March 2011

2011 BOB COUSY AWARD WINNER: KEMBA WALKER

Full Press Release

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today that KEMBA WALKER from the University of Connecticut is the winner of the 2011 Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award. This annual award is given to college basketball’s top point guard and is named after Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics guard Bob Cousy. An original list of more than 70 candidates made up of players from all around the country was trimmed by a Hall of Fame appointed, nationally based committee to 20, down to 11, and a final five before voting on the winner of one of college basketball’s most prestigious awards.

“The Hall of Fame is proud to present one of college basketball’s premier awards to Kemba Walker from the University of Connecticut,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Kemba represents the best in the game at his position and truly represents Bob Cousy’s vision for this award.”

“We are honored to present Kemba Walker the 2011 Bob Cousy Award,” said Ken Kaufman, Chairman of the Bob Cousy Award. “Kemba’s work on the floor has clearly been the driving force of the successful Connecticut season and we could not think of a more deserving candidate for this year’s award. We look forward to honoring Kemba in Houston on April 4th.”
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ERIC KATENDA HAS WAKE FOREST AS FAVORITE; MORE VISITS AHEAD

Unsigned Class of 2011 forward Eric Katenda is still working his way towards his college decision. The process has been taken up a few notches as Katenda completes an aggressive visit schedule as he works his way towards a commitment. Katenda recently took a trip down to ACC country to check out Wake Forest.

“The visit was great,” Katenda told NBE’s Matt Whitfield earlier this morning via text message. “I really had a good time and all my questions got answered.”

The visit has put Demon Deacon head coach Jeff Bzedelik and his staff in prime position to land the 6-foot-9 forward who is originally from Paris, France.

“Yeah, Wake is the leader,” said Katenda.

Now at Sunrise Academy in Wichita (KS), Katenda is closing in on realizing his dream as he of playing Division 1 college basketball, his goal from a young age back home in France.

Katenda missed most of this past summer’s AAU action after having his appendix removed and getting tendonitis in his knees. While being forced to sit out most of the key summer circuit, Katenda fell off the recruiting radar of many schools.

Before the appendicitis and tendonitis sidelined him, NBE got a look at why college coaches are intrigued by his potential when he was participating in the Nike EYBL with the City Rocks AAU program last spring. Katenda showed to be a long and lanky forward who can run the floor and finish in transition. Katenda demonstrated the ability to drive to the rim and showed a nice pump-fake from the perimeter.

While Wake Forest has positioned themselves well, they are not the only school expecting to host Katenda on a visit before he makes his decision.

“I’m going to visit Iowa next weekend and Notre Dame the weekend [after],” said Katenda

Katenda also mentioned the possibility of taking another visit, but did not list a specific school that could be the host at this time.

NBE will certainly keep tabs on Eric Katenda as he would be a solid spring signing period addition for one school in the Class of 2011.

MAC IRVIN FIRE PROGRAM RELOADS FOR 2011 AAU CIRCUIT

By DOUG FERGUSON

Some may view replacing stalwarts on the spring and summer AAU season such as McDonald’s All-American Wayne Blackshear, a Louisville-commit, Mike Shaw, who is headed to Illinois, Sam Thompson, an Ohio State signee and a host of other talented players has the Mac Irvin Fire set up for a rebuilding season. Wrong ‘r’ word! Expect another deep, talented and athletic group of players to hit the circuit this spring and summer in the standard Orange and Black of the Fire program.

“We take it as an insult that people say we’re rebuilding,” said Fire 17-U coach Nick Irvin last weekend. “The Fire doesn’t rebuild, we reload.”

As AAU season begins to creep its way into the lives of basketball fans as the college season comes to a close this weekend in Houston, one of the most heralded teams in the Midwest has a decidedly different look. Absent are the familiar faces named above but this cohesive unit looks to make plenty more household names out of basketball prospects in Illinois.

