Marquette Recruiting

TANVEER BHULLAR POISED FOR A BIG RECRUITMENT

College basketball is becoming more and more of a guard’s game. So when a prospect comes along standing 7-foot-3 and weighing 315 pounds entering his junior year of high school plenty of debate ensues in regard to his place in the game. This is nothing new to Tanveer Bhullar who actually saw his older (and bigger) brother Sim go through the process. Like his brother, expect Tanveer to be one of the most evaluated, and debated, prospects in the country in the 2013 class.

“Obviously with the similarities in body type it’s natural that people are going to compare Tanveer to Sim,” 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, told NBE this morning. “They both have very similar strengths. Great hands, great touch, and great size.”
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MERNAGH: MARQUETTE MAKING MOVES UNDER BUZZ WILLIAMS

By Ray Mernagh

Marquette seems primed, maybe more than any other Big East squad in that 5-10 league position, for next-step status. The still-Warriors (at least to this writer) have gone to three straight tournaments, including last year’s Sweet Sixteen appearance. Buzz Williams and his staff have explored just about every corner of the country, not to mention every level available to them, in recruiting and have managed to infuse the Jesuit-run institution with talent capable of playing at a high level.

But with the recent commitments of 2012 face-up big forward Steve Taylor (Chicago/Illinois’ top prospect in his class) and 2013 man-child Deonte Burton (a Milwaukee city kid now balling for Jason Smith at Brewster Academy) Williams seems to be locked in on bigger and better accomplishments in seasons 4, 5 and 6 of his tenure. Throw in 6’8″ transfer Jamil Wilson, eligible this season, and a return to Marquette’s glory days, when they were beating Carolina for championships, seems doable (fast forward to 2:18 on the youtube for a breakdown from my mother’s all-time favorite announcer). It’s funny because just last Spring, if you listened to the experts, it appeared as if Williams might be ready to catch the first thing smoking out of some remote airfield in Whitefish Bay.
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REGGIE CAMERON ENJOYS RECENT BIG EAST VISIT

Reggie Cameron has seen his recruitment pick up over the summer months. The 6-foot-7 sweet-shooting wing out of Hudson Catholic (NJ) High School has been a mainstay on the NJ Playaz AAU program. Their highly successful 16U squad had a large number of basketball coaches following them from event to event during the July live evaluation periods that recently concluded.

“I picked up offers from Villanova and Northwestern, and I picked up interest from Florida, Tennessee, Notre Dame and some others,” said Cameron of new recruiting developments for him over the summer.

Cameron mentioned other schools that have been maintianing contact with him through the summer months include Seton Hall, Xavier, Penn State, UMass, West Virginia and Marquette.

Cameron recently found the time to visit one of the schools most involved in his recruitment: Seton Hall. He visited the school with AAU and high school teammates Kavon Stewart and Mike Young and liked what he saw.

“Yes,” Cameron responded when asked if he recently visited Kevin Willard’s program. “I had a really good time. I was impressed of how much my ex-Paterson Catholic teammate Fuquan Edwin was improving his game.”

Cameron mentioned that all the schools mentioned are active in his recruitment. With no currently favorites he is hoping to have the chance to see more schools with unofficial visits in the fall.

“I don’t have anything planned yet but I would like to get out to a couple of thoose schools in the fall [for unofficial visits],” he said.

Over the summer on the AAU trail the 16U Playaz had many high points and Cameron impressed with his play. However, when asked what was the highlight of the summer period he will remember the most was not even from a game he played in.

“The biggest highlight was probobly not my game, but watching our 17u team come from 26 down to beat Mac Irvin Fire in the championship of the Desert Duel in Pheonix,” Cameron said.

Cameron hopes one of his next highlights is a state championship with Hudson Catholic in the season ahead. In the meantime, NBE will hope to catch Reggie Cameron and his talented NJ Playaz teammates in action at events such as the Fall Jam Fest put on by the Hoop Group and the always exciting IS8 Fall League in NYC. Stay tuned to NBE for future updates on Cameron as he will be closely monitored by many high-major programs in the coming months.

GENO THORPE PLANNING WISCONSIN VISIT; HEARS FROM MARQUETTE

Shaler Area High School rising junior (Class of 2013) guard Geno Thorpe has picked up new scholarship offers and interest after a solid summer on the camp and AAU circuit. The 6-foot-3, 175-lb guard made the rounds with the NJ Playaz 16U team and plenty of head coaches were there to see him and his teammates play throughout the schedule. Still, Thorpe is not satisfied with himself and is working hard to improve.

