DePaul Recruiting

NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP RECRUITING NOTES

Lost in the shuffle of last week’s excitement with the Big East Tournament was the National Prep Championships that were held at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven (CT). Eight of the top prep schools in the country came together to battle it out over the course of two days last week and the action culminated with Brewster Academy taking the title with an overtime victory of Northfield Mount Hermon.

Big East coaching staffs were represented throughout as Villanova assistant Jason Donnelly was on hand Tuesday and Wednesday saw Rutgers’ Fred Hill and Darren Savino make the trip along with Connecticut’s Pat Sellers and Providence’s Pat Skerry.

2010 Big East commits in action included Isaiah Epps (Pittsburgh/Hargrave Military Academy), Gerard Coleman (Providence/Tilton), Ron Giplaye (Providence/Notre Dame Prep), CJ Fair (Syracuse/Brewster), Austin Carroll (Rutgers/Brewster) and Markus Kennedy (Villanova/Winchendon) and several potential spring targets of Big East schools in the class of 2010 were also in action. NBE has recruiting updates on Cleveland Melvin, Bryon Allen, Maurice Walker, who now has a list of six favorites out of the Big East and is looking to set up visits to three of them, and Majok Majok along with underclassman Naadir Tharpe.

To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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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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CLEVELAND MELVIN UPDATE: DUKE, OTHERS MAKE INQUIRY

After backing off verbal commitment to UConn, Notre Dame Prep forward expanding recruiting list

Baltimore native and current Notre Dame Prep forward Cleveland Melvin recently re-opened his recruitment, backing off a verbal commitment he made to Connecticut in mid-November of 2009.

The Huskies had recruited the 6-foot-8, 210-pound Melvin as a power forward and that was their long range vision for him. With the additional verbal commitment of 6-foot-7 small forward Roscoe Smith of Oak Hill Academy in the class of 2010, Melvin had second thoughts about his decision as he has been working on expanding his game this season to have the chance to play wing at the college level.

“I just wanted to reopen my recruitment process back up and have the oppurtunity to play more on the wing when I go to college,” Melvin told NBE Basketball Report this week.

Now Melvin is receiving interest from a variety of new schools, including an ACC power, and has plenty of schools on his list to give him some interesting options as a potential spring signee for one college. You can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below for the latest scoop on Melvin’s recruiting situation and more on his game and improvement while at ND Prep…

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NATIONAL PREP CHAMPIONSHIP OPENING DAY

by PAT STEVENS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Gerard Coleman (Tilton/Providence) had the day’s high of 43 points as the fourth annual National Prep Championships are underway, this year from Albertus Magnus College.

Big East signees Isaiah Epps (Pittsburgh), CJ Fair (Syracuse) and Austin Carroll (Rutgers) all helped their teams to victories that have them slated for Wednesday’s semifinals and potential championship game.

Epps and No. 1 seed Hargrave Military Academy meet No. 5 Northfield Mount Hermon and Fair and Carroll lead No. 2 seed Brewster Academy against No. 6 St. Thomas More, with the championship set for 7:30 p.m.

Read on for more on the opening day of the National Prep Championship, including recruiting updates on Cleveland Melvin, who has plenty of Big East interest and plans a Big East visit in the near future, and Bryon Allen, who is likely to take a Big East official visit this spring. Both were previously Big East verbal commitments and still might land in the conference next season. To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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THE ‘REAL’ DANNY LAWHORN UPDATE; COLEMAN COMMITS TO UL

BY JEFF BORZELLO

Late last week, the Facebook and Twitter accounts for prep school school senior Danny Lawhorn sent shockwaves through the recruiting world: it was posted that he was committing to Connecticut.

However, shortly after, it was apparent that someone had hacked into Lawhorn’s social networks and posted the commitment messages.

“I don’t even know,” Lawhorn told the NBE Basketball Report last week by phone. “Like, a few people have my password so I’m assuming that was it. I’m going to see who did it.”

While the commitment announcement might have been premature, the fact that Connecticut is Lawhorn’s favorite is no secret.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/2/2010)

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Lots of good stuff to get to today. Big Monday action last night had two teams with much need for a win and Louisville held serve and defeated a slumping UConn, 82-69. Tonight features Villanova (against Seton Hall) and Syracuse (against Providence) in action on their home courts looking to defend their lofty national rankings. Rutgers looks to build momentum following their first Big East win of the season from over the weekend and deal a damaging blow to St. John’s season tonight at the RAC.

In other Big East news, speculation on Pitt moving to the Big 10 looks to be WAY TOO premature. Right now, the Panthers are looking to stay positive and shake themselves out of a rut that has led to three losses in four games, but things get tougher with WVU on the schedule next. Notre Dame looks to be in a slide that is very familiar to Irish followers of a year before.

