Canton/Akron Player Stats

Player, School G Pts. Avg.
C.J. McCollum, GlenOak 12 354 29.0
Andre Paulk, Kent Roosevelt 12 298 24.8
Kenny Kornowski, Smithville 13 321 24.7
Robert Wilson, Streetsboro 12 280 23.3
Tom Herchek, Waterloo 11 248 22.5
Jacob Bolyard, Orrville 9 189 21.0
Tyler Bates, Smithville 13 166 20.8
Andrew Lowe, Kingsway 13 268 20.6
Shane Byler, Lake Center 12 240 20.0
Cody Apthorpe, Windham 9 174 19.3
Chad White, Mogadore 11 205 18.6
John Galbraith, Revere 10 183 18.3
Kyle Walters, Crestwood 11 197 17.9
Joe Leyland, Waterloo 7 124 17.7
Jordan Jones, Ravenna 8 136 17.0
Jacob North, Barberton 11 185 16.8
Storm Sanders, GlenOak 12 199 16.6
Sam Trogdan, Rittman 13 194 16.5
Zach Wasson, Orrville 10 160 16.0
Denerio Bryant, Kent Roosevelt 12 188 15.7
Andrew Pavloff, Walsh Jesuit 9 141 15.7
Joe DeJacimo, Southeast 10 155 15.5
Darryl Boddie, Garfield 8 124 15.5
Charles Hearn, Kenmore 7 106 15.1

Rebounds:
Kenny Kornowski, Smithville 13 209 16.1
Garrick Sims, Barberton 11 155 14.1
Cody Apthorpe, Windham 9 122 13.6
Robert Wilson, Streetsboro 12 156 13.0
Laquon Smith, Kenmore 7 78 11.1
Andrew Lowe, Kingsway 13 132 10.2
Cameron Black II, Kent Roosevelt 11 102 9.3
Barrett Gasser, Rittman 13 119 9.2
Jesse Coblentz, Lake Center 11 101 9.2
Jackie Adams, East 11 100 9.1
Chris Ameen, Walsh Jesuit 9 80 8.9
Ned Ring, Lake Center 12 107 8.9
G. Schwesinger, Crestwood 11 96 8.7
Allen Strouble, Marlington 11 96 8.7
Cyle Strouble, Marlington 11 96 8.7
Andrew Pavloff, Walsh Jesuit 9 77 8.6
Nate Stasik, Field 9 76 8.5
Chris Graves, Crestwood 11 93 8.5
C.J. McCollum, GlenOak 12 100 8.3
Tim Pfeiffer, Manchester 7 57 8.1

Friday Night: Ohio Updates

Columbus Brookhaven over Centennial 80-64.
6-foot-7, 2010, SF Craig Sealey had 14 pts.
6-foot-2, 2009, SG Terrance Watkins had 31 pts!

Columbus Northland over Columbus East 59-42.
6-foot-6, 2010, SF, Air Spoon finished with 21pts
6-foot-8, 2010, PF, Jared Sullinger finished with 16 pts.

North Canton Hoover over Canton Glen Oak 64-61.
5-foot-11, 2011, SG, Nyles Evans finished with 18.
6-foot-2, 2009, SG, CJ McCollum season low 22 pts.
5-foot-10, 2010, SG, TJ Sutton dropped 19 pts (5-10 3pts).

Massillon Jackson over Youngstown Fitch 73-49.
6-foot-6, 2010, PF, Josh Egner tallied 17pts.
6-foot-7, 2010, PF, Mark Henninger chipped in 14pts.

Cleveland Benedictine smacks Massillon 67-50.
6-foot-1, 2010, CG, Derek Jackson poured in 35 pts.
6-foot-4, 2010, SG, Cameron Wright added 25 pts.

Federal League Showdown

A key Federal League Match up takes places tonight with North Canton Hoover taking on Canton Glen Oak. Hoover has a Division 1 prospect in Shooting Guard Nyles Evans, while Canton Glen Oak features Lehigh signee CJ McCollum and 2010 guard Storm Sanders. This should be a solid game and will most likely come down to the last possession. Check back later for the post-game report.

Michigan: Friday's Games

4pm:

Detroit Finney @ Detroit Pershing- A couple of the state's best teams face-off and talent from 2009-12.

Detroit Henry Ford @ Detroit Renaissance-A battle in the P.S.L. West and plenty of senior talent.

7pm:

Flint Powers @ Flint Carman-Ainsworth- The best battle in...err...claiming Flint. Emotion and plenty of recruitable talent for Division 1 and Division II programs.

West Bloomfield @ Clarkston- Perhaps Clarkston's toughest matchup for a while. A must see for small schools through Mid-major plus programs looking for a 6'7 2010 skilled four man.

Detroit Midtown Academy @ Conner Creek West- Small schools and there's more to see than future University of Detroit-Mercy 6'10 forward John Hoskins, jr. who put up a 40+ game on Tuesday.

Livonia Stevenson @ Novi- A couple of quality guards face off, one a visiting junior and the other an unrecognized guard from the '09 class.

Muskegon @ Western Michigan Christian- Is Muskegon the new Saginaw? Could be with some championships to add to the mantle.

7:30 pm

Dearborn Divine Child @ University of Detroit-Jesuit-Expect a tough grind out game and a good look at unsigned seniors.

Novi Catholic Central @ Warren De LaSalle- The top squad in the CHSL travels to the pre-season dog's house.

Battle of The Year!

Columbus Northland travels north on Saturday to take on the Trojans of Canton Timken. This could very well be one of the best remaining high school games left in the state of Ohio.
Northland Features:
6-foot-8, PF, Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
6-foot-6, SF, JD Weatherspoon (Xavier)
6-foot-4, PF, Javon Cornley (Indiana FB)
6-foot-4, WF, Dimonde Hale (2009 Prospect)
5-foot-11,PG, Trey Burke (2011 Prospect)
Coach: Satch Sullinger

Timken Features:
6-foot-7, PF, Cameron Howard (2009 Prospect)
6-foot-8, C, Desmond Rorie (2011 Prospect)
6-foot-5, WG, Jarred Porrini (2009 Prospect)
6-foot-4, WF, Rakim Reed (2011 Prospect)
5-foot-10,PG, Jehvone Clark (2011 Prospect)
Coach: Rick Hairston

Inside Report:
Sullinger is coming off a tender ankle sprain, so that means Hale, Cornley, Bennett, Burke and Weatherspoon will be called on for leadership and scoring. Hale who has came on as of late had 18 points on Tuesday in a cupcake game. Burke who's one of the top point guards in 2011 does a great job of creating for others and is capable of dropping 10-15 points easily. Cornley is a junk-yard dog and is capable of scoring from 10 and in, as well as being a monster on the glass. Weatherspoon will shine with his ability to finish above the rim and if Timken decides to make it a uptempo game. Porrini is the X-factor for this game, if he is able to create outside-in and be productive from start to finish it could be a very close game. Look for Northland's aggressive man to man defense to cause some shifts in Timkens offensive execution as they rely on Porrini and Clarke to create. Timken will most likely run a zone press unless Northland breaks it vastly and then possibly fall back into a quarter-court run and jump once the ball gets past half-court.

X-Factor: Jarred Porrini, Canton Timken, 2009, WG

Detroit Cass Tech Holds Lead

Detroit Cass Tech hosted Detroit Douglas on Tuesday night and avenged an earlier loss with a 54-47 win. This win by the Technicians puts them in a serious chance to make the PSL playoffs for the first time in years.

