Cincinnati Recruiting

MIDWEST RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: DEJUAN MARRERO RISES UP 2012 LISTS

Marrero has top programs tracking him; also update on Jacob Williams of St. Patrick’s – Chicago

by DOUG FERGUSON

With the Big East expanding to the West in recent years the conference’s recruiting reach has began to tap into the fertile grounds of the nation’s Midwest basketball hotbeds. With programs residing in Indiana (Notre Dame), Wisconsin (Marquette) and Chicago (DePaul), as well as the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio tri-state area (Cincinnati and Louisville), covering Big East recruiting efforts takes you to gyms in the nation’s heartland and largest Midwestern cities.

Gary (IN) has seen its share of hard times and exciting basketball players. While Branden Dawson is considered an elite 2011 prospect with many Big East teams knocking on his door in an effort to join the recruiting race to land him, another Gary product is ready to burst on the scene as DeJuan Marrero is enjoying an excellent sophomore campaign for Bowman Academy and is looking forward to a hopeful deep run in the the postseason with his Class A teammates.

Marrero has attracted attention from many of the top Big 10 programs and that attention has spread into the Big East and he has landed on John Calipari’s radar as well. Marrero was gracious with his time this week to update NBE Basketball on his season and his recruitment. You can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below for the latest scoop on Marrero’s recruiting situation and updates on Jacob Williams and Roosevelt Jones, two players in the class of 2011 to watch in the coming months…

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BIG EAST OR SEC FOR KC ROSS-MILLER

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Former Kentucky commit K.C. Ross-Miller seems ready to make a college decision – and there is a fairly clear order on the final schools he is considering, according to his father.

This past fall Tim Miller, the head coach of God’s Academy of Irving (TX) and father of K.C. Ross-Miller told NBE Basketball Report that a decision would likely be made in February or March and sign in the late signing period for 2010 recruits so they could judge the future point guard situations of each prospective school on their list. It looks like they have stayed true to their word and a decision could be coming in the near future, as early as next week, and it could very well be either a Big East school or a school from the SEC as they are the current top two schools on his list.

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NPSI DAY TWO RECAP

BY PAT STEVENS – St. Mark’s Nate Lubick (Georgetown) and Alex Murphy had big days along with St. Andrew’s Michael Carter-Williams who went for 36 points on the second day of the 12th annual National Prep School Invitational.

Assistant coaches in attendance included Rodell Davis of Providence, Craig Carter of Rutgers, Scott Adubato of Seton Hall and Eric Skeeters of South Florida.

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BIG APPLE BASKETBALL INVITATIONAL: MONDAY

by MATT WHITFIELD

Just like the Hoophall Classic on Monday where the hyped main event of St. Patrick’s and Findlay Prep lived up to the hype, the showcase game of the 7th annual Big East Basketball Invitational wowed the crowd as Dix Hills West of Long Island outlasted Bishop Loughlin 75-72 in overtime. Here is the full scoreboard from Monday’s action:

Long Island Lutheran (NY) 60, Forest Hills (NY) 49
Academy of the New Church (PA) 85, Impact Academy (NV) 70
Life Center Academy (NJ) 72, Hotchkiss (CT) School 54
Plymouth-Whitemarsh (PA) 63, St. Raymond’s (NY) 54
Dix Hills West (NY) 75, Bishop Loughlin (NY) 72 OT

Below are some player evaluations and recruiting notes from the action at Baruch College on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

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2011 NYC PROSPECTS RHOOMES, TAYLOR LIKE BIG EAST

Ryan Rhoomes and Mike Taylor both like style of play in the Big East conference

by Matt Whitfield

The 7th annual Big Apple Basketball High School Invitational was held over the weekend (Saturday & Monday) at Baruch College in New York City. With many top prospects from New York City and across the prep landscape competing in one place there was plenty of recruiting story lines to report on. A pair of New York City players, both in the class of 2011, spent time on Saturday with the NBE Basketball Report and expressed a strong desire to wind up in the Big East basketball conference when they play at the next level.

