Big Move

Over the past nearly two years, I have been blessed in many ways by this site. I have gotten to speak with, meet with, and become friends with a number of people as a result of this site. Today's entry here marks the end of one chapter for me and the beginning of another. This entry will be the final one on this particular site.

Beginning today, I will be moving all of my writing to the Scout network. The website name will be the same as this, and a link to the site is at the bottom of this entry.

By becoming a part of the Scout network, I will be better able to provide in-depth coverage and insight into the Hawks for all readers. The opportunity to join such a great and well-respected network was impossible for me to pass up.

Scout is a subscription service, and a large chunk of the articles I write for the new Hawk Hill Hardwood will require membership, which is $5 per month. However, there will still be articles posted free for anyone to read. With the membership, readers will have access to all articles written by me as well as those that others write for Hawk Hill Hardwood. The website will also feature a free message board along with a premium message board for subscribers. In addition, subscribers will be able to read all basketball articles written anywhere on the Scout network.

In the coming weeks, I will be covering the Reebok Breakout Challenge, the Hoop Group Summer Classic East, and a few other summer events. Belonging to the Scout network will also allow me better access to coaches and players for interviews for the site.

I hope to see many of you over on the new Hawk Hill Hardwood site. Thank you to all of you that have read, commented, and sent me emails over the past nearly two years. I hope to keep that dialogue going!

Here is a link to the new Scout site:

Hawk Hill Hardwood

In the coming days, I will be releasing a number of articles on 2012 targets as well as a recap of the Hawks' first summer league game on Sunday night.

Isaiah Miles Visiting Hawk Hill

This week, the Saint Joseph's coaching staff hosted a number of recruits on campus. Among the players on campus were MCS wing Jeremiah Worthem and Saint Anthony (NJ) guards Josh Brown and Hallice Cooke. All three of those players are members of the class of 2013. This weekend, the staff will be hosting a rising senior, 2012 combo forward Isaiah Miles.

According to Glenelg High School assistant coach Geoff Reed, Miles will be visiting Hawk Hill this weekend with his parents. He is one of the SJU coaching staff's top targets in the class of 2012. I wrote a feature article on Isaiah last month, and that article can be found here. Since that article, Isaiah saw his stock soar with a breakout performance at the Los Angeles EYBL event. A plethora of new schools have since entered Isaiah's recruitment. It is clear that the Hawks would like to sign a versatile forward who can knock down shots from the perimeter in the class of 2012. Isaiah is a player that fits that bill. Stay tuned for feedback from the visit.

Davon Reed Fields Calls

Yesterday marked the first day that college coaches could contact players in the class of 2013. As a result, phones across the nation were ringing off the hook throughout the day. One local player who received more than his fair share of phone calls was Princeton Day School (NJ) rising junior Davon Reed. Reed, a 6'5 shooting guard who plays his AAU ball with Team Final, has had a terrific spring. The buzz surrounding him this spring no doubt led to the volume of calls he received yesterday.

I caught up with Davon's high school coach at PDS, Paris McLean, last night about the calls that Davon fielded yesterday. Among the schools that contacted Davon yesterday, according to his coach, were Seton Hall, Rutgers, La Salle, Ohio State, DePaul, Florida, Iowa, Florida State, Cincinnati, Pitt, West Virginia, Dartmouth, Baylor, and Saint Joseph's. He also admitted that the day was so busy that he could be leaving schools off that list.

One thing is for sure though. Many of these schools will be tracking Davon during the July evaluation periods. One event that Davon and his AAU teammates will be participating in during July is the Hoop Group Summer Classic in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania on July 11th and 12th. During that event, which is open to college coaches, you can bet that Davon will draw a crowd.

June 13th Odds and Ends

Nothing new from me today, but there is info floating around on other sites about some SJU recruiting targets. A number of the names belong to 2013 players. On that front, this Wednesday, the 15th, is the first day that college coaches are permitted to call players from the 2013 class. It is likely that a number of names mentioned below will be getting calls from the Saint Joseph's coaches.

This past weekend, the Nike Elite 100 took place at Saint Louis University. One of the players that caught the eye of ESPN.com's Dave Telep and John Stovall was Union, New Jersey forward Tyler Roberson. Roberson is a 6'7 combo forward in the class of 2013 who already owns a scholarship offer from the Hawks. You can read what Telep and Stovall wrote about Roberson here.

Locally, the biggest event of the weekend was the Rumble in the Bronx. Once again, the event featured a loaded field including a number of teams from Philadelphia and New Jersey. ESPN was also on hand to cover that event. Adam Finkelstein was on hand on behalf of ESPN and has a terrific recap here. 2012 center Blaise Mbargorba, who currently holds offers from the Hawks, Temple, and Vanderbilt, has made "huge strides in the past year" according to Finkelstein. Blaise is one of the big men that the staff has targeted in the 2012 class. Marcus Gilbert, Charles Cooke, Ja'Quan Newton, Miles Overton, and Villanova signee Savon Goodman also get written up.

According to Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop, Saint Joseph's will get an unofficial visit from 2013 Saint Anthony (NJ) guard Halice Cooke tomorrow. Cooke is a 6'2 shooting guard who played sparingly on a Saint Anthony team that finished the year ranked number one nationally.

Brian Bosworth of NBE Basketball Report has a write-up of 2012 New York wing Jeffland Neverson. Neverson's name has been linked with the Hawks for quite some time, and the Hawks pop up again in this article. Neverson is a 6'5 wing who, according to Bosworth, showed an ability to play the 2 guard this weekend at the Rumble in the Bronx. That article, which breaks down Neverson's game and school list, can be found here.

Finally, last Thursday night, the annual Rasual Butler All-City Classic took place. The event features a freshman, sophomore, and junior game. Alex Schwartz has an article up on the NBE Basketball Report site, which breaks down the games. One of the Hawks top targets in the class of 2013, point guard Rysheed Jordan, gives his school list. As does Chester forward Rondae Jefferson. Both players mention the Hawks. That article can be found here.

Lavon Long: A First Look

Mount Saint Joseph High School, located in Baltimore, Maryland, has had its fair share of success in hoops over the years. Head coach Pat Clatchey has been coaching at the Baltimore school for 19 years, coached up and coached against serious talent, and even coached in the McDonald's All-American game. On Monday, I got a chance to speak with Coach Clatchey about one of his talented up-and-comers, sophomore forward Lavon Long.

Lavon Long, a 6'6 225-pound sophomore at the Baltimore school, started 15 games this year for Coach Clatchey. Lavon's physique belies the fact that he is only a 16 year old sophomore who still has next to no facial hair. In fact, his coach compared his build and attitude on the court to former University of North Carolina star Julius Peppers. Long is an athletic lefty who, according to his coach, has a chance to be a "premier-level rebounder" for a number of reasons. His strength, length, and desire to fight for loose balls allow him to rebound in heavy traffic.

Lavon has a quick first step that allows him to beat opponents both off the dribble and to loose balls. That quickness allows him to defend the perimeter, while his strength enables him to match up in the post against taller players. Lavon's hunger for the ball is also one of his biggest areas for improvement at the moment. Coach Clatchey explained that Lavon needs to use better discretion, not picking up quick fouls as he can be prone to do. With continued experience and coaching, that energy will be harnessed and Lavon will learn to keep himself from the ticky-tack fouls.

On the offensive side of the ball, Lavon is able to hit jumpers from 15 to 17 feet. In the post, he utilizes a lefty jump hook, but needs to continue working on finishing with his off-hand. Lavon is also able to push the ball after getting a rebound on the defensive end, handling the ball well for a big guy. Around the bucket, Lavon is active and looks to throw down whenever possible. At the moment, he is an adequate free throw shooter, but that is another area where he will look to improve over the summer..

While Coach Clatchey and I did not get into specifics when it comes to Lavon's recruitment, he indicated to me that Lavon is currently an A-10 or CAA caliber power forward. His strength is defending and rebounding the basketball. However, if Lavon grows another two inches, that will really open things up for him in terms of a future. Basketball also runs in Lavon's genes, as his mother, Lisa Long, played collegiately at Iowa for Vivian Stringer, and then played professionally in Europe.

This past weekend, Lavon and his high school team attended Richmond's Elite Camp, where he opened some eyes with his tenacious, athletic play. That play is certain to garner him accolades at both the high school and college levels. Lavon will team up again next year at Mount Saint Joseph's with a talented young core that also features highly-regarded 2013 shooting guard Kameron Williams.

With his skill set, size, athleticism, and tremendous coaching that he will receive at Mount Saint Joseph, look for Lavon Long not to remain under the radar much longer.

Price Picks up Offer From Hawks

Earlier today, Detroit Country Day School junior Jodan Price picked up a scholarship offer from Saint Joseph's. Price, a 6'7 shooting guard who has turned heads with his play this spring, announced the offer on Twitter, saying "Shoutout to Saint Joseph and the coaching staff for offering me a scholarship." Price's bread and butter is his shooting stroke, and that ability to knock down shots from deep certainly played an integral role in today's scholarship offer from the Hawks.

With the offer today from the Hawks, Price has now picked up three offers in the past 24 hours. Yesterday, he collected offers from both Lamar and Central Michigan. Price was also recently offered by Eastern Michigan. The offer from EMU was Price's first, and they have come rolling in since. In addition to these offers, Price has interest from other schools such as Temple, Maryland, Colorado, Oakland, and many more. An article on Jodan's recruitment, from CollegiateHoops.net, can be found here.

