June 2009

BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: RUTGERS

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: James Beatty, 6’2, PG currently attending Miami-Dade (FL) College

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

SENIORS: Hamady N’Diaye (C)
JUNIORS: Corey Chandler (G), Mike Cobourn (PG), Jonathan Mitchell* (F), James Beatty (PG)
SOPHOMORES: Mike Rosario (G), Patrick Jackson (SF), Greg Echenique (PF/C)
FRESHMEN: Dane Miller (F), Austin Johnson (F), Brian Okam (C)

* Sitting out 2008-2009 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Will have two years of eligibility left beginning with the 2009-2010 season.

“James Beatty is going to Rutgers!”

Those were the excited words typed by Miami Dade College head coach Matt Eisele in an e-mail to NBE earlier today to inform us that is point guard has chosen a college to attend in 2009-2010. With Beatty’s decision, Rutgers finally can end their exhaustive search for a point guard that has lasted throughout the spring recruiting period and into the summer.

For more on James Beatty and his commitment, plus a complete rundown on RU’s recruiting efforts of late, check out our Rutgers Team Blog site and check out the latest update!

CATCHING UP WITH JUSTIN MARTIN

Former Louisville verbal commit preparing for a busy month of July

by MATT WHITFIELD

Lawrence North of Indianapolis is known as one of the most prestigious high school basketball programs, not only in the state of Indiana, but nationally. Greg Oden and Mike Conley have come through these halls, as has Eric Montross and 2009 Louisville signee Stephan Van Treese.

This coming year, like 2006 all over again with Oden and Conley, Lawrence North will be graduating another pair of premier basketball recruits in Dominque Ferguson and Justin Martin, not to mention underclass stars Michael Chandler and Ryan Taylor, who are both verbally committed to Louisville, make the nucleus of one of the nation’s premiere teams.

Martin looked like he would be another headed from Indianapolis to Louisville as he made an early commitmed to Rick Pitino’s program last year. However, that might no longer be the case as he recently decommitted from the Cards about a month ago. NBE caught up with Martin rcently at the NBA Top 100 Camp at the University of Virginia to see where things stand as far as his recruitment.

“Ever since I decommited I haven’t had any contact with Louisville,” the 6-foot-6 small forward told NBE. “I told them I want them to still recruit me, but I’m not going to hold that against them. I still like Louisville and their coaching staff.”

Martin stated to NBE his decomittmernt was a ‘family decision’ and had nothing to do with Jeremy Tyler going overseas. Since reopening his recruitment, he has not hear from the staff at U of L, who used to be in contact at least once a week prior.

“Before I committed to Louisville it was between Xavier and Louisville,” and now “I just try and take it slow,” stated Martin.

As far as other schools go Martin told NBE, “so far I’m just hearing from schools. They want to see me play this summer, so I haven’t really received any offers, except for Miami (Fl), Arizona and Xavier.”

Martin also indicated at the NBA Top 100 camp that he has heard from Notre Dame and DePaul in the time since his de-commitment, as well as schools from several other conferences.

For Martin, who dreamed of going to North Carolina, but now sees that as an unlikely destination, there’s no real conference of choice with him.

“I just want to play in a good conference with good basketball, compete, and I wanna win a championship and just come in (and) play right away and contribute to my team and make them better right away,” stated Martin.

Martin who told NBE he thinks he’ll grow to 6’8 or 6’9 said he hasn’t taken any visits yet either, even still though he is already aware of what’s most important to him during his recruitment process.

“The relationship with the coaches, playing time, and the people around me,” stated Martin.

Coming off his teams hard loss to Franklin Central in the Indiana Regional Championship game, Martin added to NBE what he wants to work on for the upcoming basketball season and before he gets to college.

“Becoming a more complete player, you know ball handling, rebounding and playing better defense,” Martin said.

For now Martin is preparing for a busy summer period, which has already taken him to France for five games, where college coaches will likely be following him closely as he looks to re-start his recruitment that has been on hold in the months he was committed to U of L back in November. Since coaches were not on the road in April at AAU events, they will likely use July to get re-acquainted with the small forward with loads of potential.

