Matt Whitfield

CLASS OF 2015 INTRO: TERRENCE PHILLIPS

By Matt Whitfield

One of the more intriguing prospects at this past weekend’s National High School Hoops Festival at DeMatha High School was Oak Hill sophomore guard Terrence Phillips. Phillips is not yet a known commodity in the recruiting world, but expect that to change in the future as he is the half-brother of former Oak Hill standout and current Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Jennings.

“I’m a little different from Brandon,” Phillips told NBE over the weekend. “I’m not much of a scorer. I do the little things. I know how to take charges, get the rebounds, and just do the little things out there.”

Only a sophomore and playing on one of the best teams in the nation, Phillips played sparingly in Saturday night’s loss to Paul VI (VA). However, when Phillips did play you could see his confident demeanor on the court. Phillips, who measures in at 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, made crisp passes and looked very poised on the court.
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CLASS OF 2015 INTRO: MONTAQUE GILL-CAESAR

By Matt Whitfield

Rob Fulford’s Huntington Prep basketball machine has the biggest name in the high school and prep ranks with Class of 2013 superstar Andrew Wiggins anchoring his team. However, Fulford now has another star waiting in the wings in Montaque Gill-Caesar.

Only a sophomore, the 6-foot-6 Gill-Caesar already has the body of a college freshman and the Canadian first caught the eye of NBE over the summer on the AAU trail with CIA Bounce at the Adidas Invitational. NBE’s Brian Bosworth was impressed with the relative unknown at the time as Gill-Caesar had a major breakout in a tough loss to the loaded Compton Magic 15U team. The small forward is a supreme athlete but doesn’t just rely on athleticism to dominate offensively and showed a wide variety of offensive weapons over the summer as he hit pull-up jumpers using 1-2 dribbles in both directions and looked both confident and comfortable doing so. We even saw him hit a 15-foot fadeaway from the low post and then he hammered in a tip-in dunk on the next possession. He looks like the next big star to come out of the well known Canadian AAU program and Huntington Prep looks to be the beneficiary in the states of his talent. He has decent reflexes and good wingspan for a player his size. Gill-Caesar describes himself as a slasher on the offensive end.
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STRONG 2015 CLASS IN DC AREA; BUT MARCUS DERRICKSON LEADS THE PACK

By Matt Whitfield

It has been quite a summer for Marcus Derrickson with Team Takeover DC. Playing with his AAU team as one of the elite programs in the 15U ranks he showed himself to be an elite player in the class. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward scored inside and out and even in the camp setting against players one and two years older at the Hoop Group Elite camp in July, he showed to be the best long term prospect NBE saw at the event.

Derrickson is a man amongst boys, even playing against older competition. Time and time again through the summer he toyed with defenders and at times looking his best as a facilitator from the post. Derrickson has the skill and strength to score at will from the block and the basketball IQ to get teammates involved by using his vision from the post to find shots for others. He easily played to his national top 10 ranking this summer and may even have room to move up as he is currently #8 in the NBE Class of 2015 Pre-July Live Period Top 15.

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‘THE TAKEOVER’ 2012 NATIONAL INVITATIONAL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

By Matt Whitfield

Keith Stevens and his staff at Team Takeover DC welcomed a solid line-up to Bowie (MD) over the weekend to close up the July Live Evaluation period with some showcase games. The family of Team Takeover teams highlighted the field as well as We R One, Team United, Team Melo and others.

NBE Sports was on hand to see many of the top teams on Saturday morning into early in the afternoon and we have a full notebook on recruiting information below.

TEAM UNITED DUO IN HIGH DEMAND

Team United has had a good run this spring and summer on the AAU trail. Much of the credit belongs to their top two players, Kennedy Meeks and Sindarius Thornwell. NBE Sports had the opportunity to talk with both on Saturday morning.

Meeks is a 6-foot-9, big-bodied and very skilled post player. All throughout the live period he displayed a great face-up game and established himself as the best passing big man out of high-major prospects. As for his recruitment, Meeks mentiones schools such as Georgetown, Read more

CATCHING UP WITH UCONN HALL OF FAME HEAD COACH JIM CALHOUN

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The Nike Global Challenge last week had a who’s who in the college basketball coaching fraternity present. With many new faces on the trail, one familiar face was known to all, that of Hall of Fame Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun. Just a few weeks past his 70th birthday the UConn icon was on the road recruiting trying to secure the future of Husky basketball. His presence is still noticed by high-caliber prospects.

