December 2010

BIG EAST HOOPS UPDATE – 12/31/2010

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to all our readers as well as their families and loved ones!!

Record Streak Halted
by Richard Kent

Time to step away from the men’s game for a moment and acknowledge the UConn Huskies women’s team. They had their incredible win streak of 90 games snapped by Stanford last night at a sold out Maples Pavilion. Stanford won 71-59 behind 31 points from senior Jeanette Pohlen.

Maya Moore, the best player in the country, was held to 15 points on 5-15 shooting. It was an uncharacteristic performance by Moore and reminiscent of Diana Taurasi’s off game in UConn’s 2001 National Championship loss to Notre Dame.

Speaking of the Irish they were the last team who beat the UCLA men in 1971 and the team that ended their 88 game streak in 1974.

Baylor will take over the top spot on Monday in the polls and UConn very well should win out if they can get beyond road games at Notre Dame and West Virginia. The Huskies are now 12-1.
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Two BIG EAST conference games and a much-anticipated non-conference match-up featuring a storied rivalry make up the New Year’s Eve schedule for the Big East today. All three contests will be carried on national television.

The day begins with a Friday matinee between Louisville and Kentucky at the KFC Yum! Center. The rivals are both included in this week’s top 25 polls as the Cardinals enter at No. 22/20 and the Wildcats come in at No. 12 in both polls. The game begins at noon Eastern on CBS Sports.

South Florida plays the second of a two-game BIG EAST opening road trip when the Bulls face No. 4 Connecticut at Gampel Pavilion. Both teams are looking to break into the BIG EAST win column after dropping their respective conference
openers. Friday’s game will be at 6 p.m. Eastern on ESPNU.

Seton Hall and Cincinnati won their BIG EAST openers, which will give the winner of Friday’s game a 2-0 start in conference play. Cincinnati, which is 13-0, is looking to start the year with 14 straight wins for the first time since the 1998-99 Bearcats won their first 15 games. The schools meet Friday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 at Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena.
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On Thursday night the lone BIG EAST team in action was Villanova, who wrapped up their Big 5 series by hosting rival Temple. Guard Corey Stokes had 24 points as the Wildcats edged the Owls 78-74. It was just the second matchup in 83 meetings against the Owls when both teams were in the
top 25.

Stokes has accounted for more than half of Villanova’s 3-point field goals this year (38 of 72) after connecting on five of eight three’s on Thursday. He was the only Wildcat to make a three-pointer in the contest. He leads four Villanova players with double-figure scoring averages (16.4 ppg).

Maalik Wayns added 21 points and 8 assists while Mouphtau Yarou scored 14 in the win.

Temple led 40-39 at the half, but ‘Nova looked to take control with a 16-5 run that pushed their lead to 10. However the Owls kept coming back and a 13-0 run put them back ino the lead, 60-57. A Stokes’ three then sparked a 10-2 run that gave Villanova enough cushion down the stretch to hold on.

A Lavoy Allen three-pointer with 2.3 seconds left inched Temple to within 76-74, but Wayns iced the contest with a pair of free throws to clinch the victory and avenge last season’s upset loss at Temple.

“I grew up with a lot of those guys, know those guys from high school, and last year they had the bragging rights for the whole year,” Wayns said afterwards in the AP Story. “Now, I get to brag back to them.”

Villanova begins BIG EAST play Sunday against Rutgers at The Pavilion on the VU campus. The Wildcats have won 43 straight at the facility.
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Back on Wednesday night St. John’s became the first BIG EAST team to win a conference road game in 2010-11 with an 81-71 win over West Virginia in Morgantown. The Red Storm snapped a 10-game series losing streak to the Mountaineers in the process.

Guard Dwight Hardy scored 20 points and St. John’s had a 40-6 advantage in the paint against West Virginia and a 30-8 margin at the foul line. The Red Storm shot 61 percent from the field, including a 76.5-percent clip in the second half.

