Georgia Tech Recruiting

RYAN ARCIDIACONO ADDS TWO MORE OFFERS

While it has been just over three months since Ryan Arcidiacono blew up nationally with a strong spring performance on the AAU circuit with the PA Playaz, NBE has been following the class of 2012 guard out of Neshaminy (PA) for quite some time. It came as no surprise to us when Arcidiacono blew became the talk of the Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions back on Memorial Day weekend with his gritty toughness and ability to raise the play of his entire team. We have been seeing him do the same time and time again since June of 2009 when we first began writing about him as one of the top prospects in this rising junior class.

Arcidiacono still might not be the household name he deserves to be, but that is definitely changing as his recruitment continues to rise toward the level of the top players in the class. Recently two more Big East offers came his way and some of the elite teams nationally are lining up to take a look at him at open gyms coming up later this month.

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

Read more

ERIC KATENDA PLANNING 2 ACC OFFICIAL VISITS

Uncommitted 2011 forward has Big East, Big 10 and others in pursuit

By Matt Whitfield

Eric Katenda showed to be one of the top remaining uncommitted forwards in the Class of 2011 this spring. However, unlike most high school players entering their senior year, Katenda didn’t spend many summer days traveling around the country playing basketball, he spent them in a bed recovering after getting his appendix removed and recovering from tendinitis.

“I was in the hospital for a month,” Katends said. “I got out around July….but now my knees feeling a lot better and I’m starting to play again and I got my weight back up to 215.”

Katenda just started working out again a week ago, but he says is feeling well and he is working out twice a day.

“I’m doing good now. I’m working every day, twice a day,” said Katenda.

Katenda had been a fairly highly regarded recruit who drew offers from several national powers and interest from several Big East programs. But, with his injury and lack of exposure this summer, Katenda has seen a lot of schools stop calling.

“A lot of schools stopped talking to me since I didn’t play this summer, so now I’m just looking at schools that want me and kept talking to me even though I didn’t play this summer.”

Still, it is an impressive list of schools that Katenda is considering.

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

Read more

BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: FIVE-STAR CAMP NOTES

On Sunday Matt Whitfield of NBE ventured to Brewster (NY) for the invite-only Five-Star Super Session at the Brewster Sports Center. Top rising sophomores, juniors and seniors from the Northeast and a few high-level “out-of-towners” participated in the two-day camp which concluded with an Orange/White All-Star game Sunday afternoon.

In addition to games and skill instruction with Five-Star’s innovative and historic teaching stations, the mental aspect of the game and success was also covered as campers spent three-sessions with sports psychologist and performance coach Dr. Pam Brill who authored the book, The Winner’s Way. Dr. Brill covered strategies to players that will help them reduce mental clutter, frustration with teamates and coaches and how to perform under pressure.

In this recruiting notebook, players such as DeAngelo Harrsion (2011), Tyler Harris (2011), Myles Davis (2011?), Vaughn Gray (2011), Mike Young (2013), Jabarie Hinds (2011), Shaquille Thomas (2011) and Reggie Cameron (2013) talk about recruiting, offers, visits and more. You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read the recruiting notes on all of those players. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: NJ PLAYAZ EDITION

Jimmy Salmon spends time talking about summer hoops, NJ basketball and recruiting with NBE

by RAY MERNAGH

The New Jersey Playaz are always a relevant program on the grassroots scene and that was no different this year as they tore through most of the inaugural Nike Elite Youth Basketball League season this spring and summer. Playaz head honcho Jimmy Salmon laughed when I asked him his thoughts on the Nike EYBL league and the change to a league-type format vs the old format.

“We went 13-1,” said Salmon, “so I’m not gonna complain when we won 99% of our games in it! To get a better gauge you might need to ask some of the teams that were 500.”

Point taken.

One of Salmon’s better players, Derrick Randall, recently decided to end his recruitment and verbally committed to new Rutgers coach Mike Rice. In Salmon’s mind the deciding factor on Randall deciding RU was the perfect fit was the relationship the power forward developed with Rice.

