Northwestern Recruiting

2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — TOP PERFORMERS

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

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

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

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2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY TWO

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The second day of the National Prep School Invitational featured nine games with tips starting bright and early at 9 AM. Things started off a bit slowly with the first couple of early morning games featuring sluggish, turnover prone play. Then at 1:30 PM everything changed when Notre Dame Prep took the floor against Canarias Basketball Academy. That’s when a 7 foot monster put his stamp on this tournament and in doing so earned top billing for the day from me.

Top Performer of the Day:

Steven Adams (Notre Dame Prep 2012) – committed to Pittsburgh – Adams was great in his team’s game on Thursday and nearly earned the top spot in my recap. He was noticeably better on Friday. Adams is a massive human being standing 7 foot, 240 pounds. Unlike most people his size though; he is an excellent athlete showing lateral quickness and powerful burst off the floor. Every time he got within five feet of the rim on Friday the back board was in jeopardy of being torn down. Adams dunks with such power whether he has time to set himself or has to go up quickly on an offensive rebound. The scary thing about the big kiwi is that he’s only scratching the surface of his massive potential. He still doesn’t understand the consistent aggression and energy that he can play with and the impact it will have on his game. Adams shows it in flashes and has incredible success every time he does but once a coach makes him realize that’s needed every play his impact will be off the charts. I don’t think I’m overstating it when I say that Steven Adams belongs in the discussion with the newly re-classified Nerlens Noel and Shabazz Muhammad for top player in the 2012 class.
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CRC CLASSIC GAME RECAP – GAME OF THE DAY (MATER DEI – GILL ST. BERNARD’S)

By Ray Mernagh

Gill St. Bernard’s 76, Mater Dei 73 OT

There were supposed to be a lot of stars on the floor in this one.

Mater Dei was ranked #8 in the country coming into the game by whomever thinks they’re qualified to rank high school teams nationally (not really sure how it’s possible with the volume of teams etc but whatever) while Gill St. Bernard’s was kind of licking their wounds from a 2-2 trip to the City of Palms (which was so excellently covered by my guy Brian Bosworth).

Well, the biggest star in this game was a big man by the name of Dominic Hoffman who will soon become a nightmare for all the coaches in the Patriot League once he arrives at Bucknell in late summer. The game was the best of the day and it really wasn’t close — Mergen Sina from St. Bernard’s coached the hell out of his team and they responded by playing harder and smarter than Mater Dei and ultimately being rewarded with a much deserved W in overtime.

Dominic Hoffman 2012 6’7 Center (Bucknell)
Hoffman might be 6’7″ but he plays 6’10″. High energy player with a motor to match. Crashes offensive boards. Runs rim-to-rim. Blocks a lot of shots with his timing and long arms. Hits 18 footer. Has post moves and counter post moves that he uses to score consistently down low. Excellent in the two man game with either Jaren Sina or Alex Mitola all night. Would Not Let His Team Lose! Finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and 5 blocks. Outstanding performance of the day (along with Kris Jenkins).

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PLENTY OF BIG EAST SCHOOLS & OTHERS FOLLOWING REGGIE CAMERON

On New Year’s Day the NJ Playaz AAU Basketball Club hosted the ‘The New Year’s Jump-off’ at Hackensack (NJ) High School. The event’s headline game featured St. Anthony’s and St. Benedict’s, but an exciting undercard was also included as part of Sunday’s four-game schedule. The main appetizer was a Garden State battle between Plainfield (NJ) High School and Hudson Catholic High School.

Senior-laded Plainfield built a 47-36 lead through three-quarters over a younger Hudson Catholic club. However the fourth quarter proved to be an exciting finish as Hudson Catholic outscored the Cardinals 19-8 to tie the game at 55-all in the final minute. Plainfield would regain control, scoring the next four points, and a last second Hudson Catholic score would provide the final score in a 59-57 win for Plainfield.

The key to to the Hudson Catholic comeback effort was the outside shooting of Reggie Cameron, a 6-foot-7 junior combo forward who is one of the top Class of 2013 prospects on the East Coast. Cameron was strong throughout the game, finishing with 23 points and 6 rebounds. He connected on eight of 16 field goal attempts for the game, including five of 10 from beyond the three-point arc. Cameron provided some clutch shooting as he connected on three treys in the fourth quarter.