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: CINCINNATI

Commitment Alert: Lance Stephenson, 6-foot-5 G from Lincoln (NYC) High School

According to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, the Lance Stephenson recruiting saga is finally over as, according to a Source: Stephenson Picks Cincinnati and will play for Mick Cronin and the Bearcats next season. After seeing nearly every other college option back away from Stephenson, UC swooped in quickly in the last week and secured a commitment.

Projected 2009-2010 Roster:

Seniors: Deonta Vaughn (PG), Steven Toyloy (C/BF)
Juniors: Larry Davis (SG), Rashad Bishop (G/F), Anthony McClain (C), Darnell Wilks (F)
Sophomores: Yancy Gates (BF), Dion Dixon (G), Ibrahima Thomas **(C)
Freshmen: Sean Kilpatrick (G), Cashmere Wright*** (PG), Jaquon Parker (G), Lance Stephenson (G)

**- a transfer from Oklahoma State, Ibrahima Thomas will sit out the spring (09) and fall (09) semesters and be eligible in December of 2009. He will have 2 1/2 tears of eligibility.

***- Cashmere tore an ACL in the fall of 2008 and is sitting out the 2008-2009 season as a medical redshirt. He will have four years of eligibility beginning in 2009-2010

For more on Stephenson and his commitment to the Bearcats, as well as a complete look at the recent UC commits, please visit our Cincinnati Team Blog site and see the latest update.

HOOP GROUP HBC SUMMER METRO SHOWCASE PLAYER REVIEWS

BY JEFF BORZELLO

The Hoop Group Metro Showcase in late June is always a good opportunity to get a very early look at next year’s high school basketball circuit – mainly in New Jersey, but also in New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. In 2008, St. Patrick (N.J.) won the championship, a prelude to their victory in the Tournament of Champions this past spring. Unfortunately, this year will be somewhat different, as no champion was crowned in Neptune, N.J. this past weekend.

A brawl near the end of a semi-final match-up between Paterson Catholic (N.J.) and Neumann-Goretti (Pa.) forced the tournament directors to end the tournament early. Paterson was dominating Neumann when the brawl occurred, so they received a berth in the title game. In the other semi-final game, St. Pat’s easily gained a spot in the championship, pulling away from Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) in the second half. Both St. Pat’s and PC were crowned co-champions as a result of the premature finish.

Despite the lack of a singular champion, there were plenty of standout performers from the weekend. Here’s a look at some of them:

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/29/2009)

The final days of June are slowly slipping by and the crazy month of July is staring at us from around the corner. NBE is gearing up for a huge July as we will have coverage live from the Adidas it Takes 5ive in Cincinnati, the Lebron James Skills Academy in Akron, the King City Classic in Cleveland, the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia, the Hoop Group Elite Camp in Reading, the Reebok Summer Classic East, the Chicago Classic, the First Eight and the Hall of Fame Invitational in Springfield (MA), the Joe Brown Memorial Classic, Hoop Group Harley Jam in Morgantown, the Big Shots in Myrtle Beach, the Peach Jam in North Augusta, Summer in the City and anything else we can get to this summer.

Of course, we will have our live updates, like we have done in the past at the Primetime Challenge and Rumble in the Bronx, so fans can follow along the action by visiting our site and see the updated recruiting news and what coaches are where during the month. We will continue to bring it all to you for free. Donations to our site are gladly accepted and we will certainly pass the hat and you can help the NBE become even better with a donation of any size.

Here is a Paypal link to send in a donation via the Paypal system, which accepts all major credit cards:

We value all our visitors and we hope to continue to build and promote NBE in the future. We look forward to reporting on all the July action and we expect our readers to find our July coverage to be as complete as any website or network out there!!!

