Indiana Recruiting

R.J. CURINGTON ENJOYS ‘IMPRESSIVE’ VISIT TO INDIANA

By N.D. Kendrick

The history of Indiana basketball is something that many outside of the state may not truly understand.

R.J. Curington was able to experience the passion and history first hand today when he visited the Indiana campus.

“The history, I was able to see the banners and all of the NBA players and IU greats that have played here,” he stated when asked what stood out about the visit.

“All the assistants were great and Calbert Cheaney was a very humble guy”

Curington is a standout player for the Canada based CIA Bounce AAU team and plays his prep ball at the historic Oak Hill Academy located in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Curington is a dedicated player that understands what it takes to be great. He is outspoken and eager to be in the spotlight. Curington is a scoring guard that has some ability to handle the point spot. He can lead the break and tends to make good decisions on the fly. Curington has a steady jump shot from behind the arch. He rarely forces up shots and plays a unselfish game. He continues to work on his handle and eventually will end up playing a lot of the point position.

Even though he plays primarily outside of the state, he should definitely be considered one of the top 2013 players in the state of Indiana.

He has visited several college campuses and he still plans to visit other schools before he goes back East on August 26th.

“Tennessee, Illinois, Stanford and Harvard want me to schedule a visit before school starts,” Curington told an NBE colleague this evening.

When asked if he had anything special to say to the Hoosier fans he stated “I just appreciate the love they are showing. It is a great place and they expect great things.”

“It would definitely be a great place to go.”

R.J. Curington still has a ways to go in his recruiting process as he told NBE he is wide open with no favorites at this time, but it sure does sound like that Indiana tradition really hit home as he summed up the trip.

“Everything was pretty impressive.”

Follow R.J. Curington on Twitter @rjcurington24

2011 ORLANDO AAU FINAL NOTEBOOK: RECRUITING NOTES & PLAYER EVALUATIONS

By Alex Schwartz

FLORIDA & ALABAMA LEAD FOR 2012 C HAUGHTON

Tyrone Haughton, a 6-foot-9 center out of Miami’s Dr. Krop High School, said he has offers from Western Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, West Virginia and Miami to go along with interest from Marshall.

As for his favorites, he said, “Florida or Alabama, either one.”

Haughton said Alabama, Florida and West Virginia are the three schools coming at him the hardest.

He has yet to take any visits, but plans to visit each of the schools on his list. Haughton plans to commit in the “fall this year” and will sign early.

Haughton would like to remain close to home for college.
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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 7): RECRUITING LISTS FROM AAU NATIONALS

By Alex Schwartz

The grind continues in Orlando as we move into the home stretch of the 2011 AAU National Championships. On Thursday NBE caught up with Malik Price-Martin, Kasey Hill, Duane Wilson Jr., Kobe Eubanks and Zacarry Douglas for the latest on their recruitment.

The action continues on Friday and through the weekend in Orlando and NBE will be on hand right through the conclusion. In the 16U level they have reached the FInal 8 of Pool Play. Match-ups late this morning include BABC/Garner Road, Ohio Varsity White/Rising Stars Gold, NY Gauchos/All-Ohio Red & Team Takeover/Ohio Hoopsters Cash. The semifinals will be played later this afternoon and the championship game is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

17U action has moved into championship bracket play with 32 teams left after early morning play. The field will be narrowed to 16 later today and then tomorrow the Final 8 will square off. Some big names remain and Albany City Rocks and Texas PRO square off today for a spot in the final 16. The Arkansas Wings, Florida Rams, CP3, All-Iowa Attack, PA Playaz, Wisconsin Playground Elite and others highlight the remaining teams.

Below you will find our recruiting updates from yesterday….

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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 4): ARCHIE GOODWIN UPDATES RECRUITING, MCGARY, NOEL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE & MORE

By Alex Schwartz

Ian Baker, a native of the DC-area now attending Arlington Country Day School in Florida, told NBE he has a top five school list he is working off of.

“I’d say my top four are Miami, South Carolina, Providence and Tennessee and you could say Marshall,” he said in Orlando where he is playing in AAU Super Showcase. “That’s my top five.”

