Maryland Recruiting

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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BOSWORTH: NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL SHOWCASE WRAP-UP (TOP PERFORMERS)

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the National Prep Showcase has concluded it’s time to take a moment and digest everything that I witnessed in New Haven this weekend. One thing that jumps out is that the talent level in New England is at an all time high. While many players are imports from other areas of the country a large part of rosters on New England prep times are made up of local talent. Most notably, Nerlens Noel in 2013 and Noah Vonleh in 2014 both have a chance to become the top player in their class nationwide. These two separated themselves from everyone else at this event both with their current production and with their long term potential.

Past those top two, Ricardo Ledo deserves more recognition for his performance on Friday night. Ledo’s ability to score has never been questioned but his intangibles and whether or not he is a winner have long been debated. Against La Jolla Prep he not only scored from everywhere on the floor but he proved to be the vocal leader of a talent rich South Kent team. He specifically seems to have taken on somewhat of a mentor role for talented junior Chris Thomas. According to South Kent head coach Kelvin Jefferson Ledo has been everything he could have asked for and more both on the floor and in the locker room. He has taken Thomas under his wing in a sense and has been an incredible positive influence. If this progression continues, Ed Cooley landed an even bigger star than already thought.
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BOSWORTH: SUNDAY’S NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE BREAKDOWN

By Brian Bosworth, National Scouting Analyst

The National Prep Showcase was back in full swing on Sunday with top teams like Brewster Academy, New Hampton Prep, and the Tilton School all in action. While the rosters of most prep schools in this event are dominated by seniors and post-graduate players it was a pair of underclassmen that stole the show on Sunday.

Co-Headliners of the Day:

Nerlens Noel (Tilton School 2013) – With college coaches such as John Calipari (Kentucky), Steve Lavin (St. John’s), and Ed Cooley (Providence) on hand to watch him play Noel put on quite a show Sunday night. Having already established himself as the premier defensive big man in America during the summer with BABC, Nerlens showcased an expanding offensive game that brings his upside to a new level. He played on the wing for much of the first half and repeatedly used a deadly right to left crossover to attack the rim and finish with his left hand. Despite being right handed he seems to prefer using his left to finish around the basket and did so with startling efficiency in this game. If Noel can continue to develop his offensive skills to complement his defensive brilliance he will give Jabari Parker a serious challenge for the spot of #1 overall player in the class of 2013.
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EARLY SIGNING PERIOD CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS – ACC

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Today we continue our look at the early recruiting classes nationally with a look at the ACC where Mark Gottfried has hit the ground running at NC State…

Top 5 ACC Recruiting Classes:

1) North Carolina State
Commits – Rodney Purvis (SG), TJ Warren (F), Tyler Lewis (PG)
–Mark Gottfried’s first recruiting class at NC State is a big one with 3 impact ACC players already on board led by do everything guard Rodney Purvis.

2) North Carolina
Commits – Brice Johnson (PF), Marcus Paige (PG), Joel James (C), JP Tokoto (SF)
–While lacking an instant impact player that recent UNC classes have had such as Harrison Barnes and James McAdoo, this group brings Roy Williams four players whose games complement one another and features potential down the road stars in Johnson and Paige.

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NOW AT VERMONT ACADEMY, DOMINIC WOODSON IS AN UNKNOWN COMMODITY NO MORE

by Alex Schwartz

Entering July, not many people outside of his part of Texas knew who Dominic Woodson was.

After breaking out during AAU Nationals in Orlando, Fla., the 6-foot-9 class of 2013 center is now a high-major priority.

Woodson transferred to Vermont Academy for his junior season. NBE caught up with Jesse Bopp, his coach at the New England prep school, to discuss Woodson’s recruitment, game and more.

“Vermont Academy was a great opportunity for him to be in a very controlled environment that resembles what life will be like for him as a college basketball player and he is a kid who talks about being the best and hopefully this environment gives him the opportunity at that,” Bopp said of why Woodson made the move, adding, “He has done a great job adjusting to all aspects of life here.”
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WILL FERGUSON READY FOR BIG SEASON AHEAD

An intriguing point guard in the Class of 2013 is Will Ferguson of Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington (VA). A true student of the game, the DC Assault 16U standout told NBE over the summer his style is influenced by well-known point guards when it comes to learning more about the position. In a quick conversation at the Desert Duel in Arizona in late July Ferguson referenced Kyrie Irving, Kemba Walker, Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Rajon Rondo as players with an impact on his game.

