sgphpscp.gif (2855 bytes)The HOOPSCOOP Online sgphpscp.gif (2855 bytes)
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 2009

WELCOME TO THE VISITORS SECTION

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 $45 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. 

sgphpscp.gif (2855 bytes)sgphpscp.gif (2855 bytes)

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

HOOP SCOOP’S FINAL RANKING OF THE TOP PLAYERS NATIONALLY  IN THE CLASS OF 2007

Rank, Players, Height, Position, City (High School) State

1.  Kevin Love, 6’9, C, Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR

2.  Eric Gordon, 6’3, 2G, Indianapolis (North Central) IN

3 O.J. Mayo, 6’5, 2G, Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH

4.  Michael Beasley, 6’8, PF, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA

5 Jerryd Bayless, 6’3, 2G, Phoenix (St. Mary’s) AZ

6.  Kyle Singler, 6’9, WF, Medford (South Medford) OR

7.  Donte Green, 6’9, WF, Towson (Catholic) MD

8.  Derrick Rose, 6’3, PG, Chicago (Simeon) IL

9. Kosta Koufas, 7'1, C, Canton (Glenoak) OH

10.  Cole Aldrich, 7'0, C, Bloomington (Jefferson) MN 

HOOP SCOOP’S FINAL RANKING OF THE TOP PLAYERS NATIONALLY IN THE CLASS OF 2008

Rank, Players, Height, Position, Class, City (High School) State

1.  Brandon Jennings, 6’2, PG, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA

2.  Tyreke Evans, 6’4, 2G, Aston (American Christian) PA

3.  Jrue Holiday 6'3, 2G, North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA

4.  Samardo Samuels, 6'9, C, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ

5.  Willie Warren, 6’4, 2G, Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX

6.  Al-Farouq Aminu, 6'9, WF, Norcross (H.S.) GA

7.  Demar Derozan, 6'6, WF, Compton (H.S.) CA

8.  Malcolm Lee, 6'5, PG, Riverside (J.W. North) CA

9.  Delvon Roe, 6’8, PF, Lakewood (St. Edward) OH

10Greg Monroe, 6’9, C, Gretna (Helen Cox) LA

HOOP SCOOP'S RANKING OF THE CURRENT TOP 5TH YEAR PLAYERS (CLASS OF 2009)

Rank, Players, Height, Position, City (High School) State

1John Wall, 6'3, 2G, Raleigh (Word of God) NC

2Dante Taylor, 6’8, PF, Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD

3Rashanti Harris, 6’9, PF, Lenoir (Patterson School) MD

4.   Jordan Hamilton, 6’7, WF, Compton (Dominguez) CA

5.   Alex Oriakhi, 6’9, C, Tilton (School) NH

6.  Latavious Williams, 6'8, PF, Humble (Christian Life) TX

7.  Karron Johnson, 6'7, PF, Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC

8.  Roscoe Davis, 6'10, PF, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA

9.  Clarence Trent, 6'7, PF, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NC

10.  Chris Braswell, 6’8, PF, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA

HOOP SCOOP’S RANKING OF THE TOP SENIORS (CLASS OF 2009)
list of the top 1000 seniors was last updated on November 5, 2008)

Rank, Players, Height, Position, Class, City (High School) State

1.  Lance Stephenson, 6’5, 2G, Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY

2Derrick Favors, 6’9, C, Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA

3.  Kenny Boynton, 6’2, 2G, Plantation (American Heritage) FL

4.  DeMarcus Cousins, 6’10, C, Birmingham (Erwin) AL

5.  Dexter Strickland, 6’3, 2G, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ

6.  Xavier Henry, 6’6, 2G, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK

7.  John Henson, 6'10, PF, Tampa (Sickles) FL

8.  Abdul Gaddy, 6'3, PG, Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA

9.  Avery Bradley, 6’2, 2G, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV

10.  Dominique Cheek, 6’5, WF, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ

HOOP SCOOP’S RANKING OF THE TOP JUNIORS (CLASS OF 2010)
list of the top 750 juniors was last updated on February 3, 2009)

Rank, Players, Height, Position, Class, City, State

1.  DeShaun Thomas, 6’7, WF, Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN

2.  Tristan Thompson, 6’8, PF, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ

3Jared Sullinger, 6’6, PF, Columbus (Northland) OH

4Brandon Knight, 6’2, 2G, Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL

5.  Jeremy Tyler, 6'11, C, San Diego (H.S.) CA

6.  Josh Selby, 6'2, PG, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD

7 Harrison Barnes, 6'5, 2G, Ames (H.S.) IA

8Josh Smith, 6'9 C, Kent (Kentwood) WA

9.  Kyrie Irving, 6’1, PG, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ

10.  Gary Franklin, 6'2, 2G, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA

HOOP SCOOP’S RANKING OF THE TOP SOPHOMORES (CLASS OF 2011)
list of the top 600 sophomores was last updated on March 19, 2009)

Rank, Players, Height, Position, Class, City,  State

1.  Michael Gilchrist, 6'8, PF, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ

2Tony Wroten, 6’3, 2G, Seattle (Garfield) WA

3.  LaQuinton Ross, 6’8, WF, Jackson (Callaway) MS

4.  Austin Rivers, 6’3, 2G, Winter Park (H.S.) FL

5. Trevor Lacey, 6'3, PG, Huntsville (Butler) AL

6. Wayne Blackshear, 6'5, 2G, Chicago (Curie) IL

7.  Aaron Ross, 6'7, PF, Little Rock (Parkview) AR

8Chris Coleman, 6’9, C, Buffalo (Burgard) NY

9.  Mike Shaw, 6’8, PF, Chicago (De La Salle) IL

10.  James McAdoo, 6’8, C, Norfolk (Christian) VA

HOOP SCOOP’S RANKING OF THE TOP FRESHMEN (CLASS OF 2012)

list of the top 500 freshmen was last updated on June 17, 2009)

Rank, Players, Height, Position, Class, City (H.S.) State

1) Shabazz Muhammed, 6'4, 2G, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV

2) Perry Ellis, 6'7, WF, Wichita (Wichita Heights) KS

3) J'Michal Reese, 6'0, PG, Byran, TX

4) Justin Anderson, 6'5, WF, Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD

5) Dajuan Coleman, 6'9, C, Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY

6) Zack Peters, 6'8, PF, Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX

7) Kyle Anderson, 6'6, PG, Paterson (Catholic) NJ

8) Isaiah Austin, 6'11, 2C, Mansfield (Arlington Grace Prep) TX

9) Xavier Johnson, 6'6, WF, Temecula (Chapparal) CA

10) Reggie Ragland, 6'4, PF, Huntsville (Bob Jones) AL

HOOP SCOOP’S  RANKING OF THE TOP PLAYERS AT THE RBK U. CAMP
(July 9th,10th, & 11th 2008)

Rank, Players, Height, Class, Pos., Class, City (High School) St.

1.  Kenny Boynton, 6’3, Sr, 2G, Plantation (American Heritage) FL

2Brandon Knight, 6’3, Jr, PG, Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL

3.  Abdul Gaddy, 6’3, Sr, PG, Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA

4.  Avery Bradley, 6’3, Sr, 2G, Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA

5.  Richard Howell, 6’8, Sr, PF, Marietta (Wheeler) GA

6.  Quincy Acy, 6’8, 5th Year, PF, Mesquite (John Horn) TX

7.  Renardo Sidney, 6’9, Sr, PF, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA

8.  Chris Coleman, 6'10, Soph, C, Lee (Academy) ME

9.  Aaric Murray, 6’10, Sr, C, Concordville (Glen Mills) PA

10.  LaQuinton Ross, 6’9, Soph, WF, Jackson (Callaway) MS

HOOP SCOOP’S  RANKING OF THE TOP PLAYERS AT THE LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY
(July 7th, 8th, & 9th, 2008)

Rank, Players, Height, Class, Pos., Class, City (High School) St.

1.  Michael Gilchrist, 6’6, Soph, WF, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ

2John Wall, 6’3, 5th Year, PG, Raleigh (Word of God) NC

3.  John Henson, 6’10, Sr, PF, Round Rock (H.S.) TX

4.  Dante Taylor, 6'8, 5th Year, C, Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD

5.  Harrison Barnes, 6’5, Jr, WF, Ames (H.S.) IA

6.  DeMarcus Cousins, 6’11, Sr, C,  WF, Mobile (LeFlore) AL

7.  Gary Franklin, 6’1, Jr, 2G, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA

8.  John Jenkins, 6'3 Sr, 2G, Gallatin (Station Camp) TN

9.  Roger Franklin, 6’4, Sr WF, Duncanville (H.S.) TX

10.  Xavier Henry, 6’6, Sr, WF, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK

sgphpscp.gif (2855 bytes)sgphpscp.gif (2855 bytes)

EXCLUSIVE RANKING OF THE TOP  RECRUITING CLASSES TO-DATE FOR THE CLASS OF 2009
Rankings are as of June 18, 2009

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.

1.    MARQUETTE (46 Points)..........7 Recruits..........6.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference..........(8) Erik Williams, 6'7, WF, Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX; (8) Junior Cadugon, 6'0, PG, Humble (Christian Life) TX; (8) Jeronne Maymon, 6'6, PF, Madison (Memorial) WI; (8) Dwight Buycks, 6'3, 2G, Indian Hills (JC) IA; (8) Darius Johnson-Odom, 6'2, PG, Hutchinson (JC) KS; (3) Brett Roseboro, 6'10, PF, Quakertown (H.S.) PA; (3) Youssouphe Mbao, 7'2, C, Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.

2.    KENTUCKY (41 Points)..........6 Recruits..........6.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(10) DeMarcus Cousins, 6'10, C, Mobile (LeFlore) AL; (10) John Wall, 6'3, 2G, Raleigh (Word of God) NC; (8) Daniel Orton, 6'10, C, Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK; (6) Darnell Dodson, 6'7, WF, Miami-Dade (JC) FL; (4) Eric Bledsoe, 6'0, PG, Birmingham (Parker) AL; (3) Jonathan Hood, 6'7, WF, Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY. 

3.    NORTH CAROLINA (39 Points)..........5 Recruits..........7.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(10) Dexter Strickland, 6'3, 2G, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; (9) John Henson, 6'10, PF, Tampa (Sickles) FL; (8) Leslie McDonald, 6'3, 2G, Eads (Briarcrest) TN; (6) Travis Wear, 6'9, PF, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA; (6) David Wear, 6'9, PF, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.

4.    OKLAHOMA STATE (34 Points)..........7 Recruits..........4.9 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(8) Roger Franklin, 6'4, WF, Duncanville (H.S.) TX; (8) Karron Johnson, 6'7, PF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC; (6) Ray Penn, 5'10, PG, Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX; (3) Reger Dowell, 6'1, 2G, Duncanville (H.S.) TX; (3) Torin Walker, 6'11, C, Columbus (Northside) GA; (3) Fred Gulley,  6'2, 2G, Fayetteville (H.S.) AR; (3) Jarred Shaw, 6'10, C, Dallas (Carter) TX. 

5.    VILLANOVA (30 Points)..........4 Recruits..........7.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference..........(8) Dominic Cheek, 6'5, WF, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ; (8) Maalik Wayns, 6'1, PG, Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA; (8) Mouphtoau Yurao, 6'9, PF, Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD; (6) Isaiah Armwood, 6'8, PF, Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.

6.   GEORGIA TECH  (29 Points)..........6 Recruits.......... 4.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit...........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(10) Derrick Favors, 6'9, PF, Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA; (6) Mfon Udofia, 6'2, PG, Stone Mountain (Miller Grove) GA; (4) Kammeron Holsey, 6'8, PF, Sparta (Hancock Central) GA; (3) Glen Rice, 6'4, 2G, Marietta (Walton) GA; (3) Brian Oliver, 6'6, WF, Newcastle (William Penn) DE; (3) Daniel Miller, 6'9, PF, Logansville (Christian) GA.

6.    INDIANA (29 Points)..........6 Recruits..........4.8 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Maurice Creek, 6'5, 2G, South Kent (Prep) CT; (8) Christian Watford, 6'8, WF, Irondale (Shades Valley) AL; (3) Bobby Capobianco, 6'8, PF, Loveland (H.S.) OH; (3) Derek Elston,  6'8, PF, Tipton (H.S.) IN; (4) Jordan Hulls, 5'11, PG, Bloomington (South) IN; (3) Bawa Muniru, 6'11, C, Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.

8.    BAYLOR (26 Points)..........6 Recruits..........4.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(6) Nolan Dennis, 6'4, 2G, North Richland Hills (Richland) TX; (6) Cory Jefferson,  6'9, PF, Killeen (H.S.) TX; (4) A.J. Walton, 6'1, PG, Little Rock (Hall) AR; (4) Givon Crump, 6'7,  WF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; (3) Mark McLaughlin, 6'4, 2G, New Hampton (Prep) NH; (3) Dragan Sekelja, 6'10, C, Zagreb, Croatia. 

8.    TEXAS TECH (26 Points)..........6 Recruits..........4.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(8) Brad Reese, 6'6, WF, Gulf Coast (JC) FL; (6) David Tairu, 6'3, 2G, South Plains (JC) TX; (4) Theron Jenkins, 6'6, WF, Itawamba (JC) MS; (3) Jaye Crockett, 6'5, WF, Albuquerque (Clovis) NM; (3) Javarez Willis, 5'11, PG, Dallas (Pinkston) TX; (2) Mike Davis, 6'3, 2G, Houston (Wheatley) TX.

10.    MISSISSIPPI STATE (25 Points)..........4 Recruits...........6.3 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Southeastern Conference..........(8) Renardo Sidney, 6'9, PF, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA; (8) John Riek, 7'1, C, Bradenton (IMG Acdemy) FL; (6) Shaunessy Smith,  6'5, WF, Brookville (Noxubee County) MS; (3) Wendell Lewis, 6'9, C, Selma (H.S.) AL.  

11.    SAN DIEGO STATE (25 Points)..........5 Recruits.........5.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Mountain West Conference.......... (8) Malcolm Thomas, 6'8, WF, San Diego City (JC) CA; (8) Kawhi Leonard, 6'6, WF, Riverside (Martin Luther King) CA; (3) Alec Williams, 6'6, PF, San Juan Capistrano (J. Serra) CA; (3) Eric Lawton, 6'1, 2G, Hemet (West Valley) CA; (3) Chase Tapley, 6'2, PG, Sacramento (H.S.) CA.

11.    UCLA (25 Points)..........5 Recruits..........5.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-10 Conference..........(6) Brendan Lane, 6'9, PF, Rocklin (H.S.) CA; (6) Tyler Honeycutt, 6'8, WF, Sylmar (H.S.) CA; (6) Reaves Nelson, 6'7, PF, Modesto (Christian) CA; (4) Mike Moser, 6'8, PF, Portland (Grant) OR; (3) Anthony Stover, 6'10, C, Los Angeles (Windward) CA.

11.    OREGON STATE  (25 Points)..........5 Recruits.......... 5.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit...........Pacific-10 Conference..........(8) Roberto Nelson, 6'4, 2G, Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA; (8) Joe Burton, 6'8, PF, Hemet (West Valley) CA; (3) Jared Cunningham, 6'3, PG, San Leandro (H.S.) CA; (3) Angus Brandt, 6'9, C, Lake Forest (Academy) IL; (3) Rhys Murphy, 6'7, WF, Lee (Academy) ME. 

14.    KANSAS (24 Points)..........3 Recruits..........8.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(10) Xavier Henry, 6'6, WF, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK; (8) Elijah Johnson, 6'2, 2G, North Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV; (6) Thomas Robinson,  6'8, PF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.

15.     TEXAS (24 Points)..........3 Recruits..........8.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-12 Conference..........(10) Avery Bradley, 6'2, 2G, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV; (8) Jordan Hamilton, 6'7, WF, Compton (Dominguez) CA; (6) Shawn Williams, 6'7, WF, Duncanville (H.S.) TX. 

16.   WASHINGTON (24 Points)..........4 Recruits..........6.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Pacific-10 Conference..........(9) Abdul Gaddy, 6'3, PG, Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA; (6) Clarence Trent, 6'7, PF, Lenoir (Patterson School) NC; (6) Charlie Garcia, 6'9, PF Riverside (JC) CA; (3) C.J. Wilcox, 6'6, WF, Pleasant  Grove (H.S.) UT.

17.    MINNESOTA (23 Points)..........4 Recruits..........5.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big-10 Conference..........(8) Royce White, 6'7, PF, Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN; (6) Rodney Williams, 6'7, WF, New Hope (Robbinsdale Cooper) MN; (6) Trevor Mbakwe, 6'7, PF, Miami-Dade (JC) FL; (3) Justin Cobbs, 6'2, PG, Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA.

17.    PITTSBURGH (23 Points)..........4 Recruits..........5.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Big East Conference..........(9) Dante Taylor, 6'8, C, Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD; (8) Talib Zanna, 6'9, C, Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD; (3) Lamar Patterson, 6'5, WF, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ; (3) J.J. Richardson, 6'8, PF, Sugar Land (Hightower) TX.

19.    MIAMI-FL (23 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(8) Durand Scott, 6'4, WF, New York (Rice) NY; (6) Donnovan Kirk, 6'8, PF, Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI; (3) Garrius Adams, 6'5, 2G, Apex (Middle Creek) NC; (3) Lisandro Ruiz-Moreno, 5'11, PG, South Kent (Prep) CT; (3) Antoine Allen, 6'1, PG, Jackson (Mississippi Elite Christian Academy) MS.

19.    N.C. STATE (23 Points)..........5 Recruits..........4.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit..........Atlantic Coast Conference..........(8) Richard Howell, 6'7, PF, Marietta (Wheeler) GA; (6) Lorenzo Brown, 6'4, 2G, Roswell (Centennial) GA; (4) Deshawn Painter, 6'9, PF, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA; (3) Scott Wood, 6'5, WF, Marion (H.S.) IN; (2) Josh Davis, 6'5, WF, Raleigh (Athens Drive) NC. 

