Texas Recruiting

HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: WEEKEND’S TOP PERFORMERS

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the 2012 Hoophall Classic has come to a close and I’ve had a few days to process all the basketball I saw it’s time to compile player rankings from the weekend’s performances. Below you will see players ranked by class based solely on their performance from the Hoophall Classic. These rankings are not an opinion on players overall game or potential but rather on the way they performed in Springfield.

2012 Player Rankings:

1) Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – Muhammad only strengthened his place as the top overall player in the 2012 class for his efficient 37 point performance.

2) Kaleb Tarczewski (St Mark’s) – signed with Arizona – In an event loaded with top big men Tarczewski stood out as the top low post offensive option.

3) Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei) – signed with UNLV – The future Runnin’ Rebel put on an offensive show knocking down nine 3 pointers en route to 35 points in a blowout victory.

4) Kyle Anderson (St Anthony) – signed with UCLA – Anderson’s fingerprints have been all over every one of St Anthony’s 44 consecutive victories and Monday was no different as he compiled 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: SUNDAY RECAP

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

While the action at the Hoophall Classic was terrific on Saturday, the overall atmosphere jumped to a new level on Sunday. College coaches who had been busy coaching their own teams in action Saturday were out in full force. John Calipari (Kentucky), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Steve Lavin (St John’s), Mark Gottfried (NC State), Ed Cooley (Providence) and Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) all made appearances along with assistants from Florida, Texas, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Oregon, Utah and DePaul. These coaches witnessed a large collection of highlight performances none more impressive than that by a player with the nation’s best haircut.

Top Performer:

Nerlens Noel (Tilton School 2013) – Noel and his high top fade put on a show worthy of the #1 2013 ranking I dubbed him with in my preview podcast of the event. Long considered the top shot blocker in America, Noel proved to be that and more in his nationally televised showdown with Mitch McGary and Brewster Academy. His final stat line reads 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks with just about everyone in attendance agreeing that the 7 blocks is an extremely conservative estimate. I had one longtime scout tell me that Noel is the best shot blocker he has ever evaluated on the high school level. While his defense was as amazing as ever, Noel’s offensive progression continued its steady climb from the past year. He drove baseline and made a floater over Mitch McGary. He used a spin move and finished a lefty hook in the lane. He hammered down multiple tip dunks flying from out of nowhere to grab them. He drew contact at the rim repeatedly eventually fouling out Jakarr Sampson. Noel put on a virtuoso performance which stands up against the absolute best I’ve seen from him in the past. He looks like a future all-American, future lottery pick, future NBA all-star.

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CRC CLASSIC: ANYA, LYLES SHINE IN DEMATHA WIN OVER NEUMANN-GORETTI

By Ray Mernagh

DeMatha Catholic was led by the inside muscle of Beejay Anya and the outside shooting touch of Jairus Lyles in a 62-47 win over Philadelphia’s Neumann-Goretti. The Class of 2013 duo each scored 17 points in the win with Syracuse-commit Jerami Grant adding 14. As a team, Dematha was 26-43 from the field, setting a CRC CLassic record by making 60.5% of their shots from the floor.

Neumann-Goretti sophomore Ja’Quan Newton scored 16 in the loss to lead the Saints.

Following the game NBE got the chance to catch up with a few of the big guns for DeMatha to talk recruiting and more…

Beejay Anya 6’9″ 2013 Center

Anya has lost a severe amount of weight over the last several months….and that’s a good thing! My guess is that he’s dropped 30 pounds if not more and the result is a dominating presence in the post both defensively and offensively. Anya had 3 blocks before I could write anything and just continued from that point. He’s unquestionably the Stags best player and it’s not really close. Anya scored over each shoulder, rebounded and defended with a physical preference that probably had Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon salivating as he watched courtside. Anya finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 blocks and is being courted by just about everybody in the country.
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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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2011 CITY OF PALMS REPORT — TOP PLAYER PERFORMANCES

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the 2011 City of Palms Classic has come to a close it’s time to put some measure on what I saw this week. Below are player rankings by class based on performances from this week alone. While they do impact my overall perception of these players, they are rankings strictly of what I saw in Florida this week.

Top 2012 Players:

1. Isaiah Austin (Grace Prep) – signed with Baylor – Austin was more committed to play inside on offense than he has been in the past and still rebounded and blocked shots at the highest level. He looked poised to challenge Shabazz Muhammad for top player in the class throughout the rest of the reason.

2. Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – It speaks to Muhammad’s talent that after a subpar week by his standards he still slots in at # 2. He was the most persistent scorer at the tournament, getting his points every way imaginable.