Ferguson has shown the ability as a dynamic point guard to play a little bit like each of the stars he mentioned over the summer. the extremely fast floor general has shown the ability to be an elite distributor and also the ability to score when needed. Over the summer he has worked more on the intangibles that are key to helping a point guard become the leader of his team.

“I would say being a leader and my defense has picked up a lot,” said the 6-foot-2, 170-pound Ferguson when asked what he has improved the most this summer in his game. “I’m starting to knock down more long range shots [too].”
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ELIJAH MACON HEADING FOR PITT VISIT; MORE HUNTINGTON PREP UPDATES

By Ray Mernagh

Elijah Macon is a talented basketball player. Macon, now at Rob Fulford’s powerhouse Huntington Prep program, has decided to take a trip to Pittsburgh this weekend to check out the campus and Jamie Dixon’s program. Fulford says that Macon is much more diverse in his talents than he was allowed to show on the AAU scene (where Macon was primarily an inside presence for All-Ohio Red).

“He’s got a chance Ray,” Fulford told me, “especially if he gets stronger” (which he will in Huntington’s strength program).

Let me translate that for all you college basketball fans out there: When Rob Fulford says a kid has a chance, he means one thing — that the kid can be a pro someday (not a European pro, but an NBA pro).

Fulford thinks that Pitt‘s interest is fairly new but it’s not surprising at all if you think about it — new Pitt assistant Bill Barton and Fulford have had a relationship for years. It started with both in the Prep School ranks and continued when Barton left Notre Dame Prep for Duquesne and then when Barton was right down the road from Fulford last year at Marshall. It’s a good development for Pitt that Barton can be in on kids like Macon (a high-major kid without a doubt) because it shows that he might be able to keep up with the recent recruiting successes in the Pitt program –Khem Birch and Steven Adams, both top-10 kids in the ’11 and ’12 class –that were facilitated by the current staff and the departed Pat Skerry (now the head coach at Towson).

Macon, who’s always presented himself extremely well in NBE’s encounters with him, has impressed Fulford since he showed up on Huntington’s court.

“We love him, he’s a funny, gregarious kid,” says Fulford. “And he’s skilled, great passer, great rebounder and he shoots it well too.” I asked how his handle was? “It needs some work but he’s a worker and it’s pretty good for his size, I’ve already told him if he gets a rebound and has an open floor that I want him to go with it.” Huntington Prep is short a point guard right now after Ray Lee was dismissed from the program after getting into a legal scrape inside the dorms at Marshall.

Fulford always gives his team clear instructions regarding the dorms at the nearby school — “I tell them if they go into them they’re gone,” says Fulford. The charges against Lee are serious but it sounds as if the situation has a lot more to it than the local press has reported. Either way, Fulford says he had no choice, once Lee walked into that dorm he was history.

A point guard will be important for Huntington because of the sheer talent they will have taking the court this season. Besides Macon — who is also considering knocking out visits to Maryland and West Virginia after he takes his trip to Pitt — the Express also have a guy many consider the best player in the 2014 class in Andrew Wiggins, along with a trio of his Canadian brothers in Stefan Jankovic (’12), Tanveer Bhullar (’13) and Negus Webster-Chan. Jankovic is planning visits to Missouri, Florida State, Syracuse and Purdue, with Wake Forest very much involved, while Webster-Chan will trip to Iowa State next weekend. Webster-Chan is hungry to improve his stock after he fell off a bit last Spring and Summer due to some poor play and injuries. We’ve seen Webster-Chan at his best and when he has it clicking he’s a special talent.

Also on the squad is Xavier Rathan-Myers. Fulford calls him a stud while he says Bhullar needs a lot of work but also works very hard and probably moves laterally and end-to-end better than his older brother Sim.

Huntington Prep always plays in a number of places nation-wide and if you get the chance to see them you should take advantage of it — always fun to watch the Express go up and down.

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (8/26/2011)

- Jairus Lyles, 6-foot, Class of 2013 point guard from DeMatha and Team Takeover DC told NBE’s Matt Whitfield earlier today via text that three ACC schools are involved in his recruitment at the moment.

“NC State has started to recruit me,” said Lyles. “Miami [is] still on me as well as Wake Forest.”
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- Troy Long checked in with Matt Whitfield yesterday to let us know of a new suitor for Tariq Carey, the Newark (NJ) native will be attending St. Benedict’s this season.