Cardozo 6-foot-8 big man Ryan Rhoomes was a key contributor in the Judges’ 66-57 win over St. Raymond’s and Boys & Girls High School guard Mike Taylor, as usual, had a hand in the Kangaroos’ 53-40 win over Long Island Lutheran to close out Saturday’s action. Afterwards each spent a few moments updating their recruitment picture for NBE readers.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/12/2010)

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No games on this Tuesday scheduled for the Big East, so the news of the day centers around last night’s Louisville/Villanova game and the coaching change at DePaul where Jerry Wainwright was dismissed and assistant Tracy Webster will take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.

Also today we touch on the recruitment of Ryan Rhoomes and a 2011 prospect that was getting early Big East looks makes an early decision.

Also, it might be two months away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. The Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden is an event Big east fans must experience when they have the opportunity and here is your chance to get your tickets early before they become harder, and more expensive, to find. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to ANY Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

Read on below for all of today’s News & Notes…

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BOSCO/PLAINFIELD CONTEST THRILLS AT PLAYAZ EVENT

by MATT WHITFIELD

Last weekend Teaneck (NJ) High School played host to the ‘New Year’s Jump Off’ hosted by the Playaz Basketball Club AAU program, run by Jimmy Salmons. One of the day’s most competitive games saw Plainfield and Don Bosco Prep battle it out on the hardwood. By the time the two teams tipped off assistant coaches from Providence, Virginia, St. Joseph’s, Rutgers, Villanova and Connecticut had made their way to Teaneck for the action and RU head coach Fred Hill was also in the building.

The Don Bosco Ironmen got off to a hot start in the contest, grabbing an 18-9 lead after the first quarter. The Ironmen’s star quarterback from their championship football squad Gary Nova led the barrage and scored all 17 of his points, which included five made baskets from three-point range, in the first half. However, Plainfield battled back with a big second quarter to tie the score at 32-all at intermission.

The third period saw another strong start by Bosco as Vaughn Gray starred and spurred an 11-0 run that gave the Ironmen a 45-34 lead, their biggest of the game. Plainfield responded, again, answering the challenge with a 15-2 run, as sophomore Dijon Allen-Jordan scored all eight of his points during the run, spanning the end of the third quarter and into the fourth.

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COLEMAN TO VISIT LOUISVILLE, RHOOMES WITH BIG EAST OFFERS, HEWITT WAITING ON OFFERS

by JEFF BORZELLO

One of the more difficult recruitments to read this year has been that of Justin Coleman.

The 6-foot-5 swingman from Virginia was relatively unknown until he excelled at the NBA Players Association Camp in June and leaped onto everyone’s radar. Since then, there has been little news about his recruitment, and many say it is due to academic troubles.

As a result, most expect Coleman to end up at prep school or junior college next season. He is not throwing in the towel just yet, however. He transferred to Huntington Prep in West Virginia this season and plans on visiting a Big East school in the near future.

On Tuesday, Coleman told NBE Basketball Report in a text message that he will be taking a trip to Louisville this weekend.

“Yes,” Coleman confirmed.

The Cardinals recently received a verbal commitment from 2011 swingman Wayne Blackshear.
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Rhoomes holds four offers, will reclassify

A fast-rising big man in the New York area, Ryan Rhoomes came onto the scene after a strong summer performance at several events, including the Reebok U All-American Camp.

Not surprisingly, Rhoomes’ school list has grown considerably since July.

Currently, he has offers from St. John’s, West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Cincinnati, with interest from Pittsburgh, Marquette and Iowa State.

“I had two home meetings with St. John’s and Virginia Tech,” Rhoomes said. “And West Virginia came to my school.”

Furthermore, Rhoomes told NBE Basketball Report that he plans on reclassifying to the class of 2011.

“[I need] to develop more,” said Rhoomes, who will attend South Kent (Conn.) next season.

With his college decision pushed back for another year, Rhoomes does not have a timetable for when he will pick a school.

