LaSalle Recruiting

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (9/3/2010)

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We send readers off on the long holiday weekend with a News & Notes entry to close out a busy week. With college football gearing up this weekend it also means official visits are gettign under way. The biggest mover and shaker this weekend on the visit front is Louisville and Rick Pitino is taking advantage of the home football game with Kentucky to host a VERY impressive group of prospects. Other news includes UConn’s date to respond to the NCAA has been pushed back once again. One of their two German recruits has arrived on campus while the other is still on hold. Recruiting updates on Kyle Anderson and Steve Taylor, a pair of 2012 prospects, can also be found as well as news of a talented (now) 2013 prospect changing schools and a walk-on joining the Georgetown program.

Next week readers can look for NBE’s post-summer recruit rankings of players in the 2011 and 2012 classes as well as a listing of the 2013 players that have caught our eye this summer.

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

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TARIQ CAREY LIKES ACC; HAS EARLY FAVORITE

Newark (NJ) guard in 2012 class is looking for respect as one of best in his class

by MATT WHITFIELD

Perhaps overlooked and underrated because he doesn’t play at one of Northern New Jersey’s perennial Top 25 USA Today programs, Tariq Carey feels he deserves some respect. Carey is an active guard with good athleticism and size for a rising junior. The Newark (NJ) Eastside product plays hard on both sides of the floor and has really improved his all-around. He has an ability to get into the lane and finish or distribute. Carey can score with contact at the rim and showed a much improved ability to connect from three-point range on the AAU circuit when NBE saw him with the NJ Playaz 16U team. Defensively, he is very aggressive and is adept at racking up steals and starting fast breaks.

With all that ability and an impressive list of schools involved in his recruitment, Carey is scratching his head when he looks at top 100 rankings around the internet.

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BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (8/20/2010)

Its been a busy week on the recruiting front and things are unlikely to slow down at all from now until Letter of Intent Day in mid-November. Players are busy trimming thier lists, making unofficial visits, setting official visits and anxioulsy awaiting September 9th when college coaches can begin in-home visits and trip to watch open gym workouts at high schools and prep schools across the country.

On this Friday edition of the Basketball Recruiting Notebook, we take a look at the upcoming decision of Trey Burke, the All-Ohio guard who is looking like he will decide between one school in the Big 10 and one school in the Big East in the very near future. Another player nearing a decision is Jervon Pressley, who has a Big East school among his two favorites and another Big East school in his top three. Also, Eli Carter is on a visit right now and Chris Martin updates the status of his recruitment as he plans two visits to an Atlantic 10 school and a Big East school as they are showing new interest in him and names his three favorites.

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

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (8/20/2010)

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It is a TGIF edition of Big East News & Notes. Today there are stories about Glen Miller returning to UConn in a new position, Cincinnati preparing for their trip to Canada with a head start on the 2010-2011 season. Will Rashad Bishop be part of the team? A little more background on the PC/Joseph Young LOI flap that has been ugly of late. Also, the Rutgers non-conference schedule and an outside view at the Big East for 2010-2011 in preview form. On the recruiting front, a UConn wish list is examined, Ben McLemore’s recruitment is updated, an update on Kyle Anderson and a look at two promising players that are unlikely to be with FIU this fall.

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

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BASKETBALL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: NJ PLAYAZ EDITION

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

by RAY MERNAGH

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

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

Point taken.

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

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

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

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MALCOLM GILBERT NARROWS LIST; DEVIN COLEMAN HAS TWO LEADERS

A couple class of 2011 prospects have begun to whittle down their college lists as the recruiting process continues toward a conclusion for many prospects. Academy of New Church big man Malcom Gilbert has narrowed his list to six schools and Friends Central guard Devin Coleman has two favorites among his list of schools.

Malcom Gilbert is one of the better big men still available in the class of 2011. The product of Bryn Athyn (PA) Academy of the New Church informed NBE this afternoon that he has narrowed hos list of schools to Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Virginia and Clemson.

Gilbert competed on the AAU scene this summer with both East Coast Elite and City Rocks. NBE saw him in Orlando recently and Gilbert is a legitimate 6-foot-11 and is long (7′4 wingspan according to his father) with good athleticism. He alters a ton of shots defensively when he’s not blocking them. He can hit the 10-12 foot shot and scores inside using his length.

Academy of the New Church competes in the Friends school league near Philadelphia. Another league program, Friends Central, also has a high-major prospect in 6-foot-3 guard Devin Coleman, who runs with Philadelphia Team Phenom on the AAU scene.

Coleman told NBE he is currently considering offers from Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, Richmond, Temple, La Salle, Jacksonville and Siena with two schools currently standing out in front as his favorites.

“Leaders are currently Iowa and Rutgers“, said Coleman.

