Seton Hall

2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY TWO RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – Day two at the 2010 Big East Tournament is complete and one thing is definitely certain, we will have a new champion.

The scores:

Georgetown 69, South Florida 49

Marquette 57, St. John’s 55

Notre Dame 68, Seton Hall 56

Cincinnati 69, Louisville 66

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from Wednesday…

1. Georgetown did it the old fashioned way. They defended the heck out of South Florida. Dominique Jones of USF had 21 points to lead all scorers but the Bulls outstanding junior talent had no one to lend a helping hand. Credit the Hoya defense that forced South Florida into a 29% afternoon from the field.

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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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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: MERNAGH’S THOUGHTS ON DAY I

by RAY MERNAGH

USF 58 DePaul 49

A lot is being made about South Florida winning without scoring from outside a few feet and I’ll concede it’s one of the more stranger things I’ve seen in a long time.

But it also points to the control that Stan Heath has over this squad. The Bulls finished 0-8 from three but only took two of those in the second half.

Why? Because they didn’t have to make three’s or a lot of jump shots to beat DePaul. Heat told them that and they executed their game plan of getting to the rim.

Today against Georgetown they’ll have to hit some J’s, but because they realized they didn’t need to yesterday they got to today.

It’s all about advancing folks.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: WEDNESDAY PRIMER

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After a thrilling doubleheader Tuesday to close the first day of action of the 2010 Big East Tournament, we roll on into Wednesday with four more games as the action will continue to heat up into the weekend at Madison Square Garden.

Here is Wednesday’s schedule (and your chance to get tickets to the games):

9) South Florida vs. 8] Georgetown, Noon.
13) St. John’s vs. 5) Marquette, 2 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 3 March 10 2010 (USF vs GTown & SJU vs. MU)

10) Seton Hall vs. 7) Notre Dame, 7 PM.
11) Cincinnati vs. 6) Louisville, 9 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 4 March 10 2010 (SHU vs. ND & UC vs. UL)

The rest of the schedule this week (and your chance to buy tickets to see the action live at MSG):

QUARTERFINALS: THURSDAY, MARCH 11th:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 5 March 11 2010

1) Syracuse vs. GTown/USF, 12 noon.
4) Villanova vs. MU/SJU, 2 PM.

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 6 March 11 2010

2) Pittsburgh vs. ND/SHU, 7 PM.
3) West Virginia vs. UL/UC, 9 PM.

Semifinals, Firday March 12th:

Session 7:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 7 (Semifinals) March 12 2010

Championship, Saturday March 13th:

Session 8:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 8 (Championship) March 13 2010

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BIG EAST TOURNAMENT COVERAGE: DAY ONE RECAP

by RAY FLORIANI and MATT WHITFIELD

NEW YORK CITY – The first round of the 2010 Big East Tournament is in the books. Four games, one upset with St. John’s over UCONN in a surprisingly lopsided contest . The scores:

South Florida 58, DePaul 49

St. John’s 73, Connecticut 51

Seton Hall 109, Providence 106

Cincinnati 69, Rutgers 68

—Be sure to visit NBE’s 2010 Big East Tournament home page (HERE!) for the full schedule and links to get tickets to each session—

Ray’s ten points of emphasis from this first day:

1. Loved the attitude of South Florida coach Stan Heath. His Bulls defeated DePaul and are 20-11. Rather than discuss the bubble Heath simply tells his players to keep playing. “We win we get to keep playing,” Heath said, “and that takes care of itself.” Bulls jumped out to a 30-15 halftime lead and outside of a late run fueled by DePaul’s Will Walker (20 points), did a good defensive job.

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT: TUESDAY PRIMER

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Let the Madness begin!! The 2010 Big East Tournament tips off today at high noon with a double-header this afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

16) DePaul vs. 9) South Florida, 12 noon.
13) St. John’s vs. 12) Connecticut, 2 PM.

It is not to late to find tickets, but you have to act fast for this afternoon’s session:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 1 March 9 2010 (DePaul/USF & UConn/SJU)

The nightcap doubleheader for the opening day:

15) Providence vs. 10) Seton Hall, 7 PM.
14) Rutgers vs. 11) Cincinnati, 9 PM.

