Top Recruits

Oak Hill Academy vs D1 Teams: Who Wins?

Paul Elkins — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 08:31:56 -0800

Is Oak Hill Academy better than your average low-level D1 team? Paul Elkins debates his brother on this question:

Last week, as we watched the lowly Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, a team with only one victory in eleven tries, get dominated by #11 Wisconsin, my brother and I engaged in a rather lively debate.

My brother contended that the nation’s #2-ranked high school team, Oak Hill Academy, would beat Mississippi Valley State, if given the chance. Oak Hill, my brother argued, features five players whom will play for elite level Division 1 programs next year, namely NC State, Georgetown, Purdue, UCLA, and Memphis**. He reasoned that a team with so much talent would simply outplay the lesser talented players of Mississippi Valley State. If these Oak Hill players are good enough to play for elite level colleges next year, he believed, they were good enough players to outplay the likes of the MVSU players right now.

After watching Oak Hill defeat Miller Grove of Atlanta, another national high school power, I am now convinced that Mississippi Valley State, or any Division 1 team for that matter, would have their way with Oak Hill. What stood out to me in watching the Oak Hill / Miller Grove game was not so much the outstanding offensive potential and skills displayed - it was the lack of both defensive intensity and overall physicality as compared to what is displayed in a Division 1 men’s game. While Oak Hill’s players have more potential and individual talent than those on some Division 1 teams, the collective effort of a marginally talented Division 1 team would prevail over that of a high school team, even a supremely talented team like Oak Hill. Let me tell you why.

College teams are comprised of men who have dealt with the adversities inherent in playing college basketball - living away from home, practicing 20 hours a week, competing intensely to get playing time, strength training and conditioning relentlessly in the offseason, and playing under a coach whose very livelihood is at stake. Meanwhile, Oak Hill is a loose collection of talented individuals who coast to victory in most games, are not threatened for playing time, and do not invest in the game or their team nearly to the extent that Division 1 players do.

Division 1 teams spend the entire year together. The players live together, study together, and eat together. They are like a family. The players start out in spring with individual workouts and intense weightlifting and conditioning. Their seasoning continues into the summer, with most players competing in elite level leagues against collegiate and ex-collegiate players. The fall is comprised of intense practices in preparation for a grueling winter season.

The Division 1 lifestyle makes men out of boys. Even the Oak Hill prodigies will have to make the adjustment. It is the grind that makes diamonds from the coals. And it is this very grind that forms a team out of those individuals who invest the most and compete the hardest - a team that competes with discipline, pride, and intensity on both ends of the floor. Such a team would overwhelm a group of high profile high school players who have yet to learn how to truly compete on the defensive end, lack strength and power, and have not yet learned many of the nuances to thrive in a more cutthroat environment.

What it boils down to is this - Oak Hill academy is a talented group of boys, while MVSU is a lesser talented group of men. In the end, men will beat boys any day of the week.

** Oak Hill features the #22 prospect D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown), #55 Tyler Lewis (NC State), #74 Jordan Adams (UCLA), #90 Damien Wilson (Memphis), and #123 AJ Hammons (Purdue)

Poll: Who Locked Up the Best 2010 Recruiting Class?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:16:58 -0800

Baylor Signs Perry Jones & Bakari Turner

Press Release — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:53:45 -0800

WACO, Texas –Baylor head men’s basketball coach Scott Drew announced the signing of Duncanville (Texas) High School star Perry Jones to a National Letter of Intent for the 2010-11 academic year Wednesday.

Jones is the highest ranked recruit in program history and Drew’s fourth consensus top-50 recruit in seven seasons at Baylor. The 6-foot-10 power forward is ranked No. 3 overall in the ESPNU Top 100, No. 4 by Scout.com and No. 5 by Rivals.com. Both Rivals.com and Scout.com list Jones as a five-star recruit. Jones is also rated the second-best power forward by ESPNU and Rivals.com and second-best center by Scout.com. He is also rated No.7 nationally by MaxPreps.com.

“Signing a player like Perry (Jones) is a monumental moment for this program,” Drew said. “Perry will not only be a great addition to our team, but will also open numerous doors for our program in years to come.

“Most people know what a great player he is, but what excites me so much about Perry are the intangibles,” Drew said. “He is a tremendous leader, an honor roll student and, most of all, a great Christian role model.”

