July 2006

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 31, 2006

Big East coaches have always been familiar with the talent of the DeMatha Stags in the DC area. With Austin Freeman a committed 2007 recruit for Georgetown and Jerai Grant with a list of Notre Dame, DePaul and Marquette, among Big East teams (See ‘Grant Narrows Choices’ (Mid-Atlantic Hoops) and 2008 top recruit Chris Braswell, who has Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Villanova, among others, on his list, it is no surprise that DeMatha is King of Pro City (Washington Post) with their summer league crown.

The original objective of AAU sports was to promote learnign and teamwork. Obviously, the concept in basketball has taken on a life of its own as the sneaker companies and college basketball recruiting has dictated how the AAU system is run on many levels, but in the case of the AAU National Championships, they still hold the orginal values dearly and when Pittsburgh JOT star Herb Pope was involved in an on-court altercation with an opponent, it ended his time in Orlando as the Aliquippa Star Sent Home From AAU Tournament (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Pope has been a player that Louisville, Pittsburgh and Kansas St seemed to be hot on the heels of. However, some attitude concerns and a less than stellar summer might have cooled some of the hype around him and there are even reports that Pitt and Kansas St might not be recruiting him at the moment. We will see if he straightens himself around or if college is something that might just not be in the cards for the ultra-talented Pope.

While Frank Burlison, of FoxSports.com, tried his hand at Sorting out a Zillion Players in Vegas to rank the top 25 players he saw last week competing in Sin City, several with Big East ties made his list (Austin Freemen, Jonny Flynn, Blake Hoffarber, etc).

The city of Pittsburgh has not been known as a basketball environment in recent years and for an urban setting with two Division 1-A basketball programs in the heart of the city, the lack of any real summer basketball league is an example of the lackadasical attitude for basketball. However, Jamie Dixon has worked to change that and a new New Summer Basketball League Has a Wealth of Talent (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) as it tries to fill the void. Reports from the play this summer is that ECU transfer Mike Cook, who will be suiting up for Pitt next year, has been the best player in the league.

We are still two and a half months from practices beginning, but Pitt’s Antonio Graves is Excited for Season to Begin (pittsburgh Tribune-Review).

Another player chomping at the bit to get on the floor for his senior season is SU’s Terrence Roberts. While playing for the Central NY team in the Empire State Games, the senior expressed his desire to have a big season to finish his career: Roberts Hopes to Dominate at SU (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle).

Taking a break from the busy summer recruiting schedule, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino took time out to speak with the Cincinnati Bengals at their training camp. Pitino Spoke About Adversity (Cincinnati Post) with the Bengals and how to overcome the tough times.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: PITTSBURGH

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Keith Benjamin (G), Ronald Ramon (G), Mike Cook (G/F)
Juniors: Levance Fields (PG), Sam Young (F), Tyrell Biggs (F)
Sophomores: Gilbert Brown (SF/G), Austin Wallace (BF)
Freshmen: Darnell Dodson (G/F)

The Panthers enter the 2007 recruiting season with a re-tooled staff after seeing NYC ace-recruiter Barry Rohrssen leave for the head coaching position at Manhattan College, vacated by SHU’s Bobby Gonzalez, and Joe Lombardi move to the head coaching ranks at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After promoting former Panther Orlando Antigua from the Director of Basketball Operations to an full-time assistant spot and hiring Mike Rice from the staff at St. Joseph’s, Jamie Dixon rounded out his revamped staff with the hiring of DC Assault coach and Assistant Principal at St. John’s College Prep David Cox.

To read the rest of our recruiting report for Pittsburgh you can click HERE! to see it at our Pittsburgh Team Page.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: SETON HALL

July 2006

2007-2008 Projected Roster

Seniors: Brian Laing (G/F), Jamar Nutter (G)
Juniors: Paul Gause (G)
Sophomores: Kashif Pratt (G), Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), Joey Cameron (F), John Garcia (C/F)
Freshmen: Michael Glover (F)

The days of apathetic area recruiting for Seton Hall are over as Louis Orr has been replaced by Bobby Gonzalez. Orr was always a gentleman in his days as Pirate coach and brought SHU to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in his last three seasons at the helm of the Pirate ship, including last year’s surprising effort. However, the new Big East brings with it a year round competition to not only succeed on the court during the season, but to succeed and get a leg up on the competition in the off-season on the recruiting trail, something, especially locally in the NYC/NJ area that Louis Orr was, at least in terms of perception, unable, or unwilling, to do. So, out with the Orr and in with the new-age, gym-rat and ultra-aggressive and fast-talking Bobby Gonzalez, the former coach of Manhattan College in the Bronx.

Read more of our report on Seton Hall recruiting for 2007 by clicking HERE! to see the rest of our artcle on our Seton Hall Team Page.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: PITTSBURGH

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Keith Benjamin (G), Ronald Ramon (G), Mike Cook (G/F)
Juniors: Levance Fields (PG), Sam Young (F), Tyrell Biggs (F)
Sophomores: Gilbert Brown (SF/G), Austin Wallace (BF)
Freshmen: Darnell Dodson (G/F)

The Panthers enter the 2007 recruiting season with a re-tooled staff after seeing NYC ace-recruiter Barry Rohrssen leave for the head coaching position at Manhattan College, vacated by SHU’s Bobby Gonzalez, and Joe Lombardi move to the head coaching ranks at Division II Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After promoting former Panther Orlando Antigua from the Director of Basketball Operations to an full-time assistant spot and hiring Mike Rice from the staff at St. Joseph’s, Jamie Dixon rounded out his revamped staff with the hiring of DC Assault coach and Assistant Principal at St. John’s College Prep David Cox.

READ OUR PREVIEW…CLICK “Read More” BELOW

It wasn’t the best of spring’s for Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon. After a 2nd round NCAA defeat at the hands of the Bradley Braves, the Panthers came up short on the recruiting trail with the likes of Tyler Smith, Hamady N’Diaye and Dan Werner when trying to hand out their last available scholarship. On top of that, Dixon was also handling the hiring of two new staff members with Barry Rohrssen and Joe Lombardi leaving for head coaching positions at other schools. However, none of those issues compared to having to deal with the tragic loss of Dixon’s younger sister, Maggie, in April. Ms. Maggie Dixon was the head coach of the Army Women’s team and the coaching siblings were very close. It was a tough spring all around for Dixon, his family and the Panthers.