It is clear that the Hawks would like to sign a shooter in the 2012 class. Other names that fit that bill are Baltimore's Isaiah Miles and Indiana's Mike Ramey.

Photo Courtesy of Scout.com

NMH's Cummins to Harvard

Last July, I wrote an article about a player still relatively under the radar who had just picked up an offer from Saint Joseph's. That player, Northfield Mount Hermon's Evan Cummins, received significant attention from schools of all levels in the year since the Hawks made him an offer. Evan's recruitment came to an end on Tuesday, when he made his decision to play in the Ivy League for Tommy Amaker at Harvard.

Northfield Mount Hermon coach John Carroll confirmed Evan's commitment to me yesterday, saying that Evan did a good job with the recruiting process. He knew what he was looking for in a college and ultimately selected the best overall fit. Evan committed to Harvard over a number of other offers from wide-ranging conferences. Saint Joseph's, Davidson, Notre Dame, Northwestern, and others were under consideration by the 6'8 forward.

Although Evan is now off the board, his frontcourt teammate at NMH, Ethan O'Day, is another player with recruiting interest from Saint Joseph's. I will continue to track his recruitment and visit schedule over the summer.

Miles, Price Turn Heads in LA

Earlier in the week, I profiled thirteen players in the class of 2012 that were getting recruiting interest from the Hawks. Two players from that list, Baltimore forward Isaiah Miles and Detroit shooting guard Jodan Price, are currently participating in the Nike EYBL event in Los Angeles. Miles plays for Baltimore Elite while Price suits up for The Family. Both players caught the eye of Rivals writer Eric Bossi yesterday.

I recently wrote a feature article on Miles, where one of his high school coaches, Geoff Reed, said that Saint Joseph's was recruiting Miles the hardest at the moment. That is a good thing for Hawk fans, considering the fact that Bossi wrote that "it will be a surprise if the 6'7 rising senior's recruitment doesn't heat up come July." My article on Isaiah can be found here.

Price, a 6'6 shooting guard from Detroit, listed eleven schools yesterday, with both Saint Joseph's and Temple included in the list.

Eric Bossi's recap, including comments on both Miles and Price, can be found here.

Saint Joseph's 2012 Recruiting Targets: Big Men

Yesterday, I took a look at seven players in the class of 2012 that either have interest from the Hawks or have committable offers. Everyone mentioned yesterday was a perimeter player. Today I will look at the big men in the class of 2012 with interest from the Hawks. This list is smaller, but does contain a few noteworthy names.

Devontae Watson: 6'10 center from Lincoln Park High near Pittsburgh. Watson possesses great size at 6'10 and also a 92 inch wingspan. At the moment, his strengths are rebounding and defense, as he is a relative newcomer to the game. I spoke with his high school coach, Mike Bariski, last week. That article can be found here.

Evan Cummins: 6'8 forward from Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts. Cummins has offers and interest from Saint Joseph's, Notre Dame, Stanford, Harvard, Boston University, Davidson, and several other schools. Over the past few months, I have written a number of stories on Cummins. The most recent article, which also profiles teammate Ethan O'Day (who just picked up an SJU offer), is linked here.

Ethan O'Day: 6'8 forward from Northfield Mount Hermon. No, that is not a typo. Ethan is the second player from the same frontcourt with an SJU offer. Lucas Shapiro wrote an article on TheRecruitScoop last week on Ethan, in which Ethan claims to have recently picked up an SJU offer. That article can be found here.

Jaylen Bond: 6'7 forward from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School in Pennsylvania. Jaylen will be doing a prep year at Saint Thomas Moore next year. Jaylen played high school basketball at La Salle Prep, and then at Plymouth-Whitemarsh, with current Saint Joseph's rising sophomore CJ Aiken. Originally a 2011 Pitt signee, Bond has opted to go the prep school route and re-open his recruitment. Since he re-opened, Jaylen has heard from Tennessee, Temple, La Salle, and Saint Joseph's. That list is courtesy of the article from NBE Basketball Report found here.

Donovan Jack: 6'9 forward from Reading Central Catholic (PA). Donovan's name is one that has been on the SJU staff's radar for quite some time. Also a terrific student, the lefty has wide-ranging interest, from Patriot League schools to high-majors. Donovan is getting looks from a number of the Philadelphia schools too, including Temple and Saint Joseph's. Both Coach Martelli and Coach Dunphy have been looking at Donovan since last winter, and both still seem to be looking over a year later.

Blaise Mbargorba: Blaise is a 7-footer who played this past year at Peddie School in New Jersey, after playing the previous season at Saint Benedict's Prep. I have seen Blaise listed at times as a 2011 recruit, and other times as a 2012 recruit. Either way, he is being mentioned here. According to Jay Gomes of NJHoops, the native of Cameroon has offers from Saint Joseph's and Vanderbilt. An article from this past weekend, linked here, has Blaise with interest from West Virginia, Saint Joseph's, Providence, Virginia Tech, and Boston College. The article, written by Dan Martin, provides a detailed look at the type of player that Blaise is and his thoughts on the recruiting process.

With that, the list of 2012 names is at 13. There is a good chance (great chance) that I am also leaving people out. If you know of anyone else getting looks from the Hawks in 2012, please let me know.

Saint Joseph's 2012 Recruiting Targets: Guards and Wings

Over the past few months, I have profiled a number of players in the class of 2012 that have either interest or offers from Saint Joseph's. In an effort to compile names, I have listed below names of interest for Hawk fans. Of course, names will be added to this as the spring AAU season continues. As much as possible, I provided links to other articles, either by me or by other recruiting sites, next to each name.

Today we will look at guards and wings, then tomorrow take a look at the big men.

Guards and Wings:

Dallas Anglin: 6'2 guard from Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey. Anglin recently took an unofficial visit to SJU and holds an offer from the Hawks. An article on that visit from Philahoops.com can be found here.

Lionel Greene: 6'2 guard from City College in Maryland. According to Alex Kline's Twitter, Greene picked up offers from Seton Hall, George Mason, and Saint Joseph's this past week. Greene is an athletic combo guard from Baltimore.

Jodan Price: 6'7 shooting guard from Detroit Country Day (MI). Jodan is a shooting guard out of Detroit that has recently picked up interest from both Saint Joseph's and Temple. According to Ben Weixlmann of HeardThisBlog (here), Price has recently been visited by SJU and Temple assistants, and hopes to visit both Philly schools in June.

Terry Rozier: 5'11 point guard from Shaker Heights High School in Ohio. Rozier has had himself a terrific spring running with All Ohio Red. As a result, he is attracting some serious attention. Saint Joseph's is one of the schools expressing interest. Exactly how much interest on either end isn't known at the moment, at least not to me. Saint Joseph's is a school that Rozier is listing at the moment though. An interview with Rozier, where he mentions SJU, can be found here.

Sheldon Jeter: 6'6 wing guard from Beaver Falls High school in Pittsburgh. Jeter picked up an offer from the Hawks back in February. An article that I did after he picked up his offers from SJU, Temple, and Penn State can be found here.

Michael Ramey: 6'4 shooting guard from Southport High School in Indianapolis. In an interview with Kyle Neddenriep of the Indy Star (here), Ramey listed Ball State, Fordham, and Saint Joseph's as his three favorite schools. He also has recent interest from Nebraska, Clemson, Minnesota, Georgia Tech and others. Ramey shot 52 percent from 3-point range during his junior campaign.

Isaiah Miles: 6'7 small forward from Glenelg Country School just outside of Baltimore. I could have included Isaiah in tomorrow's write-up, but his strengths as a shooter led me to include him here. Isaiah is a player that is receiving a significant amount of attention from the Hawks' coaching staff at the moment. I spoke with one of his high school coaches, Geoff Reed, recently and that article can be found here.

Devontae Watson: A First Look

When you stand a shade over 6’10, it is a challenge going unnoticed. For Devontae Watson, a junior at Lincoln Park High School in Midland, Pennsylvania, the days of going unnoticed, and flying under the radar, are coming to a sudden end. I had the opportunity to speak with Devontae’s high school coach at Lincoln Park, Mike Bariski, yesterday afternoon.

According to his high school coach, Devontae is an evolving player who, like many big men, is a relative newcomer to the game of basketball. He did not even play basketball as a 9th grader, and then transferred into Lincoln Park, where he started as a sophomore. At the moment, Devontae checks in at 6’10 ½ and 195 pounds. In addition to his size, Devontae also possesses a tremendous wingspan of right around 92 inches. According to his coach, Devontae, despite his size, runs the court like a six-footer and jumps with ease.

This athletic ability has made the transition into organized basketball easier for Watson, but his coach maintains that his best days are ahead of him. Shot-blocking and rebounding are Devontae’s strengths at the moment, and his offense is a continual work in progress. Devontae’s go-to move on the offensive end is a jump hook to his right, but his repertoire will continue to expand this off-season and into his senior year.

As mentioned earlier, shot-blocking is one of Devontae’s greatest assets. Lincoln Park took on Philadelphia’s Math, Civics, and Sciences in March for the PIAA Class A championship. In the first half of that game alone, Bariski said that Devontae had nine blocks. In the second half, MCS made adjustments and stopped taking the ball into the paint. Devontae finished that game, a 70-55 loss, with an unofficial tally of 13 points and 13 rebounds.