In recruiting, Pitt and Providence are involved with a young Chicago prospect, Anthony Wroten Jr updates his top five schools and Justin Coleman also lists his favorites. Adam Zagoria also has a very nice story on Rice HS junior guard Jermaine Sanders and his handling of a personal tragedy from last fall.

Also, it might be another month and a half 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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HOOPHALL CLASSIC REPORT: SUNDAY

BY JEFF BORZELLO

The first day of the 2010 Spalding HoopHall Classic was an eventful one. Northland edged Oak Hill by one point in the final minute, Austin Rivers went down with an injury, stars Tobias Harris and Reggie Bullock had monster games and Doron Lamb shut down Jared Sullinger. The second day did not have the same sort of hype, as there were only two national games on the original schedule – and one was changed at the last minute.

Simeon (Ill.) took on Neumann-Goretti (Pa.), while Paterson Catholic (N.J.) was supposed to face St. Frances Academy (Md.). However, Paterson Catholic had to pull out in the last week because they needed more in-state New Jersey games. “I’m not sure what happened,” PC junior guard Myles Mack told me on Friday. In its place was Newton North (Mass.), a public school outside of Boston that did not carry the same sort of weight as Paterson Catholic. Either way, here is a look at some of the top performers from Day Two:

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/13/2010)

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Four games on the Big East schedule tonight after a night off from conference play and the action is highlighted by the Pitt/UConn match-up. When these two programs collide it is usually an entertaining affair. we will see if they produce another classic. Also, things are getting rough at Rutgers and expect things to continue to go down Hill (pun intended) tonight when a sea of Orange, on the floor and in the stands, come into the RAC. West Virginia looks to rebound against South Florida on the road while Cincinnati and St. John’s have a game each program needs to have in order to show the progress they were hoping to this year.

Elsewhere, high flying ‘Greedy’ Peterson is impressing at Providence. DePaul needs a coach that makes the program matter and can attract the local talent base. There are some interesting possibilities with connections to do so. Also, their boosters can give the program a boost, maybe the right hire will do just that. Also, Rick Pitino spent a little down time from the Big East schedule watching a couple prep school targets in action recently.

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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BRANDON YOUNG LIKELY TO REOPEN RECRUITMENT

DePaul commit tells NBE this weekend a coaching change would cause him to reconsider

by RON BAILEY

January 11, 2010 – When Friendship Collegiate (DC) High School took on Potomac (MD) in District Heights, MD last week, the former was without DePaul commit Brandon Young, a 6-foot-3, 179-pound point guard capable of scoring, defending, and running a show. An ankle injury suffered recently precluded him from playing then.

As any good teammate would, Young was present, rooting Friendship on. He also consented to an interview, one in which his college choice was discussed.

Brandon choosing DePaul took many by surprise, and not just due to geography; the Blue Demons have lost over 20 straight Big East games, and hold a 7-8 record this year. Those eight 2009-2010 setbacks include defeats to American and Florida Gulf Coast.

Young loved DePaul, visiting the Chicago school with his mom, and was very impressed. Of the Windy City, he noted “It’s a big city and I love it. It’s a great place to be.” Assistant coach Billy Garrett was the lead recruiter involved.

The point guard is well aware of the shock many had regarding his decision: “The reason I caught a lot of people by surprise is that they haven’t been winning any games in the Big East, and it’s out there the coaching staff may get fired. So they were just wondering why I would go to that school”.

Of Jerry Wainwright and his staff exiting, Young shared “I thought about it, but I’m not I’m not really thinking about it too much. I’m just ready to go and play college basketball”. He did contemplate a major, stated as “either sports management or sports medicine”.

Well, according to a media report, Brandon must revisit his college choice, as Wainwright is out at DePaul (ESPN.com), with a press conference set for today at 11 am being announced. Athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto will conduct it.

Georgetown joined DePaul in offering Young a scholarship, as did Marquette, South Florida, Charlotte, Miami, Niagara and Central Florida.

A conversation with him courtside Saturday evening – he was waiting for Friendship to take on Progressive Christian in Uptown Hoop Fest action – revealed a coaching change would indeed prompt him to consider a change of heart, likely reopening his recruitment; a thoroughly understandable reaction.

Will he remain committed to DePaul? Will the school, if requested, release him from his letter of intent (likely, but you never know)? Stay tuned. NBE Basketball Report has the goods.

MACARI BROOKS: IMPRESSIVE 2011 GUARD

Macari Brooks Can Jump Over Your House

by DOUG FERGUSON

I’m not lying either, he probably can. I’ve said for a long time that Macari Brooks could challenge in the NBA Dunk Contest if the association would let him in it today. I will put it like this, Macari was on a fast break in AAU this summer. He decided to break full out into a 360. When the defender tried to stop him he just broke through the weak attempt and convert it into an and 1 highlight slam.

