Fordham Recruiting

HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: SATURDAY RECAP

After two days filled with local contests and a sampling of girl’s games, the Hoophall Classic took to the national stage on the boys side Saturday. Traditional powers like Oak Hill Academy, Gonzaga College Prep, St. Patrick’s and DeMatha Catholic headlined the action at Blake Arena in Springfield. Many players improved their stock on Saturday but none more than an undersized big man from Gonzaga College Prep.

Top Performer:

Kris Jenkins (Gonzaga 2013) – Jenkins had a breakout performance on national TV a week ago at the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, West Virginia and backed it up today at the Hoophall Classic by dominating an individual matchup with Riverside’s Ricardo Gathers. Jenkins is 6’6” at best but still has great strength for the power forward position. This allows him to hold his own defensively while causing all kinds of problems for opponents on the offensive end. He did the majority of his damage on midrange jumpers but showed that his range extends to the 3 point line knocking down a pair of triples. Jenkins was productive from the opening tip until the final whistle not even allowing an errant Ricardo Gathers elbow to the face to slow him down. After scoring at will on top 10 sophomore Jahlil Okafor and top 30 senior Ricardo Gathers in the past week, it’s safe to say that Jenkins can contribute at the high major level.
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ST. ANTHONY’S GUARD DUO DRAWING PLENTY OF INTEREST

As teammates with Sports U/Team Izod on the AAU circuit as well as with Hall of Famer Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony’s of Jersey City (NJ) program, Class of 2013 guards Hallice Cooke and Josh Brown have seen their recruiting profiles expand greatly over the last several months.

Brown exploded on the scene right before our eyes at the Rumble in the Bronx back in June. While many people took note of who did not show up at the Rumble, it was clear that Brown did show up and his play stood out. Brown showed he is a freak of an athlete and used his superior athleticism to make plays in all facets of the game. He’s a strong rebounder and once he grabs a defensive board it’s off to the races. An absolute blur in the open court, Brown is just as likely to dunk on an unsuspecting defender’s head as he is to make a simple bounce pass to a teammate for an easy score. In the half-court, he is simply devastating in pick and roll sets as he uses his speed to turn the corner and get to the rim and is also very adept at drawing the double team and whipping a pass to the screener for a layup.
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Q&A WITH CLASS OF 2013 STOCK RISER HALLICE COOKE

One of the players that has made a quick ascension in the Class of 2013 in recent weeks is St. Anthony;s of Jersey City (NJ) guard Hallice Cooke. After playing well in the early July events on the East Coast, Cooke and his teammates at Sports U./Team Izod made a major splash by taking home the 16U crown at the UA Summer Jam presented by NY2LA Sports. Their championship run was culminated last Friday afternoon with a 51-48 win over the Illinois Wolves to take home the 16U Platinum Bracket Championship.

NBE was able to catch up with Cooke this afternoon to get his thoughts on the impressive early July run and hear the latest on his recruitment, which is starting to explode rapidly. Another impressive 10 days to close July and Cooke could become one of the most heavily recruited players on the East Coast in the 2013 class…

NBE Basketball Report (NBE): What is your current height and weight?

Hallice Cook (HC): I’m 6’3 and my weight is 175.
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NBE: Where do you live?

HC: I live in Union City, New Jersey
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NBE: Can you talk about what is the best part of attending St. Anthony’s and playing for Coach Hurley?
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CLASS OF 2013 NYC TRIO SEES RECRUITING REACH ‘NEW HEIGHTS’

One of the stories of the first 10-day live evaluation period recently concluded was the play of the 16U NYC New Heights team. The squad coached by Kimani Young took the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis (IN) to open the period and then were victorious in the Hoop Group’s Summer Classic in King of Prussia (PA) as well. The players have definitely cherished the opportunity they have with New Heights and their success has been noticed by many college coaches.

“The oppurtunity to travel the world and play in front of college coaches for free,” is what 6-foot-3, 198-pound (rising) junior guard Terrence Samuel told NBE over the weekend when asked what he like dmost about being part of the New Heights program.