Again, tickets are still available and for great prices:

Big East Basketball Tournament Tickets – Session 2 March 9 2010 (PC/SHU & RU/UC)

All three NYC/NJ-area teams are in action today, as well as UConn. South Florida and Seton Hall desperately need wins to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive and kicking.

For tickets to any session of the Big East Tournament, or to purchase a full tournament ticket package, please visit our 2010 Big East Tournament and Tickets page for the complete schedule and links to purchase tickets. Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and your tickets are guaranteed to be in hand before the game, even when purchasing for the early sessions of the BET: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online.

Read on below for more News & Notes on today’s action as well as other notes regarding the Big East Tournament…

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NBE POST-SEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAMS & AWARDS

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The regular season is complete and the Big East Tournament tips off Tuesday so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the full tournament schedule and the links needed for Big East basketball fans to purchase tickets to any or all of the 2010 Big East Tournament sessions.

Throughout the day the majority of NBE writers and contributors contemplated, debated and discussed our post-season awards for the Big East conference. Its been another great season with 16 teams battling it out for 18 games each through the 71 days of Big East action from December 26th through this past Saturday. After much deliberation…here are the NBE Big East 2009-2010 season awards:

NBE Big East Player of the Year: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/8/2010)

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The regular season is complete and the Big East Tournament tips off tomorrow so be sure to visit our 2010 Big East Tournament & Tickets page for the full tournament schedule and 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. They still have plenty of seats, and inexpensive options, for the early sessions as well as the entire tournament.

Stub Hub and the Big East conference have teamed up to provide fans with quality tickets and your tickets are guaranteed to be in hand before the game, even when purchasing for the early sessions of the BET: StubHub.com – The Safe Way to Buy & Sell Tickets Online.

Before we dive into the stories of the Big East Tournament and the post season awards and the latest on this coach’s future and who doesn’t like this coach, which is all below, we urge everyone to check out Keith Sargeant’s blog post at Scarlet Scuttlebutt titled Caring for Brayden and see the stories he wrote on Rutgers men’s basketball recruiting coordinator Jim Carr. His son, Brayden, has been battling epilepsy for most of his 18-month old life and the efforts of the Carr family and those close to them and young Brayden to find a cure.

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

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NIA PREP ON THE RISE ON THE PREP SCHOOL SCENE

Jamir Hanner headed to Seton Hall; Kelvin Amayo & Shaquille Thomas lead next group of NIA Prep prospects

By Matt Whitfield

The New York tri-state area is a hot bed for high school basketball. With perennial powers St. Anthony’s, St. Benedict’s, St. Patrick’s, Paterson Catholic, Rice, Lincoln and others, it is no surprise a plethora of talented high school players graduate to play in college and then sometimes at the highest level. Despite being such a breeding ground for talent the area also sees many talented players leave the area for stops at prep programs in New England such as Winchendon Prep, South Kent Prep, and others, to pepare them for college on and off the court. A rising program aims to begin to change the migration of talented NYC/NJ-area players to New England and keep them in the tri-state area as Alif Muhammad’s NIA School in Newark (NJ) has put itself on the prep basketball map this season. With the addition of former Bishop Loughlin head coach Rudy King to the coaching staff at NIA School, NIA Prep is posied for bigger things in the future.

NIA Prep’s basketball program is in it’s second season on the court and in it’s first year under Coach Rudy King. The team is 29-11 as of Monday and according to school President Alif Muhammad had it’s best stretch to date in late January/early February when they beat Mack Academy and then went up to Rhode Island for the National Prep Showcase and beat Westwind Prep and Brewster, all of who were ranked high amongst the ESPN top prep school schools. The school has taken on a national schedule this season, playing a mix of traditional New England prep powers as well as the top programs in New Jersey, including Paterson Catholic and St. Anthony’s. NIA Prep owns a two-game season sweep over a loaded Brewster Academy team, which recently captured the NEPSAC Class A championship.

