Southern Illinois Recruiting

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 2 NOTEBOOK: TOP MATCHUPS CONTINUE

Khan/Judah not the only prize fight in town

By Raphielle Johnson

While boxing fans enjoyed the battle between Amir Khan and Zab Judah over at Mandalay Bay, two of the top AAU teams on the West Coast did battle at Bishop Gorman in the Las Vegas Fab 48. Led by the interior tandem of 2012 Brandon Ashley and 2013 Aaron Gordon, the Oakland Soldiers withstood a late rally to beat Belmont Shore 85-80. Both showed off their vast array of skills, especially Gordon with a few thunderous dunks.

The game was also valuable to see what Belmont Shore big men Zena Edsomwan and Grant Jerrett could do against two of the best prep players regardless of class. Edsomwan isn’t the kind of player who’s going to dominate the basketball but rather do the little things on both ends of the floor needed to win. Jerrett had his moments as well but it proved to be a tale of two halves for the Arizona commit.

In the backcourt the battle was just as intense, with the likes of Dominic Artis and Jabari Bird taking on Ikenna Ireogbu and Katin Reinhardt for Belmont Shore. With regards to dribbling skills, Artis may not have an equal in the 2012 class (Kris Dunn is another to consider). Bird can do just about everything on the floor, and while the 2013 prospect needs to continue to improve as a shooter he’s shown the ability to knock down open shots.
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DESERT DUEL RECRUITING RUNDOWN & NOTES

The mission Desert Duel Memorial Basketball Tournament is to raise funds for the Tom Crawford Leadership Children’s Foundation. To date, over 21 million dollars in scholarships have been given to players passing through their event in the short time it has been in existence and, despite just a 32-team field, the field is loaded with some of the best teams from across the country. The NJ Playaz (17s & 16s), Mac Irvin Fire (17s & 16s), DC Assault (17s & 16s), Belmont Shores, Compton Magic, NY Panthers, Seattle Rotary, Arizona Magic Pump ‘N Run, Team Philly (17s & 16s), NE Playaz, Dallas Mustangs, Atlanta Celtics, Mo-Kan Spiece, Worldwide Renegades, Minnesota Net Gain, Team Loaded, Texas D1 Ambassadors, Franchize All-Stars, Carolina Elite, Team NJABC and more make up the loaded 2010 field.

Doug Ferguson braved the high heat of the Arizona desert to make his way to Mesquite High School in Gilbert (AZ) for the action of the 2010 Desert Duel Memorial Basketball Tournament. He was greeted upon arrival by some excellent play and many top college head coaches who also were taking in the action.

p>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 introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Arizona which includes the latest on the recruitments of Naadir Tharpe, Jerome Seagers, Amile Jefferson, LeBryan Nash (top 6), Quinn Cook, Andre Henley, KJ McDaniels and a look at what games coaches were finding the most interesting, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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ORLANDO AAU UPDATE: PART II

While Ray Mernagh has an early wake-up call and a long day of travel tomorrow to reach sunny Orlando for the end of the 17-U AAU Showcase and the Nationals to follow, Alex Schwartz continues to keep us up to date in the meantime.

With the 17-U Super Showcase getting in full swing Saturday, some more familiar names are in this update. Recruiting updates are found on elite 2011 PF/C Johnny O’Bryant who has a final list of nine schools under consideration, 2011 PG Angel Rodriguez has some impressive offers and a leader out of the Big 12 while productive PF George Fant updates his growing list of schools today. 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 introductory membership to read more of our coverage from Orlando as we also run down the performances of Nick Faust, Trey Burke, Julian Royal, Jacob Lawson and O’Bryant as well. All of which is covered below in detail. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM: DAY THREE

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – If Tuesday was the day when the stars came out, with big-time performances from Mike Gilchrist, Anthony Davis, Austin Rivers, Marquis Teague and Brad Beal, Wednesday was the time to showcase some lesser-known talents from the class of 2012. There were only four sessions of U-17 games, with four sessions of U-16 contests. The playoffs also kicked off during the night session for each age group, with Team Takeover, BABC, St. Louis Eagles and Spiece – the group winners – advancing to play Metro Hawks, Team Final, Oakland Soldiers and Boo Williams, the runners-up in each group. In U-16, group winners Team Takeover, Georgia Stars, BABC and Memphis YOMCA squared off. With the night session featuring all playoff games, the semifinals in U-17 and finals in U-16 are set for tomorrow. Thursday will see Team Takeover take on Team Final and the St. Louis Eagles face Spiece in U-17 action, while BABC and Georgia Stars battle for the U-16 title.

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 introductory membership to read more of our coverage from North Augusta (SC) and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam’s third day of action as 18 more players update NBE on their recruitment and additional player evals are posted. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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PEACH JAM RECRUITING UPDATES

Some new names out of the Peach Jam emerge with Big East schools at, or near, the top of their lists

by ALEX SCHWARTZ

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C.– The talent at the Nike Peach Jam/EYBL Finals is off the charts, with multiple high-major players on each and every court at just about all times. Every school from the Big East has been represented, and 13 of the 16 have had their head coach present watching the action at one time or another. A number of top prospects are receiving interest from Big East programs and some took the time to update the status of their recruitment.