This past weekend, Jeff Borzello was in Neptune (NJ) for the Hoop Group’s HBC Metro Summer Showcase. He will have some player recaps very soon for NBE and here are a couple links to check out with some good recruiting updates from the top players who competed this weekend:

Hoop Group HBC Metro Summer Showcase (Saturday)
Hoop Group HBC Metro Summer Showcase (Sunday)

Also this weekend a couple individual stories to check out…

Class fo 2010 Intro: Jelan Kendrick
Class of 2010 Riser: Kadeem Jack

There is also a lot to cover in today’s News and Notes with Lance Stephenson’s legal issues and recruiting once again the hot topic around the internet. Also around the Big East, Marquette is losing a player expected to contribute next season and they are awaiting the arrival of a pair of freshmen as the NCAA Clearinghouse is looking more closely at transcripts of international players prior to clearing them for summer school. A couple of Big East assistants look to be the finalists for the Holy Cross head coaching job. Pitt’s new freshmen look to be ready for important roles this coming season. Also, more recruiting updates on several Big East targets, including one who committed to an ACC school recently…

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HOOP GROUP HBC SUMMER METRO SHOWCASE (PART II)

Jeff Borzello finished up in Neptune (NJ) at The Hoop Group headquarters on Sunday for the HBC Metro Summer Showcase where high school teams from New Jersey and some surrounding areas are competed on the court.

Unfortunately, the event was called off following the semifinal round as an ugly brawl took place near the conclusion of the Paterson (NJ) Catholic and Neumann-Goretti semifinal match-up. PC and St. Patrick’s were set to play in the final, but both teams were declared co-champions and the event was ended prematurely in the aftermath of the brawl.

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CLASS OF 2010 INTRO: JELAN KENDRICK

Big East among the many following Georgia star in class of 2010

by MATT WHITFIELD

‘Hotlanta’ is known as the capital of the ‘dirty’ South and College Park (GA) is a suburb that is having a growing reputation of producing athletic talent. College Park is the former home of the now infamous Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones.

Next up is a basketball player by the name of Jelan Kendrick who is now making a name for himself at Westlake High School, the same school that ‘Pacman’ once starred in several sports at.

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HOOP GROUP HBC METRO SUMMER SHOWCASE (PART I)

Jeff Borzello is in Neptune (NJ) at The Hoop Group headquarters this weekend for the HBC Metro Summer Showcase where high school teams from New Jersey and some surrounding areas are competing on the court.

The marquee teams lined up for the event were Paterson NJ) Catholic, Neumann-Goretti oh Philadelphia, Abraham Lincoln of NYC and St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth (NJ). Each of those four teams, along with Lakewood (NJ), Christian Brothers Academy of Lincroft (NJ), Seton Hall Prep and Westtown (PA) have advanced to the quarterfinals of the winner’s bracket for Sunday’s action with 2-0 records on Saturday.

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CLASS OF 2010 RISER: KADEEM JACK

Big East schools coming after Rice forward who is full of potential

BY JEFF BORZELLO

By his own count, Kadeem Jack had zero colleges looking at him heading into his sophomore year. Now, in the summer before his senior season, Jack has major programs from across the country showing interest.

Jack is a 6-foot-8 forward from Rice High School (N.Y.) who plays with the New York Gauchos for AAU ball. He is also one of the fastest rising players from the New York City area in the class of 2010.

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NBA TOP 100 CAMP REVIEW (PART II)

by RON BAILEY

June 24, 2009 – In NBA Top 100 Camp Review (Part 1), four high school-aged student athletes being recruited by Big East schools were presented. Part 2 picks up where its sibling left off, including discussing guys well known and introducing a player not presently a household name.

Joe Jackson – 5’11″, 165 pound, Class of 2010 guard, Memphis, TN – Physically a point guard, Jackson has the mentality of a scorer; he is in perpetual bucket-making mode, whether attacking the rim or pulling up, both in half court and open floor settings. He’s capable of scoring in all areas, including finishing in traffic, over bigger players (which he did during Top 100 play).

Sometimes when a player is a scoring savant, other aspects of his game can suffer, and in this case it’s passing; Jackson is an electric performer, but many times seems to ignore passing. It’s not that he can’t pass, as when forced to Joe does so well. He just doesn’t choose to drop off or kick off to teammates consistently, something given his size will be a boon, if not necessity, in college. Upgrading his on-ball pressure will help also, as will changing speeds offensively.

