November 2009

NBE BIG EAST POWER POLL (11/30/2009)

Just like the preseason poll, the team with the most 1st place votes finishes second in the first weekly Big East Power Poll, but this time the results are reversed as West Virginia, fresh off their 76 Classic Championship last night, edges out Villanova. Syracuse surges up the poll right behind the top two and the Orange are poised to move up if anyone falters. The rest of the poll stays pretty consistent, with Marquette making the biggest jump, but apparently many are still taking a wait and see approach on the young Golden Eagles. Seton Hall had the widest range of votes, being pegged as high as fifth and as low as 14th. The Pirates have yet to really play anyone, but expect them to creep up the rankings as others ahead of them lose from time to time.

Here are the poll results (1st place votes in parenthesis):

1) West Virginia (4), 179 points.
2) Villanova (5), 177 points.
3) Syracuse (3), 174 points.
4) Connecticut, 151 points.
5) Cincinnati, 141 points.
6) Georgetown, 128 points.
7) Louisville, 118 points.
8] Marquette, 115 points.
9) Pittsburgh, 93 points.
10) Seton Hall, 78 points.
11) Notre Dame, 74 points.
12) St. John’s, 72 points.
13) South Florida, 46 points.
14) DePaul, 37 points.
15) Providence, 32 points.
16) Rutgers, 17 points.

Player of the Week: Wesley Johnson, Syracuse

Freshman of the Week: Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati

Here are the poll voters:

NBE Blogger
Ray Mernagh, NBE Senior Columnist & College Basketball Editor of Pittsburgh Sports Report
Chris Dokish, Contributing editor of Pittsburgh Sports Report
Ron Bailey, Publisher of i95ballerz.com
Jeff Borzello, NBE Senior Basketball Analyst and Publisher of March Madness All Season
Raphielle Johnson, NBE contributor and CollegeHoopsNet.com writer
Alex Schwartz, President of Northstar Basketball
Ray Balter, NBE contributor
Nathan Wollack, Publisher of Blue Demons Nation
Doug Ferguson, NBE Midwest Editor and lead writer at the NBE Association Report
Alex Jesswein, NBE Contributor/Milwaukee correspondent
John Sessions, sports reporter for The Cowl.

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MONDAY’S PASS THE ROCK AROUND THE BIG EAST & NATION

by RAY MERNAGH

Today’s opening thoughts are brought to you by the “alarmingly unathletic” Duke team that undressed Connecticut and its superior athletes in a game that wasn’t as close as the final spread of nine points (67-58) made it appear to be.

Is Duke as athletic as UConn?

No.

Is Duke a better basketball team?

Right now, on the last day of November in 2009, alarmingly better — especially when you consider Kyle Singler had an off night.

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2009 STATE FARM TOC RECAP

by DOUG FERGUSON

The fourth annual State Farm Tournament of Champions was a 5-day event that took place this past Thanksgiving weekend. Most of the tournament action took place at Washington Community High School in Peoria (IL) with Illinois Central College also hosting games from four separate national high school and prep school basketball challenges. The main attraction was the Team Works National Classic that featured the nation’s #1 prep powerhouse Findlay Prep. Findlay took on all comers in the four team bracket, which was rounded out with IMG Academy, Brehm Prep and Winston Salem QEA.

Below is a recap of the top 10 players who impressed NBE in the event and some recruiting tidbits as well.

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AROUND THE BIG EAST: 11/28/2009

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I hope all the readers of the NBE Basketball Report and their families had a great Thanksgiving holiday! There has been so much going on around the Big East basketball conference, we have decided to take a tour of the 16 teams in the conference and try to get everyone caught up. We will add a few observations along the way on what we have seen early on…

Cincinnati (4-1)

–The Bearcats earned impressive victories over Vanderbilt and Maryland while reaching the finals of the Maui Invitational. The came up just short in the championship game, losing in overtime to Gonzaga, 61-59.