Cass Tech has had plenty of talent over the last few years? Let's just say a pro and mid-major players over the last five years transfered. Two MAC players stayed and numerous others are in Division II or other levels of college basketball stayed.

But, they haven't made it in some time.

A new crop is on the rise this year and the game they played Tuesday night against Detroit Douglas is sure to be a battle next year as well. They split the bill this year in their Southeast Division battle and expect the battle of future Division I and II players to continue into next year.

6'7 Lanier Brown (pictured) led Cass Tech with 17 points, 6'2 Kem Bradshaw added 9, 6'6 Shannon Williams 9 points were solid in the post, and 6'6' Daniel Bellomy was solid defensively.

6'5 unsigned senior power forward Darrien Schaefer added 9 points.

For Douglas, a sophomore, 6'5 Dennis Hogan, led them in scoring with 12. 6'5 junior John Gaston added seven. 6'2 senior guard Nick Merchant led Douglas in scoring with 18 and has one of the most intriguing stories in MHSAA sports.

Both have chances of making the PSL playoffs and facing off again.

Ohio's Top Sharpshooters

Here is a brief list of some of the best shooters in the State of Ohio:
2009, Garfield Heights,PG, Carl Jones (St. Joes)
2009, Canton Glen Oak, SG, CJ McCollum (Lehigh)
2009, Worthington Christian, WF, Brian Hecker (Cedarville)
2009, Kettering Alter,WF, Ryan Siggins (D2)
2009, Columbus Bishop-Hartley, CG, Ben Siefert
2009, Circleville Logan Elm, SG, Brad Aman
2010, Brush,SG, Nate Tait
2010, Columbus Desales, CG, Nick Kellogg
2010, Anna, PG, Derek Billing
2010, Poland Seminary, SG, Niko Fatimus
2010, Plymouth, PG, Brook Turson
2010, Barberton, SG, Jacob North
2010, Parma, SG, Justin Roth
2010, Reynoldsburg, SG, Kevin Gray
2011, Huber Heights Wayne, PG, Travis Trice
2011, Garfield Heights, SG, Trey Lewis
2011, Lakewood St. Eds, SG, Delbert Love
2011, Akron SVSM, SG, Ricky Johnson
2011, Berlin Hiland, WF, Noah Boyd
2012, Cleveland Benedictine, SG, Winston Grays III
2012, Cleveland Heights, PG, Tyree Gatier

Ralph Hill: Westerville North

Ralph Hill a 6-foot-6, 2010, SF from Westerville North High School in Columbus, Ohio took a unofficial visit over the weekend to Butler. Hill told IPS on Sunday that he is down to 3 programs; Akron, Butler and Dayton (In no Order). Hill who is a outside-in small forward said he is wanting to take official visits to all three programs and will most likely decide in the fall. Hill has scored a 22 on the ACT will play his summer ball with CBIZ.

West Michigan's Monday Night Basketball

The Jam at the Van: The opener Zeeland East vs. Zeeland West and following Wayland Union vs Grand Rapids Catholic Central.

Cadillac is on the road in Mt. Pleasant.

Cedar Springs hosts Hudsonville Unity Christian.

Forest Hills Central (7-2) faces F.H. Northern (2-6) on the road. You never know.

Da'Shonte Riley Official Visit Updates

Detroit Country Day's 7-foot senior Da'Shonte Riley is one of the top unsigned seniors in the nation and some of the best programs in the nation are bringing the shot-blocker in for official visits.

For those of you who listened to 730am WVFN this Saturday morning you heard me mention that he'll make visits to Syracuse and Marquette in February.

Riley told me those are official visits but still doesn't have a front-runner. He'll visit Syracuse on February 14th and Marquette on February 25th. He was scheduled to visit Marquette earlier this month but last minute scheduling conflicts delayed the visit.

He is also getting looks from Missouri, Oregon, Oregon State, Boston College, South Florida, and Virginia.

Nate Rogers: Grades and Player

Inside Prep Sports steps into Illinois to revisit 6' point guard Nate Rogers a senior from St. Joseph, HOFer Isaiah Thomas ring a bell. Rogers isn't Thomas but he is getting looks from programs around the country. Western Illinois, Texas-Pan American, Cornell, Augustana College, and IUPUI have offered. Other teams like Loyola (Chicago) are heavily looking at the talented point guard. There are sure to be more teams as Rogers leads the #8 team in Illinois.

Dawgs corner Mustangs

Garfield Heights(9-3) bounced back last night to outlast the gallop of the Strongsville Mustangs with a deceptively impressive 85-78 victory. Garfield was lead by the 2 guard tandem of Senior and Sophomore sensations Carl Jones 26 points (9-14 from the field,4-7 from beyond the arc) and Trey Lewis 24 points(6 of 9 beyond the arch)they also received plenty of inside presence with 6-foot-8, 2009 Center Freddy Chatman, along with 6-foot-6,2011,Skilled, SF Will Weeks. Chatman finished the night with 15 points on stick backs, tip-ins and 2 handed dunks.While Weeks tallied 9 points on impressive around the bucket finishes with either hand. Roy Brown had a quiet scoring night with 3 points, but chipped in with 9 assists to add a helping hand and Mario Hines who has been in a silent coma of late added a pesky 3.
Garfield's three losses on the year are from; Akron SVSM, Columbus DeSales and Findlay Prep. The Bulldogs are still one of the favorites to advance to Columbus out of the Cleveland Region. Time will tell...

Josh Egner picks up offer

6-foot-7, 2010, Massillon Jackson, PF Josh Egner picked up an offer over the weekend from Wisconsin-Milwaukee during an unofficial visit according to his father. Josh who is an explosive forward has plenty of upside and attacks and crashes the rim with the best of them. MAC and Horizon schools have been inquiring interest of late. Last night against Lake he posted 13 points and 6 rebounds in a 20+ victory over conference foe.
Egner plays his summer ball with King James and is coached by Mike Fuline during the prep season.

Doing J Work: CJ McCollum

6-foot-2, 2009, Canton Glen Oak sharp shooter CJ McCollum has been doing work, make that "J-WORK" all year long for his Golden Eagle squad. CJ has already committed to Lehigh dropping 29 points 13 rebounds and 3 assists last night in a Federal League win over cross-town rival Canton McKinley and improved his teams record to 10-1 overall. McCollum who is averaging right around 30 points a game dropped 35 points on 9-17 from the field and 14-15 from the line verse National powerhouse Detroit-Country Day last weekend in the Pizza Oven Classic. McCollum is hands down a steal for Lehigh and has grown nearly 7 inches since his freshman year and possibly might get to 6'3. Once questioned about his small frame (5'7), he now silents visiting teams and critics with his polished skill set, fluid ball movement, catch and shoot three balls and flawless foul shooting.
Canton Glen Oak hosts Medina tonight (1/24/09)

Friday Excitement in Michigan

Hoops all over the state of Michigan and Inside Prep Sports' took in two games. Detroit's marquee game was on the eastside where Detroit Finney packed their (Green) house for a stand-off with Southeastern. Southeastern won a December matchup decisively but this was before eligible players were...available.

It looked again that the Jungaleers were on their way to victory over the Highlanders after trailing 13-10 to end the first when they outscored the home team 20-3 in the second quarter. 30-16 young guys.

Starting the third quarter, 6'5 junior guard Isaiah Sykes moved to the point and a resurgence in the Finney front line led them to a Buffalo Bills' Fran Reich-ish comeback as they matched Southeastern's second quarter output of twenty points. Their defense caused six turnovers and by the end of the third quarter 6'6 senior power forward Kyle Bryant's two free throws was a block of sand as Southeastern struggled to hold thier 37-36 lead.