“I want to [choose a school this year],” he said. “But I don’t really know what I want in a school yet.”
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Hewitt awaiting influx of offers

As the number of available 2010 point guards diminishes, one player who expects his recruitment to pick up is Jelani Hewitt.

The 6-foot-3 Florida native is an explosive scorer who can fill it up in a hurry. His offensive ability has led to plenty of interest from a variety of schools.

“My recruiting is going to increase a lot as the season goes on and as my team keeps winning,” Hewitt told the NBE Basketball Report on Tuesday.

Right now, he has offers from James Madison and Nebraska, but he says that more are on the way.

“Schools like Georgia, Fresno State, UCLA and Alabama are about to offer,” Hewitt said.

He added that he has no visits planned, but will make a decision in the spring.

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It might be three months away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. With all the excitement recently at Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament tickets could make a great holiday gift for any Big East fan on your shopping list. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to any Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online
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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (12/17/2009)

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Jerry Wainwright’s tenure at DePaul might be on life support after last night’s embarrassing loss at home to 1-8 American. It might be the worst loss suffered by a Big East team since the league examped to 16 teams five seasons ago. American came in ranked 339th of 347 teams according to realtimerpi.com and beat the Blue Demons on their home floor. OUCH!

Cincinnati also suffered a tough loss, falling to former C-USA rival UAB on the road just days after dropping their Crosstown Shootout in double overtime to Xavier. Mick Cronin wants to hear nothing of a letdown, afterall, the Big East will offer plenty of chances for back to back tough tests.

Elsewhere, South Florida and Louisville bounced back from disappointing losses to pick up wins last night. On the recruiting front, the Jeronne Maymon transfer from Marquette should not impact the status of Vander Blue and his commitment to MU. UConn checks out a JUCO PF as Louisville and Cincinnati are also expressing interest. Jayvaughn Pinkston is living up to the lofty expectations placed on him as the #1 player in NYC this year. Reggie Redding is preparing to return to the court this weekend for ‘Nova, Keno Davis is coaching and selling at PC and a look at the rumors of Big 10 expansion and the early success of the Big East, is it real or an illusions…

Also, it might be three months away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. With all the excitement recently at Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament tickets could make a great holiday gift for any Big East fan on your shopping list. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to any Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

Read on below for all of today’s News & Notes…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (12/11/2009)

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It is a rare off night in the Big East this Friday night, but there is still plenty of interesting news and notes to discuss heading into the weekend. The SEC/Big East Invitational ended up in a 2-2 tie this year as Syracuse picked up another big win with a victory over Florida last night. In the first half of the double-header, DePaul was blown out of the St. Pete Times Forum by Mississippi State. Also last night, Cincinnati picked up a hard-fought win ahead of their crosstown shootout date with rival Xavier.

Also in today’s News & Notes is a look at Greg Echenique’s injury and how Rutgers will fill the big shoes. Articles on the young Pitt forwards playing out of position with more on Dante Taylor, Jordan Theodore and the list UConn is hoping from with the addition of Ater Majok in less than two weeks. The Huskies are not wallowing in their loss to Kentucky as the effort was definitely a positive in the eyes of Jim Calhoun. Also, a look at the recruitment of Chane Behanan and an interesting look at the youth and experience of Big East teams this year.

Also, it might be three months away, but our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page has the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions. With all the excitement recently at Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament tickets could make a great holiday gift for any Big East fan on your shopping list. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and you can get tickets to any Big East conference or non-league game by following this link: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online

Read on below for all of today’s News & Notes…

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NBE PREP CORNER WITH PAT STEVENS (VOL 3.1)

BY PAT STEVENS

The early returns from the prep school ranks look to be another good season ahead with the Big East signing the most prep school players of any conference in the Fall Signing Period.

Originally there were 13 expected Big East signees for the Fall Signing Period, however that number fluctuated some during the eventful week in mid-November.