   

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

 

Monday, June 29, 2009

There are four ingredients necessary to make a great camp and the Phenom 150 Camp, which look place over the weekend in San Diego, CA, had the star power, quality inside players, and the overall depth necessary to make this arguably the best camp that Joe Keller, who the President and C.E.O. of Phenom Basketball, has had in the four year's that he's been running a camp for this age group.  As a matter of fact, one of the only things that was missing from were unselfish point guards, like 6'0 Junior Cadugon from Humble (Christian Life) TX or 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop Connell) VA, who led their respective teams to the championship and were ranked among the top players in the camp the last two years at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA.  Instead, undersized 2-guards who wanted to jack up every shot regardless of how well they were covered was clearly the order of the day.  Also missing for this year camp was 6'4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammed from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, who was ranked #1 nationally in the Class of 2012 when we recently published our our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Muhammed was actually at the camp, but didn't play due to an injury).  But it didn't matter, because 6'5 8th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA simply picked up where left off last summer when he was the best player in his age group at the Junior All-American Camp in Chantilly, VA and was ranked #17 by the HOOP SCOOP at the AAU 14-Under Nationals in Lake Buena Vista, FL while playing up against players a year older.  Bridgewater was like a man among boys in this camp, as he totally dominated around the basket and probably set a record for the most electrifying dunks that we've ever seen in one weekend.  He capped all this off with 14 points in the first half of the all-star game in the Rising Freshman Division, but missed the rest of the game due to the fact that he had to catch a flight.  However, this time around, it didn't matter (he also missed the all-star game a year ago at the Junior All-American Camp and, as a result, was not the #1-ranked player in camp) because Bridgewater was just that much better than every body else.  And this is important, because, until proven otherwise, Bridgewater has to be the best player in the Class of 2013.  Obviously Bridgewater needs to grow some more in order to insure that some somebody doesn't pass him up down the road.  But right now he has such a great motor, such a great combination of size, skills, athleticism, and mobility, and is so far ahead of everybody else in both the camp and the class that it's scary.  However, when Bridgewater at half-time of the all-star game, that left the door open for 6'3 8th Grader Tyrell Robinson from San Diego, CA and 6'3 8th Grader Tyree Robinson from San Diego, CA to step up and steal the show.  They also were named the MVP's for their respective teams in the all-star game, as it seemed liked they took turns in the second half making one great move after another in transition and to create a shot from beyond the arc.  Tryell finished with 22 points and also had a pair of treys.  But we gave the nod in a close call in our rankings to Tyrell, who had 21 points and three treys, due to the fact that his team won the game.  Also leaving very little doubt about who was the best player in the Rising Sophomore Division was 6'7 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Sugar Land, TX, as he finished with 21 points and was so active and versatile both around the basket and in transition that we started to hear Kevin Garnett/Michael Gilchrist comparisons.  Unfortunately Sheppard doesn't play with this type of effort and intensity all of the time and, as a result, we're not quite ready to start talking about him being the best players nationally in his class.  We also thought 6'0 8th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX played so well in the all-star game that we moved him ahead of 6'2 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX, who was our #1-ranked player in this age group right up until the all-star game.  We also were very impressed with the number of quality inside players in camp, as the Rising Sophomore Division featured 12 players 6'7 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Sugar Land, TX, 6'5 Frosh Matt Shrigley from Encinitas, CA, 6'5 Frosh Malik Fields from Fayetteville, AR, 6'7 Frosh Romas Marcinkevicius from Avon, CT, 6'5 Frosh Rasean Simpson from San Diego, CA, 6'5 Frosh Najeal McMillian from Milwaukee, WI, 6'7 Frosh Adam Lacey from San Diego, CA, 6'4 Frosh George Sherwood from Kalispell, MT, 6'6 Frosh Austin Roark from Tigeras, NM, 6'2 Frosh Thomas Butler from San Diego, CA, 6'7 Frosh Kenny Kaminski from Medina, OH, and 6'6 Frosh Tyler Holloway from Tomball, TX - at the center position who were ranked among our top 50 players in camp in this age group.  And the Rising Freshman Division was even better, as there are 13 players at the center position who are ranked among the the top 50 players in camp.  This list includes 6'5 8th Grader Brian Bridewater from Baton Rouge, LA, 6'3 8th Grader DeOsic West from Spring, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Dylan Jones from Alameda, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Jeremiah Turner from San Diego, CA, 6'8 8th Grader Parker Callender from Houston, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Dwayne Foreman from Spring Valley, NY, 6'4 8th Grader Jesse Lopez from El Paso, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Devron Kennedy from Wylie, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas, NV, 6'2 8th Grader Marcus Lee from Antioch, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Jamal Aytes from San Diego, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Jeffery Beverly from Richmond, TX, and 6'5 8th Grader Steven Haney from East Lansing, MI.  Now also is a good time to point out that a lot of these players can also play out on the perimeter and, as a result, will project as wing players down the road depending upon how much they grow and what areas they focus on as they continue to develop their game.  However, for our purposes, these ranking are reflective of what we saw in camp and, with only one exception, we required every team in camp to have at least one center.  But that's easy when compared to determining what position to put a lot of the guards and perimeter players.  We also take into account at what position a player might get ranked higher and whether he's a pass first or shoot first kind of guy when putting together these rankings.  Thus, explains why a lot of undersized guys ended up being ranked at the 2-guard spot when they think they're a point guard.  The depth was also the best it's ever been, as the number of bad players at the bottom of the camp were few and far between and there were a lot of good players who didn't make the all-star game in their respective classes.  On the other end of the spectrum 6'11 Frosh Jack Taylor from Lawrenceville, NJ had a tough week.  But before you start to feel too sorry for Taylor, remember you can't teach size and, if you're 7-feet tall and you can catch, pass, shoot, set picks and screens, and are willing to sacrifice your body, you have a chance to play in the NBA.  Also big guys develop later than perimeter players and, as a result, Taylor clearly was one of the guys in the camp with the most potential.  Moral to the story, hopefully Taylor will turn a negative into a positive by going home and continuing to work hard and develop into the good player that we know he can become.  We also think it's important to point out that there were a number of players (i.e. Clyde Smith, Mytaah Crawford, David Travers, Bryan Velasco, Shai Shai Matthews, Cullen Neal, Bryce Alford, and Cameron Epps) that we've seen at this camp and the Junior Phenom Camp in recent years who take what they've learned and go home and getter better every year.  And really that's what all this is about, as where you're ranked and how well you play in an event like this is a nice measuring stick to see where you're at the time.  But really what's important is continuing to work on your game, keep getting better, and hopefully getting a college scholarship down the road.  As for the selfish chemistry killing point guards from hell who were in camp. You know who you are and the day of reckoning is coming, if you don't grow and/or develop more of a pass first and shoot less mentality.  In contrast, a list of the unsung heroes in camp is what comes next.  Editor's Note: The Defensive Award Winners in the Rising 9th Grade Division (Class of 2013), The Sportsmanship Winners in the Rising 9th Grade Division (Class of 2013, The Defensive Award Winners in the Rising 10th Grade Division (Class of 2012), and The Sportsmanship Winners in the Rising 9th Grade Division (Class of 2012), as well as all of the rankings are now available exclusively in the Members Section.  So now is the perfect time to subscribe

Monday, June 22, 2009

Clay Dade has released the list of players that he expects to be in attendance at the Freshmen All-American Camp in Lexington, KY, which will tip-off in the Joe Craft Center Practice Facility in Lexington, KY on Thursday, June 25th, at 6:00 PM, and it includes 6'4 8th Grader Jubril Adekoya from Tinley Park, IL, 6'7 8th Grader Agau Akoy from Omaha, NE, 6'5 8th Grader Jamal Aytes from San Diego, CA, 6'6 8th Grader Payton Bank from Aliso Viejo, CA, 6'8 8th Grader TreShawn Bolden from Jackson, MS, 5'8 8th Grader Marquan Botley from Plano, TX, 5'1 8th Grader Lawrence Briggs from Chicago, IL, 6'2 8th Grade Carlos Burse from Alpharetta, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Deonte Burton from Milwaukee, WI, 5'11 8th Grader Cliff Bussey from Toledo, OH, 6'8 8th Grader Akil Carr from Baltimore, MD, 6'1 8th Grader Anthony Carroll from Wauwatosa, WI, 6'6 8th Grader Taco Charlton from Pickerington, OH, 6'6 8th Grader Christian Bradley from Melbourne, FL, 5'7 8th Grader Stevie Clark from Oklahoma City, OK, 6'5 8th Grader Clayton Drekalo from Orlando, FL, 6'8 8th Grader Coger Tyrek from Raleigh, NC, 6'8 8th Grader Austin Colbert from Chesepeake, VA, 6'1 8th Grader Markell Crawford from Memphis, TN, 6'5 8th Grader Deontaye Curtis from Birmingham, AL, 6'3 8th Grader Justin Dotson from Central, SC, 6'3 8th Grader Dyson Demetrius from Covington, TN, 6'1 8th Grader Royal Ewing from Chicago, IL, 6'6 8th Grader Tony Farmer from East Cleveland, OH, 6'5 8th Grader D.J. Fenner from Springdale, MD, 6'4 8th Grader Isaiah Flowers from Chicago, IL, 6'6 8th Grader Jackson Forbes from Plano, TX, 6'7 8th Grader Alex Foster from Plainfield, IL, 6'4 8th Grader Keith Frazier from Irving, TX, 5'6 8th Grader Jarvis Garrett from Milwaukee, WI, 6'5 8th Grader Gladden Byron from Charlotte, NC, 5'8 8th Grader Colten Gober from Colleyville, TX, 5'9 8th Grader Grant Matthew from Los Angeles, CA, 6'6 8th Grader Derrick Griffin from Richmond, TX, 6'8 8th Grader Tommy Hamilton from Chicago, IL, 6'1 8th Grader Kendal Harris from Dallas, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Aaron Harrison from Richmond, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Andrew Harrison from Richmond, TX, 6'6 8th Grader Collin Hartman from Fishers, IN, 6'6 8th Grader Nigel Hayes from Toledo, OH, 6'3 8th Grader Darryl Hicks from Shelbyville, KY, 6'2 8th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 5'11 8th Grader Matt Hillman from Gaithersburg, MD, 6'8 8th Grader Kuran Iverson from West Hartford, CT, 6'5 8th Grader Arshad Jackson from Hampton, GA, 6'1 8th Grader Tadric Jackson from Ashburn, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Alfonso Johnson from Harvest, AL, 6'3 8th Grader Eric Johnson from Garland, TX, 6'2 8th Grader Matt Jones from DeSoto, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Ron Jones from Augusta, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Vequan Jones from Wylie, TX, 6'6 8th Grader Will Jones from Augusta, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Dakota Jongebloed from Powhatan, VA, 6'1 8th Grader Tyler Jordan from Ballwin, MO, 5'10 8th Grader from Keith Marvie from Sauk Village, IL, 6'5 8th Grader Nick King from Memphis, TN, 5'11 8th Grader Travon Landry from San Antonio, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Keith Langston from Chicago, IL, 6'2 8th Grader Lewis Devin from Riverdale, GA, 5'8 8th Grader Dre'Sean Looney from Memphis, TN, 6'6 8th Grader Marc Loving from Toledo, OH, 6'0 8th Grader John Marshall from Phoenix, AZ, 6'6 8th Grader Jordan Martin from Florissant, MO, 6'5 8th Grader Greg McClinton from Winston-Salem, NC, 6'5 8th Grader Justin McCray from Ridgeland, MS, 6'1 8th Grader Danny McGrath from Brentwood, TN, 6'2 8th Grader Demetrius McFadden from Columbia, SC, 6'1 8th Grader L.J. McIntosh from Riverdale, IL, 6'5 8th Grader Kennedy Meeks from Charlotte, NC, 6'4 8th Grader Mickey Jordan from Dallas, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Tory Miller from Lees Summit, MO, 6'7 8th Grader Mike Mills from Canton, MO, 5'11 8th Grader Shelton Mitchell from Waxhaw, NC, 6'3 8th Grader Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas, NV, 6'5 8th Grader Jordan Neff from Kennesaw, GA, 6'5 8th Grader Austin Nichols from Collierville, TN, 6'7 8th Grader Terrance O'Donohue from Marietta, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Maurice O'Field from Cleveland, OH, 6'7 8th Grader Goodluck Okonoboh from Boston, MA, 6'1 8th Grader Miles Overton from Glen Mill, PA, 6'6 8th Grader Johnny Patterson from Chicago, IL, 6'4 8th Grader Tommie Peoples from Lithonia, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Kendall Pollard from Chicago, IL, 6'8 8th Grader Malik Price-Martin from Miami-FL, 6'3 8th Grader Rodney Purvis from Raleigh, NC, 6'7 8th Grader Julius Randle from McKinney, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Vinay Reddy from San Antonio, TX, 6'0 8th Grader David Robertson from Cary, NC, 6'3 8th Grader Shaheed Robinson from Sumter, SC, 6'4 8th Grader Tyree Robinson from San Diego, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Tyrell Robinson from San Diego, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Zach Rogers from Tulsa, OK, 6'0 8th Grader Brett Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'0 8th Grader Bryson Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'5 8th Grade LaDerrick Scott from Forest, MS, 5'11 8th Grader Jaaron Simmons from Dayton, OH, 6'0 8th Grader Tre' Smith from Simpsonville, SC, 6'0 8th Grader Jaren Sina from Lake Hopatcong, NJ, 6'4 8th Grader Jordan Swopshire from O'Fallon, MO, 6'0 8th Grader Jahmal Taylor from Los Angeles, CA, 6'8 8th Grader Xavier Taylor from Chicago, IL, 6'1 8th Grader Tanner Tepe from Piedmont, OK, 6'2 8th Grader Shirmane Thomas from Dallas, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Torlorf "Tee" Thomas from Montgomery, AL, 6'6 8th Grader Malik Thompson from Orlando, FL, 6'4 8th Grader Tarique Thompson from Raeford, NC, 5'9 8th Grader Preston Troutt from Dallas, TX, 5'7 8th Grader Anthony Virdure from St. Louis, MO, 6'5 8th Grader Ishmael Wainwright from Overland Park, KS, 5'10 8th Grader Manuale Watkins from Columbia, MO, 6'6 8th Grader Seab Webster from Gurley, AL, 6'5 8th Grader Nick Wells from Akron, OH, 6'8 8th Grader Jonathan Williams from Memphis, TN, 6'2 8th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Henderson, NV, 6'0 8th Grader Xavier Williams from San Diego, CA, 6'1 8th Grader C.J. Wilson from Conyers, GA, 5'9 8th Grader Jordan Wilson from Los Angeles, CA, 6'6 8th Grader Kyle Wilson from Dallas, TX, 5'9 8th Grader Eris Winder from Las Vegas, NV, 6'5 8th Grader Allen Winford from Jackson, MS, and 6'3 8th Grader Dontonio Wingfield from Cincinnati, OH.  Unfortunately I will not be among the scouts in attendance at this year's Freshmen All-American Camp Instead, for the fourth consecutive year I will be covering the Phenom Top 150 Camp, which will be held at Alliant University in San Diego, CA on June 25th-28th.  And, as always, we expect this camp to have more than its share of the top rising freshmen (Class of 2013) and sophomores (Class of 2012) in the nation.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The early returns are after this morning's session at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and our Ranking of the Top Players, which include the players on eight of the 10 teams in camp and exclude the players on the Cavs (Brandon Knight, Rakeem Christmas, Roscoe Smith, LeBryan Nash, Rodney Odom, Melvin Tabb, Tobi Oyedeji, Jerian Grant, Lenzelle Smith, and Damontre Harris) and the Hornets (Jared Sullinger, Joe Jackson, James Bell, Will Regan, Markel Starks, Jordan McRae, Mychal Parker, Madracus Wade, Dwight Powell, Russell Byrd, and Jabari Parker) are as follows:  1) 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 3) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 4) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 5) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 6) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 7) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 8) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 9) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 10) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, and 12) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD.  We also have broken the players on these eight teams down by position and our list of the Top Centers in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 2) 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, 3) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo fromWeston (Sagemont) FL, 4) 6'11 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 5) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 6) 6'9 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson OH, 7) 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 8) 6'9 Soph Angelo Chol frrom San Diego (Hoover) CA, 9) 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, and 10) 6'11 Moussa-Keita Baye from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Our list of the Top Power Forwards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 3) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 4) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 5) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6) 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 7) 6'9 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 8) 6'8 Jr Okara White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 9) 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Baltimore (Calvert Hall) MD, and 10) 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  Our list of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 2) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 3) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, 7) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 4) 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 5) 6'6 Jr Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 6) 6'8 Jr Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 9) 6'6 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesiam) CA, and 10) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL.  Our list of the 2-Guards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 2) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 3) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 4) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 5) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6) 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 7) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 9) 6'3 Jr Crandall Head from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 10) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Our list of the Point Guards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 3) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 4) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 5) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV, 6) 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainsfield (H.S.) NJ, 7) 6'0 Jr Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 9) 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 10) 6'0 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 11) 5'11 Jr Trevor Releford from Shawnee Mission (Bishop Miege) KS, 12) 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, 13) 6'2 Jr Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith) NC, and 14) 6'2 Jr Shannon Scott from Norcross (Milton) GA.  It also should be noted that the deepest position in camp is clearly at point guard and, although 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA didn't score a lot of points, he heads this list after doing a great job of threading the needle with some dazzling assists.  We also were surprised by how much better 7'0 Jr Fab Melo fromWeston (Sagemont) FL played after turning in a mediocre performance at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  Melo impressed us with a couple of hook shots, a pair of jumpers from the 15'-20' range, and a dunk.  We also thought 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH answered any questions that we might have about being athletic enough to get it done against the top players in the nation.  Mark him down as perfect fit for John Beilein's system at Michigan and it wouldn't surprise us on bit if he ended up being even better than Kevin Pittsnogle someday.  We also thought 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM more than make up for his lack of athleticism with his great hustle, feel for the game, always being in the right place time, and high skill level.   The biggest sleeper in camp has to be 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, who shot the ball extremely well and ended up being the second leading scorer in camp with 23 points in today's morning session.   The biggest disappointment was  6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who didn't make a single outside shot en route to only four points in his first game.  Editor's Note:  To get our expert analysis and rankings of the top players after tonight's, tomorrow's, and Saturday's sessions of camp now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

We've been telling you for a long time that the next great class in high school basketball will be the Class of 2011, which features 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, et al.  However, after working off-and-on for the last month on our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today, we're starting to think the Class of 2012 also has a chance to be one of the better classes to come down the pike in a long time.  First, it has plenty of star power.  And, after leading his team to the championship in the 15-Under Division at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions with 35 points on 11-18 field goals and 13-20 free throws in the title game and finishing ranked #13 overall at the Pangos All-American Camp after scoring 10 points and hitting 5-6 field goals in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game, 6'4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV has separated himself from the rest of the pack.  We also really like 6'7 Frosh Perry Ellis from Wichita (Wichita Heights) KS, who was the best player last summer at the 14-Under AAU Nationals, and 6'0 Frosh J'Michal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX, who has been one of the top players in the class dating all the way back to when he was a rising 5th Grader at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp.  However, Reese hasn't grown in a long time and he's no longer the favor of the day (at least until he does something spectacular at the 17-under age level).  Ellis is capable of playing both inside and outside, although he's much better when he uses his size and athleticism to dominant in the paint, instead of trying to play the position he will need to play someday in the NBA, if he doesn't grow anymore.  The other two players who round out our top five are 6'5 Frosh Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who has made enormous strides and has learned how to play the game this past season while playing for the legendary Stu Vetter, and 6'9 Frosh Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, who is a physical specimen and has soft hands, a nice touch, and surprising mobility for somebody his size.  There also is 6'8 Frosh Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX.  But he reclassified when he was an 8th Grade, which gives Peters an advantage in terms of maturity and makes us wonder what the ceiling is on his upside and potential.  And what about 6'6 Frosh Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, who has excellent ball handling and passing skills and great court savvy for somebody his size and age?  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'11 Frosh Isaiah Austin from Mansfield (Arlington Grace Prep) TX is not yet a finished product, but predicts that Austin will end up being the best player in the class.  Our Alabama Editor Mark Komara acknowledges that 6'4 Frosh Reggie Ragland from Huntsville (Bob Jones) AL is a tweener in size and, as a result, is more of a finished product than a guy with unlimited upside and potential.  However, Komara also points out that Ragland is like a man among boys and is just flat out better than anybody he goes head-to-head against when he plays in this age group.  There are also people on the West Coast, including our West Coast Editor Alan Utter, who think 6'6 Frosh Xavier Johnson from Temecula (Chapparal) CA is as good as anybody in the class.  And, of course, there is Linzy Davis, who is telling anybody who will listen that he has the "two best players on the planet" on his 15-Under AAU team in 6'7 Frosh Willie Clayton from Thomasville (H.S.) GA and 6'10 Frosh Joseph Uchebo from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Time will tell who pans out and who is being over hyped.  But the potential is there for a lot of players in this class to achieve greatness.  Second, this class has an overabundance of size with a list of players who are 6'8 or bigger that includes 6'9 Frosh Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 6'8 Frosh Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'11 Frosh Isaiah Austin from Mayfield (Arlington Grace Prep) TX, 6'10 Frosh Joseph Uchebo from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Frosh Ishamil Douda from Miami (Choice Academy) FL, 6'8 Frosh Wannah Bail from Houston (The Village) TX, 6'9 Frosh Nerlens Noel from Everett (H.S.) MA, 6'9 Frosh Stefan Jankovic from Erie (North American Academy) PA, 6'8 Frosh Nick Baynard from Arlington (Martin) TX, 6'10 Frosh Aaron Hammonds from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Frosh Jack Flournoy from Mt. Hope (Oak Hill) WA, 6'9 Frosh Jamaree Strickland from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 6'9 Frosh Emmanuel Ochenje from Carbondale (Brehm Prep) IL, 6'11 Frosh Jack Taylor from Pennington (School) NJ, 6'9 Frosh Daniel Ochufu from Wettstown (Friends) PA, 6'9 Frosh Hanner Perea from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Frosh Reginald Jordan from Dallas (Samuel) TX, 6'11 Frosh Robert Upshaw from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'8 Frosh Tyler Bergantino from Tampa (Nature Coast) FL, 6'8 Frosh Marcus Hopper from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 6'8 Frosh Shaquille Claire from Houston (The Village) TX, 6'11 Frosh David Wrighthorn from Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic Christian) NJ, 6'8 Frosh Jermaine Morgan from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 7'0 Frosh Obij Aget from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Frosh Jeremy King from Houston (St. Thomas) TX, 6'8 Frosh Kyle Meyers from Alpharetta (Northview) GA, 6'10 Frosh Mohmaed Rage from Brampton (Sandalwood) ON, and 7'0 Frosh Peter Jurkin from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC.  In other words, there are 28 players in this class that are 6'8 or bigger who are ranked among the top 150 nationally.  And a lot of them haven't stopped growing yet, as they all have at least three more years of high school remaining.  Third, the class also has plenty of depth, as there are a lot good players in the 100-200 range.  We also think it's important to point out that our Texas Editor Tim Miller thinks this is potentially the best class ever in the Lone Star State.  And our ranking illustrate his point, as three of top 10, nine of the top 40, and 15 of the top 100-ranked players on our list are from Texas.  To find out where all of these players are ranked this no time like the present to subscribe to the Members Section

