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Recruiting News

Most recent coverage

BRITT CHOOSES TAR HEELS
November 30, 2011

As expected, blue-chip junior PG Nate Britt committed to North Carolina over Maryland and others. The skinny floor general is one of the most accomplished players in his class at his position, peaking at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp this past June.

Britt is an advanced playmaker and scorer who has very good quickness and speed for UNC’s system, even if he isn’t a truly explosive finisher. He plays with D.C.-area flair and certainly doesn’t lack for confidence, as evidenced by his play at various camps and tournaments against older players. He’s very likely a McDonald’s All-American in the spring of 2013. Read story.

JONES MAKES EARLY PLEDGE TO DUKE
November 29, 2011

Arguably the nation’s best three-point shooter in the Class of 2013, TX WG Matt Jones, made an early commitment to Duke. The Blue Devils have done very well historically with sharpshooters, and Jones certainly fits the bill.

Jones will arrive at Duke at the time both Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins have graduated, and it’s likely that Austin Rivers will be gone by then as well. With senior signeee Rasheed Sulaimon also in the fold and other young talent on the roster already, Duke’s wing positions appear to be stocked moving into the future. Jones chose the Blue Devils over Kansas, North Carolina and other major programs. Read story.

BRITT SET TO ANNOUNCE
November 28, 2011

Big-time junior point guard Nate Britt will announce his choice on Tuesday night at his high school, likely between either North Carolina or Maryland. Britt enjoyed a huge early summer, particularly at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp, cementing his place among the national elite.

Though a streaky shooter, he’s a quick and darty driver who has an excellent mid-range game and uses both hands very effectively around the basket. He’ll need to get much stronger for the next level but also is a solid playmaker as well. He appears to be one of several point guards competing for top honors at that position in the Class of 2013. Read story.

JAYHAWKS ADD SENIOR GUARD
November 21, 2011

Kansas added to its 2012 class by getting Seattle wing Anrio Adams. A 6-3 WG at Seattle (WA) Rainier Beach, Adams chose KU despite not drawing much attention as a potential target throughout the summer and to this point in the fall. His commitment is contingent upon his academic standing being in good shape, and if all goes according to plan he should enjoy a nice career in Lawrence.

Adams is a very athletic transition scorer who was inconsistent on the travel circuit. He clearly possesses top-100 talent, but his production tended to be hit or miss. At Kansas, however, he’ll obviously received very good coaching and has the quickness to thrive in KU’s defensive system. Read story.

FINDLAY OFF TO FAST START
November 18, 2011

Arguably the nation’s high school team this season — using the term “high school” loosely, of course, given that players hail from coast to coast — is Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev. The program has become a fixture atop prep rankings and always boasts truly superb talent, this year being no exception.

The most celebrated of Findlay’s prospects this year are top-10 talents BF Brandon Ashley and BF Anthony Bennett. Ashley signed with Arizona during this month’s signing period, while Bennett remains undecided. Unlike some of the holdouts who nearly inked in the fall, Bennett’s recruitment remains in the relatively early stages. His list includes Kentucky, UConn, Oregon, Florida and others. Read story.

BIG 12 ADDS TWO BIG MEN
November 14, 2011

The state of Kansas has enriched its incoming talent supply, and both Kansas and Kansas State went well outside state borders in order to make it happen. The Wildcats picked up CA C Robert Upshaw, a talented true center who happily plays with his back to the basket. KSU was one of four finalists for Upshaw and not necessarily considered the favorite, and getting him negates much of the sting of missing Willie Cauley earlier this fall.

The Jayhawks, meanwhile, added OR BF Landen Lucas. Though not an elite run/jump athlete and inconsistent on the travel circuit, Lucas is a sturdy interior scorer and rebounder who should be able to play either big forward or center in Lawrence, at least in limited stretches. Read story

CARTER INKS WITH YELLOW JACKETS
November 11, 2011

Georgia Tech scored a huge victory to gain in-state big man Robert Carter, who chose the Yellow Jackets over co-finalists Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Maryland.

Carter is a strong, physically imposing center who arguably has the best back-to-the-basket offense in the country. He possesses good footwork and intelligently scores either at the rim or utilizing the backboard. He’s also a talented rebounder and, with more experience, should become a defensive stopper. He’s a huge addition for Georgia Tech, which is in rebuilding mode and now has a signature recruit from the 2012 class. Read story

TWO MORE MAJOR PLEDGES
November 10, 2011

The SEC and Big Ten became enriched, as two member schools picked up big-time commitments during this signing week. Kentucky beat out Vanderbilt, Memphis and Florida for blue-chip combo forward Alex Poythress, a terrific athlete who can score at close-range, in transition or all the way to the three-point stripe.

Poythress enjoys a national reputation but essentially boiled his recruitment down to more regional terms, with the Commodores at one time considered the leader ahead of Florida. But never count out John Calipari and the Wildcats, which now appear to be on their way to yet another top-five group. Read story

MCGARY CHOOSES WOLVERINES
November 3, 2011

Michigan landed its signature recruit. IN/NH C Mitch McGary chose the Wolverines over Duke, Florida and many others, giving the Wolverines a potential franchise big man and potentially the best freshman in the Big Ten next season.

McGary was considered a lower high-major prospect until this past spring, when he blew up with the SYF Players. He’s strong enough and big enough to score and rebound like a center, but he also possesses the versatility to face the bucket and do damage from the elbow. That flexibility should pay off handsomely in John Beilein’s offense. Read story

WOLFPACK HIT IT BIG
November 2, 2011

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried didn’t need long to get his feet wet in Raleigh. The first-year Wolfpack boss has put together a sensational 2012 class, adding to it elite NC/NH WF T.J. Warren, who chose NCSU over co-finalist Georgetown and others. Warren is one of the most fluid and instinctive transition scorers in the senior class, using his knack for hitting jump shots at all angles and on the move to post big numbers throughout the spring and summer.

Warren should make the McDonald’s All-American game and now joins an elite class that also includes NC WG Rodney Purvis and NC/VA PG Tyler Lewis. The Wolfpack aren’t playing with an empty arsenal in 2011-12, either, so Gottfried has an opportunity to raise the ‘Pack to the upper reaches of the ACC in short order. Read story

BIG EARLY WEEK DECISIONS
October 31, 2011

Just a couple weeks from signing day, big commitments continue to flow. Kentucky landed its second big-timer of the year, getting the nod from KS C Willie Cauley, disappointing Kansas State tremendously in the process. An extremely athletic big man who actually has played football for kicks this fall and put up huge stats as a wide receiver, Cauley is a terror in the open floor.

He needs to get stronger and to refine his offensive game, but his long-term potential is immense. Another point to consider is that Kentucky, which has made a name for itself with one-and-done recruits, is likely to enjoy Cauley’s services for at least two seasons and perhaps even three. Read story

JOHNSON COMMITS TO TAR HEELS
October 26, 2011

North Carolina added another frontcourt prospect, getting a commitment from SC BF Brice Johnson. One of the best run/jump athletes in the senior class, Johnson enjoyed a huge July. He’d been considered a fringe top-100 prospect throughout the spring and early summer — a concussion ended his week early at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp in June — but he exploded at the LeBron James skills camp, Peach Jam and ultimately the Global Challenge to close out the summer.

Johnson isn’t a polished product yet but knows where his best talents reside. He scored very efficiently during the live evaluation period, mostly on slams and lay-ups. Read story

COLEMAN PICKS ORANGE
October 25, 2011

Syracuse landed yet another elite big man. The Orange, enjoying rampant frontcourt recruiting success the past few years, won out over Kentucky and many others for homegrown center Dajuan Coleman. A massive insider who ranks as one of the best rebounders in the Class of 2012, Coleman will give Syracuse a franchise center as the club makes its transition from the Big East to the ACC.

Though not a great offensive player and inconsistent at times during the spring and summer, Coleman boasts tremendous potential and certainly has the hand/eye coordination to accompany his sheer size that should enable him to become an effective scorer as he progresses. Read story

BULLS GET HAWKINS
October 24, 2011

South Florida added to its 2012 recruiting haul, getting a commitment from 6-5 WF Jevontae Hawkins from Huntington (WV) Prep. Hawkins, considered a solid regional (he’s actually a native of Michigan) high-major prospect who perhaps has been overlooked slightly on a national basis, is part of USF’s effort to stock its roster with legitimate Big East players.

The Bulls obviously have struggled since joining the powerful Big East, but the conference is experience a great deal of instability these days due to the various conference shake-ups, and now USF could make a move as one of those seemingly few schools that doesn’t get mentioned frequently has being on the way out. Read story

HOGS GET EXPLOSIVE WING
October 18, 2011

Arkansas gained a commitment from jumping jack Mike Qualls, a 6-4 WF at Shreveport (LA) Huntington and valuable performer throughout the spring and summer for Louisiana Select. Qualls is one of the bounciest leapers in the nation, rising for tip-slams, lobs and soaring for rebounds and blocks as well.

We’re especially excited about his potential on defense. He has quick feet and is wiry strong, so matching up against either wing position at the college level should be easily attainable. To become an impact player on both ends of the court, Qualls will need to improve his ball-handling and jump shot. Read story

RAHON COMMITS TO EAGLES
October 13, 2011

As it has done for several years now and spanning the tenures of two different head coaches, Boston College traveled to California to reel in a recruit. The Eagles secured Joe Rahon, a 6-1 PG/WG at San Diego (CA) Torrey Pines, one of the country’s best three-point shooters in the senior class. Though not a great athlete, he’s a very good shooter and battle-tested against top competition.

Rahon is the younger brother of James Rahon, a San Diego State guard. The younger Rahon received interest from Oregon and others prior to committing to the Eagles. Boston College did very well at times during the Al Skinner era of getting talented Californians, and Steve Donahue hopes to repeat the pattern during his own stay at BC. Read story

CARDINAL GET SLEEPER BIG MAN
October 12, 2011

Though not a national figure, West Coast observers are high on the promise of Grant Verhoeven, a 6-8 senior BF at Visalia (CA) Central Valley Christian. And now, the solidly built big man knows he’ll get a chance to compete on the national state, having committed to Stanford.

The Pac-12 obviously has expanded both in size and in relative power over the past 18 months, and thus the stakes are higher than ever for programs in the revenue sports. From a purely basketball perspective, the Cardinal obviously see the strong 2012 classes being assembled by UCLA, Arizona and other rivals, so adding a potential surprise in Verhoeven could prove extremely important. Read story

ARTIS BACKS OFF BRUINS
October 6, 2011

There’s been very little bad news in Westwood of late, but UCLA did suffer attrition when talented CA PG Dominic Artis reopened his recruitment. A top-60 talent national who enjoyed an outstanding spring and summer with the Oakland Soldiers, Artis has the ability to lead a high-major program early in his career.

