St. Joseph’s 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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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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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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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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DAVON REED ENJOYS SETON HALL VISIT; MORE TRIPS PLANNED

While much of the attention in recent weeks have been paid to the Class of 2012 prospects hitting college campuses for official visits, several 2013 prospects have also used their free time to see some schools for themselves. One player with a very busy visit schedule the next month is Davon Reed. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard was able to fit in a BIG EAST visit last weekend.

“I really enjoyed my visit to Seton Hall last Saturday,” Reed told NBE yesterday. “The staff was really welcoming and they seem to be have a bright future for the program! It was an excellent visit!”

Reed was surprised that the campus was bigger than he thought. He was also able to see coach Kevin Willard’s squad hit the court for a preseason workout, which he singled out as the visit’s highlight.
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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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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 4 NOTEBOOK: WILD, WILD WEST IN VEGAS

By Raphielle Johnson

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

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

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

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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 2): ACTION HEATING UP IN DISNEY

By Alex Schwartz

The action continues in Orlando with the AAU Super Showcase for the 15U and 16U heating up on Saturday. On Sunday the 17U division gets going stronger as well and more and more college coaches are arriving at the ESPN Wide World of Sports venue. In this afternoon’s notebook we take a closer look at the recruitment of standouts such as Kavon Stewart, Geno Thorpe, Davon Reed, Kendrick Nunn and we take a look at the impressive games of Dakari Johnson, Aquille Carr and Phil Booth. Read on below for the detail…

At 5-foot-11, NJ Playaz/Hudson Catholic point guard Kavon Stewart might not have elite height for a point guard, but what he does have is a fantastic feel for the game and the ability to lead a team. A pure point, Stewart gets others involved and has superb floor vision. He is able to find the open man and get him the basketball in a position to score. Stewart has a solid build, though he could add a bit of muscle. The 2013 prospect has a nice mid-range game which keeps the defense honest.
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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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HOOP GROUP WV JAM FEST RECRUITING NOTES – DAY 2

By Lauren Kirschman

The first 10-day live evaluation period of July has come and gone in nearly a blink of an eye. Its been a fun trip to Akron (OH) and Morgantown (WV) and points in between, north and south as well as east and west. While the coaches and throngs of media head home to their own beds finally, the Hoop Group’s West Virginia Jam Fest will carry on another day.

Tomorrow morning the event’s Gold Semifinals will take place. In the 17U bracket Team Philly will take on Team Takeover – Hoop Magic in one semifinal. Team Philly got past Long Island Lightning – Blue in one quarterfinal and the Hoop Magic-based squad upset Team 94 out of California in another quarterfinal.

The other half of the last four standing will be a match-up between the NY Gauchos and Hoop Heaven Heat of NJ who got past the Jersey Shore Warriors in a thrilling ending. The Gauchos won a hard fought affair with East Coast Elite in their quarterfinal match-up.

NBE caught up with a trio of standouts on Friday and below has the latest recruiting information on ’12 Blaise Mbargorba, ’13 Mark Williams and ’13 Elijah Brown for readers to enjoy…

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HOOP GROUP WV JAM FEST RECRUITING NOTES – DAY 1

By Lauren Kirschman

The first of two 10-day evaluation periods for the month of July come to a close today. One of the top annual events each year to close the period is the Hoop Group’s West Virginia Jam Fest, predominately help in the Morgantown (WV) area. With recent NCAA legislation preventing the games to be held on the WVU campus local high schools hosted contests as well as other sporting centers, including a local ice rink.

On day one of the event there was a large crowd of assistant coaches tracking down Amile Jefferson at University High School for an evening game and, as usual, the Team Final 16U club had their share of coaches on hand when they played. Below are some recruiting notes from the day’s action on Semaj Christon, Melvin Johnson, Rondae Jefferson, Dashawn Suber and more…
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CLASS OF 2014 INTRO: BEN BENTIL

By Matt Whitfield

Running around at the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp this past Friday afternoon, an assistant coach with an Atlantic 10 school stopped me and said ‘do you know who this is’. I said I didn’t and the coach said ‘you’re going to thank me one day for telling you about this kid.’