Cameron is a very intriguing prospect in the Class of 2013 as he has elite size for a wing player standing at a well-built 6-foot-7. Shot making is Cameron’s greatest strength at this point as he has range well past the 3-point line, as he showed once again over the weekend. Cameron is also very efficient on midrange pull-ups or on turnarounds from the post when matched-up against smaller players. He struggles at times to get all the way to the rim because he lacks ideal foot speed for a wing player but he makes up for it with a high basketball IQ and the ability to make shots from a variety of angles. NBE’s Brian Bosworth has compared Cameron to former Boston College star Jared Dudley on the offensive end of the floor in the sense that he doesn’t wow you with athletic plays but he produces against high level competition and consistently makes good decisions.

Over the weekend Cameron spoke to Alex Schwartz about his recruitment, which is picking up speed with many BIG EAST programs and other schools involved. Cameron said Sunday that he holds scholarship offers from Villanova, Seton Hall, Northwestern, UMass, Rutgers, DePaul, Providence, Cincinnati, Miami and Xavier and he is also hearing from Florida, Notre Dame, Boston College, SMU and Marquette.

Thus far he has taken unofficial visits to Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova. He is planning to get out on some more trips, but has none planned.

“Not yet, but I will,” Cameron told Schwartz. “Soon as the season is over I plan to get to a bunch of places.”

Cameron, who said he does not have any favorites right now, talked about when he plans to make his decision.

“I mean, I would love to get it done maybe in September,” Cameron said. “I’d like to get it done then, maybe on my birthday . . . September 10th.”

Cameron also talked about some of the factors he is taking into consideration as he looks for a school.

“Just a place where I think I feel comfortable with the coaching staff,” Cameron said, “where I think I feel comfortable playing basketball and going to school there and [with the] . . . coaches and a good school.”

Cameron, who noted that location is “not at all” a factor, talked about whether he wants to play in the Big East or if his list being littered with Big East schools is more of a coincidence.

“I don’t think it really makes a difference, wherever fits me,” Cameron said, adding, “Wherever me and my family are happy at.”

It is a pretty good bet that plenty of schools will be hoping that Reggie Cameron and his family find themselves happy on their campus and can add the sharpshooting wing to their 2013 recruiting class. NBE will continue to follow Cameron with Hudson Catholic during the season and with the NJ Playaz this spring and summer as he works his way towards his college decision.
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The 2012 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be one to remember. As usual, tickets will sellout, but fans can get yours early at the best prices by following the links below and get that special holiday gift for YOURSELF that you did not receive from your loved ones. Also, buy with our relationship with TicketNetwork and .

PLAYAZ NEW YEAR’S JUMP-OFF HIGHLIGHTS

By Alex Schwartz

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

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

GAME RECAPS & STANDOUT PERFORMERS

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

On Saturday, Matt Whitfield made the trip to Hyattsville (MD) and DeMatha High School for the 2011 National Hoops Festival event. The early season event is typically one of the favorite stops for NBE on the December schedule and this year did not disappoint with several powerhouse programs headlining the event with a very solid day of action on the court. Here is the scoreboard from Saturday’s contests:

–Bullis 62, Riverdale Baptist 59
–Episcopal 44, Benedictine 38
–Paul VI 65, West Charlotte 58
–Oak Hill 68, Grace Prep 59
–DeMatha 83, Jamesville-Dewitt 57

NBE was able to catch up with players such as Kennedy Meeks, Beejay Anya, Stanford Robinson, Jordan Mickey, RJ Curington, Emmanuel Mudiay and more. See below for the latest in recruiting updates form many of the top uncommitted players participating on Saturday…

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BOSWORTH: NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL SHOWCASE WRAP-UP (TOP PERFORMERS)

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the National Prep Showcase has concluded it’s time to take a moment and digest everything that I witnessed in New Haven this weekend. One thing that jumps out is that the talent level in New England is at an all time high. While many players are imports from other areas of the country a large part of rosters on New England prep times are made up of local talent. Most notably, Nerlens Noel in 2013 and Noah Vonleh in 2014 both have a chance to become the top player in their class nationwide. These two separated themselves from everyone else at this event both with their current production and with their long term potential.