Gilbert and Coleman are just a few of the players in the class of 2011 working through the process and coming closer to making a college decision. Stay tuned at NBE for more updates on others in the rising senior class int he coming days…

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ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART VII (KADEEM JACK CUTTING LIST SOON)

The action in Orlando countinued strong on Thursday as they are now down to the final 32 teams for the 17-U AAU National championship and the championship game in the 16-U age group is set for Friday afternoon.

In the 16-U championship bracket, it will be BABC Sophs, led by the defensive prowess of Nerlens Noel taking on All-Ohio Red at 4 PM on the main court at the ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex. BABC got past Rising Stars Gold, 48-35, to earn their spot in the championship. With Noel acting as a goalie and blocking anything that comes near him, BABC has allowed just 36 points a game this week in Orlando. Georges Niang has also been outstanding and complimenting Noel inside, especially on the offensive end of the floor.

All-Ohio Red got past Arkansas Wings, 80-62, to advance to the championship game, which is a rematch of the 16-U AAU Super Showcase semifinal from earlier here in Orlando. That game was won by the boys from the Buckeye state, 47-42, but BABC will have Noel this time.

Alex Schwartz continues to gather updates from Orlando and and you can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of the coverage from Orlando as he details the performance of Omar Calhoun, Evan Nolte, Tavon Sledge, Kareem Canty and Tyquan Goard with detailed recruiting updates on Kadeem Jack, who is set to cut his list and one long-standing team is no longer in consideration, Chris Martin and Goard, all detailed below. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM: DAY THREE

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – If Tuesday was the day when the stars came out, with big-time performances from Mike Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Marquis Teague and Brad Beal, Wednesday was the time to showcase some lesser-known talents from the class of 2012. There were only four sessions of U-17 games, with four sessions of U-16 contests. The playoffs also kicked off during the night session for each age group, with Team Takeover, BABC, St. Louis Eagles and Spiece – the group winners – advancing to play Metro Hawks, Team Final, Oakland Soldiers and Boo Williams, the runners-up in each group. In U-16, group winners Team Takeover, Georgia Stars, BABC and Memphis YOMCA squared off. With the night session featuring all playoff games, the semifinals in U-17 and finals in U-16 are set for tomorrow. Thursday will see Team Takeover take on Team Final and the St. Louis Eagles face Spiece in U-17 action, while BABC and Georgia Stars battle for the U-16 title.

You can log-in or sign up for NBE Premium access by SUBSCRIBING (HERE) for as low as $2.08 a month with our annual introductory membership to read more of our coverage from North Augusta (SC) and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam’s third day of action as 18 more players update NBE on their recruitment and additional player evals are posted. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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SUPER 16 SHOWCASE NOTES

by RICHARD KENT

The event was held at the brand new TD Banknorth Arena on the campus of Quinnipiac University. Quinnipiac’s head coach Tom Moore, formerly an assistant at UConn, was like a proud poppa in the stands, watching some of the top talent in the country eye his digs.

Probably the best player on display was former Providence-commit, 6-foot point guard Naadir Tharpe of Brewster Academy and the New England Playaz. Tharpe can see the court well and is a pure point. He is now still involved with Providence along with Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Indiana and UMass, among others. He was coached in the event by John Carroll,former head coach of the Celtics.

Tharpe played against J.B. Hoops of Pennsylvania led by rising junior 6-foot-5 forward Terry Turner, drawing looks from Penn State,Temple, La Salle, St. Joe’s and to a lesser extent Syracuse and Rutgers. 6-foot-7 Mark Bevacqua also impressed. He has a high ankle sprain but is being looked at by some Big East schools.

The New England Playaz 16s were led by 6-foot-9 Evan Cummins of Northfield Mt. Hermon who is drawing looks from Ivies such as Brown, Penn and Cornell.

The New York Panthers were stuck in traffic and didn’t show by press time. Many coaches were there to see 6-foot-7 Maurice Harkless of South Kent (via NYC), heavily recruited by Rutgers, who is on his new list, along with Memphis, St. John’s, Georgetown, Miami, South Florida, Xavier, Virginia, Maryland, Syracuse, Temple, Pitt, Providence and Cincinnati, according to adviser Nate Blue’s twitter this afternoon, since retracting his verbal commitment from Connecticut. Many coaches were also waiting on Kadeem Jack, who will join Harkless at South Kent next season, as Jack is Working Through Recruiting Process as a 2011 Prospect now.

Rising sophomore Kuran Iverson was a star for Connecticut Select 16s and was being looked at by Big East assistants from UConn (Andre LaFleur), Pittsburgh (Pat Skerry) and Cincinnati (former Rutgers assistant Darren Savino was there on behalf of the Bearcats).