Baker said Miami is his leader right now with South Carolina second and Tennessee third.

Baker has offers from four of his top five schools, with Tennessee as the only one who has not offered.

Asked if that is definitely his final five he cut his list to, Baker replied, “That’s about it. I wanna see how it’s gonna be after the tournament, who’s interested, who’s not, but as of now that’s how it’s gonna be.”

At one point Providence was his co-favorite with Miami, but Baker said he has not heard from PC as much of late and noted, “I’m not sure if I’m a top priority to them or not.”
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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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UA SUMMER JAM PRESENTED BY NY2LA SPORTS — TOP PERFORMERS

By Alex Jesswein

Standout Seven: Top Players from the UA Summer Jam last week

Robert Carter–6-8 Power Forward–Atlanta Xpress: Although he was hobbled by an ankle injury, Atlanta Xpress Robert Carter really impressed us with his ‘old school’ approach. He won’t wow you with his athleticism or finesse, he just gets down to work in the block and is very adept at finishing with either hand. He did show an ability to step out and hit an open jumper but he will make his money doing the dirty work on the inside.
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Chris Thomas–6-5 Guard–Colorado Hawks: Thomas is an extremely talented player. He reminds me of former Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts because of his ability to play multiple positions. He seems to be very comfortable playing with the ball in his hand and because of his size and length should be able to defend multiple positions at the collegiate level.
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UA SUMMER JAM PRESENTED BY NY2LA SPORTS RECRUITING NOTES (PART II)

By Alex Jesswein

The UA Summer Jam Presented by NY2LA Sports was a rousing success this past week. A loaded field converged on Mequon (WI), just outside Milwaukee at Homestead High School. Talented players and teams from across the country competed over the course of July 12th through the conclusion of the first live evaluation period on July 15th. A who’s who of college coaches came through Homestead to take in the action and in the end it was the SYF Players taking the gold title led by Mitch McGary.

Below are a few more recruiting notes from the event as NBE got the opportunity to speak with McGary, Danuel House of Texas PRO and Ishmail Wainright of the KC 76ers for the latest on their recruitment….

Texas PRO Wing Danuel House has been a hot name on the recruiting scene this spring.

His ability to finish in traffic and knock down open shots has impressed coaches across the country.
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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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LEBRON JAMES SKILLS ACADEMY RECRUITING FOCUS: GARY HARRIS & TERRY ROZIER

By Lauren Kirschman

College coaches were allowed at the Lebron James Skills Academy on Thursday for the first time and the turnout was as expected. A who’s who of college coaches were in the stands at the University of Akron’s James A. Rhodes Arena and they were not disappointed as the level of play at the camp has been very high. NBE is finishing up its coverage of the camp this morning and then will be on our way to the next stop on the evaluation trail. After yesterday’s afternoon session we had the opporunity to speak with Gary Harris (’12) and Terry Rozier (’12) as both have been putting in some impressive work this week. Both players have certainly helped their recruiting stock and will likely see an increased level of interest on the trail as they finish out the month and begin to work through the recruiting process.

Rozier lets NBE in on who his leaders are while Harris tells NBE he is continuing to be recruited for football as well as hoops…

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REEBOK BREAKOUT CHALLENGE: WEDNESDAY RECAP

By Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – The 2011 July Live Evaluation Period kicked off on Wednesday and one of the events that NBE Basketball Report was in attendance for was the Reebok Breakout Challenge. Featuring players from coast to coast in four different classes, there was no shortage of talent.

At least nine Big East schools were on hand at Philadelphia University during the course of the day, including Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard, and some of the players they were watching took the time to discuss their recruitment with NBE on Wednesday.

Kareem Canty, a 6-foot-1 class of 2012 point guard out of Bridgton Academy (ME), listed Miami, Seton Hall, Xavier, Baylor, UCLA, Providence, Oklahoma, Washington and Florida State.

