Contributors

MIDWEST RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: DEJUAN MARRERO RISES UP 2012 LISTS

Marrero has top programs tracking him; also update on Jacob Williams of St. Patrick’s – Chicago

by DOUG FERGUSON

With the Big East expanding to the West in recent years the conference’s recruiting reach has began to tap into the fertile grounds of the nation’s Midwest basketball hotbeds. With programs residing in Indiana (Notre Dame), Wisconsin (Marquette) and Chicago (DePaul), as well as the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio tri-state area (Cincinnati and Louisville), covering Big East recruiting efforts takes you to gyms in the nation’s heartland and largest Midwestern cities.

Gary (IN) has seen its share of hard times and exciting basketball players. While Branden Dawson is considered an elite 2011 prospect with many Big East teams knocking on his door in an effort to join the recruiting race to land him, another Gary product is ready to burst on the scene as DeJuan Marrero is enjoying an excellent sophomore campaign for Bowman Academy and is looking forward to a hopeful deep run in the the postseason with his Class A teammates.

Marrero has attracted attention from many of the top Big 10 programs and that attention has spread into the Big East and he has landed on John Calipari’s radar as well. Marrero was gracious with his time this week to update NBE Basketball on his season and his recruitment. You can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below for the latest scoop on Marrero’s recruiting situation and updates on Jacob Williams and Roosevelt Jones, two players in the class of 2011 to watch in the coming months…

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY THREE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The quaterfinals of the 2010 Big East Tournament served as reminder, as if we needed one, as how tough and unforgiving this conference is. Also, how interesting and exciting for those of us watching and/or analyzing.

The Scores:

Georgetown 91, Syracuse 84

Marquette 80, Villanova 76

Notre Dame 50, Pittsburgh 45

West Virginia 54, Cincinnati 51

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Thursday…

1. Syracuse exited the tournament one and done. For Orange faithful, the weekend to quote Steeley Dan, “didn’t turn out as you planned”. Orange fans can also take solace from 2003. That year they won a quarterfinal game before being eliminated by UCONN in the semis. Less than a month later they cut the nets down in New Orleans. ESPN reported no team lost its first conference tournament game and won the national title. Interesting, but right now Syracuse is concerned with Arinze Onuaku who exited the Georgetown game with a knee strain that needed further evaluation.

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PANTHERS FALL TO NOTRE DAME, 50-45 IN BIG EAST QUARTERS

By Anthony Jaskulski

New York, NY–Simple basketball is all it took.

Simple basketball is what changed the momentum.

And simple basketball is what separated Pittsburgh from a Thursday night win.

In the third Big East quarterfinal game of the day, the Pitt Panthers (24-7, 13-5) were dominated on easy cutters to the basket, give-and-go plays and inside buckets. A simple style offense that helped push Notre Dame (22-10, 11-7) to a 50-45 win at Madison Square Garden.

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DOUBLE-BYE A CURSE IN BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

‘Nova and Pitt join Syracuse out the MSG door heading into final quarterfinal game

In the unique, 16-team tournament format in the Big East conference the top four regular season finishers breeze into the quarterfinals with a double-bye. The reward for finishing at the top of the grueling and competitive 18 game conference schedule would seem to be a significant one and an advantage in the conference tournament played annually at Madison Square Garden.

Not so fast.

This year in the 2010 Big East Tournament the double-bye has acted more of a curse as Syracuse. Villanova and Pittsburgh all recipients of a double-bye for their outstanding regular seasons, fell one-by-one over the course of the first three quarterfinal contests Thursday.

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GEORGETOWN PUTS SQUEEZE ON THE ORANGE

Hoyas avenge a pair of regular season losses and hand Syracuse second-striaght loss heading to NCAA’s

Chris Wright scored 27 points and No. 22 Georgetown turned the tables on No. 1 seed Syracuse in a 91-84 2010 Big East Tournament quarterfinal contest at Madison Square Garden.

“I thought Georgetown really played well tonight,” Syracuse coach Jom Boeheim said following the game. “The first game we controlled the game. The second game we controlled about 30 minutes. And then they started to get the ball into (Greg) Monroe and they did that tonight from the beginning we had difficultly with it. We just couldn’t get enough stops.”

A Kris Joseph (18 points) jumper put the Orange up 59-51 with 12:49 left in the game. The Hoyas answered with a 21-4 run where they made seven of eight field goal attempts and took a 72-63 with 5:43 left in the game on a Chris Wright basket on an assist by Greg Monroe.