Jackson has received big time collegiate interest, and indicated Syracuse, along with Memphis, Texas and Kansas could be official visit destinations of his.

Jelan Kendrick – 6’6″, 190 pound, Class of 2010 Guard/Forward, College Park, GA – Kendrick came in with the reputation as a scorer capable of dishing the rock, and did nothing but enhance that belief; pound for pound, he was the best ball distributor amongst the Camp’s swingmen. This penchant for finding people extended to half and full court situations, with Jelan generally making good basketball decisions. Kendrick readily said “I take pride in my passing”.

A young man extremely proud of his ‘Hotlanta’ roots, it is known that the likes of Georgia Tech and Georgia have long been recruiting him, with offers being tendered. From a B-East perspective, Georgetown and Cincinnati are interested; the Hoyas being one of his estimated “32 offers”.

In terms of development Kendrick must continue to get stronger, and focus on not getting hung up, essentially passing when his shot has been taken away. Doing so will mesh nicely with his ability to shoot and drive. Defensively, Jelan uses his length to hound foes, but could also become more aggressive on the rock.

Tobias Harris – 6’7″, 210 pound, Class of 2010 Forward, Long Island, NY – Long a target of Big East schools, Tobias has slimmed down and toned up physically, revealing an athlete who can compete inside and out, one capable of shooting and finishing. His spin, to behind the back, to left hand layup move speaks to such skill level.

Though lengthy, Harris must continue to get stronger, thereby ensuring his ability to battle inside during college. Also he can also improve his lateral quickness.

Where might Harris, a resident of ‘Strong Island’ attend college? Many suitors exist, The Big East’s Syracuse, Louisville, the Domers of Notre Dame and Rutgers are all in play. Tennessee, along with Connecticut and West Virginia might be forming a leading trio. Georgetown, according to Tobias’ dad, Torrel, is still being evaluated.

According to the elder Harris, a man who responded with a twinkle in his eye “I taught him a few things” upon being asked if he tutored his son in the game, schematic-wise, the winning school will “like to get up and down…When they have to play halfcourt, they will run sets of course, but to me when you have an opportunity to run, you do that”.

Justin Coleman – 6’6″, 205 pound, Class of 2010 swingman, Richmond, VA – Most people at the Top 100 are known entities, players that have been scouted on the travel team circuit for years, many times longer than they’ve been in high school. Recruiters and recruitniks have a wealth of information on these kids.

Then you have guys like Justin Coleman, who only recently started receiving major recruiting attention.

“This is one of the biggest camps, well, the only camp I’ve ever been to” said Coleman of the Top 100, an University of Virginia-based shindig.

What? How can somebody who shared a recruiting list of “Florida, Maryland, Duke, Memphis, Indiana, Marquette. Xavier recently offered me. Boston College, Oregon” and others, never have attended a camp period, much less one with the Top 100′s prestige?

“I just recently got on the map about a month ago” confided Coleman. “I sat out my whole tenth grade year and half my 11th grade year”. That respite from hoops was due to friction with the coach at his previous high school, Louisa. This year, after moving, he transferred to Henrico.

The result of the change, which occurred halfway through the year can’t be denied. “I led them to the (Virginia playoff) Regional Final Four” recalled the well spoken Coleman, who later noted his grades “have been picking up…I only got a couple of C’s” after the transfer.

Nevertheless, schools were still lukewarm to him after high school, as Justin said “I got a couple of calls, but it still wasn’t much. Then I started getting involved with the AAU and some of the more competitive tournaments, and that’s when I really started to shine”.

A proud member of Petersburg Elite, coached by Ty White, Coleman has no thoughts of leaving that organization. Going forward, gaining experience will be key for him, including the understanding of picking his spots – essentially knowing when to do what. As a player who can drive, shoot, and finish, that will round out his package.

So will playing better “Defense”, a need Justin embraces. Specifically he noted “Fundamental skill”, such as keeping a low center of gravity and focusing on lateral movement as the necessary work in strapping he has engaged.