As a junior last season at Duncanville, Jones, who is ranked No. 2 in the nation by Sporting News, averaged 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. Jones was named UIL District 7-5A Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2008-09. Duncanville was ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation last season.

CONSENSUS TOP-50 RECRUITS UNDER DREW
2007 – LaceDarius Dunn
2008 – Anthony Jones
2009 – Nolan Dennis
2010 – Perry Jones

BAYLOR SIGNS BAKARI TURNER

WACO, Texas – Baylor head men’s basketball coach Scott Drew announced the signing of Plano West High School’s Bakari Turner to a National Letter of Intent for the 2010-11 academic year Wednesday. Turner joins Perry Jones, who signed earlier in the day.

Turner, a dual-sport star at Plano West High School in Plano, Texas, averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists as a junior in 2008-09. The 6-foot-3 guard is ranked No. 59 nationally at the shooting guard position in the ESPNU Top 100. Turner chipped in 14.0 points per game as a sophomore in 2007-08.

“Bakari (Turner) is one of those players who continues to get better and better,” Drew said. “He was such a great dual sport athlete. Now that he’s chosen to concentrate on basketball, he’s improved exponentially.

“He’s a great athlete and always plays extremely hard.”

John Wall to UK: Is Big Blue Nation Back?

Jason Brubaker — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:58:58 -0700

Is the Big Blue Nation back?

Less than two months ago, Kentucky was winding down a disappointing campaign, culminating in a loss to Notre Dame in the NIT quarterfinals. Their head coach was on his way to being ushered out the door, their two best players were weighing their NBA options, and an unrelenting fan base was sounding off at every opportunity to show their disdain for an uneven season.

Yet here we sit, just hours after uber-recruit John Wall announced his intentions to come to UK, and there's realistic talk of a national title next season. A team that started the 2008-09 season by losing at home to Virginia Military Institute will enter the 2009-10 season as one of the favorites to cut down the nets. An elite program some felt was on the decline has all of a sudden become nationally relevant again. A school that has had three head coaches in four years now looks to be the new hot spot of college hoops. A team that ended their season wondering whether next year would bring drastic changes now is wondering how to mesh all of their incoming talent.

How in the world of Shagari Alleyne did we get here??

The obvious answer is John Calipari, who has endeared himself to the UK fan base more in two months than former coach Billy Gillispie did in two years. Cal's vibrant personality, self-deprecating humor and outright honesty are a stark contrast to Gillispie, who often appeared uncomfortable as a public figure, and tended to sound condescending when being interviewed.

Of course it doesn't hurt that Cal knows a thing or two about recruiting as well.

The signing of Wall adds even more luster to a class that could go down as one of the best in history, as he joins forwards DeMarcus Cousins and Darnell Dodsen, center Daniel Orton, wing Jon Hood and guard Eric Bledsoe. Add in the return of big man Patrick Patterson (who pulled out of the NBA draft), and talented wings Darius Miller and DeAndre Liggins, and you can understand the optimism in Lexington. And that doesn't even take into account the potential return of All-American guard Jodie Meeks, who declared for the NBA Draft but still could return to school.

Add that all up, and it's easy to see that the 2009-10 Cats will bear little resemblance to last year's team. With two five-star point guards in Wall and Bledsoe on their way, excessive turnovers should be a thing of the past. With Orton and Cousins joining Patterson up front, no longer will frontcourt depth be a problem. And with the excitement and flair of Calipari, the boos that occasionally filled Rupp Arena last year will be replaced with legions of cheers.

Of course, there are no guarantees in this game. While the talent of Wall, Cousins and their classmates is unquestioned, how will they all mesh? Can they all play effectively together with one eye on the NBA? How will Patterson, and potentially Meeks, respond to fewer touches on the offensive end? And what about the Ramon Harris and Perry Stevenson-type players at UK, who will lose most, if not all, of their minutes to the newcomers? There's no question that the Cats are getting a talent upgrade, but for players like Harris and Stevenson, who played with pride and passion amidst all of the distractions, is a seat at the end of the bench a fitting reward for their perseverance?

While those questions will be hopefully answered over the course of the season, one thing we do know for sure right now is that the Cats will open the season in the top five, and will be expected to make a deep tournament run. They'll likely be the favorites in the SEC, and they'll be on the national pictures all year.

