July 2009

SUMMER IN THE CITY RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

NBE’s Jeff Borzello finished up the month of July exactly where he started it on July 1st, on the campus of St. John’s in Queens (NY). Back at the beginning of the month, Jeff reported from the St. John’s Elite Camp, which was loaded with top area prospects. On Friday, he was back again, this time for the New Heights AAU/Team NJABC co-sponsored Summer in the City hoops event. Again, many top local ballers hit the court, but this time a plethora of high-major coaches, many from the Big East, watched the action.

Jeff spent the time catching up with the players to learn of their recruiting progress from the busy month of July. Many have picked up new offers, interest and have planned some future visits and Jeff worked hard to bring NBE readers the scoop all day long!

Read on to find out who your favorite team is pursuing on the recruiting trail as the latest scoop on 33 players and their recruitment follows below…

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TEAM TAKEOVER PAIR CONSIDERING BIG EAST OPTIONS

Grant, Oladipo fielding interest from Big East and both are interested in the B-East

by RON BAILEY

July 31, 2009 – Having been officially formed last September, Team Takeover has enjoyed a meteoric rise to success; the organization that branched off from Triple Threat, another DC-based AAU/travel team outfit has secured two national championships in July. Making the feat more impressive is it occurred during the recent AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, and in the two most competitive and watched age divisions, 16-under and 17-under. People knowledgeable in travel team hoops have struggled to recall a similar dual achievement.

Of course Takeover is stocked with talented players, which are bound to attract Big East Conference schools, as that league is inarguably one the most competitive and talent laden in America. This writer doesn’t call it the B-East for nothing.

Two of Takeover’s players receiving Big East love are Victor Oladipo and Jerian Grant. Both are guards and attend DeMatha Catholic High School. These rising seniors are capable of playing in the conference.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/30/2009)

July is winding down and things will be back to normal once August rolls around. There is still action in Orlando and Los Angeles as everyone is trying to make one last impression on the weary coaches who have been on the go for the last eight days. NBE plans to make a stop in Merrillville (IN) for the ChicagoHoops.com End of Summer Showdown tomorrow on the final day of the event. NBE will also head to St. John’s tomorrow to take in the New Heights and Team NJABC co-hosted Summer in the City Event. Local teams such as the tournament hosts as well as Metro Hawks, NJ Playaz, Sports University and Team Philly highlight the 17-U bracket with Baltimore Assault adding a 16-U team to a similar list of teams in that bracket. A final stop, which might spill into Saturday, for NBE this month will be the Hoop Magic ‘Big Time Bump’ event in Chantilly (VA). Newly crowned national champs Team Takeover headline the action.

Stay tuned to NBE tomorrow throughout the day as we get the latest updates from the players as they wrap up their July basketball travels in their backyards…

Around the news and notes today is some legal trouble finding a Villanova player, Mick Cronin is all smiles with Born Ready in the mix for next season. A story on Kemba Walker as well as a brief scouting report on uncoming Husky Jamal Trice from summer league action. Also a story on Dominique Jones, an update on where Markus Kennedy will be next year and a few additional recruiting notes on some New Heights players and a short Vegas review from MaxPreps.com are all linked below…

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LEBRYAN NASH: CLASS OF 2011 BIG EAST TARGET

Dallas (TX) native has had a strong Big East following this July

A strong performance earlier this month at the Reebok All-American camp has allowed LeBryan Nash to solidify his status of one of the best players in the class of 2011. The 6-foot-7 Dallas (TX) Lincoln High School small forward has been seeing plenty of attention from college recruiters, including many in the Big East.

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AAU SUPER SHOWCASE PLAYER RUNDOWN (PART I)

BY JEFF BORZELLO

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – After about a week off, coaches, recruits and talent evaluators hit the road again last Wednesday, most going to either Las Vegas or Orlando. There are about five marquee events out in Nevada, but the most jam-packed tournament was at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida. The U-17 teams kick off pool play on Friday, but we arrived a day early to check out some of the top U-16 teams in the country. Here’s a look at some of the outstanding players and a few recruiting notes as well…

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NBE ‘LIVE’ FROM DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL (3:30 PM UPDATE)

Doug Ferguson has found his way Monday to Mesquite High School in Gilbert (AZ) for the Desert Duel Memorial Basketball Tournament. This tournament was created in the memory of Tom Crawford and this year’s version has a very impressive field put together by Big Shots president Jeff Schneider.

