Siena Recruiting

2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY FOUR

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The first three days of the National Prep School Invitational were dominated by Steven Adams and his Notre Dame Prep squad. The 2012 big man from New Zealand erased any concerns after his foul-plagued showing at the Hoop Hall Classic and cemented his status as one of 2012’s top players. On Sunday it was time for another 2012 big man to steal the show and make his case for the #1 overall ranking in the senior class. With the gym buzzing and filled to a capacity that it saw at no other time all weekend the Tilton School and REDA (Ontario) took the floor at 1:30 PM. Nerlens Noel jumped center for the Tilton School sporting his trademark bright pink Nikes and his high top fade and put on the best show of the weekend.

Top Performance of the Day:

Nerlens Noel (Tilton 2012) – This was Noel’s first national appearance since announcing his intentions to graduate this year as a member of the 2012 class early Thursday morning. Providence fans packed the gym to see him as they made the cut of his seven final schools along with Kentucky, Syracuse, Connecticut, Florida, Georgetown and North Carolina. Dominance doesn’t even begin to describe the defensive effort put forth by Noel as he tallied 10 blocks to go along with countless more altered shots. It reached a point where REDA coaches could be heard screaming at their players who even attempted to challenge the big man as a shot in the lane against Noel was basically a turnover. Perhaps the most telling statistic of his dominance was on the scoreboard. Noel played the majority of the game’s first 29 minutes at which point REDA had only scored 19 points. At that time Nerlens went to the bench in a blowout victory and in the remaining 11 minutes REDA was able to put up 29 points. His defensive prowess is certainly nothing new but Sunday’s was a particularly stunning performance even by his high standards. Offensively Noel looked better than ever and as crazy as it sounds was literally playing point guard for his Tilton team during the 2nd half. He brought the ball up the floor every time and got his team into their offense sometimes breaking his man down off the dribble and other times running a play for someone else. I’m not suggesting that Noel is making a drastic position change but it was an indicator of how far along his ball handling and passing skills have come in the last year. Once only a defensive standout, Noel’s offense is catching up seemingly by the day.
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2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — DAY THREE

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By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

With most college programs having games of their own on Saturday fewer coaches were on hand at Rhode Island College to take in the action but that didn’t stop the players from putting on a show. The best game of the day and arguably the weekend thus far was between New Hampton Prep and Canarias Basketball Academy. Canarias got out to a lead using their incredible size and strength but New Hampton came storming back to force overtime. New Hampton had lost stud sophomore Noah Vonleh to five fouls towards the end of regulation and it caught up with them in the extra session as Canarias prevailed 82-77. Despite coming up five points short on the scoreboard New Hampton had the top individual performance of the day from a somewhat unlikely source.

Top Performer of the Day:

Olivier Hanlon (New Hampton 2012) – committed to Boston College – Of the 10-12 times I’ve seen Hanlon play both with New Hampton and on the summer circuit with Albany City Rocks today clearly stands out as his best overall performance. The 6’2” physical point guard carried his team on his back for the entire 2nd half and overtime session by scoring and creating for others. Hanlon is at his best in screen and roll sets where he turns the corner aggressively and attacks the lane. In those situations he scored with the floater, got all the way to the rim, drew fouls on Canarias’ bigs, and found open teammates on the perimeter. New Hampton ran the same high ball screen seemingly every time down in the 2nd half and Canarias never found an answer for Hanlon’s fearlessness turning the corner. He also showed off his 3 point stroke as he played off the ball at times and knocked them down in catch and shoot situations. Just as impressive as his offense is Hanlon’s intensity and ball pressure on the defensive end. He never takes a possession off on that end and got multiple steals with his quick footwork and great hands. Boston College fans should look forward to a bulldog at the point guard for the next four years.
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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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CITY OF PALMS REPORT — DAY THREE

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

What a day at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Florida. We saw great games, great individual performances, and one great comeback. The nation’s consensus top player, Shabazz Muhammad, went off for 42 points in the final game of the night and that wasn’t even the most impressive showing of the day. Kentucky head coach John Calipari continued his borderline stalking of Nerlens Noel by planting himself underneath the baseline for much of the day which instantly ups the intensity in the gym. Enough setup, on to the recap of Monday’s action at the City of Palms Classic.