“Derrick and Mike are identical people,” said Salmon, “they’re both high energy and happy guys who become extremely intense about basketball. Mike was able to convey that to Derrick and now Derrick, who’s very popular among his peers, is trying to recruit everybody to Rutgers!”

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of Jimmy Salmon’s thoughts on the local college basketball programs of Seton Hall, Rutgers and St. John’s and their coaching changes and he also discusses many of the top players who played in his program this season including Myles Mack, Myles Davis, Desmond Hubert, Kyle Anderson, Vaughn Gray and more. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (8/18/2010)

Many top prospects in the class of 2011 continue to work their way through the recruiting process towards their college decisions. One player doing so is Greg Lewis, a 6-foot-9 big man out of Baltimore. Lewis checked in with NBE earlier today and updated us on his recruitment, which includes leaders from the Big East and ACC and one official visit set for early September. We also caught up with a pair of 2012 prospects, Daniel Dingle of St. Raymond’s in New York City and James Robinson of DeMatha in Hyattsville (MD) for the latest in their recruitment as they will likely be hot commodities on the east coast for the 2012 class.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read today’s jam-packed Basketball Recruiting Notebook for August 17, 2010. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (8/17/2010)

The recruiting landscape is in full flux right now as dominos fall left and right in the class of 2011. Over the next several weeks we will try to keep a regular Recruiting Notebook to keep readers up to date on the latest news of offers, visits and other news on recruits from the classes of 2011, 2012 and 2013 as the summer AAU season is now complete and the recruiting news picks up speed. Players in the class of 2011 will be setting up official visits in the coming weeks for the fall while college coaches will hit the road to conduct in-home visits with their top targets for 2011 and hit gyms to watch workouts of players in that class as well as the younger players.

Today we hit the ground running with updates on 2012 prospects Dominique Bull who has picked up new interest after helping BABC win the 16-U AAU National Title, Bull’s AAU teammate Georges Niang also updates NBE on new offers as he is also making an unofficial visit today. One of the top players in the 2012 class is J-Mychal Reese and he has picked up a few new offers recently and we also touch base with Jevon Thomas, Chris Hill and get updates on prep school destinations of Jeremiah Davis (2011) and Anthony Bennett (2012) for this fall.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read today’s jam-packed Basketball Recruiting Notebook for August 17, 2010. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

NYC SUMMER CLASSIC PLAYER & RECRUITING NOTES

BY JEFF BORZELLO

BRONX, N.Y. – After a busy July live period in which NBE was front and center at events across the country – from the King City Classic and LeBron camp to the Peach Jam and the Adidas Invitational, and from Las Vegas and the Desert Duel to the AAU Super Showcase/Nationals and various Hoop Group events – the NYC Summer Classic at Fordham University was the perfect way to cap the period. The top teams from the area were in attendance at the one-day event, and even teams like Expressions (R.I.) and East Coast Elite (Del.) came. Although some of the marquee players took the day off to rest, there was still plenty of talent and competition in the Bronx on Saturday.

Khem Birch, 2012, Expressions: Birch has really developed over the past several months, and his ranking among the top-10 players in his class is well-deserved. He is extremely long and athletic, and he can run the floor as well as any big man in the class. He blocks shots and rebounds well, at both ends of the floor. Offensively, he is solid in the high post with his passing ability, and his length and athleticism give him an edge on the offensive boards.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more on our coverage from Fordham, including the evolution of Birch’s recruitment as he has exploded up the 2012 rankings. Plus the same on Ricardo Ledo, Angel Nunez (who gives info on his leaders), Derek Millinghous and more on Myles Mack, Reggie Cameron, Jason Boswell, Davontay Grace and others. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

NO TOP FIVE FOR RYAN ARCIDIACONO YET

Father of 2012 guard prospect refutes report of an early top five

It has been a very big spring and summer AAU season for 2012 guard Ryan Arcidiacono of Neshaminy High School in Pennsylvania. Playing with the PA Playaz, Arcidiacono shined at the Bob Gibbons TOC over Memorial Day weekend where, despite receiving stitches over his right eye before a game, he took over with a full arsenal of scoring ability on the offensive end. The big performances continued to the Rumble in the Bronx where he carried his Pa Playaz team into the U-16 final and his 39-point performance in one of the playoff rounds was evidence of how he can control an outcome.