Finney created another six turnovers in the fourth quarter and if those in the crowd that thought Finney's second quarter drought was a treat then welcome Steven Wright as they held Southeastern to a single point in the final quarter. 47-38 was the final and Finney's victory puts the Highlanders in a second place tie for the PSL's East Divsion. Finney plays the divsion's first place squad Detroit Pershing next Tuesday.

Finney has a solid junior class that was led by 14 points from 6'6 forward Devon Haynes, 12 from 6'3 wing Tremaine Jackson, and eight from Sykes. Don't let the eight points fool you.

Michigan, Western Michigan, Northwestern, and Tennessee were in the crowd.

The 7 o'clock game was a twenty-five minute travel to Oak Park where the #3 team in Michigan, Clarkston, traveled down I-75 for an OAA matchup. This game was no roller coaster as Clarkston rolled 74-54 and led from beginning to end. A 28-21 Clarkston lead to end the half was as close as Oak Park would get and the third ended, 51-33.

Clarkston head coach Dan Fife has Clarkston clicking with talent to secure them as one of Michigan's top teams. A couple of unsigned senior's leading the way were 6'3 two-guard Brandon Pokley' 27 points and 6'6 hybrid guard Tom Staton' 16 points. 6'7 forward Matt Kamienieki was mighty efficient around the hoop and finished with 20 with double digit boards and a few blocks.

University of Detroit-Mercy, Western Michigan, Northwestern, and Loyola-Chicago.

Future Central Michigan wing K'allante Miller DNP.

Pittsburgh Basketball Club Classic

The Pittsburgh Basketball Club is again proud to host the 2009 Pittsburgh High School Basketball Classic. The event will take place January 25, 2009 at the Sewall Center on the campus of Robert Morris University.

Western Pa’s top teams and players will participate in the annual basketball extravaganza. Top boys teams in each classification will be participating in addition to the High School Classics 1st girls contest between Montour and Mars!

The game schedule is as follows:

11:00 AM- Lincoln Park vs. Montour
12:30 PM – Sewickley Academy vs. Bishop Canevin
2:00 PM Aliquippa vs. Char Valley
3:30 PM Montour vs. Mars (Girls)
5:00 PM Upper St. Clair vs. McKeesport
6:30 PM Gateway vs. Central Catholic
8:00 PM Beaver Falls vs. North Allegheny

Best in the Business: Jeff aka Ebay

Inside Prep Sports travels all over the country covering boy's high school basketball, as we usually just evaluate the talent that's playing on the floor this weekend at Flyin' to Hoop in Dayton,Ohio we couldn't help but notice a certain car salesman working the crowds. You would see him crawling over chair backs to sell a tournament t-shirt, working out deals with his Frickers gift cards, up-selling consumers with his donated Chipotle promo shirts and dazzling onlookers with unscripted comments like:"Get'em while they're hot", "Smoking Hot Deals." and my personal favorite "You gotta play to win." One college coach stated,"Jeff aka Ebay is one of the best I've ever seen, that guy could sell water to a well!" Ebay as we like to call him was a crowd favorite as he increased the 50-50 purse on each occasion and kept the hospitality rooms first class. We also hear he does golf outings, baseball games,fishing trips and fundraisers.If you wanna see Jeff in action email:eric@flyintothehoop.com, or just come to Dayton this guy is bigtime!

Highlights from Dayton Flyin to The Hoop!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1676043385/bctid8512819001

Findlay Prep ties up the Dawgs.

Findlay Prep, which is already in the midst of developing into a basketball dynasty traveled from Henderson,Nevada to take on the Bulldogs of Garfield Heights,and their team didn't need to bring any luck with them from Vegas as they prevailed 60-50. Prep was lead by Texas signee, 6'3, 2009, Guard, Avery Bradley who put on a wide display of slashing dribble drives, crafty pull-ups, catch-n-shoot jumpers,and a polished perimeter game to tally up 22 points for his Findlay squad. Bradley without a doubt was the most complete basketball player after 2 days of competition and one of the most athletic to go along with it after leaving defenders helpless in their stances. Prep also has a sound cast around bradley with;
6'8, 2009 SF Victor Rudd who runs the floor like a deer and jumps out of the gym. Rudd tends to float on the edges in a half-court set, but makes that up with his lock-down defense and ability to finish above the rim in transition a high percentage of the time. Rudd will need to get stronger, considering his inability to post and finish inside. Gonzaga, Arizona, Marquette, UNLV are just some that Rudd is receiving interest from.
6'2, 2010, SG Corey Joseph did not play well in the first half, as the zone threw off his game a bit, but in the second half he was hitting spot up deep range jumpers to cause the Garfield zone to shift and open up. Not a true point guard, he shows signs of shifting into more of a combo shooting guard with his capability of dealing with on the ball pressure, but also owns the ability to catch and shoot. A intriguing prospect that has high-major interest from coast to coast.
Garfield was lead by 6', 2011 shooting guard Trey Lewis with 16 points, Lewis showed the ability to hit shots coming off fade screens, stagger screens and even off dribble drive hand-offs. Lewis who likes to catch and shoot, also displayed the ability to attack from the wings and finish at the rim.
Carl Jones finished with a meager 13 points as DJ Richardson de-railed his traditional scoring output with swarming on the ball defense and over matched speed and power. 6'6, 2011, SF Will Weeks played very well in the second-half as he finished with 10 points with impressive post-moves and finishing with either hand around the hoop. The Senior trio of Mario Hines, Fred Chatman and Roy Brown were just outmatched by the bigger, stronger and more athletic team as they struggled to get on track all night. All in All, Garfield displayed a great amount of heart considering the level of talent they were going up against.

Dayton Flyin' to the Hoop Day 1: Jared vs. Jeremy

In a electric Trent Arena on the south side of Dayton,6-foot-9, 2010,Power Foward and Louisville commit Jeremy Tyler faced off against Ohio State commit and 6-foot-8, 2010,PF Jared Sullinger of Columbus Northland. The much anticpated matchup was well worth the wait as Tyler, who's game aka style is somewhat similar to a face-up pro-package foward attacked the rim with 7 explose dunks, displayed up-fakes, step-throughs, duck-ins, seals, tip-dunks, baseline dropsteps, ally-oop finishes and even displayed the ability to face-up and shoot from 17'. Tyler who is surrounded by a minimal cast was faced with double teams, dig-downs, double-downs traps and crashing box-outs handled the attention well for the most part. Tyler did foul out with 2 minutes to go in the game, by that time the game was already in Northlands pocket. Tyler finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds on the night and played harder then any other occasion that we've seen before.
Sullinger, who sat out the first half after picking up 2 quick fouls in the first quarter, after only contributing 2 points in the first(which was on a pretty impressive left-handed tip-in),took over the game in the 2nd half with 21 points and 9 rebounds to lead his squad down victory lane. Sullinger who's not nearly as explosive, long or athletic as Tyler, showed the ability to seal the bigger defender on his backside and muscle overtop, through and around when attacking the rim. Sullinger who is skilled beyond his position and age, showed a polished power game to go with a perimter skill set that is just not common for 6-foot-8, 260 pound prospects.

Box Score:
Northland 13 9 19 15 — 56
San Diego 9 8 15 7 — 39

MLK, jr. Heritage Classic: Results

Plenty of talent at the Annual MLK Heriatge Showcase. The events continue Sunday and here's a look at the first four of seven games from Saturday:

Highland Park Career Academy defeated Detroit Cleveland, 63-45. The majority of HPCA's scoring was from 6'2 senior Kenneth Passmore (25), 6'3 senior Mike Sims (11), and 6'2 senior Brian Moore (10). HPCA stepped in at the last minute to cover the game. Thanks.

