Villanova

RECRUITMENT OF TYLER ENNIS POISED TO BE BIG STORY IN CLASS OF 2013

Our northern neighbors of Canada have been producing a steady stream of elite basketball prospects recently and St. Benedict’s Prep guard Tyler Ennis may be the best of the bunch in the Class of 2013. Nolan Shulman, the authority on Canadian prep basketball, certainly would agree with that assumption.

“He was routinely the best player on the floor at every stop on the circuit this summer,” Shulman, National Recruiting Analyst of Flagrant Fouls and Editor-in-Chief of the Ultimate Recruiting Handbook which concentrates on Canadian basketball prospects, told NBE this fall. “His overall floor game is as good as any Canadian point guard we’ve had in the last six years, a group that includes Junior Cadougan, Cory Joseph and Myck Kabongo. He understands the strengths of his teammates and always puts them in a position to be their best.”

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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: WEEKEND’S TOP PERFORMERS

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the 2012 Hoophall Classic has come to a close and I’ve had a few days to process all the basketball I saw it’s time to compile player rankings from the weekend’s performances. Below you will see players ranked by class based solely on their performance from the Hoophall Classic. These rankings are not an opinion on players overall game or potential but rather on the way they performed in Springfield.

2012 Player Rankings:

1) Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – Muhammad only strengthened his place as the top overall player in the 2012 class for his efficient 37 point performance.

2) Kaleb Tarczewski (St Mark’s) – signed with Arizona – In an event loaded with top big men Tarczewski stood out as the top low post offensive option.

3) Katin Reinhardt (Mater Dei) – signed with UNLV – The future Runnin’ Rebel put on an offensive show knocking down nine 3 pointers en route to 35 points in a blowout victory.

4) Kyle Anderson (St Anthony) – signed with UCLA – Anderson’s fingerprints have been all over every one of St Anthony’s 44 consecutive victories and Monday was no different as he compiled 18 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
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HOOPHALL CLASSIC 2012: SATURDAY RECAP

After two days filled with local contests and a sampling of girl’s games, the Hoophall Classic took to the national stage on the boys side Saturday. Traditional powers like Oak Hill Academy, Gonzaga College Prep, St. Patrick’s and DeMatha Catholic headlined the action at Blake Arena in Springfield. Many players improved their stock on Saturday but none more than an undersized big man from Gonzaga College Prep.

Top Performer:

Kris Jenkins (Gonzaga 2013) – Jenkins had a breakout performance on national TV a week ago at the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, West Virginia and backed it up today at the Hoophall Classic by dominating an individual matchup with Riverside’s Ricardo Gathers. Jenkins is 6’6” at best but still has great strength for the power forward position. This allows him to hold his own defensively while causing all kinds of problems for opponents on the offensive end. He did the majority of his damage on midrange jumpers but showed that his range extends to the 3 point line knocking down a pair of triples. Jenkins was productive from the opening tip until the final whistle not even allowing an errant Ricardo Gathers elbow to the face to slow him down. After scoring at will on top 10 sophomore Jahlil Okafor and top 30 senior Ricardo Gathers in the past week, it’s safe to say that Jenkins can contribute at the high major level.
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DUKE FLIRTATION WITH AMILE JEFFERSON TURNS TO FULL COURTSHIP

by Alex Schwartz

WEST CHESTER, PA – Amile Jefferson, a 6-foot-8 power forward out of Friends Central (PA), is one of the nation’s elite basketball players in the class of 2012. In addition, he is one of the few top flight players still uncommitted.

Although Jefferson’s recruitment seemed fairly clear recently in terms of final options and perceived frontrunners, one school is making a late play for the senior: Duke University.

NBE was on hand Tuesday night at Westtown School (PA) on Tuesday for the showdown between Jefferson and Villanova-bound center Daniel Ochefu. Also in the stands were Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant Chris Collins, sitting just a few rows behind the Friends Central bench.
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CRC CLASSIC: ANYA, LYLES SHINE IN DEMATHA WIN OVER NEUMANN-GORETTI

By Ray Mernagh

DeMatha Catholic was led by the inside muscle of Beejay Anya and the outside shooting touch of Jairus Lyles in a 62-47 win over Philadelphia’s Neumann-Goretti. The Class of 2013 duo each scored 17 points in the win with Syracuse-commit Jerami Grant adding 14. As a team, Dematha was 26-43 from the field, setting a CRC CLassic record by making 60.5% of their shots from the floor.

