Georgetown 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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GEORGETOWN ADDS 2010 VERBAL COMMITMENT

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Georgetown strikes on the 2010 late recruiting trail by adding a small forward commitment today. The Hoyas had hosted an official visitor from the 2010 class over the weekend when they wrapped up their regular season with a 74-47 demolition of Cincinnati in the Verizon Center.

Despite no scholarship seniors on the roster, the Hoyas have at least four scholarships available for the class of 2010 and possibly five if Greg Monroe opts for the NBA Draft after his sophomore season. John Thompson III added a pair of signees in the fall period with letters of intent coming from Nate Lubick and Markel Starks. Now the Hoyas look to kick off an expected busy spring recruiting period with their third commitment of the 2010 class with a verbal commitment from Aaron Bowen.

We have previously profiled in our premium section the recruitment of 2010 spring Hoya big man targets Maurice Walker and Moses Abraham while previously reporting Bowen’s visit. You can continue to keep up to date on the latest Hoyas recruiting efforts by signing up for NBE Premium access (SUBSCRIBE (HERE)). Read on below for more on Bowen’s commitment…

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NEPSAC CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES

BY PAT STEVENS — C.J. Fair (Syracuse) helped Brewster Academy to a NEPSAC Class A Championship as they knocked off Winchendon School and Markus Kennedy (Villanova), 72-69 on Sunday’s season finale at Endicott College. Brewster’s Will Barton (Memphis) was named MVP with 28 points. Naadir Tharpe (2011) added 14 points. Winchendon’s Khem Birch (2012) had 11 points and several key blocks.
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Gerard Coleman (Providence) scored 20 points as Tilton School won its third straight Class B Championship beating Marianapolis, 69-61. Ryan Canty (2011) added 12 points.
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Shabazz Napier (2011) scored 23 points to go with six assists and several steals for Lawrence Academy, who finished the season undefeated at 23-0 with its Class C title win over St. Mark’s, 55-43. Nate Lubick (Georgetown) had 15 points and 13 rebounds for St. Mark’s. Alex Murphy (2012) scored 11.
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Georgetown head coach John Thompson III, Providence head coach Keno Davis, Connecticut assistant Pat Sellers and Rutgers assistants Craig Carter and Darren Savino all made the trip.

Alabama head coach Anthony Grant also watched Shabazz Napier.
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Next Up:

National Prep Championship 2010
March 9th & 10th, 2010
Albertus Magnus College – New Haven, Connecticut

Quarter-Finals – Tuesday, March 9th

2pm – #1 Hargrave Military Academy vs. #8 Tilton School
4pm – #4 Notre Dame Prep vs. #5 Northfield Mount Hermon School
6pm – #2 Brewster Academy vs. #7 Westwind Prep
8pm – #3 Winchendon School vs. #6 St. Thomas More School

Semi-Finals – Wednesday, March 10th

11am – 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
1pm – 2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner

Finals

7:30pm – Championship
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The Big East Tournament tips off this week and be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for 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

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NEPSAC PLAYOFF NOTES

by PAT STEVENS (patstevensbasketball.com)

It will be No. 1 vs. No. 2 as Brewster Academy faces Winchendon School with Big East signees C.J. Fair (Syracuse) and Markus Kennedy (Villanova) leading their teams into the NEPSAC Class A Championship on Sunday. Fair and Brewster beat St. Thomas More, 92-61, while Kennedy and Winchendon topped Northfield Mount Hermon, 91-77, on Friday in the semi-final match-ups.

In the Class B final, Gerard Coleman (Providence) leads top-seed Tilton in its championship defense when it faces Marianopolis. Coleman scored 32 points in Tilton’s semi-final win over Hotchkiss, 76-65. Marianopolis knocked off St. Andrew’s and Michael Carter-Williams (2011 Syracuse commit), who scored 23 points in the 58-48 loss.

In Class C, Nate Lubick (Georgetown) and St. Mark’s will meet Lawrence Academy and Shabazz Napier, one of the country’s top point guards in the junior class. Lawrence won the team’s lone head-to-head match-up back in mid-December, 76-72 at home.