“TCU just got involved,” said Long. “We are working on setting up an official visit in September.”
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- According to Andre Harrington, Maryland and Texas are the latest schools to show interest in Kuran Iverson.
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- Andre White really enjoyed his recent visit to Cincinnati.

“Visit was great,” White told Matt Whitfield via text last week. “Great staff, loved the campus and got to meet a lot of good people.”
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6-foot-2, 170-lb Kameron Williams, a guard from Mt. St. Joseph’s (MD) opened up eyes this spring with q 47-point performance in a 16U Boo Williams game against the ATL Knicks. He picked up offers from Miami, Dayton and VCU over the summer. Earlier this month he told NBE there was three schools standing out to him.

“Right now I’m interested in the University of Miami, Richmond and VCU,” he said.

this was before the problems came to light at Miami, but Williams is a long way off for a decision as he is just beginning his junior year.

“I think my decision will be made definitely before my senior season,” Williams said. “The school has to make me earn everything, I dont want anything to come easy to me. Because in life nothing will be easy.”
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Stefan Jankovic has a final five in his recruitment.

“I cut my list down to Wake Forest, Purdue, Missouri, Georgetown [and] Florida State,” he said. “Now I’m gonna take my five visits and the decision time in the fall.”

Earlier this month Jankovic took a visit to Wake Forest, it was not his first trip to see the Winston-Salem school, but it had a valuable motive as it gave his family a chance to see the school.

“I had already been there for a visit so I knew pretty much everything there, but I was impressed with how much my parents enjoyed the visit,” Jankovic said.

Wake will be tough to beat in this one…

2011 ORLANDO AAU FINAL NOTEBOOK: RECRUITING NOTES & PLAYER EVALUATIONS

By Alex Schwartz

FLORIDA & ALABAMA LEAD FOR 2012 C HAUGHTON

Tyrone Haughton, a 6-foot-9 center out of Miami’s Dr. Krop High School, said he has offers from Western Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, West Virginia and Miami to go along with interest from Marshall.

As for his favorites, he said, “Florida or Alabama, either one.”

Haughton said Alabama, Florida and West Virginia are the three schools coming at him the hardest.

He has yet to take any visits, but plans to visit each of the schools on his list. Haughton plans to commit in the “fall this year” and will sign early.

Haughton would like to remain close to home for college.
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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 11): KEITH FRAZIER UPDATE; KASEY HILL; DOMINIC WOODSON; AARON HARRISON

By Alex Schwartz

KEITH FRAZIER IN AN ELITE TARGET IN ’13; PLANS LONG RECRUITMENT

Keith Frazier is one of the Class of 2013 elite prospects. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Irving (TX) High School mentioned Georgia, Kentucky, Baylor, Texas, Houston, Marquette, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Kansas and Memphis. He said each of those schools have offered except for UK and UNC.

On whether he has any favorites: “I like A&M a little bit, I like–actually, I like all of them I just named to be honest with you.”

Frazier, who said he will no longer be playing with Dream Vision and will just be with Houston Hoops, has visited Baylor, Texas and Kansas.

Although he has no visits planned, he did say of who he would like to visit, “I want to visit Georgia [and visit] Kansas some more. Who else do I wanna visit? Memphis, that’s all I can think of.”

On who is coming at him the hardest: “I would have to say either Baylor, Texas, A&M a little, Georgia, [and] Marquette,” Frazier said.
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CLASS OF 2012 PF VISITING WAKE FOREST TODAY

Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelik and his staff will host a Class of 2012 power forward for an unofficial visit today as Devin Thomas will make a trip to Winston-Salem (NC) to check things out.

“Yeah, I am going to Wake Forest tomorrow,” said Thomas last night when asked if he has any visits upcoming.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder out of Central Dauphin HS in Harrisburg (PA) had an excellent summer playing with Mid-Penn Motion on the AAU circuit. Displaying a constant motor that was always turned on, Thomas was able to get things done in the paint and in doing so he drew many new suitors for his services from college coaches.

“Wake Forest, Temple and Marquette,” were new schools of note that Thomas mentioned adding that, as of now, he is considering “Wake Forest, Maryland, Clemson, Temple, Marquette, Penn State, Virginia Tech and VCU.”

Thomas does not have any favorites at this point and is looking to make a college decision in September. At this time, though, he is sad to see his AAU career come to an end and he wouldn’t trade anything for the experiences he has shared with friends and teammates.

“The best part has been experiencing everything with my best friends,” he said, adding “I dont want anything to end, I feel like this is alot of fun and a great experience.”

