High School Wire

Marcus Jordan Commits to Central Florida

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:24:23 -0700

Sorry Illinois fans, at least the winters will be nicer for MJ Jr. at UCF: “He made his decision based on two criteria,” said Tyrone Slaughter, Jordan’s coach at Whitney Young High in the Chicago area. “One was the ability to go in and make an immediate impact. He wanted to go in and have an opportunity to play right away at the collegiate level. Secondly, if it was a place that he went to on a visit that would immediately appeal to him. He immediately felt comfortable during his visit to UCF.”

This Past Week In Recruiting

CHN — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:45:34 -0700

by Franklyn Calle
The Chicago Tribune reported on Monday that Darius Smith gave UConn a verbal commitment. Considered one of the top unsigned senior point guards in the nation, at 6-2 and 170lb, the Chicago native picked the Huskies over Arizona State and Cincinnati. Missouri, Purdue, Kentucky, Indiana, Marquette and Oregon State offered scholarships while UCLA, Memphis and Duke showed interest lately but none put an offer on the table. “UConn’s style of play is my style of play-up and down the court,” Smith told the paper. “With A.J. Price a senior, this was a good fit for them and for me. I pride myself on doing it at both ends of the court, just like him.”
“I like the program and get along real well with the coaching staff. I will be a true point guards there.” Smith attended Marshall Metropolitan HS where he averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals for the season. He was selected to the first-team All-State. According to the report, he will be the first Public Leaguer to play for Connecticut since Young’s Marcus White back in 2002. He ranks #12 among all senior point guards according to ESPN.com. Smith now joins Jamal Trice- a 6-5 shooting guard from Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel-a 6-6 small forward from The Tilton School in New Hampshire and Alex Oriakhi- a 6-8 forward also from The Tilton School, as part of the Huskies’ 2009 recruiting class.
On Thursday, Penn State received a verbal commitment from Taran Buie. The 6-3 junior shooting guard ranks among the top in the nation at his position. He attends Bishop Maginn HS in Albany, New York. Buie chose Penn State over Maryland, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Miami, Notre Dame and Rutgers. According to the Albany Times Union, the New York guard committed to coach Ed DeChellis moments after his team defeated Baylor University at Madison Square Garden to capture the NIT title on Thursday night. “He called me (at 11:45 p.m. Thursday) and told me he gave Coach DeChellis his commitment,” Bishop Maginn coach Rich Hurley told the paper. “I told him, ‘If that is where you want to go, I support you 100 percent.’ He is a Nittany Lion.” Buie becomes the first commit for Penn State’s 2010 recruiting class.
Terrell Stoglin verbally committed to the University of Maryland on Wednesday while on the phone with Maryland coach Gary Williams, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The nationally ranked junior point guard averaged 27 points and 7.5 assists per game this past season. “He told me they put a lot of trust in me to help the team get back to the Sweet 16,” Stoglin told the paper. “It feels real good. I’m just trying to get there and contribute to the team.” His high school coach at Santa Rita HS, Jim Ferguson, told the paper the following: “They’ve been watching him and they like what they see,” Ferguson said. “They have a point guard who’s graduating and he can move right in. I don’t know if Tucson’s ever sent a player to play in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference).” Stoglin reportedly was also considering USC, UCLA, Arizona, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Northern Arizona and San Diego. He becomes the first commit for the Terrapins’ 2010 recruiting class.
John Calipari’s arrival at the University of Kentucky on Wednesday as head coach has developed a mass exodus from recruits who have committed to the Wildcat’s program. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, six prospects have backed away from their commitment. Texas point guard G.J. Vilarino, who signed a letter of intent in November, has asked for a release and will be getting it soon. He was the first commitment for the former Kentucky head coach, Billy Gillispie, when getting hired two years ago. According to ESPN.com, Vilarino chose the Wildcats over Memphis, Kansas, Texas A&M, Illinois and Baylor. Juniors Dakotah Euton- a 6-7 power forward from Scott Country HS in kentucky and K.C. Ross-Miller- a 6-1 point guard from God’s Academy in Dallas, Texas, also have decided to open-up their recruitment once again. Konner Tucker, a 6-4 guard who is currently playing junior college ball at Lon Morris College in Texas, also de-committed on Wednesday after Calipari’s announcement. Freshmen Michael Avery de-committed on Thursday. The 6-4 shooting guard who currently attends Crespi Carmelite HS in California gave Kentucky a verbal commitment last April while still in the 8th grade. Then as the weekend began, Dominique Ferguson announced he was also going to open up his recruitment. According to the Courier-Journal, he will be looking at Louisville and Indiana as options. “Calipari is a great coach, and he could fit into that system and excel,” Deon Ferguson (Dominique’s father) told the paper. “Now he has to recruit him. Just because he’s the coach there doesn’t mean he just has to go there. He’s going to look at other options.” Ferguson was the highest-ranked player that coach Billy Gillispie was able to receive a commitment from. He is one of the top ranked juniors in the nation according to every scouting service. Right here at SLAM, we have the 6-9 forward from Lawrence North HS in Indianapolis as #20 in his class. With six of the nine players that committed to Gillispie and the Kentucky Wildcats now looking elsewhere, sophomore Vinny Zollo still hasn’t backed away from his verbal commitment to the program while seniors Jon Hood- a 6-6 small forward from Madisonville North Hopkins HS in Kentucky and Daniel Orton- a 6-10 center from Bishop McGuinness HS in Oklahoma, both of which have signed letters of intent to the program, still remain committed.
The Lawrence Journal-World reported on Saturday that Xavier Henry’s father, Carl Henry, told the paper that his son wants to play for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. Henry has already asked for a release from his letter of intent that he signed back in November with the University of Memphis. “I believe what it comes down to is Xavier wants to go to KU,” Carl Henry told the Lawrence Journal-World. “It should all be settled in the next two or three weeks.” Henry will be able to sign with another school because there was an agreement with the school in the letter of intent that if John Calipari was to leave for another job then he would be released. Xavier’s brother, C.J. Henry (a walk-on at Memphis), also wants to follow suit but may have to stay if he wants to play. “C.J. doesn’t want to sit out. He wants to play,” Carl said. “Basically if he transfers, we don’t think C.J. will be able to play. We will not know for sure until we talk to a couple lawyers. I don’t think it’s fair he has to sit out a year. The school is not paying for his scholarship. The Yankees (who signed him out of high school) are paying for it. He didn’t play all year. He should be able to go to Kansas and play right away.”