Last month, Pitt did receive some good news when Aaron Gray turned down the opportunity to be a 1st round pick in the NBA draft to return for hs senior season at Pitt. With Gray returning, the Panthers are a consensous top 10 team and with that comes a great deal of TV exposure which will only enhance recruiting. Also, adding Mike Rice, who has extensive recruiting ties along the east coast from his days working for the Hoop Group and their Eastern Invitational basketball camps, and David Cox, who is very well connected in the DC area from his time with the DC Assault, the Panthers are ready to hit the recruiting trail with some aggression this summer.

Pitt picked up a commitment earlier in July from Darnell Dodson, a 6′7 wing with a reputation of being an excellent shooter from deep. Pitt has always seemed to be in search of a wing player with size that can consistently hit from the perimeter and they hope Dodson is that type of player that will develop with the Panthers. Dodson plays AAU ball for the DC Assault, helping Pitt with additional inroads to the very fertile recruiting grounds of DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia.

With Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall and Doyle Hudson all seniors this year, Pitt knows the priority is big men for the 2007 class and big men that can play right away is a real must-get. with only Tyrell Biggs and the raw Austin Wallace on the projected roster as big men, Pitt has the immediate playing time to offer front court prospects that high-end talent looking for a short stay in college might find attractive. With players like Herb Pope and Michael Beasley, although committed to Kansas St, on their radar, Pitt looks like a good opportunity for either to come in and play alot, especially BF Beasley. Other big men the Panther staff has had in their sites this summer are Julian Vaughn (BF/C) and Anthony McClain (C), who both play for DC Asault, and NJ native Hamidu Rahman (C) and CT prep schooler Ayodele Coker (C). Pope’s AAU teammate DeJuan Blair is another PF that the Pitt staff can always be found laying eyes on while out on the AAU circuit and they have recently tried to get more invovled with Patrick Patterson (BF), Tyrone Nash (combo F), George Goode (combo F) and Trevor Mbakwe (BF). Somehow, someway, the Panthers are likely to add three front court prospects in this class. Adding three from this list would be an incredible job by the staff, but it is more likely that a few new names could surface and with the need for immediate contributions, JUCO players could also be explored in the fall.

With Dodson on hand and the liklihood of three front court prospects to be added, Pitt still has another scholarship to give. The biggest catch they are after with the last scholarship would be DC-area PG Chris Wright. Wright is an AAU teammate of Patrick Patterson with Boo Williams, but is very close to Pitt Director of Basketball Operations David Cox who was the Assistant Principal at Wright’s high school. With Georgetown the expected leader, Pitt is fighting an uphill battle to land Wright. Outside of Wright, Pitt has also been seen recruiting Philadelphia guard Bradley Wannamaker and MD combo Malcolm Delaney as well as NJ guard Miles Beatty with an for a possible last scholarship. Other players on and off the Pitt radar include twins Marcus and Markeif Morris, Blake Hoffarber, DJ Kennedy and Earl Pettis.

With teams like Syracuse, Villanova, Georgetown, Louisville and Connecticut at, or near, their scholarship limit, the Panthers have a pretty good situation to sell themselves to recruits with an opportunity to come in and play early on a contending Big East program. With the buzz and exposure ahead for the upcoming season, the newly configured Pitt staff has an excellent opportunity to sell itself to prospects all over the east coast and beyond on the Big East. It is an important class for the Panthers as they try to maintain their spot near the top of the conference for the future while battling some of the biggest recruiting powerhouses in the country. We expect a lot of action out of the Panthers on the recruiting trail in the very near future. To keep abreast on Panther developments, we have recently found an excellent source to be a blog called Panther Rants on the blogger network as well as Pitt Sports Blather.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 28, 2006

Last season Ayodele Coker averaged a very modest 5 PPG and 7 rebounds playing for South Kent (CT) School after coming to the US from Nigeria. However, being 6′9 with loads of potential and a willingness to rebound and the ability to block shots with strong play in the post has attracted a lot of attention from St. John’s who has made him quite the priority this summer and Indiana, whom he also plans to visit. With the Kentucky Wildcats Looking to Add to front Line (Cincinnati Post), Coker was pleasantly surprised earlier this week to learn that Tubby Smith had called his prep coach and made it known that an offer from Kentucky is on the table. Pittsburgh is another Big East school that has shown interest in Coker.

As the new freshmen at Connecticut get acclimated to their new surroundings, they have one of the ultimate resources at their disposal this week as the #12 pick in the 2006 NBA draft, Hilton Armstrong, is around playing pick-up games. Armstrong is definitely a good resource playing four years under Jim Calhoun and waging battle in proactice against lottery picks such as Emeka Okafor, Charlie Villanueva and Rudy Gay. Now, the role is Armstrong the Mentor (Hartford Courant) to the young pups.

We all are familiar with the success of Dominic James on the court in his freshmen year, however, we may not know that James Achieves Goals On and Off the Court at Marquette (Palladium-Item) as he was named a Big East Academic All-Star for his performance in the classroom. This summer, James is working at improving his game battling former Marquette PG Travis Diener on the court and still working hard in the classroom taking summer classes.

Over the last five years Pittsburgh has been widely criticized for the make-up of their non-conference schedule. It looks like Pitt is attempting to take steps to change that perception this season with a much more challenging slate of games which includes a February 17th ESPN date with the Washington Huskies as the UW Men to Hoop it Up with Pitt this Season (Seattle Times). Washington was also criticized last season for their out of conference schedule and the UW Addition of Pitt to Schedule (Post-Intelligencer) will beef up the slate for a rebuilding Huskies. The article states the teams will meet in Seattle the following season (likely not at Hec Edmundson Pavilion).

Although not as high-powered of a match-up, Pitt looks like they will open their season on ESPN meeting Western Michigan on November 12th at West Point’s Christi Arena in a Hoops Twin Bill to Honor Maggie Dixon (Times Herald-Record). The game is set to tip-off at 2:30 following a match-up between the Army Women’s team (who were coached last season by the late Maggie Dixon) and Ohio St.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also writes today about Pitt’s non-conference schedule that is also expected to include road games with Wisconsin and Auburn and a game in Madison Square Garden with South Carolina. Pitt Adds Quality to 2006-2007 Hoops Schedule with expected games in Pittsburgh with Dayton, UMass and Florida St as well. The schedule is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, but it is definitely shaping up to be a quality slate for Pitt.