6' senior guard Martell Hutcherson led Cleveland with 11.

Detroit City overcame a fourth quarter deficit to outlast Pontiac Notre Dame Prep, 63-57. City's leading scorer, two other cast members, and an assistant coach had to deal with the frigid weather missing the majority of the first quarter. PNDP took advantage of the opportunity and City's sluggish start leading after each of the first three quarters.

City was led by senior tandem 6' guard Anthony Reed's 19 and 6'5 small forward Devin Patton's 11 while 5'11 sophomore guard Quintez Gordon boosted 13. Reed hit his last seven free-throw attempts of the first quarter to help seel the deal. Gordon is one to keep an eye on as he combines a little bit of everything.

PNDP's leading scorer and rebounder was 6'6 senior forward JT Scollin (4.1+ GPA, 30 ACT), 16 and 9. He scored inside and out, knocking down a three and on the ensuing possession posted up and drew the and one call. Look for the youth of the Irish over the next four years as 6'2 freshman Kellen McCormick hit three threes enroute to 13 points, 6' sophomore point guard Joey DeMartis picks his spots well, and 6' freshman point guard Charles Hayden adds to a back-court full of potential.

Farmington Hills Harrison was down 27-26 in the first half before Detroit Douglas pulled away in the second half winning 60-45. 6'7 junior power forward Kamau Richardson made quite a debut Saturday afternoon in his first game since transferring from Redford Thurston. The game's Most Outstanding Player scored 16, double-digit boards, and a few monster blocks.

6'6 junior John Gaston scored nine and is an emerging small forward. 6'2 senior guard Nick Merchant is one of the hardest workers in the state and dropped 12.

Harrison's 6'1 senior guard Ken Brown, jr. led all scorers with 20; 8-8 from the stripe.

A much anticipated showdown featuring Saginaw Arthur Hill and Southfield-Lathrup was probably based more on the showcase of 2010 Division I prospects than which team was going to win. Arthur Hill is a top five team in the state and led by 5'6 junior guard Maurice Jones is a bad...shut yo mouth. Jones scored 23 in the first half and only missed one shot. Jones finished with 38, eight assists, seven rebounds, three steals, and an 82-67 win.

"We have to stop the other team's guards," was a pre-game quote from S-L's 6'5 junior guard Roy Marble, jr.

6'2 senior guard Chris Webb once again played very well and finished with 16.

Marble led the Chargers with 16. 6'2 junior guard Drew Gilchrist added 15 ad 6'6 junior small forward Bryan Coleman 13.

Detroit Southeastern fended off Auburn Hills Avondale first quarter lead and won decisively, 65-46. 6'5 gd Brandan Kearney, 6'4 small forward Will Washington, 6'9 center Darren Washinton, 6'3 guard Brandon McKay-Lee, and 6'7 forward Pecry Gibson are all talented sophomores that played double digit minutes. Gibson is very talented for his youth and played the best game of his high school career as his 23 points were a career high. He grabbed double digit boards and blocked a solid handful of shots.

6'1 senior guard Kimani Boynton fought through a sore wrist and scored 15. Kearney added eleven and is picking up the role as the Jungaleers' press-breaker.

Avondale was led by 6'4 senior guard Jeff Hines' 12 points. GLIAC and other DII schools are recruiting Hines for basketball and some MAC programs are still looking for him to commit to football. Hines would like to play both.

One of the day's highlight games featured Detroit King and Livonia Clarenceville where the game was close throughout but in the end King was able to withstand Claranceville's runs winning 73-62. Head Coach Bennie White was delayed by the weather so the game was coached by Assistant Coach Pierre Brooks.

King's 6'3 junior guard Anthony Cannon continued his solid play with a 20-point slashing performance. 6'2 junior guard Brent Hammond also added 20 in a variety of ways.

Clarenceville's 6'3 senior guard Jamie Stewart is the top unsigned guard in Michigan as dropped a stunning 26 points full of high wire acts, shooting, and bein' Jamie. 6' Nathan Clark is another unsigned senior guard whose ACT score is higher than the 21 points he put up Saturday night.

To cap the day's games Pontiac Northern defended their gym with a 54-46 victory over Detroit Crockett. The Northern trio of guards are among the best in the state but it was 6'3 senior George Newell who stole the show with big defensive plays and his 24 points led all scorers. 6' senior guard DeAndre Davis followed up with 14 and 5'8 sophomore guard Anthony Adams' eleven points went with a handful of assists. 5'9 junior guard Jabari Martin's was solid defensively.

Crockett trailed 26-18 at the half and fifteen of those points were from 6'6 junior power forward Devon Long. Long was a perfect 7-7 from the field and 1-1 from the charity stripe. He finished with 17 (8-9 fg) and double digit rebounds. His lack of touches in the second half were evident and 5'7 senior guard Daniel Price hit four threes for twelve points.

Say Goodbye to April and See you in July!

A vote to override the rule prohibiting men's basketball coaches from watching nonscholastic events in April failed Friday, the NCAA has confirmed. The override was defeated 55 percent to 45 percent — 144 "no" votes, 118 "yes" vote, two abstentions from Division I member schools. To be successful, the override required 62.5 percent support.

That means the legislation, which took effect in August, stays in effect. Supporters believe it protects the academic interests of prospective recruits, who miss class time to flock to high school tournaments in April.

Opponents of the legislation have argued that it increases recruiting costs, especially for programs with smaller budgets, by not allowed coaches to see recruits in one place.

"You hear the argument that the mid-majors are the ones that need that period to open up more than others, because, for cost-effective reasons, they can go see a lot of players in one setting," said Chris Woolard, Conference USA's associate commissioner of sports services. But as former head at mid-major Murray State, Woolard said he could make the argument that "those sorts of tournaments end up hurting you because you may have put in a lot of work to recruit a student-athlete who's kind of gone under the radar, and now that high school kid goes to a tournament where there are a lot of coaches from high major universities."

Woolard said he thought coaches, even in the biggest conferences, were generally split on the issue.

After the death of Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, some coaches also became concerned about the effects of job stress, made worse on the recruiting trail, and leaned toward eliminating the April period, Woolard said. Many others believe they can gain an advantage only by outworking other programs and want to keep seeing high school players in April.

In another NCAA development regarding an April basketball issue, the Division I legislative council wants to hear more from members before deciding on the ACC's proposal to give players less time to decide whether to stay in school or enter the NBA Draft. The new rule would give players 10 days after the end of the season — or about the time spring signing period starts in mid-April — to make up their minds. Players are now allowed to remain eligible if they declare their intention to return to college within 30 days after the NBA Draft in June.

A final vote on the proposal will take place, appropriately enough, in April.

"It's funny how all this ties in together," Woolard said, adding that if the early entry deadlines for the draft are changed, high-level coaches may not feel that the April period for seeing prospects is as important.

Are we staying or are we going?

Thursday evening around 7pm eastern standard time the Columbus City school board made a PUBLIC statement to halt Columbus Northland along with the rest of the city league teams from playing in any weekend sporting events, by of course city league policy with school closings. Well after plenty of phone calls, vast emails and media bash the Vikings of Northland will be allowed to play in the Dayton event Saturday afternoon against San Diego high school. Northland will have to make up their game against Columbus Beechcroft and that game will be in the near future. San Diego features 2010 star and Louisville commit Jeremy Tyler, who is one of the top five prospects in the class of 2010. Northland also features a top prospect in 6-foot-8, do-it-all big man Jared Sullinger. Guard play and X-factor JD Weatherspoon will be key for Northland to walk away with a "W". We will see....