As for his recruitment, Muhammad told NBE on the opening day of the event that he has no timetable for a decision and sounds as though he’ll wait right up until the spring signing period to make his call. He listed an up-tempo style and a program that gets its players to the next level as the two most important factors in his decision making process. When the time comes Muhammad will be choosing from his final 6 of UCLA, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, UNLV, and USC.
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CITY OF PALMS REPORT – DAY TWO

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Day 2 at the City of Palms Classic featured national powerhouses Mater Dei (CA), Arlington Grace Prep (TX), and Miller Grove (GA) in action for the first time. Despite these big names the game of the day was St. Raymond’s (NY) come from behind overtime victory over Trinity (KY) in which they trailed by 15 in the 4th quarter. Through sheer force of will and a couple of standouts outlined below they stormed all the way back and then overcame another 5 point deficit in overtime. It highlighted a fun day of big time competition with quite a few monster individual performances.

Top Performer of the Day:

Isaiah Austin (Arlington Grace Prep 2012) – signed with Baylor – Austin is often criticized for floating on the perimeter and not using his 7 foot frame to score inside. If today’s performance is any indication, he has heard the critics and made an adjustment. Matched up against future Ohio State defensive end Adolphus Washington, Austin went to work in the lane and stayed there all day. He dominated the paint on both ends of the court finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 blocks. While still a finesse player, Austin seems to have learned to use his extreme length to get into easy positions to score and then use his soft touch to finish plays. He even initiated contact with the 6’6” beast of man Washington and worked his way to the free throw line. On the defensive end, Austin basically sent back every shot attempt within 6 feet and caused opponents to settle for jumpers because of his presence. Today’s performance was one that makes it clear why Austin has as much long term potential as any member of the 2012 class.
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SAVON GOODMAN PLANNING TO SIGN IN SPRING, STAY IN 2012

by Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – On the last day of November in 2010, Savon Goodman committed to his local school, Villanova University. Just over a year later, the 6-foot-6 combo forward is looking for a new college, after decommitting from the Wildcats just before the start of his senior year.

Soon after reopening his recruitment, Goodman transferred to Constitution (PA), leaving the school where he had spent the first three years of his high school career, Academy of the New Church (PA). In addition, rumors began to swirl that he would have to reclassify to 2013 for academic reasons.

On Tuesday, NBE caught up with both Goodman and his high school coach after his second game as a Constitution General, a 61-53 win over Council Rock North (PA) in which he had a game-high 24 points.
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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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BOSWORTH: SUNDAY’S NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE BREAKDOWN

By Brian Bosworth, National Scouting Analyst

The National Prep Showcase was back in full swing on Sunday with top teams like Brewster Academy, New Hampton Prep, and the Tilton School all in action. While the rosters of most prep schools in this event are dominated by seniors and post-graduate players it was a pair of underclassmen that stole the show on Sunday.

Co-Headliners of the Day:

Nerlens Noel (Tilton School 2013) – With college coaches such as John Calipari (Kentucky), Steve Lavin (St. John’s), and Ed Cooley (Providence) on hand to watch him play Noel put on quite a show Sunday night. Having already established himself as the premier defensive big man in America during the summer with BABC, Nerlens showcased an expanding offensive game that brings his upside to a new level. He played on the wing for much of the first half and repeatedly used a deadly right to left crossover to attack the rim and finish with his left hand. Despite being right handed he seems to prefer using his left to finish around the basket and did so with startling efficiency in this game. If Noel can continue to develop his offensive skills to complement his defensive brilliance he will give Jabari Parker a serious challenge for the spot of #1 overall player in the class of 2013.
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TOP 15 RECRUITING CLASSES FOR 2012 NATIONALLY

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

After providing early signing period recruiting class highlights from the BIG EAST, ACC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC, as well as the top Non-BCS Schools, it is time to sum everything up and release our list of the Top 15 Men’s Basketball Recruiting Classes through the early signing period.

The recruiting classes are well-balanced throughout the country. The BIG EAST and Big 10 lead the early going with each conference placing three schools in the rankings. The Pac 12, ACC and Big 12 each have two schools cracking the top 15 and the SEC has one. There are two programs from ‘non-BCS’ conferences also on the list.

