Cincinnati Recruiting
2012 NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL INVITATIONAL — TOP PERFORMERS
February 8, 2012 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
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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
NEW INTEREST HIGHLIGHTS SEASON FOR TERRENCE SAMUEL
February 2, 2012 by NBE Blogger · 1 Comment
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South Shore (NYC) High School guard Terrence Samuel is one of the most intriguing prospects in the Class of 2013 nationally. The powerfully built 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard began to make a name for himself nationally helping New Heights AAU to five impressive tournament titles on the spring and summer AAU circuit.
The attention in his talents has continued into his junior season with South Shore and his recruitment has expanded. Some of the new schools that have become involved has been the highlight of his season so far.
“Highlight [of the season is] picking up [recruiting interest from] Kansas and Memphis,” Samuel told NBE Basketball Report over the weekend.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: WEEKEND’S TOP PERFORMERS
January 19, 2012 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst
Now that the 2012 Hoophall Classic has come to a close and I’ve had a few days to process all the basketball I saw it’s time to compile player rankings from the weekend’s performances. Below you will see players ranked by class based solely on their performance from the Hoophall Classic. These rankings are not an opinion on players overall game or potential but rather on the way they performed in Springfield.
2012 Player Rankings:
1) Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – Muhammad only strengthened his place as the top overall player in the 2012 class for his efficient 37 point performance.
2) Kaleb Tarczewski (St Mark’s) – signed with Arizona – In an event loaded with top big men Tarczewski stood out as the top low post offensive option.
3) Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei) – signed with UNLV – The future Runnin’ Rebel put on an offensive show knocking down nine 3 pointers en route to 35 points in a blowout victory.
4) Kyle Anderson (St Anthony) – signed with UCLA – Anderson’s fingerprints have been all over every one of St Anthony’s 44 consecutive victories and Monday was no different as he compiled 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: SUNDAY RECAP
January 16, 2012 by NBE Blogger · 1 Comment
By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst
While the action at the Hoophall Classic was terrific on Saturday, the overall atmosphere jumped to a new level on Sunday. College coaches who had been busy coaching their own teams in action Saturday were out in full force. John Calipari (Kentucky), Jim Calhoun (Connecticut), Steve Lavin (St John’s), Mark Gottfried (NC State), Ed Cooley (Providence) and Mick Cronin (Cincinnati) all made appearances along with assistants from Florida, Texas, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Oregon, Utah and DePaul. These coaches witnessed a large collection of highlight performances none more impressive than that by a player with the nation’s best haircut.
Top Performer:
Nerlens Noel (Tilton School 2013) – Noel and his high top fade put on a show worthy of the #1 2013 ranking I dubbed him with in my preview podcast of the event. Long considered the top shot blocker in America, Noel proved to be that and more in his nationally televised showdown with Mitch McGary and Brewster Academy. His final stat line reads 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks with just about everyone in attendance agreeing that the 7 blocks is an extremely conservative estimate. I had one longtime scout tell me that Noel is the best shot blocker he has ever evaluated on the high school level. While his defense was as amazing as ever, Noel’s offensive progression continued its steady climb from the past year. He drove baseline and made a floater over Mitch McGary. He used a spin move and finished a lefty hook in the lane. He hammered down multiple tip dunks flying from out of nowhere to grab them. He drew contact at the rim repeatedly eventually fouling out Jakarr Sampson. Noel put on a virtuoso performance which stands up against the absolute best I’ve seen from him in the past. He looks like a future all-American, future lottery pick, future NBA all-star.
PLENTY OF BIG EAST SCHOOLS & OTHERS FOLLOWING REGGIE CAMERON
January 3, 2012 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
On New Year’s Day the NJ Playaz AAU Basketball Club hosted the ‘The New Year’s Jump-off’ at Hackensack (NJ) High School. The event’s headline game featured St. Anthony’s and St. Benedict’s, but an exciting undercard was also included as part of Sunday’s four-game schedule. The main appetizer was a Garden State battle between Plainfield (NJ) High School and Hudson Catholic High School.