According to Bariski, his star junior is also a very nice kid. Although he is nice, polite, and respectful, his coach explained that he also has a mean streak. He is not the type of player that will get pushed around and not push back. As a senior this coming season, Devontae will take on more of a leadership role, one that his coach thinks will come naturally.

Although still a newcomer to the game, college coaches are certainly taking notice of Devontae’s potential. At the moment, Devontae has at least six scholarship offers. Four of the scholarship offers are from schools in the Atlantic 10: Saint Joseph’s, Temple, Dayton, and Duquesne. Cleveland State and Robert Morris have also extended Devontae scholarship offers. Akron is another school that may have just offered Devontae. Both Penn State and DePaul are also keeping a close eye on him.

This summer, Devontae is playing AAU ball with the King James Shooting Stars. Two other highly-regarded Pittsburgh-area players, juniors Sheldon Jeter and Tyler Scott, are on the same AAU team. Over the AAU season and summer months, Devontae is likely to continue opening eyes with his athletic play. As his recruitment continues to intensify, and as he looks to take home a state championship next season, you can check back here for updates.

Photo Courtesy of http://duphoops.blogspot.com/

Philadelphia Players Turn Heads at Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest

Over the weekend, the Southern Hoop Group Jam Fest took place at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Virginia. AAU season is currently in full swing, and the Jam Fest was just one of many high-profile events over the weekend. The folks at Hoop Group do a tremendous job of recapping their events, and while reading over the recaps, I came across a number of familiar names. As anyone who follows high school in the Philadelphia area knows, the area is littered with talented freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. A handful of those talented players got themselves some publicity over the weekend. Their names, and links to the articles, are provided below.

The Team Final 16U team took home the title over the weekend. The team stars Chester sophomore Rondae Jefferson, Princeton Day School (NJ) sophomore guard Davon Reed, Saint Pat's sophomore forward Austin Colbert, and a number of other big-time prospects. The link below details the success that Neumann-Goretti sophomore Johnny Davis had over the weekend. In the article, he claims offers from Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Delaware, as well as interest from Rutgers and Seton Hall.
Johnny Davis Getting Press

Two of the most talented freshmen in the area are, without a doubt, Roman Catholic's Shep Garner and Neumann's Ja'Quan Newton. Garner and Newton both play in the Team Final 15U backcourt together. As the article points out, there are unlikely to be many backcourts in that age bracket with their firepower. That article can be found here.

Another Roman Catholic guard, rising senior Montana Mayfield, also got himself some positive press this weekend, primarily due to a 31-point outburst for his NJABC team. Mayfield talks about his game and recruitment here.

Isaiah Miles: A First Look

Glenelg Country School, located in Howard County, Maryland, has traditionally been better known for its academics than anything else. The college prep school, however, is now garnering attention in basketball circles, and a significant amount of that attention is due to 6'7 junior Isaiah Miles. Earlier today, I had the opportunity to speak with Glenelg assistant coach Geoff Reed about his talented junior forward.

The Baltimore Sun's Matt Bracken, in his article on Miles (here),detailed the attention that he received as an 8th grader making his high school decision. As an 8th grader, Isaiah already had a buzz, and surprised many when he selected to play his high school ball at a school known more for academics, instead of attending one of the Class A powers in the Baltimore area. According to his coach, Isaiah selected Glenelg due to the school's academic reputation and the fact that he could start there on varsity as a freshman.

Since that high school decision, a few years have passed, and the high school junior continues making a name for himself at Glenelg. At the moment, Isaiah stands between 6'7 and 6'8, and weighs in at right around 210 pounds. He has come a long way since entering Glenelg as an extremely lanky freshman. Coach Reed explained that Isaiah takes his sessions in the gym seriously, and is aware that he needs to continue to bulk up in order to reach his potential.

This past season, Glenelg had their best season in school history, going 27-4. With their recent success, they are ready to upgrade to Class A next year, joining traditional powerhouses like Calvert Hall and Saint Frances Academy. While the schedule will certainly be much tougher next year, Glenelg only graduates one senior this year, so they will be ready to face off against their new Class A opponents.

For Glenelg, Isaiah predominately plays the role of a face-up 4. In that role, he is able to operate frequently in the pick-and-pop. This past season, Isaiah connected on a team-leading 46 three-pointers on an impressive 41%. When asked where Isaiah projected at the college level, Reed said that coaches want to utilize his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter. In order to play fully on the wing in college, Isaiah will need to continue improving his ball-handling skills, which have already come a long way over recent months.

This summer, Isaiah is running with the famed Baltimore Elite program. He has already put in a number of impressive performances this summer, including 15 points in a winning effort over Davon Reed and Rondae Jefferson's Philadelphia-based Team Final.

As would be expected, a number of schools are actively pursuing Isaiah. According to his coach, those schools include South Florida, James Madison, Towson, Saint Joseph's, UMass, Xavier, and West Virginia. Most of his contact with James Madison has been with the school's assistant coaches, and West Virginia sent an assistant to Glenelg this past season to check him out. As a result, Isaiah was invited to West Virginia's upcoming Elite Camp. George Washington was also looking at Isaiah, but that is now up in the air due to the recent firing of head coach Karl Hobbs.

According to Reed, Saint Joseph's is the school most actively recruiting Isaiah at the moment. The point-person for the recruitment has been SJU assistant coach Dave Duda. Over the recent open contact period, SJU head coach Phil Martelli also made several trips down to Maryland to watch Isaiah work out. The visits from the head coach had a positive impact on Miles, who was impressed by the coach's visits.

At the moment, Isaiah is nowhere near ready to make a college decision. When looking at colleges, it should come as no surprise that academics are of great importance. Coach Reed also noted that Isaiah is from a close-knot family, so location could possibly play a role in his ultimate selection. With a strong start to the spring AAU season, interest in Isaiah is likely to only increase. Check back here throughout the summer for updates on Isaiah's play and recruitment.

Photo of Isaiah Miles above courtesy of Maryland.247sports.com

NMH's Cummins, O'Day Getting Attention

Year in and year out, Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) turns out division one basketball player after division one basketball player. Last year, NHM had 8 alumni playing college ball in the Ivy League, so the school is turning out more than just basketball players. Current NMH senior Aaron Cosby is headed to the Big East and Seton Hall next year. The junior class at NMH is looking to also keep this tradition alive.

Two juniors on Northfield Mount Hermon garnering significant attention are forwards Evan Cummins and Ethan O'Day. I caught up with NMH head coach John Carroll about both true student-athletes.

6'8 junior Evan Cummins, who is running with the New England Playaz this AAU season, has a long list of schools pursuing him. Among them are Saint Joseph's, Notre Dame, Stanford, Harvard, Davidson, and Boston University among others. According to Carroll, all of those schools have extended scholarships Evan's way. Cummins stands right around 6'8 and 225 pounds and is having, according to Carroll, a terrific spring.

Another 6'8 junior on NMH is Ethan O'Day. While, to this point, O'Day has not received quite the attention that Cummins has, he is attracting plenty of interest of his own. O'Day is described by his coach as "6'8, long, skilled, and athletic." Ethan's offers are from Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, Vermont, Yale, and Penn. In addition to those offers, he has interest from Virginia, Davidson, Elon, Drexel, Fairfield, Saint Joseph's, and more. O'Day is playing his AAU ball this spring with the Connecticut Basketball Club. Over the next few weeks, Ethan may be headed down to Philadelphia to visit schools.

On April 20th, Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli was one of several coaches at Northfield Mount Hermon checking in. Along with Martelli were coaches from Notre Dame, SMU, and Vermont. According to Carroll, the SJU head coach was watching both Cummins and O'Day.

While neither player appears in any rush to make a decision, it is clear that both will have quite a few options, and that both will be academically prepared for the rigors of college.

April 26th Round-Up

I know it's been quiet on here lately, but that will hopefully be changing shortly. Over the past few days we had some interesting developments and a Philly senior making his college choice.

Earlier in the day, Roman Catholic senior forward Junior Fortunat made his college choice. Junior will be attending Rider in the fall. I did a piece on Junior over the winter (link here). I will be speaking again with Junior tomorrow, so look for a new article here either tomorrow or Thursday.

On Monday, George Washington head coach Karl Hobbs was fired after ten years at the Atlantic 10 school. With the firing, it is possible that the recruitment of Imhotep (PA) senior Erik Copes will reopen. Copes was a significant signing for the Colonials, and would certainly have all sorts of recruiting attention if he reopened everything.

I was able to catch up with Northfield Mount Hermon (MA) head coach John Carroll earlier today. A more in-depth article will be up later in the week, but he did inform me that SJU head coach Phil Martelli was there last week watching two of his juniors. Evan Cummins, a 6'8 forward that has been on the SJU radar for quite some time was the one name. SJU, Notre Dame, Stanford, Harvard, and Boston University are among the schools pursuing Evan. The other player that Martelli was looking at was 6'8 forward Ethan O'Day. Again, check back later this week for an article on the two junior forwards.

Donofrio Recap: Part Two

Yesterday I gave you part one of my recap of Wednesday night's Donofrio game between I-3 and Players Teaching Players, looking at the I-3 roster. Today we will look at a couple players from the PTP team, including Vaux sophomore guard Rysheed Jordan, Math, Civics, and Sciences sophomore wing Jeremiah Worthem, WVU-bound senior wing Aaron Brown, Roman Catholic freshman Shep Garner, Chester sophomore Rondae Jefferson, and Penn Wood senior forward Darian Barnes.