Top Performance of the Day:

Jordan Mickey (Arlington Grace Prep 2013) – Grace Prep trailed Mater Dei by 18 at the half after Mickey had spent the majority of the half on the bench with 2 fouls. He came out in the 2nd half and put on a clinic on the low block tallying 22 of his game high 29 points. Mickey scored all of his points by working for low post position and then powering through his defender and scoring over his left shoulder. He has great strength which he uses to setup his shots and then a soft touch to finish off plays. Grace Prep fed Mickey in the same spot time and again and he used the same moves over and over without being stopped. He does a great job of making a quick, decisive move after he catches it in the post so that a double team does not have time to arrive. Mickey’s monster 2nd half and overtime led Grace Prep all the way back from that 18 point halftime deficit and carried them into tomorrow’s semifinals. For a recruiting update on Mickey, see our report from Saturday: City of Palms Report — Day Two.
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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 9): BRANNEN GREENE, TYLER CAVANAUGH, LANDRY NNOKO & THEO PINSON

By Alex Schwartz

BRANNEN GREENE SETS LOUISVILLE VISIT; PLANNING OTHER TRIPS

Pushing 6-foot-7, Brannen Greene is a mismatch on the wing due to his height and refined skill set. The Monroe (GA) native is a solid athlete with a good build who can do quite a bit with the ball in his hands. Greene has a high basketball IQ and good court vision, allowing him to hit the open man in position to score. His handle is superb and he can get through the defense on the way to the rack. Greene finishes pretty well at the rim and is crafty down low against the big bodies. He has nice form on his jumper, though he has yet to become a truly consistent shooter from deep. Greene puts in effort at the defensive end and can cause problems on the perimeter due to his length.

Greene has seen his stock explode as much as anyone in the Class of 2013 this summer and he a school list to prove it. He said that he has offers from Louisville, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, Marquette, Florida State, Florida, Connecticut, Kansas, Ohio State, Memphis, South Carolina, the equivalent of such from Harvard as well as “a lot more.”
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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL FINAL DAY RECAP: NJ PLAYAZ STORM BACK FOR TITLE

By Raphielle Johnson

The only thing better than the two best teams in an event playing in the title game is those teams putting forth a game for the ages. And that’s exactly what happened when the Mac Irvin Fire and New Jersey Playaz 17U teams met in Tuesday’s title game at the Desert Duel Memorial. Despite trailing by as many as 26 points early in the second half the Playaz found a way back, ultimately winning the game in overtime by the final score of 70-62.

Things most certainly didn’t look good for the Playaz at the start as Mac Irvin jumped them out of the gate thanks to the combination of solid offensive execution and the Playaz’s inability to make shots. The squad from Chicago had everything rolling, especially 2013 stud Jabari Parker who hit just about any shot imaginable in the first twenty minutes.

Steve Taylor (2012) was able to slash to the basket, DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. (2013) and Derrick Randolph (2012) made plays in the backcourt and Aaric Armstead (2012) was also a factor. A dunk just before the halftime buzzer made the score 43-20, and a Parker three in the first minute of the second half pushed the lead out to 26. To say the least things did not look good for the Playaz was an understatement.

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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL – DAY ONE RECAP: COACHES GALORE ON HAND FOR ACTION

By Raphielle Johnson

With the second ten-day open period of the month on the back end it would have been easy for teams still playing to perform in a sluggish manner. But that didn’t happen on Wednesday, especially at the Desert Duel Memorial Tournament where a few games needed overtime to render a decision. One of those games was the matchup between Long Island Lightning Blue and Seattle Rotary Select, with the Lightning making up a four-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of regulation and going on to win by the final score of 69-65.