Senior-laded Plainfield built a 47-36 lead through three-quarters over a younger Hudson Catholic club. However the fourth quarter proved to be an exciting finish as Hudson Catholic outscored the Cardinals 19-8 to tie the game at 55-all in the final minute. Plainfield would regain control, scoring the next four points, and a last second Hudson Catholic score would provide the final score in a 59-57 win for Plainfield.
The key to to the Hudson Catholic comeback effort was the outside shooting of Reggie Cameron, a 6-foot-7 junior combo forward who is one of the top Class of 2013 prospects on the East Coast. Cameron was strong throughout the game, finishing with 23 points and 6 rebounds. He connected on eight of 16 field goal attempts for the game, including five of 10 from beyond the three-point arc. Cameron provided some clutch shooting as he connected on three treys in the fourth quarter.
Cameron is a very intriguing prospect in the Class of 2013 as he has elite size for a wing player standing at a well-built 6-foot-7. Shot making is Cameron’s greatest strength at this point as he has range well past the 3-point line, as he showed once again over the weekend. Cameron is also very efficient on midrange pull-ups or on turnarounds from the post when matched-up against smaller players. He struggles at times to get all the way to the rim because he lacks ideal foot speed for a wing player but he makes up for it with a high basketball IQ and the ability to make shots from a variety of angles. NBE’s Brian Bosworth has compared Cameron to former Boston College star Jared Dudley on the offensive end of the floor in the sense that he doesn’t wow you with athletic plays but he produces against high level competition and consistently makes good decisions.
Over the weekend Cameron spoke to Alex Schwartz about his recruitment, which is picking up speed with many BIG EAST programs and other schools involved. Cameron said Sunday that he holds scholarship offers from Villanova, Seton Hall, Northwestern, UMass, Rutgers, DePaul, Providence, Cincinnati, Miami and Xavier and he is also hearing from Florida, Notre Dame, Boston College, SMU and Marquette.
Thus far he has taken unofficial visits to Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova. He is planning to get out on some more trips, but has none planned.
“Not yet, but I will,” Cameron told Schwartz. “Soon as the season is over I plan to get to a bunch of places.”
Cameron, who said he does not have any favorites right now, talked about when he plans to make his decision.
“I mean, I would love to get it done maybe in September,” Cameron said. “I’d like to get it done then, maybe on my birthday . . . September 10th.”
Cameron also talked about some of the factors he is taking into consideration as he looks for a school.
“Just a place where I think I feel comfortable with the coaching staff,” Cameron said, “where I think I feel comfortable playing basketball and going to school there and [with the] . . . coaches and a good school.”
Cameron, who noted that location is “not at all” a factor, talked about whether he wants to play in the Big East or if his list being littered with Big East schools is more of a coincidence.
“I don’t think it really makes a difference, wherever fits me,” Cameron said, adding, “Wherever me and my family are happy at.”
It is a pretty good bet that plenty of schools will be hoping that Reggie Cameron and his family find themselves happy on their campus and can add the sharpshooting wing to their 2013 recruiting class. NBE will continue to follow Cameron with Hudson Catholic during the season and with the NJ Playaz this spring and summer as he works his way towards his college decision.
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The 2012 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be one to remember. As usual, tickets will sellout, but fans can get yours early at the best prices by following the links below and get that special holiday gift for YOURSELF that you did not receive from your loved ones. Also, buy with our relationship with TicketNetwork and .
PLAYAZ NEW YEAR’S JUMP-OFF HIGHLIGHTS
January 3, 2012 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
By Alex Schwartz
HACKENSACK, N.J. – The New Year’s Jump-Off at Hackensack High School featured four games to bring in the year 2012. Included were some of the Garden State’s perennial powers and NBE Basketball Report was on hand for two-plus contests.
In addition to taking in the action, we were able to catch up with a couple of standout juniors for recruiting updates.
GAME RECAPS & STANDOUT PERFORMERS
NBE caught the end of the Teaneck/St. Patrick’s game, in which the Highwaymen knocked off the Celtics in overtime. Junior guard Joel Hernandez hit a buzzer beating three for Teaneck to send it to OT and knocked down two of three free throws in a tie game with one second left in the extra session. He and St. Patrick’s junior wing Jared Nickens were named co-MVPs.