In CollegeHoops.Net’s quest to preview the top 144 teams in 144 days, they take a look at a Big East team at #110: Seton Hall #110.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: SETON HALL

July 2006

2007-2008 Projected Roster

Seniors: Brian Laing (G/F), Jamar Nutter (G)
Juniors: Paul Gause (G)
Sophomores: Kashif Pratt (G), Eugene Harvey (PG), Larry Davis (SG), Joey Cameron (F), John Garcia (C/F)
Freshmen: Michael Glover (F)

The days of apathetic area recruiting for Seton Hall are over as Louis Orr has been replaced by Bobby Gonzalez. Orr was always a gentleman in his days as Pirate coach and brought SHU to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in his last three seasons at the helm of the Pirate ship, including last year’s surprising effort. However, the new Big East brings with it a year round competition to not only succeed on the court during the season, but to succeed and get a leg up on the competition in the off-season on the recruiting trail, something, especially locally in the NYC/NJ area that Louis Orr was, at least in terms of perception, unable, or unwilling, to do. So, out with the Orr and in with the new-age, gym-rat and ultra-aggressive and fast-talking Bobby Gonzalez, the former coach of Manhattan College in the Bronx.

Read More…Click ‘Read More’ Below!!!

With neighboring NJ rival Rutgers firing the first shot in upping the ante in recruiting the NYC/NJ-area with the hiring of Fred Hill as an assistant coach, the pressure was on Louis Orr. With no long term commitment from the University, Orr was seemingly hung out to dry from last summer until the time he and Seton Hall parted ways last spring. During that time, he was able to accrue verbal commitments from Malcolm Grant, Orlando Allen and Quincy Owens, however none of them look to be on the SHU radar with Bobby Gonzalez.

Gonzalez hit the ground running last spring garnering commitments from PG Eugene Harvey and G Kashif Pratt from the local area and caught a bit of a break when SG Larry Davis became available after Herb Sendek left North Carolina St and Davis decided to attend school closer to his NYC home and chose the Pirates. In just weeks Gonzalez gave the Pirate faithul the kind of local recruiting hope they craved with those three commitments. Gonzalez also was able to woo Auburn transfer Joey Cameron to the fold. Cameron will sit out the upcoming season and then have three years of eligibility left.

Gonzalez pursuit of local talent has not let up as he has a commitment from 6′6 PF Michael Glover, a NYC native who is attending school at Boys to Men Academy in Chicago. Glover is an undersized forward that plays tough and gives every ounce of energy he can, much like his older brother, former St. John’s standout Anthony Glover.

With the commitment from Glover, the Pirates still look to have four scholarships to distribute in the class of 2007. The glaring needs for the SHU roster include frontcourt help and talent on the wing. With just Cameron and John Garcia currently on the roster with any size over 6′6, adding a couple of big men to the mix is priority #1 and #1-A for the SHU staff. Late in the process for the class of 2006 they are still connected with 6′9 NYC big man Mike Davis who must first overcome some academic obstacles. They also continue to try and pursue Tyrone Nash for either 2006 or 2007 to fill a forward spot as well.

In the class of 2007, big men such as Hamidu Rahman, Michael Eric, Brandon Walters and Idris Hilliard have been on their radar and have seen some SHU staff take in some of their action. The Pirates would love to get in the mix for Glover’s prep teammate, Mac Koshwal, but that would be a tough race to make up ground on. The list of big men names are almost definitely to grow on the SHU radar as the summer evaluation period comes to a close. At this point, I really do not have a good grasp on any they are in really good shape with. This will be a difficult area to recruit as the competition for big men is always tough.

At the wing position, NYC-native Jamine “Greedy” Peterson is an athletic specimen that SHU has been seen checking out several times. Another target the staff has seemed to aggressively evaluate lately is Rashad Bishop whose strong season last year put him on the high-major radar and his play this summer has only enhanced it. Now, he is taking his game to St. Benedict’s where he hopes to nail down the acadmics to pave his road to the Big East. The staff also has shown interest in twins Jerrell and Terrell Williams. The NJ natives have opted for Northfield Mount Hermon School to raise their profiles and are the younger brothers of former SU player DeShaun Williams. Corey Raji is another forward that SHU is in the mix for.

With the final scholarship, SHU will probably look for the best available player willing to commit. With a class ahead of the 2007 group that includes five unique players (Harvey, Davis, Pratt, Cameron and Garcia) it might be hard to be able to recruit over a player since they have a solid group at each position. The Pirates have been mentioned lately by a couple PG’s, like Chris Wright and Malik Boothe, and NJ SG Chris Smith also has SHU on his radar as well.

No doubt a lot has changed for Seton Hall on the recruiting trail in the last year. With an experienced and proven NYC recruiter in Bobby Gonzalez with a staff put together to make a big impact in the NYC/NJ area, the excitement on the recruiting trail is back for the Pirate fans. Expect to see many new names coming and going this summer and fall for the Pirates as they look to solidify a roster that has, at least, four more openings.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 26, 2006

An update from DePaul in the Daily Herald is not filled with good news as DePaul Suspends Senior Center Keith Butler, a 7′1 transfer from Temple. Butler sat out last season with the Blue Demons under NCAA transfer rules after playing three seasons for Temple in the Atlantic 10. Currently, Butler is suspended from all team activities for violating team policies. He could be reinstated at the beginning of the autumn quarter pending a university review of the suspenion. Butler started for three seasons under John Chaney at Temple, averaging 4 PPG and 4.3 rebounds in 20 minutes as a junior. His loss at Temple was not met with a lot of sadness by some teammates as he was called a ‘cancer’ publicly by Temple teammate Mark Tyndale.

DePaul fans should be encouraged that incoming freshmen Thijin Moses and Will Walker are both currently on campus and taking classes. Walker’s eligibility has never been in doubt, but Moses has not been as clear, although it looks, according to the article, that he is on track to be suiting up this season.

Another incoming freshmen that had some questions surrounding his ability to become eligible this season is UConn’s Curtis Kelly. Always high in potential, Kelly had his ups and downs at Rice HS, but coach Mo Hicks never gave up on the potential star and was never afraid to dish the tough love. Now, Kelly Sees Fresh Start at UConn (NY Post) and is fully qualified and ready to go this season.

Now they are down to just two returning players from last season as Dominic Tilford Leaves Cincinnati (Cincinnati Post) and decides to transfer. Tilford was a late addition to the roster last spring and played sparingly, despite the short bench as a freshmen. He is leaving the program in good academic standing and will likely transfer to a lower level conference if I were to guess.

In other Bearcat news, they are (per the Cincinnati Enquirer) expected to announce that Poland native Adam Hrycaniuk, a 6-10, 230-pound forward from Trinity Valley (Texas) College, will join the Bearcats for the 2006-07 season. This is not a big suprise as it has been widely expected for a couple months now and looks to be official once Hrycaniuk enrolls at UC.