“I saw Jim Calhoun sit down with Kevin Ollie [to watch my game] so that’s good,” highly regarded Class of 2013 forward Kuran Iverson told NBE Sports’ Matt Whitfield this weekend, reminding us all of the recruiting power Calhoun has brought to Storrs during his tenure.

With three national championships under his belt as well as producing 18 1st round NBA draft picks, 13 of which were selected in the lottery, recruits know that he has the track record of helping players reach their ultimate basketball goals. Read more

JULY EVALUATION PERIOD RECRUITING NOTEBOOK – PART I

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The opening July evaluation period has come to a close, ending on Sunday, giving players, coaches and media a short little break to catch their breath before doing it all again this week. NBE Sports spent time at the Lebron James Skills Academy (prior to the official opening of the evaluation period), Reebok Breakout Challenge, Hoop Group Elite Session II, Adidas Invitational, Reebok Showdown Championship, Nike Global Challenge and Nike Skills U in the past week. Hopefully everyone has enjoyed our coverage and we have greatly enjoyed bringing you news and notes from all the action.

Next up this week will be the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Championship at the Peach Jam. NBE will also be getting coverage of the Under Armour Summer Jam in Milwaukee (WI). In the meantime, here are some additional recruiting notes gathered by Matt Whitfield from his time bouncing back and forth between the Nike Global Challenge and Nike Skills U last weekend…

Kuran Iverson has had a fantastic spring and early summer, pushing his recruitment higher and higher as his stock has soared. Read more

2012 NIKE GLOBAL CHALLENGE — RECRUITING NOTES

The Nike Global Challenge got underway on Friday at Episcopal High School in Alexandria (VA). It was the place to be of this first 5-day July evaluation period for Division 1-A basketball coaches as John Calipari, Rick Pitino, Jim Calhoun, Tom Izzo, Tom Crean, Jay Wright, Buzz Williams, Jamie Dixon, Oliver Purnell, Fran Dunphy, Billy Donovan, Frank Martin, Lorenzo Romar, Tubby Smith, Mark Gottfried, Scott Drew, Sean Miller, Mike Rice, Kevin Willard and more were on hand during the games NBE took in.

These coaches were on hand to watch some of the best players in the world at the youth level. There are eight teams total competing in the Nike Global Challenge with three from the United States (East, West & Midwest) and one each from Brazil, Canada, Lithuania, Puerto Rico and China.

Here are some recruiting updates from six of the US players we were able to catch up with on Friday…

Anchoring the middle for USA-East is Class of 2013, 6-foot-8 big man Beejay Anya out of DeMatha/Team Takeover DC. In the 109-70 USA win, Anya scored 12 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 4 shots in a productive 24 minutes of action. Matt Whitfield was able to spend some time getting an update on the latest in his recruitment, which many seem to believe there is one school that is clearly the one to beat for his services, but not so fast according to Anya.

“It’s not the case [that Indiana] is the favorite,” Anya told Matt Whitfield on Friday. “They’re a school I like and I’ll go out there [to visit].”

The links between Anya and Indiana are pretty strong. AAU teammate Stanford Robinson committed to the Hoosiers shortly after Tom Cream added Kenny Johnson to his staff as an assistant, hiring Johnson away from Towson. Prior to working at Towson, Johnson was a coach with Team Takeover DC working with both Robinson and Anya.

“No, I think he’ll do a good job there, but it won’t really affect me that much,” Anya said of Johnson’s presence on the IU staff influencing his decision.

Indiana is just one of the top programs Anya is currently considering.

“Louisville, Kansas, Indiana, Syracuse, Maryland, Georgetown, Connecticut, Ohio State, Villanova, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, and the list goes on,” said Anya.
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A last minute replacement joining Anya on the USA-East squad was Austin Colbert, an athletic forward who chipped in 12 points (on 6-11 shooting) in 18 minutes of action.

Colbert, a New Jersey native, attended Hotchkiss (CT) School last season and there are some whispers that he could be headed back to the Garden State to finish up his high school career, possibly Gil St. Bernard’s, but no final decision has been made at this point. As for his recruitment, five schools have put themselves currently in the best position.

“I don’t have any officials planned yet,” Colbert told Matt Whitfield on Friday. “Even though I narrowed it down I’m still wide open. I’m still accepting offers and trying to get as many offers as I can.”

Currently he considered Florida, Baylor, Georgetown, Seton Hall and Texas as his top five with only the Longhorns yet to extend an offer at this point. Other schools are still trying to make their pitch, and it could pay off as Colbert admitted he is still willing to consider other schools.