That ‘kid’ is 6-foot-8 rising sophomore (Class of 2014) incoming sophomore Ben Bentil, formerly of Ghana.

“A lot of colleges [have called thus far], but they said I shouldn’t talk about it because I don’t really need to worry about it right now,” said Bentil.

Bentil describes himself as a defensive player, but his coach describes him as a jack-of-all-trades on the basketball court.

“I describe myself as more of a defensive player, but my coach calls me a utility player because I do a little bit of everything,” said Bentil. “I rebound, I score, I post up, I face up, I do everything.”

Bentil listed a few schools from the Big East that have shown him interest.
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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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REEBOK BREAKOUT CHALLENGE: FINAL RECAP

by Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – The Reebok Breakout Challenge came to a close yesterday, and NBE Basketball Report was on hand to take in the event’s final five game sets and catch up with a few more players.

One of the top uncommitted 2012 players at the camp was Daniel Dingle, a 6-foot-6 power forward out of St. Raymond’s (NY). He listed offers from Auburn, Temple, Xavier, Arizona, and Rutgers to go along with interest from Florida, Miami, Texas, and others.

Dingle said he does not have any favorites, but did note that a few schools are coming at him the hardest.

“I’d probably say Auburn, Temple and Arizona, those are the three,” Dingle said. “And Florida, Florida too, coach Norm [Roberts].”

At this point Dingle has visited Auburn, Temple and Rutgers. He does not have any visits scheduled, but may is thinking of working out a trip to Arizona.
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HOOP GROUP ELITE TEAM CAMP RECRUITING UPDATES: PART I

With the Hoop Group’s Elite Camp Session I concluding on Friday evening, the action continued on the campus of Albright College in Reading (PA) on Saturday with the Elite Team Camp, also hosted by Hoop Group, tipping off. A break from the norm of camps and AAU competitions, this July live period event features high school teams going head to head in front of very interested college coaches. The games certainly have a different feel than the normal summer contests and an impressive field only increased the interest of scouts, media, coaches and fans to come by the Albright campus on this beautiful summer day.

Just perusing the names of the schools in the national bracket and you knew you were in for a treat. Traditional Philadelphia powers Neumann-Goretti and Roman Catholic are in the field as well as Friends Central, Westtown and Penn Wood from the eastern half of the Keystone State. Upstate New York was represented by Jamesville-Dewitt outside of Syracuse and Rochester’s Bishop Kearney High School. The DC-area came strong with Gonzaga, St. John’s, Bishop McNamara, Largo, Paul VI, Patterson and more. New Jersey powers St. Anthony’s and Hudson Catholic came to play and New York City had Xaverian and South Shore. That is just a fraction of the teams on hand…

Matt Whitfield spent most of the day in Reading and will have plenty to report on. Below are just a few of the recruiting updates he accrued on this busy Saturday of basketball action…
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HOOP GROUP ELITE CAMP: FRIDAY AFTERNOON RECRUITING NOTES

By Matt Whitfield

The Hoop Group’s Session One Elite Camp wrapped up on Friday afternoon with a series of championship games and all-star contests. The camp’s Top 20 All-Star game draws the most interest and NBE spotted staff members from South Florida, Quinnipiac, Cornell, Wagner, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Rutgers, Drexel, Rice and Villanova.

One of the Top 20 All-Star participants was Quenton DeCosey, an athletic 6-foot-5 wing from St. Joseph of Metuchen (NJ) and the Team Izod/Sports U AAU travel program. DeCosey told NBE on Friday he has offers from Rice, Seton Hall, Temple and Towson. Virginia, West Virginia, St. John’s, Georgetown, St. Joseph’s and Rider are showing interest.

DeCosey told NBE that he has taken unofficial visits to Seton Hall and Temple and plans to check out Georgetown next week on an unofficial visit.
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REEBOK BREAKOUT CHALLENGE: THURSDAY RECRUITING ROUNDUP

By Matt Whitfield

The return to the summer basketball camp scene by Reebok has been well received. The competition and talent level is certainly solid at the Gallagher Athletic Center on the campus of Philadelphia University. NBE took in the action for the most part of the day Thursday and was able to touch base with many of the players to learn the latest on their recruitments. While the camp had a strong group of Mid-Major+ prospects, there was more than a fair share of players who will land at higher levels in college. Below is a rundown of who we caught up with yesterday.