Some of the impressive tournament performers from the recent Vegas events have made it to Mesquite High School, including I-5 Elite (Center Stage Champs), Team Detroit (Reebok Summer Championship winners), Memphis Magic (Adidas Super 64 champions), Nike Team Florida (winners of Nike Main Event), Seattle Rotary, Mac Irvin Fire and top programs such as NJ Playaz, DC Assault, Atlanta Celtics, SYF Players, Illinois Wolves, Wisconsin Playground Elite and more for this two-day event.

With many tired bodies from the action in Vegas, upsets ruled the day on Monday and the final eight is quite surprising based on the teams that were in action. Read below to find out who went 2-0 on Day One and see some video of the Team Detroit backcourt duo working together…

The tournament is just a couple of hours old and a big upset has already been orchestrated by a fast-rising 2010 point guard out of South Carolina…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/27/2009)

As we work to get up and running from Mesquite High School for the Desert Duel Memorial basketball tournament, let’s take a run through the latest news and notes from the web that impacts the Big East conference.

There are some recruiting news and notes from the AAU events that have been going on in Vegas and Orlando as well as an update on Adreian Payne and a story on Sean Kilpatrick getting started at Cincinnati and Terrence Jennings feeling like a veteran already at Louisville.

Check back later for news and notes fromt he Desert Duel…

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SUNDAY AT THE AAU SUPER SHOWCASE

Jeff Borzello wrapped up NBE’s coverage from Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex of the 2009 AAU Super Showcase on Sunday in Lake Buena Vista (FL). The action was pretty exciting throughout the day, although the number of games were pretty low. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the day that was…

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ORLANDO SUPER SHOWCASE RECRUITING UPDATES

Jeff Borzello continued his coverage of the AAU Super Showcase at the Wide World of Sports complex in Lake Buena Vista (FL) on Saturday.

In a surprising turn of events, All-Ohio Red and Team Final, who met in the Peach Jam Championship two weeks ago, were both knocked out of the Gold Bracket in the first round. The Rising Stars upended the favorite from Ohio while the NJ Celtics, who beat All-Ohio Red earlier in the day in pool play, upset Team Final behind a sparkling performance by super talented Kyrie Irving.

Jeff Borzello will have more on the top players and action from his time in Orlando as the week continues. This morning he takes a look at some of the recruiting lists he was able to gather yesterday when talking to a lot of players he saw for the first time this summer…

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ORLANDO AAU SUPER SHOWCASE NOTES (12:30 PM UPDATE)

Jeff Borzello is down in Orlando following the action of the AAU Super Showcase. He was watching the action in the 16-U age group Thursday around Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex and play began in the 17-U age classification on Friday and has continued today. The college coaches from around the country are also making their way in from Vegas and the familiar faces in the stands watching the players will certainly increase as we head into the weekend.

Lets take a look at some of the notes and observations that Jeff has sent our way…

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SIGHTS, SOUNDS & WHISPERS FROM ORLANDO

BY JEFF BORZELLO

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — As we head into the weekend — and coaches from across the landscape begin the trek from Las Vegas to Orlando — there are several noteworthy things happening at the Wide World of Sports Complex. Here are a few of the sights, sounds and whispers that have stood out thus far:

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/24/2009)

While Jeff Borzello is checking in regularly with Orlando Super Showcase News & Notes, we take a quick tour around the Big East for some of the latest news and notes being reported around the web on this Friday.

Andy Rautins is using another busy summer to prepare for an increased amount of responsibility next season at SU, Chris Smith goes back to his roots and Darius Smith prepares for his freshman season at UConn. There is also a story on recent RU commitment Andrew Nicholas, elite 2012 prospect Kyle Anderson and recruiting notes on the recently open Josh Selby and Washington 2011 star Anthony Wroten Jr. who could head east for his college career.

Read all these below…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/23/2009)

Yesterday was a travel day for NBE as we are now positioned in Las Vegas and in Orlando for the action on the AAU circuit as the second July open evaluation period for Division 1-A coaches began yesterday. There are a few notes on the opening day of action from Vegas below, including recruiting updates on Terrence Jones and Joe Jackson. Also, some recruiting notes from Adam Zagoria on some New Jersey prospects as well as some news and notes from around the Big East on a variety of issues, including Lance Stephenson arriving on campus, scheduling notes and a couple past Big East greats are in the news…

Read all about these, and more, in a very bust News and Notes section…also, stay tuned for updates from Vegas and Orlando, they will be coming fast and furious later today and tomorrow…

Don’t forget, follow NBE on twitter (we are getting better with those udpates): http://twitter.com/nbeblogger

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NY2LA SUMMER JAM PLAYER REVIEW

by ALEX JESSWEIN

Good friend of NBE Alex Jesswein spent some time at the recent NY2LA Sports Summer Jam to close out the opening July Evaluation Period last month in the Milwaukee (WI) area. Many of the top players from the Midwest were there, as well as many Division 1-A assistant and head coaches looking at the field of talent.