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The rosters were released yesterday for this year's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, which will be held at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA on June 18th-20th, and it looks like Dave Telep of Scout.com, who is now in charge of inviting the players and putting together the match-ups for this year's camp, deserves an A+ plus for his efforts.  Not only does this promise to be the best event of the entire year, but it also might just be the best camp that we've attended since the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in 2003, which featured 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'8 Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 7'1 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6'8 Alfred Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'4 Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougerty) PA, 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'2 Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, 6'3 Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'6 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'1 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 6'11 Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, 6'3 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, and 6'9 Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX.  As a matter of fact, the only player ranked among our top 25 juniors nationally who is missing from our list of the 101 players who are expected to be in attendance at this year's camp is 6'8 Jr Joshua Smith from Kentwood (Kent) WA.  And, if that we're enough to illustrate our point, only two of our top seven-ranked sophomores - 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA and 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL - are missing from the list, which is as follows:  6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'1 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'1 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6'5 Jr James Bell from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'0 Jr Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, 6'7 Jr Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6'5 Jr Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6'8 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'4 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Jr Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA, 6'4 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 6'8 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson) OH, 6'3 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'4 Jr Crandall Head from Richton Park (Rich South) IL, 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ, 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols) NY, 6'8 Jr Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon) FL, 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (Marshall) VA, 6'1 Jr Markel Starks from Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal School of Dallas) TX, 6'7 Jr Jarrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC, 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI, 6'8 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 6'8 Jr Rod Odom from Concord (Middlesex Prep) MA, 6'9 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 6'2 Jr Noah Cottrell from Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV, 6'9 Jr Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald) NC, 6'1 Jr Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC,  6'7 Jr Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 5'10 Jr Juwan Staten from Dayton (Thurgood Marshall) OH, 6'5 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Jr Okaro White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'7 Jr Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 6'7 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'4 Jr Anthony Johnson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'8 Jr Tobi Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'8 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'5 Jr Mychal Parker from Pantego (Terra Ceia Christian) NC, 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Andrew Jackson) FL, 6'10 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 6'5 Jr Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN, 6'4 Jr Lenzell Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton Township) IL, 6'9 Jr Richard Solomon from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, 6'10 Jr Dwight Powell from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'5 Jr Kyle Collingsworth from Provo (H.S.) UT, 6'11 Jr Fabricio Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'5 Jr Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'1 Jr Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith Christian Academy) NC, 6'11 Jr Baye Moussa Keita from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr C.J. Fair from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Montclair (Academy) NJ, 6'7 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richard (Salesian) CA, 6'10 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico) VA, 6'9 Jr Damontre Harris from Fayetteville (Trinity Christian) NC, 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Soph Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'7 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 6'1 Soph Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Soph LaBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'10 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, 6'7 Jr C.J. Barksdale from Danville (George Washington) VA, 6'8 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'6 Soph Michael Gbinije from Midlothian (Christ School) VA, and 6'2 Soph Shannon Scott from Alpharetta (Milton) GA.  To find out what happens at this year's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, as well as get the HOOP SCOOP's exclusive ranking of the top players at the camp, now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Sunday, May 31, 2009

I'm in the process of putting together my summer schedule and the one important change from recent years involves the LeBron James Skills Academy, which will be held once again in Akron, OH on July 5th-7th, but will be closed to NCAA Division I college coaches.  However, the camp will be open to the media and it appears it will be business as usual with regards to games in both the afternoon and evening all three days and, as a result, our daily updated rankings of the top players in camp for which the HOOP SCOOP is famous should be even more important that ever.  We will publish these rankings exclusively in the Members Section and, by the time all of the players in camp have moved to the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH for the King City Classic, which will be open to NCAA Division I college coaches on July 8th-9th, you should have a pretty good idea of how things stack up in terms of who is playing well and who is not.  Our plan is to also attend the King City Classic on July 8th and then go to the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia, PA on July 9th-10th.  Speaking of the Reebok All-American Camp, it looks like Gary DeCesare, who also recently took over as the head basketball coach at Chicago (St. Rita) IL, is back in the grassroots basketball business in a big way.  If you will recall, prior to moving onto the college level as an assistant at the University of Richmond and DePaul University, DeCesare helped Sonny Vaccaro run the of the adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ and ran the successful New York Ravens club team program.  And now he is the guy in charge of running the Reebok All-American Camp.  Upon the conclusion of the Reebok All-American Camp, our plan is to cover the Big Shots Atlantic Slam II in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 11th-12th and the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC on July 13th-15th.  Then, I will go home for a couple of days before traveling to Las Vegas, NV, where the GBOA (Grassroots Basketball of America)Challenge of Champions will be held on July 20th-22nd.  And in conjunction with this 32-team "national championship" type event, which will include top teams from NIKE, adidas and Reebok, will be the inaugural GBOA Hall of Fame Banquet that will honor grassroots players who distinguished themselves at all levels of their careers.  The list of players to be honored, as selected by people like Bob Gibbons, Tom Konchalski, Clark Francis, GBOA Board Members, and others, includes the following players from the Class of 1994, 1995, and 1996:  Felipe Lopez, Antonie Walker, Stephon Marbury, Kobe Bryant, Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Ron Mercer, Kevin Garnett, Shareff Abdur-Rahim, Rafer Alston, Raef Lefrentz, Mike Bibby, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, and Tim Thomas.  For more information or to make a tax-deductible donation to the GOBA contact Gary Charles via email at gary.charles24@yahoo.com, via mail at 1218 Village Avenue, Baldwin, NY  11510, or phone at 1-(917) 319-5195.  We also plan to once again cover the three big tournaments - the Reebok Summer Championships, adidas 64 Tournament, and Main Event - in Las Vegas, NV on July 22nd-26th.  Then, I will spend two days at the Phoenix Desert Duel in Phoenix, AZ on July 27th-28th and more than a week at the AAU 17-Under Nationals and AAU 14-Under Nationals at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL.  And finally I will turn my attention onto getting a head start on the future with stops at the Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA on August 7th-9th and the Elite Players Camp that will be held at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, VA on August 13th-16th. 

Thursday, May 28, 2009

The next big event on our agenda is the Pangos All-American Camp, which will be held this weekend at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, CA.  And heading what promises to be an all-star cast is 6'5 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, who based on his performances earlier this spring at the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, VA and the Real Deal in the Rock in Fayetteville, AR already has a lot of people touting him as the #1-ranked player in the Class of 2010.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, who also is the director of the camp, tells us that the list of players that he expects to be in attendance at his camp also includes 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Jr Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, 6'4 Jr T.J. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6'3 Jr Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shore Christian) VA, 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (Marshall) VA, 6'9 Jr Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora McDonald) NC, 6'8 Jr Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'7 Jr Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 6'2 Jr Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamongo (Los Osos) CA, 6'5 Jr Mychal Parker from Pantego (Terra Ceia Christian) NC, 6'3 Jr Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Jr Shane Southwell from New York (Rice) NY, 6'3 Jr Bacari Turner from Plano (West) TX, 6'2 Jr Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'1 Jr Kyle Fuller from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, 6'4 Jr Allen Crabbe from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 5'11 Jr Aaron Bright from Bellevue (H.S.) WA, 6'7 Jr James Johnson from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'5 Soph Samuel "P.J." Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'7 Soph C.J. Barksdale from Danville (George Washington) VA, 6'7 Soph Ramon Eaton from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 6'9 Soph Kevin Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 5'11 Soph Cezar Guerrero from City of Industry (Workman) CA, 6'5 Soph Adonis Thomas from Memphis (Melrose) TN, 5'8 Soph Stevie Taylor from Gahanna (Lincoln) OH, 6'8 Soph Nick Jacobs from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'5 Soph Darius Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 5'10 Soph Jahii Carson from Phoenix (Mountain Pointe) AZ, 6’4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammed from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6’7 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'4 Frosh Jordan Adams from Lawrenceville (Central Gwinnett) GA, and 5'10 8th Grader Eric Cooper from Ontario, CA.  The camp will begin tomorrow with check-in, dinner, registration and distribution of gear from 2:00 PM-7:00 PM, followed by opening remarks and instruction by Dinos Trigonis at 7:00 PM-7:15 PM, individual instruction by former New Orleans Hornets Assistant Coach for Player Development Dave Miller from 7:15-8:30 PM, and the first round of games from 8:30 PM-10:30 PM.  Then, things will resume on Saturday, May 30th, with breakfast, free time at the hotel, and lunch from 8:00 AM-1:00 PM, instruction by NBA skills coach Joe Abunassar from 1:00 PM-3:00 PM, the second round of games from 3:00 PM-5:00 PM, dinner from 5:00 PM-6:00 PM, Recruiting Roundtable (Questions & Answers with national scouts like Van Coleman of the Hoop Masters, Brick Oettinger of Prep Stars, Dave Telep of scout.com, and Clark Francis of the HOOP SCOOP) from 6:00-6:30 PM, the third round of games at 6:30 PM-8:30 PM, and a camp party for the players at the Westin in Long Beach, CA and a media reception at Legends Sports Bar in Belmont Shore from 9:00 PM-Midnight.  The schedule on Sunday, May 31st, will being with breakfast from 7:30 AM-8:30 AM, the fourth round of games from 9:00 AM-10:40 AM, guest speaker EPSN's Steve Lavin from 10:40 AM-11:00 AM, announcement of All-Star Teams/Final Remarks from 11:00 AM-11:30 PM, "Cream of the Crop" Top 40 Game from 11:30-12:30 PM, "Cream of the Crop" Top 20 Game from 12:30-1:30 PM, and departure of out-of state campers to the airport at 1:30 PM-2:00 PM.  To find out what happens at this year's Pangos All-American Camp, as well as get the HOOP SCOOP's exclusive ranking of the top players in the tournament, now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Thursday, May 21, 2009

One of our favorite events of the entire year is the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, which will be held this weekend in Chapel Hill, NC.  And it promises to be just as good as usual, as the list of top players that we expect to be in attendance includes 6'1 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Central) VA, 6'6'1 Jr Ray McCollum from Birmingham (Detroit County Day) MI, 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6'6 Jr Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'6 Jr J.J. Moore from Brentwood (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxson) FL, 6'1 Jr Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'8 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian Academy) NJ, 6'4 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI, 6'9 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5'8 Jr Daryl Traynham from from Charlotte (Vance) NC, 6'2 Jr Noel Cottrell from Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV, 6'6 Jr Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 6'11 Jr Fabricio Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 6'8 Jr Alasdair John Hobekirk Fraser from Scotland, 6'7 Jr Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'0 Jr K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'10 Jr Dwight Powell from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'9 Jr J.P. Kambola from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Jr Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'3 Jr Cameron Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'5 Jr Mychal Parker from Pantego (Terra Ceia Christian) NC, 5'9 Jr Andre Stringer from Jackson (Forest Hills) MS, 6'1 Jr Eric Atkins from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD, 5'11 Jr Dondrecous Nelson from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'5 Jr Faquan Edwin from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'0 Jr Harold McBride from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 5'11 Jr Devon McMillan from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Jr Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton Township) IL, 6'4 Jr Avery Johnson from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 6'7 Jr Jordan Manuel from Indianapolis (Howe) IN, 6'4 Jr Rashard Parker from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'2 Jr Nick Kellogg from Columbus (DeSales) OH, 6'8 Jr Jalen Courtney from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'9 Jr Griffin McKenzie from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH, 6'4 Jr Stacy Poole from Jacksonville (Andrew Jackson) FL, 6'5 Jr Aaron Bowen from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'8 Jr Ryan Rhoomes from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'6 Jr Alex Dragicevich from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'8 Jr Dakota Euton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patick) NJ, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'1 Soph Sterling Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'5 Soph Rodney Hood from Meridian (H.S.) MS, 6'0 Soph DeVille Smith from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'4 Soph Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale) GA, 6'5 Soph Adonis Thomas from Memphis (Melrose) TN, 6'8 Soph Johnny O'Bryant from Cleveland (Eastside) MS, 6'9 Soph Tyler Adams from Brandon (H.S.) MS, 6'6 Soph Michael Ammons from Vicksburg (H.S.) MS, 6'4 Soph Trevor Cooney from Hockessin (Sanford) DE, 6'0 Soph Naadir Tharpe from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Soph Percy Gibson from Detroit (Southeastern) MI and 6'4 Soph Brandon Kearney from Detroit (Southeastern) MI.  Things will tip off in the 17-Under Division tomorrow night at 6:30 PM at the Dean E. Smith Center and feature three sets of games that will run through 11:00 PM.  Then, on Saturday, May 23rd, the games in pool play in the Dean E. Smith Center are staggered perfectly so that we will get a chance to see two sets of 15-Under games at 8:30 AM and 4:45 PM, two sets of 16-Under games at 9:45 PM and 2:15 PM, and four sets of 17-Under games at 11:00 AM, 12:15 PM, 3:30 PM, and 6:00 PM.  The first round of the playoffs in both the 15-Under Division and the 16-Under Division will be at 8:00 PM and the first round of the playoffs in the 17-Under Division will be held at 10:00 PM on Saturday night.  And things should really get interesting on Sunday morning when the Quarterfinals in the 17-Under Division tip-off at 9:00 AM, followed by the semi-finals in the 15-Under Division and the 16-Under Division at 10:30 AM, the semi-finals in the 17-Under Division at Noon, the Championship Game in the 15-Under Division at 2:30 PM, and the Championship Game in the 16-Under Division and the 17-Under Division at 4:00 PM.  The breakdown of pools in the 17-Under Division is as follows:  Pool A has the Chris Paul 3 All-Stars, Team Philly, Illinois Wolves, and Colorado Chaos; Pool B has Team Final, Ohio Basketball, Hoop Planet (GA), and Michigan Hurricanes; Pool C has Grassroots Canada, Squires Richmond, Carolina Raptors, and Team Truth (GA); Pool D has DC Assault, Southern Cal All-Stars, North Carolina Gators, and Dallas Seawolves; Pool E has the New England Playaz, Hollis Price Elite, Eric Gordon Central, and BBall Stars of America; Pool F has the Playaz Basketball Club, Florida Elite, Westchester Hawks, and Team UBA (NC); Pool G has NIKE Team Florida, Petersburg Elite, World Wide Renegades, and Los Angeles Rage; Pool H has Team Detroit, Jackson MBA Elite, Carolina Cobras, and Mike Miller M33M (TN); Pool I has New Heights (NY), Dallas Heroes, Team Breakdown, and Rising Stars JG (IL); Pool J has Team United NC, Wisconsin Playground Warriors, New Jersey Roadrunners, and Net Gain Sports (MN); Pool K has Memphis Magic Elite, Jackson Tigers, Georgia Hawks, and Team Takeover Canada; Pool L has Jacksonville Lee Bulls, Houston Select, Carolina Flight, and New York Panthers; Pool M has Atlantic Celtics, Memphis Stallions, Mid State Magic (NC), and Baltimore Stars; Pool N has Brandon Bass Elite (TX), Michigan Mustangs, Florida Rams, and Garner Road; Pool O has Team Odom Team (CA), Team T.M.P. (SC), Juice All-Stars, Carolina Crusaders; and Pool P has Nashville Celtics, North Carolina Force, SYF Players (IN), and Houston Clippers.  For more information and the complete schedule for this year's Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, click onto Bob Gibbons.net To find out what happens at this year's  Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, as well as get the HOOP SCOOP's exclusive ranking of the top players in the tournament, now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The race among the top players for the #1-ranking still be appears to be up for grabs, as 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'1 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'2 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, and 6'11 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA are all still in the hunt for top spot in the Class of 2010.  If we had to decide right now, we would give the nod to Irving, who was absolutely sensational when we saw him at the Hoop Group Pittsburgh Jam Fest and the Hoop Group Providence Jam Fest last month.  We also think a case can be made for Sullinger, who totally dominated 6'8 Jr Joshua Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA and led his team to the win against the Boo Williams Summer League Team in the semi-finals and the Illinois Warriors in the championship game a week-and-a-half ago at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N' Slam All-Star Classic in Ft. Wayne, IN.  We have not seen Barnes play yet this spring, but the word we get is that he was absolutely sensational at both the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament and the Real Deal in the Rock last month.  Thomas gets mentioned based on the way he played when we saw him play last winter.  But we did not get enough of a look at Thomas at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N' Slam All-Star Classic.  And in the one game that we did see him play in, Thomas took a lot of  shots to finish with 31 points in what was a losing effort.  We're also not sure what to think about Thompson, who wasn't tough enough to stick it out while playing for Danny Hurley at Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  As for Knight, he has a tendency to be too quick for his own good and we question whether he has the mentality to be a pure point guard and whether he has the size necessary to be a 2-guard at the highest level.  We also continue to track a steady flow of signings and commitments, which include 6'7 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesian) CA making an early verbal commitment two days ago to the University of Washington.  Simmons is ranked #183 nationally in the junior class, but appears to be exactly what the doctored ordered for Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar, who will have to replace 6'6 Jr Quincy Pondexter at the wing forward spot after next season.  "Simmons is like a jack-of-all-trades," says our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis.  "He's more of a slasher than a shooter.  But he plays hard, gets to the basket, rebounds, and is an excellent defender.  He's not as good as Pondexter, but Simmons' game is similar to that of Pondexter."  Simmons also promises to be an excellent complement to 6'3 Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA, 6'7 Clarence Trent from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'9 Charlie Garcia from Riverside (JC) CA, and 6'6 C.J. Wilcox from Pleasant Grove (H.S.) UT, all of whom are already signed, sealed, and delivered in a recruiting class that is currently ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And the best still may be yet to come, if Romar and his staff are successful at keeping 6'8 Jr Joshua Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, who is ranked #8 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'4 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Franklin) WA, who is ranked #2 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, both at home.  It also looks like Quinnipiac got the outside shooter that they were looking for in 6'4 Ryan Bogdan from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC.  If you will recall, the Bobcats already have 6'7 Jamee Jackson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and 5'9 David Johnson from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA both in the fold and, now that they have filled this need, Bobcats head coach Tom Moore and his staff can turn their attention towards signing the best two players who are still available with the two scholarships that they still have available in this year's recruiting class.  HOOP SCOOP Associate Editor Patrick Stanwood tells us that 6'9 DeShawn Painter from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked #74 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked N.C. State over Maryland and 6'9 Jr Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs (H.S.) TX, who has ranked #137 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Texas A&M.  Alexander is a four-man who can step out and shoot the lights out.  But he needs to get bigger and stronger physically in order play inside and live up to the lofty expectations that some of our competitors have created with their ranking of this young man.  The addition of Painter moves the Wolfpack's recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'4 Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 6'5 Scott Wood from Marion (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 Josh Davis from Raleigh (Athens Drive) NC, into a tie at #18, along with Miami-FL and Baylor, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And, if the Wolfpack really hit the jackpot and they also land 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, who is our #1-ranked 5th Year Player, then their recruiting class will move up to #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  We also have six more junior college signings to report, as 5'11 DeAndre Brown from Navarro (JC) TX has picked Louisiana Tech, 6'5 Kevin Menner from Saddleback (JC) CA has picked Cal State-Northridge, 6'2 Rashawn Polk from Guilford Technical (JC) NC has picked Towson, 6'3 Adam Brown from Collin County (JC) TX has picked the University of Houston, 6'7 Jeron Belin from Monroe (JC) NY has picked St. Peter's, and 6'8 Phillip Thomas from Eastern Utah (JC) UT has picked Portland State.  Those first three are especially noteworthy, because Brown averaged 17.4 ppg and 3.4 apg this past season and is ideally suited to step in and run the show and complement 6'7 D.J Wright from Salt Lake (JC) UT, 6'9 Kadeem Coleby from Humbler (Christian Life) TX, and 6'5 Darius Reading from Tallahassee (Godby) FL in a recruiting class that is now ranked #47 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  Menner, who is a tough New York City kid and played high school basketball at Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, doesn't have a true position.  But he put up ridiculous numbers the last two years in the junior college ranks, as he scored 1,462 points and grabbed 451 rebounds while playing at Ventura (JC) CA and Saddleback (JC) CA.  Polk is more of a slasher than a shooter, but he averaged 24.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.7 apg this past season and is versatile enough to play multiple positions.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Soph Mike Moore, who averaged 12.8 ppg and 4.5 rpg this past season, is transferring from Fordham to Hofstra.  He will sit out next season and then join 6'1 Brad Kelleher from Midland (JC) TX, 5'8, Chaz Williams from Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY, 6'6 David Imes from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'2 Yves Jules from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Paul Bilbo from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, and 6'8 Halil Kanacevic from Staten Island (Curtis) NY, all of whom are apart of a recruiting class that is currently ranked #42 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.

