NBE Basketball Report

2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY TWO

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports***** By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst The second day of the National Prep School Invitational featured nine games with tips starting bright and early at 9 AM. Things started off a bit slowly with the first couple of early morning games featuring sluggish, turnover prone play. Then at 1:30 PM everything changed when Notre Dame Prep took the floor against Canarias Basketball Academy. That’s when a 7 foot monster put his stamp on this tournament and in doing so earned top billing for the day from me. Top Performer... [Read more.]

2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY ONE

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst The National Prep School Invitational kicked off Thursday morning at a new venue of Rhode Island College after a number of years at the University of Rhode Island. The shift was made due to new NCAA rules not allowing tournaments of this nature to take place in Division-I gyms but the always well run event didn’t miss a beat. Eight games filled the schedule on Thursday with the nation’s No. 1 team Brewster Academy facing off against St. John’s Northwest Military Academy in the headliner. Two players faced off head to head in that matchup and... [Read more.]

MERNAGH: MARQUETTE IS ROLLING

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports***** By Ray Mernagh Marquette has won seven straight to get the Still-Warriors to 19-4 (8-2 in BEAST play) but neither the gaudy record or the streak is the most impressive thing about these sleek jets wearing the nicest uniforms (it ain’t even close) in all of college basketball. Nope, it’s the way they snatch you, like a boa constrictor suddenly engulfing your jugular. One second you’re chilling in the bush, the next you’re deader than the Washington Wizards playoff hopes. Poor Kevin Willard. His Seton... [Read more.]

MERNAGH: ADAMS WILL BE FINE

Steven Adams is almost 7 feet (6’11″ after checking with his coach). Steven Adams runs like a deer and rebounds out of his area (he tracked one 17 feet before grabbing it). He has incredible raw instincts defensively, knowing when to keep his feet with his arms straight up, when to jump and when to body his man. Steven Adams makes hard catches look routine. Steven Adams threw a 75 foot outlet pass to Myles Davis that led the Xavier bound guard perfectly for a breakaway dunk. Steven Adams attempts to dunk everything he catches within a foot of the rim. Steven Adams has a nice stroke... [Read more.]

NEW INTEREST HIGHLIGHTS SEASON FOR TERRENCE SAMUEL

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports***** South Shore (NYC) High School guard Terrence Samuel is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Class of 2013 nationally. The powerfully built 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard began to make a name for himself nationally helping New Heights AAU to five impressive tournament titles on the spring and summer AAU circuit. The attention in his talents has continued into his junior season with South Shore and his recruitment has expanded. Some of the new schools that have become involved has been the highlight of his season so far. “Highlight... [Read more.]

CLASS OF 2012 JUCO PROSPECT INTRO: Q&A WITH MATT KORCHECK

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports***** Each year the spring signing period sees many junior college prospects make their decisions on what four-year college to attend following their two-year stint at the JUCO level. One prospect that is seeing quite a bit of interest is Cochise (AZ) College big man Matt Korcheck. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound PF/C orginially signed with UTEP and then head coach Tony Barbee in November of 2009 as part of the 2010 recruiting class out of Sabino High School in Tucson (AZ). When Barbee left UTEP for Auburn and Tim Floyd took over the... [Read more.]

CLASS OF 2013 INTRO: BO ZEIGLER

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports***** While already well known in the Midwest, Detroit (MI) Community High’s Byron ‘Bo’ Zeigler is poised to make a big name for himself nationally this spring and summer on the recruiting trail. The 6-foot-6, 191-pound small forward, according to our friends at Hoops Window, is a rubberband man on the floor, offensively and defensively and utilizes a speed burst dribble and glide towards the hoop with ease, it doesn’t matter from which side of the court, Zeigler is effective with both hands. On defense, Hoops... [Read more.]

LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON: BRACKETBUSTER PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED

Long Beach State, Saint Mary’s among marquee match-ups By Raphielle Johnson Monday was a big day for the sixteen conferences involved in the selection process for the Sears BracketBusters event, as these match-ups (February 17th-19th) are a final chance for teams to pick up a resume-building non-conference win. Long Beach State, who played an absolutely brutal non-conference schedule, will play at Creighton in one of the marquee games of the event. Dan Monson’s 49ers are undefeated in Big West play, and led by point guard Casper Ware and forward T.J. Robinson they’re more than... [Read more.]

FOUR SCHOOLS ON ISAIAH WHITEHEAD THE HARDEST

Lincoln (NYC) High School guard Isaiah Whitehead is just in his sophomore season but he already seems to have been a name we have been following for years. Such is life when your regarded as one of the top players, regardless of class, in New York City. The 6-foot-4, 195-lb guard combines strength and athleticism into an impressive on the court package. Whitehead enters the stretch run of the 2011-2012 high school season with goals of a City and State title as well as Player of the Year honors. This past summer with the Juice All-Stars playing top competition in Las Vegas, NBE saw Whitehead... [Read more.]

WOODALL: I GOT THIS

By Ray Mernagh Travon Woodall has been the object of scorn from certain groups of Pittsburgh fans over his four years in the program. Complaints have ranged from he didn’t start for his high school team to he’s too sloppy with the ball to he takes too many chances. Some have even gone so far as to say the redshirt junior isn’t a D-1 caliber player. Woodall has almost always come through for his team. I’ve witnessed him win games by blocking a shot at the rim, hitting multiple three-pointers or by finding flying teammates for alley-oop dunks or cutters for layups.... [Read more.]