Wednesday night was my first time seeing Vaux sophomore Rysheed Jordan, who I had been hearing great things about all winter. Well, he certainly met, and even surpassed, my expectations. Jordan plays a very composed, smooth game for a sophomore. Standing right around 6'4, with great length, Jordan looked to me like someone who projects as a point guard with size and shooting ability at the college level. Jordan is already getting significant college interest from Philadelphia colleges Temple, Saint Joseph's, Drexel, and others. On Wednesday, Jordan showed off a smooth stroke from downtown, connecting on at least four 3-pointers. He was able to get into the paint with relative ease and handle the ball against I-3's pressure. Jordan played an unselfish game as well, at one point dishing the ball off to a teammate on a break where he could have easily taken it himself for a slam. From my seat, Jordan was one of the stand-out performers in the gym Wednesday, and that is saying something considering the talent level there.

For a little over three quarters, Shep Garner, a freshman at Roman Catholic, played a relatively non-descript game. However, during the fourth quarter, he stepped up and showed why, even as only a freshman, he is building quite a reputation for himself. During the final stretch, Garner buried NBA three after NBA three. Most came from the same spot on the left wing about four or five feet behind the three-point line. Shep's late-game flurry closed a sizable I-3 lead down to a one-possession game. When the final buzzer sounded, Shep found himself PTP's second-leading scorer, behind Jordan, with 17 points.

Rondae Jefferson, a sophomore wing out of Chester high, has seen his stock shoot through the roof in just the past week alone. After turning in an impressive performance at last weekend's EYBL Hampton AAU event, Jefferson caught the eye of nearly all the major recruiting sites in attendance. ESPN already has Jefferson ranked in the top 100 in his class, and that ranking is sure to go nowhere but up. Jefferson, like Rysheed Jordan, did not disappoint. He showed an ability, as he has all year long, to be a versatile, multiple-position player. He can handle the ball and play some point, play off the ball on the wing, and even play rock-solid defense in the post. For much of the night, he was matched up again Amile Jefferson, and really held his own against the highly-regarded Friends' Central forward. One of the night's highlight's came when Rondae blocked an Amile dunk attempt. Although he is earning a national reputation and some hype, Rondae did not let that affect his play. He played an intense, defensive-minded, clean game on Wednesday. Look for Rondae to be just another in a long line of Chester players making noise in college basketball in just a few years.

6'8 Penn Wood senior Darian Barnes did what he does best on Wednesday. He blocked shots, altered shots, scored around the basket, and showed that he can shoot the ball a bit from the wing. Barnes is still very lean, but has a ridiculous wingspan and a versatile game, being able to play both forward spots. Despite lacking some of the muscle of guys he was going against like Jaylen Bond, he competed relentlessly on the boards. I'll be very interested in seeing what path Barnes takes next year, whether it's college or a prep year. His upside is still very high.

Neither Aaron Brown or Jeremiah Worthem played their best on Wednesday. Worthem, coming off a fantsastic PIAA playoff run that earned him scholarship offers from Saint Joseph's, Temple, Drexel, and interest from Pitt and some others, struggled on Wednesday. As terrific as he was in the state championship game against Lincoln Park (PA), he was unable to find his jumper Wednesday. The same goes for Penn Wood's Aaron Brown. I have seen Aaron numerous times over the past two years, and he was not his typical self Wednesday. Part of that may have been early foul trouble that didn't allow him to really get into the flow of the game.

Donofrio continues next week with semis on the 18th and the championship game at 7:30 on the 19th.

Wednesday Night Donofrio Recap: Part One

On Wednesday night, a packed Fellowship House in Conshohocken watched on as the I-3 All-Stars and Team Bucks County won their quarterfinal games at the Donofrio Classic. Due to NCAA rules, Division 1 coaches are forbidden from attending the games at Donofrio, but that doesn't mean that there weren't a number of familiar faces in the gym. DIck "Hoops" Weiss, Tom Konchalski, and Allan Rubin were among the media that I recognized, while recently hired Holy Family coach R.C. Kehoe was also there alongside Bill Phillips and Donnie Carr.

The night's first game pitted the I-3 All-Stars against Players Teaching Players. I-3 starred former Pitt signee Jaylen Bond, highly-regarded senior forward Amile Jefferson, Clemson-commit Devin Coleman, Academy of the New Church junior wing Marcus Gilbert, and sophomore guard Karron Davis among others. On the other side of the ball, PTP featured West Virginia-bound senior forward Aaron Brown, Vaux sophomore guard Rysheed Jordan, Math, Civics, and Sciences sophomore wing Jeremiah Worthem, Roman Catholic freshman guard Shep Garner, Penn Wood senior Darian Barnes, and Chester sophomore Rondae Jefferson among others. Ultimately, I-3 took the game 90-86, but it wasn't without a fight.

For I-3, the three biggest names on the court were Academy of the New Church teammates Dev Coleman and Amile Jefferson and former Plymouth-Whitemarsh star Jaylen Bond. While he didn't put up the biggest numbers in the game, Bond definitely provided the highlight-reel moments of the night. On the break, Jaylen received a through-the-legs pass from unsigned senior guard Joey Gripper that he threw down with authority. Bond had at least two other crowd-pleasing dunks as well, with one coming off an off-the-backboard pass, again from Gripper. Originally signed with Pitt, Bond is now going the prep school route, reclassifying into the 2012 class, and reopening his recruitment.

Despite what really was impressive defense from Chester's Rondae Jefferson, Amile Jefferson was able to score both inside and out. Although his jumper wasn't the best I've seen from him, Amile still did score 19 points to pace the winning team. Amile scored on a number of post moves down low, got to the line, and played physically on the boards. Coleman, who is headed to Clemson next year, played a very composed game considering how physical and scrappy it got. Coleman displayed his lightning-fast first step and also his ability to lead a break, scoring on one particularly impressive coast-to-coast drive in traffic. Coleman too finished with 19 points.

Two players on I-3 that also impressed, despite not having quite the name recognition yet are Marcus Gilbert and Karron Davis. Gilbert, the younger brother of 6'11 Malcolm Gilbert who is headed to Pitt next year, showed that he too can play. This was my first time seeing Marcus since last winter, and his game has progressed significantly in that time. Marcus, while not being nearly as tall as his brother, showed that he can grab rebounds among the bigs. Marcus also got himself to the line at least 5 or 6 times and displayed what was easily the best free-throw form in the game. While not the most athletic player on the court, Gilbert is deceptively quick and very smart around the basket. He used that intelligence to out-rebound players that had at least 4 inches on him and to also finish around the basket around them. Marcus is a player whose recruitment remains somewhat under the radar but will be worth monitoring this summer, as his game really has matured and progressed.

Karron Davis, a sophomore at Friends' Central, is accustomed to playing with Amile and Devin, and he looked right at home on the court Wednesday night. Davis had 15 points and more than held his own on the court despite being an underclassmen. Karron is very strong, both physically and with the ball. He possesses a great handle, quickness, and very good decision-making skills. The Philly area is loaded in the sophomore class with high-upside guards, and Davis is definitely on that list. He hit jumpers, drove with power to the basket, and played with great confidence. As he continues to grow and mature, he is a player that has significant upside and is a name that you're bound to hear quite a bit about.

Check back later today for a write-up on the Players Teaching Players team and the night's second game.

Davon Reed: A First Look

The Philadelphia area constantly churns out high-level, nationally-regarded basketball talent. This season alone, New Jersey and Philadelphia players made their presence felt during the NCAA tournament; from Philadelphia natives like Rick Jackson, Scoop Jardine, the Morris twins, and Lavoy Allen to New Jersey natives Tyshawn Taylor. Kyrie Irving, and Kenny Faried.

The current sophomore class in Philadelphia and New Jersey is loaded with talent, and one of the first names mentioned in that class is Princeton Day School (NJ) sophomore guard Davon Reed. I had a chance to speak with Davon's high school coach at PDS yesterday and learn a bit about his rising star.

Princeton Day School is coached by 2000 PDS grad, and former La Salle University football player, Paris McLean. The 2010-2011 PDS team had their most successful season since the 2003-2004 campaign, and McLean and Davon Reed are the primary reasons why. According to McLean, Davon has grown since the end of his high school season, and is currently a legitimate 6'5 and around 185 pounds. For PDS, Reed utilizes his versatility on the court, playing everywhere on the court, from the point guard spot to the low block. Down the line, his coach sees him as a shooting guard with serious upside. Something of note, according to McLean, is the fact that Davon is also young for his grade, not turning 16 until June.

As a freshman at PDS, Davon was primarily an athletic slasher to the basket. During his freshman year, he showed his athletic prowess not only on the basketball court, but also on the football field. This year, he put football to the side to focus solely on basketball. This sophomore season, he demonstrated a greatly improved perimeter game and a steady jumper. That jumper from three has improved to the point where McLean described it as one of Davon's greatest strengths. Through countless hours in the gym, Davon's game has improved leaps and bounds even since the end of the high school season.