Samuel has seen his stock soar recently. After a few good performances on the early spring AAU period word was out that he was a player coaches should keep an eye on and those that came to check him out were not disappointed with what they saw.

“Pitt, Villanova, Cincinnati, Louisville, Arizona, Iowa State, Rutgers [and] Oregon State,” said Samuel when asked about offers received, noting many came since July began. He also mentioned VCU, Virginia, Temple and St. John’s as schools expressing new interest recently.
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HOOP GROUP ELITE TEAM CAMP FINAL RECAP & RECRUITING NOTES

By Alex Schwartz

READING, Pa. — Featuring over 60 high schools from seven different states, The Hoop Group Elite Team Camp drew numerous Division I coaches to Albright College. At least half of Big East was represented there Sunday, the second and final day of the camp.

Head coaches from both of New Jersey’s Big East programs, Rutgers and Seton Hall, were in attendance along with at least one assistant. NBE Basketball Report also spotted or was informed that assistants from Cincinnati, DePaul, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Villanova and West Virginia were in Reading.

Amongst the attractions for the Big East schools were Kyle Anderson ’12, Nate Britt ’13, Reggie Cameron ’13, Hallice Cooke ’13, Will Ferguson ’13, Shep Garner ’14, Amile Jefferson ’12, Kris Jenkins ’13, Ja’Quan Newton ’14, Villanova-commit Daniel Ochefu ’12, Stanford Robinson ’13, Terrence Samuel ’13, Shamiek Sheppard ’13, Kavon Stewart ’13, Mike Young ’13, and more.
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RECRUITING EXPANDS FOR BRIAN BERNARDI

The July live evaluation period will be an important one for Brian Bernardi. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard out of Xaverian High School in New York City already has several solid mid-major programs putting scholarship offers on the table and it is expected schools from high-major conferences will also be tracking his progress this month during the two 10-day live periods.

The current school list for Bernardi is long and includes a variety of schools throughout the college basketball spectrum. Boston College, Xavier, Hofstra, Virginia, Fordham, Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s, Temple, Siena, Fairfield, SMU, Boston University , East Carolina, Marist, James Madison, Manhattan and Wagner were listed as the programs actively recruiting him.
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BRIAN BERNARDI SHOOTING FOR A BIG SPRING & SUMMER ON AAU TRAIL

Shooting almost can be considered a lost art in this day and age in the sport of basketball. A pure shooter that can knock down shots from the perimeter is viewed as a commodity. With the three-point line acting as the great equalizer in the game today, college coaches will take notice when a player establishes himself as an elite pure shooter in his class.

This spring and summer on the AAU circuit Xaverian (NY) High School shooting guard Brian Bernardi hopes to establish himself as just such a player in the Class of 2012. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound sniper averaged over 16 points a game, eclipsing the 20-point mark eight times, including a season-high 24 in an 81-64 win over a St. Raymond’s team stacked with Division 1-A prospects. According to one of his coaches his reputation as a pure shooter is well-entrenched in the NYC area.

“Hands down, best shooter in city,” Chris Alesi told NBE yesterday. “According to [long-time Xaverian High School] coach Jack Alesi, [Bernardi is the] best [shooter] to come out of Xaverian since Chris Mullin. If there are five better pure shooters in the country, I’d be surprised.”

College coaches have already come to see Bernardi work out and the list has been impressive.
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PLAYAZ SPRING FLING RECRUITING NOTES – FRIDAY

A loaded field has come to the Jersey Shore this weekend for the annual Playaz Spring Fling, but on by Jimmy Salmons’ Playaz Club program. The event kicks off the spring AAU travel season and while most are focused this weekend on the events in Houston (TX) with the Final Four, Matt Whitfield has made the trip to Neptune (NJ) to get an early look at most of the top AAU programs from the East Coast at one event. Sneaker affiliation lines are crossed for this event as all comers are welcomed.

The host Playaz have their 17-U and 16-U squads participating and the top NYC-based programs such as the NY Gauchos, New Heights, Long Island Lightning and NY Panthers as well as other powerful programs such as Team Takeover DC, DC Assault, Team Philly, NE Playaz, CT Select, Baltimore Elite, Sports University/Team Izod, Team NJ ABC, Pa Playaz and more are all in the 32-team 17U field this weekend.

