---

THE HOOPSCOOP Online
Published by The HOOP SCOOP, Inc., P.O. Box 37122, Louisville, KY 40233 Editor & Publisher Clark Francis Email Address: clark@hoopscooponline.com Phone (502) 493-0043 Fax (502) 493-0440 All rights reserved - Copyright 1999

Monday, May 31, 1999 - Late last night the field at the NIKE Bluegrass Classic in Lexington, KY was narrowed to only eight as The Family (MI), Bloomington Red, Howard Pulley-Blue (MN), New York Riverside Church, Houston Hoops, Delaware Valley, Shreveport, and Coast to Coast all advanced. into the quarterfinals, which will be played on four different courts at 11:00 AM this morning. However, en route to the final eight there were two major upsets when the Tennessee Travlers knocked off the Southern California All-Stars in the first round and Howard Pulley Blue beat the Illinois Warriors in the quarterfinals. And that's the big story of the day. The Warriors may have lost the game, 66-54, but 6'9 Jr Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL took his game to another level with a wide array of dunks and incredible moves to the basket. He's the best player we've seen in high school since the Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and Tim Thomas days, which means you have to go back four classes to find somebody as good. Miles is like a highlight film, but what really makes him great are his long arms, incredible quickness, and ability to cover so much ground, especially defensively, very quickly. And the like great ones, he has a great feel for the game. Following up the poor performance of 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ on Saturday, he told us that he had more to do with his poor performance than anything the Bloomington Red Team did, although everybody in the tournament has looked bad so far against what may prove to be Bloomington's best team ever. Evidence of this fact comes with Delaware Valley's surprising upsets against both the Georgia Stars and the Tennessee Travlers. Just like in France a week ago, Wagner started finding 6'4 Jr Rashard Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who was wide open out on the perimeter.

Sunday, May 30, 1999 - As expected, earlier today 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ was the main topic of conversation at the NIKE Bluegrass Classic in Lexington, KY. However, it was not in a positive context. He's now infamous, because every time he touched the ball, he shot it. As a matter of fact, I have never seen a player shoot more and, in the process, totally destroy his team. His shooting percentage was atrocious and his shot selection worse. As a result, his team, Delaware Valley, lost to Bloomington  Red, which is one of the best teams in the tournament, by 30 points. As usual, Bloomington Red impressed us with their coaching, discipline, and execution, but we're still not sure they can beat New York Riverside Church once the playoffs begin later today. Speaking of Riverside Church, tonight 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY more than made up for Wagner's lack of team play, as put on a passing clinic against Alabama select. However, he still may not be the best point guard in the tournament, because 6'1 Jr Taliek Brown was also magnificient earlier in the day. We also were very impressed with 6'8 Soph Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 6'10 Jr Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN.

Saturday, May 29, 1999 - Speaking of the the NIKE Bluegrass Classic, which promises to be one of the premier events of the entire summer, we will be there all day tomorrow and Sunday. And the list of outstanding players is seemingly endless - 6'9 Jr Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 7'0 Soph Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'1 Jr Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'10 Jr Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'6 Soph Josh Childers from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'9 Frosh Deangelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Soph David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'7 Jr Justin Reed from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'8 Jr Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY, 6'7 Jr Eric King from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'4 Soph Rashard Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Jr Scooter Sherrill from Mount Ulla (West Rowan) NC, 5'11 Soph Charles Fredrick from Boca Raton (Pope John Paul II) FL, 6'8 Jr T.J. Cummings from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmore) IL, 6'8 Soph Levi Watkins from Laurel (St. Vincent Pallotti) MD, 6'7 Jr Johnny Gilbert from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, 7'0 Jr Andrew Skoglund from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'3 Jr Eddie Starks from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, 6'2 Jr Jake Sullivan from Oakdale (Tartan) MN, 6'5 Jr Matt Lottich from Winnetka (New Trier) IL, 6'5 Jr Brett Melton from Mahomet (Mahomet-Seymour) IL, 6'5 Jr Gerald Riley from Milledgeville (Baldwin) GA, 5'11 Jr Brody Body from Dugger (Union) IN, 6'4 Jr Andre Owens from Indianapolis (Perry Meridian) IN, 6'2 Soph Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 7'1 Soph Craig Forth from Columbia (East Greenbush) NY, 6'2 Jr Maurice Searight from Orchard Lake (St. Mary) MI, 6'7 Jr Zach Williams from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'0 Jr James Theus from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 5'11 Soph Cornelius Mitchell from Augusta (Josey) GA, 6'10 Soph Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, 6'2 Frosh Chad Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, 6'2 Soph Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, 6'7 Jr Nick Anderson from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA, 6'2 Soph Salim Stoudamire from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'1 Jr Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'2 Jr Adam Boone from Minnetonka (H.S.) MN, 6'5 Jr Scott Hundley from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'5 Soph Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, and 6'9 8th Grader Grant Billmeir from Pennington (Prep) NJ. We will have some highlights late tonight and a complete wrapup next week exclusively in the Members Section. You won't want to miss it, but to get it you'll have to subscribe. You can do so by clicking on Subscribe.