The Old Spice Classic is a new exempt basketball tournament that will be played over Thanksgiving at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando. In round one it is West Virginia meeting Montana (Charleston Gazette) with the rest of the made up of Arkansas, Marist, Minnesota, Southern Illinois, Virginia Tech and Western Michigan. The tournament has been put together by ESPN and they will televise every game.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 25, 2006

Rutgers is looking to improve and get better. With a new coach and without Quincy Douby to carry the scoring load, many RU fans have taken interest in a new summer league at Rutgers’ College Avenue Gym to see what their prospects are for next year. The Rutgers Players Rely on New Summer League to Keep Competitive Fire (Star-Ledger) burning until the fall. Improvement from JR Inman, Jaron Griffin and Anthony Farmer, as well as contributions from newcomers such as Hamady N’Diaye and Courtney Nelson will go a long way in helping the Scarlet Knights creep up the conference ladder.

St. John’s in Running for Nigerian Big Man (Cincinnati Post) as Ayodele Coker of South Kent Prep School lists the Redstorm among his top four with Kentucky, Indiana and Texas. Coker, who has only been seriously playing basketball for a couple years, has not had a lot of exposure to college basketball, but has learned alot from the internet, which has given him the information he has needed to know what schools he is most interested in. Coker plays in the summer for the Albany City Rocks and the 6′9 C is not afraid to thrown himself into an opponent to prevent an easy hoop.

He is the son of the most famous basketball player ever at West Virginia and with that will come expectations. So far, Johnnie West is Adjusting Well to New Life of Student Athlete (Register-Herald). Johnnie, the son of WVU/NBA great Jerry West, is one of seven new WVU recruits suiting up for the Mountaineers this season.

Patrick Patterson and Tyrone Nash both have Big East interest in their recruitment, here is an update on both from the point of view of Kentucky: UK Not at Fault, Patterson Still interested in UK (Lexington Herald-Leader. We all probably know the story now, over-zealous Kentucky fans posting messages on Patterson’s MySpace site urging him to come to the Bluegrass state. These actions caused UK to self-report a minor violation. Nash is weighing a UK offer for this coming season against attending prep school for a year. In the article, his dad thinks it is an easy decision, but he is not going to push his son.

With a young team, Jim Calhoun is Pleased with UConn OOC Schedule Set-Up (NH Register), which includes some tests with trips to LSU and a date with Georgia Tech in the Georgia Dome as well as dates with Indiana and Ole Miss, coaches by Andy Kennedy. The games with Indiana and Georgia Tech take place in February, when the young Huskies wont be so young anymore…

Andre Tate, a former Cincinnati Bearcat, leaves his position as head coach at Cincinnati State, where he coached Bearcat recruit John Williamson, to join the Cincinnati staff as the video coordinator: Tate Joins Bearcats (Cincinnati Enquirer).

Here is Part One of a Boston Globe series on $neaker Wars. It is a look at the world of AAU basketball and the sneaker companies influence on the coaches, players and parents in the recruiting process. Part Two goes into detail about AAU coaches admitting to doling out cash to players: Wading in the Cesspool (Boston Globe). In the final installment, the Globe looks at how sneaker companies begin looking at players as young as age 12: Are You Kidding. There is a lot to read here…but, it is VERY interesting and makes a good book, if you have the time!

We are now in the midst of the last six days of the crazy July evaluation period and Fatigue Begins as the Evaluation Period Ends (Journal Gazette) with players playing up to 2-3 games a day in the sweltering heat, like in Vegas or Orlando this week. However, even as coaches would like to see players playing less during this time of the year, is there any alternative? With schools in many states running into mid-June and beginning in mid-August in others, July seems to be the only month where kids can travel during the week to play and everyone is free from school obligations. So, make no mistake about it, Summer Ball Rules When Recruiting Time Rolls (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel).

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: DePAUL

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Draelon Burns (SG), Cliff Clinkscales (PG), Karron Clarke (WF), Wes Green (C)
Juniors: Jabarie Currie (SG), Wilson Chandler (PF)
Sophomores: Will Walker (PG), Thijin Moses (F)
Freshmen: No commits as of yet.

Jerry Wainwright and his staff, led by Gary DeCesare, have been very busy on the recruiting trail this spring and summer and have the Blue Demons involved with many players that should be quality players in the Big East. With five scholarships open and a senior class in 2007-2008 of four players, the 2007 and 2008 classes are shaping up to be the most important for DePaul in a long time as they might dictate their future in the Big East as they try to move into the upper-echelon of the conference.

For more on DePaul’s 2007 recruiting, please click HERE! to see our full report at our DePaul Team Page.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: VILLANOVA

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Junior: Frank Tchuisi (F), Bilal Benn (G), Dwayne Anderson (SG), Dante Cunningham (F), Shane Clark (F)
Sophomore: Scottie Reynolds (G), Andrew Ott (C), Reggie Redding (G), Casseim Drummond (C), Antonio Pena (F)
Freshmen: Corey Stokes (G), Corey Fisher (PG), Malcolm Grant (PG), Kraidon Woods (F)

Jay Wright is HOT! Not much more you can say about the recruiting efforts of the Villanova Wildcats and their coach. We entered the July evaluation period with the Wildcats already committed to 14 scholarships, one over the NCAA limit of 13, for their 2007-2008 season.

To read more on Villanova’s recruiting efforts click HERE! to view the rest of our post at our Villanova Team Page.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: CONNECTICUT

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Juniors: AJ Price (G), Marcus Johnson (WG), Jeff Adrien (F), Craig Austrie (G), Robert Garrison (PG).
Sophomores: Curtis Kelly (BF/C), Jerome Dyson (G), Jonathan Mandeldove (C), Stanley Robinson (F), Ben Eaves (F), Doug Wiggins (PG), Gavin Edwards (PF/C), Hasheem Thabeet (C)

UConn is in a scholarship pinch with 13 players consisting of their freshmen and sophomore classes heading into the 2006-2007 season. So, currently, they are out evaluating 2008 players heavily on the recruiting trail and keeping the lines of communication open with some big men in the class of 2007, just in case.

To read more on UConn’s recruiting efforts, click HERE! to read our post at our UConn Team Page.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 21, 2006

Notre Dame will get the official word today from Valparaiso HS (IN) wing Scott Martin on his college choice. ND, along with Purdue (rumored favorite), Indiana, Michigan, Maryland and Texas as Friday is D-Day for Martin (Northwest Indiana Times).

Anyone looking for an athletic forward as a late addition? Chadwick Gray Denied Admission to South Carolina (FoxSports.com) despite being academically cleared by the NCAA because his last prep school, Florida Prep, is one of the 22 prep schools that the NCAA expects to continue to monitor. With an 850 SAT score and 2.5 GPA, he was cleared by the NCAA after the former South Carolina prep hoops and football star spent the last two years at IMG and was reclassified to the class of 2006 after a year at Florida Prep, which has also sent three teammates to 1-A schools this season with no problem. Gray was once committed to Florida St on a football scholarship, now he is not sure what to do next.