In total, 10 prep school players signed with Big East teams – Russ Smith (Louisville/South Kent), J.J. Moore (Pittsburgh/South Kent), Austin Carroll (Rutgers/Brewster Academy), CJ Fair (Syracuse/Brewster Academy), Ron Giplaye (Providence/Notre Dame Prep), Gerard Coleman (Providence/Tilton School), Markus Kennedy (Villanova/Winchendon School), Nate Lubick (Georgetown/St. Mark’s), Isaiah Epps (Pittsburgh/Hargrave Military Academy) and Waverly Austin (South Florida/Heat Academy, Va.).

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MAURICE HARKLESS NEARING DECISION

2011 forward has plenty of Big East schools in pursuit as he looks to make early commitment

Forest Hills (NY) small forward Maurice Harkless, one of the top players in the country in the class of 2011, is expected to make his college commitment this month . According to Nathan Blue, Harkless will narrow his school list to six schools this weekend and then visit as many as he can before making a commitment.

“Harkless will be looking at the pros and cons of all the schools on his list,” Blue told NBE in an email.

According to Blue, the current list of schools Harkless is working to pare down this weekend includes Seton Hall, St. Johns, Florida State, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Providence, Kentucky, Connecticut, Hofstra, Cincinnati, Villanova and Rutgers.

Harkless is a very unique talent, standing at 6-foot-7 and possessing a wingspan of 7-foot-2, he first impressed NBE last April at the Hoop Group Elite NY Top 100 event where he proved he could get to the rim on anyone at the event. A great ballhandler for his size with length and athleticism, Harkless does not dominant the basketball, showing a very good basketball IQ at a young age. New York talent evaluator Tom Konchalski has compared him to West Virginia’s Devin Ebanks, a comparison Blue agrees with.

“As a player, he’ll be a SF/SG on the next level,” said Blue. “He fits the build of Devin Ebanks, Rudy Gay, or if he continues to grow, something scarier.”

Harkless is a NY Post 1st-team All City and Pre-Season Queens Player of the year. In the classroom he maintains an A- average according to Blue.

“Harkless is coming back from a stress fracture in his left foot and will visit as many schools as possible before his decision is made before Christmas,” added Blue.

Recently, Harkless was at UConn for their ‘First Night’ festivities and has also taken in games at Seton Hall (vs. LIU) and St. John’s (vs. Brown).

NBE will continue to follow the recruitment of Harkless as he works towards a decision this month.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/20/2009)

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The Big East, considered to be down this year, improved their cummulative record last night to 35-0, remaining as the only conference without a loss to date. The most impressive vistory was registered by Syracuse, who demolished nationally ranked Cal in Madison Square Garden 95-73. Tonight, the Orange will definitely put the gaudy Big East record on the line when they meet North Carolina in the finals of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic. Out of conference opponents early in the year can struggle very much against the SU zone…we shall see what it does to the Tar Heels, who have a lot of new pieces this year.

Another big challenge to the Big East will come this afternoon when a short-handed Villanova squad meets nationally ranked Dayton. The Wildcats needed a late three-pointer by Isaiah Armwood to get past George Mason yesterday in the San Juan Shootout. South Florida will try to put the off court distractions aside, much like they did last night when beating Davidson in the Charleston Classic. Tonight another tough match-up is on deck when they meet South Carolina in Charleston.

Other winners last night included Pittsburgh and Notre Dame. Others in action today include DePaul in the Paradise Jam, Seton Hall visiting Cornell of the Ivy League. Rutgers facing Drexel in the Legends Classic at the RAC and St. John’s hosting Brown to open the Philly Hoops Classic.

In other news, an update on UConn verbal commitment Cleveland Melvin and recruiting updates on 2011 forward Branden Dawson, 2011 guard Donivine Stweart and 2012 guard Omar Calhoun. Tobias Harris oficially announced for the SEC last night and this weekend is the highly anticipated National Prep Showcase and NBE will be there for ALL of the action!