Now Devin Thomas will move his focus from the AAU circuit to the recruiting process. Hoping for a September decision will allow Thomas to enjoy one last year of high school basketball with his friends and teammates and create more lasting memories. With the energy and heart that he puts forth on the basketball court, expect Thomas to make an impact on and off the court in a positive way no matter where he lands in the future.

2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 10): ELIJAH MACON, KALE ABRAHAMSON & MARTAVIOUS NEWBY UPDATES

By Alex Schwartz

MARYLAND OFFICIAL VISIT THE PLAN FOR ELIJAH MACON

If you are looking for a big man to rebound and defend in your Class of 2012 recruiting efforts, 6-foot-9 power forward Elijah Macon could be your man. Yes, he can also finish around the cup and is by no means a major weakness offensively, but his offensive skill set down low is still developing. However, what Macon does do quite well is rebound and defend, two things that are very important. A well built post player with a strong frame, Macon, for the most part, understands his strengths and weaknesses and does not force things. He plays solid interior defense and is an overall sound player who does a lot of the little things.

Miami, West Virginia, Iowa, South Florida, Cincinnati, Xavier, USC and Dayton were the offers listed by Macon this past weekend while playing in the AAU National Championships for the All-Ohio Red program in Orlando. He also mentioned Memphis, Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas and Florida, noting that he has more offers and interest.
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BIG SHOTS – DCA RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

By Matt Whitfield

On the last two days of the July live evaluation period some of the top AAU programs on the East Coast converged near the nation’s capitol for the Big Shots – DC Assault event. Many college coaches used the chance to get one last look at their top recruiting targets as well. Below are some of the recruiting updates NBE gathered during their time Sunday at the event…

Long Island Lightning forward Daniel Dingle continues to be a player many programs are keeping a close eye on. The 6-foot-6 combo forward out of St. Raymond’s in NYC also added a new scholarship offer recently.

“Right now my recruitment is going good,” Dingle said Sunday. “I just got a scholarship offer from Maryland. [As well as interest and offers from] Arizona, Temple, Dayton, Miami, Florida and Texas.

Dingle is starting to think about where he will visit in the coming month.
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AMILE JEFFERSON STILL OPEN IN THE RECRUITING PROCESS AS JULY CLOSES

By Matt Whitfield

Contrary to what was reported recently Amile Jefferson stated to NBE yesterday at the DC Assault-Big Shots event that he has not narrowed his list down to eight schools and as he is taking the recruiting process very seriously.

“Ah no, not really,” responded Jefferson when asked if he’d narrowed his list down to eight schools. “I’m still pretty wide open with the recruiting process. We’re hoping to get some visits in and try and narrow this list down.”

Jefferson did mention that he’s looking to take some visits to some East Coast schools in the coming months.

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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 7): RECRUITING LISTS FROM AAU NATIONALS

By Alex Schwartz

The grind continues in Orlando as we move into the home stretch of the 2011 AAU National Championships. On Thursday NBE caught up with Malik Price-Martin, Kasey Hill, Duane Wilson Jr., Kobe Eubanks and Zacarry Douglas for the latest on their recruitment.

The action continues on Friday and through the weekend in Orlando and NBE will be on hand right through the conclusion. In the 16U level they have reached the FInal 8 of Pool Play. Match-ups late this morning include BABC/Garner Road, Ohio Varsity White/Rising Stars Gold, NY Gauchos/All-Ohio Red & Team Takeover/Ohio Hoopsters Cash. The semifinals will be played later this afternoon and the championship game is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

17U action has moved into championship bracket play with 32 teams left after early morning play. The field will be narrowed to 16 later today and then tomorrow the Final 8 will square off. Some big names remain and Albany City Rocks and Texas PRO square off today for a spot in the final 16. The Arkansas Wings, Florida Rams, CP3, All-Iowa Attack, PA Playaz, Wisconsin Playground Elite and others highlight the remaining teams.

Below you will find our recruiting updates from yesterday….

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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL FINAL DAY RECAP: NJ PLAYAZ STORM BACK FOR TITLE

By Raphielle Johnson

The only thing better than the two best teams in an event playing in the title game is those teams putting forth a game for the ages. And that’s exactly what happened when the Mac Irvin Fire and New Jersey Playaz 17U teams met in Tuesday’s title game at the Desert Duel Memorial. Despite trailing by as many as 26 points early in the second half the Playaz found a way back, ultimately winning the game in overtime by the final score of 70-62.