The three championships take place at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass and begin at 2pm with Class C.

CLASS OF 2011 ELITE TARGET: QUINCY MILLER

Buzz has been Kentucky will land QEA junior big man, but Miller says options remain open

At 6-foot-10 with a varied skill set the comparisons have come early and often to NBA star and former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant for Quality Education Academy junior Quincy Miller. He has all the tools athleticially with a body nearly identical to that of Durant’s. Nobody can deny the elite skill set the young big man prospect possesses if they saw him in action this past summer. One example, in front of the throng of college coaches watching intently at the King City Classic Championship game, saw Miller wow the crowd with a quick thinking offensive rebound and put-back slam dunk. Miller always seemed to be on the scene with a big play in the paint, drawing fouls or finishing the high percentage shots in traffic. Miller worked some great, finesse moves inside matched up against the highly regarded Johnny O’ Bryant, and even connected a few times on his mid-range jumper. His best move came late in the game, when he took a stutter step and drove two steps, worked a reverse pivot and dropped in the basket.

Miller is truly one of the elite prospects in the class of 2011 and his potential is limitless with his size, length, athletic ability and versatile skill set that, as QEA head coach Issac Pitts, Jr. tells NBE, “is a match-up problem for all teams.”

The common scuttlebutt on the recruiting scene is Miller is bound to be part of another monster recruiting class in 2011 for John Calipari and the University of Kentucky. While the Wildcats are certainly in the picture, the North Chicago (IL) native says UK is “just one of my many choices.”

It is a certainty that Miller has plenty of choices, including several in the Big East that are in the mix. He and his coach both took the time to update NBE yesterday on his situation on the recruiting front and his season at QEA in Winston-Salem (NC) and to see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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UNCOMMITTED 2010 SF OFFICIALLY VISITING GEORGETOWN THIS WEEKEND

The Hoyas will host an unsigned 2010 small forward for final weekend of 2009-2010 regular season

One of the busier teams on the spring recruiting trail recently has been the Georgetown Hoyas. Despite not having a scholarship senior on their roster, the Hoyas have four openings in their class of 2010. Two of those scholarships were filled during the early signing period by Markel Starks of nearby Georgetown Prep and Nate Lubick of St. Mark’s School in Massachussets. The Hoyas also face the reality that Saturday could be the final regular season game with Greg Monroe as the 6-foot-10 sophomore center is a likely lottery pick in the 2010 NBA Draft his coming June, adding to the Hoyas desite to add depth to their roster.

We have previously profiled in our premium section the recruitment of 2010 spring Hoya big man targets Maurice Walker and Moses Abraham while today we take a look at a 2010 small forward that has been on the Big East radar for more than a year and has an official visit scheduled to Georgetown for this weekend…

To see the latest on see the latest on the Hoyas’ recruiting efforts and the scoop on this weekend’s visitor you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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TARIQ CAREY UPDATE; LAWHORN DECIDES, HANNER CLOSE

by JEFF BORZELLO

One of the more underrated players nationally in the class of 2012 is New Jersey product Tariq Carey.

College coaches know all about the 6-foot-1 sophomore guard, though.

Carey is getting plenty of early attention from Big East schools and he has a ‘dream school’ out of the ACC showing him interest. NBE gets the latest update from the 2012 prospect that is sure to become a well-known name in recruiting circles in the near future…

Also, Danny Lawhorn contacts NBE about his commitment and a source updates Jamir Hanner who might be closing on on his…

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UNSIGNED 2010 UPDATE: JAMIR HANNER

Senior forward of NIA Prep is seeing a variety of schools enter the picture in his recruitment

Earlier in February the National Prep Showcase offered several unsigned 2010 prospects the chance to kickstart their recruitments into high gear heading towards the spring recruiting period which culminates with the April signing period which annually runs from April 15th – May 15th. One player who took advantage of this opportunity was Philadelphia (PA) native Jamir Hanner who is currently playing for NIA Academy in New Jersey. He was voted onto the NPSI all-tournament team for his performance in Rhode Island last month.