Trimming the Fat

CHN — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:07:15 -0700

by Aggrey Sam
Yesterday’s NHSI semifinal action at Georgetown Prep didn’t go quite as I expected, but one thing it did prove was who is at the head of the class when it comes to boys high school basketball teams this season. I’ll be brief.
Oak Hill vs. St. Benedict’s:
–While this game close early on (five-point game at the half), Oak Hill extends its cushion by the late stages, and despite St. Ben’s knocking down treys, the held off the Jersey squad, 74-66.
–St. Ben’s senior Tamir Jackson, a 6-3 guard, is going to be nice at Rice. While I definitely believe he could play at a higher level, I love it when kids go somewhere they can make an immediate impact. “Pops” can shoot it, both from deep and mid-range, he’s heady, defends well and handles it well enough to get to the bucket.
–One senior who hasn’t made his college choice yet (although he committed to Louisville as a sophomore and pledged to–and subsequently de-committed from–Virginia Tech this season) is Oak Hill’s Lamont Jones. More of a scoring point or a combo guard than a true floor general, “Momo” has been on tilt for certain stretches of this tourney. Whether it’s getting to the basket and finishing tough shots with contact or knocking down deep jumpers with a hand in his face, he’s certainly proved to be an explosive point producer. That said, I hope the NYC native makes the right decision in regards to selecting a college. I mean, he’s switched schools (Rice to American Christian to Oak Hill) so often, I don’t think anybody would be surprised if he transferred in college.
–Just as I jotted down how St. Ben’s sophomore point Myck Kabongo was doing a nice job taking care of the ball and making solid decisions despite tough D by Oak Hill junior Pe’Shon Howard, the opposite begins to occur. Pe’Shon (much-improved lateral quickness) wears down the thinner Kabongo, forcing im into some crucial mistakes down the stretch.
–Classy move by St. Ben’s coach Danny Hurley to sub out seniors Jackson and Pitt-bound Lamar Patterson in their final high school game for the school.
–”Momo” leads Oak Hill with 22, while Tiny Gallon chips in with 13 and 14. St. Ben’s was led by Jackson’s 20, junior wing Aaron Brown’s 18 and Kabongo’s 14, six boards and five dimes.
Montrose Christian vs. Findlay Prep:
–While I wasn’t shocked at the result of the first game, I expected the second semifinal to be more of a contest. I was wrong. Findlay used smothering D to subdue Montrose by the count of 60-43.
–When I used the phrase “smothering D,” you could substitute that for “Avery Bradley.” The Texas signee was extremely disruptive in the early going, amking it hard for Montrose’s ballhandlers to live, let alone get the ball past halfcourt. On top of that, he was unconscious on offense. His explosive transition finishes, no-fear drives to the cup and pure shooting from all over the court were outright sensational. Talking to my man Joey Whelan, we agreed that he has some Ben Gordon to him offensively (although his handle needs to improve and he penetrates more frequently than Ben), but defensively, he has a chance to be really special.
–Findlay’s perimeter D–while Bradley led the way, Illinois recruit DJ Richardson was almost his equal–forces Montrose to play to their strength, feeding their star big man, Mouphtaou Yarou. “Mouph” was simply too big for Findlay’s slimmer bigs to handle one-on-one, but constant double teams and eventually a zone, limited his effectiveness. Findlay junior Godwin Okonji, a 6-9 junior, was the most impressive individual defender, but he had a lot of help, as Montrose was held to an abysmal shooting performance. Still, I liked how “Mouph” passed out of double teams, something he may need to do during his ‘Nova (tough loss last night, fellas) career.
–The fact that Findlay’s Tristan Thompson and Montrose’s Justin Anderson, the two players with perhaps the highest long-term ceilings in this contest (and tournament), both come off the bench, is funny to me. So is the fact that Findlay only goes eight deep (hey, that’s their whole student body), but has fans who traveled from Vegas with signs and all. It’s likes Findlay’s been waiting for this game all season to officially put them on the map.
–Speaking of Anderson, while he didn’t have the same performance he did on Friday, I was just as, if not more, impressed by him yesterday. He was assigned the unenviable task of defending Bradley, and while Bradley cooked him just as thoroughly as he did the other Montrose defenders, he at least made him work for his shots by using his length. Shows just how highly Montrose coach Stu Vetter thinks of him. In addition, he used his top-notch athleticism to make a couple of huge blocks on Bradley (a high flyer himself, he reciprocated on the other end) and had a big-time put-back dunk.
–For Findlay, Bradley finishes with 27, six boards, three (spectacular) blocks and four steals, Richardson adds 12 and five and Thompson contributes eight and 10, with three steals. Villanova signee Isaiah Armwood leads Montrose with 10, eight boards and four blocks in a losing effort.
–Stay tuned for my recap of today’s chip, featuring Findlay and Oak Hill, or catch it on ESPN at 3 p.m. Eastern. Should be a good one.

