begin on Saturday with DC Assault Gold 14 versus Carolina Elite 15 on Court #1 at 9:00 AM, Ivery Terps 23-15 versus DC Assault, 15 on Court #2 at 9:00 AM, 6th Man Warriors 15 versus Maryland 3D Basketball 15 on Court #1 at 10:10 AM, Team Philly White 15 versus DC Assault Gold 15 on Court #2 at 10:10 AM, Cecil-Kirk 15 versus Virginia Assault 15 on Court #9 at 10:10 AM, Team Philly Blue 15 versus Under Armour Baltimore Pant on Court #10 at 10:10 AM, and DE Assault-Barnes 15 versus Team Hines 15 on Court #1 at 11:20 AM.  The 15-Under winner's bracket quarterfinals game will be at 1:40 PM and 2:50 PM on Saturday, the semi-finals games will be at 5:10 PM on Saturday and 10:10 AM on Sunday, and the Championship Game will be on Court #1 at 12:30 PM on Sunday.  The other championship games, all of which will be held on Sunday, will include the title games in the 17-Under White Division on Court #2 at 2:50 PM, 17-Under Blue Division on Court #1 at 4:00 PM,  the 13-Under Division on Court #5 at 1:40 PM, the 12-Under Division on Court #5 at 12:30 PM, the 11-Under Division on Court #5 at 11:20 PM, and the 10-Under Division on Court 5 at 10:10 AM.  We also plan on attending the Pittsburgh Hoop Group Jam Fest in Pittsburgh, PA on April 15th-17th; the Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic, which will be played at the new KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY on Friday, April 22nd; the Providence Hoop Group Jam Fest in Providence, RI on April 29th-May 1st; the Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam in Ft. Wayne, IN on May 6th-8th; the John Lucas International Middle School Combine in Houston, TX on May 14th-15th, the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC on May 27th-29th, the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, CA on June 3rd-5th, the Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY on June 10th-12th, the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA on June 16th-18th, adidas Phenom Top 150 Camp in San Diego, CA on June 24th-26th; Blue Chip Basketball Camp in Georgetown, KY on June 29th; LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, OH on July 6th-8th: Big Shots Myrtle Beach I on July 11th-12th, NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC on July 12th-15th, 14-Under AAU Nationals at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL on July 16th-21st, Las Vegas Fab 48 at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV on July 22nd-25th and adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas, NV on July 22nd-26th, Desert Duel in Phoenix, AZ on July 27th-28th, and adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA on August 5th-7th.  Needless to stay, I plan on being very busy once again this spring and summer.  To find out what happens at all of these events, as well as get a great overview of what happens this spring and summer, obviously now is a great time to subscribe to the Members Section. 

Thursday, March 31, 2011

It was pretty much status quo in the McDonald's All-American Game, as the elite players rose to the top in front of the largest crowd in the 34-year history of the game, which was held last night at the United Center in Chicago, IL.  The co-MVP's were 6'8 Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'8 James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA.  And, in the case of Gilchrist, this should come as no surprise especially in light of the fact that he's been our #1-ranked player in the class dating back to when he was the best player almost three years ago at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, OH.  Nobody plays harder, gets more hustle points, and is more dominant on the boards than Gilchrist, who finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists and led the East Squad to a 111-96 win over the West, which featured our #2, #3, and #4-ranked seniors nationally in 6'9 Anthony Davis from Chicago (Perspectives Charter) IL, 6'4 Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'2 Marquis Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN.  However, this too comes as no surprise, as Gilchrist's hustle and work ethic are often contagious and the team that Gilchrist plays on usually wins.  If you will recall, his high school team was ranked #1 in the nation and was undefeated until they got knocked off in the state tournament by Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and the Team Final AAU team for which Gilchrist played during the spring and summer has been one of the best club teams in the nation the last two years.  As for the North Carolina-bound McAdoo, who is the nephew of former Tar Heels All-American Bob McAdoo and is currently ranked #5 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, he was tied for high scoring honors with 17 points in the game.  They also had plenty of help from Florida-bound 6'5 Bradley Beal from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, who also finished with 17 points and is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and North Carolina-bound 6'6 P.J. Hairston from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who finished with 15 points and made a strong case for moving up from #14 into the top 6-10 range when later this spring we publish our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2011.  Also chipping in with 14 points and 6-13 field goals for the East Squad was Duke-bound 6'0 Quinn Cook from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and finishing nine points and seven rebounds was Georgetown-bound 6'9 Johnny O'Bryant from Cleveland (H.S.) MS.  Davis, who, along with Gilchrist and Teague, is bound for the University of Kentucky, was the best player and the crowd favorite for the West Squad, as he finished with 14 points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots.  The Duke-bound Rivers also had 14 points, while Teague chipped in with nine points and three assists.  Pittsburgh-bound 6'9 Khem Birch from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA also more than lived up to his top 10 national reputation with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and six blocked shots and Texas-bound 6'2 Myck Kabongo from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV did his usual thing in transition en route to seven points and five assists.  Also noteworthy for the West Squad was Indiana-bound 6'10 Cody Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, who had 10 points and was 5-6 from the field; Michigan State-bound 6'6 Branden Dawson from Gary (Lew Wallace) IN who had nine points and eight rebounds; and Kentucky-bound 6'10 Kyle Wiltjer from Portland (Jesuit) OR, who had 11 points and two rebounds.  Among the more nondescript players in the game were Duke-bound 6'10 Marshall Plumlee from Arden (The Christ School) NC, Georgia-bound 6'5 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Greenville (H.S.) GA, Syracuse-bound 6'5 Michael Carter-Williams from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Syracuse-bound 6'10 Rakeem Christmas from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, Ohio State-bound 6'2 Shannon Scott from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, Louisville-bound 6'6 Chane Behanan from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY, Oklahoma State-bound 6'7 LeBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, Memphis-bound 6'6 Adonis Thomas from Memphis (Melrose) TN, Ohio State-bound 6'10 Amir Williams from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, and Louisville-bound 6'5 Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, although Blackshear does deserve credit for playing injured. 

