Connecticut Recruiting, DePaul Recruiting, Georgetown Recruiting, Louisville Recruiting, Marquette Recruiting, Pat Stevens, Pittsburgh Recruiting, Providence Recruiting, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting, Syracuse Recruiting, USF Recruiting, Villanova Recruiting

HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT LOOK-BACK: CITY OF PALMS

BY PAT STEVENS — The top holiday tournament in terms of drawing the best field of teams from across the country has traditionally been the City of Palms in Fort Myers, Fla.

Current Big East standouts Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati/Lincoln, N.Y.) Maalik Wayns (Villanova/Roman Catholic, Pa.), Greg Monroe (Georgetown/Helen Cox, La.), Samardo Samuels (Louisville/St. Benedict, N.J.) and Taylor King (Villanova/Mater Dei, Calif.) all played in the event in recent years.

City of Palms alums that were recent Big East standouts and are now current pros include DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh/Schenley, Pa.), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse/Niagara Falls, N.Y.), Paul Harris (Syracuse/Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Demetris Nichols (Syracuse/St. Andrew’s, R.I.).

Going further back, Samuel Dalembert (Seton Hall/St. Patrick’s, N.J.), Tim Thomas (Villanova/Paterson Catholic, N.J.), Danny Fortson (Cincinnati/Shaler, Pa.), Felipe Lopez (St. John’s/Rice, N.Y.), Clifford Rozier (Louisville/Bradenton Southeast, Fla.) and Michael Smith (Providence/Dunbar, D.C.) all spent their holiday high school hoops time at the City of Palms as well.

This year in its 37th season, Paterson Catholic took the championship of the 16-team tournament beating Winter Park (Fla.) in the final.

The champs have a starting five of future Division I players with Myles Mack, Fuquan Edwin, Kyle Anderson, Jayon James and Derrick Randall.

Winter Park was led by MVP of the event for the second straight year in top five junior Austin Rivers.

Five Big East signees from the fall signing period were in action along with a wide selection of top juniors with high-major interest.

COACHES ON THE ROAD
Syracuse’s Mike Hopkins watched Fab Melo on Friday…Villanova’s Chris Walker was in to see James Bell on Tuesday… Providence’s Pat Skerry beat the weekend snow to see Penn Wood (Landsdowne, Pa.) and Paterson Catholic (Paterson, N.J.) play their Friday games…DePaul’s Tracy Webster and David Booth checked in for the De La Salle (Chicago, Ill.) games Monday and Tuesday. The Blue Demons played Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers Tuesday night… South Florida’s Eric Skeeters and Jeremy Cox made the short trip up for a majority of the event.

SIGNEES IN ACTION
Fabricio de Melo (Syracuse/7-0 C/Sagemont, Fla.) –There’s not an incoming freshman in the land that plays with the amount of energy for a guy his size. He’s made great strides physically and showed a comfort going with his right-handed hook. On the Orange, the big fella said – “They’re a great team. They play fast and have true centers. That’s why I wanted to go there.”
67-47 WIN De La Salle (Ill.) – 18 PTS, 7-12 FG, 4-5 FT, 10 RBS, 3 BLKS, 2 FOULS, 20 MINS
54-51 LOSS Fort Myers (Fla.) – 8 PTS, 3-3 FG, 2-4 FT, 2 RBS, 1 BLK, 1 STEAL, 3 FOULS, 15 MINS
56-44 WIN Dudley (N.C.) – 17 PTS, 8-14 FG, 1-5 FT, 11 RBS, 1 BLK, 21 MINS
80-66 LOSS Saint Benedict’s (N.J.) – 6 PTS, 3-3 FG, 3 RBS, 1 BLK, 6 TURNOVERS, FOULED OUT, 11 MINS

Fuquan Edwin (Seton Hall/6-5 WF/Paterson Catholic, N.J.) – Edwin always snuck in more points than you’d think he had. His long ball was off but the intensity was high throughout while he made his mark with putbacks and transition buckets. “On the court he actually said to me, ‘Hey Seton Hall is Big East right?” Edwin said about Villanova-bound James Bell, who he matched up with in the Montverde game. “I thought he was a good player and we’ll see each other again down the road.”
62-54 WIN Winter Park (Fla.) – 17 PTS, 5-10 FG, 0-1 3PT, 7-9 FT, 7 RBS, 3 ASSISTS, 2 STEALS, 32 MINS
63-51 OT WIN Montverde Academy (Fla.) – 17 PTS, 7-15 FG, 0-3 3PT, 3-5 FT, 4 RBS, 2 STEALS, 34 MINS
61-60 WIN Penn Wood (Pa.) – 24 PTS, 9-17 FT, 1-5 3PT, 5-8 FT, 6 RBS, 2 STEALS, 1 BLK, 28 MINS
75-47 WIN Fort Myers (Fla.) – 22 PTS, 7-11 FG, 0-1 3PT, 8-12 FT, 7 RBS, 4 STEALS, 31 MINS