Freshman phenom Lance Stephenson seemed to be finding his place in the college game a little better, scoring 15 in the final game. Mick Cronin turned to his frosh star in crunch time, over senior Deonta Vaughn. If they can find the right mix between the two, as they both are accustomed to having the ball in their hands, and not forget about Yancy Gates in the post, UC has shown they are going to be really tough.
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GOLDEN EAGLES ROLLIN; UCONN/DUKE NEXT

By RAY MERNAGH

Marquette did it again, this time taking the dribble/attack/offensive pressure right at Michigan and coming up with a convincing 79-65 win. Lots of talk about Marquette’s inexperience but I don’t see it that way. Lazar Hayward, Jimmy Butler, Cubillan and Acker have all been through the Big East battles and taken their fair share of lumps. They’re undersized but here’s the thing about inexperience; lots of teams lost talent and have guys filling new roles, but Buzz’s crew is not some undervalued off the scrap heap pile of junk (all these guys can play).
 
Speaking of strange perceptions: Does anyone else see Duke ranked at 7 and UConn in the teens as being backwards? I think UConn will absolutely wear the Blue Devils out this afternoon at the Garden — that’s why they play the games though so lets watch and enjoy. But it says here UConn just has too much in the backcourt and everywhere else all things being equal.
 
WVU on next vs Texas A&M. GP at CBS had this dead-on piece about the Dev Ebanks situation. Wish I had written it but since I didn’t check it out.
 
 It’s the truth….and that’s okay.

MARQUETTE GETS IMPRESSIVE EARLY WIN

Golden Eagles beat Xavier in first round of Old Spice Classic, ranked Michigan up next

by RAY MERNAGH

Marquette‘s 71-61 win over Xavier was a really big early-season win for Buzz Williams’ “rebuilding” Golden Eagle squad (who came up with 11 steals in the contest) against an X team that committed 20 turnovers and only 10 assists.

Three things to compare/contrast from the game.

1. The “Star” watch: Marquette’s Lazar Hayward got 27 points on 22 shots (9 makes) and got to the free throw line 8 times in his 31 minutes for 5 makes while cashing in 4 of 7 times from deep. X’s Jordan Crawford managed only 9 points on 20 shots (4 makes) and only got to the free throw line twice in 30 minutes while shooting 0-3 from deep. My take: Crawford, on a day when he wasn’t hitting, still jacked up 20 shots. Jason Love was working on a monster night that should have been even more monstrous? Love was 9-11 on the block, finishing with 21 points and 19 rebounds (8 offensive) 2 assists and 5 blocks — yet he only shot 11 times. Love should’ve seen the ball much more.

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BROOKLYN RED JUST WANTED IN

By RAY MERNAGH

Back in the day, as the Freshman coach at Bishop Ford High School in Brooklyn, Steve Finamore started realizing what he wanted to do with his life…and hoping it wasn’t too late to do it. That time period is when Finamore started meeting college coaches who were coming through Bishop Ford’s doors hoping to land studs like Charles Jones for their programs (Jones went to Rutgers initially before transferring to LIU and leading the country in scoring). “I saw how they coached and recruited 365 days a year, as a job, and it made me envious,” says Finamore. “I wanted that more than anything for myself, to just be able to coach, recruit, and develop skills, it seemed like a dream though.”
 
After all, how could a guy that had dropped out of John Jay High School during the ninth grade (after playing seven games on the varsity as a point guard) ever going to reach that dream without a college degree, much less a high school diploma? Could it even happen if the education hurdle was cleared? Finamore believed it could and that turned out to make all the difference.
 
After dropping out of school the kid known as “Red” lived the life of every basketball junkie still young enough to really ball. “I played all day every day,” says Finamore, “if I wasn’t playing I was working.”
 
Windsor Terrace is the neighborhood in Brooklyn where Finamore caught the hoops-habit while trying to get into the daily games of 3-on-3 in the schoolyard of Holy Name Elementary. It wasn’t an easy task for young Red as the players were almost all older and stronger than he was. “If you did get in a game you did everything you could not to lose,” says Finamore, ”because if you did, you waited forever to get back on the court.” Holy Name runs were serious because the ballers were real, and Manhattan Beach games, where he would play as he got older, were without equal according to Finamore.
 