The guard tandem of Kareem Canty (2012; postgrad) and Melvin Johnson (2012) made crucial plays down the stretch with both being able to get to the rim off the dribble. Canty’s more of a scoring point who was also to make some nice passes to his big men after beating his man off the dribble, and the pull-up jumper he says he’s been working on was on display as well.

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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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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 1 NOTEBOOK: JABARI PARKER SHINES, KRIS DUNN SPARKLES & MORE

By Raphielle Johnson

When a who’s who of the college coaching profession is on hand a show is expected. And 2013 prospect Jabari Parker provided that and then some in Mac Irvin Fire’s win over Worldwide Renegades in the evening session of the Las Vegas Fab 48 at Bishop Gorman. Parker showed off his vast array of skills in front of the likes of Dave Rose (BYU), Oliver Purnell (DePaul), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Bruce Weber (Illinois), Buzz Williams (Marquette) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State) among others.

Also playing well in the win for Mac Irvin were 2012 forward Steve Taylor and 2012 guards Aaric Armstead and Derrick Randolph. Taylor won’t be graded on the same level as Parker but make no mistake about it, the young man is skilled. Taylor showed off the ability to step out and attack the rim, doing a solid job of playing with contact and knocking down mid-range shots. Randolph, while he looks shorter than his listed height of 5’9”, is the kind of winning player that all successful teams tend to have.

Randolph was highly competitive at both ends of the floor, setting up teammates for easy baskets on quick drives to the basket and disrupting the Renegades defensively. Armstead may not have had the impact scoring-wise that some of the other players had, but he did the little things especially on the defensive end. And 2013 DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. proved to be a tough matchup due to his crafty handle and ability to knock down a variety of shots.
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HOOP GROUP ELITE TEAM CAMP FINAL RECAP & RECRUITING NOTES

By Alex Schwartz

READING, Pa. — Featuring over 60 high schools from seven different states, The Hoop Group Elite Team Camp drew numerous Division I coaches to Albright College. At least half of Big East was represented there Sunday, the second and final day of the camp.

Head coaches from both of New Jersey’s Big East programs, Rutgers and Seton Hall, were in attendance along with at least one assistant. NBE Basketball Report also spotted or was informed that assistants from Cincinnati, DePaul, Pittsburgh, St. John’s, Villanova and West Virginia were in Reading.

Amongst the attractions for the Big East schools were Kyle Anderson ’12, Nate Britt ’13, Reggie Cameron ’13, Hallice Cooke ’13, Will Ferguson ’13, Shep Garner ’14, Amile Jefferson ’12, Kris Jenkins ’13, Ja’Quan Newton ’14, Villanova-commit Daniel Ochefu ’12, Stanford Robinson ’13, Terrence Samuel ’13, Shamiek Sheppard ’13, Kavon Stewart ’13, Mike Young ’13, and more.
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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.

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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EYBL – BOO WILLIAMS: PREP SCHOOL PROSPECTS SHINE ON AAU TRAIL

BY PAT STEVENS

HAMPTON, Va. – The first major national event of the travel hoops season took place this past weekend with the first session of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League getting underway in it’s annual spot of long-time coach Boo Williams’ backyard.

Several prep school players were in action with their 17-under division teams, as BABC went 5-0 with Tilton (N.H.) teammates Georges Niang, Nerlens Noel, Goodluck Okonoboh and Wayne Selden (who mostly played 15U where they reached the championship game).

The Playaz also went undefeated with its backcourt shared by Myles Davis (Notre Dame Prep) and Darrick Wood (NIA Prep).

Albany City Rocks featured New Hampton (N.H.) teammates Zach Auguste and Olivier Hanlan along with Ricardo Ledo (Notre Dame Prep, MA), who averaged just under 24 points per game for the weekend.

Other prep school players included Mike Tobey (Hotchkiss/NY Gauchos/Virginia commit) and Sam Cassell Jr. (Notre Dame Prep/Baltimore Elite).

