South Florida Recruiting

FRANK BEN-EZE, DC BLUE DEVILS UPDATE

Earlier today the NBE Basketball Report got the chance to check in with Robert Jackson, Founder/President of the DC Blue Devils Grassroots Basketball Program, to learn a little more about their program. Mr. Jackson was also kind enough to provide an update on one of their players from last season, Frank Ben-Eze, who is currently one of the most highly sought after unsigned players among the class of 2008.

Read on for more on the recruitment of Ben-Eze and the DC Blue Devils program…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/26/2008)

Syracuse can close the curtain on their season with one final collapse, now all their fans have their eyes set on an upcoming decision from Donte Greene on his future. The Providence College coaching search continues, but the names involved seem to stay about the same.

Villanova, West Virginia continue to prepare for this week’s Sweet 16 match-ups.

Several recruiting notes including fallout from Rutgers big week and will it sway players like Devin Ebanks and Dominic Cheek to give RU a closer look? Frank Ben-Eze has narrowed his list this spring to five schools. Gary Flowers’ list might be expanding to include up to three Big East schools. A 2009 JUCO has interest from UConn. Dalton Pepper has a pair of Big East schools at the top of his list. Tyreke Evans is not the only unsigned McDonald’s All-American with Big East schools hoping to sign him this spring, Scotty Hopson is in the same boat.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/25/2008)

Well, the spring recruiting period for unsigned seniors is quickly approaching and South Florida continues to be very active lining up visits the next couple weeks. USF target Maurice Sutton has up to three Big East schools very interested, including one still in the NCAA Tournament.

Will the NCAA Tournament success of Villanova sway Tyreke Evans at all? Another late period target of several schools has an interest in Providence. More and more, this early period of AAU basketball has replaced the summer period for the current juniors (seniors to be) as the time they begin seriously making their moves in recruiting. Rutgers definitely got out ahead of the curve in a BIG way yesterday.

Also, a few news and notes around the three NCAA Tournament teams left from the Big East: Villanova, Louisville and West Virginia. Also, Pitt, Notre Dame and UConn continue to try and pick up the pieces from their earlier-than-hoped exits from the Big Dance.

For SU, the NIT gives their young squad a chance at more game experience and tonight’s match-up also allows a chance for some payback!

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BIG EAST RECRUITING UPDATE: SOUTH FLORIDA

Verbal Commitment Alerts:  Dwan McMillan, PG from St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark (NJ) and Gene Teague, C/BF from Living Faith Academy.

Projected 2002-2009 Roster:

Seniors:  Mobalaji Ajayi (BF), Jesus Verdejo (G/F), Aris Williams (PF)
Juniors:  Mike Mercer (G), Chris Howard (PG)
Sophomores:  Dominique Jones (G), Orane Chin (F)
Freshmen:  Eladio Espinosa (F), Dwan McMillan (PG), Gene Teague (BF/C)

Since the season ended for the South Florida Bulls, there has been a steeady stream of activity from Stan Heath’s program as the 1st year Bulls’ coach tries to rebuild the program.  Solomon Bozeman, Ade Saaka and Aaron Holmes have left the program and Bulls Get a Commitment from Gene Teague (St. Petersburg Times) and follow that up with the news of Dwan McMillan to USF (Zagsblog) just a couple days later.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/23/2008)

With Sweet 16 bids on the line Saturday, the Big East went sour as Notre Dame, Marquette and Pittsburgh all came up short. On the positive side of the ledger was West Virginia, who surprised Duke and will move to the Sweet 16 where they will hope to be joined by Louisville, Georgetown and Villanova after Sunday’s action.

Also, a look at Tyshawn Taylor, who will be at Marquette next season, and more roster changes at South Florida.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/22/2008)

The Big East saw Georgetown and Louisville cruise to expected easy wins, but things did not go so well for Connecticut, who lost the game and maybe their point guard into next season as they were upset by 13th seeded San Diego in the 1st round.