Read all about these and more in today’s News & Notes links below…

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CONNECTICUT, CINCINNATI ADD COMMITMENTS; JOSEPH NARROWS LIST

According to the Thursday Morning Rush of 11-19-09 of WCPO 9 in Cincinnati, Mick Cronin and the Bearcats picked up both a win last night, 92-68 over Toledo, and a commitment as 6-foot-10 center Kelvin Gaines of Ocala (FL) has signed a national letter of intent with Cincinnati.

“Kelvin Gaines is a natural born shot blocker and we are thrilled to announce his signing,” said Cronin in a statement released by the University announcing Gaines’ signing of a letter of intent. “Kelvin and his family are great people and we are excited about helping him develop as a person and a player. KG can run and jump and is going to be pushing 250 pounds once we get him in our strength program. He is very athletic, plays above the rim and has a nice jump hook. He is also a bright, mature young man that will be a great addition for our entire University.”

Gaines played last year at Heat Academy in Martinsville (VA), averaging 10 points, 10 rebounds and 6 blocks a game for coach Jason Niblett. This season he is attending Arlington Country Day in Jacksonville (FL).
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Connecticut also landed a commitment to close out the early signing period as athletic Notre Dame Prep forward Cleveland Melvin signed his letter of intent with the Huskies on Wednesday.

Melvin, a native of Baltimore where he played for Herman Harried on last season’s Lake Clifton state championship team, ran with the Cecil Kirk AAU program and was impressive last spring at the Southern Jam Fest when NBE saw him in action. Melvin is an outstanding athletic who plays above the rim. He is very efficient inside, whether it is on putbacks or viscous dunks. Cleveland hit a post hook, banked home another shot and also scored on a reverse when NBE watched him in action. He’s a little undersized, but he gets it done on the inside.
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While on the road last night, Ray Mernagh checked in with an update on Cory Joseph, the highly regarded Findlay Prep point guard who is one of many top players waiting until the spring to sign with a school. Joseph has continued to narrow his list and he currently has a final five of Texas, Connecticut, Minnesota, Villanova and UNLV. Joseph is planning an official visit to UNLV for the weekend of December 12th.

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BIG EAST SIGNING DAY ROUNDUP (PART II)

BY JEFF BORZELLO

- Fuquan Edwin informed the NBE Basketball Report late last night that he had signed his papers to attend Seton Hall.

- Cory Joseph’s recruitment is likely headed to the spring. “At this time, he does not intend on signing early,” Findlay Prep head coach Michael Peck said. Added Ro Russell, Joseph’s AAU coach with Grassroots Canada: “Unlikely.”

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/12/2009)

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The early signing period is well under way in college basketball and we will have much more on the fall classes of Big East teams in the coming days. Right now, the season is also upon us as Syracuse moved to 2-0 last night and the majority of Big East teams are preparing for season openers this weekend. We try and make the rounds of the non-recruiting news around the league today as well as update some of the latest in the Keon Lawrence story and potential Mouphtau Yarou ‘age-gate’.

Elsewhere, Cincinnati is in action tonight with an exhibition game, Pitt hopes their youngsters keep them in the mix. One national basketball writer picks WVU to be the class of the Big East. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel is happy to get the clearance from the NCAA to be on the court and he might be playing an unexpected position when Jim Calhoun calls his name to come off the bench on Friday. Also, time for building at Rutgers should have passed, but the job remains. Also, stories from PC as they prepare to open with three games this weekend and Georgetown will hope Greg Monroe shoulders much of the team’s improvement while steady Scottie Reynolds will drive the shop at ‘Nova.

Read all these and more in the links below…
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MORE IS8 RECRUITING UPDATES FROM PLAYOFF ACTION

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Updates on some of the standout performers from last weekend’s IS8 playoff action with a Halloween theme

by ZACH SMART

Juan’ya Green, a ghastly 6-foot-3 combo guard at Archbishop Carroll (PA) HS, is receiving plenty of Big East love. He’s sifting through letters, receiving the most interest from Villanova, Georgetown, Syracuse, Providence, Maryland, St. Joe’s and Temple.