Best of the Best

CHN — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 08:33:05 -0700

by Aggrey Sam
So I’m back in my old stomping grounds for the weekend to check out the ESPN/RISE National High School Invitational at Georgetown Prep, right outside DC. The NHSI is a post-season tourney pitting the nation’s top high school teams, serving as a de facto prep national tournament. Unfortunately, most high school state athletic association rules prevent teams from competing past a certain point in the season, so traditional powers like DeMatha, Mater Dei, St. Pat’s, etc., aren’t allowed to compete. Still, with star-studded squads like Oak Hill, St. Benedict’s, Montrose Christian and upstart Findlay Prep out of Vegas, there are still a lot of top prospects in attendance, including four McDonald’s All-Americans, the field isn’t too shabby.
Oak Hill vs. Pinewood Prep:
–On paper, this game is a complete mismatch. Although Pinewood features Clemson-bound McDonald’s All-American Milton Jennings, a 6-9 wing, Oak Hill counters with its own burger boy, Oklahoma-bound big (literally, at around 300 pounds) Keith “Tiny” Gallon, as well as a high-powered backcourt of top uncommitted senior guard, Lamont “Momo” Jones and consensus top-25 junior Doron Lamb, both NYC transplants, along with the always-steady (and polite) Pe’Shon Howard. On top of that, they bring junior West Virginia commit Bryon Allen off the bench, to go with frontliners Baye Moussa Keita, a 6-11 ‘junior ‘Cuse recruit, and high-flying Detroit native Glenn Bryant, an unsigned senior.
–Early on, Pinewood, out of South Carolina puts up a fight, but Oak Hill, led by Momo and his moxie, looks to be in control, despit Tiny picking up two fouls early. Speaking of Tiny, it’s a testament to how good he is that I’ve been hearing observers say he isn’t quite Blake Griffin, but Jeff Capel and Oklahoma can’t be mad that he’s coming in when BG’s departing.
–Jennings, one of the few top recruits I haven’t seen much of, looks good early. He’s hitting outside shots, he’s active on the boards (a must, being that he’s the only significant Pinewood player withany size) and is shifty enough to get to the bucket, evn though he’s clearly the focal point of Oak Hill’s defensive strategy.
–I really like Pinewood senior guard Kenny Manigault. A long, athletic slashing guard with good size (about 6-4 or so), he handles the ball well, plays hard and seemingly gets to the basket at will. Seeing him get up and put one down on the break, I wonder what most people have probably asked him throughout his life: Goat’s kin? Very nice pickup for Wichita State.
–Allen, a DC-area kid who started at DeMatha as a freshman, is pretty talented. A husky, 6-2 guard, he’s solidly built, yet very herky-jerky and has the ball on the string. He definiteloy has some toughness, so I think Bob Huggins will be happy with him, even if he has to rein him in a bit from time to time.
–Doron Lamb is the smoothest cat you’ll see. Stronger and now a legit combo, he’s a playmaker and never really forces the issue, despite being an extremely talented scorer. His mid-range game is a work of art for a high school kid. Turns out he’s pretty cool, too. After the game, him and Howard (who’s really improved since I first saw him as a freshman playing with Michigan State’s Delvon Roe) sit behind me and we talk about likely McDonald’s All-Americans from their class of 2010. Always interesting to get the players’ perspective.
–Anyway, back to the game. Pinewood keeps hanging around, and behind Jennings and Manigault (and some Oak Hill lapses), it’s 31 all at the half. Although Tiny picks up his third and fourth fouls early in the third, Oak Hill gets on a roll and starts running away with it, taking the game by a 83-64 score. Lamb ends up with 26, nine boards and four dimes, while Momo adds 20. Jennings puts up 24 and 12 for the losers.
St. Benedict’s vs. St. Frances:
–St. Frances, the Catholic league champs of B-More is coached by Mark Karcher, who also attended the school. Don’t know how many of y’all remember Karcher, but he played his final college season at Temple when I was a freshman there, and while he never found a spot in the League, I can remember him putting in work in college and before that, being a straight assassin as a prep star. Only 30, it’s good to see him on the bench.
–St. Frances has some talented underclassmen, but their star is 6-7 senior forward Terrell Vinson, a top unsigned prospect who transferred in from Montrose Christian. I was extremely high on Vinson as a youngster and while he hasn’t developed into the prospect I (and others) thought he would be, he’s a very solid player who can do a little bit of everything.
–St. Ben’s is coached by Danny Hurley, son of Bob Sr., of St. Anthony fame. If you’ve ever seen his father coach, you know that watching him stalk the sidelines is almost as entertaining as seeing one of his loaded squads put it on a helpless victim. Well, like father, like son. The make-up of Danny’s team is a little different than his pop’s, as he has a United Nations squad of international players and kids from all over the NYC region.
–I’m very impressed with 6-8 junior forward Gilvydas Biruta of St. Ben’s. A muscular kid who’s a force on the boards, he’s deceptively athletic and really attacks the basket to finish. On top of that, he can also step out to knock down treys. I’ll be keeping an eye on his development and recruitment.
–St. Frances started out down, 14-2, but comes back to lead by five at the half. Vinson has been his solid self, but Dante Holmes, a 6-3 junior, is making a lot of big plays. Holmes is tough, has a nice stroke and plays hard all the time. He’s another kid I’ll be watching in the future.
–Myck Kabongo, a sophomore point guard for St. Ben’s, has had his moments, but turnovers have been an issue for him. Still, I like the fact that the Canada native, a Texas commit gotten stronger, improved his jumper and is more of a ballplayer than a track star who can dribble now.