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RUMBLE RECRUITING REVIEW: ‘NOVA, CINCY & USF

In our final look at the Rumble in the Bronx recruiting information, we take a look at Villanova, Cincinnati and South Florida and the players that mentioned interest in each school from our three days between Fordham and Manhattan College during the 2009 Rumble in the Bronx nearly two weeks ago. We have previously looked at 12 other Big East teams and these three will finish our look (DePaul did not have any mentions from the players we talked to) at each team’s recruiting targets.

Villanova is no doubt a hot recruiting name, coming off a consensous top 5 class for 2009 and a run to the Final Four last March, Jay Wright continues to recruit well in the NYC/NJ region. The former head coach of Hofstra certainly knows his way around the Big Apple and uses a system that players, especially guards, are definitely interested in playing in.

The Northeast is not the most visible area for either Cincinnati or South Florida, and the weekend in the Bronx pretty much held that notion true as neither team was on the mind of more than one player each. We will certainly see more interest in those two schools, as well as DePaul, as we head out on the trail in July.

For now, here is the rundown on Villanova, Cincinnati and South Florida (almost feel the need for a parlay calculator):

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QUINN COOK REVELING IN GOLD MEDAL EXPERIENCE

Class of 2011 guard starred on USA U-16 gold medal winning team

Basketball can take you places, and for Quinn Cook, the game has potential to take him far, literally and figuratively. Cook is home after competing with the USA Under-16 national team where they captured a gold medal going 5-0 at the 2009 FIBA Americas 16U Championships in Mendoza, Argentina. In the gold-medal clinching contest, Cook scored 22 points in a 101-87 victory over the host Argentina squad. It was an experience to remember and cherish for Cook.

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COACHES CALLING JAYLEN BOND OFTEN

Philly-area forward int he class of 2011 having a very productive spring

Back in May, the NBE Basketball Report’s Matt Whitfield was at the IS8 playoffs in NYC when a player caught his eye with East Coast Elite, an upstart program that travelled into the Big Apple from Delaware. After inquiring with east coast high school basketball guru Tom Konchalski, NBE got a crash course on Jaylen Bond, who Konchalski referred to as a ‘definite’ Division 1-A player.

As a sophomore for Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School, near Philadelphia, Bond averaged in the neighborhood of 12 points, 9 rebounds and a couple steals, blocks and assists per game for coach Jim Donofrio. The Colonials had a very successful season, winning their Suburban-One conference with a 13-1 record and finishing the season at 25-6, losing to Penn HS in the 4-A state semifinals, 64-56.

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NBA TOP 100 CAMP REVIEW (PART I)

by RON BAILEY

June 22, 2009 – The National Basketball Association Players Association Top 100 Camp has concluded, and for Big East partisans an opportunity to receive a bounty of information on high school-aged players that could possibly land in that conference was afforded; It’s well established that arguably the best basketball conference in America’s member institutions recruit nationally, and as such many Top 100 players are being courted by them. It’s also well known that web sites such as NBE Basketball Report and i95Ballerz.com are at the forefront of covering that recruiting.

To that end, following are evaluations of several Top 100 players being pursued by Big East colleges. The reach of the B-East (Big East) has never been broader.

Adreian Payne – 6’9″, 215 pound, Class of 2010 center, Dayton, OH – A raw, talented player, Payne blocks shots and finishes around the rim with finesse and power. He noted West Virginia and Cincinnati are recruiting him, along with “The Dayton and Ohio Schools” – Dayton, Ohio State, Xavier, Akron – plus Michigan State, Kentucky and others.

Presently, Payne can be considered a ball of clay ready for molding. An anecdote bears that out: During a rest break on Friday, Payne took to a practice court back court with NBA player Michael Ruffin, a known frontcourt banger. Their work centered on the somewhat svelte Payne receiving contact in the post, then initiating his post move, in this case a drop step.

Increasingly Payne seemed to be getting the hang of things, with keeping his center of gravity low, a point of emphasis by Ruffin. When asked if he’d previously worked on that or in this fashion, Payne said “No, not really. Usually I work out with my high school coaches about a half hour after practice, but never like this”.