Alex gives his thoughts on some of the top performers and NBE adds some recruiting notes to his reports to give readers a sense of who is looking at some of these players, from the Big East and around the country…

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LOOKBACK AT HOOP GROUP ELITE CAMP

BY JEFF BORZELLO

READING, Pa. – The most important – and busiest – period of the recruiting calendar kicked off back on Monday July 6th, as high school prospects and college coaches began their month-long journey around the country. The Hoop Group Elite Camp also had its share of talent in attendance at Albright College. The player pool was watered-down because of the other tournaments and camps going on around the country – Reebok U All-American Camp, Lebron James Skills Academy, adidas It Takes 5IVE Classic – but that does not take away from the dozens of quality prospects in attendance. With all-star nominations on the line and a multitude of coaches watching closely, the games were more hotly-contested and intense than the normal camp atmosphere.

Here’s a look at some of the top players – out of about 700 – that NBE checked out on the first two days Division-I coaches were allowed to attend:

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: RUTGERS

VERBAL COMMITMENT ALERT: Andrew Nicholas (2011), 6’6 F from Eastern York (PA) High School

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)
2010 Commitments: N/A
2011 Commitments: Andrew Nicholas (SF)

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

Rutgers Men’s Hoops Secures Commitment for 2011 (mycentraljersey.com) class as Andrew ‘Red’ Nicholas makes an early pledge to the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers and head coach Fred Hill get off to an early start for 2011 as they continue to hit the trail for 2010.

For more on the commitment of Nicholas and a rundown on the Scarlet Knights’ recruiting picture for the class of 2010, 2011 and even a couple notes on the class of 2012, please see our article linked HERE!! from our Rutgers Team Blog Site. It is a pretty comprehensive look at their incoming 2009 class and the players on the AAU trail that have been mentioning Fred Hill’s program this spring and summer…

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/20/2009)

Everyone seems to be re-charging their batteries for the opening of the second July evaluation period which kicks off on Wednesday. Again, NBE will be out on the road as Jeff Borzello will head to Orlando to cover the 2009 AAU Super Showcase at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex. This event is absolutely loaded with elite teams and NBE is so excited to be bringing our readers our ‘live’ coverage and updates throughout.

Also, Doug Ferguson and his travelling road show will head to Vegas this week and then to the Phoenix area to cover the AAU action taking place at the Adidas Super 64, Reebok Summer Championship and Nike Main Event in Vegas and the Desert Duel Memorial in Phoenix. Once again we will be keeping track of who the Big East coaches are watching, as well as coaches from across the country, and evaluating the top prospects and learning of their recruiting interests as well. It will be another exciting week, for sure!!!

Remember, you can follow NBE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nbeblogger

In the meantime, we look to catch up on what is happening around the Big East with a News & Notes update that covers everything from recruitins, summer leagues, roster updates, schedule updates and more…

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2009 PEACH JAM RECAP, PART V

by JEFF BORZELLO

We finish the 2009 Peach Jam recap by taking a look at some of the top players in the U-16 competition and look at their recruiting information. There were just 16 teams competing in the U-16 competition, but there was still plenty of talent on hand.

In the end, it was The Family that tool home the championship crown in the U-16 bracket. At least one of their players is hoping to visit a Big East school this summer. Here are several of the players that caught our eye last week in North Augusta…

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LOOKING BACK AT THE HOOP GROUP TEAM CAMP

BY JEFF BORZELLO

READING, Pa. – With a mass exodus of players from the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia, it was the perfect time to check out the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp at Albright College in Reading (PA) on Friday, July 10. The tournament began on Thursday, and by the time NBE arrived on Friday, pre-tournament favorites St. Patrick’s, Bishop McNamara, Neumann-Goretti, Xaverian, Jamesville-Dewitt, Roman Catholic, North Catholic, Boys & Girls and Archbishop Carroll were all already in the consolation bracket. Despite that, we were able to catch a few of those teams in the loser’s bracket, as well as the remaining top teams in the winner’s bracket.