The loss was just the third double-digit home setback for West Virginia under coach Bob Huggins. The Mountaineers play the first of three consecutive road games with Saturday’s trip to Marquette.
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WEEKEND CONFERENCE SCHEDULE:

Friday, December 31:
Kentucky at Louisville – CBS……………………………….Noon
USF at CONNECTICUT – ESPNU…………………………….6:00
SETON HALL at CINCINNATI – ESPN2……………………..8:00

Saturday, January 1:
WEST VIRGINIA at MARQUETTE – ESPN2…………..11 a.m.
DE PAUL at GEORGETOWN………………………………….1:00
NOTRE DAME at SYRACUSE – ESPNU…………………….3:30
ST. JOHN’S at PROVIDENCE………………………………….7:00

Sunday, January 2:
RUTGERS at VILLANOVA – ESPNU…………………………1:00

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Purchase your tickets to the 2011 Big East Tournament HERE:

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FOCUSED AND HUNGRY NOTRE DAME KNOCKS OFF GEORGETOWN TO OPEN CONFERENCE PLAY

Notre Dame welcomed No. 9 Georgetown to Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center and made sure not to make their guests feel at home. In front of 9,149 fans, the Fighting Irish led nearly wire to wire in a 69-55 BIG EAST conference match-up victory. The game was the BIG EAST opener for both teams.

“We really played like men tonight,” Irish coach Mike Brey said following the game. “As a coach, you like to have an older team because they focus really well and they’re very hungry to start conference games off the right way.”

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BIG EAST HOOPS UPDATE — 12/29/2010

Four more teams start conference play Wednesday. Georgetown visits Notre Dame (ESPN2) in a battle of rankedt eams. So far this week, home teams have won all four BIG EAST contests.

St. John’s coach Steve Lavin gets his first taste of BIG EAST play at West Virginia.

After the Georgetown-Notre Dame game, ESPN2 moves on to Marquette at Vanderbilt.

Of the 20 teams nationally that are undefeated or have only one loss, eight are BIG EAST clubs — Cincinnati, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Louisville, Syracuse and Villanova.

In non-conference play, BIG EAST teams are a combined 152-37 (.804) this season and are 111-9 (.925) at home.

THIS WEEK’S BIG EAST SCHEDULE:

Monday, December 27:
Louisville 104, Morgan State 74
PITTSBURGH 78, CONNECTICUT 63

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NORTH CAROLINA STOPS RUTGERS’ WIN STREAK

by RAY FLORIANI

NEW YORK CITY- Rutgers hoped to close out their non-conference schedule on a high note. Instead, they were on the opposite end of a 78-55 decision, falling to North Carolina at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday.

First Half: North Carolina set the tone by establishing a 7-2 lead the first four minutes. The Tar Heels quickly put their stamp on the game by pushing the pace. The first half saw a 35 possession pace, a faster one than Rutgers has been accustomed to this year. After the offensive struggles of the initial four minutes, the Scarlet Knights gradually settled down. The main problem was getting stops on the defensive end. Transition, dribble penetration and three point success on the perimeter were all part of UNC’s multi-faceted attack. As lethal as the Carolina attack proved to be over the course of the first twenty minutes, there was great balance. No Carolina player hit double figures and eight entered the scoring column. Leading the way was Leslie McDonald, a sophomore guards with 8 points. Rutgers was led by Dane Miller with 6 points. Miller provided the better offensive moments for the Scarlet Knights, penetrating and showing a nice soft jumper in the paint.

Score: North Carolina 42, Rutgers 22

Offensive Efficiency: North Carolina 120, Rutgers 63

Second Half: Rutgers opened the half with 5 points for their first two possessions. Suddenly the deficit was a manageable 15 points with 19 minutes to play. North Carolina quickly countered with a 5-0 run of their own. At the 16-minute mark, the score was 49-29 North Carolina. The twenty point edge enjoyed at the half by the Tar Heels was still in tact. The optimism of Rutgers’ first two possessions had dissipated.

For a good part of the final half it was business as usual for the Tar Heels. They got out in transition found open shooters on the perimeter, in half court or fast break opportunities and displayed exceptional balance. Rutgers on their own offensive end struggled the duration to get in flow.

Following those first two possessions of the second half, North Carolina was never seriously challenged. They had two double figure scorers and both came off the bench. McDonald led with 14 points while Justin Watts added 10. Jonathan Mitchell had a solid outing for RU as the senior native of nearby Mount Vernon (NY) scored a game-high 20 points on 7 of 14 shooting from the floor.

Rutgers closes the pre-BIG EAST slate at 9-3 and the loss snapped the Scarlet Knight’s six-game win streak. North Carolina improved to 9-4.

The Final: North Carolina 78, Rutgers 55

The final efficiency in a 76 possession contest: North Carolina 103, Rutgers 72

Post Game: North Carolina coach Roy Williams was not pleased with his team’s 16 turnovers but was more than satisfied over the Tar Heels’ defensive effort. The scoring balance, with no starter in double figures was another positive.