Exactly one week after winning a state title with Simeon High School, Steve Taylor and Jelani Neely took the court in Merrillville, IN and played huge parts in the 17U Fire squad winning the ChicagoHoops.com Spring Tip Off. Taylor’s inside/outside forward game is remarkably similar to what Shaw brought to the Mac Irvin squad. The 6-foot-7 BF has the ability to step out beyond three point range, however at the same time he is commonly found grinding it out with the big boys for rebounds. Neely, a 5-foot-10 point guard, brought a huge spark off the bench for what has the look of a very deep and talented backcourt.
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AMILE JEFFERSON TAKES VISIT, PLANNING MORE

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Amile Jefferson, a junior at Friends’ Central School, took an unofficial visit to Temple earlier today. The 6-foot-8 forward was rated in our Top 10 of players in the NBE Class of 2012 Post-Summer Top 50.

“It was good. It was good,” Jefferson told Pompey and the Inquirer of his visit. “I stayed with one of the players, Khalif Wyatt. So I just stayed with him for a little bit, just looking at the school, the coaches and the campus and things like that. So it was good.”

During the visit to the Temple campus Jefferson was able to meet with Owl head coach Fran Dunphy.

“He is a real genuine guy,” Jefferson told Pompey of Dunphy. “He is a good guy. He doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear. He tells you like it is.”

Jefferson has attended games at Villanova, Duke and Maryland as well as Temple. He told the Inquirer there is not a leader at this time as he is still trying to see more schools in person. Whle no visits are currently scheduled, Jefferson was quoted in the story talking about a pair of schools that are possibilities to get a visit from him soon.

“I recently just talked to Ohio State,” Jefferson said in the Inquirer’s story. “So maybe we will take a visit like that. Maybe we will take a North Carolina visit.”

MARQUETTE, BUZZ WILLIAMS FINALIZE NEW CONTRACT DEAL

release per www.GoMarquette.com:

Marquette University and men’s basketball coach Buzz Williams have finalized a new agreement with the school, Director of Athletics Steve Cottingham announced Wednesday afternoon.

“The new agreement is an acknowledgement of Buzz’s standing as one of the rising stars in collegiate coaching,” Cottingham said. “The current direction of the program under his leadership fits perfectly into the mission and values of the University. Buzz has done a tremendous job guiding the program to successes both on and off the court and we look forward to that continuing for many years to come.”

The Golden Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Tournament each of Williams’ first three seasons as program mentor, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2010-11. MU is 69-37 (.651) overall during his tenure and 32-22 (.593) in BIG EAST Conference competition. Williams and his staff have collected multiple nationally ranked recruiting classes and attendance at the Bradley Center has reached record numbers since the 2008-09 campaign.

“I was given an opportunity beyond my wildest dreams 1086 days ago and my entire family is extremely humbled and grateful by the opportunity to continue this journey,” Williams said.

“Too much attention is given to my position, but I assure you, it’s the collective ownership of all of those who impact our program daily, who have developed the culture we currently have,” Williams added. “I am thankful to all of those who work so diligently to make our program the success it is today.”

Specific terms of the contract will not be released per University policy.

JAYLEN BOND TO RECLASS TO 2012; RE-OPEN RECRUITMENT

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Class of 2011 Pittsburgh signee Jaylen Bond announced yesterday his decision to de-commit from Pitt and instead attend a prep school in the fall.

“While I look forward to playing basketball at the D-I level, I feel that, as someone who is 17 years of age, an additional year of development will allow me to enter my freshman year of college better prepared to contribute at a high level from the start,” Bond said in a statement released by Plymouth-Whitemarsh coach Jim Donofrio.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Bond averaged 19 points in leading the P-W to a 25-6 record and the PIAA Class AAAA state semifinals this past season.

Bond committed to the Panthers verbally last April and signed a letter of intent in November. Pitt had also signed Khem Birch, Malcolm Gilbert, Durand Johnson and John Johnson in the early signing period, which would put them over the 13-player scholarship limit by two if all matriculated this fall. Birch, the McDOnalds All-American forward, was originally a member of the 2012 recruiting class, but has decided to enter college in 2011. Birch and Bond play a similar position as athletic forwards.