Neumann-Goretti sophomore Ja’Quan Newton scored 16 in the loss to lead the Saints.

Following the game NBE got the chance to catch up with a few of the big guns for DeMatha to talk recruiting and more…

Beejay Anya 6’9″ 2013 Center

Anya has lost a severe amount of weight over the last several months….and that’s a good thing! My guess is that he’s dropped 30 pounds if not more and the result is a dominating presence in the post both defensively and offensively. Anya had 3 blocks before I could write anything and just continued from that point. He’s unquestionably the Stags best player and it’s not really close. Anya scored over each shoulder, rebounded and defended with a physical preference that probably had Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon salivating as he watched courtside. Anya finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 7 blocks and is being courted by just about everybody in the country.
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PLENTY OF BIG EAST SCHOOLS & OTHERS FOLLOWING REGGIE CAMERON

On New Year’s Day the NJ Playaz AAU Basketball Club hosted the ‘The New Year’s Jump-off’ at Hackensack (NJ) High School. The event’s headline game featured St. Anthony’s and St. Benedict’s, but an exciting undercard was also included as part of Sunday’s four-game schedule. The main appetizer was a Garden State battle between Plainfield (NJ) High School and Hudson Catholic High School.

Senior-laded Plainfield built a 47-36 lead through three-quarters over a younger Hudson Catholic club. However the fourth quarter proved to be an exciting finish as Hudson Catholic outscored the Cardinals 19-8 to tie the game at 55-all in the final minute. Plainfield would regain control, scoring the next four points, and a last second Hudson Catholic score would provide the final score in a 59-57 win for Plainfield.

The key to to the Hudson Catholic comeback effort was the outside shooting of Reggie Cameron, a 6-foot-7 junior combo forward who is one of the top Class of 2013 prospects on the East Coast. Cameron was strong throughout the game, finishing with 23 points and 6 rebounds. He connected on eight of 16 field goal attempts for the game, including five of 10 from beyond the three-point arc. Cameron provided some clutch shooting as he connected on three treys in the fourth quarter.

Cameron is a very intriguing prospect in the Class of 2013 as he has elite size for a wing player standing at a well-built 6-foot-7. Shot making is Cameron’s greatest strength at this point as he has range well past the 3-point line, as he showed once again over the weekend. Cameron is also very efficient on midrange pull-ups or on turnarounds from the post when matched-up against smaller players. He struggles at times to get all the way to the rim because he lacks ideal foot speed for a wing player but he makes up for it with a high basketball IQ and the ability to make shots from a variety of angles. NBE’s Brian Bosworth has compared Cameron to former Boston College star Jared Dudley on the offensive end of the floor in the sense that he doesn’t wow you with athletic plays but he produces against high level competition and consistently makes good decisions.

Over the weekend Cameron spoke to Alex Schwartz about his recruitment, which is picking up speed with many BIG EAST programs and other schools involved. Cameron said Sunday that he holds scholarship offers from Villanova, Seton Hall, Northwestern, UMass, Rutgers, DePaul, Providence, Cincinnati, Miami and Xavier and he is also hearing from Florida, Notre Dame, Boston College, SMU and Marquette.

Thus far he has taken unofficial visits to Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova. He is planning to get out on some more trips, but has none planned.

“Not yet, but I will,” Cameron told Schwartz. “Soon as the season is over I plan to get to a bunch of places.”

Cameron, who said he does not have any favorites right now, talked about when he plans to make his decision.

“I mean, I would love to get it done maybe in September,” Cameron said. “I’d like to get it done then, maybe on my birthday . . . September 10th.”

Cameron also talked about some of the factors he is taking into consideration as he looks for a school.

“Just a place where I think I feel comfortable with the coaching staff,” Cameron said, “where I think I feel comfortable playing basketball and going to school there and [with the] . . . coaches and a good school.”

Cameron, who noted that location is “not at all” a factor, talked about whether he wants to play in the Big East or if his list being littered with Big East schools is more of a coincidence.

“I don’t think it really makes a difference, wherever fits me,” Cameron said, adding, “Wherever me and my family are happy at.”