“He’s the best inside passer in college basketball, easily,” Boeheim said of Monroe. “And he can score in there.”

Monroe finished the game with 17 points, 10 rebounds, a team-high 7 assists and 4 steals.

“We just wanted basically to get the ball into the middle,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said of the Hoyas’ plan of attack against the Orange zone. “Get the ball either to Greg or off the penetration and then make decisions from there.”

The Orange had another run in them as Scoop Jardine (19 points) connected on a pair of free throws with 4:12 left to cut the lead to 74-72. However the Hoyas answered with a 10-4 run, fueled by a pair of Greg Monroe three-point plays and two Austin Freeman (16 points) lay-ups for an 84-76 lead with under two minutes left.

Jason Clark added 16 points for the Hoyas who improved to 22-9 on the season.

While Syracuse has their first losing streak of the season as this loss followed Saturday’s loss at Louisville, bigger concerns surround the health of fifth-year senior center Arinze Onuaku.

Onuaku landed awkwardly after trying to block a shot with 5:07 left in the game and grabbed his knee immediately. He was tended to by medical staff and coach Jim Boeheim before being helped off the floor. The senior did not return, and Boeheim said Onuaku had strained the right knee and an MRI will be performed when they return home.

“Well, he’s a key part of our team, I mean, he’s had a great year,” Boehiem said of Onuaku, “and he’s a tremendous player. We hope that he’ll be fine. We don’t know [extent of injury yet].”

Wright was 10 of 16 from the field and added 6 rebounds and 6 assists to go along with his game-high 27 points. The junior guard is a key to their success according to the opposing coach.

“I think Chris Wright had a big night,” Boeheim said. “He really had a great game. I thought when he plays like that, that’s when they beat people.”

Wes Johnson led Syracuse with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Jardine and Joseph combined for 37 off the bench and Andy Rautins added 14 points and 10 assists for the Orange. However, freshman Brandon Triche along with Rick Jackson and Onuaku before being injured struggled, combining for just nine points in the game. The Orange still remain in strong contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but with a two-game losing streak and the status of Onuaku up in the air going forward, much of the air has at least temporarily been taken out of their sails.

“I mean were not concerned about that, we just want to get there and play well,” Andy Rautins said of being a No. 1 seed. “And regardless of who we play…you’re gonna have to beat teams. Everybody’s gonna bring their A-game.”

Georgetown now meets the winnier of today’s second quarterfinal between Marquette and Villanova Friday night at 7 PM in the
Big East Basketball Tournament Semifinals (buy tickets HERE!).

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NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL DAY RUNDOWN

by PAT STEVENS – A pair of Big East recruits capped off their seasons with a New England championship and now a national title as CJ Fair and Austin Carroll helped Brewster Academy defeated Northfield Mount Hermon in the finals of the National Prep Championships.

Brewster would rally from down 15 points in the first half and trade the lead in the second half before heading to overtime where they pulled away for the 79-76 win.

BIG EAST SIGNEES IN ACTION

CJ Fair (Syracuse/6-7 WF/Brewster Academy) – Fair saved his best for last as he scored a number of big baskets in key moments. He’s a zone-buster for the Brewster team with his ability to operate consistently in the gaps and finish around the rim. Often times he elevated over the defense for scores with his high, slingshot release that goes well with his lift and size. However, most impressive is his effort. Considering he’s fit to be a wing but with his skills to serve as an undersized-four man inside, he’s gone to work and gives the team what it needs consistently when we’ve seen him this year. He scored 13 and 11 in the prior two victories and finished with 19 in his last game with his family also on hand.

Austin Carroll (Rutgers/6-3 SG/Brewster Academy) – He had the chance to win the game when Will Barton couldn’t get enough space for a step-back jumper and got caught in the air, dropping it off to him nearby in the corner. It was a tough spot to make something happen and he nearly scored on a runner that would have been the game-winner. His first two games were tough outings from beyond the arc but he hit several in key stretches come the championship. He made a difference as a help defender and in team defense, showing both good anticipation and timing with a number of strips around the basket along with stepping in for several charges throughout the two days. Rutgers’ head coach Fred Hill and assistant Darren Savino watched him in the championship alongside his family.