“That’s all I can think of tight now,” said the Class of 2011 guard, after rattling off his current list.

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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: GRANDY GLAZE, RYAN RHOOMES, NERLENS NOEL UPDATES

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Glaze moved to Proctor Academy, high-major college interest follows

It has been a while since NBE has checked in with Grandy Glaze and there are some changes to report in with the class of 2011 forward who hails from Toronto, Canada. Previously, Glaze attended St. John’s Catholic Prep in the DC-area, but this year he has moved on to Proctor Academy of Andover (NH) where he will team with three familiar faces from his Team Takeover – Canada AAU program with some lofty goals.

“I want to win a state championship this year,” the affable Glaze told NBE Sports. “I am playing with three(RJ Stephens, Patrick Donnelly and Teavunn Prince) seniors from my Team Takeover AAU team, meaning there is going to be a lot of chemistry. After that I want a national prep title it will not be easy but we will go as far as we are willing to work.”

Glaze was in action this past spring at the Pittsburgh Jam Fest and showed his tenacity in the paint and non-stop motor manhandling the opposition on the boards, looking almost like a man among boys.

Glaze tells NBE that he has been working on his decision making skills in the areas of handling the ball better in the open floor, making the right passes when reading the defense and learning effective help-side defensive techniques. Glaze is still confident that his strength and effort will be tough to be stopped and his offense is always there.

“My ability to score,” remarked Glaze when aasked about the strength of his game. “No matter what team I am put on, playing on the wing or rebounding with the bigs, I will find a way to put an effective 20 [points] on you.”

As for recruiting, Glaze remarked to NBE there are no favorites at this point and listed Providence, West Virginia, South Florida, St. Joe’s, Oklahoma, UNLV, Georgetown, Ohio, Ohio State, Akron, Xavier, Maryland and Virginia as schools involved in his recruitment.
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Schools expressing interest in Rhoomes this fall

A strong summer on the AAU scene with the NY Panthers and at the Reebok All-American camp has put 6-foot-8, 212-pound Ryan Rhoomes on the minds of several colleges this fall. Currently a member of the class of 2010, attending Benjamin Cardozo in Queens (NY), Rhoomes told NBE this week that increased confidence from his strong play in the summer has been a big lift in his game.

At the Reebok AA camp in July, Rhoomes showed flashes of his ability. He would establish good position down low and makes himself available for teammates to make entry passes. Once he received the ball, he showed the willingness to pass to the open man out of the post or go to the basket himself.

“My goals would be to become a better mid-range shooter and to gain some weight,” said Rhoomes, who counts his ability to run the floor for a big man as a strength of his game.

As for recruiting, Rhoomes has been getting interest this fall from St. John’s, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Providence and West Virginia while he has also heard from George Mason, Iowa State, VCU and Cincinnati among others.
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Noel is another 2012 prospect from New England getting high-major attention already

The early returns from the class of 2012 in New England are very impressive. Another player right in the mix for top of the class honors on the basketball court in the area is Everett (MA) High School big man Nerlens Noel. The 6-foot-9 Noel showed a tremendous amount of potential this summer playing for BABC on the AAU circuit.

At the Nike Peach Jam, the long and lanky (195 lbs) Noel demonstrated he is extremely athletic and mobile for a player his age and size. He blocked shots and rebounded inside and also showed a nose for the ball when contesting passes to the wings. Noel was able to run the floor and has solid hands, an advanced skill for a young big man. While his offensive game is a work in progress, and Noel told NBE it is improving, this summer he showed he can finish inside, including with a dunk in traffic.

Noel told NBE that Florida, Providence and USC came to Everett High School this fall to see him. He has also received interest from a long list of schools, including Western Kentucky, Florida Atlantic, Miami, Richmond, Penn State, Arkansas, North Carolina, Arizona, UCLA, Memphis, LSU, Florida State, Boston College, Siena, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Oregon State, Marquette and Oklahoma.
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Attention Big East and college basketball fans! Please follow the link below and vote in the Capital One Mascot Challenge! You can vote once a day, every day. Do not forget to write-in for your school’s mascot as well! Your participation will help support NBE Sports!