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2011 CITY OF PALMS REPORT — TOP PLAYER PERFORMANCES
December 23, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst
Now that the 2011 City of Palms Classic has come to a close it’s time to put some measure on what I saw this week. Below are player rankings by class based on performances from this week alone. While they do impact my overall perception of these players, they are rankings strictly of what I saw in Florida this week.
Top 2012 Players:
1. Isaiah Austin (Grace Prep) – signed with Baylor – Austin was more committed to play inside on offense than he has been in the past and still rebounded and blocked shots at the highest level. He looked poised to challenge Shabazz Muhammad for top player in the class throughout the rest of the reason.
2. Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – It speaks to Muhammad’s talent that after a subpar week by his standards he still slots in at # 2. He was the most persistent scorer at the tournament, getting his points every way imaginable.
As for his recruitment, Muhammad told NBE on the opening day of the event that he has no timetable for a decision and sounds as though he’ll wait right up until the spring signing period to make his call. He listed an up-tempo style and a program that gets its players to the next level as the two most important factors in his decision making process. When the time comes Muhammad will be choosing from his final 6 of UCLA, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, UNLV, and USC.
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CITY OF PALMS REPORT — DAY THREE
December 20, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
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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BOSWORTH: NATIONAL PREP SCHOOL SHOWCASE WRAP-UP (TOP PERFORMERS)
November 22, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
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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’13 CLEVELAND – BENEDICTINE BIG MAN MARK WILLIAMS LOOKS AHEAD TO BIG SEASON
November 10, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
Those that have watched Mark Williams of Cleveland (OH)’s Benedictine High School and the TNBA East AAU program over the last year have described him as an ‘old-school’ big man. The 6-foot-8, 245-lb big man prospect in the Class of 2013 is not looking to play on the wing, face-up and shoot three-pointers. Instead he plans to go on the low block, fight for position and finish in the paint. He uses his strength and size to carve out space on the boards and to defend in the paint.
Williams drew a lot of interest from college coaches in the summer because of those traits. The willingness to play inside and bring that toughness attracted many programs to take an interest in him. His recruiting has slowed a bit this fall because of injuries, but expect many schools to be checking him ou this season.
“Many colleges didn’t come out this fall because I was injured,” Williamssaid when asked about visits from colleges this fall. “I had a slight fracture in my right shin.”
Still, the list of schools actively recruiting Williams that he is considering is an impressive list with Cincinnati, Indiana, Indiana State, Akron, Kent State, Robert Morris, George Mason, Xavier, West Virginia, Florida State, Central Florida, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Virginia Tech, Northwestern and Northern Illinois all getting a mention from Williams. The list spans many conferences and levels of Division 1-A basketball, a point he noted when he talked about the possibility of playing outside what we currently know as the BCS conferences.
“Kent State by far…made me understand that you dont have to go to a big conference to play top notch basketball,” Williams said.
Williams, who hopes to work on his athleticism this season as he progresses as a player and has a goal of winning a state title at Benedictine, currently has no favorites, but has an impressive offer list to choose from.
“No favorites just yet,” said Williams, “but Indiana, Ohio, Kent State, Robert Morris, George Mason, Central Florida [and] Toledo [have offered].”
When it comes time for a decision, Williams will likely keep it simple, looking at “location and just a family atmosphere” as factors likely to play the biggest role in his decision.
NBE will certainly keep an eye on Mark Williams this season and the developments in his recruitment. The ‘old-school’ Class of 2013 big man will definitely be one to watch in the next year as he becomes more of a priority for college recruiters.
JAREN SINA OPEN TO ANYTHING IN SECOND RECRUITING GO-ROUND
November 3, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
Jaren Sina looked like he had ended the recruiting process early and was off the board before college basketball fans across the country really had a chance to begin to follow his recruitment. Sina, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard from Gill St. Bernard in New Jersey verbally committed to the Crimson Tide last January, during his sophomore season. Now as he is preparing for his junior season the Class of 2013 prospect is back on the open market and looking forward to going through the complete recruiting process.
