Wake Forest Recruiting

2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — TOP PERFORMERS

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the National Prep School Invitational has come to close and I’ve had a few days to process all the basketball I watched it’s time to rank the performances from the weekend. Below are player rankings by class based on this past weekend’s performance only. These are not an overall opinion on these players but rather a snapshot based on how they played at Rhode Island College over the weekend. The top spot in 2012 came down to the nation’s two best big men and is a decision I agonized over before finalizing it.

Be sure to check out our daily coverage from a great weekend of hoops at the 2012 National Prep School Invitational:
’12 NPSI – Day Four Report
’12 NPSI – Day Three Report
’12 NPSI – Day Two Report
’12 NPSI – Day One Report

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2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY THREE

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

With most college programs having games of their own on Saturday fewer coaches were on hand at Rhode Island College to take in the action but that didn’t stop the players from putting on a show. The best game of the day and arguably the weekend thus far was between New Hampton Prep and Canarias Basketball Academy. Canarias got out to a lead using their incredible size and strength but New Hampton came storming back to force overtime. New Hampton had lost stud sophomore Noah Vonleh to five fouls towards the end of regulation and it caught up with them in the extra session as Canarias prevailed 82-77. Despite coming up five points short on the scoreboard New Hampton had the top individual performance of the day from a somewhat unlikely source.

Top Performer of the Day:

Olivier Hanlon (New Hampton 2012) – committed to Boston College – Of the 10-12 times I’ve seen Hanlon play both with New Hampton and on the summer circuit with Albany City Rocks today clearly stands out as his best overall performance. The 6’2” physical point guard carried his team on his back for the entire 2nd half and overtime session by scoring and creating for others. Hanlon is at his best in screen and roll sets where he turns the corner aggressively and attacks the lane. In those situations he scored with the floater, got all the way to the rim, drew fouls on Canarias’ bigs, and found open teammates on the perimeter. New Hampton ran the same high ball screen seemingly every time down in the 2nd half and Canarias never found an answer for Hanlon’s fearlessness turning the corner. He also showed off his 3 point stroke as he played off the ball at times and knocked them down in catch and shoot situations. Just as impressive as his offense is Hanlon’s intensity and ball pressure on the defensive end. He never takes a possession off on that end and got multiple steals with his quick footwork and great hands. Boston College fans should look forward to a bulldog at the point guard for the next four years.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: WEEKEND’S TOP PERFORMERS

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the 2012 Hoophall Classic has come to a close and I’ve had a few days to process all the basketball I saw it’s time to compile player rankings from the weekend’s performances. Below you will see players ranked by class based solely on their performance from the Hoophall Classic. These rankings are not an opinion on players overall game or potential but rather on the way they performed in Springfield.

2012 Player Rankings:

1) Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – Muhammad only strengthened his place as the top overall player in the 2012 class for his efficient 37 point performance.

2) Kaleb Tarczewski (St Mark’s) – signed with Arizona – In an event loaded with top big men Tarczewski stood out as the top low post offensive option.

3) Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei) – signed with UNLV – The future Runnin’ Rebel put on an offensive show knocking down nine 3 pointers en route to 35 points in a blowout victory.

4) Kyle Anderson (St Anthony) – signed with UCLA – Anderson’s fingerprints have been all over every one of St Anthony’s 44 consecutive victories and Monday was no different as he compiled 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: MONDAY RECAP

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The 2012 Hoophall Classic came to a close on Monday highlighted by four national games all broadcast live on national television. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky front man John Calipari were front and center all day each flagged by two assistants. They were joined by a host of other coaches all trying to make an impression on the many uncommitted talents in action. While Shabazz Muhammad, Jabari Parker, Tony Parker, and others were the focus of these coaches, a senior guard who has already made his college decision stole the show and he receives top billing today.