That’s how Macari rolls though. He says his favorite dunker is Shannon Brown and he plays a lot like him. Just a world class athlete made to play basketball. His Rich South (IL) team suffered a big blow in losing star guard Crandall Head but it has worked out alright for Brooks who has had to step up to a leadership role. South has been on fire coming out of the gate 10-1 earning themselves a No. 1 ranking in the 3A class.

Macari continues to work towards becoming a more well-rounded player. He plays summer ball with the heralded Mac Irvin Fire which will surely gain him valuable experience and exposure among college coaches.

“California, Providence, Fairfield U and U of I (Illinois),” replied Brooks when I asked him what schools were currently on his list. He also has an offer from DePaul. While there is likely a lot of time left in his recruitment, one school has started to stand out in the process.

“If California, if they offer me, that would be my number one choice,” said Brooks.

One Big East school is also making a strong impression early in the process. Macari talked of a strong relationship building with coach Davis at Providence.

“He comes down to our school a lot, while I’m in school, talks to me, watches me workout, we have a good relationship with each other,” Macari said.

Whatever school is lucky enough to land the high flying Brooks, fans should be excited as their is a chance for them to see something they have never seen before every time he steps on the floor.

PATERSON CATHOLIC BEATS ST. PETER’S PREP IN PLAYAZ HEADLINER

Cougars use 19-0 4th quarter run to remain unbeaten this season

The Paterson Catholic Cougars have made quite a name nationally for themselves in the early part of the 2009-2010 High School basketball season. They recently captured the prestigious City of Palms Tournament title with a win over Winter Park (Fla.) High School in the finals on a game that was shown on national television by the ESPN family of networks. After an overtime win against a strong Huntington (WV) Prep team in Wheeling (WV) on Friday night, coach Damon Wright’s team returned back home to face their first New Jersey opponent of the season at Teaneck High School Sunday night when they took on St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City (NJ) in the headliner contest of the ‘New Year’s Jump Off’ hosted by the Playaz Basketball Club AAU program, run by Jimmy Salmons.

St. Peter’s Prep entered the contest with a record of 6-0 and was more than a stiff test for the jet-setting Cougars. Led by St. John’s-commit Ronald Roberts and top 2011 Big East guard prospect Myles Davis, the boys from Jersey City hung tough throughout, leading by as many as five points early into the fourth quarter.

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HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT LOOK-BACK: CITY OF PALMS

BY PAT STEVENS — The top holiday tournament in terms of drawing the best field of teams from across the country has traditionally been the City of Palms in Fort Myers, Fla.

Current Big East standouts Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati/Lincoln, N.Y.) Maalik Wayns (Villanova/Roman Catholic, Pa.), Greg Monroe (Georgetown/Helen Cox, La.), Samardo Samuels (Louisville/St. Benedict, N.J.) and Taylor King (Villanova/Mater Dei, Calif.) all played in the event in recent years.

City of Palms alums that were recent Big East standouts and are now current pros include DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh/Schenley, Pa.), Jonny Flynn (Syracuse/Niagara Falls, N.Y.), Paul Harris (Syracuse/Niagara Falls, N.Y.) and Demetris Nichols (Syracuse/St. Andrew’s, R.I.).

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2009 STATE FARM TOC RECAP

by DOUG FERGUSON

The fourth annual State Farm Tournament of Champions was a 5-day event that took place this past Thanksgiving weekend. Most of the tournament action took place at Washington Community High School in Peoria (IL) with Illinois Central College also hosting games from four separate national high school and prep school basketball challenges. The main attraction was the Team Works National Classic that featured the nation’s #1 prep powerhouse Findlay Prep. Findlay took on all comers in the four team bracket, which was rounded out with IMG Academy, Brehm Prep and Winston Salem QEA.

Below is a recap of the top 10 players who impressed NBE in the event and some recruiting tidbits as well.

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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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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (11/16/2009)

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A busy weekend of Big East hoops concluded with three more games on Sunday as Seton Hall moved to 2-0, Providence won their third game already on the young season and West Virginia opened their season with a victory. However, the news at WVU was more about who did not play for the Mountaineers than who did play.

Notre Dame and Rutgers opened their seasons on Saturday with victories and five Big East teams hit the court on Monday night. Connecticut is in action as a regional host of the NIT Tip-off tournament when they host Colgate. Villanova opens Big 5 play by hosting Penn of the Ivy League. Notre Dame is back in action hosting St. Francis (PA) and South Florida hosts Virginia of the ACC, looking for their second win on the season. Opening their season tonight is Cincinnati as the regular season debut of Lance Stephenson takes place when the Bearcats host Prairie View A&M.