The team right now has several Big East caliber players with the best of those right now being Jamir Hanner, according to Muhammad.

Read on for more on NIA Prep, including recruiting updates on 2011 prospects Shaquille Thomas and Kelvin Amayo who are both highly coveted by Big East programs. To see the latest you can sign up for NBE Premium access and SUBSCRIBE (HERE) to read on below…

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE & TICKETS

Madison Square Garden in New York City is the place to be beginning next Tuesday

After 18, hard fought regular season contests all 16 teams head to New York City and Madison Square Garden for the 2010 Big East Tournament as this year’s ‘Garden Party’ tips off at high noon, Tuesday, March 9th.

There is a lot at stake once again in MSG as teams fight for NCAA Tournament seeding and a few fight for their postseason lives. This year’s conference tournament promises to be as wide open as any in recent memory. Below we map out the week’s schedule and offer fans links to buy tickets through StubHub.com and your tickets are guaranteed to be in your hand prior to the games with StubHub’s guarantees.

Enjoy the week…March Madness is here!

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/5/2010)

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Here is a quick Happy Hour fix of the news and notes around the Big East as we take a quick glance back at last night’s action and preview the first game of the weekend tonight that kicks off the final games of the Big East regular season. Also in the news today is the visit list for tomorrow’s Freedom Hall finale as the host cards look to stamp that NCAA Tournament resume. The season has not gone quite as well as planned for Mick Cronin and Cincinnati, but the UC coach can expect to give it at least another try next year with the Bearcats. South Florida and Notre Dame enter this last weekend with hopes remaining of NCAA Tournament bids.

Speaking of tournaments this time of year, a good luck shout out goes to the girls team at Northwest HS in Wichita, Kansas as they play in the sub-state final tonight. Good luck to the Grizzlies in their quest to earn a spot in the state tournament.

It is now less than a week away, so 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

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

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2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT PROJECTED SEEDS/SCHEDULE

The last days of the 2009-2010 regular season are here as we prepare for the conference tournament

All 16 Big East teams will conclude their regular season with a conference game beginning tonight and finishing on Saturday We go through the scenarios and break down the seed possibilities for the 2010 Big East Tournament as this year’s ‘Garden Party’ tips off at high noon, March 9th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. There will be a lot riding on these final regular season games, but the real action will begin next week a teams will be fighting for their collective seasons and trying to make their final cases in impressive the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Selection Sunday is just nine days away…are you ready?

Below we break down the scenarios and lay out the Big East Tournament seeding landscape in the conference. Also, we provide links for fans to secure tickets to all the action, closing the regular season and opportunities to buy 2010 Big East Tournament Tickets. This year’s tournament promises to be wide-open and exciting, secure your seats today!

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/4/2010)

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There was one lone Big East game on the Wednesday Night schedule and it was an important meeting in South Bend (IN) between UConn and Notre Dame. Riding Tory Jackson, the Irish picked up another resume padding late-season win while UConn is dealt a critical blow to their NCAA Tournament chances. Tonight, Pitt looks to lock down the final double bye into the 2010 Big East Tournament quarterfinals when hosting Providence and the Seton Hall/Rutgers rivalry commences for round two in nine days.

Austin Freeman returned to the practice floor for Georgetown on Wednesday, but the Hoya junior also released the news he has developed diabetes. It will not impact his long-term basketball career, but the immediate impact is still to be determined in regards to his availability on the court in upcoming Georgetown games of the next week or so.

Also, Pat Stevens updates us on some of the happenings in the NEPSAC playoffs with several Big East commits and targets looking to extend their seasons. Finally, Rutgers to the Big 10 looks like a possibility and a good fit for the Scarlet Knights if an offer is extended to them in the future.

It is now less than a week away, so 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

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

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SETON HALL ADDS 2010 FORWARD TO RECRUITING CLASS

As reported earlier this week, NIA School senior forward Jamir Hanner was close to making his college decision following a weekend visit to the Prudential Center for the Seton Hall/Marquette game on Sunday afternoon. Yesterday afternoon that decision was made and Jamir Hanner is now a member of the Seton Hall 2010 recruiting class.