However, Villanova restored the conference’s pride with a stunning come-from-behind victory over Clemson of the ACC to give the Big East a 7-1 record in Round One!

Will the Big East streak continue on Saturday? It will be a tough task…

Also a couple small recruiting notes on Jason Henry, a former Cincinnati signee, and Keith Clanton, one from Florida to keep an eye on for 2009.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/20/2008)

As a likely pre-emptive move by Seton Hall, the University handed down a punishment against head coach Bobby Gonzalez for his post-game remarks directed at an official following their loss to Rutgers to close the regular season (among other items and a growing laundry list between Gonzalez, the school and conference). Gonzo is Suspended One Game (zagsblog) by Seton Hall, the opening game of the 2008-2009 Big East conference season. The SHU season has been over more than a week, yet we do not seem to go a day without something coming out of this situation in the news.

We also take a look at the Big East teams in action today in the NCAA Tournament with largely a collection of out-of-area articles previewing the action. Also, more on the Gonzalez suspension, Cincinnati’s results from the CBI and Syracuse prepares for an NIT match-up against an ACC opponent tonight.

On the recruiting front, see who Tyreke Evans will be watching closely this weekend, as well as Dominic Cheek. Another update on South Florida on the recruiting trail and the uncertainty for Providence recruiting moving forward, especially the important 2009 class which will likely determine how quickly a new coach can get them up to speed in the rough tumble Big East.

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USF NEWS & NOTES

The South Florida Bulls have a scholarship opening up as sophomore Solomon Bozeman has been granted a release from his scholarship. USF’s Bozeman Seeks Transfer (Bradenton Herald) after the 6’0 guard averaged 5.1 points per game for the 12-19 Bulls.

Bozeman saw his playing time decrease under new coach Stan Heath after he started 24 games last season, averaging 9.6 points per game on the season.

Also, junior college guard Lasha Parghalava will not be coming to USF as once planned. Stan Heath is currently at the Division II juco nationals in Danville, Ill., where Mott CC guard Jeremie Simmons will be playing. Simmons seems to be at the top of the USF wishlist for spring guard targets to replace the transferring Bozeman and Dante Curry, who left for Georgia State in December. Greg Auman also reports that Juan Pattillo, the 6-foot-7 forward from College of Southern Idaho who is considering USF, is likely to visit the school, along with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State this spring. West Virginia is also showing interest of late.

A final not, next season the USF Men are Set to Play in the San Juan Shootout (St. Pete Times) which will be held Dec. 20-22 and hosted by Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Four other teams are confirmed: George Mason , Murray State, Florida Atlantic and Oral Roberts, meaning there is still an opening for two more teams.

Our USF page has been updated with the roster news for the Bulls.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/18/08)

A few more notes on teams preparing for the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse tips off the NIT tonight while Cincinnati tips off the CBI tomorrow. Seton Hall was passed over by the NIT, but they have passed on the NIT…now, we must wonder about the relationship between their head coach and athletic director.

Seton Hall is actively recruiting for some frontcourt help, UConn can use their trip south for the NCAA to work in some recruiting time, too. Devin Ebanks will get a release from his LOI with Miami and St. Anthony’s finishes off their perfect season.

The players at Providence will move forward after Tim welsh’s firing and South Carolina has a big name from the Big East on their coaching search wishlist.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/17/2008)

Well, let the Madness begin as the NCAA Tournament brackets have been released and everyone jumps into the pool! We have links on all eight of the Big East teams and their early match-ups this week.

It looks as though Cincinnati is headed to the new CBI and Syracuse is off to the NIT.

Lots of recruiting stories also to peruse as St. Anthony’s looks to stake their claim to history tonight in the Tournament of Champions finale. Seton Hall, UConn and South Florida are on the trail of three or four big men. A top NYC sophomore is looking at switching schools and has some big time schools tracking his progress closely.

Check out all the News and Notes below!!