Friday, May 28, 1999 - University of Louisville assistant coach Jerry Eaves has taken announced that he is leaving to take a similar position with the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA. Especially interesting were several of the quotes in today's Louisville Courier-Journal: "Eaves said he thinks UofL is headed 'back to top-five dominance in the country'" and "he isn't leaving behind aspirations to one day succeed coach Denny Crum." We've done it before, but we want to look once again at where the program stands and where it might be heading. Everything should be fine next year, because 6'5 Reece Gaines from Madison (West) WI, who ranks #45 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, promises to solve all of Louisville point guard problems. He's not a great player, but he's a good player. Plus he's exactly what they need. With Nate Johnson, Tobiah Hopper, Deon Edward, and possibly Alex Sanders (if he wins his appeal for another year) all back up front, the Cardinals should finally be in a position to win 20-plus games again. And if they get the two Nigerians - 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi, 6'11 Muhammed Lesage - both of whom have committed, but not signed with Louisville, they could make a serious run at the NCAA Final Four next season. However, Johnson, Hopper, Edward, and Sanders are all going to be seniors and if Ndubuisi and Lesage are even eligible, they will likely will be thinking about the NBA in a year. So as it stands now, there is a good possibility that only player in the program over 6'7 after next season might be Hajj Turner, who so far has never played a minute for the Cardinals. So, the next recruiting class becomes just as critical as the last two. Unless Louisville recruits at least two or three front court players who can play, the bottom might just fall out after next season. Although Louisville hasn't signed any McDonald's All American's in recent years, Eaves has done a good job of scrambling around and plugging the holes late in the spring. However, there is no guarantee he'll be able to do it three years in a row. So it looks like he's getting out while the getting is good, instead of leaving Louisville with a team that is heading "back to top-five dominance in the country." As for being the next coach at Louisville, he was perfectly placed to have a shot to get the job when Denny Crum eventually hangs it up. Remember, he's already been an assistant coach in the NBA. Why does he need to go back and do it again?  Instead, the thing he needed was head coaching experience at the lower Division I level. Crum may still push for Eaves to succeed him when the time comes, but it's not Crum's decision. The decision will be made by Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich and remember where you heard it first! If Larry Eustachy does as well at Iowa State the next several years as did previously at Utah State, he will likely be the next coach at Louisville. We've heard that he was Jurich's college roommate and the best man in his wedding, although we haven't confirmed that yet. We have confirmed that he and Jurich are very close friends. Maybe Eaves saw the writing on the wall and got out while the getting was good.

Thursday, May 27, 1999 - The HOOP SCOOP is reporting that University of Virginia head coach Pete Gillen has hired Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA head coach Scott Shepherd and will likely also hire Binghamton University assistant coach Alexis Sherad, who was the administrative assistant for Gillen when he was at Providence. Adam Harrington, who is transferring from N.C. State, is taking his official visit to Auburn University today and when the dust has all cleared, we think he will pick the Tigers over Miami-FL, Iowa, and UCLA. Cedric Patton, who has gotten his release and is transferring from Alabama, is considering Northwestern, Vanderbilt, UT-Chattanooga, and Mississippi. Erik Brown, was the Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, has announced that he's transferring from Morehead State.  He is considering Xavier, DePaul Louisville, Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh, and Marshall, but this one could get ugly, because it looks like head coach Kyle Macy isn't going to release him. Victor Williams, who is transferring from Illinois State, has picked Oklahoma State and Oklahoma is getting 6'7 Travis Reed, who is transferring from UCLA. Maybe he's the player to be named later in the Ryan Humphrey trade, although Humphrey sure is taking is time picking a school. Rutgers already has a replacement lined up if 7'1 Josh Moore from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT doesn't make it academically. As a matter of fact, the coaching staff at Rutgers is supposed to find out today about Moore's academic standing at St. Thomas More, as a result, will soon make a decision about whether to wait for Moore (he will likely have to go to summer school) or take 6'3 Jovan Johnson from Wabash Valley (JC) IL. Apparently the Scarlet Knights can get Johnson, but they don't have any scholarships available, unless they use Moore's.

Wednesday, May 26, 1999 - We reported a week ago that former University of Virginia head coach Jeff Jones would likely get the assistant coaching position at the University of Rhode Island. It hasn't happened yet, but we understand there is press conference scheduled for today at which time Jones will be named to the fill the position. And this is a great moved for head coach Jerry Degregorio, because he and Jones should complement one another extremely well. If you will recall, Jones was an excellent bench coach, but didn't recruit well enough to maintain it Virginia. Degregorio, on the other hand, is a great recruiter, but until now has not had any head coaching experience at the Division I level. Speaking of Virginia, we find it ironic that 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI, who ranks #9 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Michigan over the Cavaliers only a few days before the story broke about an alleged gambler's association with seemingly numerous Michigan players during the Steve Fisher days. We have to wonder if the story broke a week earlier, would that have been enough to change Blanchard's mind? If that had happened, we'd be talking about Virginia having the #1 ranked recruiting class, instead of Duke. Remember, Virginia signed three outstanding recruits in 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Majestic Mapp from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'5 Roger Mason from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, as well as 6'8 Stephane Don Don from Collin (JC) TX, who was one of the best junior college power forwards in the nation last year. If they had gotten Blanchard, it would have been the icing on the cake. As for Blanchard, we heard rumblings that he may want to get out of his National Letter-of-Intent with Michigan, but we don't put much stock in it.