Many have speculated at the recent commitment of elite NJ WF Kyle Anderson may have pushed Artis from UCLA. While we prefer Anderson as a wing forward for defensive purposes, he’s an uncanny handler and passer for his size and some believe that he’ll be the offensive quarterback for the Bruins. Read story

JAMES COMMITS TO TAR HEELS
October 3, 2011

North Carolina won a pledge from FL C Joel James, a massive big man from the Sunshine State who chose UNC over co-finalist Florida State and other high-major programs.

James is a relative newcomer to the game of basketball, and as a result his skills are less refined than what one typically expects from a UNC-signed big man. That said, he has made a great deal of progress and, as he matures and rounds himself into better shape (he was 280 pounds this past summer), he should become a solid rebounder and interior defender. Read story

PURVIS CHOOSES WOLFPACK
September 30, 2011

Mark Gottfried got his franchise player. The first-year N.C. State head coach won a commitment from NC WG Rodney Purvis, a prep All-American and one of the nation’s most explosive wing scorers. Purvis originally had committed to Louisville but reopened his recruitment when Cardinals assistant Tim Fuller left the program. He ultimately considered UConn and other major powers prior to casting his lot with the Wolfpack.

Purvis has the potential to be a star in Raleigh. He’s an elite athlete in the open court who excels finishing himself, scoring on tomahawk slams or using his lean strength to overpower weaker players on his way to the basket. Read story

NUNN REOPENS RECRUITMENT
September 29, 2011

What appeared to be a godsend for Texas A&M turned out to be premature, at the minimum. The Aggies had been ecstatic to land a commitment from prized junior Chicago guard Kendrick Nunn, but now the top-30 prospect in the Class of 2013 has backed off that commitment and will reconsider his options.

Nunn is one of numerous blue-chip guards in the junior class. He enjoyed a big summer and looked outstanding at the Peach Jam, in particular, and may be even better than our current No. 27 ranking in the class. Read story

TIGERS GET PROMISING JUCO
September 28, 2011

Missouri received a commitment from Tony Criswell, a 6-9 BF at Independence (KS) Community College. On the surface, it would appear that Criswell’s pledge to the program isn’t that important: After all, in recent seasons very few junior college recruits have proceeded to make a major impact at the high Division I level.

There have been exceptions, of course — Marquette certainly benefited from the presence of juco recruits last season — but by and large many of even the most talented junior college prospects have failed to deliver. In Criswell’s case, however, we believe that he may prove to be a very important addition to the lineup. Read story

NIKE TEAM FLORIDA WORKOUT REPORT
September 26, 2011

We spent several days in St. Petersburg, Fla., in the beautiful Gulf area of the Sunshine State. Each year, Nike Team Florida hosts an event for some of the state’s most talented prospects, spanning all four high school classes during the course of the event.

This year perhaps the best talent was located in the underclasses, as Florida’s relatively (and rare) down Class of 2011 appears to be a fluke, with several potential collegiate impact players already making themselves known within the region and, eventually, perhaps nationally as well. Read story

GOODWIN CHOOSES WILDCATS
September 21, 2011

Kentucky got on the board with the senior class in a big way: Elite Arkansas guard Archie Goodwin committed to the Wildcats over in-state Arkansas and many other high-major programs.

Goodwin is one of the nation’s most explosive scorers in the nation. His summer was curtailed by a gruesome wrist injury in June, yet he played in July and garnered universal respect for not only his talent but also for his toughness and willingness to play through pain. For Kentucky, his explosive forays to the rim will be invaluable in John Calipari’s offense. Kentucky now will turn its attention more fully to other elite prospects, including No. 1 Shabazz Muhammad. Read story

ANDERSON PICKS BRUINS
September 20, 2011

UCLA scored a major victory in the 2012 class, getting a commitment from NJ WF Kyle Anderson. The Bruins have worked extremely hard to reinvent themselves on the recruiting trail after recent frustrations, and getting a certain McDonald’s All-American from New Jersey sends a clear signal that they’re once again primed for national success.

The corollary to this story is to what extent, if any, the potential collapse of the Big East may have played a role. Seton Hall at one time had been considered a slight leader, with St. John’s and others on the East Coast following in hot pursuit. Read story

FALL UPDATE: THE BIG PICTURE
September 16, 2011

While visits of the official, unofficial and in-home variety continue to occur throughout the country — and as more and more commitments accrue — the weekend is a good time to examine the state of recruiting from a broader perspective, particularly given that the spring events are just over six months away (gulp!).

Relief may be on the way for college coaches. Frustrated by the NCAA prohibition against live events in April, coaches are encouraged by a recent NCAA proposal to open two April weekends next year. Read story

UNDERCLASS ANALYSIS: PARKER NUDGES AHEAD
September 13, 2011

Time and again, when scouts queried one another this past summer about the best players in high school basketball, regardless of class, three names nearly always emerged: Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel.

Others received their fair due as well, of course, but the three players cited here are unusual because they’re only juniors. With two full seasons of prep hoops still to play, earning mention with players a class ahead of them speaks loudly about their precocious talent. Read story

UNDERCLASSMEN: POST-SUMMER RANKINGS

With the new senior rankings already released, we've turned our attention to underclassmen. Many scouts have heralded the junior Class of 2013 potentially as a very strong one, with at least big-league talents residing at the top of the class.

Our vote for the top spot — and of course this is subject to change — goes to Chicago wing Jabari Parker, whom some consider the best prospect in the country regardless of class. Meanwhile, we've also broken out our first set of rankings for the sophomore Class of 2014. Take a look! Class of 2013, Class of 2014

CLASS OF 2012: POST-SUMMER RANKINGS

Las Vegas wing Shabazz Muhammad leads our new rankings for the Class of 2012, based on an entire summer's worth of camps, tournaments and clinics. He's the most productive player in high school basketball, frequently post more than 30 points in summer games and battling player after player looking to gain recognition at Muhammad's expense.

He's flanked in the elite range by TX WG Marcus Smart and CA BF Brandon Ashley, and though he's on his way out of the 2012 class, CT BF Andre Drummond also is a top-five talent. Read story

UNDERCLASS ANALYSIS: PARKER NUDGES AHEAD
September 13, 2011

Time and again, when scouts queried one another this past summer about the best players in high school basketball, regardless of class, three names nearly always emerged: Jabari Parker, Julius Randle and Nerlens Noel.

Others received their fair due as well, of course, but the three players cited here are unusual because they’re only juniors. With two full seasons of prep hoops still to play, earning mention with players a class ahead of them speaks loudly about their precocious talent. Read story

FALL COMMITMENTS KEEP STREAMING
September 12, 2011

Louisville gained a top-100 pledge during the weekend from Terry Rozier, a 6-0 PG at Shaker Heights (OH) High. Rozier played his way into the national top 100 after a strong summer in which he gained the notice of scouts and college coaches, including West Virginia, Cincinnati and Lousville.

And ultimately, the Cardinals won out. Rick Pitino made an inhome visit this past weekend, sealing the deal and bringing a very promising, late-blooming backcourt talent into the program. Flanked by Kentucky within the state and a legion of powerful Big East rivals outside it, U-L obviously must continue to recruit at a high clip in order to remain among the elite. Read story

CLASS OF 2012: CONFERENCE SCORECARD
September 7, 2011

There's obviously a ton of buzz in the sports world these days about the potential demise of the Big 12 and potentially the Big East and ACC — due primarily to the financial significance of football — but for now it's still worth tracking the lastest basketball recruiting results by conference.

We've taken a look at how each conference is doing among the top 100 prospects in the senior class. As you can see, the ACC and Big East both are well-represented, with Providence looming as the big surprise so far among big-time commitments. Read story

TERPS GET RECRUIT ON LAYMAN'S TERMS
September 6, 2011

Maryland has picked up its second nationally prominent commitment of the past couple weeks. Mark Turgeon is making a strong push in his first year on the job in College Park, and the Terrapins just added MA WF Jake Layman to their commitment roster. Layman joins nationally touted Shaquille Cleare as a marquee 2012 pledge and complements the imposing big man very well.

Layman is a tall forward who has the size (6-7) of a combo but the shooting ability and agility of a wing player. He’ll need to get stronger before taking on high-major college competition, but his array of skills are very impressive for a young player. Read story

LEDO HIGHLIGHTS LABOR DAY COMMITS
September 5, 2011

Twice is nice. Providence was ecstatic to pick up a commitment months ago from elite wing Ricardo Ledo, and he broke their hearts by backing away from the commitment. After Keno Davis departed and Ed Cooley came to town, however, it breathed new life into the recruitment. Several Big East programs appeared to have gained momentum with Ledo, but now he has decided to stick with his original choice.

The Friars gain a franchise recruit whose impact will be felt on the court but also off the court in terms of building interest — and likely television exposure — in the program. Read story

BIG EAST, BIG MOVES
August 29, 2011

The major news to surface over the weekend involved elite senior big man Andre Drummond, who announced his intention to join UConn for this season, rather spend a year in post-grad.

The intrigue surrounding the move largely owes to the fact that team Drummond insisted during the summer that he would remain in 2012 rather than re-class forward, so the sudden change of plan caught many by surprise. The obvious effect for the Huskies is that they now appear to be a legitimate national champion contender and will attempt to become the first team to repeat as champs since Florida in 2006-07. Read story

TERPS, FRIARS GET HUGE PICKUPS
August 24, 2011

Maryland scored with its big man of the future, getting a commitment from TX C Shaquille Cleare, who is leaving his home state in order to travel east. While the timing of Gary Williams’ retirement earlier this year hampered the school’s ability to hire a new coach in a patient fashion, former Texas A&M boss Mark Turgeon’s selection as the new head man obviously played a critical role in Maryland’s win for Cleare, a top 40 national prospect.

Cleare is a massive insider who lacks ideal size (he’s 6-8) for the center spot and isn’t much of a leaper, but he boasts excellent strength and a clever array of post moves. Read story

JABARI PARKER: HIGHLIGHT REEL
August 23, 2011

One of the summer’s top performers was Chicago junior wing Jabari Parker. A star at the LeBron James Skills Academy as well as the Peach Jam and Las Vegas Fab 48, Parker is one of the most devastating scorers in the country — regardless of class — pulling up off the dribble from medium-range.

Additionally, he has toned up his body over the past year and now can be considered a pure three-man, rather than a combo forward as he was in the past. Not only that, he has become bouncier and while still not what we’d consider a truly elite athlete, he’s definitely above-average and continuing to improve. Read story

HAWKEYES GET ANOTHER
August 18, 2011

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery’s recruiting job this year in Iowa City quickly is becoming a national story. The Hawkeyes now hold commitments from three talented seniors, the most recent being delivered by Patrick Ingram, a 6-3 WG at Indianapolis (IN) North Central.