Harrison Barnes had 9 points and 3 boards for Carolina. Williams noted the pressure on the freshman Barnes, touted an All-American before stepping on the floor for his first game. “What I can say is he (Barnes) is getting better,” Williams said. “You may not see it every game but every practice he is improving.”

The defensive effort was outstanding but that has been erratic. “Some nights we defend well,” Williams said. “Some nights not as well.”

Rutgers coach Mike Rice frequently used the word ‘determination’ in the presser. In Rutgers’ case it was lack of determination per Rice. “I don’t want to use the ‘s’ word,” Rice said, “but we were, soft.”

The Rutgers mentor alluded to the game’s first few minutes. “We got caught up in a frantic pace, we did not make the simple play. From there, their (North Carolina’s) confidence grew and their athleticism took over.”

Mitchell called the loss both, “discouraging and an eye opener. We need to get better.”

At 9-3 is Rice pleased with the non-conference start? “Tomorrow I will probably say I’ll take it,” he said. ”Right now, no. I am very disappointed in our play tonight.”

Rutgers dives right into the BIG EAST gauntlet with their conference opener set for Sunday at No. 8 Villanova. It is one of three games against current top-10 teams in two weeks for RU to kick off conference play.

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SYRACUSE, CINCINNATI REMAIN UNBEATEN

The number of unbeatens in college basketball continues to shrink, however, Cincinnati and Syracuse maintained their unblemished records by each winning their Big East conference openers on their homecourts Tuesday evening.

At the Carrier Dome the Orange held off Providence 81-74 behind Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine.

Joseph scored a career-high 27 points and Jardine scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half and was the catalyst of a 14-2 run that saw SU take a 65-49 lead. Jardine scored 9 points in the run.

“He’s played good all year,” Orange coach Jim Boeheim said of Jardine. “He made good decisions. They had a couple of turnovers and he finished.”

Joseph, meanwhile, was a picture of efficiency, scoring his 27 points on just 13 field goal attempts. The junior was 8-13 from the floor overall, which included a four of six effort from three-point range. He was also 7-10 from the line and added 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

“Coming into this game after having a career high last game, I definitely have the confidence and I knew the BIG EAST (games) weren’t going to be as easy or probably would’ve been more difficult but the shots were falling and that opened up a lot of things for me, going to the basket or what not,” said Joseph.

Not previously known as a lights-out three-point shooter, Joseph has been putting in the extra work and was quick to give praise to an assistant coach for the improvement in the consistency of his jumper.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Coach Murphy, he’s been making me shoot with a big basketball, before and after practice and before games,” Joseph said. “I have to shoot with the big ball before I touch a regular one. The bigger ball demands a lot more concentration and you have to be more precise. I didn’t think it would work at first, but I have to give him (Coach Murphy) a lot of credit.”

The Friars still made the game interesting, cutting the Orange lead to four in the final minutes, but could not get any closer. Marshon Brooks continued his hot offensive campaign pouring in 27 points for the Friars. Freshman Gerard Coleman added 12, Bilal Dixon 11 and Vincent Council finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

“Providence, I had a lot of respect for them coming in and I have more respect for them now,” said Boeheim. “They were 11-2 and they’re a pretty good basketball team. They play much better defense this year. They don’t have as many offensive weapons, but their defense is much better and they still can score.”

Rick Jackson finsihed with 9 points and 17 rebounds for the Orange, who improve to 14-0 on the year. Syracuse will wrap up a six game home stand when it welcomes Notre Dame to the Carrier Dome New Year’s Day at 3:30 PM for a contest being broadcast by ESPNU.

PC will look to regroup and grab their first conference win on New Year’s Day when they host St. John’s at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

–quotes courtesy of www.suathletics.com–
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Mick Cronin’s club earned their 13th consecutive victory to start the season by despatching visiting DePaul by the score of 76-60 before 7,795 fans at Fifth Third Arena.

Backcourt mates Larry Davis (20 points) and Dion Dixon (16) combined to score 36 points to lead the offensive output as UC led 40-21 at the break and extended the lead to as many as 25 points midway throught he second half.

After falling behind 6-1 to start the game, the Bearcats went on a 34-6 run to take a 35-12 lead and never looked back.

Yancy Gates added 15 in the win. The Bearcats will put their 13-0 record on the line Friday night, New Year’s Eve, against Seton Hall at 8 PM. The Pirates won their conference opener as well on Tuesday night, beating South Florida 64-55 at the Prudential Center in Newark (NJ).