The New York native said all of those schools have offered except for UCLA. He also noted that his most recent offer is from another Pac-12 school, Washington.
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UNC VISIST MAKES BIG IMPRESSION ON ’13 R.J. CURINGTON

Despite only entering his junior season next fall, R.J. Curington has been a player many have kept an eye on for a couple years around the country. After terrorizing local players around Dyer (IN) in junior high school Curington made the move to Oak Hill Academy as an 8th grader, spending two years on the ‘Red’ squad at the elite basketball powerhouse. This past season Curington moved up to the ‘Gold’ squad as a sophomore and he has had a huge spring on the AAU circuit with CIA Bounce and is beginning to fulfill the potential many saw in him early on.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing in at 195 pounds Curington combines excellent size for a young wing with tremendous athletic ability. He has become a lethal scorer this spring and early summer as his skill development has been right on schedule and his confidence in his improved perimeter scoring skills is evident. Those traits have quickly raised his recruiting profile into one of the top targets for many schools in the Class of 2013.
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CHICAGO BEST BUY CLASSIC SCOUTING REPORTS/SCHOOL LISTS

By Doug Ferguson

Last weekend the Joy of the Game facility in Deerfield (IL) hosted the Best Buy Chicago Classic. The 17U crown went to Terry Porter Elite and their 2013 stud Deonta Burton led the charge. NBE will have more on Burton this weekend. For today, Doug Ferguson takes a look at some of the stand out performers, including some visitors from Texas as the Texas PRO and Houston Hoopsters were must-see teams. Indiana Elite, TP Elite and others also showed well at the event…

Isaiah Austin/C/7-1/215/Texas PRO
School List: Committed to Baylor

It is hard to be at any event and where all eyes aren’t on Austin. His size/skill/athleticism combination is truly one of a kind. At one point in this event he had three possessions in a row that resulted in dunk, three-pointer, dunk (and the next possession was an assist). He runs the floor at an elite level for a seven footer and as most would guess is a world class shot blocker. There isn’t much Austin doesn’t do well and he is a seven footer to boot which makes it easy to see why many rank him number one in his class.
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Marlon Johnson/F/6-9/220/Illinois T-Wolves
School List: Unknown
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SPIECE RUN ‘N SLAM SCOUTING REPORTS & RECRUITING NOTES

by DOUG FERGUSON

Hanner Parea: F (Indiana Elite)/6-8/200
Committed to Indiana
There is nobody in the Class of 2012 who has the athletic gifts that Parrea does. He has fans holding their breath at what he will do next. It doesn’t show in his numbers at times however due to his lack of fundamentals. His is frequently outrebounded by more fundamentally sound opponents due to lack of boxing out.
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Dejuan Marrero: F (Spiece Indy Heat)/6-5/220
School List: Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Marquette, Michigan, Minnesota
On the exact opposite end of the spectrum is Marrero who was possibly the best technically sound rebounder in the gym. He could stand to have a tad more touch around the basket which is where he should stay offensively.
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Marcus Paige: G (All-Iowa Attack)/6-0/160
Committed to North Carolina
Can’t help but draw comparisons to current Tar Heel point man Kendall Marshall. Paige is a little more athletically gifted than Marshall while he is not quite as crafty with the ball.
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NIKE BALTIMORE ELITE INVITATIONAL RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

Last weekend many of the top teams on the AAU scene in the Mid-Atlantic region invaded Baltimore to participate in the Nike Baltimore Elite Invitational. Most of the 17U action took place at Annapolis Area Christian School and that is where NBE Basketball Report’s Matt Whitfield spent his time Friday night and much of the day on Saturday. Below are some of the key recruiting notes he was able to pick up on in his time at the event.

Mike Owona: 6-foot-9; Class of 2013; Baltimore Elite – College physique already and just finished his sophomore season at John Carroll in Bel Air (MD). The native of Cameroon has decent agility and athletic ability for a young big man, moving well for a player his size. Battles on the boards, but still has a very raw offensive game with little in low post moves to score with back to the basket. While Owona definitely needs to work on his basketball fundamentals, he definitely has a shot to play basketball at the high-major level in the future as he has only been playing the game for four years.