Past those top two, Ricardo Ledo deserves more recognition for his performance on Friday night. Ledo’s ability to score has never been questioned but his intangibles and whether or not he is a winner have long been debated. Against La Jolla Prep he not only scored from everywhere on the floor but he proved to be the vocal leader of a talent rich South Kent team. He specifically seems to have taken on somewhat of a mentor role for talented junior Chris Thomas. According to South Kent head coach Kelvin Jefferson Ledo has been everything he could have asked for and more both on the floor and in the locker room. He has taken Thomas under his wing in a sense and has been an incredible positive influence. If this progression continues, Ed Cooley landed an even bigger star than already thought.
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’13 CLEVELAND – BENEDICTINE BIG MAN MARK WILLIAMS LOOKS AHEAD TO BIG SEASON

Those that have watched Mark Williams of Cleveland (OH)’s Benedictine High School and the TNBA East AAU program over the last year have described him as an ‘old-school’ big man. The 6-foot-8, 245-lb big man prospect in the Class of 2013 is not looking to play on the wing, face-up and shoot three-pointers. Instead he plans to go on the low block, fight for position and finish in the paint. He uses his strength and size to carve out space on the boards and to defend in the paint.

Williams drew a lot of interest from college coaches in the summer because of those traits. The willingness to play inside and bring that toughness attracted many programs to take an interest in him. His recruiting has slowed a bit this fall because of injuries, but expect many schools to be checking him ou this season.

“Many colleges didn’t come out this fall because I was injured,” Williamssaid when asked about visits from colleges this fall. “I had a slight fracture in my right shin.”

Still, the list of schools actively recruiting Williams that he is considering is an impressive list with Cincinnati, Indiana, Indiana State, Akron, Kent State, Robert Morris, George Mason, Xavier, West Virginia, Florida State, Central Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Northwestern and Northern Illinois all getting a mention from Williams. The list spans many conferences and levels of Division 1-A basketball, a point he noted when he talked about the possibility of playing outside what we currently know as the BCS conferences.

“Kent State by far…made me understand that you dont have to go to a big conference to play top notch basketball,” Williams said.

Williams, who hopes to work on his athleticism this season as he progresses as a player and has a goal of winning a state title at Benedictine, currently has no favorites, but has an impressive offer list to choose from.

“No favorites just yet,” said Williams, “but Indiana, Ohio, Kent State, Robert Morris, George Mason, Central Florida [and] Toledo [have offered].”

When it comes time for a decision, Williams will likely keep it simple, looking at “location and just a family atmosphere” as factors likely to play the biggest role in his decision.

NBE will certainly keep an eye on Mark Williams this season and the developments in his recruitment. The ‘old-school’ Class of 2013 big man will definitely be one to watch in the next year as he becomes more of a priority for college recruiters.

JAREN SINA OPEN TO ANYTHING IN SECOND RECRUITING GO-ROUND

Jaren Sina looked like he had ended the recruiting process early and was off the board before college basketball fans across the country really had a chance to begin to follow his recruitment. Sina, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard from Gill St. Bernard in New Jersey verbally committed to the Crimson Tide last January, during his sophomore season. Now as he is preparing for his junior season the Class of 2013 prospect is back on the open market and looking forward to going through the complete recruiting process.

“I have a great relationship with the coaching staff at Alabama, but I just wanted to have the opportunity to go through the recruiting process again and make sure that I am making the right decision and that I am 100% sure on my choice,”Sina told NBE Sports earlier this evening.

That relationship with the Alabama staff is especially true with head coach Anthony Grant and Sina is definitely still considering the SEC program.

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NEW SCHOOLS ADDED TO LONG LIST OF R.J. CURINGTON

Class of 2013 wing prospect R.J. Curington continues to see his recruiting list get longer before it gets any shorter. The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder attends powerhouse Oak Hill Academy and his national profile is only expected to increase more this season.

With CIA Bounce on the AAU trail Curington has shown to be a dedicated player that understands what it takes to be great. A scoring guard that has some ability to handle the point spot, Curington can lead the break and tends to make good decisions on the fly. Curington has a steady jump shot from behind the three-point line. He rarely forces up shots and plays a unselfish game. He continues to work on his handle and eventually could end up playing a lot of the point position.

