Connecticut Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, West Virginia Recruiting, Zach Smart

HOOP GROUP ELITE TOP 100 NY REVIEW

Mike Poole shines at Hoop Group Elite event on St. John’s campus with his play

By Zach Smart

Queens—An army of tri-state area talent filled St. John’s University Wednesday night, as the Hoop Group Elite concluded the tail end of their national tour.

The event unfolded with stations, drills, and routine 2-on-1 sets, getting the young guns limber before tight, fierce competition emerged.

Big ups to the Hoop Group Elite, who bills themselves as the ‘Largest Basketball Instruction Organization in the World’, for running a program successfully and in organized fashion given the time they had. The nucleus of New York/New Jersey area players honed their skills in the ultimate proving ground landscape.

Players from local NYC powerhouses like Boys & Girls HS (with head coach Ruth Lovelace in attendance) to New Jersey ballers to Connecticut prep boys all made their presence felt.

Parents took part in the event, learning about the true nature of the recruiting process.

Most of these inquiring minds walked out of the Jamaica, N.Y. campus having learned that the Division-I bound player is not a me-first player. The intangibles are a huge factor that can make or break a promising young player.

“They (Division-I) schools don’t like a kid that’s not going to be a teammate,” explained one Hoop Group Elite director before a buffet-line of inquiring minds.

“They don’t want a kid who’s selfish. Your son has to realize that once he goes to a school, be it an official visit or not, this is like a job interview. Most kids don’t know what a job interview is like.”

The recruiting guru, whose crowd surrounding him suddenly ballooned, continued in his preach mode.

“Parents always tell me, ‘my son makes everyone better. What they don’t always realize is that at the Division-I level, everyone is better.”

He placed strong emphasis on the level of conditioning, and how a college-bound player must be in tip-top shape at all times.

Bible truth.

Division-I schools will not be sold on a kid unwilling to go that extra mile.

“In college basketball, many of the games are decided in the final 3-4 minutes,” this Jay Leno-looking cat reminded everyone.

He also spit some words of wisdom for those supporting a player who’s in the shadows, under appreciated and under recruited.

“You can initiate contact, your son can initiate contact.”

One player who staked his claim as a highly rated ringer (one who’s being actively pursued by a surplus of high major Division-I programs) is Mike Poole. Poole, a 6-foot-6 junior from New Jersey perennial power St. Benedict’s Prep, is a pretty accurate depiction of the full package.

He’s got athleticism as pure as the driven snow, can operate an offense, and can score in a variety of ways. He’s an aggressive defender with a good nose for the ball and looked extremely comfortable putting the ball on the floor and knifing through defenders en route to the cup.

He got to the basket early, often, and with efficiency, albeit he needs to finish stronger. Poole raised eyebrows and popped the lips of any pundits and detractors with two wowing, violent fast break dunks.

The off guard, who rolls with the NY Panthers on the AAU circuit, loves to play in traffic and transition. He’s got a funky cock-back jumper and draws parallels to former University of Tennessee guard and Rucker legend John “Deadeye” Winchester.

Though he’s rail thin and needs to pack some muscle on to his spindly frame, pool was dominant throughout the event.

Among those in active pursuit of the high-riser are USC, Oklahoma State, Connecticut, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Marquette and West Virginia.

Bill Self and Kansas made a scholarship offer last year. Connecticut and Marquette have additionally offered, according to Poole.

Poole says he visited both Connecticut and West Virginia, unofficially.

Poole says he liked West Virginia’s campus and was impressed with the enthusiasm and style of Mountaineers coach Bobby Huggins.

Other Players That stood out:

Jihad Jackson: Fr., Elizabeth HS (Elizabeth, N.J.): Nifty neophyte point guard plays with the pass-first mentality and makes up for his lack of size (5-foot-9 while rocking high tops) with quickness and deft passing. Needs to put on weight, but has all the tools to pan out as an electrifying player at the next level.

Basseriou Neing: Jr., Tilden HS (Brooklyn, N.Y.): The 6-foot-8 work-in-progress is raw. Ok, he’s sushi-raw. Still, if he matures, and grows into his body, he could establish himself as an inside presence. His big, soft hands and ability to block and alter the trajectory of shots could pay dividends for a D-I school down the road. Prep school may be an option.

Jerramy King: Sr., The Kent School (Kent, CT): 6-foot guard with good handles, solid court vision, and a nose for finding the open man. His teammates were all beneficiaries of his presence. Boasts a good spot-up jumper as well.

Jamual Bryant: Sr., the Salisbury School (Salisbury, CT): Either he was playing on a bad court, or this cat is being severely under recruited. Football-basketball player is a fundamentally sound guard in all aspects of his game. He’s got great athleticism, decent life from beyond the arc and thorough slashing ability. This is coupled with a quick first step that leaves defenders in a chase.

Joey Calhoun: Jr., Boys & Girls (Brooklyn, N.Y.): Another guard who’s fundamentally sound in all elements of his game. While Mike Taylor (Providence, Pittsburgh, St. John’s) is the mix that stirs the Kangaroos’ drink, Calhoun could emerge as the Robin to Taylor’s Batman. While academic issues may hold him back, Calhoun is being recruited by St. John’s and St. Francis N.Y. SFNY recently upgraded its recruiting by getting Lincoln sharpshooter Darwin “Buddah” Ellis to pen with them.

Maurice Harkless: So., Forest Hills, H.S. (Flushing, N.Y.): Great ball handler who proved he could take it to the tin on anyone during this event. A unique threat as a 6-foot-6 forward with handle, Harkless can dribble around traffic but doesn’t fall in love with dominating the basketball like most youngsters at his level do. Forms a formidable 1-2 punch at Hills with guard Andre Armstrong at Hills. Good athleticism and good glasswork. Harkless is a highly-touted recruit who New York talent evaluator Tom Konchalski likens to West Virginia’s Devin Ebanks.

Mark “ATM” Parisi: Fr., Molloy H.S. (Queens, N.Y.): Quick-strike shooting machine who’s beginning to up his profile. Shoots the rock at a high percentage. Played freshman basketball this past season, averaging 20 points while attempting 12 shots per game. Bowling Green, Duquesne, and St. John’s are already in pursuit of the kid they reference as a human ATM machine.