Throughout our conversation, McLean stressed how Davon was so much more than a terrific basketball player, but also an outstanding student and an even better person. After landing his offer from SJU head coach Phil Martelli, Davon individually thanked every player on his team and every coach at Princeton Day, telling them that he wouldn't be blessed with these offers if it wasn't for them. Davon's family values education above all else, including basketball, which is one of the reasons that he is playing at Princeton Day as opposed to one of the New Jersey schools with more basketball name recognition. While PDS isn't in the realm of a Saint Anthony or a Saint Patrick's, they do have a good young nucleus of players and are likely to draw some incoming talent in the coming years. Another player on PDS to keep an eye on is freshman Langston Glaude, who plays in the backcourt with Davon. Glaude's godfather is the esteemed Dr. Cornel West, who turned out for Princeton Day School's game this year against rival Rutgers Prep. Also in attendance for that game were Temple's Fran Dunphy, Saint Joseph's assistant Mark Bass, and Rutgers assistant Jimmy Martelli.

This summer, Davon will be playing with Philadelphia-based Team Final on the AAU circuit, which will gain him further exposure. Although only a sophomore, Davon already has seven scholarship offers. Those offers are from VCU, Saint Joseph's, Temple, La Salle, Rutgers, Seton Hall, and West Virginia. In addition to those seven offers, Davon also has a number of other schools expressing interest and coming on strong. Those schools, according to McLean, are Villanova, Stanford, Cincinnati, and Providence. When looking at schools, Davon will not only be looking for the best basketball program, but also the best education. He is already open about what he wants to study and has shown great interest in both sports medicine and marketing. In terms of location, McLean seemed to think that Davon was likely to value location, and prefer schools on the East Coast.

Next Tuesday, Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli and assistant coach Mark Bass will be on the Princeton Day School campus paying Davon a visit. With seven offers already in hand, other schools getting involved, and a busy AAU season ahead, Princeton Day will probably get accustomed to the sight of college coaches on campus.

Photo Courtesy of TownTopics.com

Phil Martelli Talks to Chester Youth

On Thursday evening, Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli spoke at the TAP (The Achievement Project) "Tip-Off" reception at Widener University. The photo of Martelli and the press release below are both courtesy of The Williams Group.


Saint Joseph's University Head Basketball Coach, Phil Martelli, Spoke to a Full House at a Reception This Evening to Appeal for Sponsorships for Chester Youth -Study Program

Swarthmore, PA -- April 7, 2011 Saint Joseph's University Head Basketball Coach, Phil Martelli, spoke at a "Tip-Off" reception at Widener University for The Achievement Project's (TAP) "1000 to 1" campaign, this evening.

In typical Martelli style, his passionate address reached out to the hearts of the audience, and appealed to them to look within themselves to find the time and funds necessary to help children, who otherwise may never benefit from the fruits of a higher education. The audience, filled with business people and educators, were visibly moved by Martelli's plea. As well, students who have "graduated" from the TAP program were present to answer questions and offer a "hands-on" explanation of the TAP process.

"We're going to change Chester, just like Philadelphia, with the schools. It all starts in the schools," said Martelli. The coach went on to pledge his devotion to youth by saying, " Anytime young people are involved, you can count on me!"

TAP is an academic and educational advancement program that works with young people of the city of Chester, PA. This year-round program operates after-school and during the summer. It includes tutoring, coaching, classes and enrichment experiences. The students are recruited in the 8th grade and participate in the program through their four years of high school and through the college application and admission process.

TAP is the brainchild of Nicola Tollett Jefferson, a former practicing attorney turned child-education advocate. Nicola first tutored Harlem students as a law student at Columbia Law School in New York City. She watched with great joy as a young woman made the transition from underperforming in a less-than-stellar school, to eventually becoming a college professor in Florida and author of two books. "It's absolutely amazing," says Ms. Jefferson, "what the power of education can do for a young person who faces formidable social, economic and educational challenges. Those of us who hail from more economically- privileged backgrounds can easily fail to comprehend what kids of poor to modest means have to go through, not just to survive, but to thrive and be successful. These young people, just as young people everywhere, have tremendous gifts, attributes and talents. TAP's mission is to help them realize their gifts," says Jefferson.

Coach Martelli, having spent 26 years at Saint Joseph's University (SJU), and 16 seasons as head coach, has built a program that is consistently one of the top in the conference. In the 2003-2004 season, he received The National Coach of the Year award. His efforts to help students are widely known, not only on the court, but off the court as well. His humanitarian efforts have made him a leader, not only in the Philadelphia region, but also on a national level.

Ms. Jefferson, Founder and Executive Director of TAP, joins campaign chairs Debbie Dickinson and Marc Turner to head-up this event. Ms. Dickinson is a Harvard-trained attorney and Mr. Turner is the Managing Partner of Renaissance Advisory Group in Havertown. He is also the head basketball coach of the School at Church Farm's Griffins boys' basketball team. He was a former assistant basketball coach to the Villanova Wildcats.

This event was made possible through the kindness of our generous sponsors.

To find out more about TAP, please visit their website atTapOfChester.org, email them at 1000to1@tapofchester.org or
call Nicola Tollett Jefferson at 484-995-0828.

April 7th Odds and Ends

-Today marks the beginning of the Spring Contact period. From today, April 7th, to April 20th, coaches are able to communicate with recruits in person and via phone. The official explanation, courtesy of the NCAA website is:

During this time, a college coach may have in-person contact with you and/or your parents on or off the college's campus. The coach may also watch you play or visit your high school. You and your parents may visit a college campus and the coach may write and telephone you during this period.

Check back here throughout the Contact period for info on visits.



-The quarterfinals of the Donofrio Classic began last night in Conshohocken. The I-3 All Stars and Team Philly both advanced. I-3, who are led by Friends' Central stars Amile Jefferson and Devin Coleman, will take on the winner of tonight's Just Clean It vs Players Teaching Players contest. Team Philly, who got 42 points from senior guard Juan'ya Green, will take on the winner of tonight's Bucks County vs DeStefano's Electric game. Both of these games will take place next Wednesday, and I will be there for both. For more info, check out Ted Silary's site here.


-In New Jersey, huge news broke this afternoon when it was announced that Saint Patrick's head coach Kevin Boyle would be leaving the school and heading to Florida to coach at Montverde Academy. Both Saint Patrick's and Montverde have produced a number of high-level Division 1 recruits. At the moment, both the Saint Patrick's and Saint Benedict's jobs are open in North Jersey. Both are very appealing jobs on a national level.

Martelli to Speak at TAP "Tip-Off"

On Thursday, April 7th, Saint Joseph's University head men's basketball coach Phil Martelli will be speaking at Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. Martelli is the Keynote Speaker at the TAP (The Achievement Project) "Tip-Off" reception, which will take place at Widener from 6:30 until 8 on Thursday evening. A press release on the event can be found here. The TAP of Chester website is also linked here.

3/30 Odds and Ends

On Tuesday, Plymouth-Whitemarsh senior forward Jaylen Bond de-committed from Pitt and decided to reclassify into the 2012 class, attending prep school next year. The 6'7 forward chose Pitt over host of other schools such as Temple and West Virginia. RIck O'Brien's article on Jaylen's change of plans from the Philadelphia Inquirer can be found here.

The Hoop Group is in the midst of their Top 100 schedule right now. Last week, they held their Metro Top 100 at Kean University in North Jersey. A number of local players, like Princeton Day School sophomore Davon Reed, participated in the event. A highlight video from the event can be found here. Individual player highlights are toward the end of the clip. The Philadelphia Top 100 takes place today from 5:30 to 10 at Competitive Edge Sports.

The annual Donofrio Classic in Conshohocken began yesterday, and will culminate with the title game on April 19th. I will be attending and recapping several games throughout the tournament. Rosters and a schedule can be found on Ted Silary's website, which is linked here.

PIAA Boys' Basketball Round-Up

On the campus of Penn State, three games are down, with one to come this evening. The city of Philadelphia is 3-0, with Math, Civics, and Sciences, Neumann-Goretti, and Imhotep Charter all taking home state championships.

In the Class A championship game yesterday afternoon, MCS Charter downed Lincoln Park 70-55. Sophomore Jeremiah Worthem was the story of the day for MCS, as he took charge in the second half and led his team with 22 points and 12 rebounds. For Lincoln Park, senior Chaquille Pratt led the way with 27 points. Junior center Devontae Watson contributed 13 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots for Lincoln Park. Saint Joseph's and Temple are two of the schools heavily recruiting Watson. According to Rick O'Brien's article in the Inquirer (linked here), both SJU's Phil Martelli and Temple's Fran Dunphy were in attendance for the game.

Watson is not the only player that Temple and SJU were looking at. Jeremiah Worthem, who scored his 22 points on an array of jumpers, drives, and emphatic fast-break dunks, has also been offered by both schools. According to Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (linked here), Martelli offered the sophomore a scholarship after the game. Rick O'Brien's article states that Worthem has offers from SJU, Temple, Drexel, and Rice. That interest, and those offers, are only going to grow as Worthem's stock continues to increase.