Also on Tuesday, Panthers’ junior guard Ashton Gibbs Announced His Intention to Enter the NBA Draft, but without signing with an agent leaving open the possibility of his returning for the 2011-2012 season.

GIBBS TESTING NBA WATERS THIS SPRING

Pittsburgh junior Ashton Gibbs has decided to declare for the NBA draft, essentially putting his toes in the draft waters this spring as he will not hire an agent during the process.

The deadline for college players with eligibility to formally apply for the draft and submit their paperwork to the NBA is April 24. As long as he doesn’t hire an agent, he would have until May 8 to withdraw his name without losing his eligibility to return next season to Pitt for his senior season.

Gibbs, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard from Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey led the Panthers in scoring the last two seasons.

Gibbs averaged 16.8 points this season, a career high, while shooting 49 percent from 3-point range. Gibbs had a career-high of 27 points coming in the Panthers’ BIG EAST quarterfinal loss to UConn. He also averaged 18.5 points a game in two NCAA Tournament games. However, the Panthers, as a No. 1 seed, were knocked out of the tournament by Butler in the second round, 71-70.

Sources tell NBE that Gibbs is not expected to be a 1st round pick and will likely return to school after getting feedback from NBA personnell.

TCU LEADS FOR RHOOMES FOLLOWING VISIT; NEW PC STAFF SHOWING INTEREST IN NIA DUO

Unsigned NIA Prep duo Ryan Rhoomes and Kelvin Amayo are still available and drawing plenty of interest. According to NIA School founder, Alif Muhammad, the new staff at Providence College is showing strong interest in the pair.

“Providence’s new coach (Ed Cooley) [called] last week for Ryan and Kelvin,” Muhammad told NBE’s Matt Whitfield via text message this morning.

For Rhoomes, it looked like Seton Hall had led for his services as we near the late signing period which begins April 15th. However, following a recent visit last weekend to a future BIG EAST school it looks like there is a new leader in the recruitment of the 6-foot-8 C/PF who is a native of New York City.

“It went great,” said Muhammad of Rhoomes’ visit to TCU last weekend. “Yes, it’s the leader.”

With TCU early playing time is attractive to Rhoomes as the Mountain West program readies for their move to the BIG EAST. Rhoomes is also interested in the new situations with Providence as well.

“I think he likes the idea of playing one year in the Mountain West and then 2012-2013 [in the] BIG EAST,” added Muhammad.

On the floor, Kelvin Amayo likes to get out in transition and drive aggressively to the rim. The 6-foot-5 G/F is a physical specimen who uses his strong upper body to get past most defenders and finish with contact, while his speed makes him to tough to stop on a fast break. He is always in attack mode, getting to the lane at will. He continues to make strides with his shooting and other perimter skills, making him a very intriguing prospect in the late signing period. DePaul has also recently come into the picture while Seton Hall and Oregon State have remained involved.

NBE will closely monitor both Ryan Rhoomes and Kelvin Amayo as the get closer to their college decisions.

KAMARI MURPHY LOOKS FOR BIG AAU SEASON BEFORE HEADING TO PREP SCHOOL

Kamari Murphy is a match-up problem, plain and simple. He is extremely long and athletic and he has shown the ability to play multiple positions and guard various players in the past on the AAU trail with the Long Island Lightning program. Murphy moves around well without the ball and can score when he gets the ball, whether around the rim or off a jump shot. Defensively he can cover a lot of ground and showed at the Rumble in the Bronx he can block shots with the best of them. He has great timing and his leaping ability allows him to affect shots.

It was supposed to be a break out high school season for Murphy with Abraham Lincoln, but after reclassing into the 2012 class, things just never fell into place this past year for the 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward.

“This past season at Lincoln for me had its ups and downs, everything from injury and suspension just really had me rattled,” Murphy told NBE, “but I came back strong almost averaging a tiriple-double when it counted in the playoffs.”