Ingram doesn’t have a national name but is a solid wing player who joins GA C Kyle Meyer and top-100 IA PG Mike Gesell. Iowa also has its sites set on top-75 center Adam Woodbury, one of the summer’s surprise performers and another in-state prospect who would give the club a legitimate inside scoring threat and further boost the program’s momentum locally and regionally. Read story

POINT GUARD SNAPSHOT
August 17, 2011

A great deal of talk during the summer centered around the point guard situation in the Class of 2012. Debated and downgraded throughout the entire recruiting cycle, these floor generals generally couldn’t catch a break or crack anyone’s national top 20 heading into summer evaluation period.

Heading into fall, however, in this opinion at least one player clearly has moved into that blue-chip category, and two additional talents belong in that conversation as well. First up is CT PG Kris Dunn, who was sensational at times at both the Adidas Invitational and at the Super 64 late last month. Read story

REBELS, OTHERS MAKE KEY PICKUPS
August 11, 2011

UNLV is making its bid to recapture glory in Las Vegas, and the Rebels scored a huge late-week pickup from CA WG Katin Reinhardt, a former USC commitment and a player who enjoyed a fantastic year on the travel circuit. Reinhardt is an excellent three-point shooter who squares up nicely on his shot and hits them comfortably from any spot behind the line.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt also is a pretty good athlete and has enough quickness to beat defenders off the dribble who attempt to crowd him. His defense is solid and he contributes on the boards as well, and he has a sturdy frame and should have no difficulty adding the necessary weight for college. Read story

MORE MAJOR PLEDGES
August 9, 2011

The big news continues to roll in during the late summer. Starting in Texas, the Longhorns were able to win out for talented guard Javan Felix. A ace three-point shooter with a crafty scoring game off the drive as well, Felix emerged as one of the big surprises in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago.

Felix is more of a scorer than a distributor, not unlike former UT (and now NBA) guard Cory Joseph. The question about Felix pertains mostly to that quarterbacking issue, but of course many teams have enjoyed success with less than true floor generals at the lead guard position. Read story

COMMITMENTS BEGINNING TO FLOW
August 8, 2011

Now that the summer basketball session truly has ended, the pace of commitments will increase steadily as we head toward the season of official visits and ultimately to the national signing period in November. The biggest name to pledge over the weekend was TX guard J-Mychal Reese, who chose the in-state Texas A&M Aggies.

Reese is a very talented scorer off the dribble who has point guard size and a wing guard’s game — the reason he’s not ranked more highly within the top 100 — but has plenty of quickness for either backcourt position. Read story

GLOBAL CHALLENGE, NATIONS ON TAP
August 5, 2011

This weekend marks the first in a month when there are no tournaments or camps with college coaches in attendance, but Nike’s Global Challenge is being staged in Oregon — near the company’s world headquarters in the Portland area — and features 30 of the nation’s best prospects along with a talented group of non-Americans as well.

Beginning on Friday and extending through Sunday, the Americans are split into East, West and Midwest teams, while other countries represented include Canada, German, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei and Brazil. Read story

'HORNS MAKE LATE ADDITION
August 3, 2011

It’s obviously quite late in the recruiting cycle for a program to add a freshman for the 2011-12 season, but Texas — which was hammered by NBA decisions made by Jordan Hamilton, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph — needed depth and added some by getting the nod from PA BF Jaylen Bond.

Previously a Pittsburgh signee, Bond and the Panthers parted ways this past spring and Bond was expected by many to attend prep school this season. Instead, however, the Longhorns swooped in and added an impressive athlete for the high-major level. Read story

ORLANDO WRAPUP: FINAL REPORT
August 2, 2011

In our fifth and final day at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando, we viewed three of the four quarterfinals in the AAU Boys’ 11th Grade Division I National Championship before flying back home.

We saw CP3 All-Stars 17U (NC) defeat All Iowa Attack/Martin Brothers 57-54, Memphis YOMCA 11th edge the Birmingham Storm (AL) 41-40, and impressive All Ohio Red trounce the GA Stars 17U 84-55. In the final quarterfinal, the Alabama Challenge got the nod over the Boo Williams Summer League (VA) by a 68-56 count. Read story

GATHERS PLEDGES TO RED STORM
August 1, 2011

St. John’s coach Steve Lavin is picking up where he left off. The Red Storm, assembling an elite, national top-five class during the Class of 2011 cycle, went down to the Deep South to pull blue-chip LA BF Ricardo Gathers away from area schools and will bring him to the Northeast for college.

Gathers is one of the most aggressive and toughest players in the Class of 2012. Playing for Brandon Bass Elite as well as Louisiana Select this past spring and summer, he waged war against other elites such as TX BF Julius Randle and showcased his brawn yet also his high level of skill and athleticism. Read story

ORLANDO DAY FOUR: AAU NATIONALS
July 31, 2011

ORLANDO — On day four in Orlando, we saw all or a major portion of 13 different games, with 11 of the games being in the AAU 11th Grade Division 1 National Championship and the other two in the AAU 10th Grade Division 1 National Championship.

In the younger category, these were the third-place game and then the title contest, with both games coming down to the final seconds. For third place, Ohio Varsity White surprised the New York Gauchos 16 by winning 66-64 in overtime, while in the championship game we’re almost embarrassed to report that BABC Sophomore (MA) nipped Team Takeover Caron Butler 16U (MD) 30-29! Read story

ORLANDO DAY THREE: AAU NATIONALS
July 30, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. — In a day featuring three remarkable comebacks, the AAU Boys’ 10th Grade Division I National Championship reached the title contest, while the 11th Grade Division I completed its first round of playoffs. We watched all or a significant portion of 12 different games, with five from the 10th Grade Division I and seven from the 11th Grade Division I.

In the 10th Grade Division I quarterfinals, we saw BABC Sophomore (MA) defeat the Garner Road Bulldogs-Coleman (NC) 74-59, the New York Gauchos 16 top All Ohio Red, and Team Takeover Caron Butler 16 (DC) beat Ohio Hoopsters Cash. Read story

ORLANDO DAY TWO: AAU NATIONALS
July 29, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. — On the second day at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, we saw all or part of 12 pool-play games in the AAU Boys’ 11^th Grade Division National Championship, which formerly was called the 17-Under Division.

The premier performances that we observed were by backcourtmen... Read story

TRANSITION TO ORLANDO
July 28, 2011

ORLANDO, Fla. — We flew overnight from Las Vegas to Orlando and caught the end of the Super Showcase, which featured the Houston Defenders versus loaded BABC, which recently won the Peach Jam. The Defenders won the game 55-45 in a slugfest that featured far more defense than offense, though that’s to be expected anytime BABC takes the court.

From here, we’ll have dedicated coverage of the 16- and 17-under AAU Nationals, always a valuable setting to finding new players as well evaluating talented underclassmen. While the Showcase is more of a Nike-oriented (though not officially sponsored) event, the Nationals will bring more non-shoe affiliated teams to surface. Read story.

LAS VEGAS WEEK: FINAL REPORT
July, 26, 2011

LAS VEGAS — The Adidas Super 64 concluded on Tuesday evening, with the surprise Texas Assault defeating loaded Dreamvision 93-78 in a contest that was far more competitive than the score would indicate. Played on television with two 20-minute halves — as opposed to the typical 16-minutes halves for high school games — the affair was high-paced and featured a pair of likely McDonald’s All-Americans.

First was Marcus Smart, the tournament MVP and a sensation through the five days here in Sin City. Smart shot poorly (10-30 fg) but finished with 29 points, 18 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals to lead Assault past a more talented opponent. Read story.

LAS VEGAS WEEK: DAY FOUR REPORT
July 25, 2011

LAS VEGAS — On our fourth day in Las Vegas, the Fab 48 tournament crowned an unlikely champion, while the Adidas Super 64 narrowed its field to a final four. At the Fab 48, we witnessed three of the four quarterfinals games and the title tilt, while at the Adidas Super 64 we eyeballed four crucial playoff games over the course of the day.

In the Fab 48 chanpionship game, the Kansas City 76ers broke open a close contest in the second half and wound up defeating Team Breakdown (FL) by a 79-64 count. Read story.

LAS VEGAS WEEK: DAY THREE REPORT
July 24, 2011

LAS VEGAS — Our third day at July events in Vegas centered around the playoffs which began at both the Las Vegas Fab 48 and the Adidas Super 64, and we divided our time between these two excellent tournaments.

With our focus, as usual, being upon prime individual performances, we encountered a large number of new players who jumped onto the national radar. Along with those fresh faces, of course, we also saw blue-chippers stepping up and playing critical roles for their teams in the playoff rounds. Read story.

LAS VEGAS WEEK: DAY TWO REPORT
July 23, 2011

LAS VEGAS — We spent the first two days in Las Vegas splitting time between the Adidas Super 64 and the Fab 48 across town. Clearly, the city is loaded this week with outstanding talent and particularly in the frontcourt, where some of the nation’s very best players have competed on even terms thus far.

Though in some cases — such as Andre Drummond’s dominance against Isaiah Austin and Kaleb Tarczewski on day one — there have been mismatches, mostly the big guys have performed very competitively. Read story.

LAS VEGAS WEEK: DAY ONE REPORT
July 22, 2011

LAS VEGAS — It’s off to the races in Vegas. While many tourists will spend their time in the city at the slot machines and in the sports books, the basketball action here takes place outside the casinos and at local high schools.

We spent our first day of the second evaluation period at Rancho High for the Adidas Super 64, an outstanding event organized into super pools that enabled us to watch a lot of the top teams in one day of games. The story of the day was elite senior Andre Drummond, but others also played impressively. Read story.

LIVE PERIOD: SECOND SEGMENT PREVIEW
July 20, 2011

The games resume on Friday morning, with the nation’s attention shifting from Eastern and Midwestern events primarily to the West. Two elite events occur simultaneously in Las Vegas, as the Fab 48 and Adidas Super 64 go head to head and feature many of the country’s most talented prospects.

Sin City has become a mainstay on the travel circuit due to the desirable locale for the adults, as well as the cheap rooms to accommodate all the kids flocking into town. Normally, thousands of individuals flowing into one city would put a strain — and drive up costs — on the hotels in the area, but not in Vegas, where the presence of hundreds of teams and their families hardly registers. Read story.

LIVE PERIOD: FIRST SEGMENT REVIEW
July 18, 2011

The first portion of the summer evaluation period, July 5-16, is now behind us, and we’re in the gap between that period and the second leg that begins on July 22 and extends through the remainder of the month.

In addition to our coverage from the various major events, most recently including Nike’s vaunted Peach Jam as well as events in the Midwest, we’ve formulated a few broader thoughts from the first half of the month. Our next stop along the recruiting trail takes place late this week in Las Vegas, but for now let’s review what’s already transpired in July. Read story.

