TCU 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 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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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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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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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…

2011 ORLANDO AAU UPDATE (PART 5): CHAMPIONSHIP DAY FOR 17U SUPER SHOWCASE AHEAD

By Alex Schwartz

It is championship day at the 17U AAU Super Showcase in Orlando on Wednesday afternoon. At noon, Team Takeover DC will meet the Houston Defenders in one semifinal match-up while BABC will take on Hoop Heaven Elite at 3 PM in the other semifinal. The winners will meet in the Showcase ttile game scheduled for 7 PM and it will be televised by ESPNUI.

Last night ESPNU had a made-for-TV ‘highlight’ game in Orlando putting Texas PRO and the Georgia Stars on display for television viewers. NBE caught up with some of the top names from the highlight game, including Alex Poythress, Danuel House and Danrad ‘Chicken’ Knowles, to get the latest in their recruitment. Also a pair of 2013 guards, Stephen Vasturia and Allerick Freeman, are profiled in today’s report…

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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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UA SUMMER JAM PRESENTED BY NY2LA SPORTS RECRUITING NOTES (PART II)

By Alex Jesswein

The UA Summer Jam Presented by NY2LA Sports was a rousing success this past week. A loaded field converged on Mequon (WI), just outside Milwaukee at Homestead High School. Talented players and teams from across the country competed over the course of July 12th through the conclusion of the first live evaluation period on July 15th. A who’s who of college coaches came through Homestead to take in the action and in the end it was the SYF Players taking the gold title led by Mitch McGary.

Below are a few more recruiting notes from the event as NBE got the opportunity to speak with McGary, Danuel House of Texas PRO and Ishmail Wainright of the KC 76ers for the latest on their recruitment….

Texas PRO Wing Danuel House has been a hot name on the recruiting scene this spring.

His ability to finish in traffic and knock down open shots has impressed coaches across the country.
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CHICAGO BEST BUY CLASSIC SCOUTING REPORTS/SCHOOL LISTS

By Doug Ferguson

Last weekend the Joy of the Game facility in Deerfield (IL) hosted the Best Buy Chicago Classic. The 17U crown went to Terry Porter Elite and their 2013 stud Deonta Burton led the charge. NBE will have more on Burton this weekend. For today, Doug Ferguson takes a look at some of the stand out performers, including some visitors from Texas as the Texas PRO and Houston Hoopsters were must-see teams. Indiana Elite, TP Elite and others also showed well at the event…

Isaiah Austin/C/7-1/215/Texas PRO
School List: Committed to Baylor

It is hard to be at any event and where all eyes aren’t on Austin. His size/skill/athleticism combination is truly one of a kind. At one point in this event he had three possessions in a row that resulted in dunk, three-pointer, dunk (and the next possession was an assist). He runs the floor at an elite level for a seven footer and as most would guess is a world class shot blocker. There isn’t much Austin doesn’t do well and he is a seven footer to boot which makes it easy to see why many rank him number one in his class.
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Marlon Johnson/F/6-9/220/Illinois T-Wolves
School List: Unknown
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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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TCU LEADS FOR RHOOMES FOLLOWING VISIT; NEW PC STAFF SHOWING INTEREST IN NIA DUO

Unsigned NIA Prep duo Ryan Rhoomes and Kelvin Amayo are still available and drawing plenty of interest. According to NIA School founder, Alif Muhammad, the new staff at Providence College is showing strong interest in the pair.

“Providence’s new coach (Ed Cooley) [called] last week for Ryan and Kelvin,” Muhammad told NBE’s Matt Whitfield via text message this morning.

For Rhoomes, it looked like Seton Hall had led for his services as we near the late signing period which begins April 15th. However, following a recent visit last weekend to a future BIG EAST school it looks like there is a new leader in the recruitment of the 6-foot-8 C/PF who is a native of New York City.

“It went great,” said Muhammad of Rhoomes’ visit to TCU last weekend. “Yes, it’s the leader.”

With TCU early playing time is attractive to Rhoomes as the Mountain West program readies for their move to the BIG EAST. Rhoomes is also interested in the new situations with Providence as well.

“I think he likes the idea of playing one year in the Mountain West and then 2012-2013 [in the] BIG EAST,” added Muhammad.

On the floor, Kelvin Amayo likes to get out in transition and drive aggressively to the rim. The 6-foot-5 G/F is a physical specimen who uses his strong upper body to get past most defenders and finish with contact, while his speed makes him to tough to stop on a fast break. He is always in attack mode, getting to the lane at will. He continues to make strides with his shooting and other perimter skills, making him a very intriguing prospect in the late signing period. DePaul has also recently come into the picture while Seton Hall and Oregon State have remained involved.

NBE will closely monitor both Ryan Rhoomes and Kelvin Amayo as the get closer to their college decisions.

NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP RECRUITING NOTES

by PAT STEVENS

Earlier this month, St. Thomas More (CT) won the fifth annual National Prep Championship tournament with Andre Drummond named MVP of the final, where they defeated Notre Dame Prep (MA) 90- 74. This culminated an exciting week of basketball in New England as just a few days earlier the NEPSAC championships concluded with Maine Central Institute taking home the AAA crown and the Tilton School winning the AA title. NBE was taking in the action throughout and here are some recruiting notes picked up on during the action:

-Notre Dame Prep has two players who have another year to go before college in Ricardo Ledo and Myles Davis. Expect Connecticut, Louisville and potentially Providence to be in the mix for Ledo, along with Kentucky. Pittsburgh could be considered a favorite for Davis, along with Xavier.