Freshman Cleveland Melvin scored a career-high 24 for DePaul, who fell to 6-7 on the season. Things do not get any easier for the Blue Demons as they travel to Washington DC for a New Year’s Day match-up with Georgetown.

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TOP 10 TILT ENLIGHTENING — BUT — IT IS JUST ONE OF 18

by RAY MERNAGH

There will be plenty for both teams, and their future opponents, to take from the Pittsburgh 78-63 win over Connecticut last night. Plenty of lessons and game-plans that will be orchestrated with clips from the 40 minutes at the “Pete” that featured two teams that came into the game a combined 22-1.

And UConn head coach Jim Calhoun understands better than anyone that while the seasons still young, and his team has done an admirable job in the non-conference, there’s some things he needs to see from his team if they want to have a chance to win games like this one in the future. Knowing that Calhoun was at his best in the post-game press conference.

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WELCOME TO THE BIG EAST; PITT KNOCKS RIVAL UCONN FROM UNBEATENS

The 2010-2011 Big East regular season got underway on Monday night in Pittsburgh as No. 4 Connecticut tried to do what seven teams previously ranked in the top-5 failed to do before them – come into the Peterson Events Center and emerge with a victory. Pittsburgh was having none of that as the Panthers, ranked No. 6 in the country themselves, never trailed en route to a 78-63 win over the Huskies.

UConn entered the game as one of just eight unbeatens in the country at 10-0, but their first true road game of the season proved to be too tough against the experienced Pitt squad.

“We allowed a team, a very good team by the way, who plays very good defense to take us out of a lot of things that we did,” Jim Calhoun said afterwards. “We lost some of the swagger that we needed to have to win the game.”

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BIG EAST HOOPS UPDATE – 12/27/2010

BIG EAST play starts Monday night with a top 10 matchup — Connecticut at Pittsburgh on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m.

The BIG EAST can still claim three of the eight undefeated teams in the nation — Cincinnati, Connecticut and Syracuse.

Of the 13 teams nationally with one loss, five are BIG EAST teams — Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Louisville and Villanova.

BIG EAST teams are a combined 151-36 (.807) this season and are 110-9 (.924) at home.

BIG EAST SCHEDULE (conference games in CAPS):

Monday, December 27:
Morgan State at Louisville…………………………………..7:00
CONNECTICUT at PITTSBURGH – ESPN2………………..8:30

Tuesday, December 28:
DEPAUL at CINCINNATI………………………………………7:00
USF at SETON HALL…………………………………………….7:00
PROVIDENCE at SYRACUSE – ESPNU……………………..9:00
Rutgers vs. North Carolina (MSG) – ESPN2…………….9:00

Wednesday, December 29:
GEORGETOWN at NOTRE DAME – ESPN2………………7:00
ST. JOHN’S at WEST VIRGINIA………………………………7:00
Marquette at Vanderbilt – ESPN2…………………………9:00

Thursday, December 30:
Temple at Villanova — ESPN2……………………………….7:00

Friday, December 31:
Kentucky at Louisville – CBS……………………………….Noon
USF at Connecticut – ESPNU………………………………..6:00
SETON HALL at CINCINNATI – ESPN2……………………..8:00

Saturday, January 1:
WEST VIRGINIA at MARQUETTE – ESPN2…………..11 a.m.
DE PAUL at GEORGETOWN………………………………….1:00
NOTRE DAME at SYRACUSE – ESPNU…………………….3:30
ST. JOHN’S at PROVIDENCE………………………………….7:00

Sunday, January 2:
RUTGERS at VILLANOVA – ESPNU…………………………1:00

LAST NIGHT:

Richmond 69, Seton Hall 61
- In a game that neither team led by more than five points for over 38 minutes, Richmond used a late surge to beat Seton Hall.

Forward Jeff Robinson posted 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Forward Herb Pope finished with nine points and a game-high 12 boards.

The loss dropped the Pirates to 6-6 on the season.
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WEEKLY HONORS:

BIG EAST Player of the Week:
- PEYTON SIVA, Louisville, G, So.
In Louisville’s only game of the week, Siva poured in 29 points and dished eight assists in a 114-82 victory at Western Kentucky. He shot 8-of-13 from the floor, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. For the year, Siva, who hails from Seattle, Wash., is averaging 12.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals. His steals average is third in the BIG EAST.