Isaiah Epps (Pittsburgh/6-2 PG/Hargrave Military Academy) – Epps has a necessary weapon for the point guard package and it’s a reliable long ball, which he used for two big hoops in Hargrave’s second half rally that eventually fell short against NMH. His toughness shined through down the stretch with will to take and make those big shots. He was a tough cover for the slower guards and finished with a game-high 20 points along with some active defense in the press that forced a number of turnovers during their comeback attempt.

Ron Giplaye (Providence/6-7 PF/Notre Dame Prep) – Giplaye had an average outing in the opening round loss to NMH. A signature rebounder, getting back on defense was an issue for he and his teammates. Offensively, a bright spot was his ability to go to both hands in a crowd. Gerard Coleman stuck around to watch him. He had nine points in the opening round loss to Northfield Mount Hermon.

Gerard Coleman (Providence/6-4 SG/Tilton) – Coleman played within the flow of the offense in the first half but Hargrave jumped Tilton and took a big lead into the half of the opening round matchup. The second half he was more aggressive with the floor opening up and allowing for plenty of his typical scores in transition, but he got plenty of hoops taking his man off the dribble as well. While a majority of the second half both teams pushed the ball off both misses and makes, his drive game was superb when in the half court. Inside, he avoided contact with his ability to change direction on the bounce or adjust mid-air. A quick spin move into a leaner/push shot is in his repertoire. More often than not though, he would get himself all the way to the rim and either convert or head to the free throw line. His jump shot is still a work in progress. Several were short when the defender (quick guards of similar build Mardracus Wade and Lorenzo Brown) was able to get a hand up but he also knocked down a contested pair as well. Condition-wise he’s in great shape for a track meet like the game turned into but the mental of giving so much on offense and essentially trading baskets in a big comeback attempt probably took away from his active defense he’s capable of. He did his best to overcome a slow start as a team and finished with 43 points, 29 coming in the second half.

BIG EAST COACHES IN ATTENDANCE

Rutgers’ Fred Hill and Darren Savino were on hand along with Connecticut’s Pat Sellers and Providence’s Pat Skerry.

*Our premium section will have a few recruiting notes from the Prep Championship later tonight for subscribers…

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LANCE STEPHENSON AT HOME UNDER GARDEN LIGHTS

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While an extended stay in New York City and Madison Square Garden is something new to most of the Cincinnati Bearcats on Mick Cronin’s roster, there is one player that is an old pro at playing under the bright lights and scrutiny that the Garden brings.

The NBE Big East Freshman of the Year Lance Stephenson was a New York City basketball prodigy since he was in 6th grade and the legend of the player known as ‘Born Ready’ grew to a climax as Stephenson led Lincoln High School to four consecutive PSAL championships on the Garden floor. This week he returned home hoping to help the Bearcats turn around a season that has not lived up to the preseason expectations heaped upon them by adding Stephenson to an experienced returning cast.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY TWO RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – Day two at the 2010 Big East Tournament is complete and one thing is definitely certain, we will have a new champion.

The scores:

Georgetown 69, South Florida 49

Marquette 57, St. John’s 55

Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall 56

Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Wednesday…

1. Georgetown did it the old fashioned way. They defended the heck out of South Florida. Dominique Jones of USF had 21 points to lead all scorers but the Bulls outstanding junior talent had no one to lend a helping hand. Credit the Hoya defense that forced South Florida into a 29% afternoon from the field.

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MIKE TAYLOR BASKING IN PSAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Boys & Girls junior guard shines on MSG floor with 25 points leading ‘Roos to first title since 1979

They have been close before, but this time the Boys & Girls High School Kangaroos finished the job with a 55-50 victory over Cardozo to give the Brooklyn high school their first PSAL championship since 1979. It was their third trip in the last four years to the AA finals and the win made Ruth Lovelace the first female coach to lead a PSAL team to the boy’s title.

Junior (2011) guard Mike Taylor led the ‘Roos with 25 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard, who is being pursued by the majority of the Big East, understood the historical aspects of the win, relaying the weight of the accomplishments to NBE last night while returning to Madison Square Garden to take in the 2010 Big East Tournament as a fan.

“It was a good win on Saturday,” said Taylor. “We were down 10 at halftime, we just came out halftime and played hard. The last time we won was in 1979, so it was a 31 year drought. This was Coach Ruth Lovelace’s first championship.”