Five different conferences placed schools in the Top 5 so far. Here are the classes…ranked 1-15…

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EARLY SIGNING PERIOD CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS – BIG 12

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Next up in our look at NCAA basketball early signing period classes is the Big 12. Rick Barnes has built quite a recruiting juggernaut in the Lonestar State. However, one in-state rival has become a surprising recruiting rival and challenges for the title of the conference’s best class. Here is a look at the top Big 12 classes and recruits so far for the Class of 2012…

Top 5 Big 12 Recruiting Classes for 2012:

1) Texas
Commits – Cameron Ridley (C), Prince Ibeh (C), Javan Felix (PG), Connor Lammert (PF), Ioannis Papapetrou (SF)
–While most programs have a tough time finding one true center Rick Barnes locked down two in one recruiting class with Ridley and Ibeh.

2) Baylor
Commits – Isaiah Austin (C), LJ Rose (PG), Chad Rykhoek (C)
–Scott Drew continues to attract long, skilled big men to Waco with Isaiah Austin following Perry Jones and Quincy Miller from the past two classes.

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CHRIS WALKER IMPRESSED BY TEAM CHEMISTRY ON VISIT TO KANSAS

As one of the top players in the Class of 2013 in America, 6-foot-9, 205-pound power forward Chris Walker of Holmes County (FL) High School had his choice of Midnight Madness events to choose from. Anually one of the most entertaining and well-attended by recruits drew Walker’s attention as he attended Friday’s Late Night in the Phog on the Kansas University campus. Recruits got a first-hand look at how the KU staff and players interact with each other, something that greatly impressed Walker.

“The chemisty of the team and the kind of relationship that coach Bill [Self] has with his players is phenomenal,” said Walker.

Walker has previously visited Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Georgia. He talked with NBE on what draws his attention to a school.

“Schools with good academics; schools that win school [and] that has a great fansbase,” he said. “[Also] a good relationship with [the] coach and a coach that will make you better on and off the court.”

With no leaders or favorites yet in the process, Walker mentioned Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, Ohio State, Texas, Baylor, Florida State and Memphis as the schools he is currently considering that are active in his recruitment.

While Walker continues to work hard on his game becoming a more versatile player, he has enjoyed the opportunity to showcase his talents this fall in front of college coaches who have come to see him work out.

“Things are going good [at Holmes County],” said Walker. “The best part is just being able to bring college coaches in the gym. “[This season I'm] looking forward to getting better and being more versatile and getting my team more exposure.”

With many eyes on Chris Walker as one of the elite prospects in the Class of 2013 you can be sure his team will be getting plenty of exposure this coming season. With some of the top programs across the country very active in his recruitment expect Holmes County to be playing in front of interested coaches and media throughout the season. NBE will hope to catch Walker and his teammates in action this season and keep readers up to date on his recruitment.

NOW AT VERMONT ACADEMY, DOMINIC WOODSON IS AN UNKNOWN COMMODITY NO MORE

by Alex Schwartz

Entering July, not many people outside of his part of Texas knew who Dominic Woodson was.

After breaking out during AAU Nationals in Orlando, Fla., the 6-foot-9 class of 2013 center is now a high-major priority.

Woodson transferred to Vermont Academy for his junior season. NBE caught up with Jesse Bopp, his coach at the New England prep school, to discuss Woodson’s recruitment, game and more.

“Vermont Academy was a great opportunity for him to be in a very controlled environment that resembles what life will be like for him as a college basketball player and he is a kid who talks about being the best and hopefully this environment gives him the opportunity at that,” Bopp said of why Woodson made the move, adding, “He has done a great job adjusting to all aspects of life here.”
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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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MANY SCHOOLS STILL INVOLVED WITH ANDREW WHITE

Playing this spring and summer with Team Loaded, Andrew White saw his recruitment explode with a series of strong performances on the AAU circuit. His recruitment has not slowed one bit as top college programs have already made their way to Charlottesville (VA) and the Miller School to visit the 6-foot-6, 205-pound small forward. More schools are expected this week as well.

“I have already received visits from Virginia Tech, NC State, West Virginia and Cincinnati,” White told NBE earlier this afternoon. “DePaul, UTEP, Kansas, Wake Forest and a couple others will visit me in the next couple weeks.”
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DANUEL HOUSE IMPRESSED WITH VISIT TO HOUSTON; CONSIDERING LIST OF SIX SCHOOLS

It was a big weekend on the University of Houston campus last week as head coach James Dickey and his staff welcomed highly regarded Texas PRO AAU teammates Danuel House and Danrad ‘Chicken’ Knowles to campus for visits. The Cougars’ football team held on for a thrilling 38-34 win over UCLA and the basketball program made a strong impression on their visitors.

“It was good and it was very fun,” House told NBE yesterday, adding the highlight was “how I and Coach Dickey talked the moment they have when you walk in the school.”