–Lamar Patterson, a senior Pitt signee, has struggled with foul trouble and is eventually DQ’d, but it’s really a blessing in disguise, as it allows 6-10 St. Ben’s junior John Paul Kambola to shine. I love how he runs the floor, blocks shots and plays the energy guy/drity work role to perfection. In reality, all of Hurley’s kids are willing to play that role.
–St. Ben’s plays solid down the stretch, hits their free throws, plays tough D and ends up coming away with a 74-65 win. Holmes dropped 23 and Vinson had 29 and seven for St. Frances in the loss.
Findlay Prep vs. Mountain State:
–Off the top, this was never really a contest. One of Mountain State’s top players, West Virginia signee Deniz Kilicli, a 6-9 Turkish bruiser who I first saw at adidas Nations last summer, picked up two fouls early, effectively ending the West Virginia prep school’s hopes of a win. One interesting sidenote: both schools are relatively new powers. In fact, I never heard of Mountain State until this season, and I consider myself someone in the know. Findlay is in its second year of existence and while the idea of having a prep school on the outskirts of Vegas sounds crazy, they’ve been pretty successful so far, only losing one game, including this year’s undefeated (so far) season.
–Findlay only has eight players, but one of them is Texas-bound McDonald’s All-American Avery Bradley, probably the nation’s top on-ball defender and a ridiculous athlete, to boot. They also have Illinois signee DJ Richardson, who, like Bradley, is a high-flying 6-3 guard who can both shoot it and defend. Carlos Lopez, a 6-11 UNLV signee, is their other senior. He’s the only one of the trio I haven’t seen, but he immediately catches my eye with his bounciness and aggressiveness, not to mention his eccentric look. Their underclassmen aren’t too shabby either, as Canadian junior point guard Cory Joseph (younger brother of Minnesota’s Devoe) and fellow 2010 prospect Tristan Thompson add to the strong group.
–Speaking of Thompson, a 6-9 Texas commit (think a smaller LaMarcus Aldridge with more perimeter skills), he’s playing alongside his second Grassroots Canada AAU teammate and Texas commit this season. Until a few months ago, he was at St. Ben’s (with Kabongo; Joseph also plays on his AAU squad and Bradley is also committed to Texas), until being dismissed by Hurley and resurfacing at Findlay. Rumor has it that Kabongo may join him at Findlay next season, but time will tell.
–This is my first extended look at Noah Cottrill, a 6-2 junior point guard at Mountain State and a West Virginia commit. Cottrill, an in-state kid, is doing his best to help his team not get embarrassed, but they’re clearly outmanned. Still, I like his competitiveness, his pure stroke, vision and unselfishness. He’s got his hands full with Bradley and Richardson taking turns guarding him, but he’s trying out there. Also, look out for Mountain State freshman Najee Whitehead.
–Findlay wins, 76-55. Thompson goes for 20 and eight, Lopez has 14, nine and three blocks, Bradley has 15, six and five dimes and Joseph puts up 13, five and four, while Cottrill has 23 (including six treys) and four dimes (with seven turnovers) in a losing effort.
Montrose Christian vs. Friends Central:
–Saying this game was never a contest is an understatement. I’m somewhat familiar with Friends Central, a Philly-area team (and alma mater of Mustafa Shakur and Hakim Warrick), and I know they have some nice young players, but there’s no way they were ready for Montrose. 6-10 Mouphtaou Yarou and 6-8 Isaiah Armwood, both Villanova signees, hold things down on the inside, while Oregon native Terrence Ross, a 6-5 junior swingman is their headliner on the perimeter.
–”Mouph” is a straight beast. A true post player, he could help the Wildcats in their Final Four game tonight. Built like a blacksmith, he has excellent footwork, runs the floor wel, has a nice touch and is a force on the inside.
–Armwood, like his former teammate Vinson, didn’t develop the way I expected when I first saw him as a sophomore, but Im like the strides he’s made. He’s forgotten about transforming into the next Kevin Durant (a Montrose alum) and focused on playing to his strengths (his superb athleticism) and improving his mid-range J.
–Ross is a kid I was immediately biased against because my mother saw a picture of him in the paper and said he looked like me at that age. All jokes aside, the kid can play. Smooth, athletic, a fluid ballhandler with a great stroke, look for him to continue the ascension to elite prospect he started on last summer.
–The kid who stole the show, however, was Montrose freshman Justin Anderson. I really try to not talk about kids until after their freshman year on varsity is over, but this kid has got something. A 6-5 guard, he has a frame a lot of seniors would be happy with, crazy athleticism, a dynamic handle and passing ability, and a solid stroke. In other words, he’s no ordinary freshman. Playing under Stu Vetter, one of the very best coaches in the high school game, I fully expect him to live up to the hype he’s already getting in the DC area.
–Friends Central kinda got demoralized after a while, but one kid who piqued my interest was another freshman, 6-6 Amile Jefferson. He desperately needs to add weight, but he has a good feel for the game, a great motor, plenty of length, finishes well and can already guard multiple positions. His poise, however, is what impressed me most. Also, 6-3 sophomore guard Devin Coleman, a smooth lefty, has a lot of potential, as well.
–Montrose won it, 88-45. No need for stats. It was cool to see Montrose’s bench players get a lot of burn and the starters going crazy for them. T. Jordan Omogbehin (great name!), a raw, 7-1 sophomore, might have stolen the show from Anderson toward the end, as he seemed to gain confidence by the minute.
–Back to the gym in a bit for the semis today. Catch them on TV, if you can.