We managed to catch a pair of games in between session of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament while in town last weekend…

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GEORGES NIANG CONTINUES TO PRODUCE AGAINST ALL COMPETITION; RECRUITMENT HEATING UP

Tilton (NH) School forward Georges Niang is a flat-out producer on the court. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound forward has a knack for putting up numbers against any type of competition he faces. The Class of 2012 prospect was the leader in Tilton’s NEPSAC Class AA championship run, averaging over 26 points a game as the Rams captured their fourth straight final. Against a St. Mark’s team that featured elite Class of 2012 prospects frontline prospects Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski in the championship game, Niang shredded their defense for 23 points, shooting a perfect 11 of 11 from the field. In typical Niang fashion, he added 10 rebounds and 7 assists for good measure in the 72-57 victory at Endicott College last month.

The Tilton season came to an end in their next game, a thrilling 87-85 loss to Notre Dame Prep in the National Prep Championships. Niang continued his postseason dominance in that game, scoring 31 points. At one stretch, Niang scored 13 straight points for the Rams helping them erase a 10-point deficit and nearly steal the victory. His versatility was on display, knocking down a pair of three-pointers down the stretch helping the comeback.

This spring and summer Niang is playing with another high-profile program as he embarks on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC) on the AAU circuit, an experience he is greatly looking forward to.
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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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TEAM TAKEOVER DC WELL STOCKED AT ALL LEVELS; PLAYAZ SPRING FLING RECRUITING NOTES

By Matt Whitfield

Last summer the Team Takeover 17U squad led by Keith Stevens took home the inaugural Nike Elite Youth Basketball League championship by capturing the Peach Jam Championship. This year the 16U team in the Takeover family looks poised to follow the same championship path with a collection of supreme athletes that really grind it out on both ends of the floor. Watching on Saturday at the Playaz Spring Fling to kickopff the 2011 AAU travel season I couldn’t believe how many skilled athletes the team had. In their 2 P.M. games versus Positive Direction, the DC-area squad jumped out to an 11-1 lead and then built a 27-9 halftime lead, despite being thrown together as a team just this weekend literally.

As impressive as the score was, the most impressive thing I thought was how many kids could flat out play, and score, if they had to. This was a well-balanced machine where it was not just a handful of kids controlling the rock all game, it was a team effort.

“Their playing hard,” said Kenneth Johnson the coach of Team Takeover’s 16U squad. “They have a good connection, but I feel like we have four high major guards. They kind of push our team, we got nice wings…It’s always a little bit difficult when you come up here for your first tournament it’s a running the clock type situation. You got 12 players trying to gel. A lot of our guards just finished up their high school season. We have a few guys that played for DeMatha they just finished two days ago. We had to come up here for our first tournament, so we haven’t thrown too many of our sets in. Next week is our training camp and we’re going to have to tighten things up with our offensive sets and get our defensive concepts down.”

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MORE PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT RECRUITING NOTES

Last weekend’s Primetime Shootout annually brings an impressive collection of high school basketball talent to New Jersey to compete over the course of two or three days. This year the venue moved to Union (NJ) on the campus of Kean University. Here is some of the previous coverage from Matt Whitfield for NBE from his time covering the 2011 version of the event:

- 2011 Primetime Shootout – Friday Night Notes
- Findlay Prep Trio Hot Prospects in Class of 2012 – A look at the recruitment of Landen Lucas, Anthony Bennett and Nazareth Long.
- Montrose Christian Rebounds to Rout Findlay Prep at Primetime Shootout – ‘Nova bound Tyrone Johnson shines in easy win over loaded Findlay team.
- Justin Anderson Update – Possible College Decision Forthcoming for Elite ’12 Forward?
- Recruiting on Hold for Andre Drummond – St. Thomas More Prep coach Jere Quinn taks about the recruitment of the nations top 2012 PF.

Today NBE takes a look at the recruitment and the latest of Trenton Catholic’s Brandon Taylor, the Lakewood duo of Anthony Walker, who is quickly making a name for himseld this year, and Jarrod Davis, who talks of his prep school options and the schools he is looking at as part of the Class of 2012. Also, Quality Education Academy’s Lekan Ajayi talks about the final five schools the Class of 2011 big man prospect will choose from.