Manhattan Beach is next to Coney Island and attracted future pros everyday — not to mention the weekends. “Mullin (as in Chris) was always there,” says Finamore, “and if you lost there you might as well jump in the water and catch some rays because you weren’t going to be running again for hours.” The players around New York at that time were a who’s who of basketball — especially Big East – history in the Mecca.
 
Mike Dunleavy, Vern Fleming, Red Bruin, Mullin, Pearl Washington, Sidney Green, and later on guys like Mashburn, Mr Chibbs, Strickland etc…the list is endless. Finamore remembers watching tryouts for the Empire State Games — a huge deal at the time – every summer at Bishop Ford, with one particular team having a back court Kenny Smith, Pearl and Kenny Anderson on it! Ziggy Sacignano gave Finamore his first break by letting him coach with his Brooklyn USA AAU outfit. “I had Stephon Marbury as a 7th grader,” says Finamore, “great kid when I had him.” By coaching the Brooklyn USA squads Finamore was around when the Bishop Ford opportunity came open and he got it.
 
That’s when he came to the realization that he wanted to be a college basketball coach, along with the dilemma of how to go about it. Right around this time Finamore met his current wife Mary who convinced him to take the GED exam. After passing that Mary’s next project was to get her man into college. Mary was a native of Michigan who’d been living in New York for ten years and wanted to make the move back home. Before he knew it, Finamore found himself enrolled full time at Lansing Community College and taking a 45 minute walk — in the snow — to the Michigan State basketball office and introducing himself to MSU assistant Tom Crean.
 
“Fran Fraschilla told me before i left New York to go see Tom Crean,” says Finamore, “he said Crean would look out for me.” Crean did just that, taking Fiamore under his wing and showing him the ropes of the MSU program. After finishing up at LCC, Finamore enrolled at MSU and became a full-time student manager under Izzo.
 
“The thing about coach Izzo is he treats managers like coaches and you really get to see how everything is done, it was incredible,” says Finamore. From his time at Michigan State Finamore has a national championship ring and two Big Ten championship rings. Finamore served for one season as an assistant at St Peter’s before a coaching change left him out of work again. Back in Michigan, he found himself presented with the chance to re-start the once-thriving basketball program at Jackson Community College in Jackson, Michigan. Right before his first season Finamore was struck by a car as he stepped off a sidewalk – he was on the phone with Mary at the time he got hit.
 
Just as Finamore stepped off the curb a driver ran a red light and rammed into another car. The car that was hit plowed into Finamore, separating him from both consciousness and his cell phone. All Mary heard was screeching tires and then screams of a female voice. Finamore vaguely remembers a lady repeatedly asking — screaming — to anyone within earshot: “Is he alive?, Oh my God, Is he alive?”
Mary looked across her Lansing office at her boss, former Michigan State running back Tico Duckett, with panic in her eyes and said “Steven just got hit by a car!” Finamore says the first emergency workers on the scene told his assistants later that they immediately started searching for a pulse because they thought he was dead. That’s easy to understand when you run down the list of his injuries resulting from the accident.
Broken Fibula
Shattered Knee Cap
Broken Wrist
Completely Shattered Cheek Bones
Concussion
It was a helluva start to the Brooklyn native’s first season on the job. Finamore was hired just a few months earlier, accepting the task after the college had cut the program 26-years ago. Just when he started feeling like he was making inroads he had this kind of massive rehab to deal with…He missed twelve games! (Note to any JCC players: Don’t go questioning your coach’s toughness). Now in its third year, the program reached the goal set by Finamore last season of making the Playoffs. This season has seen them run off three straight wins after a tough start and looking towards a date with Mott Community College (a program Finamore studied hard when building his own at JCC) and their hall of fame coach Steve Schmidt.
Finamore’s story is one that’s perfect for Thanksgiving — he’s a guy, a hoops junkie, that refuses to give up his dream of teaching the game to kids that want to learn it. He’s thankful just to preach the basketball gospel on his own journey, one that pays very, very little. Asked how much he loves basketball Finamore puts it in perspective: “I love Mary, my daughter Taylor, my players and basketball. Those four are the most important things in my life.”
 
Basketball should give thanks for coach Red — and everybody like him!

NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE TOP PERFORMERS

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – With nearly every top prep team in the country at Albertus Magnus College this past weekend for the National Prep Showcase, there was plenty of talent on hand for spectators and coaches to watch. There was something for everyone – post-grad prospects, senior signees, junior gems and sophomore superstars. However, with all the top-notch talent on hand, it was difficult to pinpoint the best players at the Showcase – but I will try my best.

2010 Top 10 Standout Performers (listed alphabetically)

- Will Barton, Brewster Academy, Memphis: On paper, Barton was the best player at the event. In reality, he struggled to find open shots but passed very well.

- Lorenzo Brown, Hargrave Military Academy, North Carolina State: Constantly put on a show when in the game, Brown is going to be a star in the ACC.

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BIG EAST SLIP PROVEN PREMATURE

Interesting numbers show why Big East is still strong and maybe deeper than previous seasons

by RAY MERNAGH

It seems as if Big East basketball isn’t quite ready to deliver on that slip everyone’s been looking for. Conference teams have jumped out to a solid (read spectacular) 52-4 record to start the season. So I thought I’d tap my inner-hoops scientist to point out some individual — and team (sorry Rutgers) — stats that popped off the page from games played over the last few days.

Nova Looks Ready…and Deep

While winning the whole dang thing in Puerto Rico, Villanova discovered two things: Antonio Pena can replace Dante Cunningham’s production if need be (and without Yarou it was certainly needed) and, Taylor King will get grimey like Redman was back in the Muddy Waters era. Pena put up 17 points and 16 rebounds (6 offensive) in the tournament-clinching 79-67 win over a game Ole Miss squad. King didn’t shoot it that well but he busted rear all over the floor and finished with 9 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals. Both discoveries have Villanova looking extremely tough extremely early, despite what jay Williams was trying to tell viewers last night. Corey Stokes also came up large with 18 points, 5 boards and 2 blocks on an efficient (5-9) shooting night. Stokes has given Wright 11 and 5 in 26 minutes a game thus far. One more notable thing: The foursome of Stokes, Scottie Reynolds, King and freshman Maalik Wayns were 18-22 from the line.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/24/2009)

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First, I must apologize for the lack of a Monday Big East Power Poll and missing the News & Notes since Friday. One of the office computers has passed away and everyone trying to cramp onto a laptop and a smaller desktop has made production a little slower the last several days. So, while yesterday was a tough day for NBE, it was a very good day, again, for the Big East. The conference has a cummulative record of 52-4 after last night’s 4-0 mark. Cincinnati knocked off a top 25 team in Maui, Pitt beat a quality mid-major program in a semi-hostile environment and DePaul picked up a solid win over a good A-10 program in the Paradise Jam. Louisville closed out their three wins in three games by running past Appalachian State.

Seven games are on the schedule tonight with Pitt and Cincinnati taking on ranked foes on neutral floors. Syracuse hosts Cornell, hoping to avoid a letdown from their blistering start to the season. Providence looks to defend the conference’s honor against Vermont, who won at Rutgers in their last game this past weekend. Marquette, Notre Dame and West Virginia should have easy games at home.

In other news, another season ending injury has bit Marquette as one of their big men goes down in practice Monday night. We will be back later today with more news & notes and some additional National Prep Showcase coverage of the most impressive players from the weekend. For now, here is a look at the news & notes from last night’s action and a preview of what is on tap to tip tonight.

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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE GAME RECAPS

A recap of the action from Friday and Saturday of the three-day event this past weekend

by MICHAEL PINA

Day 1

St. Thomas More 90, Lee Academy 69

In the opening game of the National Prep Showcase, St. Thomas More dominated Lee Acadamy 90-69 in a one-sided contest. Led by senior Bryon Allen, who scored a game high 20 points on 8-10 shooting, St. Thomas More shot 63 percent from the field while holding Lee Academy to 47 percent for the game and just 35 percent in the first half. Highly touted 6’ 11” sophomore prospect Andre Drummond scored eight points in just nine minutes of action while displaying low post dominance and a soft touch around the basket.