The Domestic Duo

CHN — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:20:21 -0700

by Aggrey Sam
With Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings, this makes sense. Teenage pro phenoms, one an Olympian, the other a trailblazer (not literally, I hope—that would take “Pritch-slapped” to a new level), playing major roles on top European squads, blah blah blah. Yeah, SLAM is bold, cutting edge, whatever—but knowledgeable basketball fans in general won’t be shocked. Even the most devout high school hoops observers, however, couldn’t have predicted they’d see John Wall and Lance Stephenson on a cover. Not at this point, anyway.
Well, maybe Lance. He is from Coney Island, after all (third time’s the charm?), and graced this publication’s pages as a precocious point-producing phenom before he started the 10th grade. That was after he already took home a NYC PSAL (Public School Athletic League) title (the first of four consecutive; what up, Franklyn), after he faced off with then-rising senior OJ Mayo at ABCD Camp before he entered high school and after he was already a regular playing with and against grown men at the Rucker.
On the other hand, it was before the BK native’s well-publicized (blown out of proportion) off-court incidents, before he was (in)famously cut from the USA Under-18 National Team last summer, before his bornready.tv online documentary (which just moved onto real TV earlier this week) and before most talent evaluators (not this one) dropped him from the top spot in their rankings. Basically, people got tired of Lance Stephenson.
John Wall, though? That’s another story. A lot of casual observers of the prep scene have never even seen him play. Up until about two years ago, even the most ardent national scouts barely knew the kid’s name. So how did a skinny, unknown kid from Raleigh emerge as the most talked-about prospect in the nation? I feel almost privileged to explain his rise to stardom, as I was an eyewitness.
It started in Chicago, back in June of ‘07. Reebok held a tryout camp for lesser-known players and underclassmen to battle for the opportunity to be selected to their invite-only camp in Philly. Wall stole the show in the Chi, then repeated his performance with an encore at the big show a month later, alongside names like the aforementioned Jennings.
His unbelievable athleticism and mind-blowing were the attributes that immediately stuck out, but since then, he’s continued to hone his game. Last summer, his stock went through the roof, as he destroyed any and all comers on the AAU and camp circuit, leading many to rank him as the nation’s top prospect.
I last saw Wall play over the holidays in Florida, and his development was remarkable to me. Tighter ballhandling, an improved J (albeit streaky; still a work in progress, but it was non-existent before), even better playmaking ability and most importantly, newfound leadership skills are what caught my eye. Wall has transformed from a monster athlete into a real ballplayer, and possibly a future All-Star NBA point guard, to boot. The tools were always there, but these days, the production is starting to match the potential.
As for Lance, don’t believe the hate. “Born Ready” still dominates at will (ask the West squad about his second-half performance in Wednesday night’s McDonald’s Game; don’t get me started on why Wall wasn’t in it, or, for that matter, why Lance won’t be in the Jordan game in his hometown, in which Wall will participate), but, in my opinion, not enough people are noticing. Sure, they see the stats—as well as the four city chips, two state crowns and the all-time New York state scoring record—but all you hear is negativity. Remind you of anybody else’s prep career? A certain rookie on the Grizzlies, perhaps? Think about it. Both born scorers. Both nationally known since before the ninth grade. Both heavily criticized for on and off the court issues. Both determined as hell to succeed.
And despite his lack of hype prior to this point, that goes for Wall, too. I could go on and on about their individual games, but I’ve always been a proof-is-in-the-pudding type of dude and I’m pretty damn confident that in two years (if you think them killing their respective one-and-done years isn’t a foregone conclusion, you’re probably on the wrong site), these two will show and prove as NBA rookies. I’m not saying they’ll be better than OJ and Derrick Rose. But if comparisons aren’t being made, I’ll be very surprised. So, international intrigue aside (and believe me, I’m sold on Ricky and Brandon, too), these two homegrown and domestically-developed guards have a chance to be very special for years to come. Just don’t say you weren’t warned…