On Friday evening LI-Lightning’s 6-foot-6 forward Daniel Dingle of St. Raymond’s HS in the Bronx updated NBE on the latest with his recruitment.

“Boston College, FSU, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Rutgers, Arizona, Xavier, Temple, Auburn, a lot of schools,” Dingle told Matt Whitfield when asked for the list of schools recruiting him.

The Class of 2012 is planning a trio of visits this month.

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NYC 2012 F DANIEL DINGLE A HIGH RECRUITING PRIORITY

Daniel Dingle feels he has some unfinished business to attemd to before his high school career at St. Raymonds’s in the Bronx (NYC) is done. Like his teammate and fellow Class of 2012 prospect Nkereuwem Okoro told NBE earlier today, the sting of losing in overtime to Christ the King in the CHSAA Class AA semifinal earlier this month has fueled Dingle to be ready to get over the hump in his senior season.

“We played well all season; just came up short in the semifinals,” Dingle told NBE today. “The highlight was just going hard everyday with my teammates that I love. The main goal is to win a city championship and a state title (next year).”

With Okoro, Shane Rector and Dingle expected to return along with several other key performers from this year’s team, the Ravens should be well-stocked for coach Oliver Antigua to reach their lofty expectations. The 6-foot-7, 220-lb Dingle is excited to keep working to reach those goals with his teammates.

“The past season went well, we really created a strong bond amongst each other,” he said.

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MORE PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT RECRUITING NOTES

Last weekend’s Primetime Shootout annually brings an impressive collection of high school basketball talent to New Jersey to compete over the course of two or three days. This year the venue moved to Union (NJ) on the campus of Kean University. Here is some of the previous coverage from Matt Whitfield for NBE from his time covering the 2011 version of the event:

- 2011 Primetime Shootout – Friday Night Notes
- Findlay Prep Trio Hot Prospects in Class of 2012 – A look at the recruitment of Landen Lucas, Anthony Bennett and Nazareth Long.
- Montrose Christian Rebounds to Rout Findlay Prep at Primetime Shootout – ‘Nova bound Tyrone Johnson shines in easy win over loaded Findlay team.
- Justin Anderson Update – Possible College Decision Forthcoming for Elite ’12 Forward?
- Recruiting on Hold for Andre Drummond – St. Thomas More Prep coach Jere Quinn taks about the recruitment of the nations top 2012 PF.

Today NBE takes a look at the recruitment and the latest of Trenton Catholic’s Brandon Taylor, the Lakewood duo of Anthony Walker, who is quickly making a name for himseld this year, and Jarrod Davis, who talks of his prep school options and the schools he is looking at as part of the Class of 2012. Also, Quality Education Academy’s Lekan Ajayi talks about the final five schools the Class of 2011 big man prospect will choose from.

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 membership to read the full story as we wrap-up our 2011 Primetime Shootout Recruiting coverage below. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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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.

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KING CITY CLASSIC EVALS & UPDATES (PART B)

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.

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 update B below we talk with mega-prospect Anthony Davis as he discusses his three finalists, talk with LaQuinton Ross as he talks about offers and visits and spend 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…

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.

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ADIDAS INVITATIONAL PLAYER EVALUATIONS & RECRUITING UPDATES (PART B)

by RAY MERNAGH

The Adidas Invitational threatened to turn into the New Heights Invitational — that will happen when a team full of tough, NYC-area ballers takes out a juggernaut full of “high-major” prospects like New Heights did to Indiana Elite/Team Indiana in the quarterfinals early Thursday morning. New Heights then repeated the performance in the semifinals, where it fought back from a double digit deficit to defeat the New England Playaz. Alas, the run ended in the final when New Heights lost to the LeBryan Nash-led Dallas Mustangs 69-58. It was an impressive run by a New Heights squad not expected to challenge for the title this week and plenty of college coaches were here to witness it.