Last night, Neumann-Goretti won their second consecutive Class AAA title 55-45 over Montaur. Montaur actually held the lead late in the third quarter before Neumann upped the defensive intensity and just about ran Montaur off the court. The Saints had a balanced scoring attack, but the spark plug for them down the stretch was 6'2 freshman guard Ja'Quan Newton. Newton scored 13 second-half points, mostly coming off steals and fast-break opportunities. He was a terror on the defensive end, doing everything in his power to shut down Devin Wilson and the other Montaur guards. Helping Newton out were Derrick Stewart (14 points and 10 boards) and Johnny Davis (12 points). Neumann lost four starters from last year's state championship team, but still returned to Happy Valley this weekend, and they will return home state champs once again. With four of their five starters returning next year, they will be prohibitive favorites to win Class AAA yet again. Rick O'Brien's article on the game can be found here.

Moments ago, Imhotep Charter's Class AA game came to an end. They too will return to Philadelphia state champs, after a resounding 67-34 win over Greensburg Central Catholic. Greensburg kept the contest close at the beginning but just didn't have the talent or depth to deal with Imhotep.

Tonight, Chester will look for the Class AAAA state title against Mount Lebanon.

Image of Jeremiah Worthem above from Christopher Weddle of the Centre Daily Times.

La Salle's Murray to Transfer

6'10 La Salle sophomore Aaric Murray will be leaving the A10 program, according to La Salle head coach Dr. John Giannini. According to the Ray Parillo article linked at the bottom of this article, Murray is planning to finish the Spring semester at La Salle before looking elsewhere.

Murray came into La Salle two years ago as the most heralded recruit in recent La Salle history. He chose the Explorers over a number of basketball powerhouses, as well local schools like Temple, Villanova, and Saint Joseph's. It was obvious to anyone that followed the Explorers this year that there was tension between Murray and his coach. Despite averaging over 15 points and nearly 8 rebounds a game for the Explorers, Murray found himself in his coach's doghouse throughout the season. He was benched during La Salle's January 8th contest against Richmond, a game that La Salle lost by 21 points.

Where Murray ends up has yet to be determined. Already 21 years old, Murray would have to sit a year before being eligible at another school. According to Jerry Meyer of Rivals.com, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and West Virginia are three schools that have been mentioned as possibilities. West Virginia assistant coach Billy Hahn was head coach at La Salle from 2001 to 2004. It is also possible that Murray declares for the NBA draft. DraftExpress has Murray as their #88 prospect for the 2011 NBA Draft.

Ray Parillo's article on the Murray transfer can be found here.

Pittsburgh Junior Attracting Philadelphia Attention

For Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli and Temple assistant coach Dave Duke to be sitting next to one another watching a high school basketball game is nothing new. In fact, for a number of reasons, most notably the proximity of the two schools to one another, Temple and Saint Joseph's find themselves duking it out for a number of players. The fact that the two coaches were sitting at a gym in Pittsburgh is the part that is most surprising. Last Tuesday night, the two coaches both found themselves in Pittsburgh, watching 6'10 Lincoln Park junior Devontae Watson.

In front of the two coaches, Watson had 31 points, 22 rebounds, and 11 blocks. According to The Beaver County Times (here), both Temple and Saint Joseph's have offered the junior center a scholarship. Temple and SJU have also both offered 6'6 wing Sheldon Jeter from Beaver Falls High School in Pittsburgh.

Another article on Watson can be found here courtesy of Maxpreps.com.

A video clip of Watson can be found here.

Daniel Ochefu a Wildcat

Over the past several weeks, it was becoming apparent that Westown School (PA) junior big-man Daniel Ochefu was nearing a decision. Those tuned in to his recruitment seemed to think that the decision would come down to Temple and Georgetown. When Daniel made his college selection yesterday, it didn't come as a surprise to anyone. The fact that he chose Villanova certainly did, however, come as a surprise to many, myself included.

The 6'10 center is generally viewed as a top-25 player in his class, and his signing is as big for Villanova as it is rough for Temple. With Ochefu now in the fold, Villanova has three of the top four players from the Philadelphia area in the 2012 class. Wing Savon Goodman and guard Ryan Arcidiacono have already given Nova verbal commitments, and Daniel became the third member of that class yesterday. The final highly-regarded junior recruit in the city is Friends' Central's Amile Jefferson. Villanova is viewed as one of the leaders for his services as well.

There is really not any downplaying the signing of Ochefu for Villanova. Coach Jay Wright seems to always have a terrific cast of guards. With the signing of Ochefu (and Yarou in 2009), Jay has shown an ability to get highly-regarded bigs as well.

ESPN Article on Ochefu

Zagsblog Article on Ochefu

Photo of Daniel above is courtesy of Rivals.com

Martelli Talks Analyst Role and Recruiting

Earlier today, Saint Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli spoke live on the Mike Missanelli show on 97.5 The Fanatic. He spoke with Missanelli about a number of topics. Martelli spoke about how his recent appearances on television during Saturday and Sunday's NCAA tournament games could prove beneficial on the recruiting trail. In terms of recruiting, Phil spoke about how he tries to recruit against the local Big East schools. One specific example he gave was about how he can recruit a player for 2 and a half years, and another school can come in and recruit a player for 2 and a half weeks and they can get him. He also spoke about the current criticism facing Villanova's Jay Wright and the officiating during the current tournament. The podcast from that interview can be found at the link below. It's well worth the listen.

Interview Found Here

March 19th Odds and Ends

I needed to take a week off after the season ended last week, but I'm back now and will continue to talk college and high school hoops here during the offseason. Here are a couple of odds and ends in bullet form:

-Hawk Hill Hardwood is finally up on Twitter. Feel free to follow me here.

-Earlier this week, Vaux High sophomore guard Rysheed Jordan drew a crowd as his team downed Prep Charter 59-44. Among the coaches watching the game were SJU head coach Phil Martelli, Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint, and Rutgers assistant Jimmy Martelli. Jordan had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in the win. Ted Silary's article on the game can be found here. Vaux faces off against Imhotep Charter tonight at Southern High.

-In other playoff action, Constitution defeated Reading Central Catholic on a game-winning layup by Abdul King. Constitution trailed by 10 with 6 minutes remaining, but came back to advance. Ted Silary's article on that game can be found here. They will face Math, Civics, and Sciences on Tuesday.

-Plymouth-Whitemarsh is currently playing Red Land at the Geigle Complex in Reading. The AAAA quarterfinals game will pit PW's star senior, Jaylen Bond, against a talented Red Land front-court. Red Land starts 6'11 senior Steve Zack, who is headed to La Salle next year, and 6'9 junior Mike Zangari, who is being recruited by Saint Joseph's among others.

March Madness Upon Us

On Saturday afternoon, Saint Joseph's surprise run in the Atlantic 10 tournament came to an end with a 64-61 loss to the Dayton Flyers. Dayton advanced to the A10 Conference Finals, where they were downed by Richmond. With the win, RIchmond earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, one of three Atlantic 10 teams to do so. Richmond, a 12 seed, will play Vanderbilt in their opening round game. Xavier, a 6 seed, will play Marquette, and Temple, a 7 seed, will take on Penn State. The lone A10 team in the NIT is Dayton, who look ahead to a first-round contest against Charleston.

After beginning conference play at 0-8, the Hawks made small strides down the stretch before their run in the A10 tournament. SJU was 6-5 in their final eleven games of the year. The loss yesterday brought an end to the careers of seniors Idris Hilliard and Charoy Bentley. Both seniors played significant roles down the stretch for the Hawks, especially during the A10 tournament. Hilliard had 15 points and 7 rebounds in his final game for the Hawks, Bentley had three first-half three-pointers in Saturday's contest.

While the Hawks lose Hilliard and Bentley, they bring in three new faces next year. Incoming freshman Chris Wilson will look to earn minutes at the point guard spot next year. Papa Samba Ndao, who enrolled at SJU this winter, will have four years of eligibility starting next year. The 6'8 native of Senegal will help the Hawks on the wing. Hofstra transfer Halil Kanacevic will look to add toughness inside for SJU. During his freshman year at Hofstra, Halil averaged 8.6 points per game, 7.6 rebounds per game, and 2 blocks per game. Halil will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Hawks Live Another Day

Saint Joseph's got 28 points from Tay Jones this afternoon, and knocked down key free throws in overtime to take down Duquesne 93-30 and make the Atlantic 10 semi-finals. There, they will face Dayton, who held on in the tournament's early game to beat rival Xavier 68-67.

During the game's second half, the Hawks built a double-digit lead, only to see it dwindle away down the stretch. The second half was eerily similar to Tuesday night's game against George Washington. In that game as well, the Hawks squandered a double-digit second-half lead, only to force overtime and ultimately win.

While freshman Langston Galloway was the star against George Washington, tonight's leading man was sophomore Tay Jones, who recorded 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Senior forward Idris Hilliard had 18 points and 9 rebounds, and front-court mate Ron Roberts had 19 points and 9 rebounds. As a team, the Hawks out-rebouned Duquesne 35-33.

Senior Charoy Bentley had the biggest plays in his career at the end of regulation and in overtime. With time running out in regulation, and the Hawks down two, Charoy found a wide-open Ron Roberts under the bucket for a dunk. In overtime, Charoy also stole a Duquesne inbound pass and hit a corner three during the ensuing possession.

With the win, the Hawks have the opportunity to play tomorrow for a spot in the Atlantic 10 finals. The game is a 1 o'clock tip at Boardwalk Hall.

The Associated Press article on the game can be found here.