“Illinois, Virginia and Oklahoma have texted me as of late,” he said.

One could not help but notice Seton Hall, led by head coach Kevin Willard, looking very interested in Colbert’s work this afternoon.
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Kennedy Meeks had a strong few days last week at the Lebron James Skills Academy in Vegas, but the Team United big man struggled playing for USA-West in an 87-77 loss at the hands of USA-Midwest in his first Nike Global Challenge outing. Meeks finished with just 4 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. His evening line (6 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists in 20 minutes) in a 98-69 in over Puerto Rico was much closer to the well-rounded game he showed in Sin City.

As for his recruitment, Meeks shared with NBE who is putting in the most effort with his recruitment of late.

“Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgetown, NC State [and] Louisville” was the answer when asked by Matt Whitfield who was recruiting him the hardest.

Meeks also shared that he would like to visit Indiana as one of his official visits in the fall.
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Kyle Washington, who was a teammate of Colbert’s this past season at Hotchkiss School, had a very impressive week last month at the NBPA Top 100 High School Camp on the campus of the University of Virginia. Between that camp and the Nike Global Challenge, Washington spent some time take a couple unofficial visits, including a trip to Notre Dame.

“It was a good visit,” Washington told NBE Friday. “I needed to go and see how I would fit into the community, how I’d fit into the program. It was a good visit overall. I know how Coach Brey feels about me, how Coach Solomon feels about me so it was good.”

The Minnesota native is playing things close to the vest these next few weeks, so he is holding off on naming schools that are on his list until after the live recruiting periods of July. He is enjoying the attention fromt he college coaches at his games.

“It feels great [to be watched by so many major coaches], but you just got to remain calm in what you do because that’s what they like you for. The schools are great. The fans are great, but in the end it’s just basketball.”

Washington is teaming up with Anya and Colbert for USA-East here at the Nike Global challenge and in their lopsided win over China he contributed 9 points while collecting a game-high 13 rebounds and also adding a game-best 5 assists in his 25 minutes of action.

While a list is not coming out quite yet, Washington did confirm that “Wisconsin is still recruiting me really hard.”
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Kameron Williams of Baltimore Elite was the leading scorer of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League this spring and he brought his offense with him this week as well, getting off to a quick start with 20 points in 23 minutes in the win over China for USA-East.

As for his recruitment, Williams shared with Matt Whitfield that he is hoping to make an early fall decision, either in September or October, and admitted the ACC is his favorite conference. He mentioned schools such as Dayton, VCU, Virginia Tech, Miami, Providence, Rutgers, Florida State, Boston College, NC State and Marquette in the mix currently for his services.
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Class of 2014 wing Theo Pinson showed off his impressive scoring touch, putting 9 points on the board in just 15 minutes of action for USA-East against China.

The youngster mentioned Louisville, North Carolina, Duke, Baylor, Florida State, Alabama, Indiana, Wake Forest, NC State, Syracuse, Seton Hall, DePaul, Tennessee, and others involved in the early process of his recruitment.

Pinson wants to work on the consistency of his jump shot and also improve defensively and on the boards to make himself a complete basketball player. He hopes that will lead to an aggressive recruitment from his favorite school growing up.

“My favorite school when I was young was Duke,” he said. “They said they were going to come watch me, so we’ll see.”

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’13 PF DEVIN WILLIAMS STILL WORKING THROUGH RECRUITING PROCESS

By Matt Whitfield

Despite having, by his estimate, over 70 Division 1-A scholarship offers, Devin Williams came into last week’s NBPA Top 100 High School Camp not being a household name for every recruiting junkie. Williams is a skilled big forward that can score inside the paint and out, and his 8.8 points per game average during the camp was example of that. At 6-fot-7 and 225 pounds he also causes matchup problems with his offensive versatility. He has a nice back to the basket scoring package. Williams is a good defensive rebounder and can make the right pass when the defense collapses on him. Those talents have rightfully so pbrought a lot of college coaches to look at him.

“UCLA, Xavier, DePaul, Duquesne, Florida, West Virginia,” rattled off Williams last week when asked which schools had offered him. “It’s a whole lot,” Williams added. “I have over 70 high major offers…that’s what I can remember off the top of my head.”

As far as visits Williams hasn’t fully indulged himself into the recruiting process at this point.
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AUSTIN COLBERT HEADING SOUTH FOR COLLEGE?