Hanner has impressed NBE in earlier views with his athletic ability on the glass and in transition. He also showed the ability to face up and attack off the dribble. This 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward has generated some new recruiting interest in this prep season at NIA and currently has an offer from a school in the Big East and in the Big 12 with interest coming from other schools in the Big East, Big 12, Big 10, PAC 10 and more. Right now it looks like one Big East program is the team to beat and Hanner updated NBE earlier today on that and his impressions from a visit to a Big East school over the weekend…

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UNSIGNED 2010 UPDATE: MOSES ABRAHAM

Progressive Christian Academy is home to Nigerian import that has schools in hot pursuit

Sometimes plans change. And that is exactly what happened with 6-foot-9 big man Moses Abraham this winter.

After arriving in the US from Nigeria around the Thanksgiving holiday, the plan was for Abraham to enroll at Progressive Christian Academy and get acclimated to basketball and life in America. He would then spend a summer honing his skills and getting exposure on the AAU circuit, presumably with the powerful DC Assault program.

Instead, as word circulated among college coaching circles of a highly talented big man, more colleges came to get a look and suddenly Abraham was in huge demand with many of the top programs in America.

“His body is college ready [and] he is the most athletic big man in the country,” Progressive Christian head coach Taj Hawkins told NBE’s Jeff Borzello at the National Christian Academy Classic last weekend.

Jeff Borzello has more on Abraham’s game and recruitment from the NCA Classic below…

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UNSIGNED 2010 UPDATE: MAURICE WALKER

Brewster Academy big man keeping options open in Big East with Pitt’s lack of scholarship available

Every spring college basketball coaches seem to scour the nation trying to find size to add to their recruiting classes in the late signing period. This year is no exception as several big man recruits uncommitted in the class of 2010 are hot commodities among top programs across America.

Standing 6-foot-10 inches tall and weighing in around 300 pounds, Brewster (NH) Academy senior center Maurice Walker certainly has plenty of the size college coaches crave. What Walker also has that makes him more intriguing is a nice set of hands and touch around the rim and the knowledge of how to use his size to make an impact on the boards and in the paint at the highest prep level in the country with Jason Smith’s Brewster program.

It has long been assumed that the massive Canadian native would end up in the Big East playing at Pittsburgh. However, Jamie Dixon’s program does not currently have a scholarship available in their 2010 class, so Walker is keeping his options open and looking to visit a couple Big East schools in the near future.

“I’m keeping my options open and I’m staying open to recruitment,” Walker told NBE yesterday.

Right now, per Walker, those options seem to be in the Big East…read on to see what else Walker said about his recruitment as the native of Toronto (Ont.) was very gracious with his time in giving NBE a full update on his recruitment and how he is looking at things as the spring signing period is less than two months away…

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2011 BIG EAST TARGET: JARROD DAVIS

2011 G/F getting a lot of interest from SHU staff and likes up and down style of PC, MU, SJU, etc in Big East

At the recent Primetime Shootout, Lakewood High School faced the difficult task at Kean University of taking on national power St. Benedict’s of Newark (NJ). It was a long night for Lakewood, especially in the second half, when St. Ben’s shook off the rust of nine days of inactivity because of cancelations due to the weather. The Gray Bees took complete control of the game in the third quarter when they outscored their overmatched Ocean County opponents 30-7 to stretch a 38-22 halftime lead to 68-29 after three quarters on their way to an 82-38 victory.

lakewood was able to keep somewhat within striking distance over the first 16 minutes with a patient offense and a strong half by junior Jarrod Davis, who scored nine of his team-high 15 in the first half. After the game, Alex Schwartz caught up with Davis to get an update on his recruitment. Davis, a 6-foot-5 G/F, is getting plenty of attention attention from college coaches and counts four current offers from Big East programs. Davis talked about his recruitment and what he likes about the Big East schools currently recruiting him…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/23/2010)

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Here come’s UConn! Jim Calhoun has directed the Huskies to three straight wins just as it looked like they were headed towards missing ghe NCAA Tournament. Now last year’s Final Four participant and #1 seed is right in the mix of the bubble talk. Work is still needed, but suddenly a season left for dead just 9 days ago after an ‘embarassment’ is very much alive with a team that could be very dangerous in March.