Grosse Pointe North Slows Down Roseville

GPN's small school players, Roseville's Underclassmen

Grosse Pointe, MI.- A couple of Michigan's undefeated faced off for the sole right of first place in the M.A.C.-White and the home team took charge from beginning to end.

Grosse Pointe North led Roseville after the first quarter, 23-9, and starting the first three minutes of the game with an 11-2 lead.

The second quarter didn't come as easy for the Norsemen when foul trouble interrupted their thirteen-point lead. The Panthers fought back cutting the lead to five with three minutes left on the second quarter clock only to fall back at the half, 33-24.

North continued to slow down the Roseville offense in the second half and their lead never went over eleven or under eight as the third quarter ended 43-35.

Key fourth quarter shooting from the free-throw (16-20) line and from the field powered the home squad to a decisive 73-55 victory moving GPN to 7-0. Roseville is now 6-1.

North is surprising everyone but themselves to this point while Roseville is expected to be one of the best teams in the M.A.C. Should a team with three three-year varsity seniors and a four-year varsity senior playing well shock people?

No. Undefeated yes.

Undefeated can't go with out mentioning the leaders of the squad, five seniors:
6'6 forward Gregg Blunden 19 points, 9 rebounds, and three assists. 6'2 guard Paul Bramos hit 13-14 free-throws leading to 15 points. Bouncy 6'3 forward Damien Davis was four of five from the field and finished with nine.6'5 wing Kyle Nadeau has had better games from the field and had six points for the game. 6'6 forward Matt Blunden was plagued by foul trouble and finished with seven points, four boards, and a blocked shots.

Roseville is still learning with their underclassmen:
6'3 junior guard Brandon Gouch scoring was off for parts of the game but finished with 15 while hitting a trio of three pointers. He has been getting Division I looks and was shadowed throughout the game. 6'4 junior Dominique Pointer is active in the post on either side of the ball and scored 19 coupled with 13 boards. 5'10 sophomore guard Traye Williams scored eleven.

Spartans Gain Another from '09...Football

or Basketball.

6'5+ 235 pound te/wr Dion Sims gave his verbal commitment to Michigan State on Tuesday. Sims is a dual athlete that was being recruited on the mid-major level on the hard-wood chose the Big Ten school with a realization that he might have the opportunity to play both sports in school.

Sims has been amongst the top of Michigan's 2009 class in many basketball publications since his freshman year but his physical development over the last four years and production on the grid iron gained high major football interest.

Toledo gets a Verbal

The Toledo Rockets just got a commitment this week for 2009-10 from Neil Watson, a point guard from Wyandotte, Kan.
Watson, 5-foot-11, is averaging 18 points and six assists for the Kansas City-area Sumner Academy this year and was the Kansas City Kansas League preseason player of the year. Last year he averaged 17points and 6.5 assists. Watson who will sign in the spring was also getting interest from Tulsa and Oral Roberts.

Flyin' to The Hoop

Saturday, January 17, 2009
11:30am Thurgood Marshall (OH) vs. Morrow (GA)
1:15pm Martinsburg (WV) vs. Kettering Alter (OH)
3:00pm Ripley (WV) vs. St. Paris Graham (OH)
4:45pm Findlay Prep (NV)#5 vs. Bedford (OH)
6:30pm San Diego (CA)#31 vs. Columbus Northland (OH)#23
8:15pm Trotwood-Madison (OH) vs. Montrose Christian (MD)#9

Sunday, January 18, 2009
12:30pm Lakota East (OH) vs. Sidney (OH)
2:15pm Cleveland Heights (OH) vs. Kettering Fairmont (OH)
4:00pm Bedford (OH) vs. Cincinnati Moeller (OH)
5:45pm Garfield Heights (OH) vs. Findlay Prep (NV)#5
7:30pm Montrose Christian (MD)#9 vs. Centerville (OH)

Monday, January 19, 2009
12:30pm Dayton Christian (OH) vs. Martinsburg (WV)
2:15pm Cleveland Heights (OH) vs. San Diego (CA)#31
4:00pm Massanutten Military Academy (VA) vs. Chaminade Julienne (OH)
5:45pm Morrow (GA) vs. Springboro (OH)
7:30pm Findlay Prep (NV)#5 vs. Huber-Heights Wayne (OH)

Burke has it on a string.

5-foot-11, 2011,phenom and diminituve point guard Trey Burke via Columbus Northland is running the show this year for the Columbus Northland Vikings. Burke, who's one of the top five assist leaders in central-Ohio with over 7 per/game has his team rolling and undfeated after picking up another notch verse Cincinnat Aiken this past weekend in Columbus. Burke holds offers from Akron, Cleveland State, James Madison, Kent State and Ohio University.

Gary (IN.) Lew Wallace's MLK Classic

4th Annual MLK Heritage Basketball Classic this Saturday Janurary 17th 2009, @ Lew Wallace Polk Gymnasium-415 West 45th Avenue Gary, IN 46408.

Games begin at 11:30 sharp

GAMES
11:30am- LaLumiere(LaPorte) vs Urban Prep
1:00pm- Gary Roosevelt vs Chicago Corliss
2:30pm- Indianapolis Howe vs East St.Louis
4:00pm- Gary Lew Wallace vs Indianapolis Arlington
5:45pm- Gary Westside vs Milwaukee Vincent

From the event correspondants:

This year's Classic has: 2007-2008 Junior All-Star 6'6" Damion McGee - 17.3ppg and 11rp (Gary Lew Wallace) Mr Double double 6'7" Shawn Tarver w/ 8 double doubles this year (Gary Lew Wallace) Sophomore Sensation 6'5" Branden Dawson 22ppg and 16.3rpg in his last 3 games and 17.2ppg 15.8rpg 3.8apg 4.4stpg 3.7blk and 10-13 from the 3point line on the year. (Gary Lew Wallace) Indiana's top 100 senior Guards Dabney Hicks (Gary Lew Wallace) and DeShawn Clay(Gary Westside), 2 of Indiana's top 5 junior gaurds LaTroy Taylor(Gary Lew Wallace) and Xavier Jones(Gary Westside), Indiana's top sophomore guards Donte Brown(Gary Lew Wallace) and Pj Boutte(Indianapolis Howe), and many many more!

Pontiac Northern's MLK Classic

A two day affair not far off I-75, this showcase spans the weekend and the schedule is full of great matchups for all in attendance.

Fourth Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Heritage Basketball Classic

Saturday, January 17, 2009
Game 1 Det. Cleveland Vs Winans Academy 10:30am
Game 2 Consortium Prep Vs Notre Dame Prep 12:10pm
Game 3 Det. Fred. Douglas Vs F. H. Harrison 1:50pm
Game 4 Melvindale ABT Vs Southfield Lathrup 3:30pm
Game 5 Detroit Southeastern Vs Avondale 5:15pm
Game 6 Det. Martin L. King Vs Livonia Clarenceville 7:00pm
Game 7 Saginaw Arthur Hill Vs Pontiac Northern 8:45pm

Sunday

January 18, 2009
Game 1 Windsor St. Anne Vs Pontiac Northern (Girls) 1:00pm
Game 2 Inkster Vs W. Bloomfield (Girls) 2:45pm
Game 3 Harper Woods Vs W. Bloomfield 4:30pm
Game 4 Inkster Vs Pontiac Central 6:15pm
Game 5 Melvindale ABT Vs Pontiac Northern 8:00pm

All games will be played at Pontiac Northern High School. Tickets for each day will be $8.00. That’s five or six games per day for a mere $8.00. No passes will be accepted.

