North Carolina State 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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THREE LEAD FOR ’13 SIDWELL FRIENDS’ JOSH HART

One player expected to have a big season is Class of 2013 shooting guard Josh Hart of Sidwell Friends. While his name does not currently hold a lot of clout nationally, that will likely change in the coming months. Many in the DC-area have been singing his praises and a strong summer on the AAU trail last July with Team Takeover DC has certainly pushed his profile among college coaches much higher than it was previously.

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Hart listed Georgetown, Penn State, NC State, Pitt, Xavier, Virginia, St. Joe’s and Indiana off the top of his head as some of the schools that came by this fall to watch him work out. With scholarship offers from the likes of Georgetown, Penn State, VCU, Xavier, NC State, UMass and Penn, Hart told NBE that currently three schools are standing out to him.
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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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TOP 15 RECRUITING CLASSES FOR 2012 NATIONALLY

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

After providing early signing period recruiting class highlights from the BIG EAST, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC, as well as the top Non-BCS Schools, it is time to sum everything up and release our list of the Top 15 Men’s Basketball Recruiting Classes through the early signing period.

The recruiting classes are well-balanced throughout the country. The BIG EAST and Big 10 lead the early going with each conference placing three schools in the rankings. The Pac 12, ACC and Big 12 each have two schools cracking the top 15 and the SEC has one. There are two programs from ‘non-BCS’ conferences also on the list.

Five different conferences placed schools in the Top 5 so far. Here are the classes…ranked 1-15…

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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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NEW SCHOOLS ADDED TO LONG LIST OF R.J. CURINGTON

Class of 2013 wing prospect R.J. Curington continues to see his recruiting list get longer before it gets any shorter. The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder attends powerhouse Oak Hill Academy and his national profile is only expected to increase more this season.

With CIA Bounce on the AAU trail Curington has shown to be a dedicated player that understands what it takes to be great. A scoring guard that has some ability to handle the point spot, Curington can lead the break and tends to make good decisions on the fly. Curington has a steady jump shot from behind the three-point line. He rarely forces up shots and plays a unselfish game. He continues to work on his handle and eventually could end up playing a lot of the point position.

It is clear that he has received top notch instruction, which is to be expected coming out of the CIA Bounce program and playing for Coach Smith at Oak Hill. Curington is excited to get the season started at the prep powerhouse in Mouth of Wilson (VA).
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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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XAVIER RATHAN-MAYES HAS ‘AMAZING’ UCONN VISIT

Across the country college basketball programs hosted Midnight Madness events as they ushered in the beginning of another basketball season. At Connecticut the defending national champions had impressive line-up of recruits visiting this weekend to take in the festivities. One player, 2013 recruit Xavier Rathan-Mayes of Huntington (WV) Prep, made the trip and NBE caught up with him earlier today to get his thoughts on the visit.

“The visit was great! Had an amazing time,” said Rathan-Mayes. “The highlight was probably watching practice today and getting to know and shoot with Kemba Walker.”

Rathan-Mayes is another youngster from the CIA Bounce AAU program out of Canada exceling in America. Rathan-Mayes is a volume shooter and he can really fill it up when he gets on a roll. The 6-foot-4, 200 pound Class of 2014 guard has very high upside as a scorer.
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MANY SCHOOLS STILL INVOLVED WITH ANDREW WHITE

Playing this spring and summer with Team Loaded, Andrew White saw his recruitment explode with a series of strong performances on the AAU circuit. His recruitment has not slowed one bit as top college programs have already made their way to Charlottesville (VA) and the Miller School to visit the 6-foot-6, 205-pound small forward. More schools are expected this week as well.

“I have already received visits from Virginia Tech, NC State, West Virginia and Cincinnati,” White told NBE earlier this afternoon. “DePaul, UTEP, Kansas, Wake Forest and a couple others will visit me in the next couple weeks.”
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T.J. WARREN ENJOYS VISIT TO NC STATE

T.J. Warren, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound scorer deluxe attending Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro (NH) this year, took a visit to North Carolina State this past weekend. New Wolfpack head coach Mark Gottfried and his staff certainly put their best foot forward and impressed Warren, who also greatly enjoyed the atmosphere surrounding Saturday evening’s NC State victory on the gridiron over Liberty.