PEACH JAM: DAY THREE REPORT
July 14, 2011

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Game on! The Peach Jam is winding down to its conclusion, with pool play ending on Thursday morning and the quarterfinal rounds tipping off in the evening. Some memorable performances took place on day three, and we’ve detoured from our typical coverage format for this occasion.

The best players were Julius Randle, Tony Parker, Alex Poythress and Georges Niang, among others. Now, let’s look at the quarterfinal results: Read story.

PEACH JAM: DAY TWO REPORT
July 13, 2011

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — The second day at the Peach Jam brought two more games for each of the 17s in pool play, and now it’s desperation time for some teams that will face elimination on Wednesday. In a sense, the emerging trend at the event continued on day two, with several talented underclassmen stealing shine from their older peers.

Meanwhile, the pecking order in the post continues to become more clear. Some high-profile matchups have revealed clear winners and losers, helping major programs determine which guys to prioritize and which ones to let fly free. Read story.

PEACH JAM: DAY ONE REPORT
July 12, 2011

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — The culmination of Nike’s prestigious Elite Youth Basketball League takes place this week on the Georgia/South Carolina border. Featuring the 24 Nike-sponsored teams to earn an invitation to the final round of play, by the end of the week the best squad on the Nike circuit will have proved its worth.

From the perspective of a recruitnik, of course, it's almost completely about the individual players. And Nike certainly packs a wallop in terms of bringing top talent to the court. For that matter, the best players in the nation actually are rising juniors, rather than seniors — TX BF Julius Randle, IL WF Jabari Parker, CA BF Aaron Gordon and NH C Nerlens Noel — and all four are in attendance.

UNDERCLASSMEN EXCEL AT
LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY
July 10, 2011

The biggest story in Akron at NIKE's LeBron James Skills Academy was the outstanding play of underclassmen, i.e., rising high school juniors (Class of 2013) and even a few sophomores (Class of 2014). In fact, the two most dominant performers there were junior WF Jabari Parker and BF Julius Randle.

...Five other underclassmen who stood out at the NIKE event were angular 6-11 C Nerlens Noel, 6-8 BF/WF Aaron Gordon, 6-10 C Jahlil Okafor, 6-11 C Dakari Johnson, and 6-4 WG Matt Jones. Read story.

ADIDAS INVITATIONAL: DAY TWO REPORT
July 7, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — The second day of action at the Adidas Invitational wrapped up pool play and opened up the playoff rounds. As expected and mentioned in our day one report, the Thursday game schedule enabled us to watch some players for the first time, focus on a few more underclassmen and add new entries to our various databases.

Some surprising rivalries set into effect on day two as well. There were heated clashes between a team from Milwaukee versus one from Louisiana, Atlanta versus Indianapolis and more. Read story.

ADIDAS INVITATIONAL: DAY ONE REPORT
July 6, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS — The first day of the July live evaluation period opened on Wednesday, and we began our midsummer coverage at the loaded Adidas Invitational, an event featuring every team under the Adidas umbrella in addition to others.

The defining moment of the day was — shock — a dynamic performance by Shabazz Muhammad, but there were numerous other outstanding performances as well. Much of our coverage occurred in the super pools on Wednesday, and we’ll do a bit more foraging for sleepers and underclassmen in our day two report. Read story.

Class of 2012 Conference Scorecard

Thus far in the Class of 2012, the ACC has jumped out to an early edge, getting 10 of the nation's top 100 commitments. Included among those 10 players are two of the national top 25 - Rasheed Sulaimon and Marcus Paige, who have committed to Duke and North Carolina respectively - a number that co-leads with the Big 12.

The Big 10 currently stands at No. 2 in top 100 pledges with nine, and the Big East places No. 3 with seven. It's been slow going thus far for the Pac-12, which holds only two of the national top 100. More....

NEW RANKINGS: MUHAMMAD ANCHORS TOP SPOT

There's been a seismic shift in the national rankings for the Class of 2012, albeit with continuity at the No. 1 position. Shabazz Muhammad remains our pick for the top spot in the class, but there's been ample movement throughout the list, top to bottom.

A great number of changes occurred after the events during Memorial Day Weekend, along with the Pangos All-American Camp and NBAPA Top 100 Camp held this month. Prior to July, then, we've now seen nearly everyone in contention for the top 100. New Lists, Rankings.

NBA DRAFT SCORECARD
June 24, 2011

Although Thursday’s draft was considered one of the weaker drafts in recent memory, it still provided some interesting story lines. While everyone else is projecting how the players will perform in the NBA, PrepStars wants to take a look back and see where these guys staked up in high school.

You will notice times where our ranking of a player was right on the money, or occasionally a little off, but the in-depth evaluations from Brick Oettinger, Rob Harrington and staff prove beyond a doubt that PrepStars remains on top of its game! Read story.

FINAL TEAM RANKINGS
June 20, 2011

Inevitably, another few commitments will trickle in between now and the beginning of the academic year at the end of summer, but for the most part the Class of 2011 recruiting cycle is entirely in the books. Now that the late pledges and other pending situations are settled, we can accurately reflect on the best classes signed by schools this year.

At the top, Kentucky claimed one of the all-time best classes. Getting three players in the national top six — plus another top-25 talent along with a promising transfer — is nearly unprecedented. Read story.

NBAPA TOP 100 CAMP: DAY TWO REPORT
June 17, 2011

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The second day of the NBAPA Top 100 Camp featured stirring rounds of games that included big-time individual matchups as well as developing grudge matches between teams — now set to compete in Saturday’s camp tournament — that have developed the best chemistry.

One of the day’s most impressive highlights was the one-man show produced by Rasheed Soulaimon on Friday morning. Read story.

NBAPA TOP 100 CAMP: DAY ONE REPORT
June 16, 2011

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Finally, it’s here. The numerous spring and early summer events we covered led to the campus of Virginia for the next three days, where many of the nation’s very best recruits have congregated for a showdown to settle who’s the very best in the nation.

Mostly featuring the Class of 2012, not surprisingly much of the talk entering the event surrounded big men. The are some key absentees who could have further bolstered the camp — including Shabazz Muhammad, Archie Goodwin, Dajuan Coleman, Isaiah Austin, Ricardo Ledo and others, who are missing the event due to injury or other reasons — but even without them there’s tons of major talent on hand. Read story.

Top Jobs, Team Rankings
And NCAA Performance
June 15, 2011

Sporting News columnist Mike DeCourcy recently posted his 10 best coaching jobs in college basketball. Topping the list is the University of North Carolina with UCLA and Texas fast finishers.

Taking a quick glance at our soon to be released PrepStars Team Recruiting Rankings, it’s noteworthy to compare how the prime time programs made tracks along the recruiting trail with the Class of 2011 and how each fared in their 2010-11 quest for the NCAA championship. Read story.

HUSKIES GET ANOTHER BIG TIMER
June 10, 2011

For the second time in a week, UConn landed a blue-chip prospect. The Huskies moving fully away from the Class of 2011 and to the Class of 2012, picked up rising senior guard Omar Calhoun. A New York native, UConn beat out Big East rival Pittsburgh, West Virginia and many others for the talented scorer's services.

Calhoun saw the success of fellow New Yorker Kemba Walker and the Huskies' national title this past season, and obviously UConn is setting up to have a potential monster team in 2012-13. Calhoun arguably is the finest three-point shooter in the class and has been a tear on the Nike circuit this spring and summer. Read story.

TIGERS GET PLEDGE FROM INSTATE GUARD
June 9, 2011

Clemson scored with a fast-rising guard, getting a commitment from Jordan Roper, a 6-1 combo guard at Irmo (SC) High. Roper also considered VCU, Tulane and others, but he'll keep his talents in the Palmetto State and give Clemson its second pledge from the Class of 2012, joining GA BF Jaron Blossomgame.

When we first observed Roper, at the Chic-Fil-A Classic in the winter of the 2009-10 season (his sophomore year), we regarded him as a likely mid-major prospect. Since that time, however, he has upgraded his reputation locally and was believed by some to be a potential rankable prospect by the end of summer. Read story.

DANIELS PULLS TRIGGER FOR HUSKIES
June 8, 2011

The wild ride that was the DeAndre Daniels saga has ended. The blue-chip 2011 forward vacillated between multiple schools throughout a protracted recruitment and narrowed his list before expanding it again, and ultimately he committed to national champion UConn without taking a campus visit.

At one time each of Texas, Kansas, Duke and Kentucky was considered the frontrunner, and previously the Longhorns held his commitment. But in the end, it was the opportunity to step right in and compete for heavy early playing time. Read story.

PANGOS CAMP: FINAL THOUGHTS
June 7, 2011

We're back on the East Coast after spending a chunk of time in Southern California, watching both the final leg of the Nike EYBL round robin and the loaded Pangos All-American Camp last weekend.

Focusing on final Pangos thoughts, it's a good week to ponder what we've seen since the onset of the travel circuit — which began in early April — and look forward to the critical NBAPA Camp to be held in Virginia next weekend. Here's a look at where things stand today and what we anticipate occurring going forward: Read story.

PANGOS CAMP: DAY TWO REPORT
June 5, 2011

CARSON, Calif. — The second day of the Pangos All-American Camp brought together more blue-chip talent on the home court of Cal State Dominguez Hills. A full slate of games took place after an abbreviated Friday, so we were able to get extensive looks at numerous players on hand.

The second day also brought to the surface summer basketball inevitabilities, including the fact that guards nearly always outshine big men due to the amount of time they spend dominating the ball. Nevertheless, there were some strong frontcourt performances as well. Read story.

PANGOS CAMP: DAY ONE REPORT
June 4, 2011

CARSON, Calif. — The annual Pangos All-American Camp kicked off in the Los Angeles area on Friday night and carries through the weekend. Judging on the day one roster of players, this edition may be the most talented ever top to bottom. Some of the many elite guys in the 2012 class are in attendance, as are some hard-charging guards.

The most significant first day matchup occurred between a pair of top-three seniors: Andre Drummond and Isaiah Austin. Additionally, some other big-time battles and emerging prospects surfaced on the courts of Cal-State Dominguez Hills on day one. Read story.

QUALLS GAINING NOTICE AS A RISER
June 3, 2011

Michael Qualls was among the wings to emerge as an athletic force at the recent EYBL event in Los Angeles. The 6-5 senior WF at Shreveport (LA) Huntington is one of the most explosive leapers in the Class of 2012, one who the director of Louisiana Select, Mike Theus, says may be the most athletic wing he's ever had in his program.

Qualls' game isn't entirely without skill, either. Though not a great dribbler nor shooter yet, he does knock in some medium-range jump shots and handles well enough to pressure the defense off the bounce in transition. Meanwhile, he loves to sky for big slams and offensive rebounds in traffic. Read story.

PRIME PROSPECTS LEAD TEAM
TO TITLES AT TOC
May 29, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — The final day of the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions produced some exciting finishes, with each of the title-winning teams led by promising, highly touted college prospects.