Lee Academy’s Maxie Esho, headed to the University of Massachusetts, was the most aggressive player on the floor, scoring 14 while attempting a game high six free throws. Esho didn’t shy away from contact and exhibited a nice inside, outside game.
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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE RECAP, PART II

by JEFF BORZELLO

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The highly-anticipated National Prep Showcase got off to a somewhat slow start in the first couple of days, with one-sided affairs and blowouts galore. Only two games on the first were decided by fewer than 10 points, and those were seven and nine point differences. The second day wasn’t much different, as the first three games all had margins of at least double-digits. With plenty of quality basketball left to be played, though – including a match-up between Brewster Academy and Worcester Academy – there was a chance for the games to be more competitive. Seemingly on cue, Mack Academy (N.C.) had a furious comeback against Winchendon (Mass.) – before falling late, 79-77 – to jumpstart what would be an exciting final day and a half of basketball featuring several tight contests.

The three best games of the event came during day three. In the first one, NIA Prep overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to force overtime against second-ranked Brewster Academy. In overtime, the team from New Jersey pulled off the upset, 103-99. Immediately following that, Bridgton Academy and Tilton School went down to the wire before Seton Hall-commit Dashaun Wiggins hit a half-court three-pointer at the buzzer to give Bridgton a one-point victory. In the fourth game on Sunday, South Kent Prep (Conn.) defeated Champlain St. Lambert (Can.) on a lay-up at the buzzer by Nemanja Djurisic. Here is a look at some more player evaluations from the second and third days of the Showcase, in addition to those we wrote about on Friday:

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UNSIGNED 2010 BIG MAN MAURICE WALKER HAS A LEADER

by JEFF BORZELLO

College basketball’s early signing period for the class of 2010 has come and come and the crop of unsigned players still waiting to make a decision is at unprecedented numbers. While many are very aware that Brandon Knight, Josh Selby, Doron Lamb, Jayvaughn Pinkston, Cory Joseph, CJ Leslie, Roscoe Smith and others are still on the market, Brewster Academy is also home to an unsigned big man that will most likely be in high demand heading towards the spring signing period this winter.

Maurice Walker, a 6-foot-10, 270-pound low post force, told NBE at this weekend’s National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven (CT) that he currently is looking at a college list of Pittsburgh, Kansas, Connecticut, Georgetown, Arizona and Marquette, but he knows where he wants to go – Pittsburgh.

“I like what they’ve done in the past with players like me, you know, DeJuan Blair,” Walker said. “The atmosphere there is almost like the atmosphere at home. I’ve met the coaches and I like them, I’ve met the players and I like them.”

Walker did show the talents reminiscent of some of the recent Panthers in the post this weekend. The Canadian-born big man is a big body who takes up plenty of room in the paint at both ends of the floor. Offensively, he is more athletic than one would imagine, as he demonstrated some nice spin moves and even stepped out to a shoot a jumper. Walker gets offensive boards and can finish around the rim with both hands. He also gets tremendous position on the block against opponents. Defensively, Walker blocked shots and dominated the glass for the most part.

“Someone will have him lose weight and then yes,” a mid-major college assistant coach replied to NBE recently when asked if Walker could make an impact in the Big East in the future.

When asked why he has not committed to Pitt yet, Walker responded: “I’ve been talking back and forth with the coaches there, but they haven’t gotten back to me yet.”

Big men are always a coveted commodity, especially in the spring time. Expect many programs to inquire about their chances with Walker, a big man that can play, if he continues to be on the market.

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HELLO WORLD, MEET WESLEY JOHNSON

by RAY MERNAGH

Last year I was all but anointing the 2008-09 Big East title to Georgetown (and Greg Monroe) based on the performance they put on in an early conference win against UConn. I tend to think of myself as someone that learns from lessons like that, that I now clearly see how long the basketball season is and how much a team can improve — or fall apart — as it plays on into December, January and February. Having said that…Wesley Johnson has to already be, based on one game against UNC, on the top-5 transfer list of all time and rising with a bullet. Sound crazy? His coach Jim Boeheim admitted that his performance Friday night all but cemented him as a top-5 pick in the next NBA draft (and I think we can all agree that Jimmy B doesn’t blow smoke when it comes to NBA readiness).