With the breakout performances has come a lot of recruiting attention and he was a very popular player on the July evaluation scene for college coaches. A report appeared on the world wide web today that he has a top five list of college options that include Florida, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Boston College and Georgia Tech. According to his father, however, that is not entirely accurate.

“They are all good schools but it was a quick list,” Joe Arcidiacono told NBE’s Matt Whitfield via text this evening. “It is early and there really is not [a] solid list…yet.”

Mr. Arcidiacono also mentioned the two Big East programs in their home state of Pennsylvania should not be counted out either.

Pitt [and] ‘Nova are also in [the] mix,” he said. “No offers from either.”

We look forward to following Ryan Arcidiacono this fall and beyond as he will be one of the most heavily recruited players in the class of 2012 in the Northeast and nationally.

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

Sports fans should also visit StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online for tickets to any NCAA event or NBA, MLB, NHL game or UFC, WWE or concert tickets at an arena near you this spring.

WILTJER NOT CUTTING LIST; CARSON NOT NAMING FAVORITE

Jeff Borzello follows up on reports on two of the West’s top 2011 prospects and their recruitment

A report Wednesday morning stated that 2011 NBE Top 100 prospect Kyle Wiltjer had trimmed his list to Gonzaga, California, Oregon and Kansas.

However, the 6-foot-9 forward denied the report.

“Not true,” Wiltjer told Jeff Borzello Wednesday afternoon from the Double Pump Best of the Summer Classic in California. “Won’t start narrowing down schools until after this tourney.”

He said he is considering Washington, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Connecticut, Kentucky, Wake Forest and Texas, in addition to the aforementioned four of Gonzaga, Cal, Oregon and Kansas.

“Everyone’s equal at this point,” Wiltjer said.

You can read the rest of Jeff’s story HERE, at his MarchMadnessAllSeason blog.

Also out west, Jahii Carson has been making some news. After decommitting from Oregon State right before the spring AAU season, Carson has seen his recruitment skyrocket to new levels.

The 5-foot-10 Mesa (Ariz.) point guard has been outstanding for the Compton Magic in AAU tournaments during the spring and summer, and has also impressed at various camps.

With new interest comes increased media coverage, though, and Carson now has to refute incorrect rumors. A report earlier in the week stated that Carson had named UCLA as his leader.

However, Carson Refutes Report, Has No Leader.

“[It’s] not all the way true,” he told MarchMadnessAllSeason on Tuesday. “I have no leader. I’m still wide-open, but I like UCLA a lot.”

Carson said simply mentioning the Bruins first led some to believe he had named them as his frontrunner.

“Probably because I said UCLA first before all schools, and then I talked about their tradition,” he said.

In addition to UCLA, Carson also lists Arizona, North Carolina, Arizona State, UNLV, Washington, Alabama, Butler, USC, Oregon State and Oregon.

“Right now, they’re all tied.”

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

Sports fans should also visit StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online for tickets to any NCAA event or NBA, MLB, NHL game or UFC, WWE or concert tickets at an arena near you this spring.

ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART V

On Tuesday champions were crowned in the 17-U AAU Super Showcase as bracket play began in the 16-U AAU nationals and pool play started in the 17-U AAU nationals. The big trophy went to the local Each 1 Teach 1 squad as Austin Rivers, Trevor Lacey and company defeated the St. Louis Eagles by the score of 78-60 in game shown by ESPNU. In the Silver Bracket, it was East Coast Elite/Delaware Panthers taking the crown. A couple of the big names for ECE included Pittsburgh-commit Jaylen Bond and uncommitted 2011 big man Malcolm Gilbert.