CSTV catches up with Villanova assistant Patrick Chambers to get a look at life on the road during college basketball’s busiest month for assistant coaches: Second Time is a Charm for Chambers.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: DEPAUL

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Seniors: Draelon Burns (SG), Cliff Clinkscales (PG), Karron Clarke (WF), Wes Green (C)
Juniors: Jabarie Currie (SG), Wilson Chandler (PF)
Sophomores: Will Walker (PG), Thijin Moses (F)
Freshmen: No commits as of yet.

Jerry Wainwright and his staff, led by Gary DeCesare, have been very busy on the recruiting trail this spring and summer and have the Blue Demons involved with many players that should be quality players in the Big East. With five scholarships open and a senior class in 2007-2008 of four players, the 2007 and 2008 classes are shaping up to be the most important for DePaul in a long time as they might dictate their future in the Big East as they try to move into the upper-echelon of the conference.

READ MORE….Click Below!!

Target numero-uno for Jerry Wainwright and staff is Boys to Men Academy’s Nyal ‘Mac’ Koshwal, a 6′8, 235 lb power forward. Although Koshwal seems to keep his options close to the vest, it is widely perceived that DePaul leads for the interior horse with Marquette, Wisconsin, Miami and Georgetown still in hot pursuit as well. With only the inconsistent Wesley Green on the projected roster as an interior offensive threat, Wainwright has made Koshwal priority #1 from the start of the 2007 recruiting and the playing time is definitely available to him from the beginning.

The Blue Demons could definitely use additional size along with Koshwal and they have been recruiting players like Gary McGhee (6′9, 230 lb BF/C from IN), Brandon McGee (6′8, 215 lb BF from Chicago), Jerai Grant (6′8, 215 lb BF from MD), Idris Hilliard (6′7, 215 lb F from NJ), Jon Leuer (6′10, 200 lb F from MN) and Croatian Juco Matija Poscic (6′9 and 220 lbs). Assuming they land Koshwal, any one of these targets would be an excellent addition to add immediate depth and the potential to be excellent players in the conference. In the event of losing Koshwal, landing two players from this group is essential, although none would give the immediate lift that Koshwal would be expected to provide.

With the late addition of the long and lean Thijin Moses to the 2006 class, there does not seem to be a big push to add a wing. They were very aggressive in trying to get a wing in the 2006 class and with the decommitment of Manual Cass (more of a combo forward, anyway) and the transfer of Rashad Woods, I would have thought they would continue to explore additional wing options, but at this time, nothing seems on the immediate radar. A top early target was Evan Turner who blew up early this spring and committed to Ohio State a few weeks ago.

It looks as if the Blue Demons are also aggressively pursuing guards. At the absolute top of their list is top 5 player Derrick Rose out of Chicago and top 20 Chris Wright out of DC. Although DePaul could be considered on each of their short lists, it would be a longshot that DePaul lands either. Rose could be one of the first to push the envelopre in challenging the new restrictions against high school players going straight to the professional ranks (with Illinois and Memphis supposedly leading as college choices) and Wright seems to be leaning towards Georgetown with a late push from Pitt. DePaul has been spotted trailing Justin Bocot, an aggressive and athletic lead guard out of Illinois as well as NJ guard Rashon Dwight and Mustapha Farrakhan out of Chicago. The Blue Demons were disappointed when Demetri McCamey, a HS and AAU teammate of Evan Turner, parlayed their early spring AAU success into an offer, which he accepted, from Illinois. He would have been a perfect fit at DePaul, and the Big East, with his strong style of play with Will Waker in the Blue Demon future backcourt.

With a tremendous amount of local talent in the immediate area and the high profile environment of th eBig East to offer recruits, it should be an exciting time to follow DePaul recruiting. With up to five scholarships to offer this year and at least another four in the 2008 class, we should have a lot to report on out of Chicago. A great resource to also check out on Chicago and the rest of the state of Illinois high school basketball and recruiting is Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye. They do an excellent job, for free, on keeping their readers up to date on players from Illinois and the surrounding area and their recrutiting situations. We check them out often to get the scoop on who DePaul, Marquette and Notre Dame, for the most part, are checking out from the area.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 20, 2006

Dave Telep and Jeff Goodman take their turns at Ranking The Best Players During Camp Week (FoxSports.com) now that the three major sneaker camps have ended for another year. Big East commitments like Donte Green (SU), Johnny Flynn (SU) and Austin Freeman (Georgetown) were very impressive to the Scout.com writers.

Also, in the article, Mike Sullivan takes a look at some of the news in the recruiting world on the east coast while covering the Playaz Ball at Basketball City. A name to remember is 2008 Niagara Falls product and GC Ballerz’ Rashon Tabb. Tabb already had schools like Syracuse and Georgetown interested in his skills before his 31-pt outburst in a semifinal contest against the Juice All-Stars (who are headed by Malcolm Grant, Erving Walker and Nick Leon) and had coaches from Pitt, Providence and St. John’s in attendence. Last year it was Paul Harris and Lazar Heyward, this year Johnny Flynn and next season, it looks to be Tabb’s turn to lead Jeff Bishop’s GC Ballerz crew into the AAU heirachy.

Also impressing Sullivan this weekend is 6′2 sweet-shooting and foundamentally sound (what else do you expect from a Bob Hurley coached guard) Miles Beatty. Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Pittsburgh have taken a notice to Beatty’s skills this summer and will probably be watching him play this comint week in Orlando when the National AAU championship kicks off.

The state of Minnesota has not been a spot many would think the Big East would find many recruiting targets. Boston College used to dabble in the state and pull some quality players to the east, this year, the state is seeing a strong crop and the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes that the Class of ‘07 Gains Notice as players like Jon Leuer (Louisville), Blake Hoffarber (Cincinnati and Notre Dame) and Trevor Mbakwe (Marquette) all have Big East programs watching them closely as the summer evaluation period begins to wind down.

While this is a recruiting dead period, from July 17-21, Jamie Dixon remains busy by running his basketball camp on the Pittsburgh campus as Former Players Happy to return to Help Dixon with Summer Camp (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). College coaches will head to Las Vegas today for a coach’s convention and the evaluation period begins again just after midnight on the 22nd and closes out the month.