Top Performer:

Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei 2012) – signed with UNLV – After watching Reinhardt for a week at the City of Palms in Florida last month I came away seriously underwhelmed. He struck me as a player that forced shots, was careless with the ball, and cared more about making the flashy play than the right play. After dropping 35 points on a Hoophall Classic record tying nine three-pointers it’s safe to say he has changed my mind. Reinhardt got in the flow early with an easy dunk and once he found a rhythm the shots just kept falling and falling. Equally adapt off the catch or the dribble he made shots from well beyond the college 3 point line and was able to get enough elevation on his shot to make them over defenders. Not exclusively a shooter (although it was clearly his calling card today) Reinhardt used a low, tight crossover to get in the lane and finished a pair of floaters over help defenders. He also showed passion and aggression on the defensive end forcing Uconn commit Omar Calhoun into a miserable 6-22 shooting day. For now I’m willing to label Reinhardt a streaky shooter that has the ability to single handedly take over a game when he’s on a hot streak. If he can string together consistent performances like today’s I’ll be forced to simply label him a great shooter.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: SUNDAY RECAP

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

While the action at the Hoophall Classic was terrific on Saturday, the overall atmosphere jumped to a new level on Sunday. College coaches who had been busy coaching their own teams in action Saturday were out in full force. John Calipari (Kentucky), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Steve Lavin (St John’s), Mark Gottfried (NC State), Ed Cooley (Providence) and Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) all made appearances along with assistants from Florida, Texas, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Oregon, Utah and DePaul. These coaches witnessed a large collection of highlight performances none more impressive than that by a player with the nation’s best haircut.

Top Performer:

Nerlens Noel (Tilton School 2013) – Noel and his high top fade put on a show worthy of the #1 2013 ranking I dubbed him with in my preview podcast of the event. Long considered the top shot blocker in America, Noel proved to be that and more in his nationally televised showdown with Mitch McGary and Brewster Academy. His final stat line reads 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks with just about everyone in attendance agreeing that the 7 blocks is an extremely conservative estimate. I had one longtime scout tell me that Noel is the best shot blocker he has ever evaluated on the high school level. While his defense was as amazing as ever, Noel’s offensive progression continued its steady climb from the past year. He drove baseline and made a floater over Mitch McGary. He used a spin move and finished a lefty hook in the lane. He hammered down multiple tip dunks flying from out of nowhere to grab them. He drew contact at the rim repeatedly eventually fouling out Jakarr Sampson. Noel put on a virtuoso performance which stands up against the absolute best I’ve seen from him in the past. He looks like a future all-American, future lottery pick, future NBA all-star.

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CRC CLASSIC: ANYA, LYLES SHINE IN DEMATHA WIN OVER NEUMANN-GORETTI

By Ray Mernagh

DeMatha Catholic was led by the inside muscle of Beejay Anya and the outside shooting touch of Jairus Lyles in a 62-47 win over Philadelphia’s Neumann-Goretti. The Class of 2013 duo each scored 17 points in the win with Syracuse-commit Jerami Grant adding 14. As a team, Dematha was 26-43 from the field, setting a CRC CLassic record by making 60.5% of their shots from the floor.

Neumann-Goretti sophomore Ja’Quan Newton scored 16 in the loss to lead the Saints.

Following the game NBE got the chance to catch up with a few of the big guns for DeMatha to talk recruiting and more…

Beejay Anya 6’9″ 2013 Center

Anya has lost a severe amount of weight over the last several months….and that’s a good thing! My guess is that he’s dropped 30 pounds if not more and the result is a dominating presence in the post both defensively and offensively. Anya had 3 blocks before I could write anything and just continued from that point. He’s unquestionably the Stags best player and it’s not really close. Anya scored over each shoulder, rebounded and defended with a physical preference that probably had Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon salivating as he watched courtside. Anya finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 blocks and is being courted by just about everybody in the country.
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RECRUITING UPDATE: CLASS OF 2013 PF MIKE YOUNG

One of the players NBE was anticipating the most to see this past weekend at the Playaz ‘New Year’s Jump-off’ was Hudson Catholic junior Mike Young. The 6-foot-8 big man really brought his game up to another level through the summer, playing with both the 2012 NJ Playaz and the 2013 team.