It is clear that he has received top notch instruction, which is to be expected coming out of the CIA Bounce program and playing for Coach Smith at Oak Hill. Curington is excited to get the season started at the prep powerhouse in Mouth of Wilson (VA).
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TROY WILLIAMS HAS GOOD TIME ON NORTH CAROLINA VISIT

Just like our earlier article on Davon Reed indicated, Troy Williams is another Class of 2013 prospect taking advantage of some free time to check out college campuses of schools that are recruiting him. Williams, who plays for his uncle’s Boo Williams AAU program, is a standout 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward from Hampton (VA) that is being recruited at the highest levels of college basketball. Last weekend he took the opportunity to visit North Carolina.

“It was really nice, I had a lot of fun,” Willaims told NBE last night of the visit. “Being able to play against the team in open gym [was the highlight].”

Williams is also planning to visit a couple more tradition-rich programs in the near future. He plans to make a swing to the Bluegrass State to check out both Kentucky and Louisville October 6th through the 9th and a trip to Georgetown is on the calendar for October 14th.

Williams told NBE late in the summer circuit that he holds offers from Texas, Georgetown, Virginia, Alabama, Virginia Tech, South Florida and DePaul with interest from North Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Miami and Northwestern.

Williams burst on the AAU scene this summer as a big time athlete at the wing position. He is at his best in transition where he can use his great speed to run the floor and then finish at the rim with impressive leaping ability. Williams has very long arms on his wiry frame and uses them along with his elite hops to be a high level rebounder from the wing. His jump shot needs work but his form appears to be solid so as long as Williams puts the work in he should be able to improve. He is a no doubt high-major wing and likely a top 25 player in the class when it’s all said and done and his list of offers and college interest will continue to soar.

Still, at this time, Williams is staying open in the recruiting process.

“I’m still open actualy. No favorites,” he said.

Williams has previously told NBE he will look to decide next summer and his recent visit has not changed that thought process. NBE will continue to follow his recruitment his development on the court as Troy Williams solidifies himself as one of the most highly coveted players in the Class of 2013 in the nation.

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STEPHEN VASTURIA ENJOYS NOTRE DAME VISIT; PENN STATE TRIP UP NEXT

It might be tough to label Stephen Vasturia as a point guard or a shooting guard, but there is no mistaking the St. Joseph’s Prep High School standout as a sure-fire high major recruit in the Class of 2013 out of Philadelphia. This past Labor Day weekend Vasturia made an unofficial visit to Notre Dame, one of the schools that has been long on the trail of the 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard.

“I really enjoyed my visit to Notre Dame and learning more about the school and basketball program,” Vasturia told NBE Basketball Report last night. “The thing that made the biggest impression on me was the overall combination of success they have had over the years on the court and in the classroom.”

Vasturia, who won the Unselfish Player Honor at the Rasual Butler All-City Classic in Philadelphia this spring, is a very good long range shooter with nice form on his jumper and he can also hit shots from midrange. In addition he possesses a quality handle to go along with superb court vision, passing ability, feel for the game and overall basketball IQ. The consistency of his long-range jumper will improve with experience and his defense will also improve as his physical stature matures.

Mike Brey’s Notre Dame club has had a lot of success with similar backcourt talents in their system and Vasturia seems to be very interested in the Irish program and the visit only enhanced those feelings.

“Nothing about the trip really surprised me,” he said. “I was just really impressed with everything at the school.”

Notre Dame is just one of the schools currently involved in the recruitment of Vasturia. He will take another unofficial visit this coming weekend and continue to look at the other options that are coming available in his growing recruitment.

“I will be visiting Penn State this weekend,” Vasturia said. “Schools that are recruiting me are ND, Georgetown, Boston College, Villanova, Penn State, Northwestern and Temple.”

NBE will continue to monitor the development on the court of Stephen Vasturia this season at St. Joseph’s Prep High School in Philly and any recruiting developments off the court as the 6’4 guard is sure to be one of the most highly recruited backcourt talents in the 2013 class on the East Coast.

REGGIE CAMERON ENJOYS RECENT BIG EAST VISIT

Reggie Cameron has seen his recruitment pick up over the summer months. The 6-foot-7 sweet-shooting wing out of Hudson Catholic (NJ) High School has been a mainstay on the NJ Playaz AAU program. Their highly successful 16U squad had a large number of basketball coaches following them from event to event during the July live evaluation periods that recently concluded.