Alex Schwartz again checks in from Orlando and you can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Orlando as he details the performance of Bond, Andre Drummond, Mike Tobey, Jevon Thomas and Daiquan Walker, with detailed recruiting updates on Derrick Wilson, Jacob Lawson and Bishop Daniels are all detailed below. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART IV

Tuesday in Orlando has the 17-U AAU National Championship pool play tip-off as well as the 17-U Super Showcase championship being settled in the Gold Bracket this evening between Each 1 Teach 1 and St. Louis Eagles. The Silver Bracket laso had their semifinals this morning with championship game slated for a little later on.

Yesterday was the Austin Rivers show as the local standout reminded all that might have forgotten, or simply did not know, that Rivers is G-O-O-D. Alex Schwartz had a very short player eval on Rivers’ semifinal performance yesterday: WOW. ‘Nuff said.

Alex Schwartz again checks in from Orlando and you can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Orlando as he runs down additional impressive performances from Monday by Chris Walker, James Robinson, Steve Mondu-Missi and Matt Costello with the latest on the recruiting front on Costello and Julian Royal, all of which is covered below in detail. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART III

The 17-U Super Showcase is down to their final eight in the Gold Bracket after Sunday night’s action. The quarterfinals tip off on Monday morning with the St. Louis Eagles taking on Long Island Lightning and Team Takeover facing Team Next (NYC) at 9:25 AM with the winners meeting in the semifinals at 3 PM. The other half of the bracket features the Georgia Blazers and Showtime Ballers in one match-up at 10:50 AM with Each 1 Teach 1 and Westchester Hawks (who did beat the SYF Players) meeting in the other quarterfinal and the winners collide at 4:30 in the other semifinal at the Milkhouse

Earlier today the 16-U Super showcase winner was crowned as Baltimore Elite edged All-Ohio Red, 58-57, in the Gold Bracket championship game. In the Sliver Bracket it was the Martin Brothers taking the title game over Each 1 Teach 1.

Alex Schwartz again checks in from Orlando and you can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Orlando as we run down the impressive performances of Austin Rivers, Shane Larkin, Branden Dawson, Victor Nickerson and J-Mychal Reese and update the recruitment of Tony Parker, Elijah Macon, Dawson and Aaron Thomas, all of which is covered below in detail. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART II

While Ray Mernagh has an early wake-up call and a long day of travel tomorrow to reach sunny Orlando for the end of the 17-U AAU Showcase and the Nationals to follow, Alex Schwartz continues to keep us up to date in the meantime.

With the 17-U Super Showcase getting in full swing Saturday, some more familiar names are in this update. Recruiting updates are found on elite 2011 PF/C Johnny O’Bryant who has a final list of nine schools under consideration, 2011 PG Angel Rodriguez has some impressive offers and a leader out of the Big 12 while productive PF George Fant updates his growing list of schools today. You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Orlando as we also run down the performances of Nick Faust, Trey Burke, Julian Royal, Jacob Lawson and O’Bryant as well. All of which is covered below in detail. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART I

Most of the college basketball world has their eyes sent on Las Vegas and Orlando this weekend as the live recruiting period to close July is underway. The Division I college coaches are back on the road from July 22 – July 31 and these are the two top destinations for college coaches this time around.

In Orlando at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex is a series of events, including the AAU National Champions and Super Showcases of various age groups. While the 17-U Super Showcase and National Championship gets going a little later in the stay, some other champions were crowned today, including the CP3 All-Stars capturing the 15-U Gold Championship in that age group’s Super Showcase behind the dominating play of Rodney Purvis.