For more on Taylor’s thoughts on the PSAL championship and an update from him on his recruitment, you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) read on below…

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NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP OPENING DAY

by PAT STEVENS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Gerard Coleman (Tilton/Providence) had the day’s high of 43 points as the fourth annual National Prep Championships are underway, this year from Albertus Magnus College.

Big East signees Isaiah Epps (Pittsburgh), CJ Fair (Syracuse) and Austin Carroll (Rutgers) all helped their teams to victories that have them slated for Wednesday’s semifinals and potential championship game.

Epps and No. 1 seed Hargrave Military Academy meet No. 5 Northfield Mount Hermon and Fair and Carroll lead No. 2 seed Brewster Academy against No. 6 St. Thomas More, with the championship set for 7:30 p.m.

Read on for more on the opening day of the National Prep Championship, including recruiting updates on Cleveland Melvin, who has plenty of Big East interest and plans a Big East visit in the near future, and Bryon Allen, who is likely to take a Big East official visit this spring. Both were previously Big East verbal commitments and still might land in the conference next season. To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: MERNAGH’S THOUGHTS ON DAY I

by RAY MERNAGH

USF 58 DePaul 49

A lot is being made about South Florida winning without scoring from outside a few feet and I’ll concede it’s one of the more stranger things I’ve seen in a long time.

But it also points to the control that Stan Heath has over this squad. The Bulls finished 0-8 from three but only took two of those in the second half.

Why? Because they didn’t have to make three’s or a lot of jump shots to beat DePaul. Heat told them that and they executed their game plan of getting to the rim.

Today against Georgetown they’ll have to hit some J’s, but because they realized they didn’t need to yesterday they got to today.

It’s all about advancing folks.

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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY ONE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The first round of the 2010 Big East Tournament is in the books. Four games, one upset with St. John’s over UCONN in a surprisingly lopsided contest . The scores:

South Florida 58, DePaul 49

St. John’s 73, Connecticut 51

Seton Hall 109, Providence 106

Cincinnati 69, Rutgers 68

—Be sure to visit NBE’s 2010 Big East Tournament home page (HERE!) for the full schedule and links to get tickets to each session—

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from this first day:

1. Loved the attitude of South Florida coach Stan Heath. His Bulls defeated DePaul and are 20-11. Rather than discuss the bubble Heath simply tells his players to keep playing. “We win we get to keep playing,” Heath said, “and that takes care of itself.” Bulls jumped out to a 30-15 halftime lead and outside of a late run fueled by DePaul’s Will Walker (20 points), did a good defensive job.

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SNY TOP 10 ALL-TIME BEASTS OF THE BIG EAST; BRANDEN FRAZIER PICKS HOFSTRA

Last night SNY had a special where they took a look at the Top 10 All-Time players of the Big East. It was an entertaining hour program with in-studio commentary by the coverage crew at SNY, including former Big East Player of the Year and Pitt Panther Charles Smith, former Big East head coach Tim Welsh, Lenn Robbins of the NY Post and SNY college basketball expert Brandon Tierney and hosted by Gary Apple.

Nine of their top 10 were also included in the top 10 of NBE’s All-Time Top 50 Big East players of all-time that we released in the fall of 2008.

Here is SNY’s Top 10 with the NBE ranking in parenthesis:

10) Kerry Kittles (9)
9) Richard Hamilton (7)
8] Walter Berry (5)
7) Alonzo Mourning (14)
6) Allen Iverson (3)
5) Pearl Washington (6)
4) Ray Allen (8)
3) Derrick Coleman (4)
2) Chris Mullin (2)
1) Patrick Ewing (1)

The show included some passionate debate, especially in regards to players who played just a year or two in college compared to their four-year counterparts and the weight a national championship carried in their consideration.

Brandon Tierney agreed that Alonzo Mourning was placed too high in the SNY rankings. Another Hoya, Eric ‘Sleepy’ Floyd was the only from the NBE top 10 not to make the SNY top 10.

Always good debate when looking at all-time lists…
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Branden Frazier, the 6′3″ shooting guard from Bishop Laughlin (2010) and New Heights just committed to Hofstra. Frazier can get buckets in a hurry from deep and also possesses a step-back J and penetration game that should make him a very good player at the next level. Frazier chose Hofstra over a who’s who of mid major powers according to Kimani Young, the New Heights AD.

“Branden picked Hofstra over Kent State, Southern Illinois and La Salle,” said Young over the phone just this morning.

