Tournaments

This has been a busy weekend on the grassroots scene, with a number of events taking place throughout the country. Obviously the event that received the most attention was the second round of the Nike EYBL, which was played in Dallas. Forty of the top AAU teams in the country are in the field, and this weekend was a continuation of what began at the Boo Williams Invitational the weekend after the Final Four.

Also on tap this weekend were the Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, Kansas, the Hoop Group Providence Jam Fest and the Double Pump Best Buy Challenge Spring Classic in Las Vegas.

Clip of the Day

 

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day.  We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

 

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 17, 2009) - Featuring nine of the nation's top-25 ranked high school seniors and including three returning USA Basketball athletes in DeMarcus Cousins (LeFlore H.S. / Mobile, Ala.), Leslie McDonald (Briarcrest H.S. / Memphis, Tenn.) and Mason Plumlee (Christ School / Arden, N.C.), USA Basketball today announced the roster for the 2009 USA Men's Junior National Select Team that will compete in the 12th Annual Nike Hoop Summit. The USA and World Select teams will face off at 7 p.m. (PDT) on April 11, at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.

The third annual Arizona Cactus Classic is now in the books, with the Houston Hoops winning the crown thanks to a 70-67 win over the Compton Magic Sunday afternoon. On a weekend in which the Class of 2009’s top prospect (LA Dream Team’s Renardo Sidney) showed up, along with quite a few others, it’s unfortunate that the Wear twins, Reeves Nelson and Keith “Tiny” Gallon weren’t on display. But there were plenty of other top-notch prospects, along with some other youngsters who have been under the radar for most of the year. Here are some scouting reports

The third annual Arizona Cactus Classic is now in the books, with the Houston Hoops winning the crown thanks to a 70-67 win over the Compton Magic Sunday afternoon. On a weekend in which the Class of 2009’s top prospect (LA Dream Team’s Renardo Sidney) showed up, along with quite a few others, it’s unfortunate that the Wear twins, Reeves Nelson and Keith “Tiny” Gallon weren’t on display.

Top prospects from Primetime Shootout in Trenton, NJ

Class of 2008

Greg Monroe 6’10/220 (Georgetown) (Helen Cox, LA)
24 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists

The Top Performers at Primetime Shootout in Philadelphia

Samardo Samuels (St. Benedict’s, NJ) #7 Class of 2008 (Louisville)
27 points and 17 rebounds

Samardo has completely dominated this season so far earning MVP awards at each tournament his team has attended. He is a very strong post player with the ability to step out and hit the mid-range jumper but does most of his damage down low. He is going to be an impact player next year in college he combines size with agility and does a great job on the boards.

This past weekend I spent a couple of days at Villanova University covering two high school showcases promoted by Primetime Shootout and Scholastic Play by Play. On Friday night the Primetime Shootout featured three nationally ranked teams in St. Benedict’s (NJ) # 3, Chester (PA) # 6 and American Christian (PA) # 3 in the prep poll. This event also included Jeannette (PA) who has the # 1 football recruit in the country Terrelle Pryor.

Purdue recruits E'Twaun Moore & Scott Martin impressed in Orlando

Top talent shined like Michael Beasley, Nolan Smith, Johnny Flynn, and Jeff Jones..