In the 17-Under National Tournament (for the first-place finishers in each pool), the high-scoring duo of 6-7 Porterville (MS) Kemper County rising senior WF Devonta Pollard and 6-4 Jackson (MS) Jim Hill rising senior WG Fred Thomas paced the Southern Phenoms to a 59-53 victory over the well-balanced South Florida Panthers in the championship contest. Southpaw Pollard is a definite blue-chipper and probable 2012 McDonald’s All-American. Read story.

EYBL: DAY TWO REPORT
May 29, 2011

HARBOR CITY, Calif. — The second day of action at the EYBL, West Coast edition featured several sterling performances. One aspect of the Nike circuit that always must be remembered is that the bigger and more mainstream names swim in these waters, so players emerging as surprises are more difficult to discover.

That said, one of the day's big themes was the bounce-back of a few players who had performed unevenly at previous events on the travel circuit this year. With that in mind, let's take a look at the most noteworthy prospects. Read story.

LEWIS AND WARREN SCORING DUEL HIGHLIGHTS TOC DAY TWO
May, 28, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — Day two at the TOC was full of action, and we've ranked in order the 12 best performances we witnessed on Saturday. Unless identified otherwise, these players are in the 17-under division rather than the 16-under or 15-under.

Then we'll conclude this report with an updated assessment of Bronson Koenig, whom we panned based on his play yesterday, but who looked like a totally different (and better) player in the second day of games. Read story.

EYBL: DAY ONE REPORT
May 28, 2011

HARBOR CITY, Calif. — The third session of Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League tipped off on Saturday morning in the greater Los Angeles area, and we're on hand this weekend to record the action.

The stakes here are very high. With 10 games already completed prior to this weekend, teams are competing for inclusion into the Peach Jam, the culmination of the three qualifying events. This Los Angeles session follows events held in Hampton, Va., and Dallas, and 16 of the 40 Nike-backed teams won't be invited to the Peach Jam, with several spots to be determined over the next couple days. Read story.

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TIPS OFF
May 27, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions has been a major national event for many years, and despite a new NCAA rule that keeps such events off university campuses, the field this year is still pretty good overall. On opening night, we watched games at the TOC headquarters, Ravenscroft High in Raleigh.

In the Wisconsin Playground Warriors’ victory over the North Carolina Gaters, the most touted player on the court, 6-6 Class of 2012 WF Jean-Pierre Tokoto of the winners, was also the best player on the court. Read story.

TWO MAJOR MOVES TO END WEEK
May 26, 2011

After quite a bit of indecision and conflicting reports, former Maryland commitment Justin Anderson switched his allegiance to Virginia. A top-35 national talent in the rising senior class, Anderson’s new commitment to UVa gives Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers a serious piece to build upon going forward.

Anderson is one of the most athletic players in the Class of 2012, boasting excellent strength, length and explosive leaping ability. He’s a particularly good defender, as evidenced by his stellar work last summer against elite guard Austin Rivers.
Read story.

GOODMAN NO LONGER A KNIGHT
May 25, 2011

Rutgers and forward Jordan Goodman have agreed to part ways. The 6-7 WF — formerly of the Beltway area and now at Jacksonville (FL) Arlington Country Day — undoubtedly is one of the nation’s best shooters in his size range.

Goodman enjoyed a fairly good summer in 2010 and was set up for bigger things this year, but reports emerged that the Scarlet Knights coaching staff was having second doubts and that Goodman himself was ready to reconsider his options.
Read story.

BULLDOGS GET COMMIT; OTHER NEWS
May 24, 2011

Mississippi State picked up a rising senior pledge from Fred Thomas, a 6-5 WG at Jackson (MS) Hill. Though not nationally renowned, Thomas had attracted strong and mid-major interest from other college programs. He averaged 23 points and six rebounds per game as a junior, and obviously he carries additional value for MSU due to the fact that he’s an in-state prospect.

The Bulldogs also hold a commitment from national top-100 AL WG Craig Sword. They remain in deep pursuit of potential McDonald’s All-American Devonta Pollard, a talented forward who also hails from Mississippi.
Read story.

NEW LISTS, RANKINGS!!!

Our new lists and rankings for all classes have been posted.

An interesting factoid worth noting is that the SEC has inked five of the nation's top 10 seniors. When one considers the impact made by our top 10 Class of 2010 headliners, look for some sizzling hot hoops in Kentucky, Georgia and Florida.

Click For New Lists

GETTING UP TO SPEED ON TRANSFERS
May 16, 2011

With the spring signing period closing out on May 18, there are a few Class of 2011 pending announcements expected from Deandre Daniels, Trevor Lacey and Kevin Ware, amongst others who have re-opened their recruitment.

Along with tracking these upcoming decisions, it's worthwhile to take stock in the 20-plus notable transfers who will relocate and re-enroll for the coming basketball season.
Read story.

LIFE AFTER MARCH MADNESS

With the headlines and high drama of the Final Four waning, it's time for our annual report: Life After March Madness. We’ve once again examined each of the final 16 teams in this year’s tournament while providing insight with our Recruiting Power Index, which projects their chances of making another deep postseason run.

We’ve also tracked the numerous coaching changes that continue to rock the college basketball world since the end of the season, and readers should delight in our look at some Class of 2011 prospects who are likely to shock fans with their own exploits in seasons to come. Read story.

COACHING TRANSITIONS: A FRESH START
May 12, 2011

As the coaching carousel slows to a halt, the new hires jump off, roll up their sleeves and make tracks along the recruiting trail. With a keen eye on the coaching changes, the grassroots landscape ahead, and challenges facing more than a few basketball programs the momentum meter starts clicking furiously, adding intrigue to the recruiting game.

Missouri's Frank Haith wisely jumped on an in-state underclassman and then used an existing pipeline to N.C. to land postman Tyrek Coger, and set his sites on elite PG Rodney Purvis.

Smart Move.
Read story.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: JOSE BAREA
May 11, 2011

Dallas Mavericks point guard Jose Barea wasn’t a player many fans devoted time discussing a month ago, but his scrappy, inspired play in the Mavericks’ stunning sweep of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers has won him many new fans.

In the process he also earned the enmity of Lakers center Andrew Bynum. As the waning minutes ticked away on the Lakers’ season, Barea drove toward the rim and Bynum met him with a full-force forearm shiver to the ribcage that sent Barea sprawling. Decried as a pointless cheapshot by anyone and everyone, the NBA league office suspended Bynum for the first five games of next season. Read story.

TIGERS GET TWO RISING JUNIORS
May 9, 2011

A pair of Class of 2013 prospects have committed to Missouri. One was powerful in-state wing forward Ishmail Wainright, a 6-5, 215-pound WF at Raytown (MO) South, who picked the Tigers over a host of interested high-major programs. We most recently watched Wainright competing with the Dreamvision 16s and 17s at the Jayhawk Invitational, and he compensates for needed ball skills with strength, long arms and big hands.

Frank Haith went back to his roots in North Carolina to get Tyrek Coger, a somewhat undersized (6-8, at most) center at Raleigh (NC) Upper Room Christian. Coger isn’t a great athlete but certainly is beefy and can clear space. Read story.

NEWS AND NOTES: GRASSROOTS WEEK
May 5, 2011

This week hasn’t been an enormous one in terms of direct recruiting news, but there’s been all sorts of developing material throughout the grassroots world. Big waves rippled on Thursday when long-time Maryland coach Gary Williams resigned from his post with the Terrapins.

JAYHAWK INVITATIONAL: DAY TWO REPORT
April 30, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The second day of action at the Jayhawk Invitational offered a chance to focus on underclassmen. For most of this year we’ve focused on the 17-under teams, but a smaller event such as this one enables scouts to be more flexible with time and forage for emerging young talent.

To that end, we caught up with some excellent 2013 and 2014 prospects during the morning and afternoon games, then switched back to the 17-unders for the evening playoff rounds. Read story.

JAYHAWK INVITATIONAL: DAY ONE REPORT
April 29, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. — The annual Jayhawk Invitational is taking place this weekend in the hometown of the Kansas Jayhawks, hosted at local junior college Haskell. We’ve covered this event for several years now and have scouted several elite players here for the first time, including Harrison Barnes, Joe Jackson and others.

We didn’t see anyone for the first time on day one who stood out as a blue-chipper, but that’s why there’s an entire weekend of action! We are very excited about Mitch McGary and some other underclassmen. Read story.

BHULLAR CHOOSES MUSKETEERS
April 29, 2011

Xavier made a Class of 2012 pickup in the form of Sim Bhullar, a 7-4 C who likely is the tallest player presently active nationally in high school basketball. He changed high schools during the season and now resides at Huntington (WV) Prep. He generally was regarded by college coaches as a high-major prospect, but opinions do vary starkly.

Bhullar’s obvious primary asset is his towering height. He also isn’t a twig like so many jumbo-sized centers, and over the years he should be able to gain plenty of muscle. Additionally, Bhullar possesses very soft hands, something else you don’t often see from very tall centers. His free throw touch is solid as well, and his jump shot extends to 10 feet from the hoop. Read story.

HOOSIERS MAKE LATE PICKUP
April 27, 2011

Indiana has achieved great fame on the recruiting trail during the past nine months, getting a slew of highly talented players. They made a late pickup this week getting a guy who isn’t as highly touted but still can help them, Remy Abell. A 6-4 WG at Louisville (KY) Eastern, Abell enjoyed a fine high school career and, after obtaining a release from Bradley, looks like a legitimate high-major prospect.

Abell will step in as a versatile scorer and defender who has the size necessary to defend on the college wing. Prior to choosing the Hoosiers, he also considered Xavier, Butler, Western Kentucky and others. Read story.

CLASS OF 2012: POINT GUARD CONUNDRUM
April 26, 2011

Even at this early stage in the Class of 2012 recruiting cycle, much has been made of the dearth of point guards in the rising senior class. There simply aren’t many highly touted floor generals in the class nationally, and even some of those with established reputations have performed inconsistently.

Scouts universally hail the talent and depth of frontcourt prospects in the class, striking a stark contrast and placing those schools primarily looking for big men in a much stronger position than those needing a point guard. Read story.

NEW COACHES: TOP PRIORITIES
April 25, 2011

By now, nearly all of the major Division I coaching changes are in the books. There’s still a possibility that someone from an elite program could jump to the NBA, of course, but for the most part it appears we have a pretty solid understanding of the coaching landscape heading toward the late spring and early summer.

That said, some of the new hires are experiencing a rush of duties during their first weeks on the job. Of prime importance is developing a recruiting plan for the Class of 2012 and beyond, along with patching any holes with late, unsigned 2011 recruits. Read story.