Tuesday, May 25, 1999 - Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who ranks among the top 10 juniors nationally, is surprised that he isn't get interest from more schools. Right now he's receiving a lot of attention from St. John's, Syracuse, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Florida State, but that's pretty much it. Naclerio also tells us that 6'7 Jr Eric King from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY will likely transfer to Cheshire (Academy) CT. "It would make a lot of sense," says Naclerio. "He needs to improve academically and he's already close to being 18 years old, which makes him old for his grade." Now that Chuckie Moore is transferring from Seton Hall, the Pirates are looking for a 2-guard, which explains why they've shown recent interest in 6'4 Royal Ivey from Bayside (Cardozo) NY. Buffalo has beaten Fairleigh Dickinson and Wagner for 5'9 Khalid Corsey from Dixie (JC) UT. This is an absolute steal, because Corsey, who led his conference in steals the last two years, is one of the best, if not the quickest point guard still available. Buffalo also has another steal in 6'4 Kerry Hendrickson from College of the Desert (JC) CA and they have two players sitting out in Mike McKie and Clement Smith, both of whom will be eligible next season. As a result, Buffalo, which only won four games last year, should be dramatically improved.

Monday, May 24, 1999 - We got a call today from James Taylor, who is the father of 6'3 Jr Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who currently ranks as the #2 junior in the nation, and he tells us his son as narrowed his list to Michigan State, Kentucky, Michigan, UCLA, and North Carolina. Mr. Taylor confirms that his son will attend the Olympic Festival in late June and the NIKE All-American Camp in early July. If you will recall, Taylor was the #1 ranked player by the HOOP SCOOP ahead of 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ and 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ at the NIKE Camp last summer. Mr. Taylor also tells us that his son may attend a session of Five- Star, but feels like there are a lot things that his son needs to work on at home to get ready for college. However, academics aren't among them. he's already qualified academically.

Sunday, May 23, 1999 - Several days ago it appeared to be a done deal, but now our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Davidson head coach Bob McKillop has changed is mind and will not be taking the head coach job at Stony Brook. On the table was a 10-year $3 million offer, but apparently the president of the school changed his mind. We also understand that members of the McKillop family were having second thoughts about his taking the job. Speaking of rumors from the New York Area, the HOOP SCOOP has a very reliable source who is getting this second hand from Shaheen Holloway himself. He's been telling his friends that he's transferring to the University of Kentucky. And if this indeed does come to pass, Holloway will have to sit out a year to sit out, which might be good, because it would give him time to work on his jump shot and, as a result, that might be the difference in whether he eventually makes it in the league or not. However, if you will recall, there have been rumors off and on for several years about Holloway transferring and right now we think this is mostly just Holloway going back to Queens and shooting off his mouth to his friends. As a matter of fact, he told his high school coach Kevin Boyle, last Thursday that he was staying at Seton Hall. And if you're Kentucky, who would you rather have, Holloway for a year or 6'1 Jr Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA and 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who are two of the top junior point guard in the nation, for four years? Still the Holloway situation could be worth keeping an eye on.

Saturday, May 22, 1999 - We got a call last night from Linzy Davis, who is coaching one of the two U.S. team's in the NIKE World Junior Tournament in France this weekend, and he reports that his team beat Dourges, which is the national team from France, 113-78. However, at halftime they were only up 50-44. But then 6'3 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ hit 6’4 Soph Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA for five straight 3-pointers from well beyond the arc and the crowd went nuts. "It was like ping pong," says Davis. "They're a lethal combination." Wagner and Carruth were named co-MVP in their opening round game, as they had 26 points apiece. Also scoring in double digits was 6'8 Rodney Tucker from Stone Mountain (H.S.) GA with 14 points. Davis also tells us that 6’11 Steve Hunter from Maywood (Proviso East) IL and 6’7 Jr Arthur Barkley from Camden (H.S.) NJ did a lot of the dirty work inside and he was very impressed with contributions made by 6’6 Soph Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA and 6'5 Soph Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA, both of whom are part of that great sophomore class in Georgia. Not making the trip was 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ, but Davis doesn't seem to be too concerned, because Wagner and Carruth are lethal enough. Today Davis' team plays the tough Croatian team and if they get past this game, he thinks they'll have a good chance at winning the championship against either Lativa or Nigeria.