RECRUITMENT OF TYLER ENNIS POISED TO BE BIG STORY IN CLASS OF 2013

Our northern neighbors of Canada have been producing a steady stream of elite basketball prospects recently and St. Benedict’s Prep guard Tyler Ennis may be the best of the bunch in the Class of 2013. Nolan Shulman, the authority on Canadian prep basketball, certainly would agree with that assumption. “He was routinely the best player on the floor at every stop on the circuit this summer,” Shulman, National Recruiting Analyst of Flagrant Fouls and Editor-in-Chief of the Ultimate Recruiting Handbook which concentrates on Canadian basketball prospects, told NBE this fall. “His... [Read more.]

MONTVERDE ACADEMY INVITATIONAL – SATURDAY REVIEW

by Alex Schwartz MONTVERDE, Fla. – Three teams from the Northeast and a squad from Georgia joined four schools from Florida for the 2012 Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament this weekend. NBE Basketball Report was on hand Saturday for the final day of the event and took in four quality games. In the seventh place game, Monsignor Pace (FL) defeated Leesburg (FL) by a score of 66-58. In the other consolation bracket game, Shiloh (GA) knocked off Imhotep Charter (PA) by two, 44-42, to claim fifth place. Mount Vernon (NY) used a strong fourth quarter to take an 82-72 victory... [Read more.]

MERNAGH: PITT KEEPS HOPE ALIVE HEADING INTO BIG MONDAY SHOWDOWN AT WEST VIRGINIA

Pitt 86 Providence 74 is what the scoreboard read when the buzzer sounded last Wednesday night. It remained there for maybe a half second before the board changed to reflect the record for Pittsburgh inside the Peterson Events Center since it was built. The loss side of that all-time record has grown more in the last month than in the last several years. Wednesday evening’s result inside the Peterson Events Center brought relief to a program and fan-base in dire need of a fresh breath. Now all of a sudden, in the span of 72 hours, relief has turned into, dare I say…hope? What was a... [Read more.]

STEVEN ADAMS DRAWS A CROWD IN PITTSBURGH DEBUT

By Lauren Kirschman Steven Adams‘ abilities on the basketball court are unquestionable. He’s 6-foot-11 and already built like a player headed for the NBA. In Notre Dame Prep’s 75-36 victory over Massanutten (Va.) Military Academy in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club Legends Classic at Ambridge High School, he finished with 12 points 14 boards and three blocks. He showed exceptional body control and rebounding ability, while also impressing with his capability to run the floor. He’s already being billed by Pitt fans as a “savior”. But by talking to him, you wouldn’t... [Read more.]

WILL FERGUSON UPDATES RECRUITMENT DURING SEASON OF CHANGE

By Matt Whitfield To say things have been easy this last year for Will Ferguson would be far from the truth. The lightning quick Class of 2013 point guard has switched AAU programs and now high schools all within the last year. Ferguson though feels he is playing better basketball now that he’s back to his hometown team and judging by the performance he put on Friday night against Oakton High School in a 74-61 win Friday night with a raucous crowd that was taunting him, things look that way. “At O’Connell I butted heads with a lot of the coaches and I didn’t think I was playing the way... [Read more.]

WOODALL BACK IN THE SADDLE FOR PITT

Junior point guard finishes with 17 points & 9 assists against Providence as Pitt ends 8-game losing streak Tuesday By Anthony Jaskulski November 30th of the Panthers basketball season seemed like no big deal. As per status quo, Pitt knocked off Duquesne, and it just seemed like guard Travon Woodall sprained a muscle or something to a lesser degree. Present day, that injury turned out to be a major component to what was the longest losing streak for a Pitt basketball team since the 1994-95 season, dropping an unheard of eight straight games, including an 0-7 start to their BIG EAST schedule. Wednesday... [Read more.]

LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON: 49ERS ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS BIG WEST’S BEST

By Raphielle Johnson For the second straight season, many college basketball fans on the west coast were looking forward to the first meeting of the season between Big West heavyweights Long Beach State and UCSB, widely regarded as the two best teams in the conference. But while the venue changed (the first meeting last year was in Long Beach) the result remained the same, as the 49ers dominated to the tune of a 71-48 whipping at the Thunderdome. Casper Ware, who was named Big West Player of the Week for the third time this season, scored 14 points and dished out five assists but his most important... [Read more.]

OBSERVATIONS FROM GEORGETOWN/RUTGERS

By Matt Whitfield A paid attendence of 12,852 saw No. 10 Georgetown rally late to edge upset-minded Rutgers Saturday at the Verizon Center. An Eli Carter three-pointer gave the Scarlet Knights a 50-45 with 2:35 to play in the second half. The Hoyas would finish the game on a 7-0 run with freshman Otto Porter scoring the last six of those points, including two free throws with 8 seconds left to lift Georgetown to victory. Here are my observations from the game… Rutgers distributes the ball fairly well. Players from Rutgers often continuously move the rock on the offensive side setting up... [Read more.]

PITT LEFT SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS

By Ray Mernagh Took a break last night from the media section and took in the Pitt vs. Louisville game — with my wife — from some spectacular seats at just about mid-court about 5 rows behind the Oakland Zoo (shout out to my man for the hookup). It’s been a strange month and a half for Pitt basketball as the Panthers were 0-6 in Big East action heading into last night’s Game Day festivities. Heading into the Pete, and all day long for that matter, I kept going back to one thought: This would be the night that Pitt gets the 1,000 pound gorilla off their backs and actually... [Read more.]

HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: WEEKEND’S TOP PERFORMERS

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst Now that the 2012 Hoophall Classic has come to a close and I’ve had a few days to process all the basketball I saw it’s time to compile player rankings from the weekend’s performances. Below you will see players ranked by class based solely on their performance from the Hoophall Classic. These rankings are not an opinion on players overall game or potential but rather on the way they performed in Springfield. 2012 Player Rankings: 1) Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – Muhammad only strengthened his place as the top overall player in the... [Read more.]

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