“My NC State visit was fun,” said Warren to NBE Basketball Report earlier today. “The atmosphere was amazing and the fans really showed love at the football game. I had a great time!”

Warren, a native of North Carolina, has been to Raleigh campus previously. This time he was able to spend extended time with the new staff and that was his personal highlight of the visit.

“The highlight of the trip was being able to communicate with the coaches and sit down with them,” he said.

While the visit was a success, Warren still has not moved from his decision time frame of around the Christmas holiday. He plans to take everything in he can on his finalists and go from there with a decision.

“I have a final five with Kentucky, North Carolina, Florida, Georgetown [and] NC State,” said Warren. “I recently set up a visit to Kentucky for their Big Blue Madness October 15th weekend for one of my officials.”

Warren claims there are no leaders or favorites as this point and whichever of the five finalists the talented Warren chooses will be getting a lethal scorer. One of the best players in the nation when it comes to putting the ball in the basket, Warren can hurt you in a number of ways. He has great height (6’8) on the wing and with his thick build he can overpower defenders. Warren is a good enough athlete who is adept and navigating through traffic and finishing at the rim. He handles the ball well and is nearly impossible to stop from getting to the rim when he catches the ball on the wing. Warren has a nice mid-range game and can hit the pull-up or a floater. He can also connect on shots from beyond the arc.

The Wolfpack fans will be hoping their great impression they made on Warren is a lasting impression and enough to sway his decision to comming to NC State when a decision is ultimately made.

“I knew NC State had a lot of students, but the atmosphere was crazy at the game!”

The recruitment of T.J. Warren will continue to be one of th emost watched in the Class of 2012. NBE will continue to follow it until the end so be sure to stay tuned as we will check in with Warren as the process continues along.

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…

FRANCHISE CLASSIC NOTEBOOK: UK, OHIO STATE & FLORIDA STRONG IN THE MIX FOR CHRIS WALKER; GREG MCCLINTON HAS VARIED LIST: JEVON THOMAS UPDATE

by Alex Schwartz

BRONX, N.Y. — Despite rain causing a delay of over two hours and a change of venue, NBE was still in attendance for the inaugural Franchise Classic.

Team New York defeated Team USA, 146-138. Connecticut-bound Omar Calhoun led the way with 34 while Kyle Anderson and Villanova-commit Savon Goodman added 28 and 26 respectively. For Team USA, Archie Goodwin poured in 46 points in the loss and Shaq Goodwin contributed 31 of his own.

After the game, which was held at the South Bronx Job Corps, NBE had a chance to catch up with a trio of players.

Holmes County (FL) star Chris Walker is a top 10 player in the class of 2013. The 6’9 power forward has three schools standing out to him at this point–Florida, Kentucky and Ohio State.

“That’s the three I’m really feeling right now,” Walker said of the Gators, Wildcats and Buckeyes.

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Q&A WITH 2012 CANADIAN G NAZARETH LONG: THREE SCHOOLS STAND AHEAD OF REST

The Canadian invasion is gaining momentum in college basketball and it certainly looks like the best is yet to come as the CIA Bounce AAU program had a pair of nationally ranked clubs at their top levels this past spring and summer. Another Canadian likely to land in the high-major level in college basketball in the Class of 2012 is Nazareth Long. From an early age when previously attending Montrose Christian, Long showed the ability to make his team go at both ends of the floor. Defensively, he pressures the ball from end-to-end, not allowing the opposing point guard to initiate his offense easily. Furthermore, he gets back in transition well and plays the passing lanes. Offensively, he controls tempo and has the ability to get his team into its half-court sets. He also runs the floor well, finishing at the rim on fast breaks.

