April 2010

2010-2011 BIG EAST PRESEASON POWER POLL: VERSION 1.4

Today we complete our first look, in four parts, of the 2010-2011 college basketball season as it pertains to the Big East. We polled several of our regular contributors and writers at the NBE Basketball Report for their opinions on the Big East for 2010-2011. For the purpose of this exercise we took a look at the Big East ‘as is’ in it’s current state. This means, anyone declaring for the NBA Draft and who has not pulled their name out of the draft is considered IN the NBA Draft. At this time, the following players are in the NBA Draft:

– Devin Ebanks (WVU)
– Jeremy Hazell (SHU)
– Wes Johnson (SU)
– Dominique Jones (USF)
– Mac Koshwal (DPU)
– Greg Monroe (GU)
– Herb Pope (SHU)
– Jeff Robinson (SHU)
– Samardo Samuels (UL)
– Lance Stephenson (UC)

Today we provide capsule previews of the teams that are currently slotted in spots 4th through 1st in our first preseason Big East Power Poll for 2010-2011. You can see the first part, Version 1.1 right HERE, the second part, Version 1.2, right HERE and our third part, Version 1.3, right HERE, as those were posted earlier in the week.

We exect our next update to be in a couple weeks after the deadline passes for players to withdraw their name from the NBA Draft and return to school and as the late signing period comes to a close.

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RUTGERS COACHING SEARCH DOWN TO TWO?

Multiple media outlets have speculated today that the Rutgers University coaching search to replace Fred Hill is down to two candidates.

NBE’s Ray Mernagh confirmed this morning, from a source with knowledge of the interview and search process of the Scarlet Knights, that the process is down to Fran Fraschilla and Mike Rice.

From the get-go it appearaed that Rutgers has Two Really Good Options and Fraschilla and Rice were it. Now comes the time for the administration, led by athletic director Tim Pernetti, to choose one and begin the process of making the Scarlet Knights a contender in the Big East.

Rice is the current head coach at Robert Morris University just outside of Pittsburgh (PA). He has been the head coach of the Colonials the past three season and led them to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two. After his team lost in the first round in overtime to Villanova, Rice became a hot name on the coaching carousel scene. He emerged as an early candidate in the Seton Hall vacancy that eventually went to Kevin Willard.

Rice has the backing of many of the New Jersey AAU, prep and high school power brokers for the relationships he built while working with the Hoop Group organization. Rice also recently worked as an assistant coach, recruiting much of New Jersey, with St. Joseph’s under Phil Martelli and at Pittsburgh under Jamie Dixon.

Fraschilla is the former Manhattan College, St. John’s and New Mexico head coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst. In his nine seasons as a head coach, Frachilla appeared in eight post-season tournaments and compiled a 176-99 record. In 1997-98 he led the (now) Red Storm to the NCAA Tournament after compiling a 13-5 Big East record. Fraschilla also worked in the Big East as an assistant under Rick Barnes at Providence College. The Brooklyn (NY) Native was known as a tireless recruiting around the Big Apple, however it has been eight seasons since he has last been a head coach.

For another head-to-head look at the two front-runners at Rutgers, see Jerry Carino’s Fraschilla v Rice post at his Hoops Haven blog looking at the pros and cons of each candidate.

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CLASS OF 2011 PROSPECT BLOWING UP: ADJEHI BARU

Maryland, Wake, ‘Bama, Xavier have early leg up on developing big, others moving in

by RAY MERNAGH

Many are saying that Adjehi Baru is the one prospect on the Grassroots Circuit who’s certain to explode, blow up, blast off and any other kind of violent/loud/shocking occurrence most often used to describe a player who’s under the radar at the beginning of April only to be sifting through 30-40 high major offers a month later.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more on Adjehi Baru and his recruitment, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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2010-2011 BIG EAST PRESEASON POWER POLL: VERSION 1.3

Today we continue our first look, in four parts, of the 2010-2011 college basketball season as it pertains to the Big East. We polled several of our regular contributors and writers at the NBE Basketball Report for their opinions on the Big East for 2010-2011. For the purpose of this exercise we took a look at the Big East ‘as is’ in it’s current state. This means, anyone declaring for the NBA Draft and who has not pulled their name out of the draft is considered IN the NBA Draft. At this time, the following players are in the NBA Draft:

– Devin Ebanks (WVU)
– Jeremy Hazell (SHU)
– Wes Johnson (SU)
– Dominique Jones (USF)
– Mac Koshwal (DPU)
– Greg Monroe (GU)
– Herb Pope (SHU)
– Jeff Robinson (SHU)
– Samardo Samuels (UL)
– Lance Stephenson (UC)

Today we provide capsule previews of the teams that are currently slotted in spots 8th through 5th in our first preseason Big East Power Poll for 2010-2011. You can see the first part, Version 1.1 right HERE, and the second part, Version 1.2 right HERE as we have completed our look at the bottom half of the league earlier in the week.

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LESLIE CHOOSES ACC OVER UCONN, UK

BY JEFF BORZELLO
 
There is just one five-star player left to make their college decision now, as C.J. Leslie took his name off the board on Wednesday.
 
The 6-foot-8 forward from Word of God Christian Academy (N.C.) committed to North Carolina State, choosing the Wolfpack over Kentucky and Connecticut, the latter of which he visited this past weekend.
 
“It was a good school. Is that enough? Nah, I’m kidding,” Leslie joked.
 
“It’s a great school, they have a great coach, and I think we can do some things next season,” Leslie told the NBE Basketball Report shortly after his commitment.
 
Leslie had originally committed to North Carolina State in June of 2007 but reopened his recruitment last March. He had finalized his list recently, and admitted he enjoyed his visit to Connecticut.
 
However, that was not enough to dissuade him from heading to the ACC.
 
“I think I can make a major impact next season,” Leslie said. “Coach [Sidney Lowe] was excited when I told him.”
 
Leslie was one of the final players left to make a decision, as 6-8 forward Terrence Jones is the lone five-star prospect yet to announce his destination.
 
“I’m very relieved,” Leslie said. “I can now focus on basketball and getting better over the summer.” 

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2010-2011 PRESEASON BIG EAST POWER POLL; VERSION 1.2

Today we continue our first look, in four parts, of the 2010-2011 college basketball season as it pertains to the Big East. We polled several of our regular contributors and writers at the NBE Basketball Report for their opinions on the Big East for 2010-2011. For the purpose of this exercise we took a look at the Big East ‘as is’ in it’s current state. This means, anyone declaring for the NBA Draft and who has not pulled their name out of the draft is considered IN the NBA Draft. At this time, the following players are in the NBA Draft:

– Devin Ebanks (WVU)
– Jeremy Hazell (SHU)
– Wes Johnson (SU)
– Dominique Jones (USF)
– Mac Koshwal (DPU)
– Greg Monroe (GU)
– Herb Pope (SHU)
– Jeff Robinson (SHU)
– Samardo Samuels (UL)
– Lance Stephenson (UC)

Today we provide capsule previews of the teams that are currently slotted in spots 12th through 9th in our first Big East Power Poll for 2010-2011. You can see the first part, Version 1.1 right HERE, as we took a look at the bottom four yesterday.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/28/2010)

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The Rutgers coaching search is in the news and the process should hit the fast track this week with the three most likely candidates to be the next Scarlet Knights’ head coach expected to interview with AD Tim Pernetti. This after Eddie Jordan pulled out of the mix yesterday.

St. John’s is on the verge of adding a top NYC high school coach to their admin staff and a couple recruiting notes are found on SJU, Georgetown, DePaul, Syracuse and others in the links today worth checking out.

Read on below for all of the latest News & Notes around the Big East basketball conference. Sports fans should also visit StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online for tickets to any NCAA event or NBA, MLB, NHL game or UFC, WWE or concert tickets at an arena near you this spring.

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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: MYLES DAVIS CHECKS OUT UCONN; MARCUS THORNTON A HOT COMMODITY IN SOUTH & MORE NOTES

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Although the visitor that received all the attention on Connecticut’s campus this past weekend was five-star forward C.J. Leslie, another player that the Huskies have their eyes on, Myles Davis, was also in Storrs on Saturday.