“I have a great relationship with the coaching staff at Alabama, but I just wanted to have the opportunity to go through the recruiting process again and make sure that I am making the right decision and that I am 100% sure on my choice,”Sina told NBE Sports earlier this evening.
That relationship with the Alabama staff is especially true with head coach Anthony Grant and Sina is definitely still considering the SEC program.
FALL IS8 CROWNS 2011 CHAMPIONS
October 24, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
By Brian Bosworth
The IS8 Fall Semifinals took place on Saturday afternoon and the gym was buzzing from the opening tip of game number one. A standing room only crowd was entertained by two terrific contests featuring some of the most talented 19 and under players in the greater New York City area as well as a few imports from around the country. An environment unlike any other IS8 features a small cramped court with fans right on top of the action, a courtside announcer giving play by play and color commentary, and two referees who swallow their whistles and allow the players to decide the games.
Saturday Semifinal Scores:
The Playaz 73, Mount Vernon 66
The Panthers 77, Our Savior New American 76
As a player at IS8, you know you’ve arrived once the announcer has branded you with a nickname and the first five players outlined below received that honor.
Chris “The Game Changer” Obekpa (Our Savior New American / 2012) – Standing 6’9” 200 pounds, Obekpa is the premier shot blocker in the 2012 class. He has long arms, explosive leaping ability, and outstanding natural instincts which allow him to have complete control of the paint on the defensive end of the floor. Easily eclipsing double figures in rejections for the game, Obekpa altered or blocked every shot taken within 10 feet. By the second half the opposition entered the paint solely looking to pass because challenging Obekpa at the rim was a completely fruitless effort. Offensively, Obekpa currently relies only on dunks and layups, can’t put the ball on the floor, and has little or no back to the basket game. He is a beast in transition because of his athleticism but in a half court set put backs are his only scoring chances. Even without an offensive game, I would still consider Obekpa a top 25 player nationally in the 2012 class because he is so dominant defensively. He should be able to step in and be a top class shot blocker and paint enforcer at the high major level immediately.
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NEW SCHOOLS ADDED TO LONG LIST OF R.J. CURINGTON
October 18, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
Class of 2013 wing prospect R.J. Curington continues to see his recruiting list get longer before it gets any shorter. The 6-foot-6, 195-pounder attends powerhouse Oak Hill Academy and his national profile is only expected to increase more this season.
With CIA Bounce on the AAU trail Curington has shown to be a dedicated player that understands what it takes to be great. A scoring guard that has some ability to handle the point spot, Curington can lead the break and tends to make good decisions on the fly. Curington has a steady jump shot from behind the three-point line. He rarely forces up shots and plays a unselfish game. He continues to work on his handle and eventually could end up playing a lot of the point position.
It is clear that he has received top notch instruction, which is to be expected coming out of the CIA Bounce program and playing for Coach Smith at Oak Hill. Curington is excited to get the season started at the prep powerhouse in Mouth of Wilson (VA).
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TYLER ROBERSON PICKING UP NATIONAL RECRUITING INTEREST
October 14, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
By Alex Schwartz
After spending the beginning of his high school career at Union (NJ), class of 2013 standout Tyler Roberson made the move to Roselle Catholic (NJ) this summer.
Although the 6-foot-8 small forward has yet to play in a game for his new school, he already has his high hopes for the upcoming season.
Asked his goals for the 2011-12 season, the junior replied simply, “To win a state championship.”
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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK: ANTHONY BENNETT HOLDING LIST STEADY, CHINONSO OBOKOH TAKING VISITS & SCHOOLS WATCH YOUNG LAMONTA STONE
September 20, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
The big news of the college basketball recruiting world was delivered by St. Anthony’s senior guard Kyle Anderson who ended the speculation of his college destination with a simple announcement via twitter:
RT @KyleAnderson5 -Had a great family meeting. I’ve decided to be a UCLA BRUIN!!