NBE last saw Young in the IS8 fall league back in October where Young continued to show a progression in his game from the summer period. Always possessing major athletic talents and consistently being a force on both backboards, it is in his offensive game that Young has shown the most improvement in recent months. Young has showcased a soft jump hook with both hands and range on his jump shot out to 16 feet. In the fall he showed a more aggressive attitude in wanting the ball in the low block and expanding his game, likely putting himself in the mix as one of the top big men players in the Class of 2013.
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PLAYAZ NEW YEAR’S JUMP-OFF HIGHLIGHTS

By Alex Schwartz

HACKENSACK, N.J. – The New Year’s Jump-Off at Hackensack High School featured four games to bring in the year 2012. Included were some of the Garden State’s perennial powers and NBE Basketball Report was on hand for two-plus contests.

In addition to taking in the action, we were able to catch up with a couple of standout juniors for recruiting updates.

GAME RECAPS & STANDOUT PERFORMERS

NBE caught the end of the Teaneck/St. Patrick’s game, in which the Highwaymen knocked off the Celtics in overtime. Junior guard Joel Hernandez hit a buzzer beating three for Teaneck to send it to OT and knocked down two of three free throws in a tie game with one second left in the extra session. He and St. Patrick’s junior wing Jared Nickens were named co-MVPs.
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RECRUITING UPDATE: JOSH HART, AQUILLE CARR & BRANDON AUSTIN

By Alex Schwartz

CHESTER, Pa. – The second day of the Jameer Nelson Philly.com Holiday Classic featured five games with teams hailing from four different states and included a number of talented players.

NBE Basketball Report was on hand and had the opportunity to catch up with a trio of CLass of 2013 guards to discuss their recruitment.

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Josh Hart, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound shooting guard, turned in one of the day’s most impressive performances, leading Sidwell Friends (DC) to a win over Atlantic City (NJ). The smooth scorer first listed a quartet of schools: Georgetown, North Carolina State, Penn State and Marquette.
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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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HARVARD IN GOOD SHAPE WITH ’13 PF ALEX FOSTER

Chicago’s De La Salle High School has produced a number of talented players in recent years, most notably Michael Shaw last year. Current junior (Class of 2013) Alex Foster will look to take the reigns this season as their go-to player and lead them to his ultimate goal.

“My goal [this season] is simple and that’s to win a state championship…I want our team to prove everyone wrong,” Foster told NBE Sports.

The 6-foot-8 power forward has always been a player seen with a lot of potential. While he works on the physical aspect of his game, Foster is also working on the mental side of the game, hoping to believe in himself more.

“I believe I improved by having more confidence in myself that was what was holding me back,” he said. “I want to just keep getting better in the future.”

There have been many programs, mostly from the Midwest, to come by De La Salle this fall to get a look at Foster and his teammates. The list is so long that Foster did not even want to try to remember all the names. However, he did offer a big hint in the direction of his recruitment.

“Right now Harvard, Wake Forest, Notre Dame (tickets) and Tennessee are at me strong. There’s been so many schools that have been to De La Salle I honestly couldn’t name them all,” he said.

However, one school, and it may come as a surprise to many, is currently standing out.

“My favorite school is Harvard,” said Foster.

Although he has a favorite and he took a visit up to Boston earlier in the fall to check out Harvard, do not expect a decision in the too near future.

“I’ll make my decision by the end of this season or the end of the summer,” he said.

In the meantime there is business to attend to on the court…like winning a state championship. NBE will hope to check in with Alex Foster and his De La Salle teammates throughout the year to see if they accomplish their mission.

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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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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SATURDAY PLAYOFF ACTION FROM IS8 FALL LEAGUE

By Brian Bosworth

The IS8 / Nike playoffs were in full swing on Saturday with action tipping off at 9am. IS8 or Intermediate School Number 8 is a middle school in Jamaica, Queens that seats approximately 400 people and yet it is one of the most famous courts in all of New York City. The tournament means a little more than an average event as Mike Young of the Playaz Club told me in a postgame interview. “IS8 is different than other tournaments. Our program takes a lot of pride in this event and a lot of pride in winning it. It means more than other events.” The level of play on the floor spoke to that with Young himself leading a group of standout performances.