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (3/5/08)

Marquette celebrated senior night by cruising past (the) Florida Gulf Coast with a 67-37 win over the first year Division 1-A program. The win counts among their final 10 (or 12 games, depending on the NCAA’s moving criteria for selection) but will not hurt their RPI or SOS figures because they are a provisional Division I member.

Three games on tap in the Big East tonight, and we previewed those contests in our earlier post this morning: Wednesday Big East Game Previews.

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2009 AMERICAN HERITAGE GUARDS HAVE BIG EAST INTEREST

Back in the early Fall, American Heritage High School coach Danny Herz checked in with us to introduce our readers to his program with a Profile on American Heritage School. At the time, Eloy Vargas was the target of several Big East programs before deciding on Florida, however, Big East recruiters are still monitoring the Patriots. See who is being targeted from the Big East…

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/15/2008)

West Virginia got back in the win column last night as they handed Rutgers another loss. Cincinnati will be without one contributor indefinitely as Mick Cronin suspends one of his freshman.

The Big East coaches were not expecting Luke Harangody and AJ Price to be the frontrunners for the conference’s Player of the Year award. Rick Pitino returns to Providence this weekend and is wary of the hot-shooting (potentially) Friars.

Van Coleman runs through the available big man talent pool for the late signing period of 2008. There are a lot of players that Big East schools are monitoring. A pair of Big East commits lead the Nation’s #1 High School team to another win. Will Kelvin Sampson’s troubles at Indiana lead to a mad scramble to land Devin Ebanks…you make the call! Apparently, coach Sampson has made his call…again…and again…and again….

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/6/2008)

Last night in the Big East saw Providence snap their losing streak while extending DePaul’s recent misery. Speaking of misery, South Florida is now 0-21 on the road since joining the Big East after Georgetown beat them last night in DC.

Three games on tap tonight, highlighted by UConn-Syracuse, but the Seton Hall-Notre Dame game should be a good one as well. St. John’s and Rutgers both look to make a run for the Big East Tournament, winning tonight will help someone!

Notre Dame picked up a 2009 commitment yesterday and Brian Crownover filled us in on how some Big East commitments and targets performed last weekend in Philly.

West Virginia is gearing up to meet Pitt, while Levance Fields continues to work his way back to the Pitt line-up while his teammates try to work out of their shooting slump. Louisville is as balanced offensively as a team can get.

Van Coleman answered some questions on St. John’s recruiting and gives some spring target names. He also had a brief mention of Marquette’s top 2009 target.

Ray Floriani drops some knowledge on us as he introduces ‘Basketball Synergy’ and shows us which teams in the Big East have more synergy than others.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/5/2008)

Louisville picked up a season sweep of Marquette with a convincing road win last night. Villanova saw their losing streak extended as their Big 5 record win streak was popped with a thud.

We have updated our Big East Conference RPI ratings and also review each teams Strength of Schedule with their remaining conference contests. It shows a couple teams have it much tougher in the second half of the league schedule while a few others have positioned themselved very well.

Plenty of other news and notes from around the league including a Notre Dame basketball commitment, a UConn recruit is still looking at his options with the Huskies and a Maryland big man is in demand during the late recruiting period.

Don’t forget, there is Big East action tonight!

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/3/2008)

All 16 Big East teams were in action on Saturday, we recap ALL of that action and also thrown in a couple other Big East News and Notes from around the league asthe Superbowl post game coverage continues.

Who is YOUR Big East Player of the Year at the midway point? Let us know in the comments section!

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (2/1/2008)

The Belly of the BE(east) could not quite swallow up Notre Dame last night, although it tried. The Irish stayed above the mess that is the middle of the standings, barely, as they edged Providence in OT to extend the JACC win streak.

We have updated our Big East Conference RPI Ratings through all conference play through last night’s game. Check out the numbers.

A few small recruiting notes, but some interesting articles from around the league. It was a pass/fail situation at UConn and the Huskies might have one of their suspended guards back for Saturday’s showdown with Pitt at the XL Center in Hartford.