Saint Anthony, Seton Hall Prep Are Champs

The RAC on Rutgers' campus was loud and packed last night. There were 60 Minutes film crews in the house and television broadcast teams sitting court-side. However, none of the activity at the RAC had anything to do with the Scarlet Knights. The North Jersey Non-Public A and B championship games were the draw, selling out the stadium. I was unable to attend the games, but there was plenty of media on hand to give insight and perspective on the night's events.

The first game of the evening, the North Jersey Non-Public A championship game, pitted Seton Hall Prep against Saint Peter's Prep. Coach Mike Kelly's Saint Peter's Prep team forced overtime, but eventually fell 55-47. All season long, guards Sterling Gibbs and Dallas Anglin have been instrumental in Seton Hall Prep's success. The song remained the same last night, with Gibbs scoring 23, including 10 free throws in overtime. Junior guard Dallas Anglin, who is being recruited by Saint Joseph's, had 17 points for SHP, including four 3-pointers. Seton Hall Prep will now take on Saint Augustine Prep on Saturday in Toms River. Mike Moretti's article from NJ.com is linked here.

While the first game of the night between Seton Hall Prep and Saint Peter's Prep was a good one, the sell-out crowd on hand was mostly there for the evening's second game. The game featured the two top teams, not only in New Jersey, but in America. Saint Patrick's came into last night's game considered the number one team in America, and Bob Hurley's Saint Anthony team was considered next in line. In the North Jersey Non-Public B championship game, it was Hurley's Friars that walked off the court 62-45 winners. While the Friars won by 17, the game was much closer than the final score indicates. Saint Pat's actually held a 5-point halftime lead and a 1-point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Friars outscored the Celtics 23-5 in the final frame though. Saint Anthony will also play again on Saturday in Toms River, taking on Cardinal McCarrick for the state crown. Mike Kinney's article on the Saint Anthony game can be found here. That link also contains video clips from the game.

Hawks Advance to Atlantic City

The Atlantic 10 Tournament will begin on Friday afternoon in Atlantic City, with Dayton-Xavier being the first of four Atlantic 10 quarterfinal match-ups. The eight remaining teams in the A10 tournament are, for the most part, no surprise. Xavier and Temple have been the class of the league all season long. Richmond has been right behind them, and then Duquesne and Xavier. One team that most did not expect to see in Atlantic City is Saint Joseph's. Yet, they find themselves among the eight remaining, and headed to Atlantic City this weekend.

The Hawks will take on Duquesne at 2:30 Friday afternoon at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The road there certainly wasn't an easy one. Saint Joseph's began Atlantic 10 play 0-8, and ultimately found themselves in a must-win game at Charlotte on Saturday. The winner of Saturday's contest would advance to the A10 tournament, and the loser would see their season come to a close. Freshman Langston Galloway willed the Hawks to a 71-70 win in the contest, netting 27 points. He and fellow guard Tay Jones combined for 46 of the Hawks 71 points. With that win, the Hawks earned a spot in the A10 tournament, and an opening-round contest at George Washington.

On Saturday, the two guards carried the SJU squad. It took a more balanced scoring effort, a stronger defensive performance, and overtime to take down George Washington at home yesterday. Last night, five Hawks scored in double digits, and another (Daryus Quarles) had 8. In addition, only one player (Idris Hilliard) took double-digit shots. SJU carried a 31-20 lead into halftime, only to see Tony Taylor and the Colonials make a strong surge in the second half. GW forward Jabari Edwards actually had a point-black shot at the very end of regulation that he clanked off the rim. Once the game got to overtime, the Hawks regained control and cruised during the extra frame. The Hawks were 71-59 winners down in DC.

With the win, Saint Joseph's improved to 10-21 on the season. They will play Duquesne for the second time this season. In the first meeting, on January 5th, Duquesne held a commanding 42-26 halftime lead at the Hagan Arena. The Hawks made a couple of runs in that second half, but ultimately couldn't whittle the deficit down to single digits. Duquesne took down the Hawks in their A10 opener 75-63 that night. One particular area of concern in that contest was turnovers, with SJU committing 19 of them. In order for the Hawks to have a chance on Friday, they will have to do a better job of holding onto the ball. SJU only committed 6 turnovers at Charlotte and 9 last night.

Jeter Erupts for 36

On February 9th, I posted a link here from the Pittsburgh Basketball Report explaining that Saint Joseph's was one of three in-state schools to offer 6'6 Pittsburgh junior guard Sheldon Jeter. The other two schools that apparently extended offers Jeter's way were Temple and Penn State.

In a Class AA PIAA Play-In game last night, Jeter helped his Beaver Falls team defeat Tussey Mountain 69-61. Jeter had 36 points in the win, which gives Beaver Falls a spot in the State Tournament.

A brief game recap from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette can be found here.

A link to my article from February 9th can be found here.

Weekend Rundown

Over the past two days, a number of noteworthy high school games were played in the area. A rundown on those games, a look forward, and a few recruiting notes are below.

On the recruiting front, Roman Catholic senior big Junior Fortunat attended the Seton Hall-Marquette game last night. Junior has seen a number of schools jump into his recruitment since becoming NCAA eligible last week, which I reported on here.

According to Alex Kline's Twitter, Princeton Day School (NJ) sophomore Davon Reed was in attendance at yesterday's Temple-La Salle game. Both schools have already offered the 6'4 guard. In addition to those schools, Saint Joseph's, VCU, Rutgers, and West Virginia have also extended scholarship offers Davon's way.

Temple also hosted another significant recruit this weekend, as Westtown (PA) junior center Daniel Ochefu took an unofficial visit to campus on Friday with his parents. An article from Philly.com on his visit is linked here. His final four schools are Temple, Villanova, Georgetown, and Texas.

In New Jersey playoff action yesterday, Teaneck advanced with a 20-point win over Sparta. Chris Jones, a junior wing who has interest from the Hawks, had 11 points in the win, while sophomore guard Joel Hernandez dropped 23. An article on the game can be found here.

On Friday night, another junior guard with SJU interest helped his team advance. Seton Hall Prep junior guard Dallas Anglin had a game-high 28 points to guide his team past Paramus Catholic. Anglin had interest from the Hawks, Boston University, George Washington, Rice, and many others. He has been on a tear during this playoff run, and more schools are bound to take notice.

In Philadelphia, Friday night was full of high school hoops as well. The night's premier matchup was the District 1 Class AAAA title game between Chester and Council Rock North. Maurice Nelson led the way for Chester, scoring 22 points. Chester had four double-digit scorers, and easily dispatched of Council Rock North, 66-43. RIck O'Brien's article from the Inquirer can be found here.

Philadelphia's District 12 Class AAA championship game took place Friday night at Archbishop Ryan, and featured Philadelphia Catholic League champs Neumann-Goretti and Philadelphia Electrical and Technology. Neumann took a 33-23 lead into the half, eventually winning 62-54. Two stars for Neumann were sophomore Johnny Davis, who tallied 18 points and 18 rebounds, and sophomore Derrick Stewart who had 15. PET got 19 points from Hakeem Baxter, and 9 each from Devante Chance and Carrington Ward.

Former Hawk Recruit Rutledge to WVU

WVSports.com, a member of the Rivals network, is reporting tonight that junior college standout Dominic Rutledge has given Bob Huggins and West Virginia a verbal commitment. If that name sounds familiar to Saint Joseph's fans, it should. Rutledge was, at one time, committed to the Hawks. The 6'8 forward from Edison Job Corps (NJ) was a 2008 SJU signee, but did not meet NCAA Clearinghouse requirements out of high school. Since that point, Rutledge has bounced around a few junior colleges, and is now playing at West Texas State Junior College. According to WVSports, Rutledge will have two years of eligibility remaining upon graduation in May.

Another former Hawk commit, Harcum Junior College forward David Bruce, was also linked to the Mountaineers. In an article linked here , Bruce mentions his interest in West Virginia. He also lists Xavier and Iowa as schools of interest. Whether Rutledge's commitment has an impact on David is yet to be seen. The fact that both could former SJU recruits could end up in the frontcourt together at West Virginia is certainly a strange turn of events.

Hawks Close to Offering 7-Footer

According to Alex Kline of TheRecruitScoop, Saint Joseph's is close to offering a scholarship to Peddie (NJ) center Blaise Mbargorba. In the tweet, Alex lists Blaise as a 2012 recruit, but most other online publications have him as a senior and 2011 player.

The 7-footer played last season at North Jersey power Saint Benedict's before transferring this year to Peddie School. Last year at Saint Benedict's, Blaise didn't see too much action, playing behind a number of high-major guys. He then transferred to a Peddie team that really struggled during the 2010-2011 season.

Due to his size and competitive nature, many high-major schools have been tracking Blaise over the past two years. The center is a native of Cameroon, only moving to the States in high school.

His ESPN evaluation has this to say:

"Mbargorba is a definite project, but one who has clear potential. Very few players of his size can match his mobility and high motor, and while he needs to get stronger in his upper body and drastically improve his skill level and basketball feel for the game, those are all things that can be accomplished with hard work and experience."

That evaluation can be found here .

Fortunat Gets Score

Last Wednesday, Roman Catholic went down against Neumann-Goretti in the Philadelphia Catholic League semi-finals. Neumann escaped Roman with a one-point win, and went on to capture their third consecutive PCL title last night at the Palestra. In the championship game, Neumann defeated Archbishop Carroll despite 30 points from Carroll senior Juan'ya Green.