Friday, May 21, 1999 - Bob Domine, the sport anchor for WAVE-TV in Louisville, KY, tells us that Donovan Brown, who is the person in charge of the recruitment of the three Nigerians - 7'0 Uche Okafor, 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi, and 6'11 Muhammed Lesage - has confirmed that both Lesage and Eze Ndubuisi have committed to the University of Louisville. However, a lot of questions remain, because as it stands now we still have not confirmed whether they have just verbally committed or actually signed National Letters-of-Intent. And even if they do, what does it mean? Remember, Lesage signed two weeks ago with Houston, but apparently it wasn't valid, because his mother didn't co-sign the letter. Brown says that he expects both Eze Ndubuisi and Lesage to get cleared by the NCAA Clearing House, but nothing is ever for sure when you're dealing with the NCAA. However, as it stands now it looks like Lesage has reneged on Houston, which means the Cougars recruiting class drops from #11 into a tie at #24 with North Carolina. It also means that Louisville's recruitng class moves up to #17 behind Clemson and ahead of DePaul. If the Cardinals were to get the third Nigerian (Okafor), their class would move up to #5 behind Michigan and head of Cincinnati. However, we don't look for that to happen, because Brown recently told Gary Fogle, also of WAVE-TV, that Okafor is no longer considering the University of Louisville.

Thursday, May 20, 1999 - We still don't have anything more than a haunch on where 6'8 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who ranks #14 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is going to school. Not even the four schools involved - Arizona, Missouri, UCLA and Utah - know what Kapono is going to do when he announces his decision at 5:30 PM Pacific Coast Time. However, we have sources close to Arizona, Missouri, and Utah who independently of one another think that they're not getting Kapono. So by process of elimination, we think Kapono is UCLA bound. However, we don't have any hard information on this. It's only an educated guess. So stay tuned! Also speaking of UCLA, we are now getting unconfirmed reports that 6'5 Jamal Crawford from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who signed with Michigan last fall, wants out of his National Letter-of-Intent and may instead go to UCLA. And it won't be the first time he's changed his mind. A year ago he signed with Fresno State, but didn't qualify academically, so he was free to repeat his senior year of high school and sign with another school. However, if he does not enroll at Michigan, we would assume that he would have to sit out next year - either as a transfer and or an academic casaulty. And if he doesn't meet the minimum requirements to be eligible at the Division I level, how is he going to get into UCLA, which has much tougher academic requirements? We just talked with Kapono and, as expected, he has picked UCLA.This is big for the Bruins, because Kapono is one of the smartest players in the nation both on and off the court. He's also a great passer and has excellent moves along the baseline and driving to the basket. However, what UCLA needs the most is Kapono's outside shooting. At a younger age he was a deadly 3-point shooter, but when he grew several inches a year ago, he became streaky from beyond the arc. However, this is obviously something that just needs a little work, as was evident when he won the 3-point shooting contest at the McDonald's All American Game.

Wednesday, May 19, 1999 - The Iowa City Press Citizen and the Quad City Times are both reporting that 6'8 Jr Glen Worley from Iowa City (West) IA, who ranks #16 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is supposed to announce today that he is committing to Iowa. This is a huge pickup for Steve Alford, because it not only establishes that he can recruit in his back yard, but it also is a strong indicator that the University of Kansas will no longer be able raid the state for players that Alford really wants. Kansas and Michigan State were also on Worley's list. If you will recall, the Hawkeyes may have gotten the earliest commitment ever recorded a month ago from 6'3 Frosh Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA. Also, it looks like Alford will be able to go back to Indiana and steal a few away from his former head coach Bob Knight. The Iowa City Press Citizen is reporting that 5'11 Jr Brody Boyd from Duggers (Union) IN will be visiting Iowa next Tuesday with his dad. And if the Hawkeyes offer, look for another early commitment. Boyd all but told us that at Spiece earlier this month.

Tuesday, May 18, 1999 - We have spent the better part of last night and today working on recruiting our preliminary ranking of the top recruiting classes and results are as follow: 1) Duke, 2) Virginia, 3) Mississippi State, 4) Michigan, 5) Cincinnati, 6) Florida, 7) Kentucky, 8) Providence, 9) Alabama, 10) Georgia, 11) Houston, 12) South Carolina, 13) Georgetown, 14) Tennessee, 15) Clemson, 16) DePaul, 17) San Jose State, 18) Nebraska, 19) UNC-Charlotte, 20) Stanford, 21) Connecticut, 22) Arkansas, 23) UNLV, 24) North Carolina, 25) Rutgers, 26) Mississippi, 27) Arizona State, 28) Missouri-Kansas City, 29) Kansas, 30) Michigan State, 31) Indiana, and 32) Missouri. Especially interesting is the fact that five of the top 10 recruiting classes belong to the SEC and nine of the top 32 classes. But the top two classes are from the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC also features four of the top 32 classes, as do Conference USA and the Big East. Of course all that is subject to minor adjustment and change in the next two weeks as we continue to find out where players have signed. Our final ranking of the top 100-plus recruiting classes, ranking of recruiting classes by conference and different ways to look at recruiting will all be published exclusively in the Members Section in early June. Also you won't want to miss our updated list of the top players nationally by class, which also will be published in June, or the summer camp season, which is just around the corner. So get you Visa or Master Card and click on subscribe right now!