“I have to get stronger and improve my shot,” said Thorpe when asked by NBE what he has improved the most this summer, showing the will to keep improving.

Currently Thorpe has an active list of schools he is considering of Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Wisconsin, Marquette, Baylor, Kansas State and Ohio.

“Marquette and Baylor are new interest,” said Thorpe of new interest and offers from the summer. “Offers are Pitt, Rutgers, Seton Halll, Kansas State and Ohio.

Marquette just recently joined the mix and Baylor is believed to be close to offering a scholarship, but hasn’t quite yet at this point Thorpe told NBE this afternoon.

“No Baylor has not offered yet until I meet [their] head coach,” said Thorpe. “I didn’t talk to any new schools this week besides Marquette.”

Thorpe still lists no favorites in the recruiting process at this time, but did mention he will be visiting Wisconsin, likely in September. Earlier this summer there was some chatter on the worldwide web that Thorpe could be deciding as early as next month, but he would not commit to such a time frame leaving the possibility a decision could come any time, now or later.

“No time period [for a decision],” he said. “It could be at any time and I think the coach[ing] staff, the style of play and academics will be the factors on my desicion.”

In the meantime Geno Thorpe will continue forward with the recruiting process and with a goal of a state title this season for Shaler to work towards. NBE will continue to follow his process closely.

2011 ORLANDO AAU FINAL NOTEBOOK: RECRUITING NOTES & PLAYER EVALUATIONS

By Alex Schwartz

FLORIDA & ALABAMA LEAD FOR 2012 C HAUGHTON

Tyrone Haughton, a 6-foot-9 center out of Miami’s Dr. Krop High School, said he has offers from Western Kentucky, Alabama, Florida, West Virginia and Miami to go along with interest from Marshall.

As for his favorites, he said, “Florida or Alabama, either one.”

Haughton said Alabama, Florida and West Virginia are the three schools coming at him the hardest.

He has yet to take any visits, but plans to visit each of the schools on his list. Haughton plans to commit in the “fall this year” and will sign early.

Haughton would like to remain close to home for college.
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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 11): KEITH FRAZIER UPDATE; KASEY HILL; DOMINIC WOODSON; AARON HARRISON

By Alex Schwartz

KEITH FRAZIER IN AN ELITE TARGET IN ’13; PLANS LONG RECRUITMENT

Keith Frazier is one of the Class of 2013 elite prospects. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of Irving (TX) High School mentioned Georgia, Kentucky, Baylor, Texas, Houston, Marquette, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Kansas and Memphis. He said each of those schools have offered except for UK and UNC.

On whether he has any favorites: “I like A&M a little bit, I like–actually, I like all of them I just named to be honest with you.”

Frazier, who said he will no longer be playing with Dream Vision and will just be with Houston Hoops, has visited Baylor, Texas and Kansas.

Although he has no visits planned, he did say of who he would like to visit, “I want to visit Georgia [and visit] Kansas some more. Who else do I wanna visit? Memphis, that’s all I can think of.”

On who is coming at him the hardest: “I would have to say either Baylor, Texas, A&M a little, Georgia, [and] Marquette,” Frazier said.
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CLASS OF 2012 PF VISITING WAKE FOREST TODAY

Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelik and his staff will host a Class of 2012 power forward for an unofficial visit today as Devin Thomas will make a trip to Winston-Salem (NC) to check things out.

“Yeah, I am going to Wake Forest tomorrow,” said Thomas last night when asked if he has any visits upcoming.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pounder out of Central Dauphin HS in Harrisburg (PA) had an excellent summer playing with Mid-Penn Motion on the AAU circuit. Displaying a constant motor that was always turned on, Thomas was able to get things done in the paint and in doing so he drew many new suitors for his services from college coaches.

“Wake Forest, Temple and Marquette,” were new schools of note that Thomas mentioned adding that, as of now, he is considering “Wake Forest, Maryland, Clemson, Temple, Marquette, Penn State, Virginia Tech and VCU.”

Thomas does not have any favorites at this point and is looking to make a college decision in September. At this time, though, he is sad to see his AAU career come to an end and he wouldn’t trade anything for the experiences he has shared with friends and teammates.

“The best part has been experiencing everything with my best friends,” he said, adding “I dont want anything to end, I feel like this is alot of fun and a great experience.”