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 the full story as we wrap-up our 2011 Primetime Shootout Recruiting coverage below. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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DAJUAN COLEMAN HAS THREE SCHOOLS STANDING OUT

Behemoth 2012 big man still considering several schools, but three have moved to the forefront

Jamesville-Dewitt HS just outside of Syracuse (NY) has been turning out a steady line of quality Division 1-A basketball players in recent years. Long-time J-D head coach Bob McKenney looks to have his best prospect yet in 6-foot-10, 290-lb center DaJuan Coleman and his performance last weekend at the Hoop Hall Classic in Springfield (MA) only reaffirmed that notion forcefully.

Coleman has been widely regarded among the elite handful of prospects in the Class of 2012 and the recruiting interest he is receiving reflects that lofty ranking. Coleman indicated to NBE this past weekend that three schools have moved into the forefront of his recruitment as he gave his updated list.

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 on DaJuan Coleman and his dominant performance at the Hoop Hall Classic and the latest on the elite 2012 big man’s recruitment. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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HOOP HALL CLASSIC – - DAY 2

BY JEFF BORZELLO

After a jam-packed first day that featured several good teams but little in the way of exciting contests, Sunday at the Hoop Hall Classic brought another four national games between teams with several Division-I players on the roster. We opened with St. Mark’s (Mass.) against Life Center Academy (N.J.), followed by St. Thomas More (Conn.) and Hargrave Military Academy (Va.). After that was St. Andrew’s (R.I.) against Findlay (Nev.) and Jamesville-Dewitt (N.Y.) and Webster Groves (Mo.).

In our Hoop Hall Classic – - Day 1 report, Jeff Borzello broke down the performances of BIG EAST commits Myles Mack, Wayne Blackshear, Mikael Hopkins and Jabarie Hinds. There were also scouting reports and recruiting updates on Kris Dunn (’12 PG), Kyle Anderson (’12 G/F), Jordan Adams (’12 SG), Kevin Johnson (’11 PF), C.J Blackwell (’11 SF), Billy Garrett, Jr. (’13 G) as well as a recruiting update on Evan Nolte (’12 SF) and more on Ben McLemore (’11 SG) and Damien Wilson (’12 SG). Day 2 coverage is more of the same with BIG EAST commits John Johnson, Michael Carter-Williams and Amir Garrett in action as well as top-level recruiting prospects such as Alex Murphy (’12 PF), DaJuan Coleman (’12 C/PF), Nik Stauskas (’12 G/F), Landen Lucas (’12 C), Kaleb Tarczewski (’12 C), Andre Drummond (’12 PF) and more…

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 of the coverage from the Hoop Hall Classic with top player evals and recruiting updates from the standouts in the Class of 2011, 2012, 2013 and even 2014. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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UNCOMMITTED 2011 UPDATE: ERIC KATENDA

6’9 native of Paris, France is considering four schools, no favorites as he looks towards a spring decision

Eric Katenda is a well-travelled young man. Katenda was born and raised in Paris, France and came to the United States to play at Connecticut’s Chesire Academy with the hopes of earning a scholarship to play college basketball at the elite level, which has been his dream since he started playing basketball at age 7. Now at Sunrise Academy in Wichita (KS), Katenda is just a few months from realizing his dream as he expects to make a college decision by the end of this basketball season and sign a letter of intent in the late period this spring.

The Class of 2011 prospect missed most of this past summer’s AAU action after having his appendix removed and getting tendonitis in his knees. While being forced to sit out most of the key summer circuit, Katenda fell off the recruiting radar of many schools. Still, this past August, Katenda told NBE that he was involved with Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Iowa, Notre Dame, Michigan, Siena and Boston College.

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 on the recruitment of Eric Katenda and which schools currently make up his list of four. Katenda also talks about his experience at Sunrise Academy and how he is improving his game and more. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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