Standout Performers:

Mike Young (2013) – Playaz Juniors – Young’s game has progressed since I saw him last in July. He still possesses major athletic talents and is a force on both backboards but his offensive game has improved by leaps and bounds as he scored a game-high 20 points in a win over Kendall Madison. on Saturday he showcased a soft jump hook with both hands and range on his jump shot out to 16 feet. He played with a demonstrative attitude on the low block and called for the ball inside during crucial situations in the game. Young was very efficient offensively and cleaned up any missed shots for put backs. Already a clear high major prospect, if Young’s game continues to progress on the offensive end he has a chance to be one of the nation’s top recruits.
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TYLER CAVANAUGH ENJOYS NOTRE DAME VISIT

It was a big weekend on South Bend (IN) with the Michigan State football team coming to town to face the Irish. Notre Dame (tickets) head basketball coach and staff took advantage of the big football weekend to host some key recruiting targets, including Jamesville-Dewitt (NY) High School forward Tyler Cavanaugh.

“The experience and environment on campus was amazing,” Cavanaugh told NBE’s Matt Whitfield by text this morning.

When talking about face-up four men in the Class of 2012, Cavanaugh is one of the first names that should come to mind. The 6-foot-7 power forward is a knockdown 3-point shooter with a smooth stroke and he is also a superb finisher around the basket. Cavanaugh has a great basketball IQ and rarely makes bad decisions with the ball. He is tough defensively and his motor is always running at full force. A good enough athlete, Cavanaugh can handle the ball and get to the hoop off the bounce. A great teammate who does all the little things, Cavanaugh is truly talented player. If he improves his quickness and agility, he could develop into a big-time player – traits that all have attracted the Irish staff and earned Cavanaugh a scholarship offer from Notre Dame (Irish Fan Gear).

“They say I am a basketball player not locked in a position at this time,” Cavanaugh said. “I was very impressed by the opportunity.”

Cavanaugh has also previously told NBE that he plans to take official visits to Wake Forest, George Washington and Davidson. Syracuse (tickets) also recently offered and he was expected to visit the Orange campus as well this fall. Next weekend Cavanaugh plans to take an official visit to Wake Forest.

There was some talk that the recent verbal by Jerami Grant could impact the recruitment of Cavanaugh with the Orange. Cavanaugh refuted that notion and is till very much considering the home town Syracuse (Orange Fan Shop) program.

“Yes, I am still considering SU because Jerami is a different player than I am,” said Cavanaugh. “We are players that could play beside one another.”

NBE will continue to closely follow the recruitment of Jamesville-DeWitt’s Tyler Cavanaugh as he continues the visit and recruiting process this Fall.

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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STEFAN JANKOVIC HAS A LEADER; PREPARING FOR OFFICIAL VISITS

Coming off an unofficial visit last weekend, 6’11 Huntington forward sets to begin official visits with an ACC school as the team to beat

Stefan Jankovic missed much of July because of an injury, but make no mistake about it, the 6-foot-11, 235-pound Huntington Prep forward has his share of quality suitors in the mix for his future services.

Jankovic is a sought-after recruit for good reason. Despite missing the summer and not getting a lot of publicity because in the past he has been overshadowed by the Bhullar brothers as his teammates, he is an absolute match-up nightmare due to his versatile offensive game and 6-foot-11 size. Jankovic can stroke it consistently from the arc and is also capable of posting up and finishing with a jump hook. He can get past his defender off the dribble and has a nice mid-range pull-up. He rebounds the ball well at both ends, and is very fundamentally sound.

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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…

SUMMER SHOOTOUT NOTEBOOK

By Alex Schwartz

ALLENTOWN, N.J. — Although the Summer Shootout is not necessarily well-known outside of New Jersey, the event is filled with quality teams and talented players on a yearly basis. The 2011 edition was no different, as NBE Basketball Report took in some of the action on Saturday and got to catch up with a handful of Big East recruits.

Isaiah Watkins, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, really saw his stock increase this summer. A class of 2013 prospect who hails from Toronto and is in his first year at St. Benedict’s (NJ), Watkins already lists a number of high-major offers.

Watkins said that Santa Clara, Missouri, Arkansas, Cincinnati and Virginia have all extended scholarship offers to him. In addition, he is hearing from Harvard, Ohio State, Georgetown, Michigan, Elon, Lafayette, Niagara, Villanova, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Temple, West Virginia, Kansas and more.
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