Rysheed Jordan (Robert Vaux HS/Players Teaching Players)

There was a lot of hype centering Jordan entering the camp and many scouts, reporters and college coaches were anxious to get a look at him. He did not disappoint as the 6-foot-3, Class of 2013 point guard has all the look of a sure fire high major recruit. He has definitely noticed the increased attention of late.

“I think I’m blowing up,” said Jordan of the recent influx of recruiting attention. “I’m easing my way up.”
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AUSTIN COLBERT CHERISHES OPPORTUNITY AT LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY

New Jersey big man in Akron looking to show colelge coaches his talents and looking for a family atmosphere in his college choice

By Lauren Kirschman

Class of 2013 power forward Austin Colbert describes himself as a poor man’s Kevin Durant.

Long and athletic, the 6’9”, 195-pound Colbert is a quality passer and shooter with some range—two qualities he counts among his major strengths along with his high basketball IQ.

But during the summer, Colbert is still intent on improving those skills along with some aspects of his game he believes could use some work: ball handling, stamina and speed.

An invitation to the LeBron James Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio—something Colbert referred to as “a crazy opportunity”—offered him the chance to continue to develop as a player and take his abilities to the next level.

“It’s a great experience,” he said. “I know guys get to come back, but being here for the first time it’s just like wow. You are really invited to such a big, well known camp.”

He added that the invitation to the camp encourages him to keep working hard.

“[It means] our dreams are starting to shape a little bit,” he said.

Plenty of college coaches are hoping to get a look at Austin Colbert at 2011 LJSA this week

For Colbert, those dreams could take him to any number of universities as the forward is being recruited by Seton Hall, Oklahoma, Baylor, North Carolina, Marquette, Stanford, La Salle, Georgia Tech, Miami, Xavier, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Florida, St. John’s, St. Joseph’s, Harvard, Princeton, West Virginia and Ohio State.

He’s taken an unofficial visit toGeorgetown.

Right now, he said North Carolina, Baylor, Pittsburgh, Harvard, Miami and Georgetown are the leaders—mainly because the teams seem so family-oriented.

“They were really circled around each other and that’s what really kind of got to me,” he said. “I didn’t think it was going to be like that, but it’s special. I think they each have their special qualities and that’s what kind of struck me a little bit.”

While Colbert is attracted to North Carolina’s fast break and transition game, he’s also intrigued by Ohio State’s four-out/one-in offense.

For now, though, Colbert has two more days of the skills camp to complete and he’s focused on playing well.

“You want to do good, you have to do good—you never know who’s coming out to watch you,” he said.

LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY RECRUITING FOCUS: JAMEL ARTIS & AUSTIN COLBERT

By Lauren Kirschman

The Lebron James Skills Academy rolled on this afternoon with another high school player workout at James A. Rhodes Arena on the University of Akron campus. The media had another chance for a round of interviews following the workout. It would be the last chance to interview players on Wednesday as the evening workout did not have a scheduled interview session following the on-court activities.

NBE had the opportunity to speak with Jamel Artis ’12 and Austin Colbert ’13 in the afternoon. Both players list BIG EAST schools among their leaders. Artis looks to be focusing most of his energy on the recruiting aspect on one school from the BIG EAST. Read about both below…

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HOOP GROUP ELITE CAMP: TUESDAY RECAP

by Alex Schwartz

READING, Pa. – The July Live Evaluation period kicks off today, but NBE Basketball Report’s coverage of the month began yesterday with the first day of Hoop Group Elite Camp. With players from 25 states (plus DC) as well as 14 foreign countries, there is talent from all over the map at Albright College this week.

One of the top young players at camp is 2014 star Ja’Quan Newton, a 6-foot-1 point guard out of Neumann-Goretti (PA). Newton said he is already garnering interest from Villanova, Syracuse, Rutgers, Temple, Kansas, Miami, Penn State, St. Joseph’s, and others.

Newton said that he is unsure of his offers, but does have a few schools standing out, saying, “Top three [are] Syracuse, Rutgers and Villanova,”
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