The 2008 Big East/SEC Invitational pairings have been announced. Did Fred Hill make a mistake trying to have Rutgers match SHU’s small line-up in OT Wednesday night? What do YOU think?

Also stories on Sam Young, Keith Benjamin, Eric Devendorf and AJ Price to peruse as well as a Keith Brumbaugh recruiting update.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (1/31/2008)

It was a busy Wednesday in the Big East and road teams continued to rebound as Syracuse, Georgetown, Cincinnati and Seton Hall brought wins back home with them. Pittsburgh was the only home team to be victories.

For tonight’s game, you can see all the links to the local media previews, our match-up analysis and a prediction from the NBE Blogger by either visiting our Providence Team Page or our Notre Dame Team Page.

We also have more news and notes on the suspensions in the Big East that are causing Connecticut and Syracuse to be short-handed currently. There are also several recruiting news and notes on several schools in the Big East.

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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (12/30/2007)

December 30, 2007

On Saturday, Pittsburgh fell hard from the ranks of the unbeaten on their trip to Dayton. They will hold their breathe that the injury big has not hit them HARD once again. West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins got the close game that he wanted to prepare for the Big East. St. John’s comes up short in the ECAC Holiday Festival. DePaul and Cincinnati take a step forward heading into the Big East as Rick Pitino is growing more optimistic about the Cards as Big East play opens for them on Tuesday.

A busy Saturday in the league and there are some recruiting updates to touch upon.

Click on ‘Read More’ below to view the rest of the article.

As the nine days since the victory against Duke settled in, Jamie Dixon became more and more worried about the match-up at Dayton. The Pitt Coach Waffled About Playing Dayton on the Road (Dayton Daily News), although Pittsburgh has been more willing than most upper-echelon Big East teams to venture into opposing arenas during nonleague play, the fifth-year coach wondered whether his team might be better off with a schedule that’s not so daring.

Looks like coach Dixon’s fears were real. Already facing Dayton without Mike Cook, who was lost for the season in the win over Duke, Pitt got into foul trouble early and Brian Roberts, who was recruited heavily by Pittsburgh, caught fire leading Dayton to a 45-33 lead at the half.

The secod half went from bady to potentially season crushing as Levance Fields went down with a ankle or foot injury. Fields did not put any weight on the foot as he was taken right to the locker room and was never seen from again.

Pitt beat Dayton by 30 at home last year. Dayton led the Panthers 80-50 and got the blowout win, 80-55. Brian Roberts scored 31 to lead UD.
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Bob Huggins wanted a couple close games, well, it seemed as though Oklahoma and West Virginia played about three of them last night as the Sooners outlasted the Mountaineers 88-82 in double overtime.

The Big Sooners Were a Big Test for WVU (Charleston Gazette), but it looked as the the Mountaineers would prevail as they led by 8, 53-45, heading down the stretch of the game. OU rallied behind Blake Griffin (18 pts, 16 rebounds) and Lonar Longar (22 pts) and looked to had stolen the game in regulation but an Alex Ruoff (17 pts) follow of a Joe Alexander (21 pts) miss at the buzzer forced overtime.

The first OT was dominated by WVU, however a missed FT in the last minute opened the door for OU and Tony Crocker made them pay by forcing a second OT with a 3-pter. OU finally took control of the contest and got the win in the 2nd OT with an 8-0 run to flip a 4-pt defecit. Oklahoma (who lost to Stephen F. Austin earlier this month) is now 10-3 while the loss dropped WVU to 10-2.
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With David Padgett’s return to practice, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino Sees Reason for Optimism (Louisville Courier-Journal) as Pitino is Excited About a Healthy Team (Kentucky.com). Yesterday, the Cards got 22 pts from Terrence Williams and 13 pts and 11 rebounds frm Derrick Caracter as they routed Iona and former assistant Kevin Willard, 67-36.