Friday, May 8, 2009

With only two of our top 100-ranked seniors - 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'9 DeShawn Painter from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA - still available, most of the signings and commitments are coming from players in the junior college ranks.  The lone exception during the last several days being 6'4 Tony Daniels from Roanoke (William Fleming) VA and 6'0 Dee Goens from Atlanta (Marist) GA.  The latter is ideally suited to run the show and control the game from the point guard position and the former averaged 17.2 ppg and shot 42.0 % from beyond the 3-point line this past season and has the versatility necessary to play multiple positions.  He picked Virginia Commonwealth and becomes the second in-state player to have signed on the dotted line to play for the new regime this spring.  The other was 6'3 Darius Theus from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA and new VCU head coach Shaka Smart and his staff still have one more scholarship available in this year's recruiting class, which in all likelihood will go to a pure point guard.  It also looks like Illinois State had stolen one in 6'7 Tony Lewis from Ellsworth (JC) IA.  We're talking about somebody who averaged 22.8 ppg and 11.5 rpg and is ranked #105 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  However, what makes this such a good catch is the fact that Lewis is so active on the boards and so good at scoring around the basket.  Lewis also promises to be a great complement to 6'9 Jackie Carmichael from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'4 Justin Clark from Independence (William Chrisman) MO, 6'7 Jon Ekey from Independence (William Chrisman) MO, 6'0 Terrence Johnson from Chicago (North Lawndale) IL, 6'5 Zeke Upshaw from Chicago (University) IL, and 6'1 Austin Hill from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL in a recruiting class that is now tied at #41, along with Middle Tennessee State and Cal State-Fullerton, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  We also have confirmed that the University of Hawaii has landed the big man that they were looking for this spring with the signing of 7'0 Douglas Kurtz from Marshalltown (JC) IA, who is ranked #76 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  Kurtz only averaged 9.6 ppg and 5.8 rpg this past season, but he hit 67% from the field and 85% from the free throw line and, like they say, you can't teach somebody to be 7-feet and 250-pounds.  The signing of another big man in the junior college ranks that slipped under our radar involves 6'11 Jon Kreft from Chipola (JC) FL, who is ranked #12 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and was the starting center a team that finished ranked third in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Tournament and was ranked #1 in the nation for nine straight seasons during the regular season.  Kreft originally signed with Florida State in 2005 when he was a senior in high school at Parkland (Marjory Stoneman Douglas) FL.  But his scholarship was rescinded due to the fact that he was arrested on drug charges in May of 2006.  Kreft also verbally committed to UAB last fall, but later re-opened his recruitment, which allowed Kreft to come full circle and once again cast his lot with the Seminoles.  He will join 6'4 Michael Snaer from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'7 Terrance Shannon from Forsyth (Mary Person) GA, who is ranked #66 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in a recruiting class that is ranked #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  However, even more important, the Seminoles will have even more depth than they did a year ago, as next year's team promises to be the best team that Leonard Hamilton has had during his 21 years as a Division I head coach.  Florida State will lose two of its top three scores in 6'2 Sr Toney Douglas and 6'9 Sr Uche Echefu, but 7'1 Soph Solomon Alabi, 6'4 Soph Derwin Kitchen, and 6'9 Frosh Chris Singleton were three of the top newcomers in the league and Snaer and Kreft are expected to step in and make the same type of immediate impact next season that the three aforementioned player made this past year.  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller thinks 6'4 Duwan Kornegay from Ranger (JC) TX is a major steal for Prairie View A&M.  "He's a big time athlete who knows how to defend and is a streaky outside shooter," says Miller.  "And he's got the talent necessary to walk in and be one of the best players in the league next year."  It also appears that Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy got the shot blocking big man he was looking for when the Rebels signed 6'8 DeAngelo Riley from Southwest Tennessee (JC) TN.  This is a guy who averaged 12.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 2.9 bpg, which ranked him 15th in the junior college ranks this past season.   And what about 6'6 Gilbert Clavell from Collin County (JC) TX, who was the MVP with 19 points and eight rebounds in the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-Star Game a week ago in Odessa, TX, picking Sam Houston State?  We also have confirmed 6'5 Richard Thomas from Garden City (JC) KS to North Texas, 6'5 Michael Tyler from Pratt (JC) KS to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6'6 Dernado Eiland from Pratt (JC) KS to Texas Christian, 6'1 Devon Baker from Howard (JC) TX to Northwestern State, 6'5 Freddy Obame from Monroe (JC) NY to Maryland-Eastern Shore, and 6'3 Devon McBride from Hutchinson (JC) KS to South Carolina State. 

Thursday, April 30, 2009

It should be one of the best events that we attend all spring and summer.  We're talking about the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N' Slam All-Star Classic, which will tip-off tomorrow night at the Spiece Fieldhouse and numerous other sites in Ft. Wayne, IN.  And the 17-Under Division appears to be absolutely loaded as the list of top players expected to be in attendance includes 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 Jr Joshua Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 6'1 Jr Ray McCollum from Birmingham (Detroit County Day) MI, 6'6 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 6'4 Jr Crandall Head from Richton Park (Rich South) IL, 6'8 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson) OH, 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'3 Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA, 6'6 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (Marshall) VA, 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI, 6'0 Jr Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'4 Jr Anthony Johnson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'10 Jr Leonard Meyers from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 6'3 Jr Jordan Siebert from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH, 6'5 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN, 6'9 Jr Alex Guana from Eaton Rapids (H.S.) MI, 6'4 Jr Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton Township) IL, 6'8 Jr Donnie Hale from New Albany (H.S.) IN, 6'9 Jr C.J. Aiken from Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Whitemarsh) PA, 6'9 Jr Travis Carroll from Danville (H.S.) IN, 6'11 Jr Ben Mills from Heartland (Arrowhead) WI, 6'3 Jr Kameron Cerroni from Sussex (Hamilton) WI, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'5 Soph Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'1 Soph Marquis Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'8 Soph Mike Shaw from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 6'8 Soph James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA, 6'5 Soph DeAndre Henley from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 6'2 Soph Matt Carlino from Gilbert (Highland) AZ, 6'5 Soph LaDontae Hinton form Lansing (Sexton) MI, 6'9 Soph Marshall Plumlee from Arden (The Christ School) NC, 6'1 Soph Tracy Abrams from Chicago (Mt. Carmel) IL, 6'9 Soph Amir Williams from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'8 Soph Cody Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 Frosh Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  The breakdown of teams in the Seniors-To-Be Division is also extremely impressive, as Pool #1 has Team Philly, R.E.A.C.H Legends, Team CBIZ, and Boo Williams Summer League Team; Pool #2 has the Spiece Indy Heat-Downs, Parallel 45, Iowa Barnstormers, and Milwaukee Spartans; Pool #3 has the King James Shooting Stars, Grand Rapids Storm-Martin, D1E Derrick Rose All-Stars, and Terry Porter Elite; Pool #4 has Cincinnati Royals, A-One Elite, Common Bond-Hicks, and Grand Rapids Storm-Whymer; Pool #5 has Seattle Rotary, Spiece Indy Heat-Betts, West Michigan Lakers, and Illinois Old School; Pool #6 has the Ohio Gators-Billings, Pal Elite, D-Harris, Full Package Athletics; Pool #7 has the Indiana Blazers, Team Velocity Red, Wisconsin Gators Elite, and Illinois Wolves; Pool #8 has Indiana Elite-Fox, NW Ohio, Wisconsin-Playground Warriors, Spiece ATX; Pool #9 has Florida Elite, ACB Hoops, All Ohio Red, and Next Generation; Pool #10 has the Eric Gordon All-Stars, Michigan Hurricanes, Wisconson Blizzard-Kellett, and Illinois Warriors; Pool #11 has Indiana Elite One Orange, Mustang Ballers, Michigan Hurricanes-Grady, and Full Package Athletics-White; Pool #12 has the Spiece NW Stars, St. Louis Eagles, Martin Brothers, and Illinois Titans; Pool #13 has The Family, Wisconsin Blizzard Schalow, Mac-Irvin Fire, and Waterloo Wildhawks; Pool #14 has Fieldhouse Elite Team Indiana, Spiece Mokan, Friends of Hoop, and Mean Streets; Pool #15 has the Spiece Hoosier Hoops 2010, Camp Darryl 2010, Shining Star Sports-McFarland, and Randolph Boys Club; and Pool #16 has Indiana Select 2010, Michigan Mustangs, Peoria Irish, and Wisconsin Force.  The first round of games in the Seniors-To-Be Division will begin at 7:30 PM and run until Midnight tomorrow night.  Every team will also get two more games in pool play from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Saturday.  The first and second round of the playoffs in the Gold Division will feature the top two teams from pool play and will tip-off at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM on Saturday night.  Then things should really get interesting on Sunday, May 3rd with the quarterfinals at 9:30 AM, semi-finals at 12:30 PM, and championship at 3:30 PM.  I also suspect that I will stick around to see the Gold Division Championship games in the Juniors-To-Be Divisions and Sophomores To-Be Divisions, both of which are scheduled to tip-off at 5:00 PM on Sunday, May 3rd.  For a list of all of the teams and brackets in each age group and other information about this year's Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N' Slam All-Star Classic, click onto Spiece Run N' Slam & other Spiece Events We also want to mention that fact that this year's tournament will be played in the memory of the late Bill Hensley, who for years was the driving force behind this event and always will be remembered as one of the great people in basketball.  Editor's Note:  All of the highlights from this year's Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N' Slam All-Star Classic will be available exclusively in the Members Section early next week.  So obviously now is the perfect time to subscribe

Thursday, April 23, 2009

The big story that everybody is talking about right now is the fact that 6'11 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA has decided to forego his final year of high school and play professionally in Europe for the next two years.  Obviously this is important, because Tyler will become the first player ever (ready or not) to skip his senior year of high school and play professionally overseas.  If Tyler turns out to be a smashing success, it could be as dramatic a game changing trend as when Kevin Garnett became the first player in almost 20 years to declare hardship for the NBA Draft in 1995.  If you will recall, Moses Malone in 1974, Darryl Dawkins in 1975, and Bill Willoughby in 1976 were the only three players to ever by-pass college and go straight from high school to the NBA prior to when Garnett made the move in 1995 and Kobe Bryant followed suit in 1996.  However, if Tyler fails, it could send an important signal to future players that playing overseas against men can be a tough life, especially when you are an immature teenager who has yet to show that he can consistently dominate against the top players at the high school level.  I just loved his quote in the New York Times when he said "Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better.  If you're really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere.  Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys."  You also can exposed a lot easier playing against pros and this is a guy who should be ranked #1 in the junior class nationally, but checks in at #5, because he's always been an underachiever, doesn't have a great motor, and has a tendency to be very inconsistent and not live up to the hype when playing against great players.  We agree with Sonny Vaccaro about Tyler having the potential to be a 10-year all-star, but feel like Tyler is being set up to fail, because he's going to have a rude awakening when he starts playing in Spain, which where he's rumored to be heading next year.  And, if you don't believe it, just ask 6'2 Brandon Jennings, whose quotes in January apply perfectly to the subject at hand.  "First thing, if you're not mentally tough, you have no chance," says Jennings.  "Their passion here is unbelievable.  If you get on a good team, you won't be scoring 35 points.  There will be ups and downs.  If you're mentally tough, you will succeed.  I knew that with this team we had a chance of winning the Euroleague and Italy."  Not only is Tyler not mentally tough, but he also is still just a baby when compared to the men that he's going to playing against and, as a result, we think the chances of his coming back and being the #1 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft slim and none.  As a matter of fact, we'll be surprise if Tyler even gets off the bench during his first year.  And, it looks like Vaccaro agrees, as he's quoted saying "Tyler could shuttle between his professional team and it's development squad for 18-year-olds.  So, if Tyler who turns 18 in June, struggles early against professional men, he will be able to play and practice with the younger team."  Tyler also does not yet have the skills, footwork, and post moves necessary to get it done at the college level, much less professionally.  In other words, this is more about his potential and making money off the kid as fast as possible.  There are probably those who will think that whoever is advising Tyler should be arrested for child abuse.  But it's also hard to say no when Tyler may be able to command a six-figure salary based on his size, athleticism, and potential. 

Friday, April 17, 2009

I am already in Pittsburgh, PA to cover the Hoop Group's Pittsburgh Jam Fest, which will tip off later today with games beginning at 6:15 PM at the Peterson Events Center and numerous other sites in the Pittsburgh area.  Some of the top teams and players in the East will be in attendance and right at the top of the list is Team Final, which is fresh off a second place finish in the 17-Under Division at the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament last weekend and features players like 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'8 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 6'0 Jr Tyreek Duran Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, and 6'3 Soph Trevor Cooney from Hockessin (Sanford) DE.  Two other teams that we will be eye-balling a lot over the weekend are the Eric Gordon All-Stars with 6'1 Jr Ray McCollum from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, and 6'1 Evan Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and the Playaz with 6'5 Jr Fuquan Edwin from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'7 Jr Ron Roberts from Jersey City (St. Peter's) NJ, 6'3 Jr Cameron Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'1 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'3 Jr Jermaine Peart from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'6 Jr Trevor Clemmings from Paterson (Catholic) NJ.  The R.E.A.C.H. Legends will feature 6'3 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI; the New Jersey Roadrunners have 6'1 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; the Baltimore Stars have 6'5 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD; the Mass Rivals have 6'8 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH and 6'9 Jr Carson Desrosiers from  Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA; the Cleveland Basketball Club has 6'2 Jr Noah Cottrell from Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV, 6'2 Jr Nick Kellogg from Columbus (DeSales) OH, and 6'7 Jr Dakota Euton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY; and New Heights will go to war with 6'5 Jr Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NJ, 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 6'8 Jr Ashton Pankey from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Speaking of Pinkston, it looks like we have the scoop on our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, as we have a very reliable source who is now telling us that our top ranked junior in NYC plans to follow in the footsteps of his former high school teammate 6'3 Jr Doron Lamb and transfer from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year.  We also will make sure that we see 6'10 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, who is the star on Team Final's 16-Under Team, play in the 16-Under Division.  Pool play will begin on Friday night and run through 4:10 PM on Saturday afternoon, which is when Consolation Round Games will begin in the 17-Under Division.  There also will be Platinum and Silver First & Second Round Games, which feature the 32 second round finishers from pool play throughout the rest of Saturday.  But, by that time, most of our attention will be on the playoffs in the Gold Division Playoffs, which will feature the 32 winners from each pool.  First round games will begin at 5:20 PM and 6:30 PM on Saturday night, followed by second round of the Gold Division playoffs at 7:45 PM and 9:00 PM and the Gold Division Quarterfinals at 11:00 AM, the Gold Division semi-finals at 1:20 PM, and the Gold Division, Platinum Division, and Silver Division Championship Games will all be held at 3:35 PM on Sunday afternoon.  For all the brackets at the Hoop Group's Pittsburgh Jam Fest, as well as more information about all the events that the Hoop Group will be running this spring and summer, we encourage you to click onto Hoop Group Also noteworthy is the fact that the Hoop Group's Pittsburgh Jam Fest is the only event in the East where a select group of games will be broadcast live on the internet.  And making this even more important is the fact Division I college coaches are prohibited by the NCAA from attending AAU-like tournaments this spring.  For more information click onto MaxxAthlete.comAnd, if you want to get all the highlights, as well as a list of the top players based on performance at the conclusion of the Hoop Group's Pittsburgh Jam Fest, there is no time like the present to subscribe to the Members Section.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Today is a slow news day and a travel day to Las Vegas, NV to cover the 2009 Mae Fisher Easter Classic and, as a result, now is the perfect time to publish our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio's updated New York City Report.  These rankings can be found exclusively in the Members Section and include seven all All-Metro New York Teams that feature the top 35 players in the Metropolitan area regardless of class and position, commentary about the trends and top players, and Naclerio's ranking of the top 150 seniors, top 126 juniors, top 100 sophomores, top 76 freshmen, top 26 8th Graders, top 15 7th Graders, and top two 6th Graders within the five boroughs of New York City.  We also alluded to the fact that the senior class in the city is really down, but did not specifically point out just how much better it would have been if the Cheese Johnson, who is the father of 6'7 Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, hadn't moved to Atlanta, GA a number of years ago; 6'5 Omari Lawrence and 6'5 Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT both had not transferred from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY to South Kent (Prep) CT last summer; and 6'0 Lamont Jones had not left New York (Rice) NY first for Aston (American Christian) PA and then Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  However, we did mention that 6'4 Jr Doran Lamb, who transferred from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA nearly a year ago, is already long gone and that an alarming number of players for the city end up in prep school.  We also didn't mention what a fertile recruiting New York City is for Division I college coach, junior college coach, or prep school coach who is looking to steal one during the spring signing period.  In addition to 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, there are some other pretty good players, like 6'2 Sean Johnson from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'2 Russell Smith from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, 6'3 Keith Spellman from Brooklyn (Jefferson) NY, 6'3 Isiah Stokley from Jamaica (Edison) NY, 6'1 Ronald Baker from Bronx (Wings) NY, 6'3 Lamont Samuel from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY, 6'4 Rasheem King from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'6 Trevon Hamlett from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'5 James Stokes from New York (Rice) NY, who are still available. 