In other news around the league, the Syracuse big men are not taking advantage from the charity stripe. Will that cause more pain for the Orange this season since their experience is in their frontline as opposed to the backcourt like last year? Also, recruiting news on George Marshall, Roscoe Smith, Tobias Harris and Doron Lamb from the weekend.

Lots to cover today…check it out in the News & Notes links below…

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BIG EAST SIGNING DAY ROUNDUP (PART III)

BY JEFF BORZELLO

- DePaul expects to announce its signees on Monday – if they are all signed by then. “The plan is to announce the class at the same time on Monday,” Greg Greenwell, the director of media relations, said. “I haven’t heard from our compliance folks yet if anyone has their stuff in.” The Blue Demons received verbal commitments from Walter Pitchford, Moses Morgan and Brandon Young.

- According to an e-mailed press release from Villanova Director of Media Relations Mike Sheridan, both Markus Kennedy and James Bell have signed their letters-of-intent. “These are two outstanding young players we are excited to add to our Villanova basketball family,” head coach Jay Wright said in a statement.

- Bryan Messerly, the sports information director at West Virginia, confirmed via e-mail that Noah Cottrill has sent in his papers to become a Mountaineer. “We are excited to have Noah Cottrill join our basketball program,” head coach Bob Huggins said in a statement. “Noah is an outstanding shooter, has terrific ball-handling skills and has a tremendous ability to score. It is great to be able to sign one of our own, and Noah is excited to represent this great state on and off the court.”

- Georgetown has verbals from Nate Lubick and Markel Starks, but the Hoyas are not prepared to announce their signings just yet. “If we have a signing release, we will send it to everyone,” Bill Shapland, the senior sports communication director at Georgetown, said in an e-mail.

The New England Recruiting Report in their article Recapping Day One of the Signing Period did report that Lubick signed his letter of intent.

- Syracuse has one of the top recruiting classes in the country, with verbals from Fab Melo, Dion Waiters, Baye Moussa-Keita and C.J. Fair. However, the Orange have not received any official papers from the recruits. “We have not received any NLI’s yet,” said Pete Moore, the director of athletic communications at Syracuse. Sagemont coach Adam Ross informed NBE Basketball Report earlier in the week that Melo would be signing this weekend.

- According to a release by the Providence athletic department, all three of the Friars’ recruits have signed letters-of-intent. Gerard Coleman, Ron Giplaye and Joseph Young all sent in their papers on the first day of the signing period. “We are looking forward to having Gerard, Ron and Joe join our squad next season,” head coach Keno Davis said. “All three of these student-athletes come from highly successful high school and AAU programs. They should help us continue our quest to make our program one of the elite in the Big East.”

- The final letter-of-intent NBE Basketball Report was looking to confirm was that of Justin Jackson, heading to Cincinnati. Well, according to Associate Athletic Director Mike Harris, Jackson has indeed signed his papers. “Yes we have [received his letter-of-intent],” Harris said in an e-mail.

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BELLY OF THE BE-AST: THE QUESTIONS (FINAL EDITION)

by RAY MERNAGH

Heading to the “Pete” in Pittsburgh tonight to watch Pitt play Wofford, a team with something Pitt is lacking (experience). Before I grab a bite to eat and head out I might as well hit you with the final four questions. Today we look at Louisville, Georgetown, South Florida and DePaul.

Q: Has Louisville’s recruiting been hurt by the TMZ-like atmosphere that was created once it became public knowledge that Rick Pitino was being extorted?

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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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JERMAINE SANDERS HAS BIG EAST INTEREST; MORE RECRUITING UPDATES

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Rice junior has focus on upcoming season, recruiting can wait

By Zach Smart

For Jermaine Sanders, recruiting is an afterthought right now. Talk to him at the end of the season, this probably won’t be the case.

Right now, however, the subject of the electrifying 6-foot-4 wing’s recruitment is in the shadows.

So, what’s front-and-center on the Rice HS forward’s agenda? First and foremost is the ready-to-be filled scoring void left by high-volume scoring machine Durand Scott, who was claimed by June graduation.

Scott, now a freshman at Miami, was a highly sought after recruit last season. He ended up spurning UConn and Pittsburgh, both of which hounded him throughout the recruiting process last year, for the Hurricanes.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (10/19/2009)

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In just over 2300 words, we try and get you caught up as best as we can from a BUSY weekend of college basketball news around the Big East conference. The start of practice brought several Midnight Madness-themed events which brings in many recruiting visits. DePaul, West Virginia, Connecticut, Louisville, Marquette and others hosted big time prospects that they hoped to woo over showing the enthusiasm for the upcoming season. Marquette was able to gain a big time commitment following their event while Seton Hall also received a commitment from a 2011 prospect.

Otherwise, several news tidbits from the start of practice at the schools mentioned above as well as Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Louisville and Villanova. Also, a story on SHU transfer Herb Pope and much more for readers to find in the links below…

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