OSU:Play by Play Recap

Updates from this Saturday's event in Columbus will be broken down shortly.
DeSales knocked off Garfield Heights 73-68
Columbus Northland bullied Cincy Aiken 71-45
Wilmington was too much for Zanesville 43-40
Benedictine beat Canal Winchester 64-52
Trotwood-Madison ran Worthing Christian 76-57

Gaylord: Undefeated

Quality basketball in Michigan can be found throughout the state and less than an hour south of the Mackinac Bridge is Gaylord, a Class A team with quality wins and an unblemished 7-0 record.

Among those quality wins lie back-to-back wins over Cadillac, with 6'8 wing Ben Simons '09 (Providence), and Mt. Pleasant, with 6'5 nationaly ranked guard Trey Zeigler '10. They are also coming off a tournament win in St. Ignace to close out 2008 and opened 2009 with a big 72-39 win over Big North rival, Alpena.

Head Coach Pat Enders has a well-balanced group of seniors, 6'4 guard/forward Quinn Woodhouse, 6'3 forward Lucas Wickert, 6'5 forward Joe Arnold, and 5'11 guard Nick Freeman. All are averaging double figures with Woodhouse leading the way with 16 ppg. He can do more than score as he shelled out 19 assists in the their tournament win and is among the leading rebounders on the squad. Woodhouse also owns the task of guarding the Blue Devils opponents best player and is getting looks from GLIAC programs but has DI size and is a more than solid athlete.

5'11 junior point guard Kurt Dutcher is playing solid defense and limiting turnovers.

They are the leaders of the Big North and have tough tasks ahead of them with Charlevoix (1/13) , Traverse City West (1/15), and Cadillac (1/29) lurking for the upset. As of now they are the best team in Michigan north of Saginaw.

Scholastic Play by Play Challenge at Ohio State

IPS will be covering the Play by Play classic this weekend in Columbus. Here is the schedule of teams and schedule that are participating in the event:

Game 1: 12:00pm Zanesville vs. Wilmington
Game 2: 1:45pm Trotwood-Madison vs. Worthington Christian
Game 3: 3:30pm Cleveland Benedictine vs. Canal Winchester
Game 4: 5:15pm Columbus Northland vs. Cincinnati Aiken
Game 5: 7:00pm Garfield Heights vs. Columbus DeSales
Game 6: 8:30pm Huber Heights Wayne vs. St. Paris Graham

Cleveland Bendectine Guard Selects Chips

6'1 combo guard Derek Jackson '10 is an athletic combo guard is putting up solid numbers this year. He had a solid A.A.U. season with the King James Shooting Stars and is projected a mid-major plus prospect by IPS.

He is Central Michigan's first commit from the 2010 class.

Garfield Heights: A Boatload of Talent!

Garfield Heights is coming off another impressive win on Tuesday night against Medina. The most impressive factor was their 30-0 run throughout the 3rd quarter. Lets get straight to the point, this team is really talented and might be deep enough, big enough and guard heavy enough to compete in Columbus come March. Take a look at this squad:
Pg,5'11,Carl Jones (Committed to St. Joes) Big-time offensive star
Sg,5'10 Trey Lewis (Already has 4 D-1 Offers) Could be better than Jones in 2 years.
WG,6'4 Roy Brown (Committed to D2 Charleston) Gym-Ray, Does little things.
PF,6'8 Mario Hines (Juco or Prep MM Prospect) Defends Well, Has really stepped up.
PF,6'8, Fred Chatman (Morehead State has offered) Long,Raw and Upside.
Coming off the Bench:
PG,5'10, Kenny Simpson (2012 Prospect with swagger) Lefty that will be a D1 prospect.
WF.6'5,Will Weeks (LM+ Prospect) Skilled, Good Feel, needs to work on conditioning.
PF,6'6,Andre Jackson (D3+ Prospect) Really Athletic, Plays Hard, Limited Skill Set
C,6'8,Jermaine Davis (2012 Prospect) Think Aaron Agnew, but smaller waistline. Upside
Coach: Sonny Johnson (4th year)
Strengths: This team could be really really special come March once they learn to play together and develop team chemistry. Carl Jones is one of the best offensive players in the country and can drop 30 on you real fast. Lewis is also putting up double-digit numbers and Brown, Hines and Chatman can score anywhere between 10-20 on any given night. Weeks does a good job playing his role and Simpson and Jackson do a good job coming off the bench and keeping the energy high.
Weaknesses: With having this much talent it might be a problem only using 1 basketball, the guards will need to work inside-out if they want to advance and have post-season success. Jones needs to show leadership and show that he can do more than score. After back to back District appearances will this be the year Garfield gets out of Warrnesville? Time will tell.

Detroit Pershing: Tops in Class A

Detroit Pershing proved its worth by shutting Detroit Southeastern's offense down for the last twelve minutes of the game.

In what started off as a very low-scoring game (Pershing scored the first bucket at the 4:39 mark) Detroit Southeastern held an early 12-11 lead after the first quarter. Michigan State verbal commit 6'1 gd Keith Appling '10 didn't enter until the mid-way point and the scoring that many expected soon took form.

Pershing's other big, 6'7 Tevin Conrad '09, started the second quarter for Michigan State commit 6'9 center Derrick Nix '09 and added four quick points giving Pershing the lead. But, 6'5 gd Brandan Kearney '11 banked a turn around jumper from the elbow and dished off to 6'6 pwr frwd William Gholston for the Jungaleer lead. With time dwindling in the second quarter, Southeastern came up short on six of eight free throws and Pershing took the halftime lead, 28-26.

The third quarter was tight and Southeastern gained a four point lead after a three by 6'1 guard Kimani Boynton '09. 5'10 point guard Deon Dismuke '09 answered the call and scored seven in the final minutes of the second quarter including a three at the buzzer giving the Doughboys a 44-38 lead.

Pershing outscored the visitors 26-10 in the final quarter as Conrad, Dismuke, 6'5 wing Juwan Howard, jr. '10, 6' guard Dennis Perry '09, Nix, and Appling all scored in the fourth. The final was 70-48 as Southeastern dropped their first game of the 2008-09 season while Pershing remains undefeated while gaining their seventh win.

Appling scored 22, Nix 15 and 11 rebounds, Dismuke 14

Boynton led SE with 14, 6'6 power forward Kyle Bryant '09 added 11, 5'10 Chris Carter '10 added 9.

Pershing is very good and Nix is better with every pound he sheds. The Doughboys are IPS' #1 team in Class A.

Southeastern had 27 turnovers and was 14-27 from the free throw line. They also had 27 turnovers in a win against Saginaw last week. Help is on the way as 6' point guard Anthony Fields joins the squad on January 20.

There's a Buzz on Dashonte.

Marquette University head coach Buzz Williams is hosting the Motor City skyscraper aka Dashonte Riley of Detroit Country Day this weekend. Riley who stands a legit 6-foot-10 is one of the Top 100 prospects in the country and one of the most heralded prospects in 2009 that is still on the board. Riley who decommited from Georgetown in the fall is obviously still receiving high-major interest. Stay posted for more...

Tuesday: Big Games and Matchups in Michigan

The first Tuesday of 2009 and the high school basketball season continues with early divisional battles and recruiting opportunities.