BIG EAST Rookie of the Week:
CLEVELAND MELVIN, DePaul, F, Fr.
Melvin led the Blue Demons to a 71-62 win over Florida Atlantic by scoring 23 points and grabbing four rebounds. He outscored FAU 13-12 in the first 11 minutes of the game. Melvin, a native of Baltimore, Md., has reached double figures in his last five games. For the season, he is averaging 10.4 points and 3.3 rebounds.

BIG EAST Honor Roll:
- Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Sr. Scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the floor in an 86-69 victory at No. 16/17 Memphis. He also had five rebounds and four assists.

- Jae Crowder, Marquette, F, Jr. Posted 22 points, five rebounds and three assists in a 102-77 win over Mississippi Valley State. He shot 8-of-15 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range.

- Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Sr. Did not miss a shot in Notre Dame’s 88-62 win over Stony Brook. He was 8-of-8 from the floor, including 4-of-4 from 3-point range. He finished with with 20 points and pulled down six rebounds.

- Marshon Brooks, Providence, G-F, Sr. Posted 25 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and four steals in an 84-76 win over Sacred Heart.

- Rick Jackson, Syracuse, F, Sr. Averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in wins over Morgan State (97-55) and Drexel (93-65). Shot 16-of-28 (.571) from the floor.
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QUOTABLE:

“There isn’t much you can tell those guys. They have to just be ready. Just be ready for war.” — Kemba Walker on getting his freshman teammates ready for the BIG EAST
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MARQUETTE FRESHMAN TO TRANSFER

Marquette University men’s basketball freshman Reggie Smith has decided to leave the program and has asked for his release, effective immediately, head coach Buzz Williams announced Monday morning.

“We are thankful for Reggie’s contributions to our program this past semester, and wish him all the best on and off the court throughout the rest of his career,” Williams said.

Smith started five of the eight games he played in this season and averaged 1.4 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. He had missed the team’s previous two games due to illness.

–reported by www.gomarquette.com

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KEMBA COMING…

by RAY MERNAGH

Now that The Wire has officially become the television equivalent of that thing you always loved until everyone else started raving about it I think it’s time, for me, to put it to rest… but not before using it one last time, while also explaining some things.

It’s amazing how late some folks in the national sports media came to the game in the case of The Wire, talking about guys on ESPN that started writing about it a few years ago…but I’m especially talking about some of these national columnists that are using McNulty and Bunk references 7-8 years later.

I’m not hating, but come on now.

Don’t insult every HBO subscriber that kicked out the $9.00 extra each month (or whatever it was in 2000) when they heard David Simon and Ed Burns had taken their book The Corner: A Year in the Life of an Inner-City Neighborhood and went to TV with it, by acting like writing about the child it spawned, and getting sh*t wrong on top of that, is okay.

Because it ain’t fat man.

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SETON HALL FAILS TO CLOSE OUT SPIDERS

Loss knocks Pirates to 6-6 on verge of Big East play

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ – Richmond used a late 12-2 run over the last five minutes to defeat Seton Hall 69-61 at the Prudential Center, Sunday afternoon. The three points of emphasis:

1. Closing. In the loss to Dayton and today, the Hall led at the half. Against Dayton on Wednesday they enjoyed a 40-26 lead at intermission before dropping a 69-65 decision. In the game this afternoon, the lead was 35-30 at the half in the Hall’s favor.

The inability of Seton Hall to sustain the full forty minutes is a concern of coach Kevin Willard. “We need that full effort,” Willard said. “What is happening is our offense struggles and then our defense follows. Our defense should dictate our play not our offense.”

Missing Jeremy Hazell (an early January decision will be made on his status per Willard) and Herb Pope’s working back into full game condition have thinned the Pirates’ personnel.

2. Richmond stepped up. In the last five minutes, Richmond had six possession, scoring on five of them for 12 points, a 200 offensive efficiency. The Hall scored one out of their six, a 33 OE. With A-10 player of the year Kevin Anderson, a senior guard, putting his stamp on the outcome and 6-9 Justin Harper giving the Spiders the lead for good, Richmond closed out the game in convincing fashion.

3. Big East play starts Tuesday. South Florida enters the Rock for the Pirate’s conference opener in two days. Hazell’s injury has allowed freshman swingman Fuquan Edwin to gain minutes and experience. Willard is also looking to get more minutes from freshman forward Patrik Auda, to assist in defense and rebounding. Again, a solid forty minute effort is Willard’s immediate goal.