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The big news of the day is that 6'7 Jr Jeremy Hollowell from Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN has decided to stay home and attend Indiana University and this is important for a number of reasons.  First, Hollowell is a very good player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #36 nationally in the junior class and he picked the Hoosiers over schools like Purdue, Ohio State, and Cincinnati.  Second, Hollowell is a skilled athletic multi-dimensional wing forward who is good enough and productive enough to step and make an immediate impact when he arrives on campus a year-and-a-half from now.  And this is important, because after three rough seasons Indiana head coach Tom Cream needs all the help that he can get and, as a result, Hollowell should be exactly what the doctor ordered at the wing forward spot to complement 6'11 Cody Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, who will be a major upgrade at center next year; 6'6 Austin Etherington from Arcadia (Hamilton (Heights) IN is a great designated shooter; and 511 Jr Kevin Ferrell from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN is a pure point guard and is more than capable of stepping in and running the show.  We also think 6'3 Jr Ron Patterson from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN is good enough to play an important role when he arrives on campus for the 2012-2013 season, but still have major reservations about 6'8 Jr Hanner Perea from La Porte (La Lumiere) IN and 70 Jr Peter Jurkin from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC, both of whom have lots of athleticism and potential, but all too frequently are embarrassingly unproductive and leave you wanting more.  Third, the addition of Hollowell puts the Hoosiers in the enviable position of having the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2012, as they already have Hollowell, Ferrell, Perea, Jurkin, and Patterson in the fold; #1-ranked recruiting class our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2013, as they already have 6'6 Soph Collin Hartman from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN and 6'4 Soph Devin Davis from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN in the fold; and #1-ranked recruiting class our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2014, as they already have 6'2 Frosh James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN and 6'7 Frosh Tony Lyles from Indianapolis (Tech) IN in the fold.  In other words, help is on the way, as Crean's biggest problem may be finding enough scholarships year after next, as six of the top seven players currently in the program are freshmen and sophomores.  Obviously we're talking about 6'8 Soph Christian Watford, 6'0 Soph Jordan Hulls, 6'5 Soph Maurice Creek, 6'9 Soph Derek Elston, 6'5 Frosh Victor Oladipo, and 6'6 Frosh Will Sheehey and 6'9 Soph Bobby Capobianco also is a serviceable role player.  Fourth, the addition of Hollowell means that 29 of our top 100-ranked juniors are already off the board, as we've also already tracked early verbal commitments by 6'2 Jr Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Room Christian Academy) NC to Louisville, 6'9 Jr Cameron Ridley from Richmond (Ft. Bend Bush) TX to Texas, 6'11 Jr Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX to Baylor, 6'9 Jr Alex Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA to Duke, 6'0 Jr Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY to St. John's, 6'5 Jr Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA to Villanova, 6'3 Jr Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX to Duke, 6'3 Jr Ryan Arcidiacono from Langhorne (Neshaminy) PA to Villanova, 6'1 Jr Marcus Paige from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA to North Carolina, 5'11 Jr Kevin Ferrell from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN to Indiana, 5'11 Jr Tyler Lewis from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC to N.C. State, 6'9 Jr Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA to Arizona, 6'5 Jr Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to Maryland, 6'9 Jr Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX to Kansas, 6'8 Jr Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH to West Virginia, 6'6 Jr J.P. Tokoto from Menomonee Falls (H.S.) WI to North Carolina, 6'10 Jr Daniel Ochefu from Westtown (Friends) PA to Villanova, 6'7 Jr Montrezl Harrell from Tarboro (North Edgecomb) NC to Virginia Tech, 6'6 Jr Cameron Beidschied from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO to Notre Dame, 6'0 Jr Braxton Ogbueze from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC to Florida, 6'4 Jr Michael Frazier from Tampa (Plant) FL to Florida, 6'8 Jr Hanner Perea from La Porte (La Lumiere) TX to Indiana, 6'4 Jr Katin Reinhardt from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to USC, 6'3 Jr Ron Patterson from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN to Indiana, 6'5 Jr Denzel Valentine from Lansing (Sexton) MI to Michigan State, 6'5 Jr Raphael Davis from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN to Purdue, 6'8 Jr Brandon Bolden from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA to Georgetown, 6'9 Jr Matt Costell from Bay City (Western) MI to Michigan State, and 7'0 Jr Peter Jurkin from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC to Indiana.  Editor's Note:  6'9 Jr Khem Birch from  Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who has already verbally committed to Pittsburgh, and 6'11 Jr Isaiah Hill from Grand Prairie (God's Academy) TX, who has already committed to Seton Hall, also are both included on list, but have reclassified up a year into the Class of 2011 since the publication of these rankings on November 24, 2010. 