As for his recruiting, he told NBE he has interest from Oklahoma, Old Dominion, Virginia Tech, Xavier and Maryland.
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Kameron Williams: 6-foot-2; Class of 2013; Baltimore Elite – Williams is an exciting scorer that starred in his sophomore season for Mount St. Joseph coach Pat Clatchey. He has continued to see his stock rise early this AAU season with some high scoring outbursts this spring. Williams told NBE over the weekend he is on the radar of progrms such as Providence, Miami, George Mason, VCU, Richmond and Maryland.
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MITCH MCGARY: RISING 2012 BIG MAN SEEING RECRUITMENT INTENSIFY

By Lauren Kirschman

Since transferring to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire last year, class of 2012 big man Mitch McGary has been opening some eyes.

McGary began to shine this past season as the sixth man for one of the nations’ top prep schools and he’s continued to show off his improved skills on the AAU circuit this spring.

Now McGary is attracting the attention of top schools from across the country, including Duke, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Maryland, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Xavier and Cincinnati.

He’s already taken trips to Illinois, Marquette, Purdue and Indiana and is attempting to plan visits to Cincinnati, Maryland, Florida, Indiana and Texas.

McGary said that both Indiana and Cincinnati are recruiting him hard, but he hasn’t reached a college decision yet. Right now, he’s keeping his recruitment wide open.

“I want to go to whatever school fits me best,” he said. “Everyone is still in the mix.”

All of those potential schools will be watching as McGary continues to climb the recruiting rankings. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center said the improvement in his game since he transferred to Brewster is indescribable.

“It was a big step for me,” he said. “Brewster is a lot tougher, it’s the highest level of play. The intensity is at another level. It’s so much faster.”

He’s gotten stronger in his year at Brewster, putting on muscle as he focused on lifting and conditioning.

But the concentration on lifting led McGary to falter with other aspects of his game, including his 18-foot and 3-point shots, but he said he’ll be working on returning those skills to his repertoire throughout the summer.

“I’m working on shots, working on post moves,” McGary said. “I want to focus on using post work in these [AAU games].”

And even if the hot prospect big man doesn’t end up playing his college basketball in Pittsburgh, he gave Panther fans an indication of the level of player they’ll be seeing inside next year.

When asked who was the toughest player he faced at Brewster this past season, McGary said that distinction belonged to incoming 2011 Pitt recruit Khem Birch.

MORE PITTSBURGH JAMFEST RECRUITING NOTES

By Lauren Kirschman

Recruiting rundown of some of the top names from this past weekend’s Pittsburgh Jamfest put on by the Hoop Group…

Jalen Robinson (2012)
Power forward
AAU Team: All-Ohio Red
Height: 6’7″, Weight: 215
Considering: Wisconsin, UCLA, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Xavier, Iowa, Penn State, DePaul, Cincinnati, Ohio University, Tennessee, Michigan
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Elijah Macon (2012)
Power foward
AAU Team: All-Ohio Red
Considering: West Virginia, South Florida, USC, Cincinnati, Tennessee
Offers from: South Florida, USC
Height: 6’7″, Weight: 200
Leaders: West Virginia and Cincinnati
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BIG SHOTS DCA – BIG EAST PROSPECTS SHINE ON AAU SCENE

By Ron Bailey

April 14, 2011 – This past weekend Big Shots teamed with DC Assault to put on a grassroots tourney in District Heights, Maryland. An estimated 100-plus teams spanning the 10-under through 17-under age groupings strapped on their shoes, taking the hardwood in battle. There were a number that played who are getting BIG EAST looks as future high-major recruits. Some of these players already have a reputation readers are aware off while others will be players to keep an eye on as they work to build up their names in the coming months on the AAU circuit.

First off, the well known….

One such guy, Nate Britt, is already highly recruited by conference schools, with Villanova, Georgetown and Seton Hall having all offered the 6-foot-2 sophomore (Class of 2013) who shoots with his left but can dribble with both hands. West Virginia and Rutgers join others that are interested, including Virginia, Duke, and Texas. Arizona and UCLA have also offered Nate, a guard that can drive, shoot and pass, along with think the game.

What does he think about the BIG EAST? “It’s the best conference in America right now” was Britt’s response. Nate was one of the best players in this tourney, making i95Ballerz.com’s first team all star unit.