Big East programs such as St. John’s, Rutgers and a few others also evaluated Frazier at times last summer. Frazier was very impressive in last year’s Primetime Shootout (2009) and here is an NBE evaluation by Brian Crownover from the event:

This lanky guard exploded onto the scene for the Lions. Branden had a stellar afternoon as he used a smooth stroke to bury 6 three pointers en route to a 36 point performance. Branden hit from deep both off the dribble, as well as the catch and shoot variety. He ran the floor well too and converted on several lay-ups. Branden threw a nice pass and blocked a shot. His ball handling looked okay, but he didn’t attack much in this contest. Not surprisingly, he was named Player of the Game for his team in the victory. Branden will definitely be a player worth keeping an eye on this summer.

NBE POST-SEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAMS & AWARDS

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The regular season is complete and the Big East Tournament tips off Tuesday so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the full tournament schedule and the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions.

Throughout the day the majority of NBE writers and contributors contemplated, debated and discussed our post-season awards for the Big East conference. Its been another great season with 16 teams battling it out for 18 games each through the 71 days of Big East action from December 26th through this past Saturday. After much deliberation…here are the NBE Big East 2009-2010 season awards:

NBE Big East Player of the Year: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

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NEPSAC CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

BY PAT STEVENS — C.J. Fair (Syracuse) helped Brewster Academy to a NEPSAC Class A Championship as they knocked off Winchendon School and Markus Kennedy (Villanova), 72-69 on Sunday’s season finale at Endicott College. Brewster’s Will Barton (Memphis) was named MVP with 28 points. Naadir Tharpe (2011) added 14 points. Winchendon’s Khem Birch (2012) had 11 points and several key blocks.
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Gerard Coleman (Providence) scored 20 points as Tilton School won its third straight Class B Championship beating Marianapolis, 69-61. Ryan Canty (2011) added 12 points.
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Shabazz Napier (2011) scored 23 points to go with six assists and several steals for Lawrence Academy, who finished the season undefeated at 23-0 with its Class C title win over St. Mark’s, 55-43. Nate Lubick (Georgetown) had 15 points and 13 rebounds for St. Mark’s. Alex Murphy (2012) scored 11.
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Georgetown head coach John Thompson III, Providence head coach Keno Davis, Connecticut assistant Pat Sellers and Rutgers assistants Craig Carter and Darren Savino all made the trip.

Alabama head coach Anthony Grant also watched Shabazz Napier.
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Next Up:

National Prep Championship 2010
March 9th & 10th, 2010
Albertus Magnus College – New Haven, Connecticut

Quarter-Finals – Tuesday, March 9th

2pm – #1 Hargrave Military Academy vs. #8 Tilton School
4pm – #4 Notre Dame Prep vs. #5 Northfield Mount Hermon School
6pm – #2 Brewster Academy vs. #7 Westwind Prep
8pm – #3 Winchendon School vs. #6 St. Thomas More School

Semi-Finals – Wednesday, March 10th

11am – 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
1pm – 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner

Finals

7:30pm – Championship
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The Big East Tournament tips off this week and be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big East fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to ANY Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

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NIA PREP ON THE RISE ON THE PREP SCHOOL SCENE

Jamir Hanner headed to Seton Hall; Kelvin Amayo & Shaquille Thomas lead next group of NIA Prep prospects

By Matt Whitfield

The New York tri-state area is a hot bed for high school basketball. With perennial powers St. Anthony’s, St. Benedict’s, St. Patrick’s, Paterson Catholic, Rice, Lincoln and others, it is no surprise a plethora of talented high school players graduate to play in college and then sometimes at the highest level. Despite being such a breeding ground for talent the area also sees many talented players leave the area for stops at prep programs in New England such as Winchendon Prep, South Kent Prep, and others, to pepare them for college on and off the court. A rising program aims to begin to change the migration of talented NYC/NJ-area players to New England and keep them in the tri-state area as Alif Muhammad’s NIA School in Newark (NJ) has put itself on the prep basketball map this season. With the addition of former Bishop Loughlin head coach Rudy King to the coaching staff at NIA School, NIA Prep is posied for bigger things in the future.