Now Devin Thomas will move his focus from the AAU circuit to the recruiting process. Hoping for a September decision will allow Thomas to enjoy one last year of high school basketball with his friends and teammates and create more lasting memories. With the energy and heart that he puts forth on the basketball court, expect Thomas to make an impact on and off the court in a positive way no matter where he lands in the future.

2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 9): BRANNEN GREENE, TYLER CAVANAUGH, LANDRY NNOKO & THEO PINSON

By Alex Schwartz

BRANNEN GREENE SETS LOUISVILLE VISIT; PLANNING OTHER TRIPS

Pushing 6-foot-7, Brannen Greene is a mismatch on the wing due to his height and refined skill set. The Monroe (GA) native is a solid athlete with a good build who can do quite a bit with the ball in his hands. Greene has a high basketball IQ and good court vision, allowing him to hit the open man in position to score. His handle is superb and he can get through the defense on the way to the rack. Greene finishes pretty well at the rim and is crafty down low against the big bodies. He has nice form on his jumper, though he has yet to become a truly consistent shooter from deep. Greene puts in effort at the defensive end and can cause problems on the perimeter due to his length.

Greene has seen his stock explode as much as anyone in the Class of 2013 this summer and he a school list to prove it. He said that he has offers from Louisville, Georgia Tech, Georgia, Alabama, Marquette, Florida State, Florida, Connecticut, Kansas, Ohio State, Memphis, South Carolina, the equivalent of such from Harvard as well as “a lot more.”
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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART 7): RECRUITING LISTS FROM AAU NATIONALS

By Alex Schwartz

The grind continues in Orlando as we move into the home stretch of the 2011 AAU National Championships. On Thursday NBE caught up with Malik Price-Martin, Kasey Hill, Duane Wilson Jr., Kobe Eubanks and Zacarry Douglas for the latest on their recruitment.

The action continues on Friday and through the weekend in Orlando and NBE will be on hand right through the conclusion. In the 16U level they have reached the FInal 8 of Pool Play. Match-ups late this morning include BABC/Garner Road, Ohio Varsity White/Rising Stars Gold, NY Gauchos/All-Ohio Red & Team Takeover/Ohio Hoopsters Cash. The semifinals will be played later this afternoon and the championship game is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

17U action has moved into championship bracket play with 32 teams left after early morning play. The field will be narrowed to 16 later today and then tomorrow the Final 8 will square off. Some big names remain and Albany City Rocks and Texas PRO square off today for a spot in the final 16. The Arkansas Wings, Florida Rams, CP3, All-Iowa Attack, PA Playaz, Wisconsin Playground Elite and others highlight the remaining teams.

Below you will find our recruiting updates from yesterday….

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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL FINAL DAY RECAP: NJ PLAYAZ STORM BACK FOR TITLE

By Raphielle Johnson

The only thing better than the two best teams in an event playing in the title game is those teams putting forth a game for the ages. And that’s exactly what happened when the Mac Irvin Fire and New Jersey Playaz 17U teams met in Tuesday’s title game at the Desert Duel Memorial. Despite trailing by as many as 26 points early in the second half the Playaz found a way back, ultimately winning the game in overtime by the final score of 70-62.

Things most certainly didn’t look good for the Playaz at the start as Mac Irvin jumped them out of the gate thanks to the combination of solid offensive execution and the Playaz’s inability to make shots. The squad from Chicago had everything rolling, especially 2013 stud Jabari Parker who hit just about any shot imaginable in the first twenty minutes.

Steve Taylor (2012) was able to slash to the basket, DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. (2013) and Derrick Randolph (2012) made plays in the backcourt and Aaric Armstead (2012) was also a factor. A dunk just before the halftime buzzer made the score 43-20, and a Parker three in the first minute of the second half pushed the lead out to 26. To say the least things did not look good for the Playaz was an understatement.

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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL – DAY ONE RECAP: COACHES GALORE ON HAND FOR ACTION

By Raphielle Johnson

With the second ten-day open period of the month on the back end it would have been easy for teams still playing to perform in a sluggish manner. But that didn’t happen on Wednesday, especially at the Desert Duel Memorial Tournament where a few games needed overtime to render a decision. One of those games was the matchup between Long Island Lightning Blue and Seattle Rotary Select, with the Lightning making up a four-point deficit in the final 30 seconds of regulation and going on to win by the final score of 69-65.

The guard tandem of Kareem Canty (2012; postgrad) and Melvin Johnson (2012) made crucial plays down the stretch with both being able to get to the rim off the dribble. Canty’s more of a scoring point who was also to make some nice passes to his big men after beating his man off the dribble, and the pull-up jumper he says he’s been working on was on display as well.