A potential starting lineup of Wall, Meeks, Miller, Patterson and Cousins has very few weaknesses, and with Liggins, Bledsoe, Orton, Dodsen and Hood coming off the bench, the Cats will be able to rotate fresh bodies throughout the game. They'll have speed, athleticism, size, ball-handling, passing, shooting, experience and defense, not to mention the adrenaline rush from 24,000 screaming fans at Rupp. They'll have a passionate coach who understands the public facets of his job, and the support of a town anxious to have a winner again.

So the pieces are definitely in place for a fantastic season. The Big Blue Nation may not be back yet, but they're certainly on the way.

Poll: What School Will Renardo Sidney Pick?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 07:58:08 -0700

Marquette Signs 7-2 Youssoupha Mbao

Press Release — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:59:08 -0700

Milwaukee - The Marquette University men's basketball program has signed African standout Youssoupha Mbao (You-sof-ah M-bow) to a National Letter of Intent, head coach Buzz Williams announced Monday morning.

Mbao, a 7-2, 215-pounder, will arrive on campus this summer and have four years of eligibility with MU.

"We are very excited to welcome Youssoupha to the Marquette family," Williams said. "We have followed him since the fall, and each time we saw him, he continued to improve. Youssoupha speaks four languages fluently and his infectious spirit is identifiable as soon as you meet him, and because of how he was raised, and how he has been coached, his work ethic is unquestionable.

"That combination represents what we want to be about on and off the floor, and with his very high ceiling, I believe he has a very bright future, Williams added."

The Dakar, Senegal, native is currently ranked 125th in the nation among 2009 prospects according to HoopScoopOnline.com. Mbao competed for Stoneridge Prep in Simi Valley, Calif., in 2008-09, a program that entered the season ranked eighth in the country under head coach Babacar Sy. Mbao averaged 13.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.0 blocks last season for Stoneridge, helping the team to a 17-13 overall record.

He has also participated in the 2008 adidas Nations Experience and the National Prep Showcase. Mbao was named to the honorable mention squad of the class of 2009 by NBN Basketball Magazine. He is ranked the 30th-best center in the class of 2009 by ESPN.com.

MU's first recruiting class under Williams is currently ranked first in the nation by HoopScoopOnline.com and third by Hoopmasters.com. The group is No. 11 on ESPN.com's list, 13th on PrepStars.com, rated 17th overall by Rivals.com and owns the 17th position on Scout.com's top-25 ranking.

2009 Marquette Men's Basketball Signing Class

Dwight Buycks G Jr. 6-3 185 Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View HS/Indian Hills JC

Junior Cadougan G Fr. 6-1 195 Toronto, Ont./Christian Life Center Academy

Darius Johnson-Odom G So. 6-2 190 Raleigh, N.C./Wakefield HS/Hutchinson CC

Jeronne Maymon G/F Fr. 6-6 215 Madison, Wis./Memorial HS

Youssoupha Mbao C Fr. 7-2 215 Dakar, Senegal/Stoneridge Prep

Brett Roseboro F Fr. 6-10 230 Quakertown, Pa./Quakertown HS

Erik Williams F Fr. 6-7 200 Houston, Texas/Cypress Springs HS

Poll: What School Will Lance Stephenson Pick?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:42:14 -0700

Poll: What School Will John Wall Pick?

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:40:00 -0700

All-American Lineups: UNC & Duke Loaded With Big Names

Jon Teitel — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 06:59:21 -0700

A great measure of college basketball recruiting and overall success is how many All-Americans each program has. No surprise that North Carolina tops this list, as their roster is full of big name high school stars.. and they have 4 top guys coming in during the off-season as well. Duke in 2nd is no surprise, but how about Villanova 3rd in the country, with 5 All-Americans on next-year's projected lineup? Georgia Tech is on the verge of having 3 All-Americans next year with Derrick Favors coming in, will that name talent translate into ACC success?

Projected Lineups for All 36 Teams with McDonald’s High School All-Americans

Listed in order of most stocked rosters. Will be updated later in the summer when NBA Draft defections are made official.