It is a pretty good bet that plenty of schools will be hoping that Reggie Cameron and his family find themselves happy on their campus and can add the sharpshooting wing to their 2013 recruiting class. NBE will continue to follow Cameron with Hudson Catholic during the season and with the NJ Playaz this spring and summer as he works his way towards his college decision.
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The 2012 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be one to remember. As usual, tickets will sellout, but fans can get yours early at the best prices by following the links below and get that special holiday gift for YOURSELF that you did not receive from your loved ones. Also, buy with our relationship with TicketNetwork and .

PLAYAZ NEW YEAR’S JUMP-OFF HIGHLIGHTS

By Alex Schwartz

HACKENSACK, N.J. – The New Year’s Jump-Off at Hackensack High School featured four games to bring in the year 2012. Included were some of the Garden State’s perennial powers and NBE Basketball Report was on hand for two-plus contests.

In addition to taking in the action, we were able to catch up with a couple of standout juniors for recruiting updates.

GAME RECAPS & STANDOUT PERFORMERS

NBE caught the end of the Teaneck/St. Patrick’s game, in which the Highwaymen knocked off the Celtics in overtime. Junior guard Joel Hernandez hit a buzzer beating three for Teaneck to send it to OT and knocked down two of three free throws in a tie game with one second left in the extra session. He and St. Patrick’s junior wing Jared Nickens were named co-MVPs.
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BIG EAST REPORT – 12/29/2011 – ORANGE STAY UNBEATEN; HOYAS PICK UP SIGNATURE WIN

Coming into their BIG EAST opener against Seton Hall, Jim Boeheim and the Syracause Orange knew they had to stop Pirate senior forward Herb Pope to keep SHU from having any hopes of upsetting the No. 1 team in the nation at the Carrier Dome. Mission accomplished for the Orange who moved to 14-0 with a 75-49 win last night.

“I thought our forwards did the best job all year of getting back in there and helping with him [Pope], and then Fab [Melo] and Baye [Keita] blocked a lot of shots,” said SU coach Jim Boeheim after the game.

Pope entered the contest averaging 20.3 points a game and 11.4 rebounds, but he was stymied inside by the Orange 2-3 zone defense and finished with just four points on 2-of-9 shooting and nine rebounds, while committing six turnovers and four fouls in 28 ineffective minutes.

“I thought we did a good job tonight interior on Pope and getting to their shooters,” said Beoehim.

Melo recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and 10 blocks, also adding seven rebounds in 25 minutes. Dion Waiters was the high-scorer for the Orange with 15 points coming off the bench. The Orange, who lead the nation in steals with an 11.6 mark, had 17 steals
against the Pirates and they forced Kevin Willard’s club into 23 turnovers while only committing seven themselves.

Syracuse visits DePaul Sunday. Last year, SU beat the Blue Demons 107-59 at the Carrier Dome. It was the largest margin of victory in a conference game.

Seton Hall saw their eight-game win streak stopped with a thud, never challenging the top-ranked Orange, trailing 34-15 at the half and by as many as 33 in the second half. With 14 points, Jordan Theodore was the only Pirate to reach double figures in the loss.

The Hall hosts West Virginia Friday. The Pirates have lost six straight in the series. Their last win was 71-64 at home on Feb. 14, 2006.
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Georgetown lost an 11-point lead in the second half at Louisville, but regrouped to prevail 71-68, handing the Cards their first loss of the season.

Sophomore guard Markel Starks scored a career-high 20 points and freshman forward Otto Porter contributed 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

“He hit some big shots for us tonight when we needed shots to be made,” Hoya head coach John Thompson III said of Starks. “He made some big plays and his defensive got better in the second half.”

Four freshmen saw action off the bench for Georgetown, led by Porter’s contributions. Jabril Trawick (9 points) Mikael Hopkins (2 points) and Greg Whittingham all made meaningful contributions as the Hoya bench outscored their Cardinals counterparts 25-17.

“It’s no doubt about that,” said Thompson about the key contributions of the four rookies. “Otto (Porter), Jabril (Trawick), Mikael (Hopkins) came in and gave us outstanding minutes. You say freshman class, and they are freshmen and this is their first BIG EAST experience, but they’ve been doing that since the summer. It’s a group that plays hard and competes.”