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS GETS KO'D?
April 22, 2011

For nearly 20 years, the Tobacco Road triangle of major programs, North Carolina, Duke and N.C. State, have hosted the annual Tournament of Champions. The event, headquartered at UNC and run by Bob Gibbons, has showcased some of the nation’s very best players during that timespan.

Held during Memorial Day Weekend, the TOC easily was competitive with the Nike-run event taking place that same weekend. Teams, players and their families enjoyed playing at hallowed arenas such as Cameron Indoor Stadium, Reynolds Coliseum and the Dean Smith Center. Read story.

GLAZE BACK ON OPEN MARKET
April 22, 2011

There have been quite a few casualties among recruiting classes this spring, and the numbers continue to pile up. In the wake of its coaching change, UNLV was hit by the defection of talented frontcourt scorer Grandy Glaze, who has requested a release from his letter of intent.

Glaze now is likely to become a high priority due to the fact that he’s a frontourt player (undersized BF) who, unless the NCAA rules against him, should have eligibility to play during the 2011-12 season. Glaze is a native of Canada who obviously could become a target of former Rebels coach Lon Kruger at Oklahoma, but other high-majors could jump in as well. Read story.

WARE SCENARIO UNDERSCORES LOOPHOLE
April 20, 2011

When Georgia wing Kevin Ware committed to Tennessee long ago, his college future seemed secure. His hoops future was detoured against his will, however, when Bruce Pearl was fired as head coach of the Volunteers. Ware already had signed with Tennessee but weighed his options and decided to obtain a release from his letter of intent, which was granted.

And here’s where it gets interesting. In complete good faith, Ware committed and signed with Central Florida early this week. Only, because of an NCAA technicality, the letter of intent was rejected by the NCAA itself. Read story.

REAL DEAL: FINAL REPORT
April 18, 2011

The Real Deal on the rock concluded on Sunday afternoon and featured Memphis YOMCA eking out a narrow victory over the New England Playaz. For our purposes, the most significant aspect of the day’s games was the opportunity to watch elite players Jarnell Stokes, Kaleb Tarczewski and Alex Murphy compete in multiple games.

We watched a lot of guys during our weekend coverage from the event, but here’s a look at a few more players who caught our eye. Read story.

REAL DEAL: DAY TWO REPORT
April 16, 2011

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The second day of action at the Real Deal tipped off at 8:00 a.m. sharp and ended approaching Midnight in Little Rock. The full complement of gymnasiums and recreation centers was employed to house an elite collection of talent. Pool play concluded in the early afternoon, and we spent the evening watching the first couple rounds of playoff action.

As was true at the Nike event in Hampton, Va. a week ago, the depth contained in the Class of 2012 continues to impress. We certainly enjoyed our access to the elite players, but loads of high-major minus prospects and upper-range mid-majors continue to surface, many of whom we’ll cover in our final report early next week. Read story.

REAL DEAL: DAY ONE REPORT
April 15, 2011

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The annual Real Deal in the Rock is taking place this weekend on the campus of Arkansas-Little Rock and surrounding areas within the city. While last weekend’s EYBL in Virginia featured the strong crop of Nike-backed teams, this weekend is a complete departure and puts another batch of elite players on stage.

The tournament’s sprawling setup does present major challenges in terms of seeing as many players as we’d like, but day one nevertheless served up a healthy dose of top talent. Read story.

PORTER CHOOSES HOYAS
April 12, 2011

Georgetown picked up a big-time commitment on Tuesday afternoon, gaining the nod from 6-8 BF Otto Porter. A star at Sikeston (MO) Scott Central, Porter blew up this season and some now view him as a potential top-40 national prospect. He’s a very skilled and tall forward who can face the rim and put the ball on the floor.

NBA types have begun referring to players such as Porter as “stretch forwards,” and in his case the archetype applies. He’s also a talented athlete with length and an exciting style. Missouri was among those to be disappointed by his decision in favor of the Hoyas. Read story.

EBYL HAMPTON: FINAL LOOK
April 11, 2011

The opening weekend of travel season boosted our spirits. We and many colleagues within the grassroots industry openly have questioned the talent level in the rising senior Class of 2012, but the EYBL event in Virginia allayed at least some of the most severe fears.

The three-day event provided not only an opportunity to watch the best prospects on the Nike circuit in action, it enabled us to take stock of the class as a whole and set up our next event, the Real Deal in the Rock, set to take place this weekend and featuring many of the best non-Nike teams. Read story.

EYBL HAMPTON: DAY TWO REPORT
April 9, 2011

HAMPTON, Va. — Saturdays on the travel circuit tend to run long, and Nike’s EYBL event is no exception. Fortunately, the quality of the individual players and competition as a whole is outstanding, so the hours fly by.

Day two generated a lot of optimism about the Class of 2012. Of course there’s always going to be a great deal of chatter about young players, and the junior class truly does have a big problem at point guard, but all in all we saw a lot of talented depth. Further, some players we already knew about have improved markedly since last year. Read story.

EBYL HAMPTON: DAY ONE REPORT
April 8, 2011

HAMPTON, Va. — The travel season kicked off Friday night at the Boo Williams Sportsplex, where one facility hosts the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League and its first edition of the season. Formerly known as the Boo Williams Invitational, the event has maintained its feel despite the shift to a more centralized Nike structure.

In addition to the 17-under division, which itself features a mix of upper- and underclassmen, we also took in a few games from the 16- and 15-under divisions on the first day. Certainly, there’s a great deal of emerging national talent for the future. Read story.

MCLEMORE CHOOSES KANSAS
April 3, 2011

Kansas scored a key commitment on Sunday, getting the nod from blue-chip senior wing Ben McLemore, who announced for the Jayhawks during the All-American Championship game. Little suspense highlighted the affair, particularly after Missouri (which had been a co-finalist) coach Mike Anderson shipped out for Arkansas.

McLemore is an elite leaper who threw down some of the best dunks of anyone last summer. He skies for lobs yet is more than an athlete, wielding a smooth jump shot and outstanding defensive potential as well. He doesn’t rank more highly because his potential typically exceeds his production for no discernable reason. Read story.

BIG CROWD PACKS MCDONALD'S
March 31, 2011

More than 20,000 fans crowded into the United Center in Chicago for the McDonald’s All-American Game — a record for the event — and they were treated to a relatively competitive (albeit extremely sloppy) affair that showcased the games of 24 outstanding senior prospects.

The East team prevailed 111-96 and two players shared MVP honors: Kentucky signee Michael Gilchrist and North Carolina signee James McAdoo. Gilchrist used his athleticism and intelligence to rack up 16 points and 12 rebounds, while McAdoo contributed 17 points and four boards. Read story.

MCDONALD'S AND THE FINAL FOUR
March 29, 2011

The annual McDonald’s All-American game tips off on Wednesday night in Chicago, and despite the typically frazzled style of play that mars any true opportunity to evaluate players, recruitniks dutifully tune in at least to see the names they’ve read so much about take the floor.

Meanwhile, the Final Four takes place in Houston and features two teams — Butler and Virginia Commonwealth — that have no Mickey D’s alums on their rosters. UConn and Kentucky both regularly tap into elite high school talent, of course, so let’s take a look at the past four years of McDonald’s recruits and where they are now. Read story.

CAROLINA CHALLENGE REPORT
March 28, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — We spent the weekend in the Triangle area of North Carolina. While two of the local schools (Duke and UNC) had NCAA tournament games, the best young players in the state took part in the fifth annual Carolina Challenge, which showcased numerous high-major players — and some very exciting freshmen — at Ravenscroft High.

The Challenge has become sort of a preview for the spring and summer travel season, which opens more or less officially in 10 days in Hampton, Va., at Nike’s first installment of its Elite Youth league. Read story.

PRIME TIME LEVERAGES
RECRUITING EFFORTS

"Recruiting after the Final Four was very different than before our run. Because of our run, we were able to get on television more than ever before. And that exposure created interest not only locally, regionally but also nationally.

We did a research project and discovered that George Mason was on television 25 times a season, which ranked us fourth amongst non-BCS schools. Memphis, Gonzaga, Xavier and George Mason were the top four non-BCS schools to appear on television more times than anybody else. That opened up plenty of doors in the recruiting."

Jim Larranaga
George Mason Head Basketball Coach

HOLLOWAY ANNOUNCES FOR IU
March 24, 2011

Indiana continues to snarf up blue-chip underclassmen from within its region. The Hoosiers received the nod on Thursday afternoon from Jeremy Hollowell, a 6-7 junior WF at Indianapolis (IN) Lawrence Central. Hollowell is yet another very talented product from the state, and his pledge disappointed Ohio State and others in the region.

Hollowell isn’t an eye-popping player in any particular area, he’s just a good all-around athlete who should become a steady four-year contributor. His presence in a 2012 class that already includes those such as Yogi Ferrell and Hanner Perea, Ron Patterson and Peter Jurkin is enormous looking ahead to future editions of Hoosier teams. Read story.

NOVA PICKS UP BIG-TIME JUNIOR
March 22, 2011

Last weekend went disappointingly for Villanova, which fell in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but the Wildcats did get some excellent recruiting news early this week. Jay Wright and company gained a pledge from 2012 forward Daniel Ochefu, who picked the Wildcats over finalists Temple, Texas and Georgetown.

Ochefu is among the many talented big men in the junior class, and no doubt he’ll face a large number of challenging matchups this spring and summer that will enable him to add toughness and polish for college. Read story.

EARLY SPRING FRESHMAN LIST: FIRST LOOK

We're defininitely more deliberate than most when it comes to listing high school freshmen, but at this point in the season we can go ahead and open an initial watch list for the Class of 2014. Some of these young players didn't have any interest in waiting, and some of the names already will be familiar to dedicated recruitniks.

Of course, this list will expand substantially during the spring and summer. We don't yet rank any of these guys precisely for that reason, but by the end of summer we should be able to compile a list of the early top 10 prospects in the class. Click to see the updated Class of 2014 rankings list.

EARLY SPRING JUNIOR RANKINGS

Our next full and expanded set of underclassman rankings will occur in the late spring, but we've gotten an early jump on alterations to the junior Class of 2012 heading into spring. You'll notice subtle changes as well as some entirely new additions to the chart, including a new No. 1 prospect, Andre Drummond.

Additionally, we've updated school lists for each of the top 50 players to reflect where each player stands at this still relatively early stage in his recruitment. Not surprisingly, the schools boasting high seeds in the NCAA tournament are doing well with top recruits. Moreover, some already have taken their names off the market. Click to see the updated
Class of 2012 rankings list.

MCDONALD'S VOTE: QUICK REVIEW
March 14, 2011

The McDonald’s All-American game will take place on March 30 at the United Center in Chicago, and while it’s another couple weeks from now, the pre-NCAA tournament days tend to be slow and offer time for reflection.

As always, the McDonald’s game rewards the nation’s best senior players as determined by a selection committee and committee chairman Morgan Wootten, who customarily adds a handful of players after the votes are counted. Read story.