-NIA Prep has two unsigned players with Kelvin Amayo and Ryan Rhoomes. Oregon State and Seton Hall have long been options and depending on if they choose to recruit him, Providence (new staff) or DePaul (new interest) are also possible choices for Amayo. Seton Hall had Rhoomes on campus last week and TCU is scheduled to host him on an official visit this weekend.

-Westwind Prep’s Kiwi Gardner, a 5-foot-8 point guard from Oakland, visited Providence before heading to New Haven for the National Prep Championships. This was before the coaching change but it’s notable that Fairfield was recruiting him as well, whose coach Ed Cooley is now the new Friars coach. TCU, South Florida, Murray State and San Francisco have also shown interest. Gardner was originally a 2011 prospect but then planned to re-classify, however it now looks as if he’ll head to college next year.

-As we covered, St. Thomas More took home the National Prep Championship and Andre Drummond was named the event’s MVP. Connecticut, Kentucky, North Carolina and West Virginia remain the short list involved, but the Huskies are still the favorite for one of the nation’s top prospects.

-Tilton had a great run this season behind the play of their underclassmen, winning New England Class AA and an impressive showing at the National Prep Championship tournament. Sophomore big men Nerlens Noel and Goodluck Okonoboh have wide Big East interest (Noel also with ACC and Big Ten offers) while a href=”http://www.nbebasketball.com/w3/big-east-team-pages/connecticut/”>Connecticut and Providence had the two in to see games this year. 2012 power forward Georges Niang should see Big East interest this summer but to date has various A-10, CAA and NEC offers. Iowa and Iowa State have also offered and expect to have him in for visits. Wayne Selden, a 2014 prospect, will be nationally recruited over the next few years. The young guard made a big splash this season, finishing with 22 points in each of the NEPSAC Final and the NPC Opening Round vs. Notre Dame Prep.

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Pat Stevens has assisted with the National Prep School Invitational and has covered prep schools for Van Coleman’s Hoopmasters.com the past seven years. He has also contributed his knowledge to NBE often in the past. Be sure to visit PatStevensBasketball.com for more of his insights to the prep school game.
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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE: DAY ONE

by JEFF BORZELLO

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – College basketball has its 24-hour marathon; high school has the National Prep Showcase. Featuring 23 of the best prep school teams in the country, the National Prep Showcase is the official start to the high school basketball season. The teams gather at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Conn. for three jam-packed days of games. There will be well over 100 Division-I recruits throughout the weekend, so it is a great spot for college coaches to get a look at recently-signed recruits or uncommitted prospects.

The day started out with an uneventful Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.) win over Fork Union Military Academy (Va.), 80-73. Notre Dame Prep (Mass.) held on in the second game to beat Fishburne Military Academy (Va.), 75-66. Westwind Prep (Ariz.) and Bridgton Academy (Maine) had a back-and-forth battle, with Westwind pulling it out, 84-78. The best game of the day was Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) and South Kent (Conn.), a high-scoring and entertaining affair that Hargrave won 115-105. After that was St. Thomas More’s easy win over Lee Academy, 82-57, followed by Princeton Day Academy (Md.) defeating Winchendon (Mass.), 67-63. The final game of the day kept everyone entertained, as NIA Prep (N.J.) knocked off Maine Central Institute in overtime after Shaq Thomas hit a jumper at the buzzer to tie the game.

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

Evan Cummins, 2012, Northfield Mount Hermon: Cummins has consistently gotten better over the last few months, and it continued today. He runs the floor well and has good hands for a big man. He can finish at the rim and is also able to kncok down mid-range jump shots. Cummins struggled a bit to finish in some instances, but overall he demonstrated a versatile offensive game and justified the increased recruiting attention he is receiving (detailed below).

Aaron Cosby, 2011, Northfield Mount Hermon: The Seton Hall-signee is much more aggressive than he was a year ago. He looked for his shot more often today, driving past his defender into the lane for leaners and lay-ups. Cosby also knocked down outside shots consistently and was able to make shots over defenders. He had a few nice passes and led the fast break effectively. He does need to protect the ball better on his drives, though; he had the ball batted away or stripped while he was in the air several times. Cosby finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

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 the latest recruiting notes gathered on Day One of the National Prep Showcase. Also, any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage is available to subscribers.

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SOUTHERN JAM FEST PLAYER REVIEW & RECRUITING NOTES (PART I)

BY JEFF BORZELLO

HAMPTON, Va. – The Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Va. is quickly becoming the place to be for AAU events in the spring. It hosted the first leg of the Nike EYBL a few weeks ago, and then hosted the Southern Jam Fest, run by the Hoop Group, this past weekend. While not as loaded as the EYBL, the Jam Fest featured several of the top AAU teams in the mid-Atlantic region, with teams also coming from various states throughout the country (and Canada).

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 on the top players from the event as well as evaluations and recruiting notes on players like Tyler Lewis, Dorian Finney-Smith, Justin Anderson, Adjehi Baru and others, as well as any of our Premium Content Articles & Event Coverage.

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