Lance Stephenson Will Be Attending…

CHN — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:26:45 -0700

The anticipation continues to build as Lance will delay his decision a little longer. The New York prep star originally planned on announcing his college committment this morning before the McDonald’s All-American game.

The Recruiting Market Heats Up

CHN — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:15:27 -0700

by Franklyn Calle
According to multiple reports, New York City native Lamont “Mo-Mo” Jones has de-committed from Virginia Tech. The 6-0 senior guard initially committed to Rick Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals last spring after his junior season at American Christian before de-committing over the summer and committing to the Hokies last November. At the time when he picked VTech, Jones was also being recruited by Charlotte, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Georgetown, Providence, Southern California, Cincinnati, and Memphis. He started his high school career at NYC powerhouse, Rice High School, where he spent his first two years before transferring to American Christian last year. After the school closed down in June, Jones ended up at Oak Hill Academy in last fall.
“I really thought Virginia Tech was a good fit for him. An opportunity to play and play in the ACC. I was a little disappointed. But he wants to open things up,” Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Smith also told the paper that Jones has set up a visit to Southern California for the April 10-12 weekend.
Early in the week, Josh Davis gave a verbal commitment to N.C. State. The 6-5 senior was also considering High Point, Gardner-Webb, and North Carolina-Wilmington among others. According to ESPN.com, Davis averaged 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds for Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He now joins Lorenzo Brown-a 6-4 shooting guard from Centennial HS in Georgia, Scott Wood-a 6-6 shooting guard from Marion HS in Indiana, and Richard Howell-a 6-8 forward from Wheeler HS in Georgia as part of the Wolfpack’s 2009 recruiting class.
The Tulsa World reported on Thursday that Donte Medder has given Tulsa University a verbal commitment. The 6-1 point guard was also considering Southern Methodist, St. Mary’s, Rutgers, and San Diego State. According to the report, the Arizona native averaged 22.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game at Mesa High School and also took visits ST. Mary’s and San Diego State. Medder now joins Bryson Pope, a 6-6 shooting guard from Jenks High School in Oklahoma, and Kodi Maduka, a 6-10 power forward from James Martin High School in Texas.
The Newport New Daily Press reported that Tre Lee won’t be suiting up for Liberty University this fall. After verbally committing to the school in December, the 6-5 shooting guard, who attends Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, is back on the recruiting market again. It is unclear whether Lee de-committed or Liberty took the offer off the table but Lee’s HS coach told Newport Daily Press the following: “The details, I’m not at Liberty to discuss. He had given a verbal commitment, which is not legally binding, and now he’s shopping around and trying to find some interest.” Liberty has three commitments for 2009 recruitng class in Chris Perez-a 6-4 shooting guard from Oldsmar Christian High School in Florida, Ovie Soko- a 6-8 forward from Bethel High School in Virginia, and Joel Vander Pol-a 6-10 center from Evangelical Christian High School in Florida. According to ESPN.com, Lee originally had interest from St. Louis, George Mason, George Washington, and Richmond.
The New York Daily News reported on Thursday that Lance Stephenson is “leaning heavily” toward Kansas. Stephenson is expected to announce this Tuesday in Miami at the McDonald’s All-American media day. The report also says that St. John’s is still in the mix. He is down to three schools in Kansas, St. John’s and Maryland, with St. John’s being the only school he didn’t take an official visit to. But at the same time he has played at St. John’s for the last four years in quarter-finals and semifinals games and knows the entire staff, so does he really need to pay an official visit to the school? A good point made by the report is that if he was to pick St. John’s, he would have announced it at Madison Square Garden after PSAL championship played last week, which was where Stephenson initially had told reporters that he would make an announcement. But it is believed that after the Kansas visit last month, Stephenson decided to move the announcement date to the Miami. Kansas’ assistant coach, Danny Manning, has been recruiting the 6-5 senior guard heavily the last month or so. Stephenson along with John Wall, are the two biggest high profile prospects remaining in the 2009 recruiting class. We shall find out his destination in the next few days.

Michael Gilchrist named Jersey’s Player of Year

CHN — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:16:00 -0700

Young Mike is just a sophomore, but he is nice. Needless to say, SLAM readers should not be surprised by this week’s announcement.