Murphy, who had 14 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, made clutch baskets in a 56-54 win over Bayside Cardozo in a PSAL Class A semifinal that set up a championship game at Madison Square Garden against rivals Boys & Girls High School. Lincoln would come up short, losing 62-55, but Murphy was solid again and earned the Murphy the sportsmanship award after his 15 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks performance in MSG.
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FINAL FOUR SET; UCONN-UK REMATCH IN ONE SEMI, BUTLER/VCU IN OTHER

It could very well be the most unlikliest Final Four ever.

The much-maligned BIG EAST, who only saw two of their 11 NCAA Tournament participants make it out of the first weekend will be represented by Connecticut. The Huskies were only 9-9 in the BIG EAST regular season, losing four of their last five to close the regular season, but have now won nine in a row as they try to win the first national title for the conference since their title in 2004.

The SEC was almost a forgotten entity among the high-major conferences this past season. At times Kentucky looked too young, but John Calipari’s club is now on a 10-game winning streak and survived close encounters with Princeton and Ohio State along the way to reach Houston.

The cries were strong and consistent from all the analysts when the brackets were announced. VCU had no business being part of the Field of 68 was the message they fed the viewing public on every bracket show for 48 hours until the ‘First Four’ tipped off in Dayton. Afterall, the Rams finished 4th in the CAA regular season. Since that time Shaka Smart and his crew have sent a team from the Pac 10, BIG EAST, Big 10, ACC and Big 12 home to advance to Houston. Will they get a shot to complete the BCS conference sweep against a team from the SEC?

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TEAM TAKEOVER DC WELL STOCKED AT ALL LEVELS; PLAYAZ SPRING FLING RECRUITING NOTES

By Matt Whitfield

Last summer the Team Takeover 17U squad led by Keith Stevens took home the inaugural Nike Elite Youth Basketball League championship by capturing the Peach Jam Championship. This year the 16U team in the Takeover family looks poised to follow the same championship path with a collection of supreme athletes that really grind it out on both ends of the floor. Watching on Saturday at the Playaz Spring Fling to kickopff the 2011 AAU travel season I couldn’t believe how many skilled athletes the team had. In their 2 P.M. games versus Positive Direction, the DC-area squad jumped out to an 11-1 lead and then built a 27-9 halftime lead, despite being thrown together as a team just this weekend literally.

As impressive as the score was, the most impressive thing I thought was how many kids could flat out play, and score, if they had to. This was a well-balanced machine where it was not just a handful of kids controlling the rock all game, it was a team effort.

“Their playing hard,” said Kenneth Johnson the coach of Team Takeover’s 16U squad. “They have a good connection, but I feel like we have four high major guards. They kind of push our team, we got nice wings…It’s always a little bit difficult when you come up here for your first tournament it’s a running the clock type situation. You got 12 players trying to gel. A lot of our guards just finished up their high school season. We have a few guys that played for DeMatha they just finished two days ago. We had to come up here for our first tournament, so we haven’t thrown too many of our sets in. Next week is our training camp and we’re going to have to tighten things up with our offensive sets and get our defensive concepts down.”

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CLASS OF 2013 INTRO: TREY BOYKIN

By Matt Whitfield

While a growing number of college coaches know the name Trey Boykin, many other websites that do not actually do their homework and go out and cover many events do not. Boykin is a physically gifted sophomore who plays AAU basketball for DC Assault and high school basketball for Arlington County Day (FL). Boykin has some high major interest already, but this summer he tells NBE he hopes to “blow up.”

Boykin is an athletic, 6-foot-3 shooting guard who is good in transition. Boykin has a nice looking jumper and showed some nice range as well this past weekend at the Playaz Spring Fling 16-U competition. Boykin can really turn it on when he needs too. He is also a vocal floor leader who moves up and down the court swiftly with ease. Boykin also has a quick handle and showed a willingness to distribute the ball well.

“West Virginia and Memphis,” Boykin mentioned when asked which schools had shown him early interest.

Boykin however is a little under the radar as he tells NBE he took two years off from basketball due to personal reasons.

“I just now started getting back into basketball. This is my third month back from a two year break, so I’m just trying to get back into a routine and everything.”