The Hoyas host Providence Saturday and will put their current nine-game winning streak on the line. GU has beaten the Friars in the last five meetings and holds a 31-16 advantage in BIG EAST regular-season play.

The Cardinals saw their 20-game home winning streak end with the loss. Kyle Kuric led the team with 17 points and guards Peyton Siva and Russ Smith added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Louisville will play at No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday, a tall order for the fourth-ranked Cards that Rick Pitino knows will greatly challenge his squad.

“Well, I think Kentucky is the better basketball team right now,” said Pitino. “Running up and down and trying to outscore Kentucky would be a futile attempt to try to get a ‘W.’ They are a very good team defensively and that causes a lot of offense so we’ve got to really study. It’s more about personnel than it is any sets.”
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Jeremy Lamb scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor in the victory at South Florida, 60-57. Lamb scored 16 points in the second half.

The game was the Huskies’ first on an away court this season and the first of a three-game suspension being served by coach Jim Calhoun. Associate head coach George Blaney took the controls and will do so again as UConn hosts St. John’s in Hartford on Saturday. The Huskies have dropped their last two meetings against the Red Storm after winning nine in a row.

Toarlyn Fitzpatrick recorded 14 points and game highs of 12 rebounds and three blocked shots in the loss. Augustus Gilchrist added 12 points and five rebounds. Stan Heath’s club will look to bounce back and get their first conference win on Sunday when they host Rutgers. USF has won their last three home meetings against the Scarlet Knights.
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Senior Truck Bryant scored a career-high 34 points to lead West Virginia to an 83-69 victory over Villanova in the Big East opener for both teams last night at the WV Coliseum.

Kevin Jones, who suffered a cut near his right eye that required stitches, had 13 points and seven rebounds. Gary Browne came off the bench to score 11 points. Deniz Kilicli added 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

WVU plays at Seton Hall Friday. The Mountaineers won last year’s meeting 56-44 in Morgantown.

Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek each scored 20 points in the loss for ‘Nova.

The key stretch of the game came with 5:47 left and the score tied at 63 when Bryant hit two of three free throws to start a 10-2 spurt where WVU took control of the game for good. Browne followed with a three-pointer and then Bryant answered a Wayns three with one of his own. Brown capped off the run with a driving lay-up to make the score 73-65

The lead eventually swelled to as many as 16 in the last minute, making the final distance between the two teams a little deceiving.

“That’s the best 7-6 team there is in the country,” said West Virginia coach Bob Huggins of Villanova. “I thought they were extremely physical.”

The Wildcats play Sunday at Marquette in their next outing, hoping to even their conference record.
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Thursday’s schedule shows three BIG EAST teams hosting non-conference opponents, all on national television. Rutgers battles No. 10/10 Florida on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. followed by Vanderbilt at Marquette. At 9 p.m., ESPNU has Cincinnati hosting Oklahoma at US Bank Arena.

Thursday, December 29
Florida at Rutgers – ESPN2…………………………………..7:00
–Former RU guard Mike ROsario might miss homecoming because of back injury

Oklahoma at Cincinnati USBA – ESPNU…………………….9:00
–The Bearcats host Oklahoma Thursday at US Bank Arena. Last season UC beat the Sooners 66-56 in Oklahoma City.

Vanderbilt at Marquette – ESPN2…………………………9:00
–In last year’s matchup against Vandy, MU lost 77-76 in Nashville.
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The 2012 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be one to remember. As usual, tickets will sellout, but fans can get yours early at the best prices by following the links below and get that special holiday gift for YOURSELF that you did not receive from your loved ones. Also, buy with our relationship with TicketNetwork and .

RECRUITING UPDATE: JOSH HART, AQUILLE CARR & BRANDON AUSTIN

By Alex Schwartz

CHESTER, Pa. – The second day of the Jameer Nelson Philly.com Holiday Classic featured five games with teams hailing from four different states and included a number of talented players.

NBE Basketball Report was on hand and had the opportunity to catch up with a trio of CLass of 2013 guards to discuss their recruitment.

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Josh Hart, a 6-foot-4, 195-pound shooting guard, turned in one of the day’s most impressive performances, leading Sidwell Friends (DC) to a win over Atlantic City (NJ). The smooth scorer first listed a quartet of schools: Georgetown, North Carolina State, Penn State and Marquette.
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BIG EAST REGULAR SEASON TIPS OFF

Notre Dame and St. John’s began the BIG EAST portion of the 2011-12 season Tuesday with wins against Pittsburgh and Providence, respectively, on Tuesday night.