Earlier in our Adidas Invitational Day One Standouts article we went into (long) detail on the impressive performance of Shabazz Muhammad, who was the talk of the event Tuesday and plenty of top coaches were watching his EVERY move, as well as our thoughts and updates on Wannah Bail, Cody Zeller, Gabe York, recent UC-verbal Ge-Lawn Guyn and more that stood out on Tuesday and in Part A of the Final Adidas Invitational Player Evals & Recruiting Notes the past two days (wed/Thurs) of action we looked at Winston Shepard, Lebryan Nash, Jermaine Sanders, Jeremiah Davis, Kenny Kaminsky and more…

To wrap up our coverage we spend time this afternoon taking a look at some new faces to NBE, like Dylan Ennis, BJ Van Loo and some familiar ones like Naadir Tharpe, Alex Murphy and some additional looks of the players of the Dallas Mustangs and New Heights as those teams went all the way to the ‘chip. Also a note or two on favorites like Quincy Miller and Yogi Ferrell can be found as well.

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 Indianapolis and the Adidas Invitational. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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MORE HOOP GROUP ELITE RECRUITING NOTES

The July ‘live’ evaluation period moved into it’s second day on Wednesday and college coaches are out in force hitting the recruiting trail on the first day of two 10-period live evaluation days during July. NBE has stationed at the Lebron James Skills Academy in Akron (OH) as well as the Adidas Invitational in Indianapolis (IN).

With no Reebok All-American Camp this summer, the Hoop Group Elite Camp at Albright College in Reading (PA) has seen a nice influx of talent to this year’s camp roster. NBE’s Matt Whitfield braved the sweltering heat and the outdoor courts at Albright College Tuesday and Wednesday to track down several stories and bring us continued recruiting updates.

In this story the recruitment of Jarelle Reischel, Daniel Dingle, Keith Coleman, Julian Debose and Austin Colbert were updated for our readers.

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 recruiting updates below from the Hoop Group Elite Camp and upcoming July ‘live’ period news and notes. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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JUNE 28 RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (FREE PREVIEW)

Aaron Cosby commits to SHU and updates on Jarrod Davis and Michael Carey as their lists expand

BY JEFF BORZELLO

After making an immediate impact in the class of 2010, new Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard picked up his first 2011 commitment on Sunday, as Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) guard Aaron Cosby chose the Pirates.

“They have been recruiting me the hardest over the past couple months,” Cosby said on Sunday. “My family and I had a stronger comfort level with the staff and the 2011 class will be a big class for that program, and they see me stepping in and playing right away.”

Cosby, a 6-foot-3 point guard originally from Kentucky, took a visit to the South Orange, N.J. campus this weekend and came away impressed.

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RUMBLE IN THE BRONX: THE FINAL RUNDOWN

BY JEFF BORZELLO

BRONX, N.Y. – As the weekend wound down at Fordham University in the 2010 Rumble in the Bronx, several surprises occurred across the bracket in the playoffs. The top AAU team in the country, the NJ Playaz, suffered an upset at the hands of New Heights in the quarterfinals, while East Coast Elite, a team from Delaware, was rolling through the bracket. The New England Playaz and New York Gauchos also dropped surprising match-ups in the quarterfinals. In the U-16 division, no New York teams ended up reaching the championship game, as a loaded BABC team would take on the PA Playaz and its one-man show of Ryan Arcidiacono in the finals. Despite most of the top talent not appearing in the semifinals and finals, the Rumble in the Bronx did not lack for excitement.

Domonique Bull, 2012, BABC: Bull, one of the top New England guard prospects in the class of 2012, is built like his last name would indicate. He is very strong with the ball and has improved his athleticism and quickness since last summer. Bull can get into the lane with the bounce and distribute it to open teammates for easy baskets. He rarely plays out of control, and remains calm under pressure. He did not turn the ball over much, and was highly effective.