Friday, April 3, 2009

The two hottest topics of conversation earlier today at the NABC (National Association of Basketball Coaches) Convention are what a logistical disaster the cities of Detroit and Windsor, ON are for this year's NCAA Final Four in Detroit, MI and what a surprise it was when Nevada head coach Mark Fox got the Georgia job last night and Washington State head coach Tony Bennett got the Virginia job earlier this week.  Now don't get us wrong.  Bennett and Fox are two of the bright up-and-coming head coaches in the business and nobody can argue with their success, as Bennett is 69-33 in three years at Washington State and Fox is 114-43 in four years at Nevada.  However, both are geographic misfits for the jobs that they just landed.  Fox is originally from Garden City, KS; he played college basketball at Garden City (JC) KS in 1987-89 and Eastern New Mexico in 1989-91; and was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Washington in 1991-93, an assistant coach at Kansas State from 1994-2000, and the associate head coach at Nevada from 2000-04 prior to taking over as head coach when Trent Johnson left Nevada for Stanford in 2004.  Bennett played for his Dad at Wisconsin-Green Bay from 1989-92, the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA from 1992-95, and the Sydney Kings in the Australian Basketball League in 1997 and worked as an assistant coach for his Dad at Wisconsin in 1999-2003 and at Washington State in 2003-06 prior to taking over the Cougars' program when his Dad retired in 2006.  So how does Virginia hire somebody with great Midwest and West Coast ties, but lacks any kind of East Coast résumé, except when he played professionally for three years with the Charlotte Hornets?  And how does Georgia hire somebody who is an excellent recruiter and has all kind of ties west of the Mississippi river, but has never recruited in the South?  The answer is Dan Parker, who is the President of the Parker Executive Search firm that serves as a head hunter for college presidents, athletic directors, and head coaches.  And this isn't the first time that Parker has shocked the world, as two years ago he placed Tubby Smith at Minnesota and Billy Gillespie at Kentucky.  He also was responsible for hiring Jeff Capel at Oklahoma, Kelvin Sampson at Indiana, John Pelphrey at Arkansas, Craig Robinson at Oregon State, Joe Scott at Denver, Ricardo Patton at Northern Illinois, Rod Barnes at Georgia State, Steve Sarkisian as the head football coach at the University of Washington, and Paul Johnson as the head football coach at Georgia Tech, as well as athletic directors at places like Notre Dame, LSU, and Washington.  In other words, 2+2 still does equal four, except when Parker gets involved in the hiring process for an athletic director who obviously isn't up to the task of making one of the most important decisions of his career or already has messed on the hire and needs to salvage the situation.  Did you know that I've had a number of Division I head coaches tell me that they would never take a job that was offered by an athletic director who had to hire a search firm to help complete the process?  The rationale is based on the fact that this is a sign of weakness, not being in control of the situation, and wanting to cover your you know what in case it turns out to be a bad hire.  It also stands to reason that who gets hired has less to do with whether the coach is ideally to suited step in and take advantage of his recruiting contacts and knowledge of what it takes to get it done at the school and more to do with Parker's associations and what presidents and athlete directors he knows and/or has placed at certain schools.  As for this year's NCAA Final Four, half of the people at this year's coaches convention are staying in Canada and it takes half-and-hour to an hour go cross the bridge and go throw customs.  The other half are located about 15 minutes West of downtown in Dearborn, MI and nobody seems to be able to figure out the lay of land, especially when it comes to getting around in downtown Detroit, MI, which is where the Convention headquarters are located and tomorrow's games will be played.  The fact that the weather does not come close to equaling what it was last year in San Antonio, TX and two years ago in Atlanta, GA and downtown Detroit has more than lived up to its reputation as one of the most rundown and depressed cities in America reinforces this point even further.  Obviously selling 70,000-plus tickets for tomorrow and Monday's game was the most important thing when it came to deciding that the 71st NCAA Final Four should be played in Detroit, MI.   And to put this even further into perspective, most of the coaches that we've talked with think this is the worst set-up for the NCAA Final Four since the one in St. Petersburg, FL in 1999 and not too far behind the NCAA Final Fours that were played in Minneapolis, MN in 1992 and 2001.  However, on the more positive side, everybody is looking forward to the future NCAA Final Fours in Indianapolis, IN in 2010, Houston, TX in 2011, New Orleans, LA in 2012, Atlanta, GA in 2013, Dallas, TX in 2014, Indianapolis, IN in 2015, and Houston, TX in 2016, all of which will be held in much warmer climates and in cities that are set up much better logistically.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Forget about hitting a home run.  Hiring Memphis's John Calipari as the next head coach at the University of Kentucky is like hitting a grand slam.  It's like hiring Rick Pitino at the University of Kentucky in 1989 and at the University of Louisville in 2001 and the UK administration deserves nothing less than an "A+" for moving so quickly and decisively after University of Florida head coach Billy Donovan turned them down last Friday.  It's not official yet, but our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Calipari has rejected a counter offer from the University of Memphis, which means they are now negotiating the terms of the contract and that press conference sooner than later is imminent.  And this comes as no surprise to us, as we've been telling you for months that Calipari is the ideal choice for a number of reasons.  First, he's one of the top head coaches in college basketball today, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #5 on our List of the Top Head Coaches, behind Louisville's Rick Pitino, North Carolina's Roy Williams, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, and ahead of Florida's Billy Donovan, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, UCLA's Ben Howland, Kansas' Bill Self, West Virginia's Bobby Huggins, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, et al.  Second, Calipari is second to none when it comes to building a program from the ground up.  If you will recall, Calipari inherited a team at the University of Massachusetts that was 10-17 in 1987-88 and guided the Minutemen all the way to the NCAA Final Four a 1996.  He also took over a program at Memphis that was 15-16 during the 1999-2000 season and transformed it into the most successful program in college basketball during the time last eight years.  The Tigers played for the NCAA Championship a year ago, were in the Eight Eight in both 2006 and 2007, and won 33 games and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in what was supposed to have been a rebuilding year this year.  Third, Calipari is the best there is a recruiter, as is evident the fact that Memphis currently has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the nation on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and verbally committed to the Tigers several weeks ago, is free and clear to follow Calipari to Kentucky.  We also suspect that 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'9 William Coleman from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, 6'4 Nolan Dennis from Richland (Richland Hills) TX and 6'6 Darnell Dodson from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, who are the other members of Memphis' current recruiting class, will all be able to get out of the National Letters-of-Intent that they signed with Tigers last fall.  As a matter of fact, we know that Dennis has a clause in his contract that will make the National Letter-of-Intent null-and-void, if the coach leaves.  So we assume that this also is the case with Henry, Coleman and Dodson, if they too decide to follow Calipari to Kentucky.  And don't forget about 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, who is the #1-ranked 5th Year Player in the nation and has Memphis, Baylor, N.C. State, Kansas, Miami-FL, and Duke still on his list; 6'7 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, who recently reneged on N.C. State and now has Memphis right at the top of his list; and 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is the best player in the nation regardless of class and is believed to be a near lock to play for John Calipari.  So, with 6'10 Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK, who signed with the Wildcats last fall; 6'8 Soph Patrick Patterson and 6'4 Jr Jodie Meeks both likely to return, and at least some of the players mentioned above (Cousins, Coleman, Dennis, Dodson, and Wall) likely to follow in Calipari's footsteps, the Wildcats could easily be the best team in the Southeastern Conference a year from now.  And the future should be even better, as Calipari plans to bring his entire coaching staff with him.  Not only are Josh Pastner and Orlando Antigua two of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business, but John Robic has head coaching experience at Youngstown State.  And how about the fact that it is being reported that Calipari is going to get a contract worth over $5 million per year?  Not only will that make Calipari by-far-and-away the highest paid head coach in the history of the game (currently Florida's Billy Donovan is the highest at $3.5 million per year), but it will be almost double what Calipari made when he took over as the head coach and Executive Vice-President of Basketball Operations of the New Jersey Nets in 1996 when he got a five year contract worth $15.5 million.  We also understand that Calipari is pushing UTEP head coach Tony Barbee, who is a former assistant coach at Memphis, as his successor.  However, Sam Albano, who is a television producer in New York City and a close friend of John Calipari, tells us that USC's Tim Floyd will become the next head coach of the Memphis Tigers, which means they are replacing Calipari with another one of the best recruiters and hardest working guys in the game.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman also provides us with another great name for the Memphis job, which is Missouri's Mike Anderson, who is currently one of the hottest guys in the business after the Tigers advanced into the Sweet 16 of this year's NCAA Tournament.  And don't forget about the fact that Xavier head coach Sean Miller is one of Calipari's cousins. 

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Look for the official announcement to come tomorrow afternoon.  We're talking about the fact that the boosters have already put up the $6 million necessary to buy out University of Kentucky head coach Billy Gillispie and, as a result, it's a done deal that Gillispie tenure as the boss of the Wildcats can now be measured in hours, instead of days, weeks, months, or years.  And that should finally get a lot of the other dominos falling.  We've been hearing all week that Florida head coach Billy Donovan definitely has interest in the Kentucky job.  But we also suspect that it will be awfully tough for Donovan to bail out on Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley, who has really gone to bat for Donovan a number of times, including two years ago when he took for the Orlando Magic job, but then backed out a couple of days later and returned to Florida.  If you will recall, at the time Foley gave Donovan a six-year contract worth $3.5 million per year.  So the reports about Donovan making a move earlier today to take himself out of the running for the Kentucky job would make perfect sense.  However, we also have other sources that we deem to be reliable that tell us that it's a done deal with regards to Donovan getting the Kentucky job, which would also open the door for Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant to replace Donovan at Florida, Missouri head coach Mike Anderson to get Alabama, Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton get Georgia, Kansas State head coach Frank Martin to get Florida State, and Kansas State associate head coach Dalonta Hill to replace Martin as the head coach of the Wildcats.  We also have other sources who think Calipari is the #1 guy on Kentucky's list and we've heard that a seven-year $28 million contract will be on the table.  And, if this turns out to be correct, then Hamilton will be right at the top of the list of candidates to replace Calipari at Memphis and Martin could still end up as the next head coach at Florida State.  We also continue to hear Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford's name being mentioned as the most viable option, if the Wildcats can't get either Donovan or Calipari.  And Ford, who played at the University of Kentucky during the Rick Pitino era, has more head coaching experience than you might think.  Did you know that Ford started his coaching career at Campbellsville College, where in three years his teams posted a 67-31 record and he was named the NAIA Mid-South Coach-of-the-Year in 1999?  Ford's teams also posted a 61-80 record during his five years at Eastern Kentucky, including a 22-9 season and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament during his final year in 2005.  Ford also had a 62-35 record during his three years at Massachusetts and has done an impressive job at Oklahoma State during the last year, as the Cowboys posted a 23-12 record and beat Tennessee to advance into the second round of this year's NCAA Tournament.  Ford also has proven that he can recruit with the best of them at both Massachusetts and Oklahoma State.  Remember, the Cowboys currently have the #4-ranked recruiting class, which currently includes 6'4 Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Karron Johnson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Ray Penn from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX, 6'1 Reger Dowell from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'11 Torin Walker from Columbus (Northside) GA, 6'2 Fred Gulley from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR, and 6'10 Jarred Shaw from Dallas (Carter) TX, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And, if Ford gets the job, you can bet that he will bring Butch Pierre, who is ranked #9 on our list of the top assistant coaches and is clearly in the same class as Donvan's and Calipari's top assistants.  We're talking about Florida's Larry Shyatt, who is ranked #1 on our list of the top assistant coaches and Memphis' Josh Pastner, who is ranked #5 on our list of the top assistant coaches.  The other big story right now involves all of the players who are reneging on their verbal commitments.  Earlier today 6'5 James Lee from Hampton (Bethel) VA backed out of his commitment to Liberty and yesterday 6'6 Jr Chanse Creekmur from Marshalltown (H.S.) IA backed out of his early verbal commitment to the University of Iowa and 6'0 Lamont Jones from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA backed out of his commitment to Virginia Tech.  And this isn't the first time that Jones has changed his mind.  If you will recall, Jones verbally committed to Louisville when he was a sophomore in high school at New York (Rice) NY, but then changed his mind a year ago when he was a junior at Aston (American Christian) PA.  However, Jones still has a long way to go if he wants to break Nate Miles' record for changing his mind and making the most stops during his career.  If you will recall, Miles, who is now at Southern Idaho (JC) ID and is the subject of potential recruiting violations by the University of Connecticut due to his association with an agent, originally verbally committed to Xavier when he was a sophomore in high school.  But then changed his mind and picked the Huskies when he was a junior.   However, what really puts Miles over the top is list of high school/prep schools that are now in his rear view mirror that includes Toledo (Waite) OH, Toledo (Libbey) OH, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, Humble (Christian Life) TX, Cleveland (Heritage School) TX, and Lenoir (Patterson School) CT.  In other words, we're talking about somebody who attended eight different high schools/prep schools, has already picked two colleges, and is now in the junior college ranks. 

Friday, March 20, 2009

It was supposed be just 400 names.  However, upon completion of our Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011, which was published exclusively in the Members Section yesterday, we find that our list now includes the top 600 players in the sophomore class nationally all ranked in order.  And, with the spring and summer just around the corner, the timing couldn't be any better as college coaches get ready to turn the heat up on what promises to be the next great class in high school basketball.  It's also one of the more refreshing classes to come down the pike in a long time, because a lot of the elite players - i.e. 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL - appear to be well grounded, have strong parental support, and have not been in a great big rush to make an early verbal commitment to a four-year Division I college or university. And, to illustrate this point even further, when we look back at our ranking of the Top 700 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010, which was published over 16 months ago on November 6, 2007, we find that eight of the HOOP SCOOP's top 10-ranked sophomores and 24 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 100-ranked sophomores were already verbally committed.  In contrast, four months further into their sophomore year, we find that only two of the top-10 ranked sophomores - 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL to Florida and 6'7 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR to Arkansas - and only 10 of the top-100 ranked sophomores - 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL to Florida, 6'7 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR to Arkansas, 6'2 Soph Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX to Texas A&M, 6'1 Soph Myck Kabango from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Texas 6'7 Soph Chane Behanan from Cincinnati (Aiken) OH to Cincinnati, 6'2 Soph Matt Carlino from Gilbert (Highland) AZ to Indiana, 6'3 Soph John Issac from Leesville (Pickering) LA to LSU, 6'5 Soph Ryan Taylor from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, 6'10 Soph Michael Chandler from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, and 6'1 Soph Tracy Abrams from Chicago (Mt. Carmel) IL to Illinois - are already off the board.  And, with the exception of Kabango and Carlino, they all have picked a school right in their backyard or within the state where they live.  We also are extremely impressed with the depth and versatility of the class and state's like Mississippi and South Carolina appear to be off the hook with great talent.  As a matter of fact, a quick look at our ranking of the top 40 players in this class shows that Mississippi with 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'0 Soph Marquavius "Deville" Smith from Jackson (Callaway) MS, and 6'5 Soph Rodney Hood from Meridian (H.S.) MS; North Carolina with 6'5 Soph P.J. Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 5'11 Soph Marquis "Jerrell" Rankin from Charlotte (Vance) NC, 6'3 Soph Quddus Bello from High Point (Westchester Academy) NC, and 6'5 Soph Tony Kimbro from Arden (The Christ School) NC; and California with 6'9 Soph Kevin Johnson from Garden (Serra) CA, 6'7 Soph Ramone Eaton from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 6'8 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, and 5'11 Soph Cezar Guerrero from City of Industry (Workman) CA all have four players each ranked among the top 40 sophomores nationally.  However, it's the star power that really makes this a great class.  Did you know that our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams, which were published on January 2nd and included the top 100 players nationally regardless of class and position, featured four sophomores - 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, and 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL - among the top 10 players nationally?  And, when we dig a little deeper, we also find that 10 of the top 55-ranked players on this list are sophomores and 15 of the top 100-ranked players on our list are sophomores.  In other words, the top sophomores in the nation are every bit as good as the top juniors and seniors are right now and they don't appear to be nearly as jaded and corrupted by the process as their counterparts are in the classes ahead of them. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The race for the #1 spot in our Ranking of the Top 50 Head Coaches in the College Game Today, which can found by exclusively in the Members Section in our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game Today, really is almost too close to call among the top five coaches on the list (Louisville's Rick Pitino, North Carolina's Roy Williams, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, and Memphis' John Calipari).  However, based on the way the Cardinals are playing right now and the fact that it looks like Louisville is the team to beat in this year's NCAA Tournament, Pitino gets the nod.  And Williams gets the nod over Krzyzewski due to the fact that the Tar Heels, not the Blue Devils, have been arguably the best team in both the country and the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area since Williams took over the North Carolina program six years ago.  And Krzyzewski gets the nod over Calhoun, despite the fact that Calhoun owns Krzyzewski in the NCAA Final Four, due to the fact that it's hard to beat somebody with three National Championships and 10 NCAA Final Fours on his résumé.  As for Calipari, he continues to come on like gangbusters, as no head coach in college basketball has a better record during the last eight years than this guy.  The second five with Florida's Billy Donovan, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, UCLA's Ben Howland, Kansas' Bill Self, and West Virginia's Bobby Huggins is equally impressive, as the top 10 active head coaches collectively have been to 37 NCAA Final Four's and won 11 National Championships.  And, if you add Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, who is currently ranked #11, to this list, suddenly the number becomes 40 NCAA Final Four appearances and 12 National Championships.  We also think it's interesting to point out that only two of the top 18-ranked head coaches have not guided their teams to the NCAA Final Four.  But Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon checks in at #12 due to the fact that he already has won an average of 26.6 games per year during his six years as a head coach and his team is one of the favorites to win this year's NCAA Tournament and Wisconsin's Bo Ryan checks in at #13 due to the fact he's won big every place he's been, including UW-Platteville, where his teams won four NCAA Division III Championships in 1991, 1995, 1998, and 1999.  When putting together this list, what a head coach has accomplished over his entire career is very important, but it also helps to be hot right now and, as a result, we really don't know what to do with Saint Louis head coach Rick Majerus.  Remember, Majerus is second to none as a game tactician, but he has not been able to duplicate what he did at the University of Utah during the 1990's due to off-and-on health problems and several retirements.  Add the fact that there are rumors that Majerus might step down at the end of this season and we decided to take him off the list.  But we do so knowing that we may add him back and rank him pretty high a year from now, if everything falls together with his young team the way we suspect it might a year from now.  We also are extremely impressed with the amount of potential there is among the top coaches on our list of those who are in the Middle of Their Career and Have the Potential to Move Onto Our List of the Top 50 Head Coaches in the Game Today.  And right at the top of the list is LSU's Trent Johnson, who stepped in and turned the Tigers' program around in a hurry this season.  Next is New Mexico's Steve Alford, who appears to be perfectly positioned to make a major move a year from now due to the fact he has several pros waiting in the wings and in this year's recruiting class.  It also only should be just a matter of time before guys like Baylor's Scott Drew, Oklahoma State's Travis Ford, Dayton's Brian Gregory, Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez, and St. Mary's Randy Bennett make a major jump into our Ranking of the Top 50 Head Coaches in the College Game Today.  Our Ranking of the Top 20 Up-and Coming Head Coaches in the College Game Today is equally impressive, as Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant, Purdue's Matt Painter, Marquette's Buzz Williams, Butler's Brad Stevens, and Utah's Jim Boylen are not only some of the bright up-and-coming stars in the business, but their team's were all included in this year's NCAA Field of 65 that was announced earlier this week.  And Providence's Keno Davis, Nevada's Mark Fox, Miami-FL's Frank Haith, Kansas State's Frank Martin were also knocking on the door, while Mississippi's Andy Kennedy is waiting for next year when he'll have a healthy team and Oregon State's Craig Robinson has done a great job of stockpiling talent during his first season as the head coach of the Beavers.  Our Ranking of the 100 Assistant Coaches in the College Game Today is one of the hardest things that we do all year, especially in light of the fact that a lot of the top guys (i.e. Florida's Larry Shyatt and Kansas' Joe Dooley aren't interested in moving, unless they can get a really good head coaching job.  As a matter of fact, only five of our top 25-ranked assistants from a year ago (Derek Kellogg, Ray McCallum, John Groce, Jeff Meyer, and Johnny Dawkins) made a move and, as a result, it's very difficult to do make many changes to this list.  However, we did sneak Oklahoma State's Butch Pierre, who was out of a job when we did the list a year ago, back in at #9; we moved West Virginia's Larry Harrison, who has previous head coaching experience at Hartford and was too low on our list a year ago, up to #12; we moved Marquette's Tony Benford, who played a key role in helping land the Golden Eagles' #3-ranked recruiting; up to #14; we inserted California's Jay John, who previously was the #1-ranked assistant coach in the nation seven years ago when he was the University of Arizona and also has head coaching experience at Oregon State, at #22; and we moved up Syracuse's Bernie Fine, who has been Jim Boeheim's right hand man and has been one of the unsung heroes in the Syracuse program for over 30 years.  We also moved Saint Louis' Porter Moser up #29, Arkansas' Tom Ostrom up #30, Villanova's Pat Chambers up #31, Minnesota's Vince Taylor up to #42, Central Florida's Steve DeMeo up to #46, Miami-FL's Jorge Fernandez up to #51, Baylor's Matt Driscoll up to #52, and we expanded the list from 70 to 100 names this year.  We also took Virginia's Bill Courtney name off the list due to the fact the Virginia coaching staff got fired earlier this week.  But we suspect Courtney will be back on the list in a year, because he's one of the best there is at recruiting in the Washington, DC area.  And, if you don't believe it, just ask George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga, who went to the NCAA Final Four three years ago with a team that Courtney played a key role in helping recruit.  Our Ranking of the Top 50 Assistant Coaches at the Mid-To-Low Division I Level features three guys (Virginia Commonwealth's Tony Pujol, Illinois-Chicago's Tracy Dildy, and IUPUI's Todd Howard) in the top five who in all likelihood will be the next head coach at their respective school when their boss finally decides to make the move onto to bigger and better things.  And Long Beach State's Eric Brown and Bowling Green's LaMonta Stone, who are the other two guys ranked in our top five, are second to none as recruiters and, as a result, will likely be back coaching at the big time level sooner than later.  Our Ranking of the Top 20 People Who are in an Administrative Position, like Director of Basketball Operations, Administrative Assistant, or Video Coordinator is the most difficult list we do due to the fact that these guys not only are hidden behind the scenes, but also often don't have the name recognition necessary to help advance their career.   However, we can't say that about the top three guys on our list (Michigan's Jeff Meyer, Ohio State's Dan Peters, and Kentucky's Alvin Brooks) all of whom have already established their credentials while working at the highest level.  Editor's Note:  To get the complete list, now is a great time to subscribe to the Members Section.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Earlier today we published Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report exclusively in the Members Section and it includes six All-Area Teams that feature the 30 players in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area regardless of class and position, some interesting comments by yours truly about the top players in each class, and Rubin's ranking of the top 487 seniors, 338 juniors, 229 sophomores, 114 freshmen, 49 8th Graders, 14 7th Graders, and 19 6th Graders.  Yes, that's 1,250 names, which means that his list has fewer names than the Philadelphia phonebook, but more than enough names to still be totally out of control.  We also found it very interesting that Rubin thinks the next great class in his area will be the Class of 2011.  And it would be even better if 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist, who originally is from Somerdale, NJ, had not decided to attend high school two years ago at Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  If you will recall, Gilchrist is our #1-ranked player nationally in the sophomore class, ahead of 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'5 Soph Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'7 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 6'9 Soph Chris Coleman from Buffalo (Burgard) NY, 6'8 Soph Mike Shaw from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, and 6'8 Soph James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA, who are the top 10-ranked players on our List of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 that will be published either late this week or early next week.  Gilchrist also gets our vote as the #1-ranked player in the nation regardless of class after he scored 30 or more points on three of the six occasions that we saw him play this winter.  And making this even more impressive is the fact that Gilchrist doesn't get the ball nearly as much as he should inside.  Instead, a lot of his points are hustle points, as he almost always is one of the first players down the court on the fast break and he has a knack for being in the right place at the right time to get the offensive rebound.  He's also a tremendous competitor, a fabulous rebounder, and is versatile enough to play both inside and outside, which is where he was playing when he was the best player last summer at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, OH.  Gilchrist also is a first class person and an excellent student, as is evident by the fact that has a 3.6 gpa in the classroom.  He also plays for one of the top high school coaches in the nation in Kevin Boyle, he may grow several more inches, and is young for his class, which means that his upside and potential are off the chart.  Everybody assumes that Memphis is the heavy favorite, but Rutgers, Connecticut, Villanova, and Virginia make it an interesting top five.  Rubin also reminds us that Philadelphia is a city that has a history of producing great guards and that great big men, like Wilt Chamberlain, Ray Scott, Jim Williams, Jim Washington, Rasheed Wallace, Jay Lawson, Marc Jackson, 6'10 Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, and 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, are few and far between.  Those last two are especially important, because Murray, who signed with La Salle last fall and is the best big man to come out the city in years, and Christmas, who is already a monster inside with his ability to block shots, rebound, and score from 15-feet and in, both have an incredible amount of upside and potential due to the fact they've both only been playing basketball for three or four years.  Editor's Note:  Now is a great time to subscribe to the Members Section!   Not only did we publish our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report earlier today, but our List of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Sophomores) and our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game Today are both due out within the next week. 