His DC Assault teammate, 6-foot-4 Torian Graham was tagged second team, and is also in high demand from conference schools, identifying Georgetown as having offered, and West Virginia being interested. UCLA, Clemson, Boston College and Miami have also invited him to attend, while Florida, Kentucky, Florida State and Kansas and others may do so soon.

Graham is a high flyer, one that can also drain jumpers from long distance, and defend in open court/press situations. An up and down style would seemingly fit him just fine.
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2012 PROSPECT DEJUAN MARRERO UPDATES RECRUITMENT & MORE

DeJuan Marrero is a versatile forward in the Class of 2012 that has drawn a solid following over the years playing with the Spiece Indy Heat AAU program in the Midwest. Marrero, who currently stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 205 pounds, is difficult to defend due to his inside-outside ability at the offensive end. The forward out of Gary (IN)’s Bowman Academy has a strong body and is relentless inside. He is a factor on the backboards at both ends and can make plays in the lane. What makes him even tougher is that he has solid ball-handling ability and can beat defenders off the dribble to finish at the rim inside which he showed NBE on the AAU trail last season.

Marrero’s Bowman club played a tough schedule this season that included Chicago powers Simeon, Whitney Young and De La Salle. Despite losing in the sectional finals to Morgan Township, 53-49, the young Eagles had a season that Marrero was satisfied with and hopes to build on next year.

“I enjoyed this season even though we lost in Sectionals,” said Marrero. “The highlight game that I enjoyed the most was when we play against Chicago Simeon, which was the first game of the season. Going into my senior year my goal is to win one more state championship.”

Expect Marrero to be a highly visible player on the spring and summer AAU circuit running with the Spiece Indy Heat program. Many schools will likely pay close attention when the evaluation period in July rolls around to get a look at the versatile and energetic forward in action to see if he will fit in their programs. Marrero is looking forward to the chance to play agains the top competition across the country.

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T.J. WARREN TALKS RECRUITING, NCAA TOURNAMENT PICK

T.J. Warren is a highly touted Class of 2012 prospect that is picking up quite the high level of recruiting interest as he heads into the spring travel season of his junior year. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward out of Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh (NC) is a high-level scorer with excellent size on the wing. This past year NBE saw him in action at the National High School Hoops Festival at DeMatha (DC) High School. Warren certainly passed the look test of a top-tier high-major recruit, despite being hampered by foul trouble for much of the game.

Warren was productive in the first half and was able to show flashes of his ability. He had a nice early basket around the rim and was active on the offensive glass, knocking in a couple of tip-ins. Warren gets to the free-throw line with regularity and is a difficult match-up due to his size and skill-set, that allows him to face-up from the perimeter to knock down shots or drive towards the rim. Has the basketball pedigree as his father played college basketball at NC State in the mid 70′s and shows in his game, which he used to have a good junior season for coach Quentin Jackson.

“The past season was good,” Warren told NBE today. “I performed great on the big stages [and] my highlight is winning the conference championship.”

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NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL RUNDOWN

by PAT STEVENS

Kingston, R.I. – It was a busy weekend starting Thursday and finishing up just before Superbowl XLV on Sunday last at Keaney Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Rhode Island as the 13th annual National Prep School Invitational took place. Featuring 33 games with programs spanning the United States and from Spain, including six televised contests, it was another successful run of the annual event.

Syracuse signee Michael Carter-Williams of St. Andrew’s was named Most Outstanding Player for the second straight year while other Big East signees Maurice Harkless (St. John’s/South Kent), Jakarr Sampson (St. John’s/Brewster Academy) and Shaquille Thomas (Cincinnati/NIA Prep) were named to the 12-man All-Tournament team for their performances over the weekend.

Pat Stevens, who is instrumental in running the event, took the time to break down the players who signed with BIG EAST programs this fall and their performances in the event. Also, staff members, including head coaches from Marquette, Providence and Seton Hall, and assistants from Louisville, Providence, Rutgers, St. John’s, South Florida and West Virginia stopped by during a busy weekend of action to check in on players already committed to their programs and targets they are currently chasing. Pat Stevens has all the details below in our subscriber section…

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 Stevens complete coverage from the NPSI last weekend for NBE. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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