The 6-foot-1 guard from St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) is wide-open in his recruitment but enjoyed his trip to UConn.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more on Myles Davis’ visit to Storrs, a recruiting update on Marcus Thornton, a former Clemson commit that is seeing some big time schools come visit him recently and more, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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2010-2011 PRESEASON BIG EAST POWER POLL; VERSION 1.1

Today we start our first look, in four parts, of the 2010-2011 college basketball season as it pertains to the Big East. We polled several of our regular contributors and writers at the NBE Basketball Report for their opinions on the Big East for 2010-2011. For the purpose of this exercise we took a look at the Big East ‘as is’ in it’s current state. This means, anyone declaring for the NBA Draft and who has not pulled their name out of the draft is considered IN the NBA Draft. At this time, the following players are in the NBA Draft:

– Devin Ebanks (WVU)
– Jeremy Hazell (SHU)
– Wes Johnson (SU)
– Dominique Jones (USF)
– Mac Koshwal (DPU)
– Greg Monroe (GU)
– Herb Pope (SHU)
– Jeff Robinson (SHU)
– Samardo Samuels (UL)
– Lance Stephenson (UC)

Today we provide capsule previews of the teams that are currently slotted in spots 16th through 13th in our first Big East Power Poll for 2010-2011:

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OMAR CALHOUN IS AN ELITE 2012 TARGET

by RAY MERNAGH

With top 2011 prospects coming off the board at a fast pace with commitments flying of late, it will not be before long that the class of 2012 begins to see more attention from college coaches. One player that will definitely find plenty of interest from college coaches is Christ the King (NYC) High School guard Omar Calhoun. After a big weekend at the King James Shooting Stars Classic with the NY Gauchos AAU program Calhoun continues to cement his place as an elite prospect in the high school class of 2012 and the early scholarship offers and interest in his game from colleges certainly confirms that position.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more on Omar Calhoun and his recruitment, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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STERLING GIBBS MAKES DECISION (UPDATED)

Maryland adds 2011 Seton Hall Prep point guard as Gibbs makes early decision

by JEFF BORZELLO

The 2011 commitments continue to fly off the board, as junior Sterling Gibbs, a 6-1 guard from Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) made his commitment to Maryland Monday night.

“I just committed about five minutes ago,” he said by phone.

His relationship and familiarity with the coaching staff and players was the deciding factor in his decision.

“I just felt at home, that was my second family the whole time,” Gibbs said. “I knew that if I went there, I wouldn’t regret my decision at all.

“I was comfortable with Gary Williams. I know just about the whole team, I know a lot of the guys coming in.”

Gibbs chose the Terrapins over St. John’s, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Wake Forest, Florida, Virginia, Indiana and Pittsburgh.

He visited the College Park campus before the season started, and was impressed by the entire trip.

“I really liked coach Williams’ personality,” Gibbs said. “He’s a fiery coach, and he gets the most out of his players. He’s fun to be around.”

It was more than just basketball that attracted Gibbs to Maryland, though.

“The whole campus was really nice,” he said. “I love the school overall. The campus, the academics, it’s not too far from home. And the academic advisors seem like they’re really on top of work, so I can graduate on time.”

Gibbs said that coach Williams was very excited when he notified him about the commitment. He said that Williams is looking forward to the potential of more metro-area players coming to Maryland.

Gibbs is confident that he will be able to come in and immediately get on the floor for the Terrapins.

“If I work hard, I’ll be able to come in and get a lot of playing time as a freshman,” he said. “I think I can make a very big impact. I’m a pure point guard, and I can score when needed. I just want to win, and I’m going to try to have fun. In the ACC, you have to bring it every night, and I love that. I’m a competitive guy.”

Gibbs is the younger brother of Pittsburgh star guard Ashton Gibbs, and the two siblings will likely have many an argument about which conference is better: the ACC or Big East.

Despite Ashton’s ties to the Panthers, Sterling said that his older brother helped him out throughout the entire recruitment.

“He was on the phone with coach [Chuck] Driesell and coach Williams trying to set everything up,” Gibbs said. “He felt like it was the right decision.”

Although Driesell did accept the head coaching job at The Citadel earlier today, Gibbs is still happy with his decision to commit to the Terrapins.