Increased post-oriented fundamental development will serve Payne well.

Gary Franklin, Jr. – 6’2″, 185 pounds, Class of 2010 point guard, Santa Ana, CA – Previously committed to USC, Franklin has decided to re-open his commitment, as he father, Gary Sr., noted “Washington, UConn, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas A&M, Arizona, Utah”, and others, including USC were all possible destinations.

Gary Jr., a guard that can shoot, drive, and pass – the latter many times occurring during NBAPA Top 100 play within the paint in stunning fashion – said, “Right now I’m looking for a college with a coach that’s going to allow the point guard to get up and down and make decisions”, when asked for his future school’s basketball criteria. “And even when he (the guard) makes mistakes, he’ll be able to let him learn from those decisions. And pretty much play my game”.

In terms of the Huskies, Franklin opined “They’ve always had a successful program in terms of point guards. The coach (Jim Calhoun) also likes point guards that can score”.

Franklin should likely work on finishing at the rim, particularly in traffic, going forward.

At the Top 100, Franklin, who recalled dropping “About 16 points a game and five assist” in high school (Mater Dei), accounted for 10.2 points each contest, good enough for 24th on the event’s scoring leader board.

Mike Gbinije – 6’6″, 190 pounds, Class of 2011 swingman, Chesterfield, VA – Voted NBAPA Top 100 Most Promising Player, Gbinije dropped 13 points a game, placing him seventh on the Top 100′s final scoring list. Mike did his work in a myriad of ways, including finishing on the break, attacking the rim and smoothly dropping jumpers, as is his wont.

In terms of his development needs, Gbinije needs to amp his intensity at times, fine tune open court/left hand ball handling, and develop an aspect of his game that will stand out at any level – he’s good at everything, but possibly needs to excel at something.

Frank Gbinije, Mike’s dad, shared his son is being recruited by “Georgetown, Texas, UVA, Virginia Tech, and Florida”, most if not all of which called him June 15th, the first day college coaches can call the homes of perspective Class of 2011 recruits, per NCAA guidelines. Mike also unofficially visited Maryland several weeks ago. Other colleges will be evaluated.

The younger Gbinije is transferring from Christ Church to Benedictine, both Richmond-area schools.

Jerian Grant – 6’3″, 175 pounds, Class of 2010 guard, Bowie, MD – After a junior year at DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) that saw him gain confidence, Grant has parlayed that into a stellar travel team season, and solid Top 100 showing.

Jerian, who scored 15 points in his last camp game, and displayed his fluid game throughout, shooting and driving to the cup. Grant, who has relatively long arms, is also a decent defender. Becoming stronger and learning to use his off (left) hand more when dribbling are paramount for Grant, whose brother Jerai is a forward at Clemson, and father, Harvey, was an NBA professional for 11 years, playing with four league franchises.

In terms of recruitment, Providence and Villanova are interested – the Friars have long coveted Grant, while Miami, Oklahoma, and Florida State are also in play. Interesting tidbit; his father finished college at Oklahoma, playing in the 1988 NCAA title game.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (6/22/2009)

Were are back running at full speed following several days of travel and keeping up with the NBA Top 100 camp updates. So, we made a quick run through the Big East for a few News & Notes. Jody Demling has several updates on Fab Melo, Justin Coleman and the story on three impressive 2011 players stopping by a Big East school for a visit. Some news and notes from around the West Virginia program, a recruiting update on Sterling Gibbs, who like his older brother and Pitt sophomore Ashton, will be competing internationally this summer for a USA team.

Finally, Providence will be playing an exhibition game this fall on campus, all NBA Handicapper wannabes are filling out their NBA mock drafts ahead of Thursday’s draft and hope everyone got a chance to check out Ray Mernagh’s piece on Buzz Williams this morning…

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THE BELLY OF THE BE-AST: THE ‘BUZZ’ AT MARQUETTE

by RAY MERNAGH

When you grow up in a place like Van Alstyne, Texas — pronounced Van Alsteeen — you learn important things you might miss out on if you come up in a place with more entertainment options. You see there isn’t a whole heck of a lot to do when your options for fun are the Post Office, the bank, the donut shop and the convenience store. Marquette coach Buzz Williams is a Van Alstyne native and by the time he was leaving for Navarro College in 1990 they were getting ready to close that dang donut shop. “The year I left they shut it down,” says Williams, “didn’t have enough money to keep it going.”