Friday, March 18, 2011

Earlier this week our Florida Editor Rick Staudt emailed me his Florida Report and it includes six all-state teams, some interesting comments about the top players in each class, and his ranking of the state's top 125 seniors, top 75 juniors, top 50 sophomores, top 25 freshmen, and top 15 8th Graders.  It also includes some surprises and right at the top of the list is the fact that 6'1 Phil Greene from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, who is ranked #13 in the senior class on Staudt's list, has verbally committed to St. John's.  Apparently it happened on January 16th and I never picked up on it due to the fact I was down for the count a few days later for the rest of month with my hernia operation.  Greene is originally from Chicago (Julian) IL and his addition to the Red Storm is important for a number of reasons.  First, this addition solidifies even further St. John's #1-ranking on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  If you will recall, the Johnnies already had eight players - 6'3 Nurideen Lindsey from Redlands (JC) OK, 6'6 Amir Garrett from Henderson (Findley Prep) NV, 6'7 Maurice Harkless from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'3 DeAngelo Harrison from Richmond (Ft. Bend Dulles) TX, 6'8 Jakarr Sampson from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'9 Norvel Pelle from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'5 Dominique Pointer from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, and 6'9 Dwight Meikle from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC - in the fold in this year's recruiting class, as Steve Lavin and his staff attempt to replace the 10 seniors that are currently in the program.  Second, Greene is a good ball ball handler, makes good decisions, and he's got good speed and quickness, which is exactly what the doctor ordered, as the Red Storm needed a quick fix at point guard until 6'0 Jr Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who also is already verbally committed to St. John's, enrolls into school a year-and-a-half  from now.  Third, Greene promises to be good insurance in case Lindsey, who is a prolific scoring combo guard that averaged 22.3 ppg in the junior college ranks and was one of the best junior college players in the nation this past season, decides to forego the rest of his college eligibility and, instead, enters his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  We also didn't know that 6'4 Jr Shawn Smith, who is the best junior in the state, as well as a player who is ranked #78 nationally in the junior class on our national list, had reneged on his verbal commitment to Central Florida and had transferred from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL to Jacksonville (Providence) FL, and that 6'8 Jr Jordan Goodman, who previously was at Temple Hill (Progressive Christian Academy) MD, had surfaced at Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL.  We also were surprised that Goodman, who is ranked #122 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but actually is a reclassified junior, was ranked #3 in the state's junior class.  Staudt says in his article that the junior class has "great promise as there could be as many as 30 mid-to-high major caliber players when the dust has cleared and everybody has figured out where they are going to college a year from now.  On the other hand, I'm not as hopeful, especially if Goodman is ranked #3 on his list.  In other words, Goodman has the size, athleticism, and natural talent necessary to be very intriguing, but is one of these guy who appears to be more concerned about the style than the substance.   However, we do agree with Staudt about all of the good young players in the state and it appears that 6'0 Soph Kasey Hill from Montverde (Academy) FL and 6'1 Frosh Joel Berry from Orlando (Lake Highland Prep) FL are already well on their way towards following in the footsteps of the long list of prolific scoring guards, like Nick Calathes, Kenny Boynton, Brandon Knight, and Austin Rivers, who have graced the state with their presence in recent years.  Editor's Note:  This report is available via subscription only to the Members Section. 

Friday, March 11, 2011

A lot of people want to pooh-pooh the fact that we start ranking and keeping track of the top players in the nation when they are in middle school.  However, this added perspective was invaluable earlier this week as we put together our updated Ranking of the Top 250 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (Freshman).  And so was the insight and perspective provided by all of our area editors and correspondents and, as a result, we're so far ahead of the curve when compared to the rest of our competition that it's not even funny.  Not only do we put it on the line and tell you where each player belongs in the pecking order (the norm for most of our competition is to just provide you with an alphabetized list and more often than not those who do try and provide a numerical list end up with something that looks quite similar to what we published a year or two ago), but we also have done a lot of research and crosschecking, which means we should be pretty darn accurate in terms of heights and where each