“I knew that this was definitely where I wanted to be,” he said. “At the end of the day, coach Williams is the one making the subs.”

Gibbs is now looking forward to his final AAU circuit and his senior season, where he can finally focus on basketball and not worry about his recruitment.

“I feel like there is a boulder off my chest,” he said. “I’m able to focus on getting better. I don’t have to worry about what coaches are thinking about me, because I know I’m going to Maryland.”

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WEST VIRGINIA ADDS 2010 RECRUIT TO CLASS

story originally appeared at MSNsportsNET.com by Bryan Messerly

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Darrious Curry, a native of Houston, Texas, has signed a grant-in-aid to attend West Virginia University in 2010-11 and play basketball for the Mountaineers, coach Bob Huggins announced today.

“Darrious fills a void that we have at small forward with the losses of Da’Sean (Butler) and Devin (Ebanks),” says Huggins. “We lost all of our size on the wing and our size is critical to our success. We wanted to add more size to our perimeter.”

Curry is a 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward from Stratford High in Houston. At Stratford, he averaged 19 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game as a senior for coach Mitch Hornsby. He was a McDonald’s All-America finalist and earned first team all-District 18-5A honors for three consecutive years. Curry had 32 points against Hastings High and 30 points against Elsik High this past season.

“West Virginia could not have gotten a better kid in Darrious Curry,” Hornsby told MSNsportsNET. “He is really athletic and a great leader. Darrious is a quality person on top of being a really good player.”

Curry joins Noah Cottrill (Logan High, Logan, W.Va.) and David Nyarsuk (Mountain State Academy, Beckley, W.Va., native of Juba, Sudan) as members of the West Virginia 2010 recruiting class.

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LOUISVILLE, PROVIDENCE ADD LATE BIG MEN TO 2010 CLASSES

It does not come as much of a surprise that Gorgui Dieng lands in the Big East as Louisville adds to their 2010 recruiting class today as Dieng Makes it Official according to Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier-Journal.

A 6-foot-10, 215-lb. senior big man from Huntington (WV) Prep, Dieng has only been in the United States for seven months, arriviving from Senegal in late September.

“He’s not the typical player you see come from that direction,” Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford told NBE earlier in April. “He’s been playing basketball for awhile. He’s a soccer kid, so he has great footwork. He has high basketball IQ and is a great passer.

“He played for the Senegal National Team at the Nike Hoop Summit, and hit the game-winning three against the United States. He had 21 and 14 in that game, and [Michigan State signee] Adreian Payne had four and two.”

Dieng is academically eligible to play as a freshman, according to Fulford in the Courier-Journal story on his commitment. He joins high school teammate Justin Coleman and South Kent (Conn.) guard Russ Smith as players to join the U of L in the Class of 2010.

Fulford said Dieng will sign a letter-of-intent and then it will be sent to his parents in Senegal to sign before the paperwork can be official with Louisville.

“Defensively, he’s an impact player,” Fulford told NBE. “He needs to add weight, but with his frame, he can easily do that. He’s already added about 15 pounds of muscle since he’s been here. He’s a high-post big man, can knock shots down. There’s things he’s not used to, like when he gets double-teamed or has to deal with contact.

“But he’s definitely an impact player, especially on defense. And on offense, he’s not one of those players you can’t throw the ball to.”
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Also picking up a late signing period commitment today was Keno Davis and his staff at Providence as they scored a commitment from Brice Kofane, a 6-foot-8, 205 pound C/BF out of the Miller School in Charlottesville (VA). This past summer, Kofane caught the eye of NBE with a strong defensive effort with the Albany City Rocks at the Nike Peach Jam and again at the AAU Super Showcase to close out July.

“I really felt home when I went up there and I really believe on what the coaching staff and the team are doing,” Kofane said this afternoon on mindspring about his decision. “I think it is the right place for me to become a great person on and off the court.”

Kofane could make an impact early in his college career, especially on the defensive end of the court.

“He is one of the premier defensive players in the nation,” said Miller School assistant coach Tommy Landseadel last summer. “We routinely would give him the assignment of guarding the other team’s best player, regardless of position.”

