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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (5/28/2009)

In today’s News & Notes there are some player evaluations from last week’s Gym Rat Challenge in Albany (NY) that Big East fans will find relevent as several possible Big East targets were in action. Elsewhere, the situation with Jarrid Famous is still unclear and just as confusing as a day ago. Louisville sees another of their 2010 verbal commitments become open again. There is a recruiting update on Dante Holmes as well as NBA Draft process updates on Paul Harris and Luke Harangody and a good Q&A on USF star Dominique Jones for readers today.

Read about all this below…

The Gym Rat Challenge is always an under-the-radar AAU event happening in upstate New York. Some top teams from the Northeast make the trip to the Albany-area for some exciting basketball. Here is A Report from the Gym Rat Challenge with a couple player evaluations cherry-picked form the story that Big East fans might find interesting, courtesy of the Albany Times-Union and also at the Gym Rat Challenge 2009 Tourney Recap:

Dominic Morris, (6′7, 250-lb C/BF from Friends Central High in the Philly area)
Scouting report: Big man (250 pounds) who comes to play every second of every game. A true power post player who already has a college-ready physique. Great hands and patient in the post. Quick spin move. Can score with either hand. Goes to the floor for loose balls. First man up and down the court either way. Range to 15-to-18-foot range, and a standout passer out of double teams. Siena might be early leader, but Penn State, Providence, West Virginia, Rider and Harvard also in the mix. Reminds me of a smaller version of Carlos Boozer.

Trenity Burdine, (6′6 SF who attends Reading (Pa.) High School)
Scouting report: Physically he’s built just like Edwin Ubiles. Plays that way, too. Very athletic, gets to the rim and finishes, shoots outside, handles the ball, etc. Not quite as good yet, but he’s only a high-school junior. He has that type of potential, it seems. Pittsburgh has looked, but hasn’t offered.

Shabazz Napier (5′11 PG from Lawrence Academy)
Scouting Report: One of the best scorers here. If he’s open, it’s good. Even his misses look on the mark. Tends to try to show exuberant flash vs. lesser competition, but also was also unselfish distributor. His game is effortless. Memphis has made contact. This sophomore is a STAR in the making. A HIGH major lock.

C.J. Aiken (6′10 C/PF from Plymouth-Whitmarsh)
Scouting Report: Absolutely dominates games when he played hard, but didn’t do that consistently. Made the best reverse dunk on post move seen here all weekend. Has a “professional” body (215 pounds). Good range on jump shots, extremely long arms. St. Joe’s, Temple, Siena, George Mason have shown interest. His high school coach, Jom Donofrio, recently told NBE that West Virginia was in to see him this spring.

Lamont Samuells (6′3 SG possibly headed to a prep school next year)
Scouting Report: Most Valuable GymRat at this age level last year, and showed same level of ability this year. Just a skilled scorer who can get points every way possible. Took one game over with 13 straight points. Very athletic and great finisher. Quick feet and hands on defense, and plays hard. Probable prep and, then, looking at St. John’s, UNLV, Missouri.

Mike Taylor (6′3 SG from Boys & Girls HS in NYC)
Scouting Report: A big-time talent who helped lead a balanced club to his age-bracket’s championship. Finished with 20 points in the final game. Gets to the rim effortlessly. Very strong with the ball and finishes with authority. Also possesses above-average accuracy from beyond the 3-point stripe. A total package at the guard spot. A rising junior he is already drawing interest from Louisville, Memphis, Indiana and many Big East schools.

Anthony Jernigan (6′2 PG from East Hartford HS)
Scouting Report: Standout off guard with exceptional quickness who can also handle the ball. Unselfish with good court vision. Shooting ability will ensure success at the next level. Outstanding range on jumper, and very good in the open court. Early interest from Providence, UMass and Fordham.
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It looks like another player has de-committed from Louisville. Earlier this spring verbal commitment Jeremy Tyler decided to skip his senior year of high school and turn professional in Europe and now Justin Martin has decided to re-open his recruitment. The Lawrence North Star Pulls Back on Louisville (Indianapolis Star) and wants to be recruited again by colleges, including UL.

Two other Lawrence North players, rising juniors Ryan Taylor and Michael Chandler, have made oral commitments to Louisville. Stephan Van Treese will be a freshman at Louisville this year.

Also earlier this spring, i95ballerz reported that, Josh Langford Reopens Recruitment and de-committed from Louisville as well, but things have been quiet on that front.
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By now, everyone has heard the varying stories on the status of South Florida signed recruit Jarrid Famous. Yesterday’s Big East News & Notes had some of the details of the confusing situation as one WCC coach says he is coming, another is adamant he is not coming to USF, his father is insisting he is going to be a Bull and Jarrid himself is not talking…now, the WCC athletic director is asking his coaches not to speak publicly about it…

Here are some of today’s articles referencing the story:
Basketball Recruit Famous May Spurn USF (Tampa Tribune)
Is Famous Going back on the Market? (Columbia Tribune)
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Speaking of the Bulls, here is a Q&A With Dominique Jones from the St. Petersburg Times.
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The Baltimore Sun updates readers on the recruitment of St. Frances Academy guard Dante Holmes. The Stock is Rising for St. Frances’ Holmes who, according to the article, has offers from George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth and Loyola, is fielding increased interest from Providence and Virginia Tech with Virginia, Miami, NC State, Florida State, Marquette and Temple also in contact.
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What has been a foregone conclusion for several weeks is now official as Syracuse G/F Paul Harris Signs With an Agent Eliminating the Possibility of a Return to the Orange (Syracuse Post-Standard).
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Notre Dame fans are still awaiting the final decision of Luke Harangody of his plans for next season. The Irish Star is Ready for Pre-draft Combine (Munster Times) and his final draft decision should come shortly after conclusion of the camp.
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