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 introductory membership to read more of our coverage from North Augusta (SC) and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam and see what 2011 Chicago shooting guard calls WVU his leader and the impressive list of schools, from the Big East and beyond, that top the lists of Josh Richardson (’11), Egi Gjikondi (’12) and Darrick Wood (’12) . Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM: DAY TWO

BY JEFF BORZELLO

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – The finals of the inaugural NIKE Elite Youth Basketball League at the NIKE Peach Jam continued on Tuesday, as the 24 teams battled to finish in the top two spots in each group, which are the only places to advance. By the end of the day, only two teams – Team Takeover DC and the Oakland Soldiers – were undefeated, but plenty of clubs were still in contention for a playoff berth. Surprisingly, the regular-season champs, the NJ Playaz, were only 2-2 through two days and are unlikely to advance. Howard Pulley and Each One Teach One, also pool winners, are both 1-3. The heated competition to finish in the top two led to a great day two of action.

There are evals of players such as Mikael Hopkins, Amir Williams, Kyle Anderson, Anthony Davis, George Fant, AJ Hammons, Jevon Thomas and more along with recruiting updates from Trey Burke, who lists a top three, Jarnell Stokes, James Robinson, Justin Anderson, Jerami Grant, Kevin Johnson, who has two leaders, and many, many more from Day Two of the Nike EYBL championship pool play.

Related article: Nike EYBL Peach Jam: Day One

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 introductory membership to read more of our coverage from North Augusta (SC) and the Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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NBPA TOP 100 EVALUATIONS (POINT/COMBO GUARDS)

by RAY MERNAGH

First of all, props to Dave Telep — and the players association — for doing an excellent job with this camp. Telep’s rapport/honesty with players is refreshing and in turn he gets a level of respect back that’s pretty hard to match.

One of the things that’s awesome about camps like this is the way kids respond to being in a situation with other players of similar ability and athleticism. It shows you exactly where a kid is competitively. Some really, really hyped kids looked absolutely lost in the headlights through three games, others took a game or two to get acclimated and then responded positively. On the flip side of that some guys who’ve been under the radar a bit have responded in a big way to this chance to continue earning respect and building on their resumes as ballers.

Here’s eleven point guards or combo guards that stood out to me.

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 introductory membership to read NBE’s evaluations and recruiting notes on 11 guards we got a good look at this week, including Tyrone Johnson, Tyler Lewis, Myles Mack, Jahii Carson, Josiah Turner and more. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers and detailed below is our coverage schedule for the next month.

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JUNE 16 RECRUITING NOTEBOOK

BY JEFF BORZELLO

With the arrival of June 15, the book officially closed on the class of 2010 and opened for the class of 2012. Schools were allowed to offer rising juniors and contact them directly. Coaches are allowed to call prospects in the class of 2012 once per month over the next year, beginning on 6/15. Next summer the allotted amount rises to twice per week per institution. Top prospects from around the country had their phones blowing up all day and night, with head coaches and assistant coaches keeping tabs on their main targets. NBE Basketball Report was also working the phones, seeing which schools were talking to which players, and who was showing the most interest for certain players.

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 introductory membership to read news and notes on D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, J.P. Tokoto, Jeremy Hollowell, Evan Cummins, Tommy Carpenter, Peter Jurkin, Frank Mason and Nkereuwem Okoro. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers and detailed below is our coverage schedule for the next month.

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GIBBONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS DAY THREE RECAP

BY JEFF BORZELLO

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The playoffs at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions started on Saturday night, with two separate brackets for the first and second-place group finishers in each age group. There were a few surprises to win their group, while several teams disappointed and didn’t even make the “Select” — second-place — bracket.

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 introductory membership to read our full coverage from Sunday at the Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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GIBBONS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS: DAY ONE RECRUITING NOTES

Jeff Borzello is in North Carolina to kick off this Memorial Day weekend by taking in the Bob Gibbons’ Tournament of Champions AAU tournament being held at different gyms in Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh and other places in between.

While much of the attention this spring has been paid to the Nike EYBL and the strong field it has assembled, Bob Gibbons and his staff have done a tremendous job pulling together a strong field with eight of the top 20 teams in the latest PrepHoopsAssist.com Grassroots AAU Poll. For a comparison, the EYBL currently has seven ranked AAU programs in their line-up this weekend in Los Angeles.

Here is a rundown on some of the recruiting notes from the first night, spent in the Dean Dome in Chapel Hill watching the WI Playground Warriors and Carolina Elite battled in a 16-U pool clash while also catching up on some of the talent playing for St. Louis Gameface 17′s and the loaded Indiana Elite 17-U team.

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 introductory membership to read our opening night notes from the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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