Present for Rutgers was Van Macon, who previously coached under former Hofstra and now Fordham coach Tom Pecora, who was also present. The two remain friendly.

ESPN’s Andy Katz headed the media contingent and was looking all over the place for West Virginia coach Bob Huggins, who was due to arrive by evening. Word is Huggins made sure to make himself seen when elite 2012 prospect Andre Drummond took the floor for Connecticut Basketball Club later on.

Affable Harvard head coach, and former Seton Hall head coach, Tommy Amaker was there looking at some prep players. He did not rule out coaching in the Big East again.
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NBE recently welcomed Richard Kent, a veteran college basketball writer, to our growing team. Richard has written for SI.Com, Athlon and has covered the NCAA Tournament in the CBS Studio. He also has done extensive work on women’s college basketball, having founded the Big East Women’s Basketball Report and written three books on the topic. He broke the story nationally that UConn and Tennessee would no longer be playing. His day job is practicing law as a matrimonial attorney in Fairfield, Connecticut where he is a member of Best Lawyers In America.
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Sports fans should also visit StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online for tickets to any NCAA event or NBA, MLB, NHL game or UFC, WWE or concert tickets at an arena near you this spring.

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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AMILE JEFFERSON: OFFER FROM SYRACUSE “HUMBLING”

Top 2012 prospect in high demand as recruiting heats up already

Mining the talent of Friends Central in Philadelphia (PA) has been pretty successful for Syracuse in the past as one of NBE’s All-Tome Top 50 Big East Players came from the school and was a key member of Jim Boeheim’s national championship club of 2003. The school that brought SU Hakim Warrick is now home to one of the most coveted prospects in the class of 2012: Amile Jefferson.

While the Orange will hope lightning strikes twice, many other schools hope that Jefferson chooses their school in the end. The local Big East program (Villanova) has also made a strong impression with a scholarship offer and others are certainly in the mix 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 below as Matt Whitfield catches up with Amile Jefferson earlier today at the Hoop Group Summer Classic in Neptune (NJ). 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 17 RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: WINSTON SHEPARD HAS TOP 8

Another round of updates from the class of 2012 as coaches calls continue to pour in

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Outside of the early and late signing periods, and the “live” July recruiting period, June 15 and the days following it might be some of the busiest days in the recruiting world. It is when college coaches are allowed to officially contact rising high school juniors, and offers begin to roll in across the country. Coaches are allowed to call prospects in the class of 2012 once per month over the next year, beginning on 6/15. Next summer the allotted amount rises to twice per week per institution. NBE Basketball Report has been on top of all the news of the past couple of days, and here is another look at some more 2012 prospects and their newest recruiting updates.

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 news and notes on Winston Shepard, Michael Carey, Derrick Wood, Perry Ellis, Jordan Tebbutt and Derrick Stewart. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers and detailed below is our coverage schedule for the next month.

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DOMONIQUE BULL SEEING RECRUITMENT HEAT UP

Cushing Academy 2012 prospect picks up offer and impressive elite camp invites recently

by JEFF BORZELLO

Domonique Bull, a strong prospect from New England, has seen an impressive uptick in his recruitment recently. No doubt word has also gotten out about his impressive play this past weekend helping BABC to the 16-U championship. Bull passed up a chance to play at the Nike Hoop Jamboree for the top 2012 and younger players to hit the Rumble.

Another scholarship offer, this one from the ACC, and new high-major college interest has come this week as college coaches can now officially recruit the class of 2012.

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 Bull’s recruitment, as he hears from top programs and picks up a new ACC offer, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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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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NIKE EYBL (LOS ANGELES): TOP PERFORMERS

by DOUG FERGUSON

The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League rolled into Southern California this past weeked for the third and final preliminary leg before selecting the field for July’s Peach Jam. Doug Ferguson was front and center for the action Saturday and Sunday and profiles the top 10 players that stood out in his viewing below…

But first, here are the top finishers from each of the four divisions this spring:

Division A…………… W…….L
Howard Pulley……….12…….2
Mean Streets………..10…….4
Louisiana Select………9…….5
Albany City Rocks…….8…….6

Division B……………..W……..L
Each 1 Teach 1………10…….4
Team Takeover……….10…….4
Spiece…………………..8…….6

Division C……………….W…….L
St. Louis Eagles……….12…….2
Boo Williams……………12…….2
Oakland Soldiers……….11…….3

Division D……………….W…….L
NJ Playaz……………….13……1
Mac Irvin………………..11…..3
Georgia Stars…………..10……4
New York Gauchos………9……5
Team Florida……………..9……5
BABC………………………8……6

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 on about the top 10 performers from last weekend’s EYBL that Doug caught in action and some recruiting notes, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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