Louisville kicks off the Big East seasn on New Year’s Day against Cincinnati.
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Rick Pitino will face a former assistant for the second consecutive game on Tuesday when UL meets Mick Cronin and Cincinnati. So far this season, Rewards Have Been Elusive for UC (Cincinnati Enquirer) who have lost five straight to fall to 4-7 entering last night’s contest with Miami (OH) at US Bank Arena.

The Bearcats will head into Tuesday’s contest feeling a little better about themselves following a 56-50 win over Miami. UC needs offense and got it from an unlikely source as freshman Anthony McClain scored 14 points.
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The ECAC Holiday Festival closed with a championship game between St. John’s and Virginia Tech. The Ugly Garden Party Produced a Tech Win (Daily Press), 54-48.

The Redstorm had more turnovers (19) in the game than made field goals (15) as SJU shot a miserable 28% from the floor. Tech was hardly better as they also had more TO’s (20) than field goals (18), but the three more field gols were the difference————————————————

South Florida tuned up with 1-A punching bag Winston-Salem State prior to Big East play. The Bulls Cruise to an 87-48 Win (St. Pete Times). Aaron Holmes looks to be fitting in nicely as he scored 20 pts in 19 minutes off the bench. Kentrell Gransberry led USF with 21 pts.
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Notre Dame cruised past Brown 87-54 on Saturday evening and the Irish Must Shift from Slow Lane to Fast Lane (Journal Gazette) as Big East play is set to begin. Rob Kurz scored 15 pts and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Irish. Tory Jackson scored just 4 pts, but added 6 rebounds and 9 assists against just one turnover from the PG position Jackson Begins to Amp up His Game (south Bend Tribune).
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DePaul might have taken a small step forward with a road victory at Detroit on Saturday, 70-64, but the Demons are Still Trying to Right the Ship (Chicago Tribune) heading into Big East play.
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Other Saturday action:

Georgetown 78 American 51
Rutgers 73 Manhattan 67
Marquette 77 Savanah St 37
Villanova 71 LaSalle 58

Mookie Jones and his teammates at Peekskill Finds a Way to Win (LoHud.com) as they edged Jamesville-DeWitt 63-60 in the Slam Dunk Challenge of Westchester County. Joones finished with 22 pts and 15 rebounds, but the future Syracuse Orange player went just 6-25 from the floor and 0-11 from 3-pt range.

LoHud.com, like the Albany Times-Union earlier this month, touted J-D junior star Brandon Triche as a future teammate of Jones at SU. Triche finished with 13 and his 3-pter at the buzzer missed tying the game.

“I met him while I was up there on a visit,” Jones said of his future teammate. “I know he is a great player. He’s only a junior, and I know he’s recovering from an ACL tear. I can’t wait to be on the same team with him.”

We have a in-depth stroy on Triche ready to be posted in the next few days. In the interview, he insisted he is still open in the recruiting process, we will follow-up to see if there has been a change.
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Adam Zagoria updates readers on Justin Crosgile’s MVP performance in the JP Flynn Memorial Tournament as the 5’11 junior guard scored 16 in DePaul High School’s 50-48 win over tournament host Delbarton. Crosgile Has Offers from Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. Joes and Others (zagsblog). At this point, he is leaning towards Phil Martelli’s St. Joseph’s program.

Zags also recently had the Latest on Gary Flowers’ (zagsblog) recruitment. The 6’8 forward at Chipola College in Florida has Seton Hall, South Florida, UConn, Arizona, Maryland and Cincinnati interested in his talents. Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez is expected to pay a visit sometime after the New Year.
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The Lancaster Newspapers have their local stroy on Lamar Patterson’s commitment this weekend to Pittsburgh as Pitt Just Fit.
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BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES (12/26/2007)

December 26, 2007

Well, it has been a few days…so, let’s get caught up around the Big East.

Later today we will post our Weekly Power Poll, as voted on by Big East and other bloggers around the syber world.

Louisville is the only team in action tonight and Seton Hall is playing tomorrow. It will be a busy weekend and then Big East action tips off on New Year’s Day.