Three games on the Big East schedule tonight with the battle of Jersey bewteen SHU and RU taking palce at the ROC. A very big game on the conference schedule features Louisville and Georgetown as the two teams have been heading in opposite directions in recent weeks, but the Hoyas are still possessing a lofty national rank and the Cards are hoping to get off the bubble, even though it is Georgetown looking up at UL in the league standings. Syracuse looks to avoid looking ahead to ‘Nova this weekend when they travel to Providence, who has been run through the wringer of the Big East schedule.

In other news, Notre Dame has to go deeper on the bench that Mike Brey might be comfortable with whil Luke Harangody has been out. Now, it looks like Harangody will be out longer than anticpated. The heat is rising against Mick Cronin as UC stumbles again down the stetch. With four years left on his contract, it has the Cincinnati athletic department in a tough spot. Of course, making a few free throws and this situation could be looking MUCH better. Buzz Williams is back to his aerodynamic hair style after growing out a little fuzz during a five-game winning streak. Mouphtau Yarous is adjusting to life on the Philly Main Line and hopes to make the impact he had hoped before this season is done.

In recruiting, Maurice Walker and Gorgui Dieng are 2010 uncomitted big men that Big East schools are actively recruiting into the spring signing period.

Also, it might still be another few weeks 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

Now, onto today’s News & Notes around the Big East…

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NATIONAL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY CLASSIC RECRUITING NOTES

BY JEFF BORZELLO

FORT WASHINGTON (MD) – With state playoffs starting around the country, there are not many inter-state tournaments left in the season. However, one under-the-radar event left to play was the NCA Classic at National Christian Academy in Maryland. The set-up was three high schools from North Carolina coming up to play three high schools in Maryland – Progressive Christian (Md.) vs. Mt. Zion Academy (N.C.), Princeton Day School (Md.) vs. Christian Faith Center Academy (N.C.) and National Christian (Md.) vs. Kestrel Heights (N.C.). Although it did not receive much attention, there were plenty of talented and highly-touted players at the event.

Players at the event gave NBE school lists that included Georgetown, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Providence, Connecticut, Pittsburgh as well as schools from the ACC, Big 12, SEC, PAC 10, Big 10 and more. Read on for scouting reports and recruiting updates from many of the top players that performed this weekend…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/18/2010)

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Three games last night on the Big East schedule with Notre Dame putting up a big fight at Louisville without injured star Luke Harangody. However, Samardo Samuels was too much inside for the Irish to handle. west Virginia bounced back from a pair of losses to keep Providence on their slide and Seton Hall won their first road game since Novmember by getting past ice-cold St. John’s. The bad news for SHU is they might miss Jeremy Hazell for up to a week after he suffered a gash on his hand in last night’s win.

Tonight an ESPN Big East doubleheader with long-time rivals Georgetown and Syracuse reuniting at the Verizon Center and new rivals Pitt and Marquette battling in Milwaukee.

In other conference notes, recruiting updates on Josh Selby, Durand Johnson and CJ Leslie can be found as well as a look at the successful freshman campaign of Dane Miller of Rutgers.

Also, it might be another month 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

Now, onto today’s News & Notes around the Big East…

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PRIMETIME SHOOTOUT PLAYER & RECRUITING NOTES (PART I)

Matt Whitfield spent Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ) for the 2010 Primetime Shootout. Once again the field was loaded with talented teams and some of the top high school prospects in America put their games on display.

In today’s update, NBE catches up with LaQuinton Ross and Dion Waiters of Life Center Academy as Ross updats his recruitment since his move from Mississippi to New Jersey and Waiters had his tremendous talents on display as a preview to what fans will see in the Big East. Also, Kamari Murphy and Shaquille Stokes of Lincoln HS update their recruitment and Davontay Grace discusses the status of his verbal commitment.

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LOOKING BACK AT THE NPSI

By PAT STEVENS – The 12th annual National Prep School Invitational saw Big East signees Nate Lubick (Georgetown), CJ Fair (Syracuse) and J.J. Moore (Pittsburgh) deliver while underclassmen Michael Carter-Williams, Shabazz Napier and Alex Murphy brought it in a big way.