3A. Numbers. Richmond is 10-3; the Hall 6-6. Harper led all scorers with 24 points. SHU had three players in double figures led by Jeff Robinson, who drew Willards’ praise for his play (17 points 10 boards). Jordan Theodore added 15 while Edwin posted a dozen. Crowd was announced at 6634 but considerably less with a blizzard starting to ravage the New York area. The efficiency:

Team…….Possessions…….Offensive Efficiency
Richmond…………66……………105
Seton Hall………..68…………….90

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MERNAGH’S MORNING THOUGHTS: Jae Crowder/Revisiting Wake’s Decision/Dixon Going for 200

Competitive Character

Marquette played the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State last night.

It was a buy game, just like the game Providence played against Sacred Heart at roughly the same time and like the game Pittsburgh will play later tonight against American.

A buy game is simply that, or at least supposed to be — you buy a win. Have a lower level team that needs to fund their athletic program come in, hit them off with a check for about what most folks make in a year, and beat them like a red-headed stepchild (no disrespect to redheads, always wanted to be one:).

Buy games allow a team to build their record up while also giving coaches a chance to teach lessons and try new strategies if they so please.

And sometimes, if you’re lucky enough to be watching a tape of one at 10:00 am — while trying to reduce the ever-expanding gut that’s threatening to become the only part of your body when you glance towards the ground — they’ll tell you something about a player.

Jae Crowder is a Marquette junior, but as he happens to be another Junior College stud (6’6″ 225) that the Warriors have made a habit out of plugging in during the tenure of Buzz Williams, he’s also a first-year guy in the program.

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RECRUITMENT OF STEFAN JANKOVIC BLOWS UP

by RAY MERNAGH

If you consider yourself a hoop-fiend and still haven’t heard of 6’10″ Canadien import Stefan Jankovic — as Money May says — you need to “step your game up!”

Jankovic is now at Huntington Prep in West Virginia where he’s considered a top 50 player in the class of 2012 (with a bullet). Jankovic recently left the Kiski School and has found the transition to Huntington interesting to say the least. He’s also seen his recruiting pick up a lot of steam and three big-time programs, including two big-time Big East coaches, will be in Huntington tonight (12/21) to check out the Rob Fulford coached Express.

Meaning Jankovic, and his talented fellow forward Negus Webster-Chan, could add to their growing number of scholarship offers. We’ll have a Webster-Chan update this afternoon but for now we give you the inside scoop on the mega-skilled Jankovic.

So treat yourself, or the college basketball fan in your life, to an early Christmas/Holiday gift and sign up to read all about your school’s top recruiting targets for less than half the cost of one magazine per month.

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 membership to read more on Jankovic as his recruitment has taken off in recent months. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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BATTLE OF THE BORDERS SHOWCASE RECAP – HOST GATEWAY GETS PAST AKRON POWER

by RAY MERNAGH

The final game of the event was an exciting one featuring arguably the best team in the Pittsburgh area in Gateway against Akron’s St. Vincent/St. Mary’s (I think there was a guy that took his talents there with three buddies a few years back). The remaining remnant of those glory days at St. V is the head coach Dru Joyce, who replaced Keith Dambrot when the former St. V head man moved back into college coaching at Akron as an assistant to Dan Hipsher.

Dambrot eventually became the head coach at Akron and is doing one of the best, if least talked about jobs in D-1 basketball. Former assistants of his are now currently inhabiting the head chair at VCU (Shaka Smart), and assistant positions at Ohio State (Jeff Boals) and Wisconsin (Lamont Paris).

Yes, a MAC coach has his own coaching “tree” as crazy as it sounds. And that tree would never have grown if the small Catholic school in his hometown hadn’t given him a shot at coaching again. Crazy how things work out right? Anyway, Dru Joyce is still the head man at St. V and also runs the King James AAU outfit. He lost his best player late in the summer when 5-star forward Jakarr Sampson enrolled at Brewster Prep in New Hampshire. Joyce has a lot to say about the kid’s decision at the time and in retrospect it’s difficult to see a way in what he said helped him or his program.

But hey, give the guy credit for speaking his mind I guess (and Chris Mack and Sampson’s mother for answering back pretty convincingly — some fascinating stuff).

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 membership to read more on Gateway and St. Vincent/St. Mary’s as several D-I prospects took the floor. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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BATTLE OF THE BORDERS SHOWCASE – HUNTINGTON PREP ROLLS PAST COOLIDGE

by RAY MERNAGH

This one was in doubt for about literally 45 seconds or so.