Notre Dame extended its homecourt winning streak to 28 games with last night’s win, 72-59 over No. 22 Pittsburgh. The Irish haven’t lost at Purcell Pavilion since Feb. 14, 2010, when they fell 69-68 to St. John’s.

Guard Alex Dragicevich scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Irish on Tuesday night. Dragicevich, who had scored just six points in six previous BIG EAST games before this season, scored 17 of his 22 after halftime, which included making all three of his attempts beyond the three-point arc.

The Irish rallied from a 26-25 halftime deficit by shooting 72% (18-25) after intermission.

“I have been a part of a lot of fun games here,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said after the game. “But this one ranks right up there with the best. To see us play with that swagger in the second half, I guess I just wasn’t sure this group was ready for that.”

Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins also reached double figured for Notre Dame, scoring 15 points a piece. Grant added a game-high nine assists and Jack Cooley helped ND stay close on the boards, grabbing 14 shots off the backboards to go with his eight points.

“We have a week to practice and after a win you always have a little more juice,” said Brey. “It’s just great to be 1-0 in this league, especially at home, that feels good. It’s something to build on and God knows we needed something to build on.”

The Irish play the first of back-to-back road games with a Jan. 4 visit to Cincinnati. Notre Dame has won three straight against the Bearcats, including a pair of wins last season.

For Pitt it was their second consecutive loss after falling to non-conference opponent Wagner on Dec. 23 at the Peterson Events Center.

“We need to play better, we will play better and that’s what we have to work on,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said following last night’s loss. “We are a team that has a lot of things to improve on and we will get there and we know we’ve got things to work on.”

Sophomore Talib Zanna led the Panthers with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the game. Seniors Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson each added 12. Gibbs passed current Pitt assistant coach and former point guard Brandin Knight for 12th place on Pittsburgh’s career scoring chart (1,443 points).

Junior guard Tray Woodall returned to the lineup after missing six games with a groin/abdominal injury, but did not score in 18 minutes.

Last night’s loss was just the seventh time in Jamie Dixon’s nine-year tenure that Pitt had lost back-to-back games. Pitt will try to avoid a third-straight defeat when, like the Irish, they take on Cincinnati in their next game. Pittsburgh has won its last six meetings against Cincinnati. The Panthers are 6-1 against the Bearcats in regular-season BIG EAST play. They will host Mick Cronin’s club at the Peterson Events Center on New Year’s Day.
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Freshman Moe Harkless scored 32 points in his BIG EAST debut to lead St. John’s past Providence last night, 91-67, at Carnesecca Arena. Harkless’ total is the most by a freshman in his first BIG EAST game in league history. The previous mark of 30 points was held by Notre Dame’s Troy Murphy and Georgetown’s Allen Iverson.

“I didn’t even know that,” Harkless said following the game on his record-setting performance. “That’s an honor to even be mentioned with those guys. Being able to break the record is a great feeling.”

For the seventh consecutive game the Redstorm was coached by associate head coach Mike Dunlap as Steve Lavin continues his recovery from prostate surgery.

“We were able to play a team that came in pretty hot and has played some good people, so we are very pleased with that win,” said Dunlap. “We’ve still got to work Amir [Garrett] in and now we have a seven-man rotation.”

D’Angelo Harrison added 25 points and 7 assists in the win and Phil Greene also finished in double figures with 12. In all, SJU freshmen combined to score 77 of the 91 points put on the scoreboard for the ‘Storm.

Up next for the Redstorm is a New Year’s Eve date with defending national champion UConn. St. John’s has won its last two meetings
against Connecticut.

The loss snapped a seven-game win streak for the Friars, who also had their worst defensive effort of the season, a trait that has plagued them in recent BIG EAST seasons. SJU scored 91 points and shot 56.5% from the field. PC also hurt themselves by turning the ball over 20 times. All in all it was not the performance Friar head coach Ed Cooley was expecting from his team.

“Our kids were just pathetic today in every imaginable way,” said Cooley afterwards. “I thought we were very selfish today. We weren’t tough at all. We just weren’t tough. I could take losing games. As a coach you’re going to lose a lot of games and you’re going to win some games. But you just have to show that passion to compete and we didn’t show that tonight. I’m very disappointed with our execution and our competitive level.”