NBE was in Kingston, R.I., during all four days of action that featured over 30 of the nation’s top prep schools.

NPSI ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Michael Carter Williams (2011/6-5 PG/St. Andrew’s, R.I.) – Most Outstanding Player/Syracuse verbal

Patrik Auda (6-8 CF/Canarias Basketball Academy, Spain)

Bo Barnes (6-4 WF/Westwind Prep, Az.)

Bill Baron (6-0 CG/Worcester Academy, Mass.) – Rhode Island

CJ Fair (6-7 CF/Brewster Academy, N.H.) – Syracuse

Jamir Hanner (6-7 PF/NIA Prep, N.J.)

Nate Lubick (6-8 PF/St. Mark’s, Mass.) – Georgetown

Majok Majok (6-7 PF/Northfield Mount Hermon, Mass.)

J.J. Moore (6-6 WF/South Kent, Conn.) – Pittsburgh

Shabazz Napier (2011/6-0 PG/Lawrence Academy, Mass.)

Javarez Willis (6-0 PG/Christian Life Center, Tex.) – Texas Tech
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BIG EAST SCHOOLS TRAILING IN RACE FOR KADEEM JACK

Plenty of Big East schools involved with Rice HS big man, but have ground to make up

Kadeem Jack is a hot name right now in recruiting circles. Having a big season at Rice High School in the powerful CHSAA of New York City, Jack is also causing a stir because he could be a class of 2010 recruit and be a coveted signature in the late signing period this April.

This weekend, Jack and his Rice teammates participated in one of the showcase games of the 2010 Primetime Shootout when they took on St. Patrick’s (NJ) at 7:30 PM on Saturday evening at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ). Afterwards, Matt Whitfield caught up with Jack to get his thoughts on where his recruitment currently stands…

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TYRONE JOHNSON COUNTS FIVE BIG EAST OFFERS

Plainfield (NJ) junior is a two-sport star in high demand on the hardwood by Big East

The 2010 Primetime Shootout wraps up today and tomorrow at the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton (NJ). Many of the top players in the country are participating. On Friday night the action was at Kean University and Tyrone Johnson shined among the brightest on the evening that featured many future college basketball stars. Johnson scored a night’s best 31 points helping Plainfield to a 62-49 win over another New Jersey rival, St. Joseph’s.

Following his spectacular performance, Johnson chatted with Alex Schwartz for the NBE Basketball Report and gave a rundown on his recruitment, that is shaping up to be quite a Big East battle…

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QUINN COOK GETTING LOOKS FROM NCAA’S ELITE PROGRAMS

College basketball mega-powers have been in to see him this season with offers from top programs

By Matt Whitfield

Quinn Cook is universally regarded as one of the elite point guard prospects in the high school class of 2011. With his silky smooth handle and great court awareness, Cook, when it’s all said and done will likely be enshrined with former DeMatha Catholic guard greats of recent vintage such as Keith Bogans and Joseph Forte to come through the storied program. This season, even with the attention of being recruited by many of college basketball’s glory programs, Cook still has his eye on the prize and wants to win another City Championship with his teammates.

“I’m just focused on winning another championship this year,” stated Cook after Dematha’s gut-wrenching loss to St. Anthony’s of Jersey City in the recent Newark Invitational.

Cook also took the time to speak to the NBE Basketball Report after the game on his recruitment, the season to date and the recruiting process that has seen him become one of the most coveted players in the nation.

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NPSI DAY THREE RECAP

BY PAT STEVENS – J.J. Moore and Shabazz Napier were two of the top performers leading their teams to wins as the 12th annual National Prep School Invitational rolled along for a third day on Saturday at the University of Rhode Island. South Florida’s Eric Skeeters was the lone Big East assistant in attendance.

-South Kent’s J.J. Moore (6-6 WF/Pittsburgh) led all scorers on the day with 30 points in a 70-69 win over the Canarias Basketball Academy of Spain. Russ Smith (6-1 PG/Louisville) scored 11 points as the two teams’ traded baskets down the stretch with South Kent eventually pulling away.

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