Huntington’s talent, led and orchestrated on the floor by their terrific point guard Charles Lee, swarmed Coolidge from the jump.

Negus Webster-Chan got to the rim in transition, hit a three and then caught an oop back-to-back-to-back. By the time Coolidge coach Vaughn Jones (ex-DeMatha star) got a chance to try and slow things down with a timeout it was 17-0 with barely 3 minutes gone.

And Coolidge is a decent team. They had some players, one in particular that kind of “popped” to me, but Huntington is just too deep and talented for most teams at the HS level. And the Express also get coached, which was the best thing about sitting next to head man Rob Fulford and his staff courtside. They stay on their kids every possession no matter what the score is — taking them to task when they stray from their core principles both defensively and offensively. It’s also done with a great deal of what I like to call “coach humor” — which can be described as things coaches say that would make you laugh pretty hard if you ever had the chance to hear them.

Examples: Sim Bhullar, the 7’4 junior center who recently transferred to Huntington from Kiski, watching as a guard penetrated the lane and scored on an easy layup. “Get Sim,” Fulford told a kid on his bench. As he was coming off the floor Fulford pointed to the first seat on the bench and told Bhullar to sit in it.

“How tall are you?” he asked Bhullar.

“Seven-four,” the kid responded.

“Why are you out of the game?” asked Fulford.

“I didn’t contest the shot,” said Bhullar.

“Do I need to say anything else?,” said Fulford, “contest shots!”

Bhullar went back in shortly thereafter and…contested shots!

Another highly regarded player came in, didn’t run the play that was called and then had a mental breakdown on defense. Fulford calmly called him over and said in a discussion-tone of voice “I’m trying real hard to find a reason to keep you on the floor but you keep doing things that are gonna have you sitting next to me, you got to give me a reason to play you out here.”

Jeremiah Davis, a highly-regarded guard out of Indiana who’s headed for Cincinnati, had some breakdowns as well and Fulford subbed him out. “I can’t play you if you’re gonna do that JD.” Davis went back in and stayed on task.

Stefan Jankovic, the 6’10 junior with enormous skills, got more than a few reminders to run the floor and also to get where he needed to be. Those are just afew examples.

Even Maurice Aniefiok, the strong physical senior guard, didn’t run at one point when Webster-Chan had a breakaway. Webster-Chan ended up losing the ball as he went up and it bounced off the rim. A Coolidge player ended up getting the ball after it came off. “That’s why you run Maurice! Come on man! That will kill us in a close game!” Fulford reiterated his message when Aniefiok came out of the game. “You know better than that man, you have to run.” Aniefok nodded his head.

Huntington won handily but Coolidge competed throughout.

Scouting reports are below and also look for at least three premium updates in the near future — today or tomorrow — on Jankovic, Webster-Chan and others from the event with new schools that are involved and how their recruiting process is progressing.

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 membership to read more from the Huntington/Coolidge match-up as many high-major recruits hit the floor. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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BATTLE OF THE BORDERS SHOWCASE RECAP – LIFE CENTER ROLLS TO WIN

by RAY MERNAGH

The way this one started I thought my buddy might have been off in his prediction of the final score — he called it 80-43 for Life Center when I asked him before the game — but after one quarter Life Center Academy was up 21-6. “We’re on pace for a 42-12 halftime score,” I said to Matty Ice who was sitting next to me. That would come out to a 84-24 final (math whizzes feel free to correct me if I’m off, I always went more for the psychology/sociology angle than mathematics except of course when it came to money, then I always had it on the button — funny how that works huh?)

It made sense too, the size of the beating it looked like Imani was going to take, when you consider that LCA featured 6’8 Ohio State commit LaQuinton Ross. “Q” does a pretty good Kevin Durant impersonation when the moment moves him, while his teammate John “Flipp” Johnson, a Pittsburgh commit, looks like a Ferarri racing around a dragstrip full of Volkswagons. But then a funny thing happened.

Imani Christian point guard TJ Jackson stood up. Took a hard foul and didn’t back down, then turned and started pumping up his big man Alonzo Murphy. Murphy goes about 6’8 280 from the looks of things — 290 wouldn’t shock me — and all of a sudden big ‘Zo was running the court and banging the offensive glass hard.