One player for Roman that made his presence felt last Wednesday, and has been a major impact all season long, is senior big Junior Fortunat.

Prior to last week's game, I wrote a piece on Junior and where he stood in his recruitment. That piece can be found here . In that article, I mentioned that Junior was awaiting his ACT scores, and hoping for the best. I got a chance to catch up with him earlier today on the latest.

Junior got the score he needed on the ACT and will be NCAA eligible next season. A number of schools were already going hard after the talented unsigned senior, and those schools are likely to have some new company. Earlier today, Junior told me that Seton Hall, Fairleigh Dickinson, La Salle, Wagner, Rider, VCU, Missouri, and Arizona State are the schools that have been in touch recently. FDU head coach Greg Vetrone watched Junior last Wednesday in the PCL semi-finals. Both La Salle and Rider have recently extended offers Junior's way. As Junior's recruitment intensifies, check back here for updates.

Coleman to Clemson

According to a number of sources, Friends' Central (PA) senior guard Devin Coleman ended his recruitment Saturday night, committing to Clemson and coach Brad Brownell. Coleman, a 6'3 guard, is currently on an official visit to the ACC school. Coleman selected Clemson over Penn, Saint Joseph's, La Salle, Siena, Rhode Island, and several other schools.

Last night, Coleman watched Clemson easily dispatch of Wake Forest, 63-49. With the win, Clemson improved to 8-6 in the ACC and kept themselves on the tournament bubble. Wake Forest dropped to 1-13 in conference play with the loss.

Below is a link to an interview with Devin's high school coach, Jason Polykoff, as well as a recap from when Friends' Central took on Jersey City's Saint Anthony High School.

Interview with Jason Polykoff


Friends' Central-Saint Anthony Recap

Philadelphia Catholic League Semis-Faces in the Crowd

Both the Philadelphia Public League and Philadelphia Catholic League semi-finals took place last night. At Southern, Imhotep and Constitution were the winners, setting up a battle for the Public League crown this weekend at Temple. Imhotep has won the past two years and have as loaded a roster as you're going to find in the city. Constitution has some star power of its own, with junior guard Daiquan Walker being the biggest name.

I was able to attend the PCL semis at the Palestra last night. In game one, Archbishop Carroll defeated La Salle 58-45. Sophomore guard Yosef Yacoub led the way for Carroll, scoring 18 points. For La Salle, senior guard and Rider commit Eddie Mitchell had 22 points.

The second semi-final game was the headliner, and for good reason. Neumann-Goretti escaped the Palestra with a one-point winner over Roman Catholic, 47-46. Lamin Fulton was the high-man for Neumann, scoring 14 points in the win. Roman had two double-digit scorers in Montana Mayfield (12) and Junior Fortunat (10).

A detailed recap will be up later. For the time being, you can check out Rick O'Brien's article on the Neumann game here and Ted Silary's article here .

There were a number of high school and college coaches in the house, as well as some other recognizable figures.

Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Vetrone was on hand to watch unsigned senior big Junior Fortunat. I wrote a piece on Junior last week, that can be found here .

Legendary Tom Konchalski of the HSBI Report was also in attendance.

Former Saint Joseph's Hawk player Rashid Bey was another familiar face in the crowd.

Check back later for a recap of the night's games.

Pat Swilling Jr. Leaves Hawk Hill

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Ray Parillo, Saint Joseph's freshman guard Patrick Swilling Jr. is no longer enrolled at SJU, per a source close to the situation. Prior to last Wednesday's home game against Xavier, Swilling was reported as being in violation of the school's code of conduct policy. Both Swilling and junior center Todd O'Brien missed the Xavier game, and on Sunday, the Temple game. While Todd O'Brien is expected back with the team this week, it appears as if Swilling is gone. In the Ray Parillo article linked here , a source close to the situation claimed that Swilling returned home to New Orleans prior to the completion of the judicial process.

In a blog article on NewOrleans.com, author Ed Daniels reports that Swilling is likely headed to either Central Florida or Louisiana Tech. That article can be found here .

Patrick averaged just under 12 minutes per game with the Hawks, averaging 1.4 points per game. He is the second Hawk to leave the team during the season. Sophomore guard Justin Crosgile left the team at the beginning of the month "to concentrate on personal issues."

The Hawks return to action Wednesday night at UMass.

Terry Sanford High Takes Mid-South 4-A Title

On Friday evening, Terry Sanford High School (NC) won their fifth consecutive Mid-South 4-A conference championship. 2011 Saint Joseph's basketball signee Chris Wilson dropped 17 points in the winning effort, pacing his team in a 58-51 win over Jack Britt.

With the win, Terry Sanford improved to 24-2 on the season. Chris Wilson, a 6'2 point guard for Terry Sanford, won tournament MVP. A recap of the game, written by Earl Vaughan Jr. of FayObserver.com, can be found here .

I spoke with Terry Sanford coach Bill Boyette last month about his team, and specifically about Chris Wilson. Those articles can be found here and here .

Terry Sanford has their opening round NCHSAA playoff game on Monday afternoon. I will be speaking with Coach Bill Boyette as his team moves through the state playoffs. Check back for updates.

Junior Fortunat Getting Looks

As fall turns to winter, and winter turns to spring, the number of quality unsigned seniors in high school basketball dwindles down to next to nothing. Over the past couple weeks, I have taken a look into the play and recruitment of Friends' Central's Devin Coleman, who is arguably the best unsigned senior guard in the city of Brotherly Love. Today we are going to move into the frontcourt and look at Roman Catholic senior big Fortunat "Junior" Kangudi. According to most that follow Philadelphia high school hoops, including Ted Silary, Junior is the best available big-man in the city.

Junior is a 6'8, 220-pound post player at Philadelphia's Roman Catholic High School. Originally from Montreal, he is in his second season at Roman playing under head coach Chris McNesby.

At 6'8 and 220, Junior plays the 5 for Roman Catholic, but is being recruited to play the power forward spot in college. A very strong finisher around the rim, Junior possesses great athleticism and loves to run the court. He runs well and thrives in the open-court. On the defensive side of the ball, Junior is a shot-blocking and rebounding presence. In a big win last Sunday over Archbishop Wood, Junior had 20 points, 9 rebounds,and 4 blocks. Roman Catholic plays their opening-round Catholic League playoff game today at Father Judge, and will likely take on Neumann-Goretti if they are to advance. Last week, Roman fell to Father Judge by a point, missing a shot at the buzzer that would have won the game.

I got to catch up with Junior on Wednesday night, and he gave me an update on his recruitment. A native of Montreal, Junior's native tongue is French, which has played a significant part of his recruiting process. At the moment, he is awaiting his most recent ACT scores. Junior took the ACT last week and will receive his scores shortly. Once those scores come in, and his high school season comes to a close, Junior's recruitment will begin to pick up steam.

At the moment, Junior has a wide range of schools calling and inquiring about him, ranging from the Big East to the Big 12 to the CAA. Seton Hall is one of the schools pursuing Junior the hardest at the moment. In addition to the Big East school, Missouri is another school that has recently jumped into his recruitment. Rutgers, Drexel, VCU, and Fairleigh Dickinson are also in the mix. Coach Marcus Toney-El at Fairleigh Dickinson is making a hard push for Junior, as well as unsigned senior guard Carrington Ward, also from Philadelphia.

While these schools are currently involved with Junior, he is also open to hear pitches from new schools. In no rush to decide, he wants to take visits once his qualification is settled and his high school season is over.

When asked what he was looking for in a school, Junior said that he most wants the opportunity to compete early for minutes. Junior told me that he is aware that minutes will not simply be given, but that they have to be earned. That being said, he has no interest in taking a redshirt next year.

As things develop with Junior's recruitment, I will continue to provide updates here. With so few quality unsigned players around this late in the year, expect to hear a lot about Junior this spring. Quality big men are always at a premium, especially those with Junior's athleticism and mobility.

Upcoming Updates

Sorry that things have been quiet on here lately. I am working on a number of pieces that will be going up over the next 24 hours or so.

One piece is on Roman Catholic senior Junior Fortunat, who gave me an update on his season and recruitment. Roman Catholic begins the Catholic League playoffs today at Father Judge.

I will be speaking with Chris Wilson's high school coach, Bill Boyette, later today and getting an update on how Terry Sanford High is doing in their playoffs.

There will also be a look into the recent information regarding Saint Joseph's players Todd O'Brien and Pat Swilling Jr.

Devin Coleman Sets Clemson Visit

According to Hale McGranahan, on the Clemson Scout.com site (linked here ) Friends' Central senior guard Devin Coleman is planning a late-month visit to Clemson. The ACC school is a relative newcomer in Coleman's recruitment, but they are coming hard. An assistant from Clemson was on hand when Coleman and his Friends' Central squad nearly knocked off Bob Hurley's Saint Anthony team last weekend.

Most schools involved with Coleman, like Saint Joseph's, Penn, Penn State, and La Salle, are close to home. Obviously Clemson is not, but that does not seem a deterrence at the moment. In the McGranahan article linked above, Coleman expresses high interest in Clemson.

I have written a number of pieces on Coleman over the past couple of weeks. They are all linked below.

Hakim Warrick Classic Recap-Devin Coleman

Hakim Warrick Classic Recap-General

Interview with Coleman's High School Coach

Continue to check back for updates on Devin's season and recruitment.