Anderson’s announcement came on the eve of his birthday, the planned date of his college decision. Seton Hall (tickets) head coach Kevin Willard had made one last pitch to Anderson and his family with an in-home visit, but it was not enough in the end for the Pirates to land the recruiting coup of the early Fall.
While the Anderson story was unfolding, NBE was also able to get recruiting updates on ’12 forward Anthony Bennett, ’13 big man Chinonso Obokoh and ’15 point guard LaMonta Stone II.
RECRUITMENT OF ISAIAH WATKINS CONTINUES TO GAIN STEAM
September 16, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
There are a lot of new faces within the St. Benedict’s Prep basketball program in Newark (NJ) this season. From new head coach Mark Taylor to Class of 2015 must-see point guard Isaiah Briscoe and more new talent on the Gray Bees’ roster it is an exciting new era for the program in Newark. One player that still seems to be under the radar nationally is Isaiah Watkins, another member of the Canadian AAU program CIA Bounce that will look to excel this year for Taylor’s squad.
“What drew me to St. Benedict’s was the goal of becoming better,” Watkins told NBE earlier this evening. “Improving every day and hopefully being able to win at the highest level possible.”
The improvement of Watkins has been ongoing through the spring and summer according to Nolan Shulman, National Recruiting Analyst of Flagrant Fouls and Editor-in-Chief of the Ultimate Recruiting Handbook which is the authority on Canadian basketball prospects. Shulman also noted that Watkins will come to work every single day at St. Benedict’s, which should only enhance his goal of improving.
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MANY SCHOOLS STILL INVOLVED WITH ANDREW WHITE
September 13, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
Playing this spring and summer with Team Loaded, Andrew White saw his recruitment explode with a series of strong performances on the AAU circuit. His recruitment has not slowed one bit as top college programs have already made their way to Charlottesville (VA) and the Miller School to visit the 6-foot-6, 205-pound small forward. More schools are expected this week as well.
“I have already received visits from Virginia Tech, NC State, West Virginia and Cincinnati,” White told NBE earlier this afternoon. “DePaul, UTEP, Kansas, Wake Forest and a couple others will visit me in the next couple weeks.”
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RECRUITING NOTEBOOK (8/26/2011)
August 26, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
- 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…
WITH NEW INTEREST, JERMAINE LAWRENCE LIKELY TO TAKE A FEW VISITS
August 17, 2011 by NBE Blogger · Leave a Comment
Bayside Cardozo rising junior (Class of 2013) Jermaine Lawrence is a player full of potential. The 6-foot-8 1/2, 192-pound forward is a high-riser of an athlete but also shows a deft touch from the perimeter beyond the three-point line. His game reminds many onlookers of another past star that game through Ron Naclerio’s program, current Syracuse forward James Southerland.
Still there is almost an unknown quantity to Lawrence who does not travel the country on a high-profile AAU team, spending most of his time playing for the Positive Direction program. As one of the stand-out performers at the Hoop Group Elite Session I Camp in Reading (PA) to kick off the July evaluation period last month his recruitment has kicked up another notch in the weeks since.
“Georgetown and Xavier have most recently showed interest,” said Lawrence.
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SUMMER SHOOTOUT NOTEBOOK
August 15, 2011 by NBE Blogger · 1 Comment
By Alex Schwartz
ALLENTOWN, N.J. — Although the Summer Shootout is not necessarily well-known outside of New Jersey, the event is filled with quality teams and talented players on a yearly basis. The 2011 edition was no different, as NBE Basketball Report took in some of the action on Saturday and got to catch up with a handful of Big East recruits.
Isaiah Watkins, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward, really saw his stock increase this summer. A class of 2013 prospect who hails from Toronto and is in his first year at St. Benedict’s (NJ), Watkins already lists a number of high-major offers.
Watkins said that Santa Clara, Missouri, Arkansas, Cincinnati and Virginia have all extended scholarship offers to him. In addition, he is hearing from Harvard, Ohio State, Georgetown, Michigan, Elon, Lafayette, Niagara, Villanova, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Temple, West Virginia, Kansas and more.
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