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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE RECAP, PART I

BY JEFF BORZELLO

New Haven, Conn: The official start to the always hotly anticipated prep basketball season is the National Prep Showcase. Held in the past at Bryant University in Rhode Island, the Showcase moved this year to Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn. This season, it features nine of the top 10 teams in ESPN’s Prep rankings, and several of the top players in the country. Things kicked off on Friday with six games, including a match-up between Hargrave Military Academy and Notre Dame Prep, a contest that could feature more than 20 Division-I players. Here’s a look at some of the top players in New Haven:

Bryon Allen, 2010, St. Thomas More: The former West Virginia commit was the best player on the floor for much of the game against Lee Academy. He got into the lane almost at will, using his body very well to shield defenders and get his shot off. Allen knocked down a few three-pointers and used his vision to find open teammates often. He has a good flow to his game and never seems out of control. He finished with 20 points and six assists.
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ST. JOHN’S HOLDS OFF BROWN FOR WIN

SJU notes from Carnesecca as SJU holds on for a win

by BILL SAN ANTONIO

Though St. John’s led by as many as 15 points in the closing minutes of the first half, Brown eventually cut the deficit to one late by shooting 70 percent from the field in the second half.

D.J. Kennedy’s dunk with 56 seconds remaining and a pair of free throws by Malik Boothe shortly thereafter sealed the win for St. John’s.

“We won the game; that’s the bottom line,” Head Coach Norm Roberts said.

Dwight Hardy led the way for the Red Storm, scoring 16 points on 6-11 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point range. Hardy hit two key free throws on back-to-back possessions early in the first half to put the Red Storm up 13-9. His four three-point field goals were the only successful attempts in the first half for the Red Storm, as St. John’s shot 4-10 in the half from beyond the arc.

Due to early foul trouble to Justin Burrell and Sean Evans, Roberts went to his second unit of Dele Coker and Justin Brownlee in the frontcourt, who played a combined 24 minutes. They each recorded a block, and Brownlee finished with nine points and three rebounds.

Friday’s game was dominated by tight officiating, as 35 total fouls were called. The two teams shot a combined 43 free throws, and 11 players recorded at least two fouls. With each blown whistle, the referees were greeted to an even louder ovation of boos from the 3,220 fans at Carnesecca Arena. Boothe and Kennedy were both perfect from the line.

During the timeout with 11:58 remaining in the second half, the St. John’s men’s soccer team was recognized at halfcourt for its Big East Tournament win last Sunday over Notre Dame. The Red Storm takes the field Sunday at 6 p.m. against Boston College in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The team reached the College Cup round last year, where it was defeated by Maryland.

Bill San Antonio is the sports editor for the The Torch, The Award-Winning Student Newspaper of St. John’s University

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BELLY OF THE BE-AST: MIXTAPE EDITION

by RAY MERNAGH

J. Period is providing the soundtrack via iTunes radio today. Now let’s go deep inside the Belly and see what we can find. Is Dev Ebanks in there waiting to get sprung by Hugs or is this a nightmare in the making for WVU fans? No word from anyone other than Hugs and the last thing he said was that Ebanks was still dealing with whatever personal issue has him out in the first place. West Virginia can be very good without Ebanks but they’re only going to be special with him. As one coach put it last night to me on the phone, “Hugs will make sure that gets straightened out whatever it is,” — I tend to agree with that take.
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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/20/2009)

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The Big East, considered to be down this year, improved their cummulative record last night to 35-0, remaining as the only conference without a loss to date. The most impressive vistory was registered by Syracuse, who demolished nationally ranked Cal in Madison Square Garden 95-73. Tonight, the Orange will definitely put the gaudy Big East record on the line when they meet North Carolina in the finals of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic. Out of conference opponents early in the year can struggle very much against the SU zone…we shall see what it does to the Tar Heels, who have a lot of new pieces this year.

Another big challenge to the Big East will come this afternoon when a short-handed Villanova squad meets nationally ranked Dayton. The Wildcats needed a late three-pointer by Isaiah Armwood to get past George Mason yesterday in the San Juan Shootout. South Florida will try to put the off court distractions aside, much like they did last night when beating Davidson in the Charleston Classic. Tonight another tough match-up is on deck when they meet South Carolina in Charleston.