Monday, May 17, 1999 - It's been widely reported last night and today that 6'11 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS has decided to put his name in the NBA draft, but I'm not sure if most people know that it is official that 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS has signed a Nationally Letter-of-Intent with Mississippi State. So has 6'3 Derrick Zimmerman from Monroe (Gossman) LA. All this is important, because Mississippi State's recruiting class now ranks #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and that is without Bender. As a matter of fact, if Bender had stayed, Mississippi State's recruiting class would have been ranked #1 ahead of Duke and Virginia. Also we raised the question on Saturday regarding whether Bender could test the waters in the NBA and return if he doesn't like what he sees and doesn't sign with an agent. Our reasoning was that the National Letter-of-Intent made the player inclusive as part of the organization. However, the official word from the NCAA (we call this morning) is that you have to be enrolled in school before you are governed by NCAA rules. The National Letter-of-Intent is administered by an organization that is affiliated with the Southeastern Conference in Birmingham, AL and, as a result, is a separate body. To our knowledge this is the first time this question has been raised in this context, because in the past nobody has ever first signed a letter-of-intent and then declared for the NBA draft our of high school. If you will recall, Bender signed with Mississippi State last fall and 6'10 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL signed with Fresno State this spring. But both have recently given up their amateur status by placing their names in the NBA draft.

Sunday, May 16, 1999 - Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on where 6'8 Donatas Zavackas from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH is going to college and it is a major surprise, because Valparaiso and Clemson had done a great job of recruiting foreign players and, as a result, were thought to be the heavy favorites. Instead, he has signed with the University of Pittsburgh. Johnson also warns us not to look for anything to happen anytime soon with Zavackas' high school teammate 6'10 Robertas Javtokas, who still has Arizona, Valparaiso, UNC-Charlotte, Utah, Tulane, and Louisville all on his list. If that weren't enough, Johnson also has another major surprise that he will spring on us sometime next week. We're talking about an outstanding foreign big guy who is on the verge of signing with a Division I school. Stay tuned!

Saturday, May 15, 1999 - Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has learned that Rhode Island's Lamar Odom will declare for the NBA draft this weekend and, unlike so many other players who are coming out early, he is ready to go the league. As a matter of fact, he might even be the #1 pick. Naclerio tells us that Odom gave serious consideration to returning to Rhode Island for another year, but several members of his family wanted him to declare hardship for the NBA draft. Apparently that was the deciding factor. Also announcing that he will enter his name into the draft is Georgia Tech's Dion Glover, who has not played in a college game in almost 14 months. The word is that he will not sign with an agent in case he doesn't get the kind of interest he expects. In other words, he leaving his options open. We are still waiting to see if Duke's Corey Maggette and 6'11 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS both put their names into the draft, but we suspect they will. Maggette, Glover, et al. can test the waters, because they are already in college and, as a result, are governed by NCAA rules. But can Bender and 6'10 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, both of whom are still in high school? Based on past history they can't. However, we're not so sure, because both Bender and Smith have signed a National Letter-of-Intent and, as a result, are now governed by NCAA rules. In the past, we can't remember anybody - Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington, Korleone Young, Rashard Lewis, Dirk Nowitzki, et al. - signing a letter-of-intent and then declaring for the draft.

Friday, May 14, 1999 - If will recall, the day that Luke Recker announced that he was leaving Indiana, we told you that the top three schools on his list were Arizona, Florida, and Missouri. Well, today he HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that Recker has made it official for Arizona. This may or may not effect the recruitment of 6'5 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, according to Kapono's high school coach Wayne Merino. Kapono, who was at UCLA on Wednesday and Arizona yesterday, will now get away from it for a few days and then sit down and make a decision. Merino also tells us that Kapono really hasn't had time to think about making a decision until this week, because his grandfather has had health problems and the family has been tied up with that.

Thursday, May 13, 1999 - It comes as no surprise that 6'8 Marcus Haislip from Lewisburg (Marshall County) TN, who just misses being ranked among our top 100 nationally, has picked Tennessee over Alabama and Kentucky. That happened this morning. We also now have word that 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS, who ranks as one of the top five junior college players, is on the verge of committing to Mississippi State, but it appears they don't want to announce it yet, because they are also a close to getting 6'2 Derrick Zimmerman from Monroe (Gossman) LA. We also hear that 6'5 Adam Harrington, who is transferring from N.C. State, may pick Auburn over Miami-FL, Iowa, and UCLA. However, if Luke Recker picks Iowa tomorrow (the press conference is scheduled for 2:00 PM), the Hawkeyes would be out with Harrington. Recker 's final four are Iowa, Florida, North Carolina, and Arizona. We are still waiting on 6'10 Jeremy McNeil from San Antonio (Sam Houston) TX to make it official for Syracuse, but Mitch Malone, the Editor & Publisher of the Texas Blue Chip Report, assures us that it is done, except for completing the paperwork. Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Southeast Missouri has a steal in 6'6 DeMarcus Hence from Memphis (Fairley) TN. Rothman also thinks 6'2 Jared Bledsoe from Memphis (Hamilton) TN is a good get for UT-Martin. Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Lafayette has landed 6'5 Winston Davis from Tampa (Prep) FL and 6'8 Scott Gorhart from Worcester (Academy) MA.