Kojo Mensah Cuts Ties With Siena (FoxSports.com), howerver, until he gives Siena a list of schools he’d like to transfer to it is unlikely he will be given a release. This story has been quite interesting as Mensah has told the staff he wants to play in a bigger conference with more exposure, which does not seem to be Duquesne, according to Siena, however, that seems to be where he wants to go. Will they release him to Duquesnse? Doubtful…but, Providence and St. John’s could also be in the mix and those schools meet the ‘bigger conference and more exposure critieria’ that Mensah says he is looking for. Although Siena will not come out and say it, they have indicated that some form of tampering has been committed by Duquesnse in this situation. Mensah is a tough, athletic guard that will contribute in the Big East.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: CONNECTICUT

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Juniors: AJ Price (G), Marcus Johnson (WG), Jeff Adrien (F), Craig Austrie (G), Robert Garrison (PG).
Sophomores: Curtis Kelly (BF/C), Jerome Dyson (G), Jonathan Mandeldove (C), Stanley Robinson (F), Ben Eaves (F), Doug Wiggins (PG), Gavin Edwards (PF/C), Hasheem Thabeet (C)

Read More…Click Below!

Just like Villanova, UConn is in a scholarship pinch as well with 13 players consisting of their freshmen and sophomore classes heading into the 2006-2007 season. So, currently, they are out evaluating 2008 players heavily on the recruiting trail and keeping the lines of communication open with some big men in the class of 2007, just in case. With the hype around 7′2 Hasheem Thabeet, it might not be far-fetched that he ventures into the NBA draft after once season in Storrs. With that in mind, the UConn staff has been spotted taking in some games of big men like Anthony McClain, Hamidu Rahman, JJ Hickson and others, just in case someone is willing to wait until the spring and see what materializes with the Connecticut roster. Herb Pope is another player mentioning the Huskies and could be looking to decide in the spring when the dust settles with transfers and NBA decisions.

In the meantime, Jim Calhoun is being very visible with the class of 2008, although, at this time, there is still no scholarships open for that class either, and getting on the mind of some of the top players in the country for 2008, including Devin Ebanks, Samardo Samuels, Brandon Jennings, Drew Gordon, James Southerland and Delvan Roe, among others.

With a deep and talented roster, just like at Villanova, the Huskies could be prone to transfers. They do have a roster that is pretty well balances with some players that will develop over time, like Jonathan Mandeldove, Ben Eaves, Gavin Edwards and Doug Wiggins with players ready to make an immediate impact, like Thabeet, Curtis Kelly, Jerome Dyson as well as holdovers like AJ Price, Jeff Adrien and Marcus Johnson. Some of the roster stability will depend on guys like Robert Garrison and Craig Austrie accepting roles that add depth to the roster, and, if your going to carry 13 players, someone needs to accept the role of being those 11, 12 and 13th players on the depth chart.

In the meantime, the young Huskies will hit the floor this season and try to work it all out and see who develops, with the high upside of several of their players, a quick exit from Storrs to the NBA is a definite possibility.

BIG EAST RECRUITING REPORT: VILLANOVA

July 2006

Projected 2007-2008 Roster:

Junior: Frank Tchuisi (F), Bilal Benn (G), Dwayne Anderson (SG), Dante Cunningham (F), Shane Clark (F)
Sophomore: Scottie Reynolds (G), Andrew Ott (C), Reggie Redding (G), Casseim Drummond (C), Antonio Pena (F)
Freshmen: Corey Stokes (G), Corey Fisher (PG), Malcolm Grant (PG), Kraidon Woods (F)

READ ON…CLICK “Read More” BELOW

Jay Wright is HOT! Not much more you can say about the recruiting efforts of the Villanova Wildcats and their coach. We entered the July evaluation period with the Wildcats already committed to 14 scholarships, one over the NCAA limit of 13, for their 2007-2008 season. With Curtis Sumpter returning for the 2006-2007 season and the late addition of Scottie Reynolds, even the decision of Kyle Lowry to stay in the draft pushed committed seniors Kraidon Woods and Malcolm Grant to take a 5th-season of prep ball and hold of enrolling. What makes their recruiting even more quiet is the 2007-2008 roster is void of seniors, making it that there are no current scholarships left for 2007 or 2008. However, as well all know, recruiting can take some twists and turns along the way.

There have been some internet rumors about Kraidon Woods or Malcolm Grant thinking twice about staying committed. With the multiple guard looks that Jay Wright has been able to put together, I think Grant is more likely to stick things out with Villanova. He committed knowing the situation, although Scottie Reynolds was not in the picture at the time, however, Corey Fisher was in the fold and Corey Stokes was a real possibility. Woods, however, could be another story. With a team likely to put at least three guards on the floor in many situations, there could be limited time for the raw, yet high on potential, Woods. Villanova was on him before most, so, we will see. So far, nothing is more than just rumors, but both are situations to follow.

The other likely source of a scholarship opening up is in the way of transfers. The sophomore season of players like Dwayne Anderson, Frank Tchuisi and Bilal Benn will probably tell the story of their future careers as Wildcats. With a very talented class behind them with Andrew Ott, Antonio Pena and Casseim Drummond behind Tchiuisi, Reggie Redding battling with Anderson and Benn trying to win time with Scottie Reynolds, it will be a key season for the returning players to define their roles. When you are reloading your roster and carrying 12-13 players, it is only natural for some to look at additional options for playing time after a few seasons in the program. Again, it is all just speculation, but with 14 commits for 13 spots currently for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, it is something to keep an eye on for future recruiting chances.

For now, the Villanova staff is looking into 2008 prospects and laying the ground work for the future. We will follow the names of players that emerge over time and keep an eye on the roster make-up going through the season.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 18, 2006

CollegeHoopsNet.com began their interesting 144 teams in 144 days leading up to the tip-off for the 2006-2007 season late in June. The first Big East team up in their top 144 is the #118 Providence Friars.

It became official yesterday as Jamie Dixon finalized his coaching staff at Pitt with the addition of David Cox to the staff. Cox Joins Pitt as Director of Basketball Operations (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Previously, Cox was the Assistant Principal at St. John’s College Prep in the DC-area where he also worked with the DC Assault AAU program, giving the Panthers a real nice connection into the talent-rich area.

The Big East schedule was definitely “smoothed” out a little bit this year and the Charleston Gazette feels the Big East Basketball Schedule Kind to WVU. With Louisville and Syracuse not on the schedule, it is a much easier slate than last season and we ranked WVU’s conference schedule in the lower-half of the conference in yesterday’s 2006-2007 Big East Schedule Analysis.