“Yes, around 3:00 PM [today],” replied Hanner yesterday when asked if he had committed. “I went to SHU on an unofficial visit [and] was showed around the campus by [assistant] coach Scott Adubato. Sat down, talked to him and [head] coach Bobby Gonzalez [and] got a good understanding of the role that I will play if I decided to come there and I just feel that I fit in so I made the commitment.”

Hanner is a Philadelphia native currently attending Alif Muhammad’s NIA School in Newark (NJ). Current SHU Pirate guard Keon Lawrence is a 2006 graduate of the school.

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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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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/2/2010)

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Da’Sean Butler went out as a winner in his West Virginia final home game as the Mountaineers dealt slumping Goergetown another loss. The Hoyas were without Austin Freeman, who is battling an illness, and their lack of depth makes it very tough to overcome.

Tonight on the Big East schedule is four games. Deonta Vaughn hopes to go out as a winner in his final regular season home game at Cincinnati and the Bearcats hopes to finish strong while Villanova, losers of three of their last four, hope to make some short-order repairs in time for the post-season. Syracuse hopes to wrap-up the regular season conference title outright with a win over St. John’s as the Carrier Dome crowd gets to cheer 5th year seniors Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku one last time. South Florida looks to keep their hopes for a .500 Big East season alive when they visit DePaul and Louisville and Marquette have an intriguing nightcap with several post-season implicatons tied to the outcome.

In other news, Lenn Robbins gives it to a couple Big East coaches following their weekend losses. Notre Dame is likely without Luke Harangody at least one more time as UConn and the Irish battle tomorrow in a game that has very big post-season ramifications. Carleton Scott has given ND a lift during ‘Gody’s absence. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is a candidate for coaching awards as the Panthers look to sew up a double-bye in the Big East Tournament in their last two games this year.

Also, it just a week away, so 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

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

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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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EVERYDAY MESSAGE RESONATES FOR MARQUETTE

Latest evidence is in Golden Eagles overtime win over Seton Hall on Sunday afternoon

by RAY MERNAGH

A simple message can have amazing results. Especially when that message never changes or wavers –circumstances be damned.

“The message is always the same to our guys,” said Buzz Williams, in response to my query of whether he changes his approach depending on situations, in this particular case I was asking about overtimes.

“Whether it’s at halftime, the day before a game or the first day of individual workouts, it’s the same,” said Williams.

On February 18th, Marquette lost 58-51 to Pitt in Milwaukee. The loss ended a five-game winning streak by the Golden Eagles. It made them 7-6 in the Big East and facing a three-game road trip to Cincinnati (a desperate team hoping to stay alive), St. John’s (a team starting to win some games) and Seton Hall (see Cincinnati).

Back to that message.

“This is not for everyone, we need everyone but we don’t need anyone,” said Williams. “We are going to be everyday tough, not just game tough, not fake tough, not rivalry tough, we are going to be everyday tough.”

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UPDATED 2010 BIG EAST TOURNAMENT SEEDING SCENARIOS

Calendar flips to March and the last week of the regular season is upon us as teams jockey for position

All 16 Big East teams were in action with eight highly competitive conference match-ups this past weekend. This year’s conference tournament is shaping up to be as wide-open and as important as ever with NCAA Tournament seeding and bids on the line for several teams. We go through the scenarios and break down the seed possibilities for the 2010 Big East Tournament as this year’s ‘Garden Party’ tips off at high noon, March 9th, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Between tonight’s Big Monday contest (3/1) and next Saturday (3/6), everyone in the Big East will close their regular season with two conference games. Everyone is jockeying for position with conference tournament seeding up for grabs, NCAA Tournament bids and NCAA Tournament seeding riding on the outcomes of these games.

Below, we break down the scenarios and lay out the Big East Tournament seeding landscape in the conference. Also, we provide links for fans to secure tickets to all the action, closing the regular season and opportunities to buy 2010 Big East Tournament Tickets. Later today we will do the same with the NCAA Tournament and how the Big East teams are shaping up for their shot at making, or earning a top seed, in the Big Dance.

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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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