Here are some additional news and notes from the event as Alex Schwartz has kept NBE up to date on the action throughout the day…

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Orlando as we take a look at Julius Randle (2013), Quinten Payne (2013), Anthony Bennett (2012), Dominique Bull (2012) and Neville Fincher (2012) and detailed recruiting updates from Payne, Braxton Obgueze and Evan Nolte. All of which is covered below in detail. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

DAY ONE VEGAS RUNDOWN

Solid, not spectacular, summarizes the opening day of second live period in Las Vegas

By Raphielle Johnson

With the beginning of the second 10-day open evaluation period of July tipping off Thursday, teams and coaches descended upon Las Vegas with more than just bright lights in mind. Time was spent at the two major tournaments in Sin City, the adidas Super 64 and the Las Vegas Fab 48, but unfortunately the spectacular performances you hope to see did not come with the first day of action. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, with many players putting forth solid showings in front of a who’s who of college coaches. Opening up super pool play in the Super 64 was the matchup between the New England Playaz and Dream Vision, featuring two of the nation’s better players in the class of 2012 with Alex Murphy and Shabazz Muhammad.

Neither of the two headliners had the best of games, and to be honest the officiating had as much to do with the lack of flow to the game as the players (if not more). Murphy showed off his versatility despite the fact that his outside shot wasn’t falling. The rising junior doesn’t force the issue on offense and can score around the basket with both hands. The player currently in college that comes to mind is Kyle Singler in regards to overall skill set, and as Murphy matures physically (adding some muscle to his frame) he’s only going to get better.

Muhammad is an outstanding athlete, as many already know, and this was rather apparent on occasions when he was able to get his own offensive rebound for a basket. His second jump was quicker than his opponents, and his athleticism also serves its purpose on the defensive end. He’s a capable perimeter shooter but didn’t display much in this area against the Playaz but it’s no secret that the Las Vegas native can get the job done. Point blank, Muhammad has no limits on which school he’ll attend for college.

Read more

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (7/19/2010)

*********Follow NBE Sports on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NBESports*****

As we try to catch our breath a little bit from the first July live recruiting period, lets try and update readers on some News & Notes from around the Big East and college basketball recruiting. matt Whitfield got a couple tidbits from Vaughn Gray, Durand Johnson and the father of Ryan Arcidiacono over the weeked and updates the latest recruiting on each. Also, the standoff between Providence and Joseph Young continues, Quincy Miller, Yogi Ferrell and Kenny Kaminski are updated in sotries below. Rutgers is in good shape with a 2012 Nigerian wing as well.

Around the league there is a good story on Roburt Sallie and his travels that have brought him to Louisville. Still no official word on the status of Rashad Bishop at UC, but reading between the lines it might be encouraging that he will be back with the Bearcats. Aslo, UC adds an assistant and Cashmere Wright has some minor surgery on an injured knee. Marquette adds a walk-on transfer, Pitt is preparing for a trip to Ireland and getting a head start on the 2010-2011 season with high expectations. UConn’s Kevin Ollie is getting back into the college game and the program prepares to answer NCAA allegations. Notre Dame has two players finding themselves in a little trouble and former Marquette commit DJ Newbill has decided on his next home for college basketball.

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

Read more

NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM: DAY TWO

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – The finals of the inaugural NIKE Elite Youth Basketball League at the NIKE Peach Jam continued on Tuesday, as the 24 teams battled to finish in the top two spots in each group, which are the only places to advance. By the end of the day, only two teams – Team Takeover DC and the Oakland Soldiers – were undefeated, but plenty of clubs were still in contention for a playoff berth. Surprisingly, the regular-season champs, the NJ Playaz, were only 2-2 through two days and are unlikely to advance. Howard Pulley and Each One Teach One, also pool winners, are both 1-3. The heated competition to finish in the top two led to a great day two of action.

There are evals of players such as Mikael Hopkins, Amir Williams, Kyle Anderson, Anthony Davis, George Fant, AJ Hammons, Jevon Thomas and more along with recruiting updates from Trey Burke, who lists a top three, Jarnell Stokes, James Robinson, Justin Anderson, Jerami Grant, Kevin Johnson, who has two leaders, and many, many more from Day Two of the Nike EYBL championship pool play.