Boykin hopes to work on his handle and his defense in the coming months.

“My ballhandling; I think that’s what I need to work [on] and [a] little more on the defensive end,” said Boykin.

Boykin, however, has one big goal in mind for this summer.

“Just blow up. Just be as big as possible.”

NBE will certainly keep you up to date on Boykin and other under the radar recruits as we go far and wide and cover the events.

MICHIGAN SCORES IN 2012 WITH NICK STAUSKAS

St. Mark’s junior Nick Stauskas told NBE earlier this week that a decision could be coming soon, and true to his word, Stauskas made a verbal commitment tonight and is headed to the Big 10 in the Class of 2012.

“Can’t go wrong with Michigan,” Stauskas told NBE this evening. “I fit their system perfectly and have a chance to come in and make an impact right away.”

Stauskas told NBE earlier this week that Kansas, Wake Forest and Iowa State were also being considered, but he has been high on Michigan for quite some time, so it comes as no surprise that John Beliein and staff land the 6-f00t-6, 200-lb wing who originally hails from Canada.

“Also [Michigan is] close to home,” added Stauskas about his commitment.

Stauskas is an excellent 3-point shooter who has also demonstrated an ability to get into the lane and finish with both hands this past season when NBE has seen him in action. Moreover, he had a couple of nice offensive rebounds and a tip-in during HoopHall Classic action this past January.

FIRST HALF BLITZ BY NORTH CAROLINA ENOUGH TO END MARQUETTE’S NCAA RUN

by RAY FLORIANI

NEWARK, NJ- Roy Williams looked at the scoreboard early in the game. It read 10-8 in favor of Marquette. The next time the North Carolina coach looked at the Prudential Center scoreboard it read 40-15, in favor of the Tar Heels. What happened?

First off, UNC went on a 19-0 run the first half that all but sealed their 81-63 victory over Marquette in the Newark Regional semifinal. The run, or blitz, was fueled by transition and forcing turnovers.

“The first half was just very uncharacteristic of us,” Marquette coach Buzz Williams said. “I think we didn’t do some things but you have to give North Carolina a lot of credit.

The first half we were pitiful,” Buzz Williams added. “The second half we shot 52% and they shot 38%. That’s normally what we do but you can’t have that for one half. Not against a team like North Carolina.”
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CLASS OF 2013 INTRO: DIAMONTE ZARBA

by MATT WHITFIELD

Anxious to begin coverage of the AAU season had me making the drive out to Paterson (NJ) Wednesday evening. Walking into the gym of the Roberto Clemente school I had no idea what to expect as The Spring Fling, the annual AAU kick-off event run by Jimmy Salmon on the NJ Playaz organization, was starting up in the 16-U age group. I figured I would see some new names that we would begin to follow this spring and summer and see how these kids develop in time.

One such player caught my eye the most Wednesday night. New York City native Diamonte Zarbaa a 6-foot-4 sophomore at Berkshire School in Sheffield (MA) showed an advanced maturity in his game on the court and in how he carried himself off the court for a Class of 2013 prospect. He is already receiving early interest from high-major college programs.

“I got a letter from Temple, St. Joseph’s, St. John’s and Virginia. I’ve talked to a few other coaches [from] a few other schools like Quinnipiac, Providence to name a few there.”

Zarba has great athleticism, strength and a frame for a sophomore. He also showed a solid handle for a player his size and age. He also showed he was fearless at attacking the rim Wednesday night. Zarba, who also plays lacrosse, told NBE he projects as a small forward or a shooting guard in college as he is expected to grow to 6’5 or 6’6.

“Strengths are passing. I’m a very good passer. I’m a good defender as well. Weakness is probably lateral speed,” said Zarba of his strengths and weakness.

NBE will keep an eye on Zarba this spring and summer on the AAU scene as Zarba plays with the powerful New York Gauchos program.