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

It looks like it will be one of the final nails in the coffin of Billy Gillispie's short and less than spectacular tenure as the head coach of the University of Kentucky.  We're talking about the Wildcats loss 90-85 earlier tonight to a University of Georgia team that lost it's coach over a month ago when Dennis Felton got fired, is now 12-18 overall and 3-12 in the league, and has only won two road games in the league in the last two years.  And, it's not like the Wildcats didn't have anything to play for, as a win against the Bulldogs earlier tonight and a win on Saturday at the University of Florida probably would have assured Kentucky a spot in this year's NCAA Tournament.  Instead, the Wildcats now appear to be destined not to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 18 years.  Not only are the fans fit to be tied, but the the feeding frenzy now includes former University of Kentucky players, like Mike Casey, who earlier this week called for Gillispie to be fired.  In other words, it doesn't look like it's turning out to be a very happy marriage, as the media and Gillispie don't see eye-to-eye, the fans like him less, and the word on the street is that Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson, who are the two players that Gillispie has built the program around, will likely forgo the rest of their college eligible and enter the NBA Draft this spring.  And other transfers also appear to be eminent.  However, the dirty little secret that most Wildcats' fans haven't caught onto yet is that Gillispie's recruiting appears to be even worse.  There is no question that 6'10 Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK, who is ranked #25 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is a physical specimen inside, is exactly what the doctor ordered to replace Patterson in the middle next year.  And 6'8 Jr Matt Pilgrim, who is sitting out this year after transferring from Hampton, is good enough to step in and fill the bill next year at power forward.  However, 6'7 Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, who is ranked #127 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, promises to be nothing more than a good role player, and 6'0 G.J. Vilarino from McKinney (H.S.) TX doesn't have the strength, basketball IQ, and the point guard mentality necessary to step in and be the quick fix the the Wildcats need at point guard next year.  Thus, explains why we have Kentucky's recruiting class tied at #39, along with Baylor, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  In contrast, Rivals.com had Hood ranked #32 nationally in the senior class and the Wildcats' recruiting class ranked #13 last fall and the latest rankings for Scout.com have Hood ranked as the #8 wing forward in the nation and their recruiting class #13 overall.  And this is important, because it's obvious that the rookies in our business don't have the perspective necessary to know whether they're looking at the next J.P. Blevins, Josh Carrier, or Michael Porter or the Rex Chapman (Hood actually falls someplace in-between) and, as a result, have clearly set the University of Kentucky coaching staff up to fail due to the fact that they've created such unrealistic expectations.  And, if you don't believe me, just go ask all of our competitors who have been in this business 25 or 30 years.  There also are a lot of major questions about the five early commitments that Wildcats have received from 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'0 Jr K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'8 Jr Dakota Euton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'8 Soph Vinny Zollo from Winchester (Clark County) KY, and 6'4 Frosh Michael Avery from Encino (Crespi) CA.  Those last three all project as mid-major players and, as a result, it's doubtful that the next regime will honor these commitments.  Ross-Miller isn't probably as good as the original hype, but he does know how to run a team and is good enough to step in and solve Kentucky's point guard problems.  The only problem is that Ross-Miller will arrive in year-four of the Gillispie era and the smart money now appears to be on the current Wildcats head coach not surviving until year-three.  Ferguson has the potential to be a great player, but right now he's not even the best player on his high school team, as he spends too much time out on the perimeter and is much too passive inside.  So, with all this in mind, suddenly Tubby Smith's recruiting when he was at the University of Kentucky looks a lot better than it did at the time.  Remember, Smith was the one who recruited both Meeks and Patterson and several sources have since confirmed that Smith received verbal commitments from both Patterson and 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, who instead signed with Florida and this past winter transferred to the University of Texas, the very day he decided to take the University of Minnesota job.  So, unless Gillispie can pull a rabbit out of his hat or the Wildcats can surprise everybody and do what Georgia did a year ago in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, the real question is who will be the next head coach at the University of Kentucky?  We would be surprised if Florida head coach Billy Donovan takes it.  But, then again, Roy Williams turned down North Carolina and remained at Kansas for three more years prior to becoming the head coach of the Tar Heels in the spring of 2003.  We'd also be surprised if they Tubby Smith want to come back.  But right now he's looking pretty good to Wildcats fans who have chanted his name on more than one occasion when the home team wasn't playing well this winter in Rupp Arena.  Former Kentucky players like Oklahoma State's Travis Ford and Arkansas' John Pelphrey or local favorite and current head coach South Carolina Darrin Horn aren't ready to make this type of move just yet.  So the obvious choice has to be Memphis head coach John Calipari.  Not only has he guided the Tigers to the best record in college basketball during the eight last years (224-43 with a 83.9% through March 1st), but he also already has a pre-existing rivalry going with Louisville's Rick Pitino and also is clearly one of the best recruiters in the nation.  Hire Calipari and 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is the best player in the nation right now regardless of class and is believed to be a near lock for Memphis, will be sure to follow. 

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The longer it goes the more interesting the recruiting scenario becomes for 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) FL, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the second highest ranked senior still available.  If you will recall, Cousins reneged on his verbal commitment to UAB when the Blazers wouldn't let him add an addendum last fall that would let him out of his National Letter-of-Intent if Mike Davis left for another head coaching job this spring.  The final five for Cousins currently include Washington, N.C. State, Memphis, Rice, and Kansas State.  But, if Davis gets a head coaching job this spring, "it could change things," says LeFlore High School head coach Otis Hughley.  "But I don't think he'd follow Davis to the University of Alabama.  Right now he needs to get away and get a fresh start."  Hughley also mentions the fact that former Sacramento Kings and New Mexico State head coach Reggie Theus will be in the mix if he gets another head coaching job at the high Division I college level this spring.  "Theus not only did a remarkable job of turning the New Mexico State program around in a hurry, but he also has playing and head coaching experience at both the college and professional levels.  And that will be something we look at when DeMarcus makes his decision."  As a player, Theus was one of the stars on Jerry Tarkanian's first NCAA Final Four team in 1977 and he is only one of seven players in NBA history, along with John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, John Stockton, Gary Payton, Clyde Drexler, and Jerry West, to score at least 19,000 points and dish out more than 6,000 assists during his career.  As a coach, Theus got a taste of what it's like to get to the NCAA Final Four in 2005 while working as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville for Rick Pitino and then transformed a New Mexico State program that had gone 6-24 the year before he arrived into a 25-9 team that won the Western Athletic Conference Tournament and advanced into the NCAA Tournament during his second year as head coach of the Aggies in 2006-07.  Theus also had a 38-44 record as head coach of the Sacramento Kings a year ago prior to going 6-18 and getting fired earlier this season.  And Cousins doesn't appear to be the only player that has an interest in playing for this rising star in the coaching profession.  Did you know that Theus was recently seen by our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis at the high school game between Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA on Friday, February 6th?  Did you also know that 6'6 Solomon Hill from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA did not sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with USC after he reneged on the University of Arizona last fall?  And making the story even more interesting is the fact Hill, who is currently ranked #35 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is a prolific scorer, great rebounder, and excellent passer, just like Theus was when he was a player.  Obviously for this to happen, Hill will have to renege on the Trojans.  But, if all these dominos start to fall, remember where you heard it first.  We also understand that 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY will make his college decision on Wednesday, April 15th, which is the first day of the Spring Signing Period this year.  The list includes Maryland, St. John's, Kansas, UCLA, and Wake Forest. However, the smart money is on the first two, because the Red Storm and the Terrapins appear to have all of the right connections to get this one done.  The latter is attempting to take advantage of the contacts that an Under Armor representative who is an alumnus of the University of Maryland has with Stephenson and the Lincoln program and the former is doing everything it can to keep this top-ranked player from leaving home.  And, if St John's head coach Norm Roberts can pull this one off, he could have one of the most improved teams in the Big East Conference next year.  Currently the Red Storm are 13-15 overall and 4-11 in the league.  But they have 6'7 Sr Anthony Mason sitting out with a medical red-shirt this season; 6'8 Soph Justin Burrell and 5'9 Soph Malik Boothe have both been slowed by injuries this year; and 6'6 Rob Thomas may eventually wake up and live up to all the hype and expectations.  However, even with Stephenson and an injury free team, the Red Storm may have a hard time keeping up with Seton Hall next season.  Did you know that the Pirates only have one senior (Paul Gause) in the program and four excellent players waiting in the wings in 6'11 Melyyn Oliver, who is sitting out this year in an attempt to get his academics into order and into better shape; 6'5 Soph Jeff Robinson, who transferred from Memphis to Seton Hall last month; 6'8 Soph Herb Pope, who transferred from New Mexico State to Seton Hall last fall; and 6'2 Jr Keon Lawrence, who transferred from Missouri to Seton Hall last fall?  As things stand now, the Pirates have yet to sign anybody in this year's recruiting class.  But our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks the Seton Hall will beat Missouri and Kansas for 6'10 Jarrid Famous from Westchester (JC) NY, who is one of the top five junior college players in the nation.  And, if he's right and Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez can put together all of the right pieces in a hurry, then the Pirates could be ridiculous next year. 

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The rosters for the McDonald's All-American Game were announced yesterday and the East Squad includes 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'5 Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'9 Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 6'8 Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 6'9 Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6'0 Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, and 6'1 Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA.  The West Squad includes 6'2 Avery Bradley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'3 Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA, 6'8 Keith "Tiny" Gallon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'10 John Henson from Tampa (Sickles) FL, 6'8 Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5'8 Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'11 Mason Plumlee from Arden (Christ School) NC, 6'9 Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'4 Michael Snear from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'10 Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  And, needless to say, we were shocked that 6'0 Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA was named to play in the game.  Siva is a big time athlete with a high energy level, the ability to both light it up from downtown and get to the basket, and a lot natural talent.  But he doesn't make good enough decisions to be a pure point guard and he's too undersized for the 2-guard spot at the big time college level.  In other words, Piva is an extremely talented combo guard with no real position, which explains why he is ranked #52 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Other players who were named to play in the game who are not ranked among our top 24 seniors nationally, but, at least had the right politics on their side are 5'8 Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'11 Mason Plumlee from Arden (Christ School) NC, 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'10 Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Remember, the Wear twins both signed with North Carolina, they play for the #1-ranked high school team in the nation, and they continue to get better ever time we see them.  Plumlee also has gotten a lot better, is heading to Duke, and, like the Wear's, is a big white kid, which always seems to be an advantage when it comes to a borderline player who trying to make the game.  Mason-Griffin is not a pure point guard, is not consistent enough, and is too undersized.  However, he is one of those guys who was over hyped at a younger age, which explains why he made the game, despite the fact we have him ranked no higher than #7 in the senior class in the state, behind 6'0 Junior Cadugon from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'7 Erik Williams from Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX, 6'4 Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 5'10 Ray Penn from Richmond (Ft. Bend Travis) TX, and 6'7 Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Speaking of Cadugon and Erik Williams, we stand by the fact that we have them ranked #12 and #14 nationally in the senior class and that they are the two best seniors in the state.  Cadugon not only is the second best pure point guard in the nation, but he also gets an A+ when it comes to helping his team win and making his teammates better.  Williams missed most of his junior year with an injury, but, with his big time athleticism and ability to score both inside and outside, he reinforced our belief that he is one of the most undervalued players in the nation when we saw him last summer in Las Vegas, NV.  We also find it truly amazing that 6'3 Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, didn't even make the second ballot, which included the top 50 seniors nationally, much less the final ballot, in the voting for the McDonald's All-American Game.  However, just like Cadugon, who plays at a prep school and is bound for Marquette, both Nelson and Burton are winners.  But they don't appear to have the right politics on their side.  Not only are they both going to Oregon State, but Nelson has had academic issues and off-the-court problems and Burton is an undersized center who still needs to drop weight and improve on his conditioning.  But Nelson has the athleticism, prolific scoring ability, and natural talent to project as a good player in the NBA someday and Burton is a beast around the basket and is similar in a lot of ways to Ellis Myles, who turned out to be a terrific college player for Rick Pitino at Louisville.  We also were somewhat surprised by the fact that 6'8 Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL made the team in light of the fact that he has not played well this winter.  Remember, our Florida Editor Rick Staudt ranked Judge no higher than #5 in the senior class in the state, behind 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'10 John Henson from Tampa (Sickles) FL, 6'8 Keith Clanton from Orlando (Christian) FL and 6'10 Kryrl Natashyzko from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, on the Florida Report, which we published in the Members Section.  And this is important, because it illustrates the fact once again that in most cases what a player does during his senior year has very little to do with regards to whether he will make the McDonald's All-American Game.  However, this does give the Sunshine State three McDonald's All-American's in 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'10 John Henson from Tampa (Sickles) FL, and 6'8 Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL. That also ranks Florida second, behind California, which has four players in the game in 6'9 Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'4 Michael Snear from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'10 Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  And yes, I did vote for Sidney, despite the fact that he is currently ranked #39 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Remember, we've been one of Sidney's biggest critics, but we also were hoping it would inspire him to get in shape and motivate him to take his game to another level.  Unfortunately, so far it hasn't worked.  But that doesn't mean Sidney isn't one of the best players in the class based on share size, skills, and natural talent.  We also were somewhat surprised by the fact that 6'4 Michael Snear from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA made the game.  I voted for him and we have him ranked #16 in the nation.  But going to Florida State, instead of UCLA or Kansas, and playing AAU ball for the Inland, instead of the Pumps, he's doesn't have any of the right politics on his side.  We also aren't entirely clear why 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC was not on the original ballot in the voting for the game.  We suspect that has something to do with Wall being a 5th Year Player.  But, just like 6'9 Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH and 6'8 Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who also are 5th Year Players and were named to play in the game, Wall reclassified prior to his senior year, which is what we thought the criteria was for making the game.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

With the exception of the National Prep Alliance, which will be held this weekend at the Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, TX, now is the time of year when I stay home and work on National Player Rankings and State-by-State Reports.  And we're already ready to publish Rick Staudt's Florida Report, which is available exclusively in the Members Section and very eloquently gives us an idea of just how good high school basketball in the state is right now.  Not only does Staudt think that this may turn out to be the best year ever for high school basketball in the Sunshine State, but 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'10 John Henson from Tampa (Sickles) FL, 6'2 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, and 6'2 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL are four of the top 20-ranked players nationally regardless of class.  However, the fifth player on his First Team All-State Team, which includes the top five players in the state regardless of class and position, may come as a major surprise, as Staudt clearly has gone out on a limb by ranking 6'8 Keith Clanton from Orlando (Christian) FL ahead of 6'8 Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL.  "Judge has not played nearly as well this winter as he did last summer on the AAU circuit and Clanton is just that good," says Staudt.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Staudt also has 6'10 Kryrl Natashyzko from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL ranked ahead of Judge, which makes him one of the best unsigned seniors still available, as well as the only player ranked among the top eight seniors in state who is still available.  Another interesting trend is the fact that University of Florida continues to make a living by keeping the top players in their backyard at home.  If you will recall, two years ago the Gators landed 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (H.S.) FL and 6'8 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (H.S.) FL and a year ago they landed 6'10 Eloy Vargas from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'10 Kenneth Kadji from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, and 6'4 Ray Shipman from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL.  They also already have 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL in their current recruiting class, 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxson) FL in next year's recruiting class, and 6'2 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL in the following year's recruiting class.  And, the Gators may not be done yet as they also appear to one of the favorites, along with schools like Duke, North Carolina, Memphis, Connecticut, and Syracuse, for 6'2 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who, just like Boynton in the senior class and Rivers in the sophomore class, is one of the top five players in the nation in his respective class.  We also plan to publish Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report and our ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Sophomores) by the end of the month.  And that second list will be the perfect complement to our Ranking of the Top 1000 Players Nationally in the Class of 2009 (Seniors), which was published on November 5th in the Members Section, and our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Juniors), which was published on February 3rd in the Members Section.  We also plan to publish our Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Freshmen), Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (8th Graders), Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (7th Graders), Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2015 (6th Graders), and as many state-by-state reports as we can work into the mix prior to going the NCAA Final Four in Detroit, MI the first week in April.  Also noteworthy is the fact that McDonald's All-American Team will be officially announced tomorrow on the 2009 McDonald's All-American Game Selection Show on ESPNU at 6:00 PM.  The actual date of the game will be Wednesday, April 1st, and it will be played at the Bank United Center in Miami-FL and will televised live on ESPN at 8:00 PM.  We can't tell you who will be in the game, but we can guarantee that there will be some surprises, as well as some glaring omissions.  So obviously now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section so you will be able to check back tomorrow night for our analysis and insight into why certain players were named to play in this prestigious game and others were not. 

Thursday, February 12, 2009

If you're trying to figure out what events to attend this spring and summer, the Hoop Group, which is second to none in terms of both organization and running events, has a lot of options.  And thanks to Mike Farrelly, who is the Director of Hoop Group Elite, we have the complete list broken down into various categories below.  We begin with the Hoop Group Elite Spring Top 100s, which includes the New England Top 100 at Boston University in Boston, MA on March 21st-22nd; Northern Virginia Top 100 at Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA on March 21st-22nd; Philadelphia Top 100 at Widener University in Chester, PA on March 26th; Metro Top 100 at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ on March 30th-31st; and New York Top 100 at St. John's University in Queens, NY on April 8th.  The Hoop Group's Spring Junior Elite Tour will run just prior to or right after the Hoop Group Elite Spring Top 100s, as the New England Junior Elite will be held at Boston University in Boston, MA on March 20th; Northern Virginia Junior Elite will be held at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA on March 20th; Philadelphia Junior Elite will be held at Germantown Academy in Ft. Washington, PA on March 27th; Metro Junior Elite will be held at Neptune, NJ on March 29th; and New York Junior Elite will be held at St. John's University in Queens, NY on April 9th.  The AAU Tournaments will include the Hoop Group Jam Fest Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA, which I will attend on April 17th-19th; the Hoop Group Jam Fest Providence at Providence College in Providence, RI on April 24th-26th; Hoop Group Jam Fest Southern at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, VA on May 8th-10th; Hoop Group Jam Fest Spring at the Hoop Group Headquarters in Neptune, NJ on May 15th-17th; Summer Classic at a location to be announced on July 11th-12th; and Hoop Group Jam Fest West Virginia at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV on July 14th-16th.  The Hoop Group Elite Pre Summer Showcases are as follows:  Metro Pre Summer Showcase at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ on June 20th-21st; New England Pre Summer Showcase at Boston University in Boston, MA on June 27th-28th; and Northern Virginia Pre Summer Showcase at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA on June 27th-28th.  The schedule for Hoop Group Elite (formerly Eastern Invitational) begins with Session I at Albright College in Reading, PA on July 5th-8th followed by the Elite Team Camp at Albright College in Reading, PA on July 9th-10th; Session II at Albright College in Reading, PA on July 11th-14th; Specialized Position Camp at Albright College in Reading, PA on July 15th-17th; Academic Elite at Albright College in Reading, PA on July 24th-27th; Session III at Albright College in Reading, PA on July 28th-31st, Junior Elite (grades 6th-9th) at Albright College in Reading, PA on August 2nd-5th; and Session IV at Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ on August 11th-14th.  And finally is the schedule for the Hoop Group Skills Camp (formerly Pocono Invitational), which includes Skills Camps on July 6th-10th, July 12th-16th, July 19th-23rd, July 26th-30th, and August 10th-14th; Junior Elite Weekends on June 6th-7th and August 21st-22nd; Specialized Position Weekend on June 13th-14th; Father/Son Weekends on June 19th-21st, July 10th-12th, July 24th-26th, August 14th-16th, and August 28th-30th; Shooting Skills Camps on June 15th-19th and August 30th-September 3rd; Point Guard Skills Camps on June 26th-28th and July 17th-19th; Bob Hurley Skills Camps on June 28th-July 2nd and August 16th-20th; and Kevin Boyle Skills Camp on August 23rd-27th.  For even more information about all of these events, click onto Hoop Group. 