Things most certainly didn’t look good for the Playaz at the start as Mac Irvin jumped them out of the gate thanks to the combination of solid offensive execution and the Playaz’s inability to make shots. The squad from Chicago had everything rolling, especially 2013 stud Jabari Parker who hit just about any shot imaginable in the first twenty minutes.

Steve Taylor (2012) was able to slash to the basket, DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. (2013) and Derrick Randolph (2012) made plays in the backcourt and Aaric Armstead (2012) was also a factor. A dunk just before the halftime buzzer made the score 43-20, and a Parker three in the first minute of the second half pushed the lead out to 26. To say the least things did not look good for the Playaz was an understatement.

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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL – DAY ONE RECAP: COACHES GALORE ON HAND FOR ACTION

By Raphielle Johnson

With the second ten-day open period of the month on the back end it would have been easy for teams still playing to perform in a sluggish manner. But that didn’t happen on Wednesday, especially at the Desert Duel Memorial Tournament where a few games needed overtime to render a decision. One of those games was the matchup between Long Island Lightning Blue and Seattle Rotary Select, with the Lightning making up a four-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of regulation and going on to win by the final score of 69-65.

The guard tandem of Kareem Canty (2012; postgrad) and Melvin Johnson (2012) made crucial plays down the stretch with both being able to get to the rim off the dribble. Canty’s more of a scoring point who was also to make some nice passes to his big men after beating his man off the dribble, and the pull-up jumper he says he’s been working on was on display as well.

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2011 ORLANDO AAU UPDATE (PART 6): HOUSTON DEFENDERS TAKE 17U SHOWCASE TITLE

By Alex Schwartz

It was a busy day in Orlando on Wednesday as the 17U AAU Super Showcase came to a close. The Houston Defenders earned the crown with an impressive 55-45 victory over BABC. Class of 2013 twins Aaron and Andrew Harrison led the Defenders as Aaron scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Andrew finished with eight points and 10 assists. Earlier in the afternoon the Defenders got past Team Takeover, rallying from a halftime deficit to advance to the championship game. For their part, BABC survived a stiff challenge in the semis from Hoop Heavan Elite out of NJ to advance to the televised championship game.

Now the full focus will shift to the AAU National Championships. The 16U is in full swing and the 17U championships are also getting going in pool play as well. Still plenty of basketball left these next four days as the second July live evaluation period closes out.

Below we have some additional player evaluations and recruiting information from yesterday’s action with a heavy concentration on the Houston Defenders (Derrick Griffin), Team Takeover (Jerami Grant), BABC (Jaylen Brantley, Jake Layman, Goodluck Okonoboh) and more (Bobby Portis)…

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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 4 NOTEBOOK: WILD, WILD WEST IN VEGAS

By Raphielle Johnson

By the end of the last college basketball season it was best to simply expect the unexpected. The same could be said for this weekend in Las Vegas, which has produced an unexpected champion in the Kansas City 76ers. The 76ers won the Las Vegas Fab 48 by beating Team Breakdown (Florida) in Monday night’s title game.

While the stands weren’t filled to brim as they were last summer (Oakland Soldiers tend to bring out the crowds), there were a few college programs represented in the coaches area with 2013 wing Ishmail Wainright the primary focus.

Ben Howland (UCLA) and Steve Lavin (St. John’s) were both there to watch Wainwright, who considers Earl Watson (who has connections to both as he played at UCLA under Lavin) to be an older brother and mentor. Other programs represented include Western Illinois, George Mason, Kansas, Missouri, UC Irvine, South Florida, Cal Poly, Nebraska, UM-KC and Creighton.

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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 3): GARY HARRIS IMPRESSES; JERAMI GRANT UPDATE & AQUILLE CAR TALKS RECRUITING & MORE UPDATES

By Alex Schwartz

As things begin to head towards the climax in Las Vegas the action in Orlando continues to heat up. More and more of the nation’s attention will turn to the sunshine state in the recruiting world. NBE continues to be ahead of the game with continued coverage from the land of Mickey. On Sunday the 17U pool play got going with an impressive slate of games while the 16U Super Showcase playoff action got underway.

Here are some player evals and recruiting updates from Aquille Carr, Gary Harris, Kennedy Meeks, Jerami Grant, Marcus Hunt, Robert Carter and Sindarius Thornwell to highlight the action occurring in Orlando…

Aquille Carr listed offers from Syracuse, Memphis, Wake Forest, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, and Connecticut. His favorites at this point are Wake Forest, Syracuse and UConn.
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