Kyrie Irving, St. Patrick (2010): Irving looked phenomenal in the game we saw him in, as he completely dominated a depleted Neumann-Goretti squad. He started off the game with a drive and dish for a basket, followed by a three. His most impressive play, by far, was an instance when he caught the ball behind him with his right hand, spun and switched the ball to his left hand and finished with a lay-up. He was aggressive going to the basket, was hitting his jumpers – both mid-range and behind the arc – and was distributing the ball well. Certainly the best player at the camp.

Here are the 10 schools mentioned by Irving: Duke, Kentucky, Virginia, Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Indiana, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Texas A&M.
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Shawn Oakman, Penn Wood (2011): The big man did not show much offensively, but he rebounded the ball and played defense well. He blocks and alters shots, and boxes out for boards. If he was more involved offensively, he would have been more impressive, because he can pass out of the post well too.
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Aaron Brown, Penn Wood (2011): Brown looked excellent throughout the day, as he was nearly impossible to stop going to the basket. The lefty barreled his way to the rim over and over, and finished or got fouled nearly every time. He did not show much on his jump shot, and was overly selfish at times. However, when driving to the lane, he was outstanding. If he develops a jumper, he will be even better.

Not to be confused with St. Benedict’s class of 2010 Aaron Brown, this version is also getting colleges to pay attention to his skills. Providence, Villanova, St. Joseph’s (offer), La Salle (offer), Temple (offer), Maine, UTEP, Penn State (offer) and Virginia are the schools watching Brown.
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Joey de la Rosa, St. Raymond’s (2011): Similar to what we’ve seen of de la Rosa before, he struggled to finish inside but showed potential because of his size and his length. He doesn’t get position inside often enough, but had a nice pump fake and finish off of one dribble.

St. Ray’s head coach Oliver Antigua told NBE that de la Rosa is receiving looks from Pittsburgh, Providence, St. John’s, Virginia Tech and Massachusetts.
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Nkereueum Okoro, St. Raymond’s (2012): Okoro, who said he is attempting to make a transition from the four to the wing, struggled somewhat against Penn Wood. He worked the high post well, but seemed to force his drives to the basket. He is crafty with the ball when going to the rim and can also distribute it to his teammates. Okoro moves well without the ball and can rebound.

Coach Antigua said that Okoro has been receiving interest from St. John’s, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Arizona.
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Daniel Stewart, Neumann-Goretti (2010): Against Bishop McNamara, Stewart was very impressive, running up and down the floor and finishing very well inside. He also dominated the backboards and even showed a mid-range jumper. However, he struggled mightily against St. Patrick’s, who had players to match his size and athleticism. He was clearly frustrated when he could not get easy lay-ups inside, and his face-up game is still not there.
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Derrick Stewart, Neumann-Goretti (2012): Similar to his brother, he was a lot more effective and impressive against Bishop McNamara than against St. Pat’s. He works the foul line and the high post well, and his face-up game is maturing. He moves very well without the ball and is an absolute menace on the backboards. If he continues to improve – and develops a more consistent jump shot – he will be better than his brother.
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Cedrick Lindsay, Gonzaga (2010): It still boggles my mind that Lindsay is so under-recruited (Penn State, Davidson, Brown, VCU and Richmond involved). He has a very good body and is strong for the point guard position. He can beat his defender off the dribble and is a tough finisher at the rim. His jump shot is inconsistent, but he has the ability to knock down shots. Lindsay can run the offense and distribute the ball to his teammates, and his strength allows him to be a solid defender.
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2009 PEACH JAM RECAP, PART IV

by JEFF BORZELLO

We are getting near the end of our Peach Jam player reviews and recruiting notes. In Part IV, we finish up the players we checked out in the U-17 competition with a look at some of the bigger names, like Harrison Barnes, Brandon Knight, Marquis Teague and more. We have the latest on their recruiting and some notes on what we saw from them on the floor during the action in North Augusta (GA) last week.

Previous, Part I was a look back at the action as well as news and notes on All-Ohio Red, Team Final and City Rocks. Part II concentrated on Team Takeover and Cali Supreme while Part III had the lowdown on players from the Jackson Tigers, NY Gauchos, I-5 Elite, Georgia Stars and Team Texas Elite that caught the attention of NBE last week. Part V, coming tomorrow night, will take a look at some of the top players in the U-16 competition we saw.

Here are tonight’s reviews…

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