Click on ‘Read More’ below to view the rest of the article.

With a couple Big East team’s having a tough time in regards to injuries recently, Louisville seems to be getting healthier. Last weekend, Juan Palacios returned to the court in the Cards win over New Mexico State and UL got more good news as senior David Padgett Has Been Cleared to Work Out (Louisville Courier-Journal).

Padgett could rejoin the Cardinals as soon as the Jan. 10 game against West Virginia. The 6-foot-11 senior has been out since he broke his right knee cap in the Nov. 18 Jackson State.

Louisville will face Morehead State tonight at Freedom Hall.
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For anyone who saw Mike Cook’s injury against Duke it comes as no surprise that Pitt Guard Cook is Out for Season with Torn Knee Ligament (Post-Gazette). Cook had started the last 48 games for Pitt and was averaging 10.8 PPG this season. The senior’s minutes will likely be made up by senior Keith Benjamin and freshmen Gilbert Brown and Brad Wanamaker.
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Another coach who is seeing his team slowly round into shape and have the look he expected is Norm Roberts at St. John’s. However, unlike those Staples commercials you see on TV, there is No Easy Button for Roberts (NY Times) at St. John’s. But the way he handled Rob Thomas’ academic case showed that Roberts was not interested in an easy way out, even if it meant winning more basketball games. Now, the Comeback Kid (NY Times) is working to get back to the level of play that made him a coveted recruit.

SJU also got Anthony Mason Jr back in the line-up last week while playing n Hawaii. The Redstorm will be competing in the ECAC Holiday Festival this week at Madison Square Garden. They open with Marist.
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Syracuse continues to shrink in available scholarship players this season. Last summer it was Andy Rautins crumbling to the floor in international competition with a knee injury. This season the scene was repeated with Eric Devendorf in a recent game, like Rautins, now lost for the season. The continuing drama of Josh Wright came to an end with Wright leaving the team the same week that Devo went down. Now, it looks as though Devin Brennan-McBride Could be FInished (Post-Standard) as well.

Brennan-McBride, a 6-foot-9 sophomore, needs surgery to repair damage in his right shoulder. It will be the third surgical procedure on the shoulder since May of 2006.

The chronic nature of the injured shoulder could lead to the end of Brennan-McBride’s brief playing career.

Last week, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim indicated that Brennan-McBride might not return to school next semester.
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Knee injuries have derailed the career of John Garcia at Seton Hall as well. Garcia was a highly recruited student-athlete out of Long Island in high school, with much of the Big East after him as a player. However, his senior year was limited by knee injuries that have slowed his college career down as well. Now, the Hometown Hero Garcia is Enjoying Basketball Again (Newsday).
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Georgetown’s first on-court exam did not go well in Memphis (85-71 loss) as the Hoyas Sink After Break (Washington Times). Now, they are in the middle of another break for the Holiday’s before one last out of conference tune-up against American prior to Big East play.

John Thompson III was concerned about the offense after the loss to Memphis, especially the fact that senior 7’2 C Roy Hibbert managed just 6 pts and 6 rebounds in the contest.
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Many people often wonder what makes Bobby Gonzalez tick. Adam Zagoria of the Herald News takes a look at the Trials, Triumphs that Help Shape SHU Pirates’ Coach (NorthJersey.com).
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Here is the Marquette Golden Eagles Weekly Report from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).
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Connecticut is hoping for a different kind of 2008 than they had in 2007 and the Huskies are Ready for the Road (Hartford Courant) this year.
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Notre Dame was a finalists for Kentucky transfer Alex Legion, but in the end, Legion Marches to Illinois (South Bend Tribune).
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DraftExpress.com takes a look at a City of Palms Classic match-up between two future Big East competitors in Greg Monroe vs. Samardo Samuels.