(All-American Year In Parentheses)

Incoming 2009 All-Americans In Bold

Underclassmen Who Have Declared For Draft In Italics

TRANSFERS IN UPPERCASE

Undecided: Lance Stephenson (2009)

NORTH CAROLINA (9)

G: Ty Lawson (2006)

G: Wayne Ellington (2006)

F: Deon Thompson

F: Ed Davis (2008)

F: Tyler Zeller (2008)

Bench: Larry Drew II (2008), Dexter Strickland (2009), John Henson (2009), David Wear (2009), Travis Wear (2009)

LOSSES: Tyler Hansbrough (2005), Bobby Frasor (2005), Danny Green (2005)

DUKE (8)

G: Nolan Smith (2007)

G: Jon Scheyer (2006)

F: Gerald Henderson (2006)

F: Kyle Singler (2007)

F: Lance Thomas (2006)

Bench: Elliot Williams (2008), Ryan Kelly (2009), Mason Plumlee (2009)

LOSSES: Greg Paulus (2005)

VILLANOVA (5)

G: Scottie Reynolds (2006)

G: Corey Fisher

G: Corey Stokes (2007)

F: Antonio Pena

F: Russell Wooten

Bench: Taylor King (2007), Dominic Cheek (2009), Maalik Wayns (2009)

LOSSES: Dante Cunningham

OKLAHOMA (4)

G: Tommy Mason-Griffin (2009)

G: Willie Warren (2008)

G: Tony Crocker

F: Blake Griffin (2007)

C: Keith Gallon (2009)

GEORGETOWN (3)

G: Austin Freeman (2007)

G: Chris Wright (2007)

G: Jason Clark

F: DaJuan Summers

F: Greg Monroe (2008)

LOUISVILLE (3)

G Edgar Sosa

G: Jerry Smith

G: Peyton Siva (2009)

F Earl Clark (2006)

F: Samardo Samuels (2008)

LOSSES: Terrence Williams

UCLA (3)

G: Jrue Holiday (2008)

G: Malcolm Lee (2008)

G: Michael Roll

F: James Keefe (2006)

F: Nikola Dragovic

LOSSES: Darren Collison, Josh Shipp

FLORIDA (3)

G: Kenny Boynton, Jr (2009)

G: Nick Calathes (2007)

G: Erving Walker

F: Vernon Macklin (2006)

F: Alex Tyus

MEMPHIS (3)

G: Xavier Henry (2009)

G: Tyreke Evans (2008)

F: Shawn Taggart

F: Wesley Witherspoon

C: DeMarcus Cousins (2009)

LOSSES: Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier

GEORGIA TECH (3)

G: Iman Shumpert (2008)

G: Maurice Miller

F: Derrick Favors (2009)

F: Gani Lawal (2007)

F: Zachery Peacock

LOSSES: Alade Aminu, Lewis Clinch

OHIO STATE (2)

G: William Buford (2008)

G: David Lighty

G: Jon Diebler

F: Evan Turner

C: BJ Mullens (2008)

SYRACUSE (2)

G: Jonny Flynn (2007)

G: Eric Devendorf (2005)

G: Andy Rautins

F: Paul Harris

F: Arinze Onuaku

KANSAS (2)

G: Sherron Collins (2006)

G: Tyshawn Taylor

G: Brady Morningstar

F: Marcus Morris

C: Cole Aldrich (2007)

ARIZONA STATE (2)

G: James Harden (2007)

G: Ty Abbott

G: Derek Glasser

F: Rihards Kuksiks

C: Eric Boateng (2005)

LOSSES: Jeff Pendergraph

CONNECTICUT (2)

G: Kemba Walker (2008)

G: Jerome Dyson

F: Stanley Robinson

F: Alex Oriakhi (2009)

C: Hasheem Thabeet

LOSSES: Jeff Adrien, AJ Price

FLORIDA STATE (2)

G: Michael Snaer (2009)

G: Derwin Kitchen

F: Chris Singleton (2008)

F: Ryan Reid

C: Solomon Alabi

LOSSES: Toney Douglas

TEXAS (2)

G: Avery Bradley (2009)

G: Justin Mason

F: Damion James

F: Gary Johnson

C: Dexter Pittman

Bench: Jai Lucas (2007)

LOSSES: AJ Abrams

USC (2)

G: Daniel Hackett

G: Dwight Lewis

F: Renardo Sidney (2009)

F: DeMar DeRozan (2008)

F: Taj Gibson

One All-American

OKLAHOMA STATE (1)

G: James Anderson (2007)

G: Keiton Page

G: Obi Muonelo

F: Marshall Moses

C: Ibrahima Thomas

LOSSES: Byron Eaton (2005), Terrel Harris

ALABAMA (1)

G: Senario Hillman

G: Mikhail Torrance

G: Anthony Brock

F: JaMychal Green (2008)