Bull, who passed up the NIKE Hoop Jamboree to attend the Rumble in the Bronx, is receiving interest from Western Kentucky, Miami (Fl.), Providence, Florida and more. He likes Miami (Fl.) a lot, and will attend the Elite Camps of both Florida and Wisconsin.
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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 NBE’s Rumble in the Bronx coverage from Saturday, and any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

The Final Rundown content below includes Jeff Borzello’s ranking of the top 15 Rumble performers from the class of 2011 and the top eight from the class of 2012. Also, like the Bull update, there are player evals and/or recruiting updates on Nerlens Noel, Malcolm Gilbert, Ryan Arcidiacono, Jermaine Sander, Travon Allen, Jaylen Bond, A.J. Mathews, Maurice Harkless and MORE…

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ALL JACKED UP, KADEEM POWERS FRENJI

NYC big man bound for prep school will be a hot target for Big East schools and more in 2011 class

By Zach Smart

Kadeem Jack arrived two quarters late to the Frenji’s Frankie Williams Charity Classic in the village of Greenburgh, N.Y., though it didn’t take the 6-foot-9 senior much time to register his presence.

As soon as he checked into the into the game at the Theodore D. Young Community Center, Jack flushed home a two-handed alley-oop banger on a fast break. It instantly put a jam-packed gym, which included many familiar basketball faces (former NBA player Kenny Anderson and homegrown product Torey Thomas, who authored a stellar career at Holy Cross, to name a couple) on its feet. On the ensuing possessions, Jack knocked down a baby hook over Villanova-bound Jayvaughn Pinkston and flew in for a stickback.

Kadeem was all Jacked up, scoring his first 12 points in a span of under 10 minutes and using his length in the paint.

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 about Jack his recruitment, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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GIBBONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS DAY TWO RECAP

BY JEFF BORZELLO

CHAPEL HILL, N.C./DURHAM, N.C. — Duke and North Carolina are usually the main attractions down in the Triangle of Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham, but that was not the case this weekend with the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in town. 64 U-17 teams, 32 U-16 teams and 32 U-15 squads, spread out over 19 courts and 8 locations, it was a recruitnik’s dream. There was still plenty of talent on the rosters despite the EYBL taking place in Los Angeles, and here’s a look at some of the top players on Saturday…

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 our full coverage from Saturday at the Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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BALTIMORE ELITE INVITATIONAL NOTEBOOK

Myles Mack, Khem Birch & Ricardo Ledo show the goods to be landing at the high-major level in the future

by RON BAILEY

May 12, 2010 – Last weekend’s Baltimore Elite Invitational heated up the Washington-Baltimore AAU landscape, as talented players from as far north as Canada traveled to Chantilly, VA’s Hoop Magic Sports Academy, and were joined by travel teams hailing from parts south as deep as North Carolina. The Eastern Seaboard was in full effect.

With organizations such as Nike Baltimore Elite, Team Takeover, Canada Takeover, Team Final, Team Philly, Expressions and a host of others, BIG EAST recruited athletes like Desmond Hubert, Rakeem Christmas, James Robinson, Mikael Hopkins, Tyrone Johnson and Kyle Anderson were in abundance.

Future Class of 2011 Syracuse student-athlete Trevor Cooney laced ‘em up, as did younger standouts being recruited like Jerami Grant (Georgetown, Oklahoma State, others), and BeeJay Anya (Georgetown, Maryland, others).

In an effort to supply NBE Basketball Report readers with up-to-date information not widely available, three players are featured below; Khem Birch, Myles Mack and Ricardo Ledo. The last pair have been known to be BIG EAST targets for awhile. The first may mildly surprise recruitniks. All have a strong chance of landing in the B-EAST.

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 Birch, Ledo and Mack as they go into detail about their recruiting and games with Ron Bailey (also some exclusive audio content as well), as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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ROBINSON SCHOOL ROUNDING OUT TALENTED ROSTER

New prep school in New Jersey will have plenty of high-major prospects next year

by JEFF BORZELLO

Although The Robinson School is still a new entry into the prep scene, head coach and founder Vincent Robinson continues to make an impact with his personnel.

Last Thursday, Robinson picked up high-major prospect Jakari McCallop and former Boston College and Fordham commit Danny Lawhorn. On Wednesday, he garnered commitments from athletic guard Mike John and former Dartmouth commit Kyle Aiken.

Robinson is confident in his ability to get The Robinson School to compete with the top prep schools in the country within a few months.

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 Vincent Robinson’s new venture as the Robinson School rounds out their roster with plenty of players getting high-major college attention, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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