4pm: Detroit's PSL

The day starts early in Detroit as a battle of undefeateds go head-up in a PSL East battle for first place. Pershing (6-0) is the top dog on the porch but Southeastern's (6-0) pups are growing up fast. Recruits galore and a game for Spartan fans as '10-'11 recruit Keith Appling is back after a wrist injury and '09-'10 recruit Derrick Nix gets a nice test with Southeastern's big men. 6'5 guard Brandan Kearey '11 and 6'7 forward Percy Gibson '11 get their first test of what could be a very memorable 2009.

Crockett (4-3) doesn't travel far to meet up with Southwest division rival City (2-3) and their records aren't the greatest either but they have a couple of junior bigs that are sure to square off, 6'6 power forward Devon Long defies gravity and 6'7 center Chris Beecham is long with bounce. City's main weapon is 6'5 wing Devin Patton '09. Crocket's 6'4 forward Brandon Donelson is a consistent 15-foot jumper from serious looks.

Henry Ford (5-0) battles Cody (5-1) on the road in a West division showdown that could be the first of four meetings through the season. The game will be highly competitive and great matchups are abundant. Cody's trio of 5'9 guard Demetrius Ford '09, 6'6 power forward Damon Johnson '09, and 6'4 wing Angelo Lewis '10 features a mirror in 5'8 point guard Demario Prince '09, 6'6 power forward Karriem Baker '09, and 6'5 wing Matthew Hunter '10.

7pm:

Clarkston (3-0) travels to North Farmington (4-0) and the Wolves can deepend on a solid trio in 6'5 guard Tom Staton, 6'3 guard Brandon Pokley, and 6'7 forward Matt Kamienieki '10 while 6' guard Kyle Vinales '10 has been putting up big numbers for the Raiders. The Wolves could be road raiders if they win this and Friday's O.A.A. contest at Southfield -Lathrup.

An O.K. Gold matchup, Grand Rapids South Christian (2-1) at Grand Rapids Catholic Central (3-1) 6'2 guard Joe Brockhuizer '09 is a solid shooter but will that be enough for G.R.C.C.'s high-powered guards 6'3 Duke Mondy '09 (Providence C.) and 6'1 Sultan Muhammed '10. 6'6 forward Thomas Drew adds size to the G.R.C.C. post.

Another O.K. Gold matchup features Wayland (4-0) with 6'4 Northwood U. commit Alex Lyle '09 against Hastings (4-0) with 6'6 forward Adam Skedgell '09. Lyle put up nice numbers in December.

In a non-conference game, Ludington (4-0) travels up Lake Michigan to take on Traverse City Central (2-1). Ludington is one of Class B's premier programs in the Lakes 8 Activies Conference and Northern Michigan.

An O.K. Red showdown pitts Grand Haven (3-3) on the road with Grandville (2-1) and while the records aren't the greatest there's talent. Grand Haven's 6'3 guard Austin Harper '09 is headed to Western Michigan and will be an early test for 6'1 guard Jake Blauwkamp '11. The match-up in the middle could feature a couple of top ten centers in Michigan's 2010 class, G.H.'s 6'9 Nate Van Arendonk and Grandville's 6'9 Collin DeHaan.

Orchard Lake St. Mary's (2-1) travels up I-75 to take-on Flint Powers (4-1) in a game that should have coaches looking for unsigned seniors on a frenzy. The match-ups are great with OLSM's 6'5 forward Dion Sims '09 and Powers' 6'7 forward Rodney Anderson '09; Powers' 6'2 guard Shane Moreland '09 and OLSM's 6' guard Jeff Jones '09; OLSM's 5'10 guard Juwan Moody '11 and Powers' 5'10 guard Patrick Lucas-Perry. Powers is one of the top teams in Class B and juniors 6'3 forward Patrick O'Brien and 6'2 guard DeMarco Sanders are a talented duo. OLSM brings speed with 5'10 guard Gary Hunter '10 and one of the state's top freshman.

Forest Hills Central (3-1) hosts E. Grand Rapids (3-1) where a couple of 6'8 seniors are due to face off, Central's Mike Martin is ready for a big year and E.G.R.'s Victor Beals has played well in the first month of the season. E.G.R.'s other big, 6'8 Colin Voss '10 is a skilled big man and a difference maker in the post and athletically. E.G.R.'s point guard AJ McKewan '10 runs the show with precision.

Taylor Kennedy (3-0) battles Novi CC (4-0) in non-conference action. Kennedy's 6' guard Breland Hogan '09 takes his team on the road where 6'2 guard Brett Smith '09 and 6'7 forward Tim Dizelski '09 will be waiting.

Davison (3-0) will shock the mid-west if they're able to leave Detroit Country Day's (6-0) gym with a win. Davison's 6'4 wing Ryan Shultz '09 will have his hands full. D.C.D.'s writeup is in last weeks' blog, they're good.

Auburn Hills Avondale goes on the road to face Berkley in an OAA battle. Avondale's 6'4 guard Jeff Hines '09 is the leader of a solid and young perimeter group. The Cubs have experienced seniors in 5'10 guard Jake Olds '09, 6'5 forward Fred Williams '09, 6'5 forward Ron Hudson '09, and 5'10 gaurd Marcellus Wilford '09.

W. Ottawa hosts Hudsonville and a couple of sophomores point guards, W. Ottawa's 5'10 Jorddan Myrick '11 and Hudsonville's 5'7 Anthony Allen, face-off and both have their own creative qualities.

Flint Carman-Ainsworth travels to Utica Eisenhower where a couple of solid Class A teams featuring plenty of talent will battle in non-conference action. Eisenhowers 6'8 center Corey Petros '10 has close to ten offers along the MM level and Carman-Ainsworth's 6'8 center Jaylen Larry '10 will have similar offers as he continues to improve. A couple of unsigned 6'5 senior wings face off, Eisenhower's Dragan Bijelic and Carman-Ainsworth's Courtland Patterson. The difference maker in this game is 6'1 guard Glenn Cosey (pictured) '10, he's gaining looks and as he continues his strong play will have offers of his own.

The game of the evening in Mid-Michigan features Lansing Eastern making the short trip to Lansing Sexton. This is also the return of Oakland U. commit 6'5 wing Drew Valentine '09 who has been mending a knee since early fall. 6'5 forward LaDontae Henton '11 is among the top players in Michigan, regardless of class and the same will be said for 6'4 guard Denzel Valentine '12 as he continues to improve. 6'2 guard Nate Duhon '09 is getting looks on the DI level and is a difference maker in this Lansing rivalry.

Pipeline:Lawrence North to Louisville

Rick Pitino landed his 3rd and 4th commitments from Lawrence North High School on Sunday,the same day as his Cards beat in-state rival Kentucky. 6-foot-6, 2011,Foward Ryan Taylor and 6-foot-10,2011 Center Mike Chandler both gave the Big East program a verbal commitment. Louisville also has 2 other commits from 6-foot-8,2009,Hybrid Foward Stephan Van Treese and 6-foot-6,2010,Shooting Guard Justin Martin, whom also play for Jack Keefer at Lawrence North.

Lakewood St. Ed's rebuilding? .............. More like Re-loading!

On Friday night the Eagles of St. Edward's traveled to the East side of Cleveland to take on the Bengals of Cleveland Benedictine. In a game that was packed wall-to-wall(SOLD-OUT) had a feel that was of tournament-like proporiton, and every possession was played as if it was a NBA Championship. The night started off with a full tilt JV game that featured Winston Grays III of Benedictine hitting 7 three pointers along with freshman star in the making Desmond Ridenour lifting the Bengals over there cross-town foe in a reserve nail biter.
The Varsity game was just as intense from the tip as Ed's prevailed till the end. Coach Eric Flannery of St. Eds had total control of his team and showed all the pieces were in place to make the Bengals stumble into a offensive coma. Ed's slowed it down and grinded it out out on the offensive end with their custom flex offense. On Defense Ed's stymied Benedictine with their space eating 2-3 zone and aggressive on the ball defense which gave the Bengals fits when trying to create or get clean looks.
On Saturday night Ed's knocked off Toledo St. Johns which is a guard heavy, experienced laden team. Some critics thought this was going to be a down year, but this team is playing on full-tilt and looking to be another regional qualifier!