Gerard Coleman scored 20 points against the Red Storm for Providence, which will look to avoid an 0-2 BIG EAST start when they travel to Washington DC to take on Georgetown at the Verizon Center Saturday. PC has not won at Georgetown since March of 2005.
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Tonight’s BIG EAST Schedule:
Wednesday, December 28
GEORGETOWN at LOUISVILLE – ESPN2……………………….7:00
SETON HALL at SYRACUSE………………………………..7:00
VILLANOVA at WEST VIRGINIA…………………………….7:00
CONNECTICUT at SOUTH FLORIDA…………………………..9:00

Eight more teams begin BIG EAST play Wednesday, including tough tests for the league’s two unbeaten clubs. Top-ranked Syracuse takes a 13-0 record into a 7 p.m. game against 11-1 Seton Hall at the Carrier Dome. While the Orange and Pirates split their two contests last season, the 90-68 drubbing SHU put on SU at the Dome last season will be certainly on the mind of the Syracuse players. No. 4/4 Louisville (12-0) hosts No. 12/12 Georgetown (10-1) on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. U of L is 2-4 against the Hoyas in BIG EAST play.

West Virginia and Villanova also meet at 7 p.m. in Morgantown, W.Va. The Wildcats hold a 10-9 edge in the series in conference regular-season play. No. 9/9 Connecticut plays its first road game of the season when it visits USF at 9 p.m. The Huskies will be without coach Jim Calhoun, who begins an NCAA-imposed three-game suspension. UConn has an 8-1 edge in its all-time series against the Bulls.
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The 2012 BIG EAST Tournament promises to be one to remember. As usual, tickets will sellout, but fans can get yours early at the best prices by following the links below and get that special holiday gift for YOURSELF that you did not receive from your loved ones. Also, buy with our relationship with TicketNetwork and .

2011 CITY OF PALMS REPORT — TOP PLAYER PERFORMANCES

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Now that the 2011 City of Palms Classic has come to a close it’s time to put some measure on what I saw this week. Below are player rankings by class based on performances from this week alone. While they do impact my overall perception of these players, they are rankings strictly of what I saw in Florida this week.

Top 2012 Players:

1. Isaiah Austin (Grace Prep) – signed with Baylor – Austin was more committed to play inside on offense than he has been in the past and still rebounded and blocked shots at the highest level. He looked poised to challenge Shabazz Muhammad for top player in the class throughout the rest of the reason.

2. Shabazz Muhammad (Bishop Gorman) – It speaks to Muhammad’s talent that after a subpar week by his standards he still slots in at # 2. He was the most persistent scorer at the tournament, getting his points every way imaginable.

As for his recruitment, Muhammad told NBE on the opening day of the event that he has no timetable for a decision and sounds as though he’ll wait right up until the spring signing period to make his call. He listed an up-tempo style and a program that gets its players to the next level as the two most important factors in his decision making process. When the time comes Muhammad will be choosing from his final 6 of UCLA, Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, UNLV, and USC.
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CITY OF PALMS – DAY FIVE

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The 2011 City of Palms Classic came to a close on Wednesday night with a wild day of hoops culminating in an all Texas title game between Prestonwood Christian and Grace Prep. Local fans, scouts, and college coaches packed the gym to the rafters and created a high intensity atmosphere for these young players. Even legendary ESPN analyst Dick Vitale stopped by to enjoy the action offering a few words to the crowd before the championship game. Prestonwood Christian turned the final into a laugher prevailing 62-42 with stud junior forward Julius Randle taking home MVP honors. While Randle led the team throughout the week, it was a freshman who carried Prestonwood on his back tonight while the big man sat for much of the game in foul trouble.