By Matt Whitfield

Austin Colbert has been in the high school basketball spotlight for many years. As a freshman playing on a loaded St. Patrick’s Celtics club in Elizabeth (NJ) with players such as Kyrie Irving and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Colbert saw serious time and made important contributions before a court ruling ended the Celtics’ season. Now going into his senior year, Colbert has seen his body transformed and is even more of a force on the floor.

“I’ve been in the weight room a little bit and I’ve seen the transition to when I play,” Colbert told NBE at the recently concluded NBPA Top 100 High School Basketball Camp. “I’ve been able to hold my own a little bit down in the post and force guys to go where I want them to go,” said Colbert.

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KENDAL HARRIS LOOKING TO MAKE UP FOR LOST TIME

By Matt Whitfield

Despite having good athleticism, work ethic and a brother who plays for the Miami Heat, Kendal Harris is one of the less talked about high major point guard prospects in the Class of 2013. Harris thinks that all might change soon due to a good NBA Top 100 Camp showing and being healthy this summer unlike the last and ready to play on the AAU circuit.

Harris’ brother Terrel Harris brother played for Oklahoma State in college and being from Texas not surprisingly Harris has a lot of the Big 12 schools on him, as well as others from coast to coast.

“USC, Marquette, Missouri, Washington State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Creighton, LSU, Virginia and TCU,” Harris mentioned as schools after him.
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NBPA TOP 100 HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL CAMP: RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (ALEXANDER, JENKINS, FRAZIER & MORE)

By Matt Whitfield

The NBPA Top 100 High School Basketball Camp for 2012 came to a conclusion at the University of Virginia late Saturday afternoon. Many of the top players from the Classes of 2013 and 2014 converged on Charlottesville since Wednesday and, as always, the competition was top-notch.

Below are some additional recruiting notes from some of the players NBE Sports was able to talk with during the camp.

CLIFF ALEXANDER TAKING HIS TIME

Entering the camp one of the hottest names in the recruiting landscape had been Cliff Alexander, a Class of 2014 C/PF from Curie High School in Chicago. The 6-foot-9 Alexander recently had an impressive showing at the Pangos All-American camp and quickly solidified himself among the elite prospects in the class.

Alexander played well this week at UVA, averaging 9 points and 6.6 rebounds a game, the rebounding number was good for the third highest average of the entire camp of 110 players.
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NBPA TOP 100 HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL CAMP: RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (SINA, LAWRENCE, MUDIAY & MORE)

By Matt Whitfield

Throughout the day on Friday NBE Basketball Report caught up with many of the top players at the 2012 NBPA Top 100 High School Basketball Camp on the beautiful campus at Virginia University. Here are some of the recruiting notes gathered from conversations with the players.

Jermaine Lawrence Indicated a Top 3 School List

Jermaine Lawrence has had an impressive spring on the AAU trail and may people were excited to see him in action against other top players in the Class of 2013. Unfortunately Lawrence is out of action because of a wrist injury, but he expects to be back in action at full health by the time July rolls around.

Entering the camp there was some murmurs that Mike Rice and Rutgers had positioned themselves into the lead for his services. While Lawrence said that was not quite the case, Scarlet Knight fans should rest assured they are very much in the mix for the 6-foot-7 forward who attends Pope John XXIII.
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WITH HIGH SCHOOL CAREER COMPLETE, ANTHONY BENNETT WILL TURN ATTENTION TO RECRUITING

The trend of high-end prospects in college basketball recruiting is to make their college decisions later and later in recent years. The Class of 2012 is taking that trend to new heights, so to speak, with as many as four of the top 10 players n the country still undecided as we move into April. One such prospect is Findlay Prep’s Anthony Bennett, a 6-foot-8 power forward and native of Brampton, Ontario.

Bennett, who ran on the summer AAU circuit with CIA Bounce, is an imposing force on the basketball court. He violently attacks the rim with strong finishes and his athletic ability is impressive for a player his size and strength. He has also shown the ability to hit from three-point range and his potential almost seems limitless at the power forward position at the college level. He continues to improve his skill level making him an even more dangerous offensive player.

This past weekend Bennett helped his Findlay Prep Pilots win the National High School Invitational in Bethesda, Md. with a thrilling 86-83 overtime win against Montverde. The Pilots trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before rallying. Bennett, the tournament’s MVP, chipped in with 13 points and eight rebounds in the championship contest.
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FINDLAY PREP RALLIES PAST MONTVERDE FOR NHSI CHAMPIONSHIP

Pilots rally from as many as 16 down late to win in overtime

By Matt Whitfield

In a match-up of titans Montverde Academy squared off versus Findlay Prep in the National High School Invitational in Bethesda, Md. Montverde was looking to repeat as NHSI Champions as Findlay Prep was looking for their third title in four years.