Other winners last night included Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Others in action today include DePaul in the Paradise Jam, Seton Hall visiting Cornell of the Ivy League. Rutgers facing Drexel in the Legends Classic at the RAC and St. John’s hosting Brown to open the Philly Hoops Classic.

In other news, an update on UConn verbal commitment Cleveland Melvin and recruiting updates on 2011 forward Branden Dawson, 2011 guard Donivine Stweart and 2012 guard Omar Calhoun. Tobias Harris oficially announced for the SEC last night and this weekend is the highly anticipated National Prep Showcase and NBE will be there for ALL of the action!

Read all about these and more in today’s News & Notes links below…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/19/2009)

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The Big East continues to roll over early season competition as Cincinnati ran the conference’s win streak to 30 straight games to start the season. The streak will be put to the test today for sure. Five games on the schedule, starting at 2 PM in Puerto Rico where Villanova meets George Mason. The Wildcats will be short-handed as one of their starters had to leave Puerto Rico because of a viral infection, according to a report. The biggest test is likely to come for Syracuse as they meet Cal at Madison Square Garden. Pittsburgh and Notre Dame also face teams that are not too shabby as normal early season foes go and South Florida takes on media darling Davidson. However, the minds of those with the South Florida program could be a little distracted as a former USF beat writer has put together an indepth story alleging several NCAA violations against Stan Heath’s program. The school has recently aknowldged several secondary violations and now these new charges could mean some serious trouble.

Elsewhere in the Big East, Marquette added another signee for their early period recruiting class, dipping back into Chicago. A story on West Virginia’s latest commitment as well as a story on UConn finding some leadership from an unexpected source and an injury update on PC’s Marshon Brooks. Also, Friday night will be a challenge on the road for Seton Hall and Bobby Gonzalez is certainly wary of the match-up with Cornell.

Still no change int he status of Devin Ebanks at WVU as the sophomore is still away from the team dealing with personal issues according to coach Bob Huggins. Also, the official announcment on where Tobias Harris will play his college basketball is coming later today, but strong speculation is pointing to the SEC over several Big East schools.

Read all of these and more in today’s News & Notes links below…

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CONNECTICUT, CINCINNATI ADD COMMITMENTS; JOSEPH NARROWS LIST

According to the Thursday Morning Rush of 11-19-09 of WCPO 9 in Cincinnati, Mick Cronin and the Bearcats picked up both a win last night, 92-68 over Toledo, and a commitment as 6-foot-10 center Kelvin Gaines of Ocala (FL) has signed a national letter of intent with Cincinnati.

“Kelvin Gaines is a natural born shot blocker and we are thrilled to announce his signing,” said Cronin in a statement released by the University announcing Gaines’ signing of a letter of intent. “Kelvin and his family are great people and we are excited about helping him develop as a person and a player. KG can run and jump and is going to be pushing 250 pounds once we get him in our strength program. He is very athletic, plays above the rim and has a nice jump hook. He is also a bright, mature young man that will be a great addition for our entire University.”

Gaines played last year at Heat Academy in Martinsville (VA), averaging 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks a game for coach Jason Niblett. This season he is attending Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville (FL).
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Connecticut also landed a commitment to close out the early signing period as athletic Notre Dame Prep forward Cleveland Melvin signed his letter of intent with the Huskies on Wednesday.

Melvin, a native of Baltimore where he played for Herman Harried on last season’s Lake Clifton state championship team, ran with the Cecil Kirk AAU program and was impressive last spring at the Southern Jam Fest when NBE saw him in action. Melvin is an outstanding athletic who plays above the rim. He is very efficient inside, whether it is on putbacks or viscous dunks. Cleveland hit a post hook, banked home another shot and also scored on a reverse when NBE watched him in action. He’s a little undersized, but he gets it done on the inside.
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While on the road last night, Ray Mernagh checked in with an update on Cory Joseph, the highly regarded Findlay Prep point guard who is one of many top players waiting until the spring to sign with a school. Joseph has continued to narrow his list and he currently has a final five of Texas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Villanova and UNLV. Joseph is planning an official visit to UNLV for the weekend of December 12th.

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