Wednesday, May 12, 1999 - Yesterday we reported that two of the three Nigerians were in Los Angeles, CA visiting UCLA. That was correct, but we made a logical assumption that the two players in question were 7'0 Uche Okafor  and 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi, because the other Nigerian - 6'11 Muhammed Lesage - signed with Houston last week.  However, we now stand corrected, because Ndubuisi wasn't there (he's back in Nigeria). Instead, the other player making an unofficial visit to UCLA was Lesage. We still not sure whether our International Editor Chris Johnson was right about Lesage not signing the National Letter-of-Intent or for some unexplained reason it is not binding with the University of Houston, because this is an unofficial visit and, as a result, UCLA isn't paying his way. However, Johnson was right with his original comment about the three Nigerians ever becoming eligible at a Division I school being more complicated than either Watergate or all the Bill Clinton scandals. As long as we're talking about UCLA's recruiting, 6'8 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA is on campus at UCLA today making an unofficial visit. He also will be at Arizona tomorrow and then he will likely pick from among Missouri, Utah, UCLA, and Arizona before the signing period ends this weekend. UCLA also is suddenly in need of another point guard, because Baron Davis announced that he has declared hardship for the NBA draft. One name we've already heard is 6'0 Victor Williams, who is transferring from Illinois State, but we think they will more than likely focus most of their attention on juniors like 6'1 Jr Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, 6'1 Jr Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, and 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY.

Tuesday, May 11, 1999 - The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that the two remaining Nigerians from Canada - 7'0 Uche Okafor  and/or 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi - are both at UCLA today on an unofficial visit. If you will recall, it was reported by the Houston Chronicle last week that the other Nigerian - 6'11 Muhammed Lesage - signed with Houston, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson continues to question whether he did indeed sign a national letter-of-intent. Getting back to UCLA, the Bruins did sign 6'6 Spencer Gloger from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, who ranks #339 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and was the Orange County Player of the Year, and we continue to hear that UCLA is a lot stronger with 6'8 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who ranks #14 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, than most people realize. UCLA also will have Ryan Humphrey, who is transferring from Oklahoma, on campus this weekend and Chris Burgess, who is transferring from Duke is expected to be on campus in the immediate future. However, despite the fact that Burgess' best friend is a student basketball manager at UCLA and his girl friend goes to school at UCLA, it's a done deal for Utah. As a matter of fact, we've been sitting on this one for over a month, but at the time it was off the record. However, now the cat's out of the bag and everybody pretty much knows Utah is the leader.

Monday, May 10, 1999 - LaVell Blanchard, Sr called our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin this afternoon to make sure that we knew that his son, 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI, who ranks as the #9 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, had signed with the University of Michigan. This is absolutely huge for the Wolverines, because Blanchard was one of four outstanding players in the state, along with 6'5 Jason Richardson from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'1 Brent Darby from River Rouge (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Aloyius Anagonye from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI. Richarson and Anagonye both signed with Michigan State and Darby went to Ohio State, so getting Blanchard, who ranks as the #1 senior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, is a very important step in terms of reestablishing their ability to get the top players in their backyard. This is also very important, because with this signing, Michigan's recruiting class now moves into the #2 position nationally just ahead Florida and behind Duke.  It also puts Michigan in a position where they can concentrate solely on going after inside players, because 6'4 Kevin Gaines from Las Vegas (Clark) NV and 6'5 Jamal Crawford from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA are interchangable at the one and the two spots and Blanchard should great at the wing forward position. Michigan also landed two great role players last fall in 6'8 Leland Anderson from North Attleboro, who can play either forward spot, and 6'5 Gavin Groninger from Plainfield (H.S.) IN, who can shoot the lights out, plays with reckless abandon, and can play either wing spot.

Sunday, May 9, 1999 - Remember where you heard it first! The HOOP SCOOP is predicting that Gary Michael Decesare and Thomas John Decesare will be the top two players in New York City in the Class of 2017. Gary Michael was born at 9:50 AM this morning and weighs six pounds, 14 ounces. His younger brother was born a minute later and weighs six pounds, 13 ounces. They are the twin son's of Pam and Gary Decesare, who both are well known in the basketball world, because they are two of the driving forces behind the adidas ABCD Camp. Gary is also the long time head coach at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, which ranks as one of the premier basketball programs in the nation. We not only extend our congratulations to the parents, but also hope that heir kids turn out to be as good a people as their parents and are every bit as successful.

Saturday, May 8, 1999 - A week ago Thursday, April 29th, 6'2 Jr Rasheed Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ was involved in a serious car accident in Westfield, NJ, which resulted in a punctured lung, broken ribs, swelling of the head, and a broken jaw in two spots. He was operated on Tuesday and although he still has a long road to go the chances of a full recovery appear to be very good. Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Dunbar was a passenger is a car that was blindsided on the right side at a major intersection. The driver only had minor injuries, but Dunbar was in critical condition after the accident. Ironically, if Dunbar had been wearing his seat belt he would have likely been killed. Instead, on impact he was pushed into the driver's side of the car. Not only was Dunbar ranked as the #1 junior in New Jersey, but he also gave 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who ranks #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, all he wanted when they matched up at the IS8 Spring League on Friday, April 23rd. "Dunbar showed me a hell of a lot," says Naclerio. "His ball handling skills and point guard skills have really improved. He also has ability to hit the outside shot and shoot off the dribble. Combine those three things and you have a pretty good player. Plus he's a real nice kid. He'll probably miss the entire summer, but hopefully he'll be recovered in time to play during his senior year of high school next winter.