Kasey Hill was on early for Montverde hitting several layups and netting a three point shot to help put Montverde up 14-4. Early on Anthony Bennett was fairly non existent, playing against an almost equally athletic and taller Landry Nnoko and seemed a little tired from all his travels and games in the previous days before. A give and go from Amedeo Della Valle to Winston Shepard gave Findlay life as it was 19-11 Montverde near the end of the quarter. Then Nigel Williams-Goss was fouled on his made shot in the paint and hit the bonus to end the quarter as Montverde lead 21-14.

Michael Enanga started the 2nd quarter with an errant dunk attempt for Montverde. However Patrick Garino’s, bucket near the three point line made it a 23-14 Montverde game. Anthony Bennett awoke finally and dunked on Landry Nnoko. Bennett, however had a couple choice words for Landry Nnoko and a technical was assessed as Montverde lead 25-18. Then Kasey Hill’s two point shot made it 27-18. Then a three ball from Miguel Cartagena gave them a 30-19 lead. Montverde seemed more focused and energized as they continued this trend and walked into the lockers at the half up 38-28. Montervede had held at least a seven point lead for the overwhelming majority of the game up to this point.

Both teams tightened up on defense in the third quarter. However, four three point baskets, two of which came from Michael Fraizer led to a seemingly insurmountable 54-39 lead going into the fourth quarter as Montverde looked to be closing in on becoming repeat NHSI Champions.

Brandon Ashley seem poised to trim the Montverde lead, but Patrick Garino’s, dunk off a steal from Kasey Hill seemed to end the game near the five minute mark as Montverde lead 65-49. However, Findlay Prep would not go away and would go on a run from here as they cut the Montverde lead to shreds as they employed a full court press. Montverde had trouble on the inbounds pass and several times turned the ball over to Findlay, which resulted in key Findlay points. Brandon Ashley’s two free throws tied the game with less than thirty seconds left. Kasey Hill had a chance to win the game as the fourth quarter expired, but his three point shot was off.

While much of the first four quarters had seen the game go in Montverde’s favor overtime was neck and neck. Anthony Bennent’s dunk put Findlay up 82-80 with just over a minute left. They seemed poised to capitalize off this especially after an awful three point attempt. However, the shot went off Brandon Ashley and out of bounds. Brendan Boyle then hit a nothing but net three point shot. Nigel Williams-Goss responded, however with a floater to put Findlay up 84-83. After a pair of made free throws for Findlay, Brendan Boyle had a chance to tie the game at the end on a thee point shot off an in-bounds pass with 1.2 seconds left, but his shot feel short. Miguel Cartagena kicked the ball off the court in disgust as Findlay had done the unthinkable as they won the game by a final of 86-83.

After the game Kevin Boyle was understandably dejected, “Without question [this has to be one of my toughest losses]. With the magnitude of a game, you’re playing Findley, it’s obviously a bitter defeat. You’re up 15/16 with five minutes left. It’s a game you should be able to come out make shots, handle the ball. We had 4 guards on the court, but like I said we played a little cautious.”

CLASS OF 2014 GUARD JA’QUAN NEWTON RECEIVING HEAVY INTEREST

By Matt Whitfield

John Mosco, the Assistant Coach at Philadelphia’s Neumann-Goretti High School has seen his share of high major Division-One players come through the Saints program; Scoop Jardine, Tony Chenault, and others. Ja’Quan Newton, an active combo guard is likely the next to follow in this trend. Newton is only a sophomore, but he has certainly has impressed this season as Neumann-Goretti is currently in the Pennsylvania State playoffs.

‘He has a chance to be one of the better ones [to come out of Neumann Goretti] because he just flat out scores and gets to the hole at will,” said Mosco.

Newton currently already has several high major offers.

“He has Wake Forest, Virginia, Boston College, Rutgers, Villanova, Temple and St. Joe’s,” said Mosco.

Local schools Rutgers, Villanova and Temple are all on hot on Newton’s trail too, but Mosco thinks Newton can play wherever.

“I think he could go anywhere to be honest. He doesn’t have to stay in [Philadelphia]. It’s not just staying locally [as a main factor in his recruitment]. He would like to have his mom and dad watch him play, but I don’t think he’s stuck on staying home.”

However, at this stage Mosco feels Newton needs to work on his jump shot to ensure that he is that high major player that he is expected to be.