PRE-MADNESS COMMITMENTS TAKE SHAPE
March 10, 2011

Just a week before the opening of the NCAA tournament, Florida made a key pickup from talented junior scorer Braxton Ogbueze, a strong and compact combo guard from North Carolina who enjoyed a big junior season. Ogbueze is at his best shooting threes and creating shots for himself off the dribble, although he has improved his handling and playmaking as well.

The Gators now boast pledges from two 2012 prospects with outside ability: Ogbueze and in-state product Michael Frazier. We’ve been highly impressed with both prospects, and UF is building an offensively gifted class. Read story.

A VIEW FROM THE TOP
March 9, 2011

Who could have known a year ago that we’d end up in this position? Nearly everyone who’d watched Michael Gilchrist felt certain he’d become a wire-to-wire No. 1 player in the Class of 2011. After all, the New Jersey wing was among the very best players in high school basketball during the summer of 2009 when players a class ahead of him were competing for status of their own.

And in truth, Gilchrist hasn’t done anything wrong since that time. He played for the 17-under USA Basketball aggregation last summer and captured a gold medal. Read story.

HANDFUL OF MAJOR COMMITS
March 7, 2011

The most significant commitment to occur in recent days was one by an underclassman. Virginia Tech, continuing its run of outstanding commitments from both the classes of 2011 and 2012, picked up athletic NC junior BF Montrezl Harrell, a big-time and rugged performer who chose the Hokies over burgeoning interest from several other ACC programs.

Harrell has been inconsistent but also has been spectacular on his good nights, including a dominant performance on opening night of the Tournament of Champions last summer. He has gotten stronger (and filled out) over the past year and despite being only 6-7, should be able to hold his own in the post on both ends of the court. Read story.

TOKOTO COMMITS TO TAR HEELS
March 3, 2011

North Carolina picked up its second commitment from the Class of 2012, getting the nod from WI WF J.P. Tokoto, who chose the Tar Heels over Wisconsin, Marquette and many other high-major programs. Tokoto is one of the most impressive run/jump athletes in the junior class, tossing down some of the most ferocious dunks coast to coast.

Tokoto didn’t play as well as he had hoped last summer, but he reportedly has improved his medium-range jump shot — his largest obstacle last year on the circuit — and remains a solid ball-handler, good passer and very unselfish playmaker for others. Read story.

FROSH PROFILE: RAY MCCALLUM
March 3, 2011

Most of the freshmen we’ve covered this year are competing at major programs. That fact isn’t surprising, obviously, but one exception is University of Detroit point guard Ray McCallum, who turned down offers from elite programs to play for his father, Ray Sr., who’s the coach for the Titans.

Players in non-major conferences face higher expectations than their peers, sometimes unfairly, because they project to get more playing time and freedom to exert their will on the game. In McCallum’s case, he’s second on the team in scoring at 13.6 points per game, and he’s hitting 45 percent of his shots along with a strong five rebounds and five assists per contest. Read story.

FROSH PROFILE: JOSH SELBY
March 1, 2011

We’ve dedicated a healthy portion of our freshman profiles to players who have performed well this season — and overall, this class appears to be evaluated fairly well — but one who has been a little slow out of the gate is Josh Selby. Ranked No. 12 in our final rankings last spring, Selby’s high school reputation was based on his ability to score, including his talent for creating offense for himself.

At Kansas this season, however, Selby missed the early portion of the year due to eligibility issues. That delay hindered his opportunity to learn during the early (and typically easier) season games, and in Big 12 play he has struggled to establish a rhythm. Read story.

FROSH PROFILE: WILL BARTON
February 28, 2011

Memphis freshman wing Will Barton has been a key figure for the Tigers as they've had a roller coaster ride of a season. But though the young team has been inconsistent, Barton himself — a top-10 prospect out of high school — has enjoyed mostly good moments this year.

Of course, Barton’s journey mirrors that of the team. A strong game (17 points, six rebounds) against UAB was followed up by a lackluster (3-11 FG, eight points, four turnovers) in a defeat at Rice. Overall, Barton leads the team in scoring at 13 points per game, and he’s adding five rebounds and about a steal and a half per game. Read story.

TERPS GET BIG WITH FOREIGN FLAVOR
February 25, 2011

Maryland wants to add size with what’s left in the Class of 2011, and like most high-majors, they had to be creative. Fortunately for the Terrapins, they were able to locate a talented big man with a growing reputation for advanced skill.

Martin Breunig, a 6-8 native of Germany prepping this season at Delafield (WI) St. John’s Military, had drawn a list of schools that included Virginia, Saint Louis and others and one that was expanding over time. Though we haven’t seen him in person, there’s certainly impressive video evidence of him floating out there on the internet. Read story.

FROSH PROFILE: PERRY JONES
February 23, 2011

Although not frequently mentioned as a potential No. 1 player during his days with the high school Class of 2010, there has been increasing chatter throughout basketball that Baylor freshman Perry Jones could become the overall top pick in the NBA draft. Although that issue won’t be determined until later — and that’s assuming Jones declares in the first place — clearly he has caught the eye of the game’s most significant power brokers.

Jones is averaging a strong 14 points and seven rebounds per game on 57 percent shooting, but it’s more than his stats driving the buzz surrounding him heading into spring. Read story.

JOHNSON FORCED TO MAKE ALTERNATIVE PLANS
February 22, 2011

Oklahoma State’s recruiting class got a little lighter. The Cowboys, which signed elite Texas forward LeBryan Nash in November, also were excited to have big-time juco BF Karron Johnson on board as well. Unfortunately for OSU, however, Johnson now will be headed elsewhere.

The decision didn’t come as a total surprise. Johnson has been a nomad throughout his career, and during the late fall he was dismissed from Midland (Texas) JC. He remained in school with the hopes of becoming eligible for the Cowboys during the 2011-12 season, but Travis Ford and his program were forced to cut ties. Read story.

CHOL PICKS WILDCATS
February 17, 2011

One of the best remaining big men in the Class of 2011 made his decision on Thursday. Californian Angelo Chol announced for Arizona over finalists Kansas and North Carolina, while several high-majors also had been in serious contention.

Chol undertook a deliberate, well-organized and professional recruitment that led him to make several official visits, ultimately culminating in a win for Sean Miller’s program. Chol is widely considered a defense-minded big man, but in fact he runs the floor very well and also shoots a nice lefty jump shot from 15. Read story.

JORDAN GAME ROSTERS ANNOUNCED
February 15, 2011

While the McDonald’s All-American team was announced late last week, the second-most important all-star game rosters were announced on Tuesday. The Jordan Brand Classic, to be played on April 16 in Charlotte, N.C., where the event’s namesake is an executive with the Charlotte Bobcats, will feature the best seniors from the Nike travel circuit.

The nation’s top senior prospect, Anthony Davis, will be in attendance, as will his future Kentucky teammate Michael Gilchrist, the second-best senior prospect. Read more.

PLAY BY PLAY CLASSIC: FINAL THOUGHTS
February 14, 2011

The two-day Play by Play Classics on Tobacco Road concluded over the weekend, with the final day of games taking place at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Not surprisingly, a pair of Tar Heel recruits were featured: James McAdoo and P.J. Hairston.

McAdoo has been up and down when we’ve seen him this season, and during the first half of an overmatched Norfolk Christian game against Hargrave Military Academy, he struggled with poor shooting. We continue to believe that his collegiate future (at the minimum) is at the big forward position, not on the wing. Read more.

PLAY BY PLAY CLASSIC: DAY ONE REPORT
February 12, 2011

DURHAM, N.C. — The Play by Play Classic’s Tobacco Road edition tipped off at Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday night, and a doubleheader featuring Duke recruits and others took the floor. The first game, broadcast by ESPN, featured Oak Hill Academy against the Christ School out of North Carolina.

An impressive array of talent took the court during the nightcap, too, as Our Savior New American out of New York handled Benedictine from Richmond. Read more.

MCDONALD'S ALL-AMERICAN ANALYSIS
February 11, 2011

Discussion on the topic will evolve, but the McDonald’s All-American team was announced and shapes up fairly well based on our current (but not final) rankings for the senior Class of 2011.

Leading the way is our No. 1 prospect, Chicago big man and Kentucky signee Anthony Davis. A slender forward who has looked fantastic this season, Davis will have an opportunity to become a collegiate star as a freshman and perhaps a high NBA lottery pick in the 2012 draft. All of our top 10 prospects made the game with one exception: NC BF Quincy Miller (No. 7), who missed the entire season due to injury and thus wasn’t eligible. Read more.

BLUE DEVILS GET ANOTHER
February 11, 2011

Duke landed its second big-time junior in a week, getting the nod from 6-2 WG Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston (TX) Strake Jesuit. Sulaimon visited Durham for the Blue Devils’ win over UNC on Wednesday, and he came away duly impressed enough to deliver an early pledge to Mike Krzyzewski’s program.

Buzz surrounding Sulaimon for months has been that’s a potential McDonald’s All-American next spring, and certainly his offer list (replete with high-majors) reinforces the point. So, while Duke’s other junior commitment, WF/BF Alex Murphy, presently ranks higher, it’s possible that both could end up somewhere in the national top 10-20. Read more.

PLAY BY PLAY: DUKE/UNC PERPETUATES
February 10, 2011

Duke’s ferocious second-half comeback enabled the Blue Devils to prevail over archrival North Carolina in Durham on Wednesday night, and this weekend the schools' current recruits will be on display on their future home courts. Over two nights, Friday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium and on Saturday at the Dean Smith Center, both schools’ signees will be in action.

The obvious angle for fans to consider — and certainly what we’ll be considering when watching over the next two days — is not only how good these recruits are but also how they may match up against each other down the line. Read more.

VIDEO PREVIEW: PLAY BY PLAY CLASSIC
February 8, 2011

This weekend will bring two nights of basketball action to the Triangle area of North Carolina, as both Duke and UNC will host some of their best signed recruits. As an added bonus, it's likely that three and up to four participants — plus another blue-chip player, Michael Gbinije, who isn’t eligible because he’s a fifth-year prep — will be selected to the McDonald’s All-American team.

Below is a video look at the some of the top players in attendance from the Blue Devils’ and Tar Heels’ perspectives, and of course there will be other national talents there as well with Oak Hill Academy (Va.) and Our Savior (N.Y.) leading the way. See Video.

MURPHY PLEDGES TO BLUE DEVILS
February 7, 2011

Duke is enjoying another top-five season and continues to light it up on the recruiting trail. The Blue Devils landed blue-chip junior forward Alex Murphy, one of the most versatile players and most gifted in terms of size/skill ratio in the Class of 2012.