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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 4 NOTEBOOK: WILD, WILD WEST IN VEGAS

By Raphielle Johnson

By the end of the last college basketball season it was best to simply expect the unexpected. The same could be said for this weekend in Las Vegas, which has produced an unexpected champion in the Kansas City 76ers. The 76ers won the Las Vegas Fab 48 by beating Team Breakdown (Florida) in Monday night’s title game.

While the stands weren’t filled to brim as they were last summer (Oakland Soldiers tend to bring out the crowds), there were a few college programs represented in the coaches area with 2013 wing Ishmail Wainright the primary focus.

Ben Howland (UCLA) and Steve Lavin (St. John’s) were both there to watch Wainwright, who considers Earl Watson (who has connections to both as he played at UCLA under Lavin) to be an older brother and mentor. Other programs represented include Western Illinois, George Mason, Kansas, Missouri, UC Irvine, South Florida, Cal Poly, Nebraska, UM-KC and Creighton.

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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 2 NOTEBOOK: TOP MATCHUPS CONTINUE

Khan/Judah not the only prize fight in town

By Raphielle Johnson

While boxing fans enjoyed the battle between Amir Khan and Zab Judah over at Mandalay Bay, two of the top AAU teams on the West Coast did battle at Bishop Gorman in the Las Vegas Fab 48. Led by the interior tandem of 2012 Brandon Ashley and 2013 Aaron Gordon, the Oakland Soldiers withstood a late rally to beat Belmont Shore 85-80. Both showed off their vast array of skills, especially Gordon with a few thunderous dunks.

The game was also valuable to see what Belmont Shore big men Zena Edsomwan and Grant Jerrett could do against two of the best prep players regardless of class. Edsomwan isn’t the kind of player who’s going to dominate the basketball but rather do the little things on both ends of the floor needed to win. Jerrett had his moments as well but it proved to be a tale of two halves for the Arizona commit.

In the backcourt the battle was just as intense, with the likes of Dominic Artis and Jabari Bird taking on Ikenna Ireogbu and Katin Reinhardt for Belmont Shore. With regards to dribbling skills, Artis may not have an equal in the 2012 class (Kris Dunn is another to consider). Bird can do just about everything on the floor, and while the 2013 prospect needs to continue to improve as a shooter he’s shown the ability to knock down open shots.
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2011 ORLANDO AAU NOTEBOOK (PART I): SELDEN, WILBEKIN, HAYES STANDOUT

By Alex Schwartz

The second July live evaluation period kicked off on Friday and the place to be over the 10-day period looks to be Orlando (FL). With AAU Super Showcases along with AAU National Championships being at the top age groups the action will be heating up like much of the summer weather our nation is currently seeing. In this first notebook, NBE chats with elite 2014 prospect Wayne Selden about his recruitment and covers the play and recruitment of Nigel Hayes, Mitchell Wilbekin while also getting a look at Marial Shayok, Che Bop and Jeremy Miller as well with the younger age groups taking center stage first. Read on below for the details…

Wayne Selden said he has offers from Kentucky, Boston College, Connecticut, West Virginia and Pittsburgh. He has interest from Ohio State, Arizona and Providence. He noted, “A lot more other schools in the Big East, ACC.”
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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 1 NOTEBOOK: JABARI PARKER SHINES, KRIS DUNN SPARKLES & MORE

By Raphielle Johnson

When a who’s who of the college coaching profession is on hand a show is expected. And 2013 prospect Jabari Parker provided that and then some in Mac Irvin Fire’s win over Worldwide Renegades in the evening session of the Las Vegas Fab 48 at Bishop Gorman. Parker showed off his vast array of skills in front of the likes of Dave Rose (BYU), Oliver Purnell (DePaul), Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Bruce Weber (Illinois), Buzz Williams (Marquette) and Tom Izzo (Michigan State) among others.

Also playing well in the win for Mac Irvin were 2012 forward Steve Taylor and 2012 guards Aaric Armstead and Derrick Randolph. Taylor won’t be graded on the same level as Parker but make no mistake about it, the young man is skilled. Taylor showed off the ability to step out and attack the rim, doing a solid job of playing with contact and knocking down mid-range shots. Randolph, while he looks shorter than his listed height of 5’9”, is the kind of winning player that all successful teams tend to have.