At last view, Kofane was still a work in progress on the offensive side, but coach Landseadel indicated that his jumpshot, footwork and ability to finish continued to improve and if the skills can catch up to his athletic body, his upside is “limitless.”

“Initially, he will find minutes as a defensive specialist at the next level, but as he continues to progress offensively, look for his role to expand,” stated Lanseadel.
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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (4/26/2010)

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We have been away for much of the past week, but back home now and diving into an update from around the Big East, and college basketball in general, as Tournament expansion and conference realignment talk has been hot in recent days. The Big East has even added former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue as an unpaid consultant to make sure the conference explores all their options in the coming months. The Rutgers coaching search continues on and there is plenty to chew on in regards to recruiting as well in today’s News & Notes edition.

Read on below for all of the latest News & Notes around the Big East basketball conference. Sports fans should also visit StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online for tickets to any NCAA event or NBA, MLB, NHL game or UFC, WWE or concert tickets at an arena near you this spring.

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PITTSBURGH JAM FEST TOP INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS & MORE

by RAY MERNAGH

The Hoop Group’s Pittsburgh Jam Fest has been over for a week now, but the action and individual performances are still fresh in the mind and the notebook is full. Tonight we take a look at the top performer NBE caught in the 17-U and 16-U age groups in the Steel City and look at a couple under the radar performers that caught our eye.

If you missed it last week, here are some of the other articles from the action of the 2010 Pittsburgh Jam Fest for our premium subscribers…

NJ Playaz Loaded With…Players – scouting reports and recruiting notes on the deep and talented squad Jimmy Salmons has assembled once again.

Team Final Evals – even without two of their big stars, Team Final brought plenty of talent to the ‘burgh.

Chane Behanan Impresses – big time performance by powerful forward

Welcome to Harlem World – Angel Nunez shows why he is a coveted 2011 prospect

Pittsburgh Jam Fest: Day One – an in-depth look at the first night of action, including a review of the young giants, Tanveer & Sim Bhullar.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read our full coverage of the 2010 Pittsburgh Jam Fest and any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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PITTSBURGH ADDS 2011 COMMITMENT

Jaylen Bond verbals to Pitt over WVU, Temple and others

Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA) High School forward Jaylen Bond became a hot commodity among college coaches over the last 12 months. After making an impressive impact in last spring’s IS8 league, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound junior (class of 2011) helped P-W win the PIAA Class AAAA state championship this past season and his recruitment continued to heat up. After traveling to Steel City last weekend for the Pittsburgh Jam Fest, Bond took the time to visit West Virginia and Pitt and a decision was reached.

Jaylen Bond had plenty of colleges interested as he mulled his decision, but Pitt is it for 2011 forward.

“I made my decision early this week and I called Coach Dixon to make my commitment and he was really excited and happy about my choice,” Bond told NBE about his commitment to Pittsburgh.

Bond said his decision came down to the Panthers, Mountaineers and Temple. He is the second verbal commitment for Pitt in the class of 2011 joining another Philadelphia-area prospect in Girard College Prep’s John Johnson.

“I decided that Pitt was for me when I was up there at the campus and after I talked to all the coaches,” said Bond.

Bond, who will fit in well with the Panthers as he prides himself in bringing the physical and toughness part to his team on the court, was a player sources tell NBE Jamie Dixon coveted this spring more than any in recent years. Dixon was in attendance for PW’s 71-47 victory over North Allegheny in a state semifinal game when Bond scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Colonials.

“They want me to play the ‘three’ there and the things I can work on is my perimeter defense and overall perimeter skills,” said Bond of his future role at Pitt.

Bond will continue to hone those skills this spring and summer with the City Rocks AAU program in some of the bigger AAU events on the circuit and next winter will hope to bring another championship to Plymouth-Whitemarsh. After that it is on to the Big East for Jaylen Bond.

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DANA ALTMAN LIKELY HEADED TO OREGON

by RAY MERNAGH

Dana Altman is, according to the unbeatable (at least at this coaching scoop thing) Jeff Goodman, close to making the move to Oregon from Creighton. Altman has been incredible at Creighton going 327-176 in 16 years including 11 straight seasons of 20 or more wins before winnign 18 this past season. Creighton’s arena is big time and this job has to be considered right there at the top of the Valley.