Syracuse fans can’t wait for Paul Harris to suit up for the Orange this winter and the feeling is mutual as Harris Focused on Orange (Buffalo News) and is chomping at the bit to get onto the Carrier Dome floor. Even with the anticipation of Harris in 2006, the SU fans may even be getting more excited for the 2007 and the future it brings as Antonio Jardine, Johnny Flynn, Donte Green and Rick Jackson are a quartet of Future Orange Rule at Camps (Syracuse Post-Standard) and have raised their national profiles. Green is currently ranked among the top 10 in the class by a few services and may rise some more after an impressive NIKE camp in Indianapolis. Johnny Flynn, another Niagara Falls native (liek Harris) has been the fastest riser and could be among the top 20 by summer’s end.

He is 7′3, 268 lbs and yet the native of Tanzania was not known by anyone in the recruiting world just one year ago. Now, he has the heavy burden of expectations placed on him before playing in his first college game with the UConn Huskies. He is Hasheem Thabeet and He’s Come Along Way (Hartford Courant) in basketball and in life.

Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News recently took a look at the rising hopes at Rutgers with Fred Hill embarking on his head coaching career. The high temperature has definitely been attributed to Scarlet Fever. Hill has spent time recruiting some of New Jersey’s best for Seton Hall and Villanova as an assistant coach. Now he will do it for himself as the head coach of Rutgers, the program he has grown up following dearly. With Hamady N’Diaye inked from last year’s late signing period and has a commitment from highly regarded NJ product Corey Chandler and Justin Sofman for the class of 2007, Hill has shown some of that recruiting savvy early on. Some other top targets in 2007, with four scholarships likely, are Mike Cobourn (Mt. Vernon), Rashard Bishop (St. Benedict’s), Idris Hilliard (Hun School), Chandler Parsons (from Florida, his grandfather was a 1000-pt scorer at RU), Lavoy Allen (Pennsbury, PA) and DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh). Hill would liek to add a C, PF, WF and guard to the mix.

Weiss also gives a small update on Norm Roberts and St. John’s in their recruitment of Malik Boothe of Christ the King and 6′9 Todd O’Brien of New Holland, PA.

At Seton Hall, Weiss reports on the 2007 verbal commitment of Michael Glover, the NYC native who is prepping at Boys to Men Academy in Chicago. Bobby Gonzalez still is hoping to add 6′9 PF/C Mike Davis, who has attended Xaverian, Bridgeton Prep, Banneker and Notre Dame Prep in the last few years, if eligible, to the 2006 class. Davis was once a verbal commitment to Pittsburgh while at Xaverian, which seems like a long time ago. However, the front court depth is something the Pirates (SHU) definitely could use.

Big East players Levon Kendall (Pitt) and Any Rautins (SU) will embark on a 10-game tour of Europe with Team Canada this week as Team Canada Calls on Rautins (Post-Standard). The tour takes the team to Slovenia, Italy and Germany for 10 games. They will be coached by Andy Rautin’s father, Leo, the former SU star. They are expected to play a German team headed by Dirk Nowitzki.

In the past year, we have seen many articles on who doesn’t like Jim Calhoun, most of them coming from the Connecticut newspapers, this time, it is about the relationship of Calhoun, the Hall of Fame coach of the Men’s basketball program and Geno Auriemma, the Hall of Fame coach of the Women’s basketball program at UConn: It’s Time the Geno-Calhoun Circus Stopped (New London Day). Jeff Jacobs, often a critic of Calhoun in the past year, also weighed in on the frosty relationship of the two Connecticut coaches in a recent Hartford Courant column: Auriemma and Calhound could Have Been More Distant.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 14, 2006

Next spring, like Hasheem Thabeet this year, Nigerian-born Kene Obi might be a player that takes the recruiting world by storm. At this time, the Nigerian-Born Obi Has Traded Travel for Travail (Washington Post) as the 7′2, 18 year-old awaits a hearing on his eligibility to play high school ball and he begins to learn the recruiting process. Playing in a summer league on the Georgetown campus (he lives with a guardian in nearby Alexandria) has put the Hoyas in the leader spot among his list of schools as this tantalizing prospect is just beginning what should be a long, winding oddysey as a basketball prospect for colleges and the NBA.

Speaking of Thabeet, he went from virtual unknown to a hot recruiting commodity almost overnight. Well, in the spring recruiting period, anyone with size is coveted like the next Tim Duncan. Shortly after committing to UConn, many people had Thabeet pegged for the NBA in 12 months, however, Hold the NBA Talk (Journal Inquirer) as Thabeet is just trying to adjust to the new surroundings of college basketball and concentrating on getting better. Since he has only played organized basketball for a few years (4), he still has a ways to go, but obviously, his best basketball is still ahead of him.

There is a lot of hype in the class of 2007 surrounding players like OJ Mayo, Bill Walker, Kevin Love and Derrick Rose, however, Michael Beasley Quietly Remains one of the Best (NorthJersey.com). The 6′9, 235 lb forward attended Oak Hill Academy last school year and will be selecting another prep school for his final prep season. This weekend he will be competing in the Playaz Ball in New Jersey and, although, he is committed to Kansas State, he might still draw some recruiting attention from one particular Big East school. Beasley does not say much, but did add this when contatced by Adam Zagoria: “It’s complicated,” Beasley said. “I’m committed to Kansas State but Pittsburgh could be an option.” Stay tuned…

A few players that have fallen off the radar at times in the last year but hope to capture the attention of Big East coaches this weekend at the Playaz ball are the Williams twins, Jerrell and Terrell, younger brothers of former Syracuse player Deshaun Williams, and former Kennedy standout and future St. Benedict’s guard Rashad Bishop: Bishop, Williams on Different Teams But Similar Paths to College (NorthJersey.com). Providence has offered the twins and Bishop hopes a year with Danny Hurley and St. Benedicts straightens out his academics and gets the exposure he needs to be in the Big East in the future. I see him being a highly attractive spring recruit if the season goes as expected.

Because he did not reach a final decision until after the spring signing period, Scottie Reynolds Officially Signs With ‘Nova (Philadelphia Inquirer). Reynolds is one of the more highly anticipated freshmen in the Big East for the upcoming season. He was released from his original LOI after signing with Oklahoma last fall.