Friday, May 7, 1999 - HOOP SCOOP Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that Adam Harrington, who is transferring from N.C. State, has Iowa, Auburn, UCLA, Mami-FL, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Virginia all on his list. He also confirms that 6'9 Zach Johnson from Shreveport (Woodlawn) LA, who ranks #152 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Louisiana Tech and will sit out next year as a Prop 48 casualty. West Virginia has gotten 5'9 Tim Lyles from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who ranks #133 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH has finally made it official for Missouri. And as long as we're talking about making it official Missouri, 6'5 Kareem Rush from Kansas City (Pembroke Hill) MO, who ranks #91 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation, finally made it official for the Tigers day before yesterday. USC has gotten a major commitment from 6'11 Kostas Charissis from Athens, Greece. We haven't seen play, but the word is that he's better than anybody the Trojans currently have in the program. UCLA appears to be close to getting a commitment from 6'6 Spencer Gloger from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, who ranks #339 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and was the Orange County Player of the Year.

Thursday, May 6, 1999 - John Eurey, the Editor of the Houston Super Star Report, tells us that the University of Houston has another major commitment. If you will recall, earlier this week Houston signed 6'11 Muhammed Lesage, who is one of the three heavily recruited Nigerians currently living in Toronto, ON. No, they didn't get one or both of his teammates - 7'0 Uche Okafor  and/or 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi. Instead, they got somebody even better. We're talking about 6'9 Jr Alton Ford from Houston (Milby) TX, who ranks as the #3 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP behind 6'9 Jr Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL and 6'3 Jr Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Weaverly) MI. This is huge, because it shows that Houston can beat all the top schools in the nation (everybody was recruiting Ford) for a player in their backyard and they got it done early. Already we're talking about Houston this year having the best recruiting class in the nation, along with Duke, if the Cougars get Okafor and Eze Ndubuisi. But they had better not count all their chickens before the hatch, because the other two Nigerians could still go elsewhere and there is already talk about Ford skipping college and going right to the NBA. And he might be on the few players who can legitimately do it, because he's already a man-child, physical specimen, and incredible athlete.

Wednesday, May 5, 1999 - I got an email this morning from a Houston fan saying "one down-two to go" and knew immediately that one of the three Nigerians in Toronto, ON, had committed to the University of Houston. According to today's Houston Chronicle, 6'11 Muhammed Lesage has committed and they are making comparisons to another former Houston player Hakeen Olajuwon, because "like Olajuwon, Lesage, 19, played soccer in his native Nigeria. And, yes, like Olajuwon, he has natural shot-blocking talents cultivated while playing for his country's Junior National team." Houston also has been prominently mentioned with Lesage's two teammates - 7'0 Uche Okafor  and 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi - and getting Lesage to commit will likely put the Cougars into the driver's seat with the other two. However, there are still questions about their college eligibility, because none of the three had not taken the SAT or ACT until last weekend and up until now nobody seems to have seen their transcripts. Also there are questions about whether they are professional athletes, because it appears that all three signed contracts to play in Russia before coming to Toronto, ON last December. However, eligibility is not a concern when ranking recruiting classes. Signing a national letter-of-intent is and getting Lesage moves Houston's class back into the top five recruiting classes nationally and if they add Okafor and Ndubuisi, they challenge Duke for the #1 recruitng class.. If you will recall, Houston's class ranked #7 last fall after getting commitments from 6'8 George Williams from Sugar Land (Elkins) TX, 6'4 Antonio Falu, from Houston (Waltrip) TX, 6'11Chris Andersen from Blinn (JC) TX and 7'5 Yao Ming from Shanghai, China, although we aren't sure if Ming should count or not, because it appears likely that he won't be allowed to leave China. Also this spring Houston has gotten a commitment from 6'4 Marcus Oliver from Charlotte, NC.

Tuesday, May 4, 1999 - Several of our competitors are already ranking recruiting classes, but it's way too early, because schools like Alabama, Michigan, and Providence could all end up in our top five depending on what happens in the next week or so. Speaking of Providence College, the Friars have gotten two more commitments today from 6'2 Donta Wade from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, who ranks as the #24 junior college player nationally by Phil Henzel, and 6'4 Marcus Jefferson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who ranks #166 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. They join 6'3 Abdul Mills from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'4 Chris Rogers from Bossier Parish (JC) LA, and 6'7 Romeo Augustine from Youngstown (Rayen) OH, all of whom have committed this spring, and 6'5 Mark Jarrell-Wright from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and 6'10 David Murray from Mesa (JC) AZ, both of whom committed in the fall. If that weren't enough, although he doesn't count with their recruiting class, because he's a tranfer, 7'1 Karim Shabazz is sitting out and will be eligible second semester next year. The Friars are also still in the hunt along with Massachusetts, Providence, and possibly Kentucky for 6'7 Shon Coleman from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who ranks #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. If the Friars get Coleman their recruiting class could move ahead of Duke into the #1 position, but as it stands now, they rank #3, because Murray, who sat out last year might just have been the #1 ranked junior college player in the nation if he'd been eligible. He's that good! Wade and Coleman both rank among the top 25 junior college players and Mills had a heck of year in prep school. Providence also was involved with 6'4 Lamont Roland from Barton County (JC) KS, but we don't expect that to happen, because we've received unconfirmed reports that he's committed to LSU.