“I picked up offers from Villanova and Northwestern, and I picked up interest from Florida, Tennessee, Notre Dame and some others,” said Cameron of new recruiting developments for him over the summer.

Cameron mentioned other schools that have been maintianing contact with him through the summer months include Seton Hall, Xavier, Penn State, UMass, West Virginia and Marquette.

Cameron recently found the time to visit one of the schools most involved in his recruitment: Seton Hall. He visited the school with AAU and high school teammates Kavon Stewart and Mike Young and liked what he saw.

“Yes,” Cameron responded when asked if he recently visited Kevin Willard’s program. “I had a really good time. I was impressed of how much my ex-Paterson Catholic teammate Fuquan Edwin was improving his game.”

Cameron mentioned that all the schools mentioned are active in his recruitment. With no currently favorites he is hoping to have the chance to see more schools with unofficial visits in the fall.

“I don’t have anything planned yet but I would like to get out to a couple of thoose schools in the fall [for unofficial visits],” he said.

Over the summer on the AAU trail the 16U Playaz had many high points and Cameron impressed with his play. However, when asked what was the highlight of the summer period he will remember the most was not even from a game he played in.

“The biggest highlight was probobly not my game, but watching our 17u team come from 26 down to beat Mac Irvin Fire in the championship of the Desert Duel in Pheonix,” Cameron said.

Cameron hopes one of his next highlights is a state championship with Hudson Catholic in the season ahead. In the meantime, NBE will hope to catch Reggie Cameron and his talented NJ Playaz teammates in action at events such as the Fall Jam Fest put on by the Hoop Group and the always exciting IS8 Fall League in NYC. Stay tuned to NBE for future updates on Cameron as he will be closely monitored by many high-major programs in the coming months.

2013 F TROY WILLIAMS ADDS OFFER FROM TEXAS, INTEREST FROM KENTUCKY THIS SUMMER; LIKELY TO VISIT VIRGINIA TECH SOON

One of the top prospects in the Class of 2013 is 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward Troy Williams out of Phoebus High School and the Boo Williams AAU program out of Hampton (VA). The nephew of legendary program director and head coach Boo Williams, Troy is a big time athlete at the wing position. He is at his best in transition where he can use his great speed to run the floor and then finish at the rim with big time leaping ability. Williams has very long arms on his wiry frame and uses them along with his elite athletic ability to be a high level rebounder from the wing. His jump shot needs work but his form appears to be solid so as long as Williams puts the work in he should be able to improve. He is a no doubt high-major wing and likely a top 25 player in the class when it’s all said and done. Showing that type of ability has raised his recruitment over the summer.

“Texas has offered [and] Kentucky became interested,” said Williams when asked this week by NBE if new offers and interest since the July evaluation period.
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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 10): ELIJAH MACON, KALE ABRAHAMSON & MARTAVIOUS NEWBY UPDATES

By Alex Schwartz

MARYLAND OFFICIAL VISIT THE PLAN FOR ELIJAH MACON

If you are looking for a big man to rebound and defend in your Class of 2012 recruiting efforts, 6-foot-9 power forward Elijah Macon could be your man. Yes, he can also finish around the cup and is by no means a major weakness offensively, but his offensive skill set down low is still developing. However, what Macon does do quite well is rebound and defend, two things that are very important. A well built post player with a strong frame, Macon, for the most part, understands his strengths and weaknesses and does not force things. He plays solid interior defense and is an overall sound player who does a lot of the little things.

Miami, West Virginia, Iowa, South Florida, Cincinnati, Xavier, USC and Dayton were the offers listed by Macon this past weekend while playing in the AAU National Championships for the All-Ohio Red program in Orlando. He also mentioned Memphis, Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas and Florida, noting that he has more offers and interest.
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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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2011 NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM REPORT (PART III)

By Brian Bosworth

Back in North Augusta bright and early Wednesday morning, amazing talent was standing at every turn. Some well known stars continued their dominance while new faces emerged as well. Here is the scoreboard from Wednesday’s early slate og games:

Athletes First 84, Houston Hoops 74
Texas Titans 60, Baltimore Elite 48
NJ Playaz 58, Albany City Rocks 57
CIA Bounce 80, Meanstreets 53
All-Ohio Red 59, Arkansas Wings 51
Boo Williams 89, Louisiana Select 84 (2 OT)
Cali Supreme 78, The Family 70
All-Iowa Attack 69, Howard Pulley 64
Georgia Stars 62, Team Takeover 61
Oakland Solders 65, Indy Spiece 60
Memphis YOMCA 73, CP3 59
BABC 83, Mac Irvin Fire 59

Here is just a sampling of the guys who made the biggest impact in those contests:

Kyle Anderson (Playaz Basketball Club/2012) – Anderson unique game has been well documented over the years which is bound to happen when you’re among the country’s best. He was up to his usual tricks this morning getting into the lane at will with a series of crossovers, spins, and inside out dribbles. Kyle has really improved his outside shot this spring and showed it off by going 2-2 from behind the arc and making a couple other long jumpers. Then with 20 seconds remaining and the Playaz down by a point he did what he does best, win. Anderson posted up on the left block, worked his way across the lane, hung in the air floating from left to right, and knocked down a floater with 5 seconds left on the clock to win the game.
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HOOP GROUP ELITE CAMP: FRIDAY MORNING RECRUITING RECAP

By Matt Whitfield

After spending Thursday in Philadelphia for the Reebok Breakout Challenge NBE headed to Reading (PA) and the campus of Albright College to take in some action at the Hoop Group’s Elite Camp Session One. The massive camp is always entertaining and well run for players at all levels. NBE will stay in Reading through the day taking in playoff and all-star game action. Tomorrow we will remain on the Albright College campus for the Hoop Group Elite team camp which will certainly draw an impressive crowd from the college coaching community.

Rutgers head coach Mike Rice was on the scene early on Friday morning, checking out the action by 9 AM. Below are some notes from the early action this morning. More to come throughout the day….

Lennard Freeman, a 6-foot-7 forward out of St. John’s College HS in Washington (DC) seemed to have the attention of the Rutgers head coach this morning. Freeman, who plays on the AAU circuit in the Team Takeover program, mentioned DePaul, Washington, South Florida, Penn, Northwestern and Albany. He has also taken an unofficial visit to NC State.
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Transferring to Suffield Academy from Westminster Prep is Myles Marshall. The Class of 2013 prospect was a 2nd-team All-NEPSAC Class B selection last season at Westmnster. At this point he is hearing from Elon, Siena and Iowa.
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Class of 2013 shooting guard Stanford Robinson of Paul VI High School is one of the top prospects coming into the Hoop Group Elite camp and his recruitment certainly backs that up.

“I got an offer from Miami, Rutgers and UMASS,” said Robinson. “Xavier has been calling as well as Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and a lot of ACC and Big East schools. I got some calls from Syracuse as well.”

Calls from schools in the BIG EAST and other major conferences keep Robinson pushing towards his goals and making him feel like the hard work is beginning to pay off, motivating him to keep pushing.

“The calls from Syracuse makes me feel like I’m an elite player and I need to keep working so I can have more of these schools like Syracuse keep calling.

My goal is to play at an elite [basketball] school.”

Robinson has been to NC State on an unofficial visit and will hope to take a few more trips in August.
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One of the players drawing the most attention this week in Reading is Geno Thorpe of Shaler High School near Pittsburgh (PA) and the NJ Playaz AAU program. Word spread on the internet that Thorpe could be making his college decision by September, but the 2013 recruit seemingly backed off that speculation this morning and gave the picture he is unsure of what he’s going to do regarding colleges.

When asked if he was going to make his decision in September. Thorpe responded, “Yeah, but I might reopen it.”

Thorpe mentioned he considers himself open at the moment.

“I’m just kind of open with everything,” he said.

There was speculation recently that Thorpe would be moving to New Jersey for his junior season, Blair Academy and Hudson Catholic being possible destinations, however a little more of an upgrades schedule will keep him at Shaler for now.

“I’m going to Shaler next year….they kind of upgraded the schedule a little bit.”

Currently the school list for Thorpe reads Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Baylor and Gonzaga. His relationship with the Pitt staff has been documented, but he also has a strong relationship with the Rutgers head coach, who was watching him this morning, as he has known Mike Rice for several years.

“I went to the Robert Morris Camp in 7th grade and that’s how we met up,” said Thorpe.

If a decision is to come in the near future, Pittsburgh and Rutgers look to be in very good shape.

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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