Friday, February 6, 2009

Earlier this week we thought the game big game this weekend between Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ in the NIKE Extravaganza could very well determine the national champion this year in high school basketball.  But that was put on hold two nights ago when Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ knocked off Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 88-62.  So, if Mater Dei emerges victorious in tomorrow night's game, Monarch's head coach Gary McKnight and his team should be in a perfect position to both go undefeated and win the National Championship.  However, if St. Benedict's manages to rebound and pull off the upset, then suddenly the big game between Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ in the Prime Time Shootout a week from now could go a long way towards determining this year's national champion.  As things stand now in Van Coleman's most recent national high school poll, which was published yesterday and can found by going to MaxxAthlete.com, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA is ranked #1 with a 23-0 record, followed by 2) Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA (30-0), 3) Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV (21-0), 4) Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ (17-2), 5) Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD (14-1), 6) Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ (19-1), 7) Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN (16-0), 8) Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI (14-0), 9) Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX (28-0), 10) Mobile (LeFlore) AL (24-2), 11) Los Angeles (Westchester) CA (22-1), 12) San Antonio (Madison) TX (28-1), 13) Concord (De La Salle) CA (19-1), 14) Bloomington (South) IN (15-0), 15) Boyd Anderson (Lauderdale Lake) FL (22-1), 16) Harvey (Thornton) IL (18-1), 17) Compton (Dominguez) CA (19-4), 18) Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA (18-3), 19) Oakland (McClymonds) CA (20-1), 20) Washington (Gonzaga) DC (19-1), 21) Cincinnati (Princeton) OH (14-1), 22) Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN (15-2), 23) Arden (The Christ School) NC (28-2), 24) Indianapolis (North Central) IN (15-1), 25) New York (Rice) NY (12-2), and 25) Columbus (Northland) OH (13-1).  St. Patrick is currently ranked #9 by Jim Halley in the most recent USA Today Super 25 Rankings and #5 in Chris Lawlor's ESPN Rise Fab 50 Boys Rankings.  But neither of those polls have been updated since the game two nights ago between St. Patrick and St Benedict and Donnie Wilkie tells us that St. Patrick is a totally different team with 6'1 Jr Kyrie Irving, who transferred from Montclair (Kimberly Academy NJ to Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ last summer and, as a result, only recently became eligible.  "I'd love to see a rematch of the championship game in our tournament between Mater Dei and St. Pat's," say Wilkie.  "They're the best two teams in the nation."  And, if anybody knows, it's Wilkie, who not only sees more than his share of the top high school teams in the nation, but also annually puts together the field for the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, which is widely recognized as the premier high school tournament in the nation.  Also extremely interesting is the fact that Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith has a chance to win his seventh national championship, according to the National Prep Poll archives, which dates back to 1988 and includes Bronx (Tolentine) NY in 1988, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ in 1989, Chicago (Martin Luther King) NY in 1990, Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA in 1991, Baltimore (Dunbar) MD in 1992, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 1993, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 1994, New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA in 1995, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ in 1996, Peoria (Manual) IN in 1997, Frederick (St. John's at Prospect Hall) MD in 1998, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) Va in 1999, Compton (Dominguez) CA in 2000, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 2001, Dallas (Lincoln) TX in 2002, Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH in 2003, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 2004, Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY in 2005, Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN in 2006, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 2007, and Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ in 2008.  And, if we look at the archives for the USA Today's Super 25 poll, we also find that Oak Hill was the national champion in 2005, which means that Smith has actually already has won seven national championships while year in-and-year out playing against one of the toughest schedules in the nation.  The only other coach on this list who has won more than one championship is Bob Hurley of Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, who won this prestigious honor for the third time a year ago.  We also know that Stu Vetter, who is the now the head coach at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, has a pair of national championships dating back to 1986 when the USA Today ranked Oakton (Flint Hill) VA as their #1 team and 1998 when Frederick (St. John's at Prospect Hall) MD was the consensus #1-ranked team.  Editor's Note:  Nobody covers high school basketball like the HOOP SCOOP and, if you want to find out what happens in the NIKE Extravaganza this weekend and the Prime Time Shootout next weekend, obviously now is the perfect time to subscribe!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

The race really is too close to call among the top five players nationally in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010, which was published exclusively earlier today in the Members Section.  However, in the end, we gave the nod to 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, who not only is on track to break Damon Bailey's all-time career scoring record in the state, but also has developed much more of a scorer's mentality, as he still has the size and strength to play inside at the high school, but also now has the perimeter skills and ability to create his own shot necessary to be a terrific player someday at the highest level.  We also have to give serious consideration to 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'2 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, and 6'11 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA.  And, while Tyler is definitely the best prospect, he still needs to earn it.  Remember, this is the guy who was anointed by some of our competitors as the top player nationally in his class at a very young age, but until recently has not even come close to showing the consistency and maturity necessary to handle the notoriety and attention that goes along with being the top dog.  Knight is an incredible athlete and has superstar written all over him.  But he needs to tone himself down a little bit at times and make better decisions.  In other words, he needs to be quick, but not in so much of a hurry.  Sullinger , who is a beast inside with his killer demeanor, high skill level, and nose for the ball, is still arguably the best player on the class right now.  However, as a 6'7 power forward, he also has the least amount of upside among the five players mentioned above.  Thompson is a multi-dimensional and very skilled athlete, but we'd still like for him to be more aggressive at times.  But, then again, Sullinger may end up being the best player on the #1-ranked high school team in the nation, if St. Benedict's knocks off Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA in the NIKE Extravaganza this weekend in Santa Ana, CA.  And, if any of these guys stub their toe, 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who is ranked #6 in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010, is more than ready to step up and take their place after edging out 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'11 Demarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, and 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, who are five of the consensus top six-ranked seniors in the nation, for top player honors at the Spalding HoopHall Classic a couple of weeks ago at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA.  We also think 6'5 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, who was the best player on the first day at the LeBron James Skills Academy last summer in Akron, OH, could end up being ranked among the top five players nationally in the class.  But we're not as sold on 6'8 Jr Josh Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, whose final three appear to be UCLA, Louisville, and Washington, as a lot of people.  First of all, Smith is 6'8, not 6'10, which is the high at which he is frequently listed.  He's also more of a power guy out of the same mold as Louisville's Samardo Samuels, and, as a result, we have some questions about his speed, quickness, and size when projecting him to be a great player at the highest level.  The other big story with regards to Class of 2010 is the fact that an overwhelming number of the top players nationally are already verbally committed.  This list includes 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN to Ohio State, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Texas, 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH to Ohio State, 6'11 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA to Louisville, 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Tennessee, 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to USC, 6'2 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ to Syracuse, 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA to Duke, 6'5 Jr James Bell from Montverde (Academy) FL to Villanova, 6'6 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL to Illinois, 6'7 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to UCLA, 6'4 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC to Wake Forest, 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to North Carolina, 6'3 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC to North Carolina, 6'3 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI to Michigan State, 6'4 Jr Crandall Head from Richton Park (Rich South) IL to Illinois, 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, and 6'2 Jr Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA to  Wake Forest.  That's 18 of 30-top ranked players in the Class of 2010 who are already off the board.  And, when we dig a little deeper, we also find that nearly half of the top 100-ranked juniors nationally are already verbally committed, as we've also tracked commitments by 6'8 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC to N.C. State, 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Kentucky, 6'1 Jr Markel Starks from Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) GA to Georgetown, 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ to Texas, 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA to Georgetown, 6'7 Jr Jarrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC to Virginia Tech, 6'0 Jr K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX to Kentucky, 6'3 Jr Jordan Sibert from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH to Ohio State, 6'6 Jr Josh Langford from Huntsville (J.O. Johnson) AL to Louisville, 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxson) TX to Florida, 6'9 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX to Baylor, 6'1 Jr Noah Cottrell from Poca (H.S.) WA to West Virginia, 6'4 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA to Tennessee, 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI to Wisconsin, 6'7 Jr Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to USC, 6'4 Jr Anthony Johnson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL to Purdue, 6'1 Jr Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC to Duke, 5'10 Jr Juwan Staten from Dayton (Thurgood Marshall) OH to Dayton, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ to Pittsburgh, 6'11 Jr Baye Moussa Keita from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Syracuse, 6'2 Jr Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA to UCLA, 6'8 Jr Okaro White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL to Florida State, 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA to Duke, 6'2 Jr Royce Woolridge from Phoenix (Sunny Slope) AZ to Kansas, 6'0 Jr Eric Smith from Mullins (H.S.) SC to South Carolina, 6'10 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL to Illinois, 6'8 Jr Cody Larson from Sioux Falls (Roosevelt) SD to Iowa, 6'3 Jr Vander Blue from Madison (Memorial) WI to Wisconsin, and 6'5 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN to Michigan State.  We're talking about 47 of the top 100-ranked players being gone a full nine months before the beginning of next year's Fall Signing Period, which always begins on the second Wednesday in November.  To find out where all of these players are ranked, as well as get the complete list of the top 750 juniors nationally, now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

With yesterday's resignation of Mark Gottfried at the University of Alabama, this year's coaching merry-go-round has official begun.  And already we're hearing names like UAB's Mike Davis, Missouri's Mike Anderson, Minnesota's Tubby Smith, Xavier's Sean Miller, and Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant being mentioned as potential candidates to become the next head coach of the Crimson Tide.  Davis obviously makes perfect sense due to the fact that he was named the state's Mr. Basketball as a senior in high school in 1979, played at Alabama for both C.J. Newton and Wimp Sanderson in the early 80's, and is still the favorite to sign 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL this spring.  If you will recall, UAB landed Cousins a year ago, but our #4-ranked senior nationally recently re-opened his recruitment after the Blazers refused to write an escape clause into his National Letter-of-Intent in case Davis left for a another job.  So now Cousins is considering schools like Memphis, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Kansas State, Washington, and any place else Davis gets a head coaching job this spring.  Anderson also would make perfect sense due to the fact that he had so much success at UAB prior to taking the Tigers job three years ago and the word on the street is that he'd like to get out Missouri, if the right SEC job opened.  Smith is in the Catbird seat, because he's making close to $2 million a year at Minnesota, he's already turned the program around (his team is currently 17-3 in year two), and his second top 20-ranked recruiting class is on the way with players like 6'7 Royce White from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'7 Rodney Williams from New Hope (Robbinsdale Cooper) MN, 6'7 Trevor Mbakwe from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, and 6'2 Justin Cobbs from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA already in the fold.  But the Crimson Tide has a lot of money, so getting Smith shouldn't be a problem if they decide that he's their man.  The same also can be said about Miller, whose team won 30 games a year ago and is back in the top 10 in the latest polls again this year.  Remember, Miller has a ridiculous buy-out, but he's not going to stay at Xavier forever.  Grant has been one of the hottest young up-and-coming guys in the business ever since his the Rams knocked off Duke two years ago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and his team currently is ranked #1 in the league with an 8-1 record.  However, our Alabama Editor Mark Komara tells us that the best choice might be former Alabama All-American and Houston Rockets assistant coach T.R. Dunn.  Dunn has no head coaching experience at the college level, but he is one of the highest paid assistant coaches in the NBA, was an assistant coach for the Crimson Tide in 2001-02, and was one of the best defensive guards in the NBA during his 14-year playing career.  "Dunn embellishes everything positive that Alabama basketball has ever stood for," says Komara.  "He also would be a great recruiter and would put the toughness that has been missing since he left six years ago back into the program."  To our knowledge the only other head coaching job that we know for sure will be open this spring is the University of Arizona and right now the list of potential candidates is almost endless, as we've heard everybody from Louisville's Rick Pitino, Memphis' John Calipari, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, Minnesota's Tubby Smith, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Xavier's Sean Miller, Virginia Commonwealth's Anthony Grant, Washington State's Tony Bennett, Baylor's Scott Drew, UNLV's Lon Kruger, St. Mary's Randy Bennett, San Diego's Bill Grier, and Reggie Theus of the Sacramento Kings being mentioned as potential candidates for the job.  However, in this case, money may be a problem, as major cut-backs in the state's university system and jealous college administrators may prevent the school from shelling out the type of money that the Wildcats will need to get most of the guys on their "A" list to give this job serious consideration.  Besides, the program's recruiting was totally devastated by the timing of Lute Olson's retirement last October and, as a result, their recruiting has been set back at least several years.  The next job that may open is the University of Oregon, which currently is 6-14 overall and 0-8 in the league.  If you will recall, Ducks head coach Ernie Kent has been one step ahead of beating the posse the last several years, thanks to the fact that his team's have gone 47-22 and advanced to the NCAA each of the last two years.  However, this year is a rebuilding year and, as a result, the door appears to have been opened for the athletic director to make the move and somebody like Gonzaga's Mark Few or Duke assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski to get the job.  And, if you don't believe that a Duke assistant coach can get a head coaching job in the Pacific-10 Conference, the obvious precedent is first-year Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins making the move a year ago.  And don't forget that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has all the ties necessary with NIKE President Phil Knight to get this one done.  As for Few, he was born in Creswell, OR and is a graduate of the University of Oregon, which means making the move back to Eugene, OR will be like going home.  We also think it's interesting that Oregon assistant coach Kenny Payne, who is responsible for recruiting most of the good young players in the Oregon program, will probably be apart of the package, because he's one of the few assistant coaches with a multi-year deal and has close ties to Phil Knight.  From there the list of big time jobs that may open this spring is seemingly almost endless, as N.C. State's Sidney Lowe, Virginia's Dave Leitao, Maryland's Gary Williams, Georgia's Dennis Felton, St. John's Norm Roberts, DePaul's Jerry Wainwright, Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez, Rutgers' Fred Hill, and Northwestern's Billy Carmody are among the names that we're hearing are on the hot seat.  Obviously that last one might surprise you after the Wildcats recently knocked off both Minnesota and Michigan State.  But those in the know are telling us that Northwestern needs to win at least seven league games for Carmody to keep his job.  So with Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa at home and Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, and Ohio State on the road, the Wildcats will have to go at least 5-6 the rest of the way, if our source is correct.  One guy who does appear to be safe is Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, despite the fact the Yellow Jackets are currently only 9-10 overall and 0-6 in the league.  Not only did Hewitt and his staff recently land 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, but they also have the #10-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 with 6'2 Mfon Udofia from Stone Mountain (Miller Grove) GA, 6'8 Kammeron Holsey from Sparta (Hancock Central) GA, 6'4 Glen Rice from Marietta (Walton) GA, and 6'6 Brian Oliver from Newcaslte (William Penn) DE also already in the fold. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

We knew that five of the consensus top six-ranked seniors in the nation would be participating in the Spalding HoopHall Classic when we arrived in Springfield, MA three days ago and we were hoping that 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'11 Demarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, or 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK would step up and make a strong case for being ranked as the #1 player in the country.  But it didn't happen, as Boynton and Cousins didn't shoot well, Stephenson and Henry both appear to have lost a lot of their explosiveness and athleticism, and Favors is still missing that killer and, despite the fact that his statistics are impressive, we still expected more if he wants to be the best player in the nation.  So, as things stand now, we are leaning towards making 6'3 Avery Bradley from Henderson (Findlay) NV, who was not at the Spalding HoopHall Classic, but plays for the #2-ranked team in the nation in today's USA Today Super 25 High School Rankings.  Bradley plays incredible defense, has tremendous athleticism and explosiveness, can play either guard spot, is a relentless competitor and never takes a possessions a off, and continues to get better and better every time we see him play.  Another surprise is that our #1-ranked player in the entire event was 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who made a strong case with his 28 points and 12-15 field goals for a top-five national ranking when we publish our updated List of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 later this month.  Selby is another guy who is really hungry and, with his skills, strength, and athleticism, he was almost unstoppable in transition, as his team totally crushed Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA.  However, the race for the #1-ranking at the Spalding HoopHall Classic was almost too close to call between Selby and 6'9 Keith "Tiny" Gallon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who did a great job of stepping away from the basket and negating Favors' size and athleticism with his 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 6-9 3-point shooting.  And rounding out our top five-ranked players at the Spalding HoopHall Classic in order are 3) 6'10 Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and 12-15 field goals against Chicago (Whitney Young) IL; 4) 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, who had 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 11-21 field goals against Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; and 5) 6'7 Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, who had 33 points and nine rebounds against Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT.  We also find it interesting that those same were the five players named to the First Team All-Tournament.  But this comes as no surprise to us, because this was one of the best high school basketball events I've ever covered and everything went just like clock work.  In other words, the people who run this event really are on top of their game.  As for the rest of our List of the Top 50 Players at this event, it is as follows:  6) 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 7) 6'9 Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 8) 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 9) 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 10) 6'2 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 11) 6'11 Demarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 12) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 13) 6'5 Lamar Patterson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 14) 6'9 Jr Justin Johnson from Montverde (Academy) FL, 15) 6'10 Erik Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 16) 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 17) 6'8 Andy Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 18) 6'3 Chris Colvin from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 19) 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 20) 6'0 Jr Cedrick Lindsay from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 21) 6'8 Chris Braswell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 22) 6'2 Vincent Council from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 23) 6'8 James Padgett from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 24) 6'7 Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 25) 6'2 Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 26) 6'2 Jr Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 27) 6'5 Jr James Bell from Montverde (Academy) FL, 28) 6'8 Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 29) 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 30) 6'9 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 31) 6'4 Jr Anthony Johnson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 32) 5'5 Raymond Taylor from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 33) 5'9 Jr Phil Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 34) 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 35) 6'5 Preye Preboye from Winchendon (School) MA, 36) 6'5 Maurice Creek from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 37) 6'11 Hassan Whiteside from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 38) 6'7 Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 39) 6'1 Yves Jules from Winchendon (School) MA, 40) 6'4 Darryl Woods from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 41) 6'8 Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 42) 6'3 Ledrick Eackles from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 43) 6'6 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CA, 44) 6'3 Marcus Jordan from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 45) 6'11 Anthony Jordan Henriquez from Winchendon (School) MA, 46) 6'8 Sampson Carter from Winchendon (School) MA, 47) 6'4 Sherrod Wright from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 48) 6'5 Andre Malone from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 49) 6'6 Naji Hibbert from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 50) 6'7 Hassan Toler from New Haven (Hillhouse) CT.  Also noteworthy is how low big name players like Demarcus Cousins, Kenny Boynton, Lance Stephenson, and Xavier Henry are on the above list and the fact that 6'5 Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'8 DeShawn Painter from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'2 Jr Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'9 Andre Gillette from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, and 6'3 Tahj Tate from Marietta (Wheeler) GA didn't play well enough to make the list all.  We also are intrigued by the fact that there were seven players who scored 20 or more points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds in their game.  This list includes 6'9 Derrick Favors from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 25 points and 17 rebounds, 6'9 Jr Justin Johnson from Montverde (Academy) FL with 24 points and 15 rebounds, 6'9 Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH with 23 points and 17 rebounds, 6'9 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA with 23 points and 13 rebounds, 6'8 Keith "Tiny" Gallon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 22 points and 13 rebounds, 6'10 Erik Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ with 20 points and 13 rebounds.  The only two players at the event to score 30 or more points were 6'7 Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH with 33 points and 6'2 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT and the only player to reach the 20-rebound plateau was 6'10 Demarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL.  Editor's Note:  To get all the highlights and more insight into how we arrived at the above rankings from our three days at the Spalding HoopHall Classic, now is the subscribe to the Members Section