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 membership to read more on the early games from the Battle of the Borders HS Showcase at Gateway (PA) HS. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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MYLES DAVIS HAS FOUR SCHOOLS IN FRONT

Even though Myles Davis is no longer attending school in New Jersey, the Class of 2012 guard made his way back home just before the holidays and stopped by to check in on the action at the Hoop Group Tip-Off showcase. Davis was catching up with several of his AAU teammates with the NJ Playaz in action over the weekend and NBE had the chance to catch up with Davis to see how the transition to Notre Dame Prep has gone and learned four schools have separated themselves from the rest as he considers his recruitment.

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 membership to read our update on Myles Davis. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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ELIJAH MACON RECRUITING UPDATE

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Elijah Macon made waves last spring when he backed off his commitment to West Virginia. However, little has been heard from the 6-foot-8 Marion-Franklin (Ohio) product since then.

When we caught up with him back at the Boo Williams EYBL, Macon said he just wanted to “see what else is out there.”

Now, the junior forward has seen the other options and is going through his recruitment for a second time.

Cincinnati, Tennessee, Marquette and Dayton are currently pursuing him, as well as the school from which he decommitted, West Virginia.

Macon said West Virginia, Cincinnati and Tennessee are coming at him the hardest.

“I’m going to make a top-five after this season,” he said.

Macon recently took an unofficial visit to Xavier. “It was alright,” he said. “I just walked around campus with the coaches and my mom.”

He might take an unofficial visit to Tennessee next week.

“[I’m looking for] a team that likes to run non-stop and just a good environment,” Macon said.

Although the season is young, Macon has been doing his best to keep his name out there.

In front of coaches from West Virginia and Cincinnati, he put up 19 points and 11 rebounds in his first game, followed by a 20-point, 12-rebound performance in his second outing.

“I bring energy,” Macon said. “Once I get going I think I’m unstoppable.”

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NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS FESTIVAL RECAP

BY JEFF BORZELLO

HYATTSVILLE, Md. – An underrated event on the high school circuit is the National High School Hoops Festival, an annual one-day event in the Washington, D.C. area. This year, it moved from Wise High School to DeMatha Catholic High School, a gorgeous school with impressive facilities. Some of the marquee teams on the docket were Word of God (N.C.), I.C. Norcom (Va.), Benedictine (Va.), Paul VI (Va.), St. Vincent St. Mary’s (Ohio) and, of course, DeMatha (Md.). There was plenty of talent on hand, leading a jam-packed day of basketball, here are some of the highlights and latest recruiting notes…

Class of 2011

Javon Moore, National Christian: Moore could be a sleeper prospect for a mid-level program in the spring. He was on fire on Saturday, knocking down seven 3-pointers and scoring at the rim, finishing with 34 points. Moore showed an ability to finish with contact in the lane and also hit jump shots with hands in his face. He doesn’t have an explosive first step, but is crafty and finds ways to score. Moore also had a few nice passes along the way.

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 membership to read more detailed scouting reports and the latest recruiting notes from our time Saturday at DeMatha. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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GONZAGA DC CLASSIC RECAP

BY JEFF BORZELLO

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Although finals week is beginning at universities around the country – therefore limiting the number of big-time college basketball games in the next week – high school hoops was still in full effect. The mid-Atlantic was the place to be this weekend, starting with the Gonzaga DC Classic, held at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. The nation’s capital was host to eight high schools from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. The talent level at the event might be down from last year, but marquee teams like St. Raymond’s (N.Y.) and host Gonzaga made it a must-see. Here’s a look at some of the top players from Friday…

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 membership to read detailed scouting reports and the latest recruiting notes from our time Friday at the Gonzaga DC Classic. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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BIG EAST SCHOOLS, OTHERS IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH KYLE ANDERSON

A-10, ACC and West Coast power looking at versatile 2012 prospect preparing for the season

By Matt Whitfield

When the announcement was made that Paterson Catholic was closing it’s doors before the 2010-2011 school year, many talented basketball players were left to look for a new home. One of the schools to benefit from the news was Bob Hurley’s legendary St. Anthony’s of Jersey City (NJ) program as senior guard Myles Mack and junior G/F Kyle Anderson decided to take their talents to the Friars this season.

At St. Anthony’s, Anderson, a 6-foot-8 junior who is one of the top 25 players in the Calss of 2012, is adjusting to life onder coach Hurley while making improvements in his game and seeing plenty of Big East, A-10 and ACC schools maintaining regular contact with him in the recruiting process.

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 membership to read more on Anderson as Matt Whitfield recently caught up with his father, Kyle Sr., in advance of the Hoop Group Tip-off Classic where he was making his St. Anthony’s debut. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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