East Carolina Recruiting

RECRUITING EXPANDS FOR BRIAN BERNARDI

The July live evaluation period will be an important one for Brian Bernardi. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard out of Xaverian High School in New York City already has several solid mid-major programs putting scholarship offers on the table and it is expected schools from high-major conferences will also be tracking his progress this month during the two 10-day live periods.

The current school list for Bernardi is long and includes a variety of schools throughout the college basketball spectrum. Boston College, Xavier, Hofstra, Virginia, Fordham, Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s, Temple, Siena, Fairfield, SMU, Boston University , East Carolina, Marist, James Madison, Manhattan and Wagner were listed as the programs actively recruiting him.
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BRIAN BERNARDI SHOOTING FOR A BIG SPRING & SUMMER ON AAU TRAIL

Shooting almost can be considered a lost art in this day and age in the sport of basketball. A pure shooter that can knock down shots from the perimeter is viewed as a commodity. With the three-point line acting as the great equalizer in the game today, college coaches will take notice when a player establishes himself as an elite pure shooter in his class.

This spring and summer on the AAU circuit Xaverian (NY) High School shooting guard Brian Bernardi hopes to establish himself as just such a player in the Class of 2012. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound sniper averaged over 16 points a game, eclipsing the 20-point mark eight times, including a season-high 24 in an 81-64 win over a St. Raymond’s team stacked with Division 1-A prospects. According to one of his coaches his reputation as a pure shooter is well-entrenched in the NYC area.

“Hands down, best shooter in city,” Chris Alesi told NBE yesterday. “According to [long-time Xaverian High School] coach Jack Alesi, [Bernardi is the] best [shooter] to come out of Xaverian since Chris Mullin. If there are five better pure shooters in the country, I’d be surprised.”

College coaches have already come to see Bernardi work out and the list has been impressive.
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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE – DAY TWO

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After a first day that got better as the event progressed, everyone was ready for a jam-packed second day that featured eight games. Plenty of coaches were in attendance, keeping an eye on some of the top players in the country. The day started off with a great game between Bridgton Academy (Maine) and Fork Union Military Academy (Va.), with Bridgton overcoming a 20-point halftime deficit to win in the final minutes. In the second game, Andre Drummond led a comeback by St. Thomas More (Conn.) to beat Princeton Day Academy (Md.). After that, Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) opened up a big second half lead on New Hampton (N.H.), with an easy Brewster Academy (N.H.) victory over Fishburne Military Academy (Va.) following. South Kent (Conn.) proceeded to blow out La Lumiere (Ind.), but Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) and Westwind Prep (Ariz.) had a dynamite back-and-forth contest that ended with Notre Dame winning. St. Mark’s (Mass.) handled Lee Academy (Maine) easily, before Kiski School (Penn.) staged a big second-half comeback to beat Winchendon (Mass.).

Here is a look at some of the top players, and recruiting notes, from day two:

Zach Auguste, 2012, New Hampton Prep: Auguste is a long and lanky lefty who is improving every game. He uses his length and athleticism to get blocks and rebounds at both ends of the floor and he also has fairly good vision and passing ability for a player his size. Auguste was in foul trouble for most of the game, but in limited minutes, he demonstrated his immense potential. He had a big-time baseline dunk and can finish with either hand. Once he learns how to stay on the floor for an entire game, he is going to be tough to stop.

Despite being limited because of foul trouble on Saturday, colleges were still intrigued by his potential. According to New Hampton Prep coach Pete Hutchins, Auguste has offers from DePaul, Notre Dame, Boston College and Oregon State, with interest from Kansas and Syracuse.

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 more detailed scouting reports and more of the latest recruiting notes gathered on Day Two of the National Prep Showcase. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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2012 TEAM TAKEVOER-CANADA DUO HEARING FROM COLLEGES

Bennett, Webster-Chan readying for U17 World Championships with Team Canada

The migration south of talented basketball players from Canada into the United States is continuing, and actually picking up speed. The class of 2011 is highlighted by Texas commitments Tristan Thompson and Myck Kabongo while Cory Joseph was one of the most highly recruited players in the class of 2010. Now a couple more prospects in the class of 2012 have been getting a lot of attention from college coaches and will be highly sought after players in the near future.

Anthony Bennett, a 6-foot-7, 225-pound forward and Negus Webster-Chan, a 6-foot-7, 175-pound guard, both have had their phone ring often the last two days with college coaches on the other end.

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RUMBLE IN THE BRONX: FRIDAY RUNDOWN

BY JEFF BORZELLO

BRONX, N.Y. — With the proliferation of AAU events in the past couple of years, some of the bigger tournaments have fallen into obscurity. However, one that has stood the test of time is the Rumble in the Bronx, held at Fordham University. Although it always has a heavy New York metro-area flavor, it also brings in some of the top AAU programs from around the country. This year was no different, as the Southern Kings (GA), Dallas Mustangs (TX), Franchise All-Stars (TX) and others flew into New York for the tournament. Despite Adidas Nations taking place in Oregon and the NIKE Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis, there is still plenty of talent on-hand in the Bronx this weekend. Here’s a look at some of the top players:

Andre Drummond, 2012, Connecticut Basketball Club: Although Drummond didn’t show up until halftime of his team’s first game, he made an impact in the few minutes he played. He can finish with contact and runs the floor extremely well. On one play, he got a rebound over three players and then took two players off the dribble before driving to the basket. Drummond is also an adept shot-blocker and defender. Additionally, he showed good vision and passed the ball effectively. However, he did struggle with his footwork and back-to-the-basket game at times, resulting in difficult and awkward shots. Drummond also spends too much time on the perimeter as opposed to utilizing his size (6’10, 250) and skill down low.
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