Keep an Eye on these Soaring Eagles:
Myles Hamilton,6'1,WG 2012 (Slashes, Great Vision, Defends)
Zach Price,6'10,C,2011 (Long,Contests,Upside)
Jorgio Lacey,6'5,SF,2009 (Defends,Junk-Yard Dog)
Delbert Love, 5'11, SG, 2011 (Solid,Shooter,Leader)
Ryan Anger,5'6,PG,2010 (Runs the Show)
Mike Newton,5'10,PG,2012 (Poised,Mechanical Shot,Mature)
Matt Stainbrook,6'8,PF,2010 (Lefty,Skilled Post,Slow-twitch,D2 Prospect)

Need a Big with Grades?

Check out these 2009 prospects if you wanna take in a student-athlete with skills:
Ben Jackson, 6'4, Columbus Whetstone (D3-NAIA Prospect)
Tanner Furno, 6'7, Columbus Whetstone (D2-IVY Prospect)
Andrew Pavloff,6'8,Walsh Jesuit (D2+ - LM Prospect)
Daylen Harrison,6'5,Akron SVSM (D2+LM Prospect)
Evan Betts,6'5,Pickerington Central (D3-D2 Prospect)
Scott Kimmey, 6'3, Olmstead Falls (D3+ Prospect)
Blake Vedder, 7',West Geuaga (D3+ Prospect)
Jake Mays,6'7,Tallmadge,(D3+ Prospect)

Goretti to Much for the Irish!

Neumann-Goretti handed Akron SVSM there 3rd loss of the year 76 to 64 on Saturday afternoon at the Cancer Research Classic in Wheeling, WV. Daylen Harrison lead the Irish with 20 points and sophomore sharpshooter Ricky Johnson with 15 points. Neuman-Goretti featured Wake Forrest signee Tony Chenault had 14 points.

Motor City Roundball Standouts: Top Ten

The 14th annual Motor City Roundball Classic supplied plenty of talent and highlight performances over the five-day event at Chandler Park Academy in Harper Woods, MI. Randy Williams did a wonderful job of organizing the event and Mal Parker's schedule was on point. Here's a look at the top ten performances:

10) Aubun Hills Avondale squeaked by Detroit King, 59-55, and 6'4 sophomore Demarquis Johnson's six of eight three-point shooting performance was what earned him Player of the Game.

9a) Flint Powers 6'3" small forward Patrick O'Brien put on a show in a 76-68 victory over West Bloomfield. The junior hit five of his six three-point attempts en route to 28 points. He also added five rebounds and five assists.

9a) Detroit Consortium College Prep's 5'11 sophomore combo guard Desmond Barnes scored 31 and hit some cluch free-throws down the line in a win over Canton (OH.) Hoover. The talented sophomore also added five assist on his way to earning Player of the Game honors.

8) 6'5"Brandon Dawson's 28 points and ten boards (six on the offensive end) was about all the sophomore from Gary (IN.) Lew Wallace could do in a 69-61 loss against Detroit Cody. He is being recruited on the high-major level and has North Carolina among a long list of programs watching him.

7) White Lake Lakeland's 6' senior guard Michael Fugate put up 30-points and grabbed eleven boards in a win over Detroit Mumford, 64-62. Fugate is taking his talents to Saginaw Valley State and like I wrote in the MCRC program "He's one of the most unheralded players in the state."

6) Mike Talley III is no stranger to production as he put up 50 in a game early in 2008. The 5'9" junior combo guard scored 40 in his last game of 2008 and added five assists in win for Melvindale Academy of Business & Technology over Pontiac Central, 66-57..

5) 5'7 junior point guard Maurice Jones of Saginaw Arthur Hill is the general for one of the state's best teams regardless of class. He put up 22 points and had seven assists in an overtime victory over one of the top teams in Class B, East Grand Rapids, 68-63. He is the state's second most exciting players but only for another year.

4) 6'5 senior forward Doug Anderson scored 18 and grabbed six rebounds but his five thunderous dunks have sent a shock wave through the state once again turning folklore into legend. There isn't a player in the state who can electrify a team, audience, or himself as much as Dunkin' Doug. Unfortunately for Kalamazoo Central they couldn't defeat Detroit Country Day. DCD 83 Kzoo Central 74

3) 6'1 junior point guard Ray McCallum, jr is the straw that stirs the drink for Nationally Ranked Detroit Country Day and his 20 points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals, and most important poise led DCD to victory over Kalamazoo Central, 83-74.

2) 6'6 junior power forward Devon Long had the best individual performance of any player through the first four days. The big fella from Detroit Crockett tallied 22 points, 22 rebounds, some big blocked shots, and the game winning put-back furthered the big guy on the map. Detroit Pershing center and Michigan State commitment Derrick Nix donned Long, "The city's best big man in 2010."

1) Detroit Country Day's 6'5 senior wing/forward Jordan Dumars scorched the nets with eight three-point field goals on his way to 30 points. His 18-point first quarter onslaught is what first captivated the crowd.

Off to Fight Cancer...It's Jimmy V Day!

Today is the 2nd annual Cancer Research Classic at Wheeling Jesuit University. Here is the lineup of teams that are in this years event:
1:00 p.m. – Northeast Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) vs.Bishop McNamara Forestville, MD)
2:45 p.m. – Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia, PA) vs. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, OH)
4:30 p.m. – St. Joseph’s Prep (Philadelphia, PA) vs. Central Catholic (Wheeling, WV)
6:15 p.m. – Gonzaga (Washington, DC) vs. St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD)
8:00 p.m. – Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, PA) vs. Rice (New York, NY)

Recaps will be coming soon...

Lakewood St. Ed's knocks off Cleveland Benedictine

In a SOLD-OUT field house on the east side of Cleveland, the Eagles of St. Edward used there 2-3 Zone and patient flex offense to hold off the talented Bengals of Benedictine 59-49. We will fill you in on details shortly...

5 Seniors on the Michigan Map

Livonia Clarenceville's 6'3 Jamie "The Scorer" Stewart just grabbed offers from Canisius and Northeastern after last weekend's Detroit Northwestern. He also has offers from Norfolk St., University of Detroit, Loyola, Radford, Long Island, and Binghamton.

Detroit Loyola's 6'4 wing Jamar "The Hustler" Ragland (pictured) has had an offer from Alcorn St. for less than a month while other Division I are waiting. There are many DII programs looming, as well.

Ida's 6'4 wing Nic "The Versatile" Jobe has had programs looking at him and tells IPS that Toledo, EMU, and IPFW have been in touch with his coach and Lake Superior State is on the prowl.

6'5 wing Asaad "The Sleeper" Robinson of Detroit Northwestern put up 30 against Livonia Clarenceville. He knocked down three pointers and dunked when contested. He's similar to Iowa Marshaltown's standout Will Clyburn but he won't need the juco route. One of Michigan's biggest sleepers in 2009.

6'1 guard Kevin "The Shooter" Rohner from Rochester Adams visited the U. of Toledo last week and is getting looks from many DII's. He's a zone buster.