History on 34th Street

CHN — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 00:13:30 -0700

by Franklyn Calle
The stage was set for another historic moment at the World’s Most Famous Arena. Madison Square Garden was about to witness once again another historic basketball moment right in its own wooden floor. This time it was a high school basketball historic championship up for grabs. All the hype that started in the Brooklyn streets when Lance Stephenson was in the 7th grade came down to this game. It seems like it was only yesterday when Stephenson aka “Born Ready” exploded into the national scene in July 2005 after he gave the best high school basketball player in America at the time, OJ Mayo, all he can handle at the Reebok ABCD camp. That match-up will go down as one of the greatest moments in ABCD Camp history. Born Ready caught Mayo off guard at the start the game and was scoring from the perimeter as well as in the paint. He was making Mayo look bad to the point that OJ decided to make the game into a one-on-one match instead of a five-on-five. Oh by the way, Lance had just finished the 8th grade at the time while Mayo was about to enter his junior year in high school. It seemed as if the game was being played in Coney Island instead of at the Farleigh Dickinson University campus in Teaneck, New Jersey by the amount of people cheering Stephenson on. But somewhere in the middle of that epic match-up, Mayo turned into a monster and finished off the game on fire. I remember that on a couple of possessions, Mayo holding the ball would tell Lance to step-up and play defense more closer only to dribble a couple of times and score right on him. When it was all over, Stephenson finished with 16 points while Mayo scored 21. But the stat sheet didn’t quite explain what had taken place. At the time, no one had ever really challenged Mayo during his first two years of high school. Then all of the sudden an eighth grader comes in and plays at the same level as him. Both players shook hands afterwards with Mayo just relieved that he was able to finish the game strong while Lance seemed have a bit of bad taste in his mouth knowing that he was so close from out-shining and exposing the best high school baller in America. But in reality Stephenson had gained the attention and respect from Mayo himself, who called the Brooklyn native “real”, as well as from the national media, scouting services, and college coaches. Two months later, Stephenson was getting ready to start his high school career at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. After the first three days of school, Born Ready transferred out the Fort Greene school and enrolled into Abraham Lincoln High School located in his own neighborhood, Coney Island. What would transcribe over the next three and a half year would go down as history in the New York City high school basketball world.
So here we are three and a half years later. Stephenson playing at the “Mecca of Basketball” was looking to win his fourth straight PSAL (Public School Athletic League) championship and become the first player to do so. So you know Slam had to be in the building to witness the historic accomplishment.
As the players took the floor for warm-ups, you could tell that Lance was in his own capsule. He jogged on the lay-up line so calm as if he was playing at The Garden floor for the 200th time, not his 4th. He showed no emotion, very quiet. He was alone shooting jumpers on the right wing across from the visitors’ bench for a while. One thing I took notice was that while his Lincoln team was sporting Under Armour and Adidas sneakers, he was the only player wearing Nike (That’s right Lance still loves his Nikes despite being left out of the Jordan Brand Classic). He was wearing the black/white/blue Nike Zoom LeBron VI to be exact. Now could it be that he wearing Nike for the championship game was a sign or hint as to what school he will be committing to in ten days?…Just for the record his three finalists are St. John’s-a Nike school, Kansas-a Adidas school, and Maryland- a Under Armour school… Well I guess we shall find that out in ten days if the sneakers had anything to do with where he might be leaning towards. But to be fair, I should note that he has been wearing Nike for most of the season.
So the ref blows the whistle and the game starts. We all knew that Lance was going to start the game strong as he was looking to surpass Sebastian Telfair’s (Minnesota Timberwolves) three PSAL titles after already breaking his scoring record last month to become New York State’s new all-time leading scorer. In the first 2:32 of the game, Stephenson scored six of his team’s first eight points through a jumper with a hand on his face, a fast break lay-up after stealing the ball, and a put back on a miss free throw, to give Lincoln an 8-2 lead over JFK from the Bronx. Later in the quarter, Stephenson would go all the way to the hole from the top of the key, blazing by three defenders for a lay-up. On the next possession, Born Ready hit nothing but net on a three point field goal. A minute and a half later with 26 seconds to play, Stephenson hit another three to give Lincoln a 21-12 lead and finish the quarter on an 8-0 run, with six of them from Stephenson.
After one quarter of play, Stephenson already had 14 points and 4 rebounds while shooting 6 for 8 from the field and 2 for 2 from behind the perimeter. Maryland-bound center James Padgett scored 5 points and grabbed five boards.
Within the first minute and twenty seconds of the second quarter, Lance stole the ball and flashed up the court for a coast to coast lay-up. But those would be his only points of the quarter as he picked up his third foul at about the halfway mark of the quarter and sat out the rest of the way. That is when the 6-8 senior Padgett stepped up and made sure that the Knights didn’t get comfortable even though Stephenson was on the bench. He dominated the boards as well as in the paint, scoring 8 points in the second quarter to give the Lincoln Railsplitters a 41-32 lead heading into the locker rooms at halftime.
For Lincoln, Stephenson led with the way with 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals while Padgett had 13 points and 9 rebounds while shooting a perfect 5 for 5 from the field.
For JFK, junior guard Naquan Pierce led the team in scoring with 12 points.
Stephenson was back on the floor for the start of the third quarter in which Lincoln was able to deliver the knockout punch. The 6-5 shooting guard scored four points in the quarter on a put back and two free throws but it was the role player that were able to expand the lead to 15 by the end of the quarter. Guards Darwin “Buddha” Ellis, a senior who is headed to St. Francis College, and Shaquille Stokes, a sophomore who transferred from national powerhouse St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth, New Jersey, both stepped up on both ends of the floor. Another transfer, Anthony Allen, who transferred from Apex Academy in Jersey, also had his presence felt. And Padgett just kept dominating the boards. Padgett actually is also a transferred as he went to Lincoln from Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn after his sophomore year.
Lincoln held JFK to only 9 points in the quarter. After three quarter of play, the Railsplitters were up, 56-43. Stephenson at the time had 20 points and 8 rebounds while Padgett already had a double-double in 14 points and 13 rebounds. Pierce led KFK with 13 points.
In the fourth, Lincoln continued to show poise and had no intentions of letting this game get close. Stephenson got to the basketball for a couple of lay-ups in the first three minute of the quarter. And when Lincoln took their largest lead of the game with 1:28 left in the game, 72-52, Stephenson was taken out the game to a standing ovation at MSG, where he might very well call home next year if he chooses St. John’s.
As the buzzer sounded, the Lincoln bench stormed the floor and celebrated the 78-56 victory which handed them the historic fourth consecutive PSAL Championship and gave Stephenson and teammate Ellis their historic fourth city title in their four years of high school. You can tell from the players facial expressions that they were just overjoyed to know that they were part of history. It was a long and bumpy season for the Railsplitters as they went from being ranked one of the top teams in the nation in the pre-season polls to getting knocked off the rankings and loosing 10 games in a very adamant schedule. For Stephenson himself, he has had some rough times the last nine months from being cut off the Team USA National 18&under squad last summer to the alleged sexual assault charges in the fall and everything in between. But despite all of the pressure and distractions, Born Ready found himself in the history books and possibly leaving the question as to being the best player to ever come out of New York City. You could see in his eyes that he was just relieved that it was all over.
Stephenson won MVP honors and finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals. Padgett scored 17 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, shooting 6 for 7 from the floor. Guards Ellis and Stokes chipped in 15 and 7 points respectively, while Allen finished with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
For JFK, Pierce finished with 17 points while senior Jeffrey Azru had 12 points and 6 assists. Senior Shea Spence also had a strong game as he scored 11 points while grabbing 9 rebounds.
For Lincoln head coach Dwayne “Tiny” Morton, it is his 7th city championship in the last eight years. But most importantly he got to avenge the 2000 and 2005 losses to JFK’s head coach Johnny Mathis at MSG.
Lincoln will now go upstate next weekend to play for the New York State Federation title where they have come out crowned champions the last two years.
In ten days, Lance will make his college announcement at Media Day of the McDonald’s All American Game on March 31st.
As people made their way out The Garden, I heard some wondering who might be the next Lance. Well looking at next year, there is a very familiar face in Coney Island that will be entering the 9th grade. He goes by the name of Ethan Telfair. That’s right Sebastian’s little brother who you may remember from the end of the “Through the Fire” documentary where he is working on his game at the park very early in the morning. Whether or not he goes to Lincoln next year is yet to be known but some close to him have told me that he might be looking to go in a different direction and attend another school. But then yet the same was said about Stephenson until he transferred into Lincoln from Bishop Loughlin on the first week of school of his freshmen year. Usually if you are from Coney Island and you can ball, then you are going to attend Lincoln High School.
But for now, Madison Square Garden can brag that once again an historic basketball game was played in its building. What other better place for it!