“He needs to work on his jump shot to really be that high major player. If he could shoot it a little better it would really help him…but his athleticism is still really coming along. He’s still only a sophomore.”

Mosco added, “Carl [Arrigale], our Head Coach, thinks he can be a great two-way player defending the ball. He’s got long arms and he can play both sides of the floor.”

NBE will certainly see Ja’Quan Newton a lot this summer as he will be playing for Team Final. We expect to see many college coaches also checking out his development on the road and we will report back often on his developing recruitment.

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JENKINS, BRITT HAVE GONZAGA POISED FOR WCAC PLAYOFF RUN

By Matt Whitfield

Gonzaga Head Coach Steve Turner feels good about his team with the playoffs in the WCAC set to begin this week.

“I think we’re having a tremendous season. I’m excited where we are. I think what a lot of people don’t understand is we’re sitting at 24-4 and in 28 games I haven’t played one game with my whole arsenal.”

Nate Britt, Gonzaga’s star Class of 2013 point guard who is verbally committed to North Carolina is one of the players who has sat out some games due to an injury this season, however when he has played he has often been lights out.
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OBSERVATIONS FROM GEORGETOWN/RUTGERS

By Matt Whitfield

A paid attendence of 12,852 saw No. 10 Georgetown rally late to edge upset-minded Rutgers Saturday at the Verizon Center. An Eli Carter three-pointer gave the Scarlet Knights a 50-45 with 2:35 to play in the second half. The Hoyas would finish the game on a 7-0 run with freshman Otto Porter scoring the last six of those points, including two free throws with 8 seconds left to lift Georgetown to victory. Here are my observations from the game…

Rutgers distributes the ball fairly well. Players from Rutgers often continuously move the rock on the offensive side setting up many open looks or decent shots. Knocking down the shots proved difficult as RU shot just 37.7% (20-53) from the field and only four of seven from the foul line.
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NATIONAL HOOPS FESTIVAL RECRUITING REPORT

On Saturday, Matt Whitfield made the trip to Hyattsville (MD) and DeMatha High School for the 2011 National Hoops Festival event. The early season event is typically one of the favorite stops for NBE on the December schedule and this year did not disappoint with several powerhouse programs headlining the event with a very solid day of action on the court. Here is the scoreboard from Saturday’s contests:

–Bullis 62, Riverdale Baptist 59
–Episcopal 44, Benedictine 38
–Paul VI 65, West Charlotte 58
–Oak Hill 68, Grace Prep 59
–DeMatha 83, Jamesville-Dewitt 57

NBE was able to catch up with players such as Kennedy Meeks, Beejay Anya, Stanford Robinson, Jordan Mickey, RJ Curington, Emmanuel Mudiay and more. See below for the latest in recruiting updates form many of the top uncommitted players participating on Saturday…

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JUSTIN ANDERSON WILL MAKE IMMEDIATE IMPACT AT VIRGINIA

By Matt Whitfield

Surely the average, non-basketball fan might mistake the chiseled Justin Anderson for a sophomore or a junior in college. The baby-faced Anderson, however, is a high school basketball prodigy in his senior year at Montrose Christian in Rockville (MD). Anderson has the potential to follow in the footsteps of Grevis Vasquez and Kevin Durant as he takes his game to the ACC after playing for Stu Vetter as the biggest prize of coach Tony Bennett’s tenure at Virginia.

Before he begins to make an impact in the ACC, Anderson is looking forward to his senior season as he takes on the role of team leader this year.

“It feels good to finally become the leader of my team,” said Anderson. “I think we have potential to be really good like in the past and I can’t wait to lead my team hopefully to another national title.”
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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: ANTHONY BENNETT HOLDING LIST STEADY, CHINONSO OBOKOH TAKING VISITS & SCHOOLS WATCH YOUNG LAMONTA STONE

The big news of the college basketball recruiting world was delivered by St. Anthony’s senior guard Kyle Anderson who ended the speculation of his college destination with a simple announcement via twitter:

RT @KyleAnderson5 -Had a great family meeting. I’ve decided to be a UCLA BRUIN!!

Anderson’s announcement came on the eve of his birthday, the planned date of his college decision. Seton Hall (tickets) head coach Kevin Willard had made one last pitch to Anderson and his family with an in-home visit, but it was not enough in the end for the Pirates to land the recruiting coup of the early Fall.

While the Anderson story was unfolding, NBE was also able to get recruiting updates on ’12 forward Anthony Bennett, ’13 big man Chinonso Obokoh and ’15 point guard LaMonta Stone II.

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