THE LION AND THE LAMB COME TOGETHER IN MARCH TO PROPEL UCONN TO ELITE 8

Kemba the Lion has been a constant for Connecticut all season long. On Thursday night his running mate, Jeremy Lamb, showed he was ready to step his game up in March to another level to help the Huskies advance in the NCAA Tournament. Kemba Walker scored 36, Lamb 24, and UConn used a late run to move past San Diego State, 74-67, in the West Regional semifinals at the Honda Center in Anaheim (CA).

March is supposed to begin like a lion and end like a lamb, or vice versa, in these parts. Last night for UConn the Lion (Kemba Walker) and the Lamb (Jeremy Lamb) came together in March to help Jim Calhoun and his program advance to their 10th regional final in their history. UConn will meet No. 5 seed Arizona Saturday night. The Wildcats were a 93-77 winner of top-seeded Duke last night.

Down 54-53 with 8:10 left, Walker took over. The junior guard from New York scored all 12 points in a 12-2 run over a 2:54 span to push the Huskies to a 65-56 lead with just under 5 minutes to go. When the Aztecs mounted a rally, scoring 8 in a row of their own, it was Lamb delivering a dagger with a three-pointer with 1:42 left for a 68-64 lead.

“I’ve never been in an environment like this,” said Lamb after the game. “Kemba hit some big shots, I hit some big shots, and we were able to pull it out. They had a lot of fans. I’ve never played in a game like it.”

Lamb would then seal the deal with a steal and then receive a pass from Shabazz Naper to slam it home for a 70-64 lead with 23 seconds left. After a pair of free throws from Walker, Lamb provided the exclamation point with another dunk and the final points in a 74-67 win.

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NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP RECRUITING NOTES

by PAT STEVENS

Earlier this month, St. Thomas More (CT) won the fifth annual National Prep Championship tournament with Andre Drummond named MVP of the final, where they defeated Notre Dame Prep (MA) 90- 74. This culminated an exciting week of basketball in New England as just a few days earlier the NEPSAC championships concluded with Maine Central Institute taking home the AAA crown and the Tilton School winning the AA title. NBE was taking in the action throughout and here are some recruiting notes picked up on during the action:

-Notre Dame Prep has two players who have another year to go before college in Ricardo Ledo and Myles Davis. Expect Connecticut, Louisville and potentially Providence to be in the mix for Ledo, along with Kentucky. Pittsburgh could be considered a favorite for Davis, along with Xavier.

-NIA Prep has two unsigned players with Kelvin Amayo and Ryan Rhoomes. Oregon State and Seton Hall have long been options and depending on if they choose to recruit him, Providence (new staff) or DePaul (new interest) are also possible choices for Amayo. Seton Hall had Rhoomes on campus last week and TCU is scheduled to host him on an official visit this weekend.

-Westwind Prep’s Kiwi Gardner, a 5-foot-8 point guard from Oakland, visited Providence before heading to New Haven for the National Prep Championships. This was before the coaching change but it’s notable that Fairfield was recruiting him as well, whose coach Ed Cooley is now the new Friars coach. TCU, South Florida, Murray State and San Francisco have also shown interest. Gardner was originally a 2011 prospect but then planned to re-classify, however it now looks as if he’ll head to college next year.

-As we covered, St. Thomas More took home the National Prep Championship and Andre Drummond was named the event’s MVP. Connecticut, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia remain the short list involved, but the Huskies are still the favorite for one of the nation’s top prospects.

-Tilton had a great run this season behind the play of their underclassmen, winning New England Class AA and an impressive showing at the National Prep Championship tournament. Sophomore big men Nerlens Noel and Goodluck Okonoboh have wide Big East interest (Noel also with ACC and Big Ten offers) while a href=”http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/big-east-team-pages/connecticut/”>Connecticut and Providence had the two in to see games this year. 2012 power forward Georges Niang should see Big East interest this summer but to date has various A-10, CAA and NEC offers. Iowa and Iowa State have also offered and expect to have him in for visits. Wayne Selden, a 2014 prospect, will be nationally recruited over the next few years. The young guard made a big splash this season, finishing with 22 points in each of the NEPSAC Final and the NPC Opening Round vs. Notre Dame Prep.