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Today was a slow day for recruiting information, so I turned my focus onto updating our Links page, which is second to none in terms of providing you easy access to just about all of the important basketball recruiting web sites on the internet.  In the left hand column we provide you with a list of links to most of our competition, most of the top college basketball internet web sites, Newspapers.com, and all of the College & University Web Sites.  The second and third columns include a list of links broken down geographically with regional and local recruiting web sites, high school tournaments, and some of the top AAU and club teams in the nation.  The fourth column features a list of links to some of the top camps, all-star games, tournaments, and events in the nation, as well as links to the Official site of the NBA, Official site of the NCAA, and Official site of the NJCAA.  We also have added some new links including the one right at the top of the first column to MaxxAthlete, which, along with the HOOP SCOOP, is your best source if you are looking for a plethora of information.  Other new links that we added include Hoopville, MaxPreps.com, FoxSports.com, New York Gauchos, Capitol Hoops, Boo Williams AAU Basketball, Carolina Flight, Georgia Stars, Marshall County Hoop Fest, King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, Proviso West Holiday Tournament, USEliteBasketball.com, BigShots, GenerationNextBasketball.com, and Adidas 5ive ClassicWe encourage you to check out each and every one of these web sites and, even though in some cases they're our competition, we're confident that it will continue to be obvious that we still have the best recruiting information and player rankings available on the internet.  We also are interested in your in-put in terms of additional links that you think we should add to this list and, as a result, encourage you email me at hoopscooponline@msn.com

Friday, January 9, 2009

I'm kidding when I say that there are going to be more events than there are players some day.  But it does illustrate just how out of control the proliferation of events has become in recent years.  I mention this because I've been working on updating our Calendar of Events, which is available by clicking onto Dates/Future Events.  However, I'm still far from being finished, as this list does not yet include any of the dates for the Five-Star Basketball Camp and it does not have most of dates for the numerous camps, tournaments, and events that will take place under the Hoop Group umbrella.  But it does provide a great starting point, as most of the major events that I plan to attend this winter, spring, and summer are included on the list.  We start with the Republic Bank/Coca-Cola Boys (L.I.T.) Louisville Invitational Tournament, which will be held next week in Louisville, KY, followed by the Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena in Springfield College in Springfield, MA on January 16th-19th, the U.S. Superior Skills Camp at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, TX on January 23rd-25th, the NIKE Extravaganza at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA on February 7th, the NIKE Super Six at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY on February 13th, the Prime Time Shootout at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ on February 14th-15th, the National Prep Alliance Invitational in Ft. Worth, TX on February 18th-22nd, the NCAA Final Four in Detroit, MI on April 4th-6th, the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV on April 9th-12th, the Hoop Group Jam Fest Pittsburgh at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, PA on April 17th-19th, the Bill Henlsey Memorial Run-N-Slam All-Star Classic at the Spiece Fieldhouse in Ft. Wayne, IN on May 1st-3rd, the Arizona Cactus Classic at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ on May 8th-10th, the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC on May 22nd-24th, the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, CA on May 29th-31st, the Generation Next All-Star Camp at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI on June 12th-14th, the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA on June 16th-21st, the Phenom Top 150 Camp at Alliant University in San Diego, CA on June 26th-28th, the LeBron James Skills Academy at the University of Akron in Akron, OH on July 6th-8th; the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia, PA on July 6th-10th, the Big Shots Atlantic Slam II in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 11th-12th, the NIKE Peach Jam in South Augusta, SC on July 13th-15th, the adidas Super 64 Tournament, Main Event, and Reebok Summer Championships, all of which will be held in Las Vegas, NV on July 22nd-26th, the Phoenix Desert Duel in Phoenix, AZ, July 27th-28th, the AAU 17-Under Nationals at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL on July 29th-August 1st, the AAU 14-Under Nationals at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, FL on August 1st-6th, and the Junior Phenon Camp in San Diego, CA on August 7th-9th.  Obviously all of this is subject to change and other camps, tournament, and events will attended to the list as more information becomes available.  Also, if you now about a camp, tournament, or event that you think should be included onto this list, now is a great time to email me information at hoopscooponline@msn.com

Friday, January 2, 2009

Now that the holiday basketball tournament season is over it the perfect time to incorporate all of the new things that we have seen during the last several weeks and publish our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams, feature our ranking of the top 100 high school players nationally regardless of class and position.  And the most striking thing about these new rankings is the fact that the sophomore class is clearly emerging as the next great class in high school basketball, as four of top 10-ranked players, six of our top 30-ranked players, 10 of our top 55-ranked players, and 15 of our top 100-ranked players are in the Class of 2011.  We're talking about 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfinkel) WA, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'5 Soph Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Curie) IL, 6'7 Soph LaByan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'7 Soph Chane Behanan from Cincinnati (Aiken) OH, 6'7 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 6'8 Soph Mike Shaw from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 6'1 Soph Marques Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'1 Soph Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Soph P.J. Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, and 6'1 Soph Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX.  And it will be interesting to see anybody in this class someday ends up reaching the level of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, who were our #1 and #2-ranked players in the Class of 2006, and whether collectively the top players in this class turn out to be as good as our top nine-ranked players - Kevin Love, Eric Gordon, O.J. Mayo, Michael Beasley, Jerryd Bayless, Kyle Singler, Donte Green, Derrick Rose, and Kosta Koufos - in the Class of 2007.  Or will this class go South, like the current senior class, which accounts for less than half of the players on our list of 20-five mans teams, which make up our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams The actual breakdown includes seven 5th Year Players, 49 seniors, 29 juniors, 15 sophomores, and zero freshmen, which means that nobody in the Class of 2012 has stepped up yet and proven that he is ready to be a dominant force at the high school level.  However, we do think that the Class of 2012 features several players, like 5'11 Frosh J'Michal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Frosh Perry Ellis from Wichita (Heights) KS, and 6'6 Frosh Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, who are destined for greatness.  We also think it is interesting to point out that we had to make some very difficult decisions when compiling this list.  Like who was going to be on the First Team.  As a matter of fact, 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'2 Avery Bradley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, and 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS all received serious consideration when it came to picking the top five players in the nation regardless of class and position.  In the final analysis we decided to go with the first five mentioned players.  If you will recall, we're down on Wall, because he takes too many possessions off and he makes lousy decisions, which result in too many turnovers.   Ross and Wroten haven't earned it yet like Gilchrist, who was our #1-ranked player last summer at the LeBron James Skills Academy and was named the MVP earlier this week at the Beach Ball Classic.  And we're not sure what to do about Henry, who has amazing natural talent, skills, and versatility, but has been slowed by injuries and, as a result, has not lived up expectations the last several times we're seen him play.  We also didn't name a MVP like we usually do, which means that the race  for top player honors is totally up for grabs and will be determined by what happens the rest of the season and in the post season all-star games, like the McDonald's All-American Game, which will be played this year on Wednesday, April 1st, at the Bank United Center in Miami, FL, and the Jordan Brand Classic, which will be played on Saturday, April 18th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City.  We also think the race is still too close to call among the top players in the Class of 2010.  And this is illustrated by the fact that we have 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'6 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'2 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL all ranked on the Third Team and 6'10 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA and 6'5 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA right behind them on the Fourth Team.  Also noteworthy is the fact that we have 6'9 Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA on the Fourth Team, despite the fact we had ranked #39 nationally when we published our list of the top 1000 seniors two months ago.  In other words, although we don't like Sidney's attitude, but he always seems to get the better of 6'10 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA in their head-to-head match-ups.  So to rank Tyler any higher Sidney would be a little bit ridiculous.  Besides, Sidney has the talent, skills, and potential to be as good as anybody in the class, if he ever decides to step up and want it bad enough.  Editor's Note:  To find out exactly where all of the above mentioned players ranked and to see actually who is on the list now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Today is a dead day for all of the high school basketball tournaments that we're covering between Christmas and New Year's, but tomorrow I'll be in Raleigh, NC for the second round of action of the Glaxo-Smith-Kline Invitational at Broughton High School; Tuesday, December 30th, I'll be in Waxhaw, NC for the second round of action of the Bojangles High School Shootout at Marvin Ridge High School; and on Wednesday, December 31st, I'll be back in Myrtle Beach, SC for the finals of the Beach Ball Classic at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.  The schedule for tomorrow's Glaxo-Smith-Kline Invitational begins with a girls game at 11:00 AM, followed by a loser's bracket semi-finals game with Richland (North Richland Hills) TX versus Toronto (Father Carr) ON at 12:40 PM, a loser's bracket semi-finals game with Rocky Mount (H.S.) NC versus Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC at 2:20 PM, a loser's bracket semi-finals game with Durham (Southern Lee) NC versus Apex (Middle Creek) NC at 4:00 PM, a winner's bracket semi-finals game with Knightdale (H.S) NC versus Roswell (Centennial) GA at 5:40 PM, a winner's bracket semi-final game with Kinston (H.S.) NC versus Arden (The Christ School) NC at 7:20 PM, and a winner's bracket semi-final game with Raleigh (Word of God) NC versus Bronx (St. Raymond's) NC at 9:00 PM.  Then, on Tuesday, December 30th, there will be two 5th Place games at 11:00 AM and 12:40 PM, two 3rd Place games at 2:20 PM, and 5:40 PM, the Championship Game in the Summit Hospitality Group Invitational at 7:20 PM, and the Championship Game in the Shavlik Randolph Foundation Invitational at 9:00 PM.  The first round of first action tomorrow at the Bojangles High School Shootout will include Concord (H.S.) NC versus Burlington (Cummings) NC at 10:30 AM, Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD versus Norcross (H.S.) GA at 12:30 PM, Memphis (White Station) TN versus Towson (Catholic) MD at 2:30 PM, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY versus Bradenton (Pendleton School) NC at 4:30 PM, and Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA versus Charlotte (West Mecklenburg) NC at 8:30 PM in the Marvin Ridge High School Gym and Charlotte (Myers Park) NC versus Charlotte (Country Day School) NC at 10:00 AM, Charlotte (Latin) NC versus Huntersville (Hopewell) NC at 6:00 PM, and Concord (Cannon School) NC versus Charlotte (Harding) NC at 8:00 PM in the Marvin Ridge Middle School Gym.  So, by the time I've arrived on Tuesday, December 30th, things should really be interesting as it will be the Cannon School/Harding winner versus the Hopewell/Charlotte Latin winner at 10:30 AM, the White Station/Towson Catholic winner versus the Bishop McNamara/Norcross winner at 2:30 PM; the Bishop O'Connell/West Mecklenburg winner versus the Christ the King/Pendleton School winner at 6:30 PM, and the Myers Park/Country Day winner versus the Concord/Cummings winner at 8:30 PM at Marvin Ridge High School and the Bishop O'Connell/West Mecklenburg loser versus the Pendleton School/Christ the King loser at Noon, the Myers Park/Country Day loser versus the Concord/Cummings loser at 4:00 PM, the White Station/Towson Catholic loser versus the Norcross/Bishop McNamara loser at 6:00 PM, and the Cannon School/Harding loser versus the Hopewell/Charlotte Latin loser at 8:00 PM.  Then, after I'm long gone on the final day there will be a Local-Regional 3rd Place at 9:00 AM, a National 3rd Place Game at 1:00 PM, a Local-Regional Championship Game at 5:15 PM, and National Boys Championship Game at 7:15 PM at Marvin Ridge High School and a National 7th Place Game at 11:15 AM, a Local-Regional 5th Place Game at 1:00 PM, and National 5th Place Game at 2:45 PM at Marvin Ridge Junior High School.  The also will be a Local-Regional Place Game in Gym #3 at Marvin Ridge High School at 10:00 AM.  When the action resumes tomorrow at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC it will be Greenville (Southside) SC versus Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA at Noon, Toronto (Pickering) ON versus Greenville (J.L. Mann) SC at 1:45 PM, and Sandy Hook (Elliott County) KY versus Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC at 3:30 PM in loser's bracket games and Marietta (Wheeler) GA versus Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY at 5:15 PM, Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX versus Los Angeles (Martin Luther King) CA at 7:00 PM, and Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL versus Fairless Hills (H.S.) PA at 8:45 PM in the other three quarterfinals games.  Then, on Tuesday, December 30th, it will be Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC versus the Southside/Fayette County loser at 10:15 AM, Paterson Catholic versus the Arlington Country Day/Pennsbury loser at Noon, the Wheeler/Boys & Girls loser versus the Cedar Hill/Martin Luther King loser at 1:45 PM, Mullins (H.S.) SC versus the Southside/Fayette County winner at 3:30 PM, the Pickering/J.L. Mann winner versus Elliott County/Myrtle Beach winner at 5:15 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus the Arlington Country Day/Pennsbury winner at 7:00 PM, and the Wheeler/Boys & Girls winner versus the Cedar Hill/Martin Luther King winner at 8:45 PM.  And I will get back on the final day, Wednesday, December 31st, just in time to watch the Pickering/J.L. Mann loser versus the Elliott County/Myrtle Beach loser at Noon, the Consolation Championship at 1:45 PM, the 5th Place Game at 3:30 PM, the 3rd Place Game at 5:30, and the Championship Game at 7:30 PM.  Editor's Note:  To get our exclusive coverage of the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC, the Bojangles High School Shootout in Charlotte, NC, and the Glaxo-Smith-Kline Invitational in Raleigh, NC, now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Including the two Sunshine Series Game, we have seen a player score 20 or more points 31 times and a player finish with a double-double 13 times during the first three days of action at the Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL.  The former list includes 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL with 43 points versus Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY with 37 points versus Eads (Briarcrest) TN, 6'5 Jr James Bell from Montverde (Academy) FL with 34 points versus Deerfield Beach (Zion Lutheran) FL, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 30 points versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 30 points versus Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'2 Soph Darius Perkins from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL with 28 points versus Duncanville (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Soph Derrick Gordon from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 27 points versus Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 5'11 Jr Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA with 27 points versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'11 Jr Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA with 27 points versus Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY with 26 points versus Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 26 points versus Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5'9 Jr Phil Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 26 points versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'6 Rodney McGruder from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL with 25 points versus Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, 6'7 Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 25 points versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Tajh Tate from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 24 points versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'0 Jr Jamison Sterns from Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 24 points versus Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, 6'5 Jr David Paulk from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL with 24 points versus Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'5 Leslie McDonald from Eads (Briarcrest) TN with 24 points versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'2 Soph Darius Perkins from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL with 23 points versus Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'4 Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 23 points versus Eads (Briarcrest) TN, 6'4 Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 21 points versus Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC with 21 points versus Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'10 Dominique O'Connor from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 21 points versus Orlando (Olympia) FL, 6'1 Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA with 20 points versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'9 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC with 20 points versus Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Dexter Fields from Orlando (Olympia) FL with 20 points versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Rodney McGruder from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL with 20 points versus Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'2 Jr Jordin Mays from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 20 points versus Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Jr Issaci Turner from Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 20 points versus Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Andrew Jackson) FL with 20 points versus North Port (H.S.) FL, and 6'0 Jr David Joseph from Deerfield Beach (Zion Lutheran) FL with 20 points versus Montverde (Academy) FL.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Soph Darius Perkins from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, 5'11 Jr Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'4 Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX were all consistent enough to have made the above list twice.  And Rivers gets special mention, because he gets out vote as the #1-ranked player in the tournament after the first three days, Perkins has clearly been the best 3-point shooter in the tournament, and Brookins has played himself into a high Division I scholarship with his athleticism, outside shooting, defense, and refusal to let his team lose.  As a matter of fact, Brookins is one of the leading 3-point shooters in the tournament with 6-16 treys and is leading the tournament in steals with 5.0 spg.  However, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin is refusing to listen   Rubins says he's seen Brookins play 300 times and he doesn't make good enough decision to be a point guard and isn't big enough to be a 2-gaurd, which means he's a mid-major player at the college level.  "He couldn't play at Temple," says Rubin.  The latter list includes 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 30 points and 14 rebounds versus Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'5 Jr David Paulk from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL with 24 points and 13 rebounds versus Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'6 Rodney McGruder from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL with 25 points and 11 rebounds versus Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Roger Franklin  from Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 21 points and 11 rebounds versus Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, 6'7 Johnny Williams from Eads (Briarcrest) TN with 19 points and 12 rebounds versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'7 Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA with 18 points and 12 rebounds versus Orlando (Olympia) FL, 6'7 Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 18 points and 12 rebounds versus Eads (Briarcrest) TN, 6'4 Soph Dezmine Wells from Raleigh (Word of God) NC with 18 points and 10 rebounds versus Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6'8 Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 16 points and 12 rebounds versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'7 Jr Remi Barry from Plantation (American Heritage) FL with 14 points and 12 rebounds versus Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 14 points and 10 rebounds versus Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 6'7 Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 13 points and 11 rebounds versus Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'4 Jr Robert Lovaglio from Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 13 points and 11 rebounds versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  We also think it is interesting to point out that 6'2 Kenny Boynton needs only 72 points to tie Teddy Dupay's tournament scoring record, which was set in 1997 with 143 points in three games (47.7 ppg).  And Boynton has two more games to do in, which means he needs to average 36.0 ppg on Monday and Tuesday.  And what about the fact that that 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ is currently ranked #3 in scoring and is leading the tournament in rebounding with 30.0 ppg and 14.0 rpg?  And, he's not the only sophomore who is knocking everybody's socks off, as 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL 6'2 Soph Darius Perkins from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL and 6'2 Soph Derrick Gordon from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ are also ranked among the leading scorers in the tournament.  As a matter of fact, that list includes is as follows:  1) 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY with 31.5 ppg, 2) 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL with 31.0 ppg, 3) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 30.0 ppg, 4) 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 28.0 ppg, 5) 5'11 Jr Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA with 27.0 ppg, 6) 6'2 Soph Derrick Gordon from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 27.0 ppg, 7) 5'9 Jr Phil Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 26.0 ppg, 8) 6'2 Soph Darius Perkins from Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL with 25.5 ppg, 9) 6'7 Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 25.0 ppg, and 10) 6'3 Tajh Tate from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 24.0 ppg.  The list of the leading rebounders in the tournament also is very interesting, as it includes 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 14.0 rpg, 2) 6'8 Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA with 12.0 rpg, 3) 6'7 Shawn Williams from  Duncanville (H.S.) TX with 9.7 rpg, 4) 6'6 Rodney McGruder from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL with 9.5 rpg, 5) 6'4 Jr Robert Lovaglio from Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 9.0 rpg, 5) 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 9.0 rpg, 5) 6'10 David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 9.0 rpg, 8) 6'7 Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA with 8.5 rpg, and 8) 6'7 Johnny Williams from Eads (Briarcrest) TN with 8.5 rpg.  The leader in the tournament in assists is 5'10 Martell Buie from Orlando (Olympia) FL with 7.5 apg.  But that doesn't include the two Sunshine Series Games.  If you will recall, 5'9 Jr Kaleb Clyburn from Montverde (Academy) FL had 12 assists in the game against Deerfield Beach (Zion Lutheran) FL and we think that also deserves special mention.  Today is an off day for high school basketball in the state of Florida, but the action will resume tomorrow morning with Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA versus Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL at 8:30 AM and Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL versus Eads (Briarcrest) TN at 10:15 AM in Challenge Round Games; Orlando (Olympia) FL versus Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL at Noon and Duncanville (H.S.) TX versus Plantation (American Heritage) FL at 1:45 PM in Consolation Bracket Semi-Finals Games; Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA at 3:30 PM and Raleigh (Word of God) NC versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA at 5:15 PM in 5th Place Semi-Finals Games; and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus Marietta (Wheeler) GA versus Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus Winter Park (H.S.) FL at 9:30 PM in the Semi-Finals.  Then, on Tuesday there will be Challenge Round Games at 9:00 AM and 10:40 AM, followed by the 5th Place Game at 12:20 PM, 3rd Place Game at 3:00 PM, Championship Game at 5:00 PM, a Sunshine Series Game at 7:15 PM, and the Consolation Championship at 9:00 PM.  Editor's Note:  To follow all of the action the last two at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, as well as get our coverage of the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC, the Bojangles High School Shootout in Charlotte, NC, and the Glaxo-Smith-Kline Invitational in Raleigh, NC, now is the perfect time to subscribe to the Members Section