Originally from Mississauga, Ontario, Long began his career in the States at Montrose Christian and then spent last season at Findlay Prep in Las Vegas where he will finish up his prep career before college. NBE recently had the opportunity to converse with Long about his summer on the AAU tour and his recruitment. See below for details of the conversation:

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ANDREW WHITE TALKS ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA VISIT

Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers are getting an early start on the 2011-2012 season with an overseas trip to Italy this coming week. With the trip the team is allowed to have 10 practice sessions to prepare for their upcoming games. Bob Huggins also used the time this weekend to bring in a key target of their 2012 recruiting efforts for an unofficial visit as Andrew White came to Morgantown to see things for himself.

“I took a visit to West Virginia the past two days,” White told NBE’s Matt Whitfield this afternoon. “It went real well.”

White had a great summer on the AAU circuit with Team Loaded and quickly became a top target of many programs.
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T.J. WARREN PICKS UP OFFER FROM NORTH CAROLINA ON VISIT; PLANS TO VISIT FLORIDA & KENTUCKY NEXT

As expected North Carolina extended a scholarship offer to T.J. Warren while he was on an unofficial visit to the Chapel Hill (NC) campus today. Warren, a 6-foot-7 small forward who will attend Brewster Academy this school year, made the trip with his parents and AAU coach and really enjoyed the visit.

“It was nice,” Warren told NBE tonight of the visit. “I really enjoyed sitting down face-to-face with Roy Williams with my family. He showed me everything around the basketball offices.”

Warren was able to tour the basketball offices, locker rooms, equipment rooms and all the facilities. However the highlight of the evening was during their face-to-face sit down with the UNC head coach.

“When he offered me a scholarship,” said Warren when asked of the trip’s highlight he is still thinking about. “It felt good. That’s probably the highlight of the night. It was a great feeling to hear Roy [Williams] say ‘I want you.’ He is a great guy, [I have] a lot of respect for him.”
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LANDEN LUCAS FOCUSING ON A LIST OF 7 SCHOOLS

Landen Lucas is one of the top uncommitted big men in the Class of 2012. The 6-foot-10, 245-pound center played last season at Findlay Prep but will finish up his high school career back home in Portland (OR) at Westview HS. As he is preparing for his senior year Lucas is also working on making his college decision. He told NBE yesterday he is working from a list of seven schools currently.

“[My] top seven [is] NC State, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona, Cal, Georgetown [and] Kansas,” said Lucas when asked what schools he was considering.
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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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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 8): DEVONTA POLLARD, TJ WARREN & BRANDON BOLDEN

By Alex Schwartz

WARREN SET FOR NORTH CAROLINA VISIT

Quite simply, T.J. Warren is a lethal scorer. One of the best players in the nation when it comes to putting the ball in the hole, Warren can hurt you in a number of ways. As a 6-foot-7 small forward, he has great height on the wing and with his thick build he can overpower defenders. Warren is a good enough athlete who is adept and navigating through traffic and finishing at the rim. He handles the ball well and is nearly impossible to stop from getting to the cup when he catches the ball on the wing. Warren has a nice mid-range game and can hit the pull-up or a floater. He can also connect on shots from beyond the arc, though he is inconsistent in that area. Warren is not overly quick and could slim down just a bit as well as improve on the defensive end.

Warren, a native of North Carolina who will attend Brewster Academy for his senior season, listed Georgetown, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Kansas, Kentucky and Louisville.
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IMPRESSIVE SUMMER FOR ANDREW WHITE LEADS TO MANY BIG OFFERS

By Matt Whitfield

Thanks to his recent performances at AAU events in Myrtle Beach and Milwaukee Andrew White has become one of the most hotly contested recruits in the Mid-Atlantic.

“A lot of schools have recruited me and they were somewhat serious, but in Myrtle Beach and Milwaukee I came out real sharp and my recruitment picked up real quick. I became a high target for some schools that got a good feeling [from my game],” said White.

White listed over a dozen high majors offers when NBE caught up with him on Sunday. White also stole the show as he had a plethora of college coaches watching him including West Virginia Head Coach Bob Huggins and assistant Larry Harrison.
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