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Pat Stevens has assisted with the National Prep School Invitational and has covered prep schools for Van Coleman’s Hoopmasters.com the past seven years. He has also contributed his knowledge to NBE often in the past. Be sure to visit PatStevensBasketball.com for more of his insights to the prep school game.
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’12 OKORO TALKS ABOUT SHU VISIT; ’13 MIKE YOUNG UPDATES RECRUITMENT

Late last week NBE caught up with Class of 2012 prospect Nkereuwem Okoro of St. Raymond’s HS in the Bronx (NY). The 6-foot-5, 200-lb G/F gave us a list of Seton Hall, Iowa State, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma and Providence as schools currently involved in his recruitment he was considering. Since our conversation, Okoro was able to visit one of the schools on his list, Seton Hall, and enjoyed his trip.

“I got to see the campus, locker rooms and cafeteria,” said Okoro of the visit.

It was a tough year on the court for the Pirates under new head coach Kevin Willard, who was previously the head coach at Iona. SHU finished the season with a 13-18 record and 7-11 mark in the BIG EAST. Their season was sidetracked early on by the health issues of Herb Pope in the off-season, an injury to Jeremy Hazell that sidelined him for 13 games and lingering off the court issues from the previous coaching regime that led to Keon Lawrence and Jamel Jackson being kicked off the team. In the face of it all, Okoro is impressed with coach Willard’s dedication to turning things around at the New Jersey school.

“I like coach Willard’s determination to get Seton Hall back on track,” he said.

Okoro, who also previously visited Iowa State, would like to visit more schools this spring and summer, but has nothing currently in the works. In the meantime, he will look forward to a big AAU season with the Long Island Lightning. NBE will stay in touch for the latest developments in his recruitment.
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Mike Young is a Class of 2013 prospect that will certainly get a lot of looks on the AAU scene this spring from scouts and in the summer from college coaches when they are on the road. The native of Pittsburgh, where he previously attended Shadyside Academy, just completed his first season at the Newark (NJ) school St. Benedict’s Prep. It was a transition for the young big man.

“At first it was tough, but now I got used to it,” Young told NBE’s Matt Whitfield on Wednesday night while attending games for the Playaz Spring Fling.

Young plays in the Playaz AAU program where the organization’s mentor Jimmy Salmon has helped him feel at home in New Jersey.

“I live at Benedict’s, but on the weekend I go to my AAU Coach Jimmy (Salmon)’s house,” said Young. “I go to his house sometimes and I go to some of [the] player’s, their family’s houses, just to make it like home.”

Young promises to be a very intriguing prospect in the Class of 2013. Already standing at 6-foot-8, Young has the look of a high-major forward and schools have been recruiting him all season.

“Nothing’s really changed,” Young said to Matt Whitfield when asked about his recruitment. “I still got offers from Georgia Tech, Pitt, Rutgers and Seton Hall.

Young also mentioned a few new schools have turned things up of late.

“Kansas was…new…they’re starting to recruit me now. Wake Forest is starting to recruit me a little harder. West Virginia, I picked that up at the Primetime Shootout and Marquette.”

Young was hoping to take a trip to see Georgia Tech in the near future but the recent dismissal of Paul Hewitt has left those plans up in the air at the moment.

“I was looking to take an unofficial to Georgia Tech….I really don’t know too much about [the coaching change], but…I really liked Paul, but I’m ready to see who the new coach is going to be,” said Young.

Young, who still lists the BIG EAST as his favorite conference, is now looking ahead to the AAU season, which will begin over the course of the next two weekends with the Playaz Spring Fling in New Jersey.

“I just want to show all the things that I improved on over the high school season and show some of the things that I can do and some of the things that apply to my game,” he said of the AAU season ahead.

If he continues his improvement he very well may end up in his favorite conference in the future.

UCONN LOOKS TO EXTEND RUN IN ANAHEIM AGAINST SDSU

Nobody saw this coming.

After losing four of their last five games in the BIG EAST regular season Connecticut looked like a team that was finished.