Lance Stephenson Makes College Decision

CHN — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:33:26 -0700

Lance Stephenson has picked the college he would like to attend next season, but the rest of the world will have to wait until April 1st at the McDonald’s All American game to find out where he has chosen to suit up for in the fall. The 6-5 shooting guard said in a press conference at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, in anticipation to Saturday’s PSAL Championship at the World’s Most Famous Arena, that he already has made up his mind as to what school he wants to attend but said he won’t announce it until he gets to Miami for the McDonald’s All American game. The Brooklyn native is down to his final three, St. John’s, Kansas, and Maryland, with the Terrapins being sort of a long shot.
Stephenson is considered a top three player nationwide for the 2009 class, and along with John Wall, is one of two blue-chip players who have yet to commit. He doesn’t want his decision to be leaked and therefore not even his own high school coach knows where he is headed to. His Lincoln team will be taking on JFK from the Bronx on Saturday afternoon at The Garden for the PSAL city title. It was first believed that Stephenson would make his college announce after the game on Saturday at MSG but he said that he would probably be too emotional to even speak about college at the time. You may be asking yourself why too emotional. Well, if Stephenson and the Lincoln Railsplitters win the City Championship on Saturday then he will rewrite the history books by becoming the first player in NYC history to win a city title in all of his four years in high school. He would pass another Lincoln alumnus, Sebastian Telfair (Minnesota Timberwolves), won three city titles with the Railsplitters during his high school days. Stephenson already passed Telfair’s New York State scoring record earlier this year to become the state’s new all-time scoring leader. Telfair’s cousin, Stephon Marbury (Boston Celtics), also attended Lincoln. Stephenson, Telfair, and Marbury are all from the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, NY, where talented guards seem hard not to find.
Tomorrow will be Lincoln’s eight straight year playing at the Garden for the PSAL title, having won six of the last seven. That one loss came in to 2005 to no one other than JFK.