Randolph was highly competitive at both ends of the floor, setting up teammates for easy baskets on quick drives to the basket and disrupting the Renegades defensively. Armstead may not have had the impact scoring-wise that some of the other players had, but he did the little things especially on the defensive end. And 2013 DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. proved to be a tough matchup due to his crafty handle and ability to knock down a variety of shots.
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UA SUMMER JAM PRESENTED BY NY2LA SPORTS — TOP PERFORMERS

By Alex Jesswein

Standout Seven: Top Players from the UA Summer Jam last week

Robert Carter–6-8 Power Forward–Atlanta Xpress: Although he was hobbled by an ankle injury, Atlanta Xpress Robert Carter really impressed us with his ‘old school’ approach. He won’t wow you with his athleticism or finesse, he just gets down to work in the block and is very adept at finishing with either hand. He did show an ability to step out and hit an open jumper but he will make his money doing the dirty work on the inside.
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Chris Thomas–6-5 Guard–Colorado Hawks: Thomas is an extremely talented player. He reminds me of former Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts because of his ability to play multiple positions. He seems to be very comfortable playing with the ball in his hand and because of his size and length should be able to defend multiple positions at the collegiate level.
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CLASS OF 2013 Q&A: BRANNEN GREENE

NBE got a chance to conduct an interview with Brannen Greene over the weekend. Greene is a highly regarded G/F out of Mary Persons High School in Monroe (GA). Playing with the Charlotte Royals 17U AAU program you can be sure Greene will be a priority for college coaches to see in the next open evaluation period whihc runs from 7/22 – 7/31. The rising junior (Class of 2013) has heard from many high-major college programs since schools were officially able to contact players in the class beginning on June 15th. Below is our Q&A with Brannen Greene:

NBE: What is your current height and weight?

Brannen Greene (BG): I’m 6’7 and 197 lbs
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NBE: What was the highlight of the first 10-day open evaluation period for you?

BG: My highlight of this first half would probably be having so many top-notch coaches at my games in Indianapolis (Adidas Invitational).
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NBE: With coaches allowed to be at these open evaluation AAU games, do you notice who is in the stands watching? Anyone in particulat stick out who has been watching?
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UA SUMMER JAM PRESENTED BY NY2LA SPORTS RECRUITING NOTES (PART II)

By Alex Jesswein

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

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

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

His ability to finish in traffic and knock down open shots has impressed coaches across the country.
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HOOP GROUP WV JAM FEST RECRUITING NOTES – DAY 2

By Lauren Kirschman

The first 10-day live evaluation period of July has come and gone in nearly a blink of an eye. Its been a fun trip to Akron (OH) and Morgantown (WV) and points in between, north and south as well as east and west. While the coaches and throngs of media head home to their own beds finally, the Hoop Group’s West Virginia Jam Fest will carry on another day.

Tomorrow morning the event’s Gold Semifinals will take place. In the 17U bracket Team Philly will take on Team Takeover – Hoop Magic in one semifinal. Team Philly got past Long Island Lightning – Blue in one quarterfinal and the Hoop Magic-based squad upset Team 94 out of California in another quarterfinal.

The other half of the last four standing will be a match-up between the NY Gauchos and Hoop Heaven Heat of NJ who got past the Jersey Shore Warriors in a thrilling ending. The Gauchos won a hard fought affair with East Coast Elite in their quarterfinal match-up.

NBE caught up with a trio of standouts on Friday and below has the latest recruiting information on ’12 Blaise Mbargorba, ’13 Mark Williams and ’13 Elijah Brown for readers to enjoy…

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2011 NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM REPORT (PART V)

By Brian Bosworth

Thursday marked the end of pool play at the Peach Jam and the last opportunity for teams to fight their way into the playoffs. For some teams who know they are going to be on the outside looking in it is the last opportunity to perform in front of college colleges this week. With the stakes raised the play became even more intense and some players will able to stand above the rest…

Brandon Ashley (Oakland Soldiers/2012) – Ashley has been having a monster work and continued that trend this morning. After dominating from the low block when I watched him on Tuesday night, Ashley showed off his face up game in this contest. He hit multiple 18 foot jumpers from the baseline and once he established that shot used a shot fake and a couple of dribbles to get to the rim. He was in attack mode throughout the game earning himself 12 trips to the free throw line and converting 9 of them. Ashley’s handle, while adequate, will need to get better as his game progresses. He can use 1 or 2 dribbles effectively but in the open floor sometimes becomes a bit wild if he has to put it down more than that.
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