Kemba Walker looked tired from carrying a young squad through the rigors of an 18-game conference schedule and challenging non-league slate.

The four freshmen seemed to have hit the freshman wall. The two sophomores in the rotation combined to score just seven points in their season-ending home loss to Notre Dame, leading exasperated fans believing they had regressed in their second season with the Huskies.

Despite playing a non-conference schedule that included beating Michigan State and Kentucky on a neutral floor in Maui and going to Texas and beating a red-hot Longhorns club, the BIG EAST schedule looked like it had taken a toll on UConn. Finishing league play at 9-9 the Huskies were limping into New York City and the BIG EAST Tournament as the conference’s 9th seed.

All of that seems like a LONG time ago because my how things have changed.

In a stretch of 12 days Jim Calhoun’s club has run off seven consecutive wins. In a league that sent a record 11 teams to the NCAA Tournament, they are one of just two remaining as they enter Thursday night’s Sweet 16 showdown against No. 2 seed San Diego State in the West Regional semifinal at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.

Even with the tough finish, Walker and his teammates knew they were good enough to compete with the top teams in the county.

“Maui tournament gave us the confidence to compete with the big dogs in college basketball,” said Walker on Wednesday.

Their run in the BIG EAST Tournament was unprecedented. After a Tuesday victory over DePaul, Connecticut would easily defeat Georgetown on Wedneseday. The Hoyas were a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Walker’s step-back jumper at the buzzer Thursday completed a rally against Pittsburgh, who earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. On Friday night the Garden was alive as UConn survived in overtime to defeat Syracuse, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies capped off the run with a thrilling win over Louisville, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, on Saturday night, 69-66.

“[We] caught fire in the Big East Tournament and won five games in five days and here we are,” said Coach Calhoun. “And we’re playing the best basketball right now and everything that could happen good has happened good.”

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DECISION “COULD BE SOON” FOR NICK STAUSKAS

Another Canadian native making his mark in the USA on the hardwood is Nick Stauskas, who just finished up his senior season with St. Mark’s of Southborough (MA) in the NEPSAC. Stauskas is an excellent 3-point shooter who has also demonstrated an ability to get into the lane and finish with both hands this past season when NBE has seen him in action. Moreover, he had a couple of nice offensive rebounds and a tip-in during HoopHall Classic action this past January.

“Past season went well, but we lost in the NEPSAC Class B finals to Tilton,” said Stauskas. “The highlight I will remember most is when we played in the City of Palms tournaments in Florida during the Christmas break.”

With fellow elite prospects in Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski in the Class of 2012 and fast-rising elite 2014 prospect Kevin Zabo returning next season, hopes are high for St. Mark’s.

“Main goal next year as a team is to go undefeated and win the Class B championships,” said Stauskas.

College coaches also have made the 6-foot-6, 200-lb wing a target of their desire on the recruiting trail.

“Kansas, Wake Forest, Michigan [and] Iowa State,” replied Stauskas to a message inquiring which teams currently recruiting him he was currently considering. “Right now Michigan and Iowa State are recruiting me the hardest.”

While Stauskas is not sure when a decision will be made, he did hint that it could be coming in the near future to the delight of one lucky program.

“Don’t know what my time frame [for a decision] is, could be soon though,” he said.

In the meantime the spring AAU season is right around the corner and Stauskas will be returning to his roots and running with Ro Russell’s Grassroots Canada program. He is excited to see the events of Vegas on the schedule for this summer and before then the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions over Memorial Day weekend and the NBA Top 100 camp in June. It was that camp last summer that Stauskas made a big splash in the recruiting world with an excellent showing.

This weekend, like many college basketball fans across the country, Stauskas will be tuning into the action of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. When it is time to cut down the nets on April 4th in Houston, he feels one of the tournament favorites will be left standing on top.

“Kansas for the win,” said Stauskas when asked to predict the 2011 National Champ.

NBE is looking forward to seeing Nick Stauskas and his Grassroots Canada teammates on the AAU circuit this spring and summer. We will definitely stay in touch to follow his recruitment and monitor if the decision comes soon.

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