House would be a huge get for Dickey’s Conference USA program, pushing 6-foot-7 and weighing 195 pounds, House has good size for the small forward position to go along with big-time athleticism. A high-flyer, House is an explosive finisher at the rim who can produce highlight reel dunks. He has good length and a strong build. House can connect from long range, though he is still improving his consistency with his perimeter shot. He handles the ball well and gets to the rim off the bounce. He has a good motor and could become a superb perimeter defender if he works at it. House was one of the spring’s biggest stock boosters and his development is by no means finished as he only started playing basketball in the 8th grade and has recently hit a growth spurt which pushed him from a mid-level prospect to one of the nation’s elite in a few short months.

House has visited Houston before so he continues to build the relationship with the staff and school. He also previously visited Baylor and he updated NBE the current list of schools he is considering that are active in his recruitment.

“U of H, Baylor, Georgetown, Ohio State, Kansas and Texas,” said House of the schools recruiting him, adding that there are “no favorites right now.”

House has previously told NBE during the AAU Super Showcase that he was looking to decide towards the end of the early signing period around November and that he “might sign early”. Despite the excellent visit to Houston last weekend the time frame for his college decision has not changed. However, there are reasons for the Cougar fans to be optimistic as the factors that will play the biggest role in his decision seem to bode well as he continues to develop a strong relationship with Coach Dickey and the UH staff.

“A coach that’s going to reach out and teach me more about the game,” replied House when asked of the factors most important in his pending college decision. “Schooling and my relationship with the staff [also].”

With some of the elite programs in the nation after Danuel House Houston definitely has their work cut out for them in landing the electric 6’7 Class of 2012 small forward. NBE will continue to follow the recruitment of House and other Texas PRO athletes to see if the Cougars can pull of the coup and rekindle memories of Phi Slamma Jamma in the Lonestar State.

RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (8/26/2011)

- Jairus Lyles, 6-foot, Class of 2013 point guard from DeMatha and Team Takeover DC told NBE’s Matt Whitfield earlier today via text that three ACC schools are involved in his recruitment at the moment.

“NC State has started to recruit me,” said Lyles. “Miami [is] still on me as well as Wake Forest.”
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- Troy Long checked in with Matt Whitfield yesterday to let us know of a new suitor for Tariq Carey, the Newark (NJ) native will be attending St. Benedict’s this season.

“TCU just got involved,” said Long. “We are working on setting up an official visit in September.”
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- According to Andre Harrington, Maryland and Texas are the latest schools to show interest in Kuran Iverson.
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- Andre White really enjoyed his recent visit to Cincinnati.

“Visit was great,” White told Matt Whitfield via text last week. “Great staff, loved the campus and got to meet a lot of good people.”
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6-foot-2, 170-lb Kameron Williams, a guard from Mt. St. Joseph’s (MD) opened up eyes this spring with q 47-point performance in a 16U Boo Williams game against the ATL Knicks. He picked up offers from Miami, Dayton and VCU over the summer. Earlier this month he told NBE there was three schools standing out to him.

“Right now I’m interested in the University of Miami, Richmond and VCU,” he said.

this was before the problems came to light at Miami, but Williams is a long way off for a decision as he is just beginning his junior year.

“I think my decision will be made definitely before my senior season,” Williams said. “The school has to make me earn everything, I dont want anything to come easy to me. Because in life nothing will be easy.”
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Stefan Jankovic has a final five in his recruitment.

“I cut my list down to Wake Forest, Purdue, Missouri, Georgetown [and] Florida State,” he said. “Now I’m gonna take my five visits and the decision time in the fall.”

Earlier this month Jankovic took a visit to Wake Forest, it was not his first trip to see the Winston-Salem school, but it had a valuable motive as it gave his family a chance to see the school.

“I had already been there for a visit so I knew pretty much everything there, but I was impressed with how much my parents enjoyed the visit,” Jankovic said.

Wake will be tough to beat in this one…

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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ANDREW WHITE TALKS ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA VISIT

Bob Huggins and his West Virginia Mountaineers are getting an early start on the 2011-2012 season with an overseas trip to Italy this coming week. With the trip the team is allowed to have 10 practice sessions to prepare for their upcoming games. Bob Huggins also used the time this weekend to bring in a key target of their 2012 recruiting efforts for an unofficial visit as Andrew White came to Morgantown to see things for himself.

“I took a visit to West Virginia the past two days,” White told NBE’s Matt Whitfield this afternoon. “It went real well.”

White had a great summer on the AAU circuit with Team Loaded and quickly became a top target of many programs.
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