Shawn Siegel of CollegeHoopsNet has a couple reports on the always competitive Reebok Summer East Classic which many Big East recruiting targets taking part. Here are his reviews, which include blurbs on Anthony McClain, Corey Raji, Idris Hilliard, Anthony Nelson, Zach Rosen, Rashad Bishop, Lavoy Allen, Ramon Harris, Michael Beasly, Julian Vaughn, Malik Boothe, Jeff Jones, Jerrell Williams, Johnny Flynn, Kraidon Woods and Tyrone Nash: CHN on Reebok Summer East Day 1 and Reebok Summer East Day 2.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 13, 2006

Could Chris Wright, Julian Vaughn and Michael Beasley play college basketball together? One might think that Kansas St would have a shot at such a class, however, Chris Dokish on his Panther Rants blog reports that Pitt’s nes Director of Basketball Operations David Cox is Already Paying Dividends for the Panthers and suddenly has Pittsburgh on the minds of several of DC’s finest ballers. Of course, Georgetown is in very good with Wright and Beasley is a current verbal commitment of Kansas St, but the Panthers are making their push. Although many Panther fans follow the recruiting of local top prospects such as Herb Pope and DeJuan Blair, Jamie Dixon has brought more options to the table as the Panthers have widely broadened their recruiting base this offseason. Dokish also talks with Pittsburgh JOTS founder JO Stright on Pope and Blair to see where they are at in the middle of the busiest recruiting month of the year. Blair has additional Big East interest from Rutgers and Pope has always listed Louisville and UConn, along with Pitt and Kansas St, among his favorites.

The Huntington Herald-Dispatch ran an article, with parts from a USA Today article, on the recent sneaker camps and how Huntington native Patrick Patterson Ranks High at Leaner Nike Camp. Patterson has shot up the charts this summer proving to be one of the elite recruiting targets left on the board. Pittsburgh and West Virginia, in the Big East, have been battling for his services along with elite programs such as Kentucky, Florida and, now, Duke to land this beast on the baseline.

As we continue to wait for the Big East to release the conference schedule, DePaul has Released their Out of Conference Schedule (official site) and it includes road dates with Bradley and Northwestern to open the season and a trip to Maui with Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma, Purdue, UCLA and host Chaminade for the EA Sports Maui Invitational. Other highlights include home dates with Kansas, Wake Forest and Cal and a date with Mike davis and his UAB squad on the road. A very challenging slate for a team that should be much improved early on over the previous season.

Hasheem Thabeet arrives at Connecticut with a Tall Order for Center (Norwich Bulletin) as the UConn freshmen has high hopes and the UConn fanbase has high hopes based on the hype preceeding the 7′3 C that was a virtual unknown just 6 months ago. However, Thabeet and the res of the Rookies Aim to Take UConn Far (Connecticut Post). All eight members of UConn’s talented incoming class are on campus now, having started classes and informal practices Monday. This is good news, as it assumes Curtis Kelly is fully ready to go for the season as a qualified freshmen.

BIG EAST NEWS & NOTES

July 11, 2006

Anthony McClain has turned himself into quite a high-major target in the last couple years and had Big East powers such as Georgetown, Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, among others, angling for his services. Last week, McClain participated in the Reebok sponsored ABCD basketball camp in New Jersey. For this Trenton, NJ native, the ABCD Camp was a Homecoming for McClain (Metro Hoops). Currently, the 6′11 center is playing for National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, MD after stops at Trenton High as a freshmen and St. Patrick as a sophomore. He also runs with the powerful DC Assault AAU program on the circuit.

As mentioned above, UConn is a team that has definitely been following McClain, however, with a roster full of 13 freshmen and sophomores heading into the coming season, Will Any Big Men Wait for UConn? (Journal Inquirer). In the article, McClain hints at signing late:

“I think I’m going to wind up waiting until the spring to sign because there are no schools uppermost on my mind at the moment,” McClain said. “But I’m interested in graduation rate, the majors they offer, and the coach - how well he makes players better. So, of course, UConn is going to be on my list. The last couple of years, they’ve sent so many guys to the NBA and had so many good big men come out. That’s a big advantage. “I expect to wait until spring, but I do have to have other options available. There’s a lot of schools, it could come down to anybody.”

Well, mid-November is a long time off, so waiting until the spring is even a longer proposition, but if a player waits to see what happens at Connecticut, with a player like Hasheem Thabeet, for example, the Huskies offer a very interesting opportunity. This is a departure from what has been widely assumed on McClain, that Georgetown was a solid leader. Of course, waiting is always a gamble, too. What happens if you late and it doesn’t open up at UConn? Some other top 2007 big men that UConn were tracking at ABCD include JJ Hickson, DeAndre Jordan and Herb Pope, who did not attend ABCD, also maintains interest in the Huskies. However, the article also mentions the concentration the UConn staff was giving to the top 2008 prospects at the camp.

The Kentucky Post rundowns some recruiting information on Ayodle Coker (St. John’s at UConn interest), Xavier Gibson (the class of 2008 recruit has not committed to Cincinnati and also is interested in UConn, among others, with UC) and 2008’s Kenny Frease, who has Notre Dame among his top choices in an article about Solomon Alabi, a Prized Recruit With Education as a Top Priority.

Competition for the top players in the NYC/NJ area has always been tough and with Louisville joining the Big East and bringing Rick Pitino back into the mix, recruiting got even harder in the Big Apple as Pitino Sinks Recruiting Roots Deeper into NYC (Louisville Courier-Journal). With an incoming class of Edgar Sosa, Derrick Caracter and Earl Clark from the region and being quite an attraction at the ABCD camp, Pitino is back in his element.

Among those NYC targets that Louisville will likely be pursuing is 2008 Melquan Bolding, who also lists St. John’s, Villanova and UConn as Big East schools on his list. During the ABCD camp, Stepinac’s Bolding Was Among the Nation’s Elite (Journal News).

The Philadelphia Inquirer takes a look at the play at ABCD camp of Hamidu Rahman and Tyreke Evans of American Christian as the Delco Teammates Get Exposure They Crave at the camp. Rahman is very interested in the Big East and Pittsburgh, Seton Hall and St. John’s have been actively recruiting him and Louisville and Connecticut have shown interest. Also, Bradley Wannamaker, the 6′3 senior-to-be guard for Roman Catholic in Philadelphia, has been offered scholarships, per the article, from Pittsburgh and Georgetown in the Big East.

One of the biggest news makers this past weekend was how Reebok grass-roots guru Sonny Vaccaro Sees Way Around NBA Minimum Age Rule (NorthJersey.com) by having players apply for dual citizenship in a foreign country to skirt around the 18-yr old age limit, as long as they turn 19 by the end of the calendar year. a rule he thinks favors the foreign players.

Even though Kyle Lowry decided to leave early and, as a whole, more than 70% of the scoring from the previous season left along with Randy Foye and Allan Ray (among others), too, Villanova does have an experienced go-to scorer returning as a Repaired and Ready-to-Play Curtis Sumpter (Philly Inquirer) is anxiously anticipating his return to action after a pair of knee injuries kept him shelved last season.

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