Related article: Nike EYBL Peach Jam: Day One

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from North Augusta (SC) and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM: DAY ONE

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – Annually, the best event of the summer is the NIKE Peach Jam – a collection of 24 of the best NIKE-sponsored AAU teams in one spot. This year, it took on added importance, as it was the culmination of a four-event tournament that spanned three months and four cities. The top 20 teams from the Elite Youth Basketball League in Hampton, Va., Houston and Los Angeles joined four wildcard teams and headed to the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta, S.C. In other words, the best event got even better. Throw in a U-16 division with 16 of the best teams in the country, and the Peach Jam continued to stand above the rest. You can visit the Nike EYBL website for schedules, scores and boxscores from all the games Here.

Below is our look at some of the opening day standouts and some detailed recruiting lists and updates from many top players of note, which included a pair of future Big East players (Michael Carter-Williams and Tyrone Johnson) going for at least 40 points in one of their two contests and Joe Coleman of Howard Pulley racking up the points and gives NBE his latest recruiting update. As usual, nobody covers an event like Jeff Borzello and your favorite school is likely covered in a recruiting update below…worth the price of admission (3.95 a month or 24.95 a year).

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from North Augusta (SC) and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

FINAL KING CITY CLASSIC PLAYER EVALS & UPDATES

BY JEFF BORZELLO

CLEVELAND – After a fairly lackluster experience at the LeBron James Skills Academy – aside from the hype of having James there, of course – the 75 or so players from that camp traveled about 40 minutes north to Cleveland State University for two days of tournament-style games. The players, broken into eight teams, competed in two games each before entering the playoffs. It was far easier to evaluate the prospects in the game-setting than it was in the drills and the controlled scrimmages.

While our attention is now squarely on the finals of the Nike Elite Yough Basketball League being played at the Peach Jam in North Augusta (SC), we take our final look back at last week’s King City Classic. Previously, in our King City Classic Update (Part A) we took a look at Big East commits such as Wayne Blackshear, Tyrone Johnson, Michael Carter-Williams and James Price and their performances when we were watching. In King Citty Classic Update (Part B) NBE updated notes on mega-prospect Anthony Davis as he discussed his three finalists, talked with LaQuinton Ross about offers and visits and spent time with Myles Davis as he discusses the new offer from ‘Nova and the impact of friend Tyrone Johnson committing to the Wildcats recently. Desmond Hubert, Myles Mack and Ben McLemore also chat about their recruiting. Earlier today in Part C of our King City Classic Recap we touched base with players such as Rodney Hood, Kedren Johnson, Bernard Silluvan, Cedric McAfee, Jahii Carson, LJ Rose, J-Mychal Reese, Trey McDonald and more.

In this last edition we take a look at Rodney Purvis, DaJuan Coleman, JaKarr Sampson, Nick Faust, Jabarie Hinds, Nick Johnson, jabari Brown, Anrio Adams, Kyle Wiltjer, Deng Leek and recruiting updates from Sam Thompson, Mike Shaw, Josiah Turner, Julian Royal, Alex Poythress, Victor Nickerson, Jelon Hornbeck and many, many more…

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Cleveland and the King City Classic. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

HOOP GROUP SUMMER CLASSIC RECRUITING NOTES

Matt Whitfield headed down to the Hoop Group Summer Classic on Sunday at The Hoop Group headquarters in Neptune (NJ) for some ‘live’ period basketball action. He was joined by head coaches such as Mike Rice, Kevin Willard, Steve Lavin, Fran Dunphy and many more high-profile assistant coaches checking out the action yesterday.

Below Matt runs down some of the key recruiting stories from the event, including listing coaches seen watching Durand Johnson and Cecil Kirk, Ryan Arcidiacono and the PA Playaz 2012, the NY Panthers as well as some individual updates from Jordan Allen, Davontay Grace, Savon Goodman, Jared Sina, Dom Hoffman, Blaise Mbargorba, Jabarie Hinds, Chris Martin, Jamir Hanner and more…

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from The Hoop Group’s Summer Classic. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

Read more

Next Page »