F: Justin Knox

LOSSES: Ronald Steele, Alonzo Gee

ARIZONA (1)

G: Nic Wise

G: Kyle Fogg

F: Chase Budinger (2006)

F: Jamelle Horne

F: Jordan Hill

KENTUCKY (1)

G: Jodie Meeks

G: Michael Porter

F: Patrick Patterson (2007)

F: Ramon Harris

F: Perry Stevenson

N.C. STATE (1)

G: Trevor Ferguson

G: Farnold Degand

G: Javier Gonzalez

F: Brandon Costner (2005)

F: Tracy Smith

LOSSES: Ben McCauley, Courtney Fells

BAYLOR (1)

G: Tweety Carter (2006)

G: LaceDarius Dunn

F: Quincy Acy

F: Anthony Jones

C: Josh Lomers

LOSSES: Curtis Jerrells, Kevin Rogers

LSU (1)

G: Bo Spencer

G: Alex Farrer

F: Tasmin Mitchell (2005)

F: Storm Warren

F: Delwan Graham

LOSSES: Marcus Thornton

CINCINNATI (1)

G: Deonta Vaughn

G: Larry Davis

G: Dion Dixon

F: Mike Williams (2004)

F: Yancy Gates

WASHINGTON (1)

G: Abdul Gaddy (2009)

G: Isaiah Thomas

G: Venoy Overton

F: Quincy Pondexter

F: Matthew Bryan-Amaning

LOSSES: Jon Brockman (2005), Justin Dentmon

OREGON (1)

G: Tajuan Porter

G: Garrett Sim

G: LeKendric Longmire

F: Joevan Catron

C: Michael Dunigan (2008)

WAKE FOREST (1)

G: Jeff Teague

G: LD Williams

F: Al-Farouq Aminu (2008)

F: James Johnson

C: Chas McFarland

VIRGINIA (1)

G: Sylven Landesberg (2008)

G: Jeff Jones

G: Sammy Zeglinski

F: Mike Scott

F: Jamil Tucker

RUTGERS (1)

G: Michael Rosario (2008)

G: Corey Chandler

F: Earl Pettis

F: Gregory Echenique

C: Hamady N’Diaye

LOSSES: None

NEVADA (1)

G: Brandon Fields

G: Armon Johnson

F: Luke Babbitt (2008)

F: Joey Shaw

F Malik Cooke

TENNESSEE (1)

G: JP Prince

G: Bobby Maze

F: Scotty Hopson (2008)

F: Tyler Smith

F: Wayne Chism

CLEMSON (1)

G: Terrence Oglesby

G: DeMontez Stitt

F: Milton Jennings (2009)

F: Trevor Booker

C: Raymond Sykes

LOSSES: KC Rivers

PITTSBURGH (1)

G: Jermaine Dixon

G: Brad Wanamaker

G: Gilbert Brown

F: Dante Taylor (2009)

F: DeJuan Blair

LOSSES: Sam Young, Levance Fields

KANSAS STATE (1)

G: Denis Clemente

G: Jacob Pullen

G: Fred Brown

F: Wally Judge (2009)

F: Jamar Samuels

All-Americans on Way Out

NOTRE DAME (0)

G: Tory Jackson

G: Jonathan Peoples

G: Tyrone Nash

F: Luke Harangody

F: Carleton Scott

LOSSES: Kyle McAlarney, Ryan Ayers, Luke Zeller (2005)

AUBURN (0)

G: DeWayne Reed

G: Tay Waller

G: Frankie Sullivan

F: Lucas Hargrove

F: Johnnie Lett

LOSSES: Korvotney Barber (2005)

GONZAGA (0)

G: Matt Bouldin

G: Steven Gray

G: Demetri Goodson

F: Austin Daye

C: Robert Sacre

LOSSES: Micah Downs (2005), Jeremy Pargo, Josh Heytvelt

*As transfer occur, or players enter the draft, etc, feel free to post changes in the comments section or email Jon between now and the next update in June.

Iolani Classic Dunk Contest: Clip of the Day

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:58:31 -0800

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.

IOLANI CLASSIC: DUNK CONTEST

Today's video is completely out of context and untimely (it happened back in December).. but I stumbled it on this morning, and thought there were some definite must-see dunks by some of the country's top recruits on here. Whitney Young's Samuel Thompson takes the win, topping some big name prospects like Isaiah Armwood, Terrence Ross, and others.

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!