NIA Prep’s basketball program is in it’s second season on the court and in it’s first year under Coach Rudy King. The team is 29-11 as of Monday and according to school President Alif Muhammad had it’s best stretch to date in late January/early February when they beat Mack Academy and then went up to Rhode Island for the National Prep Showcase and beat Westwind Prep and Brewster, all of who were ranked high amongst the ESPN top prep school schools. The school has taken on a national schedule this season, playing a mix of traditional New England prep powers as well as the top programs in New Jersey, including Paterson Catholic and St. Anthony’s. NIA Prep owns a two-game season sweep over a loaded Brewster Academy team, which recently captured the NEPSAC Class A championship.

The team right now has several Big East caliber players with the best of those right now being Jamir Hanner, according to Muhammad.

Read on for more on NIA Prep, including recruiting updates on 2011 prospects Shaquille Thomas and Kelvin Amayo who are both highly coveted by Big East programs. To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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NEPSAC PLAYOFF NOTES

by PAT STEVENS (patstevensbasketball.com)

It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 as Brewster Academy faces Winchendon School with Big East signees C.J. Fair (Syracuse) and Markus Kennedy (Villanova) leading their teams into the NEPSAC Class A Championship on Sunday. Fair and Brewster beat St. Thomas More, 92-61, while Kennedy and Winchendon topped Northfield Mount Hermon, 91-77, on Friday in the semi-final match-ups.

In the Class B final, Gerard Coleman (Providence) leads top-seed Tilton in its championship defense when it faces Marianopolis. Coleman scored 32 points in Tilton’s semi-final win over Hotchkiss, 76-65. Marianopolis knocked off St. Andrew’s and Michael Carter-Williams (2011 Syracuse commit), who scored 23 points in the 58-48 loss.

In Class C, Nate Lubick (Georgetown) and St. Mark’s will meet Lawrence Academy and Shabazz Napier, one of the country’s top point guards in the junior class. Lawrence won the team’s lone head-to-head match-up back in mid-December, 76-72 at home.

The three championships take place at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass and begin at 2pm with Class C.

MERNAGH: MR. GIBBS ALL ABOUT BUSINESS – PC FEELS DAGGER

Basketball isn’t always fair.

Providence came into the Peterson Events Center having lost eight straight games. Mid-January is the last time Keno Davis’ group tasted victory. Last night, behind the athleticism and power of Jamine ‘Greedy’ Peterson (24 points and 18 rebounds) the Friars smelled it. Smelled it enough that they were licking their lips in anticipation — this win was going to be extra special going down the hatch. Only one thing remained to get it.

Up 71-70, Providence needed a stop (and that’s been a problem for the Friars all year).

They needed to prevent Pittsburgh from going the length of the court in 3.5 seconds.

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ANGEL NUNEZ IMPRESSED WITH SYRACUSE VISIT, TALKS RECRUITING

2011 forward prospect has checked out several Big East schools, wants to see Pitt, Kentucky, UL and UConn

by JEFF BORZELLO

A record crowd was in the Carrier Dome last Saturday night to watch Syracuse knock off Villanova and take control of the Big East standings.

The electric atmosphere that was heightened by the ESPN Gameday crew and an NCAA on-campus crowd of 34,616 added to the excitment and the Orange staff took full advantage by using the festivities as a recruiting tool bringing in several highly touted recruits.

One of those in attendance was 2011 prospect Angel Nunez, a 6-7 native New Yorker now playing at Winchendon Prep (Mass.).

“It was fun. The atmosphere was overwhelming,” Nunez said. “I went with [Winchendon teammate] Khem Birch.”

Nunez talked to NBE last night about his trip to Syracuse and his thoughts on recruiting, which included his interest in visiting other schools such as Pitt, Kentucky, Louisville and UConn in the future and what he will be looking for in his future college home. To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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CLEVELAND MELVIN PARTS WAYS WITH UCONN

Baltimore native backs off verbal commitment with the Huskies

by JEFF BORZELLO

6-foot-7 forward Cleveland Melvin and Connecticut have parted ways, Notre Dame Prep head coach Ryan Hurd confirmed to the NBE Basketball Report.

“[It was a] mutual decision,” Hurd said Thursday night. “[He] wants to be a wing. UConn wanted him to play the four. No hard feelings either way.”

Melvin announced his commitment to the Huskies back in November, choosing them over DePaul, Memphis, Seton Hall and South Florida.

The athletic senior currently does not have a new list of schools.

“[It] just happened,” Hurd said. “Maybe in the next day or so.”

The story was first reported by Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com.

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