Monroe is headed to Georgetown and Samuels to Louisville.
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Van Coleman of CSTV.com writes about the 2007 City of Palms Top Prospetcs from the recent event. Here is the look at those that Big East fans should be interested in:

Greg Monroe 6-foot-11 C Gretna Helen Cox (La.) – All-Tourney Performer and Georgetown signee was at his best in the quarter-finals versus Rashanti Harris, scoring 30 points and pulling down 13 boards. He looked like a challenger for the top spot (Currently No. 2, but slipping), but dropped back versus Samuels and St. Benedicts, scoring just 11 points. He has all the tools to dominate, but has to figure out what will motivate him to play at level we observed in the quarters.

Samardo Samuels 6-foot-9 PF Newark St. Benedict’s (N.J.) – MVP of the City of Palms Classic outplayed Monroe in the semis, scoring 25 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. He has a lot of Elton Brand in his game at this stage of his development. He is surprisingly quick off the floor and is becoming a threat facing hoop from 15-17 feet. His future coach Rick Pitino of Louisville was smiling as he watched Samuels in the early rounds in Fort Myers. Look for him to move up a spot or two in our mid-season rankings

Greg Echenique 6-foot-9 C Newark St. Benedict’s (N.J.) – All-Tourney Performer is as steady as they come on the blocks. He has excellent hands and scores with regularity in paint, but it’s on the glass and on the defensive that he excels. He had 13 rebounds versus Monroe then pulled down 17 more in the final. He is a horse on the glass that Rutgers, Villanova, Syracuse, Maryland, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and Ohio State are showing interest.

Isaiah Philmore 6-foot-8 CF (2009) Bel Air John Carroll (Md.) – This talented multi-skilled four-three can play on the perimeter, knocking down jumpers from the arc or off the dribble from 15 feet. Or he can roll to the block and use his quick feet to finish versus bigger foes. He will be moving up charts in mid-season rankings. He’s already hearing from Louisville, Maryland, George Washington, and Miami (Fla.).

Tristan Thompson 6-foot-8 WF (2010) Newark St. Benedict’s (N.J.) – This long but thin wing man is just starting to develop physically. He is a consistent performer with nose for ball and ability to score inside or out. High majors should be lining up to make his list of potential schools.

Noel Johnson 6-foot-7 WF (2009) Fayetteville Fayette County (Ga.) – This gifted wing man can explode to the hoop off the dribble or knock down jumpers from the arc on in. He creates highlights at the rim that leaves crowd buzzing. He will be a high priority for the nation’s top programs. He’s already hearing from all the top teams in the SEC, Big East and ACC.

Nasir Robinson 6-foot-6 WF Chester (Pa.) – All-Tourney Performer is one tough customer. He showed range to the arc, but is at his best attacking hoop off the dribble. He led Chester to final in Fort Myers including a 26-point and 11-rebound outburst versus Scott County in the quarters. Look for him to add immediate depth at Pittsburgh next fall.

Kenny Boynton 6-foot-2 SG (2009) Plantation American Heritage (Fla.) – All-Tourney Performer was absolutely on fire on the last day, scoring a tournament record 61 points versus Dunbar. He knocked down 11-threes and hit 22 of his 33 shots. That followed 35 and 30 point games over the past couple days. He had both Duke (Coach K) and Louisville (Coach Pitino) in to watch him this week, and is also looking at Georgia Tech, Texas, Florida, Florida State, Connecticut, Miami (FL), Wake Forest and Ohio State at this point.

Tamir Jackson 6-foot-2 CG (2009) Newark St. Benedict’s (N.J.) – This solid combo guard continues to impress us with his solid play in the back court. He can knock down the three or penetrate and kick it to the open man. He is the key reason St. Benedict’s is nation’s top squad.

Raymond Taylor 5-foot-5 PG (2009) Plantation American Heritage (Fla.) – Ultra-quick point has “And 1″-type ball handling skills and can flat out shoot it from beyond the arc. He had the crowd buzzing with his 24-point performance versus New Hope. He can really cause some matchup problems. Reportedly has interest from VCU, Central Florida, Tennessee Tech, Stetson and USF.
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