Top Performance of the Day:

Mickey Mitchell (Prestonwood Christian 2015) – After viewing Mitchell for 4 games this week I feel very comfortable saying that he is in the running for top player nationally in the 2015 class. Offensively, Mitchell does a bit of everything as a 6’7” guard including making jumpers, exploding to the rim, making high level passes, and crashing the glass. While all this is very impressive, it was Mitchell’s defensive ability that left the biggest mark. Over the course of 3 days he defended 5 star wing Shabazz Muhammad, 4 star big man Ricardo Gathers, and 5 star point guard Emmanuel Mudiay. It speaks volumes that Prestonwood’s coaching staff chose to use their freshman as the defensive stopper against this wide array of players. As long as Mitchell continues to work hard (which is basically all he talked about in a post game interview) the sky is the limit.
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CITY OF PALMS REPORT – DAY TWO

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

Day 2 at the City of Palms Classic featured national powerhouses Mater Dei (CA), Arlington Grace Prep (TX), and Miller Grove (GA) in action for the first time. Despite these big names the game of the day was St. Raymond’s (NY) come from behind overtime victory over Trinity (KY) in which they trailed by 15 in the 4th quarter. Through sheer force of will and a couple of standouts outlined below they stormed all the way back and then overcame another 5 point deficit in overtime. It highlighted a fun day of big time competition with quite a few monster individual performances.

Top Performer of the Day:

Isaiah Austin (Arlington Grace Prep 2012) – signed with Baylor – Austin is often criticized for floating on the perimeter and not using his 7 foot frame to score inside. If today’s performance is any indication, he has heard the critics and made an adjustment. Matched up against future Ohio State defensive end Adolphus Washington, Austin went to work in the lane and stayed there all day. He dominated the paint on both ends of the court finishing with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 blocks. While still a finesse player, Austin seems to have learned to use his extreme length to get into easy positions to score and then use his soft touch to finish plays. He even initiated contact with the 6’6” beast of man Washington and worked his way to the free throw line. On the defensive end, Austin basically sent back every shot attempt within 6 feet and caused opponents to settle for jumpers because of his presence. Today’s performance was one that makes it clear why Austin has as much long term potential as any member of the 2012 class.
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RECRUITING UPDATE: ISAIAH WATKINS OF ST. BENEDICT’S PREP

Isaiah Watkins has seen his game grow tremendously in the past year and his recruitment has followed the same growth curve. The Class of 2013, 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward should be expected to see a continued increase in attention as he gets ready to hit the season with St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark (NJ), one of the most high-profile prep programs in the country. Watkins was drawn to the Gray Bees program, where he will play for coach Mark Taylor, for the opportunity to improve every day and play against the toughest competition possible at the prep level. Even with a daunting schedule ahead for the Newark school, Watkins has set his sights very high for the season.

“I’m really looking forward to playing in big games against the top teams in the nation,” Watkins told NBE over the weekend of what he is most looking forward to this season. “I want to help St. Benedict’s achieve something great, collectively I [want] us to become the top ranked team in [the] nation this year.”

Watkins is certainly willing to put his individual accomplishments to the side and do what it takes to help the Gray Bees win. The native Canadian seems to understand that winning will take care of everything when it comes to exposure and the importance of playing for a winning program in the eyes of college recruiters.
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SAVON GOODMAN PLANNING TO SIGN IN SPRING, STAY IN 2012

by Alex Schwartz

PHILADELPHIA – On the last day of November in 2010, Savon Goodman committed to his local school, Villanova University. Just over a year later, the 6-foot-6 combo forward is looking for a new college, after decommitting from the Wildcats just before the start of his senior year.

Soon after reopening his recruitment, Goodman transferred to Constitution (PA), leaving the school where he had spent the first three years of his high school career, Academy of the New Church (PA). In addition, rumors began to swirl that he would have to reclassify to 2013 for academic reasons.

On Tuesday, NBE caught up with both Goodman and his high school coach after his second game as a Constitution General, a 61-53 win over Council Rock North (PA) in which he had a game-high 24 points.
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NATIONAL HOOPS FESTIVAL RECRUITING REPORT

On Saturday, Matt Whitfield made the trip to Hyattsville (MD) and DeMatha High School for the 2011 National Hoops Festival event. The early season event is typically one of the favorite stops for NBE on the December schedule and this year did not disappoint with several powerhouse programs headlining the event with a very solid day of action on the court. Here is the scoreboard from Saturday’s contests:

–Bullis 62, Riverdale Baptist 59
–Episcopal 44, Benedictine 38
–Paul VI 65, West Charlotte 58
–Oak Hill 68, Grace Prep 59
–DeMatha 83, Jamesville-Dewitt 57

NBE was able to catch up with players such as Kennedy Meeks, Beejay Anya, Stanford Robinson, Jordan Mickey, RJ Curington, Emmanuel Mudiay and more. See below for the latest in recruiting updates form many of the top uncommitted players participating on Saturday…

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Bosworth: Friday’s National Prep Showcase Breakdown

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The National Prep Showcase kicked off Friday morning at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. One the premier prep events in America on a yearly basis, the showcase features the top prep teams from the Northeast along with a sampling of the strongest teams from around the country. This year had a little bit of added anticipation as it was announced approximately a week prior to the event that NBA scouts would be allowed to attend. If any were on hand Friday they witnessed a performance worthy of a future lottery pick selection.