Tough circumstance for former Rutgers big man Greg Echenique, who transferred to Creighton earlier this season undoubtedly with the thought being he would play for Dana Altman. If Altman is gone it will be interesting to see how Creighton responds. Will they go after a high-major assistant or do they promote within by moving up either Darian DeVries or Brian Fish, both of whom have several years of service under Altman?

Fish has been heavily involved with recruiting and the last few classes at Creighton have been among the best in the Valley. Altman’s total package at Creighton was believed to be at least $1 million per year. Creighton is a really good job.

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MID-APRIL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

Some loose ends with 2010 prospects still looking for schools

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Roberts looking outside Big East

With former St. John’s signee Ronald Roberts officially on the open market, he is looking outside the Big East for his next destination.

One of the restrictions of Roberts’ release was that he could not sign a letter-of-intent or commit to another school within the conference. The stipulation is a Big East rule which was confirmed by both Roberts and a St. John’s spokesperson.

Roberts told the NBE Basketball Report that he is looking primarily at Saint Joseph’s right now.

When asked if he know when he would find his next school, said Roberts: “I have no idea at this point.”
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Holmes trims list to four

As the spring signing period winds down, there are still several quality prospects available. One of them is guard Dante Holmes from St. Frances Academy (Md.).

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TEAGUE PICKS KENTUCKY; PITT ADDS TALENTED WALK-ON

The much anticipated college decision of Indianapolis – Pike guard Marquis Teague was announced this afternoon and the Kentucky Wildcats have struck again.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Pike’s Teague Selects Kentucky over Louisville and others.

Shawn Teague, Marquis’ father, played for UL head coach Rick Pitino at Boston University. Before last season, former Pike assistant Shabaka Lands was hired as an assistant at Louisville, still the Cards could not reel in their top target for 2011, a player they had pulled out all of the stops for the last 12 months.

It was the second recruiting blow in recent days for the Cards as Indianapolis – Lawrence North center Michael Chandler de-committed from Louisville.

Teague also considered Cincinnati, Indiana and Purdue among his finalists, but of those, only Cincinnati had been actively recruiting him recently, the Star reported. The Indy Star also reported that Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin and Calipari visited Pike on Wednesday and Pitino came on Tuesday.

However, in the end, John Calipari and Kentucky won another major prize on the recruiting trail in the class of 2011, as they added Michael Gilchrist just last week, considered the #1 recruit in the ’11 class by many.
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Pittsburgh added a quality walk-on for their 2010-2011 team as Aron Nwankwo, a 6-foot-7 senior from Baltimore’s City College High School, will have a spot on the Panther team next season.

Nwankwo earned a full academic scholarship to Pittsburgh, where he’ll pursue his pre-med studies and the Baltimore Sun also reports now that City’s Nwankwo is Headed to the Big East after the Panthers basketball coaches offered him a walk-on spot on the team.

“Basically, it’s my dream in athletics,” Nwankwo told the Baltimore Sun’s Recruiting Report. “To make it to the tournament would be a crazy experience. I’ve got the best of both worlds at Pitt. It’s one of the top pre-med programs in the country and one of the top basketball programs. It doesn’t get much better than that. It’s kind of a dream come true.”

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JORDAN BRAND CLASSIC Q&A – 10 WITH DION WAITERS

by PAT STEVENS

NEW YORK, N.Y. – One of the earlier commits from the 2010 class giving Syracuse his word before his sophomore season, Philadelphia native Dion Waiters was deemed a top scorer since young. Throughout his career at Life Center (N.J.) and on the circuit with Team Final, he kept up that reputation to earn himself a spot in the annual Jordan Brand Classic. Waiters’ senior send-off took place this past weekend at Madison Square Garden and he sat down at practice earlier in the week for a quick Q&A with NBE.

-Earliest Memory of Jordan Brand Classic?

When Tyreke Evans played. I was in 10th grade.

-Memory of Getting Invited?

Just happy because I was supposed to make the McDonald’s game. It added more fuel to the fire.

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