Murphy also had considered Florida (his brother Erik plays for the Gators), North Carolina and others, but ultimately he chose Mike Krzyzewski’s program in hopes that he can follow in the footsteps of Kyle Singler and others from Duke’s past. While Murphy isn’t quite the inside/outside threat Singler was at the same stage, he’s a good perimeter shooter who has demonstrated a willingness to mix it up inside for rebounds. Read more.

Scholastic Play by Play:
Triangle Edition
February 4, 2011

Most of the season's major high school events have passed, with the bulk of the nation's best seniors not taking the court against each other until the postseason all-star games this spring.

But in addition to the numerous upcoming state high school playoff tournaments capturing the headlines, there's one final blast of Scholastic Play by Play events to close out the 2010-11 slate. In North Carolina, Duke and UNC will host several senior recruits on February 11 and 12. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: TRISTAN THOMPSON
February 3, 2011

Texas is one of the hottest teams in the nation, carrying a perfect 7-0 record in Big 12 play, including a victory at Kansas. The Longhorns aren’t exactly a veteran team, either, as two of the club’s top four scorers are freshmen. The most productive thus far has been big man Tristan Thompson, a strong and skilled insider who has scored efficiently throughout the season.

Through 22 games, Thompson is averaging 12.8 points per game (second on the team) and tied for the rebounding lead at 7.5 boards per contest. At 52 percent from the floor, he’s hardly had to toss up a lot of shots to get his points. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: TOBIAS HARRIS
February 1, 2011

Tennessee’s early season was overshadowed over the actions taken against UT coach Bruce Pearl, but the Volunteers, after one poor stretch, mostly have enjoyed strong wins and now stand 4-2 in the SEC. One key for the Vols has been Tobias Harris, the big-time freshman who checked in at No. 6 in our final rankings for the prep Class of 2010.

Harris currently ranks second on the team in scoring at just under 15 points per game, and he’s also contributing 7.7 rebounds per night. His shooting isn’t bad (44 percent) for a young player pushed into an essential role. Read more.

LEDO BACKS OFF EARLY COMMITMENT
January 31, 2011

It’s inevitable that the rash of early commitments in the Class of 2012 will result in some backing off of those pledges. One such casualty was Providence pledge Ricardo Ledo, who backed off his commitment to PC and now rejoins the list of recruitable players in the open market.

Ledo is an elite talent, and his defection from the recruiting class obviously stings the Friars’ efforts to regain footing in the Big East. Nevertheless, at least the club has plenty of time to address his absence. Meanwhile, Ledo inevitably will draw as many high-major scholarships as he wants. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: JOSH SMITH
January 28, 2011

Moving to the West, the struggles of UCLA have overshadowed somewhat the improving play of freshman center Josh Smith. The native of Seattle has battled severe weight issues his entire career but now is in better condition and is beginning to blossom under the tutelage of Ben Howland.

Though not exactly at a stat-sheet darling at this point in his career, Smith has raised his averages to 10 points and seven rebounds per game for the gradually improving Bruins, and he’s now shooting 54 percent from the field. And given that he’s still growing into his body and learning how to be a high-level competitive athlete, Smith’s long-term potential is obvious. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: BRUCE ELLINGTON
January 26, 2011

To date, we’ve mostly looked at the college freshmen who were highly esteemed heading into this season, but one who’s done well without quite as many accolades is South Carolina point guard Bruce Ellington. The diminutive 5-9 floor general appeared at one time to be a football recruit, but he demonstrated tremendous speed in Las Vegas in the summer of 2009, finishing up as a top-75 prospect in his class.

This season for the Gamecocks, Ellington is leading the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game along with four rebounds and nearly four assists per contest. South Carolina has posted a respectable 12-6 record and is off to a 2-1 start in the SEC. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: BRANDON KNIGHT
January 25, 2011

We’ve already taken a look at Kentucky freshman Terrence Jones, but in fact the most highly ranked of the Wildcat freshmen to take the court this season — and thus excluding elite big man Enes Kanter, who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA due to amateurism issues — is Brandon Knight.

Knight, a tall and athletic point guard, is second on the team in scoring (behind Jones) with 17.6 points per game, an outstanding average for a freshman. He’s also dishing out nearly four assists and grabbing four rebounds per game, so clearly he’s far from a one-trick pony. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: Harrison Barnes
January 24, 2011

In our continuing checkup on this year’s college freshmen, we’ll take a look at the nation’s No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2010: Harrison Barnes. Unlike the previous players we’ve covered, Barnes’ struggles as a freshman have been very highly publicized.

Not only is the top player in the class expected to generate big numbers because he’s the best of the best in the class — and in recent seasons that designation has predicted huge freshman campaigns — expectations of Barnes skyrocketed due to the fact that he became the first freshman ever selected as a preseason first-team All-American. Read more.

FROSH PROFILE: TERRENCE JONES
January 20, 2011

Among this year’s college freshmen, the first player we checked in on was Ohio State stud Jared Sullinger. Here, we’ll take a look at Kentucky forward Terrence Jones, who also clearly is among the very best rookies in college hoops this season.

Jones this week became the subject of compassion after he was subjected to a verbal tirade from UK boss John Calipari, and he also recently was benched temporarily, but those issues don’t accurately describe his play or the context of his contributions to the Wildcats this season. Read more.

PLAY BY PLAY: GREENSBORO REPORT
January 18, 2011

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Play by Play Classic has become a mainstay within the grassroots scene on a day (MLK’s birthday) that itself has become a significant one throughout the nation. The day’s action included the country’s most famous high school program — Oak Hill Academy — as well as other stars and major signees.

One uncommitted junior guard made the PbP his personal playground, while some other big names struggled at the Greensboro Coliseum complex. Read more.

UPDATED SENIOR, JUNIOR & SOPHOMORE LISTS

Wholesale changes to the rankings won't occur until the postseason, but we've made a few changes and mostly added players to the underclassman lists and updated school lists for the remaining unsigned seniors.

To see the latest just follow the links below. Enjoy!

Class of 2011 Class of 2012 Class of 2013

MLK CLASSIC:
TALENTED FIELD TAKES CENTER STAGE
January 15, 2011

Tobacco Road basketball runs full throttle these game days of January for both colleges and high schools alike. Following the excitement, upsets and last second nailbiters comes the high drama of March Madness in the not too distant future.

One bonus at the high school level is gameday action that gives fans throughout the country a front row seat to watch the next possible game-changers for their favorite team. That’s the true essence of recruiting and scouting prospects. Read more.

MLK PREVIEW: PLAY BY PLAY CLASSIC
January 14, 2011

For years now, Martin Luther King Holiday weekend has become a highly significant one for grassroots basketball. As usual, our travels this year will take us to the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina for the 9th Annual Scholastic Sports Play by Play Classic, an event that in the past has showcased future NBA superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant.

This year, the headliner in Greensboro will be famed Oak Hill Academy. Steve Smith’s Warriors once again are loaded with high-major prospects, including Duke signee Quinn Cook (PrepStars’ No. 14 senior), explosive unsigned wing Ben McLemore (No. 41), Arizona-bound big man Sidiki Johnson (No. 54) and other promising college prospects. Read more.

RIDLEY MAKES EARLY PLEDGE TO HORNS
January 14, 2011

Texas made one of its most significant recruiting moves for the Class of 2012, getting an early commitment from elite TX C Cameron Ridley, a big-time big man who should compete for a McDonald’s All-American berth in the spring of 2012.

Ridley had attracted numerous high-major scholarship offers, including from Ohio State, North Carolina, Georgetown and many others. He possesses a very good frame, runs the court well, blocks tons of shots and has the makings of a solid low-post scoring game. His commitment to UT further solidifies in the minds of everyone in grassroots basketball that getting a top Longhorn target out of the state will be an extremely difficult process. Read more

FRANKLIN, TURNER ON THE MOVE
January 12, 2011

One of the nation’s best shooters in the Class of 2010, CA PG Gary Franklin, switched his commitment from Southern Cal to California after the Trojans’ coaching change. That move surprised no one.

But now, after recently departing the Bears’ program, Franklin will suit up for a different Bears. He has enrolled at Baylor and will sit out the remainder of this season as well as the first semester next year, and he’ll have three years of eligibility. Many observers were very surprised by his move, but ultimately Baylor will benefit by bringing in a player to complement the raw athleticism of Class of 2011 signees Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello. Read more

SEVEN CITIES CLASSIC REPORT
January 11, 2011

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The first annual Seven Cities Classic brought together a surprisingly strong field for a one-day event at Woodrow Wilson High. The emphasis was on local teams playing clubs from elsewhere on the East Coast, particularly the Northeast.

One strong aspect of the field was the care given to individual matchups. Though those sorts of showdowns between players frequently don’t pan out for one reason or another, the effort was made and certainly appreciated. Read more

PAIGE COMMITS TO UNC; WHAT NEXT?
January 10, 2011

The crop of point guards in the Class of 2012 has been criticized in every conceivable way over the past year, as to this point there appears to be a lack of a genuinely elite floor general. For that reason college programs are being especially aggressive with offers, because the few guys who are established blue-chippers (again, if not elite) are likely to fly off the board.

The above preamble illustrates the importance of IA PG Marcus Paige committing to North Carolina this past weekend. The 6-1 floor general isn’t a dynamic athlete or scorer but has shown a more complete game than some of the other guards in the class and, upon getting stronger, should prove to be a fine ACC-level performer. Read more

TCU & THE BIG EAST: WHAT'S THE SKINNY?
January 5, 2011

The news broke a few weeks ago that Texas Christian would be joining the Big East conference for the 2012-13 season. While the move won’t be consummated for another couple seasons and the primary reason for the invitation was based on football — TCU gets automatic BCS consideration as a member of a major conference, and the Big East gets an emerging football power — there are obvious basketball ramifications as well.

The already-massive Big East grows yet again, taking a school not known for its hoops tradition. Nor are the Horned Frogs a geographical fit, though the reality is that few conferences are as concerned with those boundaries in today’s era. Read more

NEW YEAR'S COMMITMENT ROUNDUP
January 4, 2011

There were several commitments to occur at major programs at the turn of the new year, and the most significant to occur from the senior class was that of IN C Michael Chandler, who made a pledge to his third different school. Previously a Louisville and Xavier commitment, Chandler now will play for Central Florida.

The Knights have wanted to lure a promising big man, and Chandler definitely fits the bill. Though inconsistent and with plenty of room to develop his body (he has a good frame, just needs tone), he possesses nice skills and athleticism and could become one of the better big men in the nation. Read more

BEACH BALL CLASSIC REPORT
January 2, 2011

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — The Beach Ball Classic is the nation’s most famous post-Christmas tournament, and deservedly so. Over the years such superstars as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter and many others have brought their talents to the beach for several days of elite competition.

This year, the best prospect in attendance actually wasn’t a senior, but a sophomore, as you’ll see, and the second-best prospect was a junior. Read more

Recruiting News Archive