Jamail Jones (Marquette/6-5 WF/Montverde Academy, Fla.) – Jones was impressive in this setting with his combination of size and shooting and looked every bit to be a contributor as a freshman next season. He plays at a good pace for his degree of athletic ability and will stretch the defense. “I went to the Xavier game when they played down here (November’s Old Spice Classic in Orlando),” Jones said of his future school. “I think they have great ball pressure on defense and they seem like a very close group.”
64-45 LOSS St. Benedict (N.J.) – 21 PTS, 7-16 3PT, 4-10 3PT, 3-4 FT, 4 RBS, 1 STEAL, 4 TO, 31 MINS
63-51 OT LOSS Paterson Catholic (N.J.) – 13 PTS, 5-13 FG, 3-8 3PT, 3 RBS, 4 TO, 30 MINS
62-47 WIN Westchester (Calif.) – 12 PTS, 4-12 FG, 0-5 3PT, 4-5 FT, 10 RBS, 2 BLKS, 28 MINS
82-65 WIN Dudley (N.C.) – 32 PTS, 12-20 FG, 5-10 3PT, 3-3 FT, 2 STEALS, 1 BLK, 23 MINS

James Bell (Villanova/6-5 WF/Montverde Academy, F la.) – Bell looked to be in a more comfortable situation as a featured player from what he was when playing with ball-dominant guards Brandon Knight and Austin Rivers during the spring and summer. He’ll enter as a freshman prepared well with his frame and range on his shot, important to compete for minutes on a roster that’s perimeter-heavy in talent.
64-45 LOSS St. Benedict (N.J.) – 7 PTS, 2-11 FG, 0-4 3PT, 3-4 FT, 2 RBS, 2 BLK, 2 STEALS, 3 FOULS, 30 MINS
63-51 OT LOSS Paterson Catholic (N.J.) – 14 PTS, 6-11 FG, 2-6 3PT, 0-2 FT, 3 STEALS, FOULED OUT, 28 MINS
62-47 WIN Westchester (Calif.) –23 PTS, 7-13 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-4 FT, 3 RBS, 1 STEAL, 30 MINS
82-65 WIN Dudley (N.C.) – 13 PTS, 5-10 FG, 2-4 3PT, 1-3 FT, 6 RBS, 5 STEALS, 21 MINS

Gil Biruta (Rutgers/6-8 PF/Saint Benedict, N.J.) – First-viewing of Biruta and despite the numbers, he’s definitely a good prospect and will crack a rotation early with his size and energy. Positives included his activity around the rim on both ends, good length, showed some necessary toughness for his position, runs the floor well, and can get a bucket with his face-up game when given space to work.
64-45 WIN Montverde Academy (Fla.) – 7 PTS, 3-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 1-2 FT, 4 RBS, 3 BLKS, 2 FOULS, 21 MINS
75-60 LOSS Winter Park (Fla.) – 7 PTS, 2-7 FG, 3-4 FT, 8 RBS, 1 STEAL, 4 FOULS, 16 MINS
71-52 WIN St. Frances (Md.) – 2 PTS, 1-4 FG, 0-1 FT, 3 RBS, 2 BLKS, 4 FOULS, 16 MINS
80-66 WIN Sagemont (Fla.) – 12 PTS, 4-5 FG, 4-5 FT, 5 RBS, 2 BLKS, 1 STEAL, 4 FOULS, 19 MINS

RECRUITING NOTES
Cory Joseph (2010/6-3 PG/Findlay Prep, Nev.), one of the top guards in the senior class, has Villanova, Connecticut, Minnesota, Texas and UNLV as his final five. Tubby Smith watched him while in Fort Myers. He’ll talk his college decision over with his family during Christmas break and could make a commitment at any time.

Mike Poole (2010/6-6 WF/St. Benedict, N.J.) listed Rhode Island, Marquette, Connecticut, USC and Iona. Rhode Island sent an assistant to trail him.

Derrick Randall (2011/6-9 PF/Paterson Catholic, N.J.) said he’s being hit hardest by Virginia Tech, Miami, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Providence and UMASS. Along with Providence, both Virginia Tech and Miami were in the house at different points of the week.

Greg Lewis (2011/6-8 PF/St. Frances, Md.) is feeling stronger interest than others from Xavier, UMass, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Georgetown. Lewis played on the 16U circuit with Baltimore Elite.

Mike Shaw (2011/6-8 CF/De La Salle, Ill.) had DePaul, Texas and Florida watching him. Close friend Wayne Blackshear committed to Louisville on Christmas and the two have publicly talked about playing together in college, although the package deal talk has cooled recently. They visited the campus over the summer.

Dai-Jon Parker (2011/6-3 SG/Milton, Ga.) has Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State and Connecticut ahead of the pack. Of them all, he’s hoping to get up to a Huskies game this season. Parker was the top athlete in the event and one of the best in the country.

Shawn Oakman (2011/6-9 PF/Penn Wood, Pa.) listed St. Joseph’s, Maryland, Providence, Georgetown, La Salle, Drexel and Arizona. Joining Providence in attendance for him were St. Joseph’s and Maryland.

Aaron Brown (2011/6-5 WF/Penn Wood, Pa.) has five tracking him – Providence, Richmond, St. Joseph’s, Temple and La Salle. Brown played on the 16U circuit with Team Final.

Jabari Brown (2011/6-3 SG/Findlay Prep, Nev.), an Oakland native, gave a list of UNLV, Cal, Washington, Wake Forest, Arizona, Arizona State and Stanford, and added Marquette to that list after a quick review.

Sophomore forward Winston Shepard (2012/6-7 WF/Findlay Prep, Nev.), a Houston native, said Texas, Oklahoma, Villanova, Arizona, UNLV and Kansas are already involved. Villanova assistant Chris Walker also hails from The H.

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

Be Sociable, Share!

•