Top Performer of the Day:
Ricardo Ledo (South Kent Prep 2012) – committed to Providence – There is no debate over the top performer of the day as Ledo put on an offensive clinic in a 20 point South Kent victory. He scored 37 points including 7 three pointers and did so with his usual freewheeling style. Ledo keeps the ball on a string and almost toys with defenders as he routinely broke ankles and got into the lane or used his patented step back move to create space and bury long range shots. At one point on the break Ledo even through it to himself off the backboard and hammered down a dunk contest worthy jam without breaking a sweat. His offensive talents are immense and they were on full display Friday night but perhaps even more impressive was the way Rick carried himself on the court. Often labeled a head case or a moody player, Ledo showed real maturity coaching teammates on the floor and still getting others involved despite that fact that he had it working so well. South Kent head coach Kelvin Jefferson told me after the game that Rick has really progressed as a leader both in the locker room and on the court and that was evident in his play on this night.

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NATIONAL BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE NOTES – AROUND THE BIG EAST 11.16.2011

BIG EAST teams are a combined 31-2 in the early going this season, with both losses coming yesterday.

West Virginia got the day started off early for BIG EAST watchers with a 10 AM game hosting Kent State as part of the ESPN College Hoops Tip-ff Marathon. The young Mountaineers fell to one of the MAC pre-season favorites 70-60 in Morgantown.

WVU had a 5-point lead at the half, but it quickly disappeared and Rob Senderoff earned his first win as the new head coach of Kent Statet. A 19-4 run midway through the second half seized control of the game for the Golden Flashes. Bob Huggins did not want to use youth as an excuse.

“We throw the ball to them; we throw the ball to them for layups, we don’t get back and today it wasn’t just the freshmen,” said Huggins to msnsportsnet.com. “Today we had seniors who didn’t do their job.”
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EARLY SIGNING PERIOD CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS – BIG EAST

By Brian Bosworth, National Recruiting Analyst

The early signing period for college basketball got underway last Wednesday and runs into next week. Here is a look at the highlights from the BIG EAST conference in this early period.

Top 5 Recruiting Classes in BIG EAST:

1) Providence
Commits – Kris Dunn (PG), Ricardo Ledo (SG), Joshua Fortune (SG)
–In his first class at Providence Ed Cooley has landed two prospects in Dunn and Ledo that enter with more fanfare than anyone the previous regime was able to sign.

2) Pittsburgh
Commits – Steven Adams (C), James Robinson (PG)
–After landing McDonald’s All American Khem Birch in the 2011 class, Jamie Dixon has another of the nation’s best big men coming to Pittsburgh in New Zealand native Steven Adams.

3) Syracuse
Commits – DaJuan Coleman (C), Jerami Grant (SF)
–After considering national powers Kentucky and Ohio State, DaJuan Coleman decided to stay home in Syracuse and play his college ball for Jim Boeheim.
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JAREN SINA OPEN TO ANYTHING IN SECOND RECRUITING GO-ROUND

Jaren Sina looked like he had ended the recruiting process early and was off the board before college basketball fans across the country really had a chance to begin to follow his recruitment. Sina, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard from Gill St. Bernard in New Jersey verbally committed to the Crimson Tide last January, during his sophomore season. Now as he is preparing for his junior season the Class of 2013 prospect is back on the open market and looking forward to going through the complete recruiting process.

“I have a great relationship with the coaching staff at Alabama, but I just wanted to have the opportunity to go through the recruiting process again and make sure that I am making the right decision and that I am 100% sure on my choice,”Sina told NBE Sports earlier this evening.

That relationship with the Alabama staff is especially true with head coach Anthony Grant and Sina is definitely still considering the SEC program.

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