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RUMBLE RECRUITING REVIEW: MARQUETTE & NOTRE DAME

Over the course of the last 30 years, the Big East conference has expanded to areas never dreamed of by Dave Gavitt and the initial crew of school administrators that formed the conference back in 1979. Two examples of teams likely never entering their converstions when planning the Big East are Notre Dame and Marquette.

Under coach Buzz Williams, Marquette has become quite the recruiting juggernaut. While areas of Wisconsin, Chicago and Texas, where Williams is from, are the regions where most of their recruited talent has been coming from, the Golden Eagle staff continues to show their long reach by being listed by recruits from all over the country. The recent Rumble in the Bronx had several impressive prospects from the northeast listing the Milwaukee school as a potential college home.

In 1979, Notre Dame was one of ‘the’ names in college basketball. While the Irish have not been very consistent as a national challenger since Digger Phelps left the school, Mike Brey has a very solid program. Playing in the Big East brings plenty of attention in the New York City area for the Irish with their large fanbase populating the area. Several metro-area players are considering the Irish as their future college home.

Let’s take a look at the players listing each school…

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RUMBLE IN THE BRONX PLAYER REVIEWS (PART 2)

by BRIAN CROWNOVER

Here are some newer names for Big East fans to learn as they put on some strong showings at the Rumble in the Bronx from earlier this month.

(Don’t forget to follow NBE on TWITTER at twitter.com/nbeblogger)

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NBA TOP 100 CAMP RECRUITING NOTES

Matt Whitfield wrapped up his coverage of the NBA Players Association’s Top 100 high school basketball camp at the University of Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Before Matt hit the road towards New Jersey, he gave NBE the rundown on several top players and where their recruitment currents stands. Let’s take a look at the latest updates, which include a few new scoops that many will find interesting around the Big East (15 of the 16 teams mentioned one one list or another) and the country…

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NBA TOP 100 CAMP: FRIDAY (PART I)

Matt Whitfield continues to cover the action at the Top 100 camp at the University of Virginia and provides several recruiting notes from Friday morning’s set of games.

Fab Melo
Syracuse, Connecticut, Louisville, Florida, Florida St and Miami are in the mix according to Melo’s Florida Rams AAU head coach.

Dominique Ferguson
Arizona, Wake Forest, and Tennessee have offered. Louisville is also interested.
Ferguson was at Elite Camp at IU last week.

Dwight Powell
Has offers from the SEC, Big East, PAC 10, ACC, and Ivy League. Told NBE he has too many list and that he did not want to miss mentioning any school.

Derrick Wilson
UCLA and Ohio State have shown interest recently for basketball. Will play basketball in college. Georgia Tech has also offered Wilson as well.

Ray McCallum
Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, Notre Dame, Michigan, LSU, Arizona, Miami, Detroit, Duke and Michigan State are in the picture a little bit. South Florida has offered as well. Has been to Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA, Notre Dame, Michigan and Arizona. Dad is the basketball Coach at Detroit.

Jelan Kendrick
Good looking basketball specimen. Good looking jumpshot. Adequate speed. Great fitness, runs up and down the court with ease. Good hustle. Good court IQ too. Kendrick will be fun to watch prosper in college.

Has 32 offers from schools in the SEC, ACC, Big East, PAC 10, and Conference USA. Will make is college choice after all the camps or before his basketball season begins this year. No favorites at this time.

Adreian Payne
Very tall, long and lean. Good conditioning as well. Nice play in the game where the agile big man got the ball while on the move off an inbounds pass for the put in, in which he was fouled on. Told NBE he started playing basketball when he was in 6th grade and that doctors told him he’d be 7’1. His wing span is also that now.

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