Monday May 3, 1999 - Also over the weekend at the Spiece Run'N Slam at Purdue University we got a chance to see and talk with 6'3 Frosh Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'1 Frosh Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, and 6'3 Frosh Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, who rank as three of our top ranked freshman in the nation. However, the best freshman in the nation might be 5'10 Frosh Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX. That's a major statement by itself, but it's even bigger when you consider that we think most Texas guards should play football exclusively, because they usually have no concept of how to run a team and usually don't make very good decisions. But this guy does and he was the driving force behind Team Texas winning the 15-Under Division. As a matter of fact, they destroyed the Spiece Pistols South, 85-62, in the championship game. The leading scorer in the championship game with 27 was 6'3 Frosh Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, but Hopkins had 20 points and he made a living make the right decision in transition. He plays great defense, makes excellent decisions, has good handling and passing skills, and thrives in an uptempo setting, although he also has a good feel for when to slow it done. But the thing we'll never forget about Hopkins is the dunk in the semi-finals, which might have been the best individual play we saw a weekend. He made a power move in to the basket, jumped right over two or three defenders, and slammed it home. Everybody who was watching was in shock that a 5'10 freshman could do something like that. He's also a great kid and an excellent student. Right now Wright doesn't have a list, but we did full court press Lawrence, Roberson, and Dockery for the schools they like the best and/or might have interest in. Lawrence mentioned Florida, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Maryland, Georgia, and Miami-FL. Roberson lists Michigan State, Syracuse, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, and Cincinnati. Dockery's list included Connecticut, DePaul, Michigan, and Arkansas.

Sunday, May 2, 1999 - The Tim Thomas Playazz beat the Massachuetts Wildcats, 69-54, to win the championship of the Sixth Annual Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic at Purdue University earlier today, but the big story at the tournament was the emergence of 6'9 Jr Darius Miles from East Chicago (H.S.) IL as the #1 junior in the nation. And that's according to just about anybody who watched him over the weekend. When he touches the ball something good usually happens. He's great going to the basket and he's gotten a lot more aggressive now, which means he'll dunk in your face and makes him a force to be reckoned with on the boards. He's got an incredible wing span, explosive quickness and such quick hands and feet that he can defend most guard out on the perimeter. He also can also handle the ball, start the offense, and shoot the three, which means he can play all five positions. Roy Schmidt, who publishes Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye and writes for All-Star Sports, goes so far as to say that on Bob Gibbons ranking scale, Miles is a perfect 100. And he might be right, except for the fact that Miles still needs to develop physically and he has to prove that he can play like this every time out. Remember, a year ago 6'4 Keith Bogans from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD looked like the greatest thing since sliced bread, but he has never stepped up and played liked he's the #1 senior in America on a consistent basis since. However, if Miles continues to play like he did in West Lafayette, IN this weekend, he could be on that elite level with other great players of recent years, like Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Kobe Bryant, Tim Thomas, and 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ. Already there is talk about Miles going directly to the NBA, but his AAUcoach Larry Butler told us yesterday that Miles will likely go to college for a year or two, because he needs that time to continue to mature as both a player and a person. And as long as we're talking about Miles' recruiting, DePaul and St. Louis have always been thought to have the inside track. However, the first school out of his month was Kentucky. He also mentioned Maryland, Duke, Connecticut, Cincinnati, UCLA, St. John's, North Carolina, N.C. State, Georgetown, Florida, Seton Hall, Michigan, and Michigan State.

Saturday, May 1, 1999 - We are at the Sixth Annual Run'N Slam All-Star Classic at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN and it is absolutely loaded. Right now the Michigan Mustangs with 6'8 Soph Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'5 Jr Desmond Farmer from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'5 Jr Eugene Seals from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Soph Kevin Tolbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, and 6'1 Frosh Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI are favored to win the tournament, which will conclude late tomorrow afternoon. However, Bloomington Red with 6'10 Jr Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'2 Soph Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, and 5'10 Brody Boyd from Union (Dugger) IN and the Illinois Warriors with 6'10 Jr Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL also were very impressive earlier today. Speaking of Miles, at the end of pool play, he was hands down the best player here and he's making a strong case for a top five national ranking, as well as National Player of the Year honors in the Class of 2000. Several players we didn't know much about before the tournament, but who now must be nationally ranked among our top 50 juniors are 5'10 Jr Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'9 Jr Scott Merritt from Wauwatosa (East) WI, and 6'2 Jr C.J. Massingale from Tacoma (Mt. Tacoma) WA. We'll have all the results, late tomorrow night.

Or get everything the HOOP SCOOP publishes each day by subscribing to the Members Section. The cost for unlimited access is only $12 per month, $30 for three months, $60 for six months, or $100 per year. Visa and Master are accepted. Subscribe online or

Call 1-800-253-DUNK

Newsletter and scouting report subscribers are encouraged to call and switch their subscription to the web site at no charge.