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (10/1/2009)

The calendar has flipped again. There is a definite chill in the air here in the Northeast and it means college basketball season is coming quickly. With Midnight Madness festivities just two weeks away, excitement for the upcoming season is continuing to build.

In today’s news and notes, there are a few recruiting updates on Michael Gilchrist, Roscoe Smith, Vander Blue and Marquis Teague. Also, Jamie Dixon and Pitt will be putting on a health fair in the memory of Dixon’s younger sister who passed away from a heart ailment in 2006 at the age of 26 as part of their annual Basketball Fan Fest.

NBE will have a few additional recruiting stories later today for our readers…

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HOOP SKILLS BIG EAST RECRUITING SCUTTLEBUTT

by RAY MERNAGH/NBE Sports

With Tennessee forward Casey Prather giving Billy D and Florida his word on Tuesday night that probably eliminates the Gators from the J.J. Moore chase. Moore is the extremely underrated wing from Brentwood (NY) now playing at South Kent (CT) School. Moore, and Moore’s mother, are particularly fond of Pittsburgh (Brandin Knight is really working this hard) but J.J. is still planning on visiting Louisville last we heard. Not sure how high Louisville’s true interest is in Moore as they seem to love Wayne Blackshear out of the Chicago area. One high-major assistant told me that Moore is an “elite-level wing who’s right there with the top players in the country.” His opinion was then conformed by three other peers, one who adamently said Moore will be a “huge get” for somebody.
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Roscoe Smith of Oak Hill has been at the top of a lot of recruiting boards across the country and he’s tabbed two Big East schools, Georgetown and UConn, to be on the list of his first three visits (the other being Duke). Smith will visit the Hoyas first, follow that up with the Dookies, then hit UConn third. Smith hasn’t lined up a date with the two remaining schools in his top five — Florida and Kansas. Smith is a 6′7″ small forward that impressed the hell out of us in July when we saw him in Akron for the King James Skills Event and at the King City Classic in Cleveland. Smith’s visit list is curtesy of Jody Demling, maybe the best pound-for-pound recruitnik going right now (he’s the Money May of the recruiting world). Demling focuses on Louisville, Kentucky and Indiana for the Louisville Courier-Journal but as you can imagine, that brings a lot of national-level type coverage.
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Patrick Lucas-Perry is the younger brother of Michigan’s Lavell and a 2011 point guard out of Flint, Michigan (Powers HS). Lucas-Perry has been offered by Stan Heath and South Florida, as well as Michigan and Michigan State. Notre Dame is also looking hard at him. NBE will talk to Lucas-Perry in the near future and get his thoughts on things up to this point.
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Martinsville (VA)’s Heat Academy is the new home to class of 2010 big man Waverly Austin. His next home could be the Big East as Austin confirmed to NBE Sports yesterday that his two leaders are from the Big East.

“Yes, South Florida and Cincinnati are my leaders,” Austin said. “I like the oppurninty to play right away and the schools are recruting me the hardest.”

Austin also told NBE he continues to field calls from Connecticut, Seton Hall and Indiana.

Austin is now planning official vists to UC and USF. The Bearcats are also coming in for an in-home visit as well. The 6-foot-11, 247-lb Fredericksburg (VA) native previously took an unofficial visit to USF “which was really good” indicated Austin.
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A final nugget — We’ve learned that Bobby Gonzalez and assistant Derm Player are on their way to an in-home visit with 5-star recruit CJ Leslie in North Carolina today. Here’s a tip of the hat to the Seton Hall staff for getting in on such an elite, national talent. We saw Leslie this summer at both aforementioned events in Northeast Ohio and he’s a monster athlete with a motor to match. Check him out here.

Today’s Big East Recruiting Scuttlebutt is brought to you by…

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