Darrun Hilliard is the Newest Villanova Wildcat

Late Tuesday afternoon, reports began to surface that Liberty High School senior Darrun Hilliard had made his college decision. At a 5 o'clock news conference at his high school on Wednesday, Hilliard made the announcement. The talented guard will be playing his college basketball in the Big East conference, for Jay Wright at the Villanova Wildcats.

Entering the summer, Hilliard was already receiving significant recruiting interest. Temple and Saint Joseph's both offered the 6'5 guard during his high school season. Hilliard also took in the Saint Joseph's home game against Dayton this season. Hilliard is the fourth local 2011 recruit to choose a Big East school. John Johnson (Pitt), Jaylen Bond (Pitt), Aaron Brown (Pitt), and now Darrun Hilliard will all see each other in two years in Big East conference play. In the end, Hilliard chose Villanova over "Iowa, Michigan, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, and Boston College," according to Groller's Corner Blog .

I got the opportunity to watch Hilliard's high school, Liberty, take on Penn Wood in the state playoffs this past winter. In the game, that Penn Wood won en route to a birth in the state championship game, Hilliard was arguably the best player on the court. While Penn Wood boasted a number of Division 1 prospects, including Penn State football commitment Shawn Oakman, West Virginia-bound senior Aaron Brown, and Hartford-bound Tyree Johnson, it was Hilliard that most impressed. In the game, Hilliard showed an ability to knock down shots from three, while also getting to the rim with ease. At the rim, Darrun is able to finish with both hands.

Hilliard joins a recruiting class that includes guards Tyrone Johnson, Ashcraf Yacoubou, and big man Markus Kennedy.

Photo Above Courtesy of Lehigh Valley Live

Donofrio Classic Gets Underway

Now that the high school seasons in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have come to an end, the time for Spring showcase and AAU competition has begun. One of the most well-known, well-respected, and well-liked events in the Philadelphia area is the annual Donofrio Classic held at Fellowship House in Conshohocken. I have not made it to any of the games thus far, but will be there in the coming weeks. Most of the Philadelphia area's best will be competing in the event. I have a few articles worth checking out linked below. In the first article linked below, Mainstreet, featuring four Penn Wood players, blew out the Del Val VC team behind 20 points from Aaron Brown. The article also includes video. The second article linked below is from RecruitRecon and has player write-ups on Friends Central's Amile Jefferson and Devin Coleman, along with Liberty High's Darrun Hilliard and Neshaminy's Ryan Arcidiacono. Both articles are well worth a look.

Times Herald Article on Donofrio

RecruitRecon Article on Day One at Donofrio

Darrun Hilliard Picks up SJU Offer

I was on hand for Wednesday night's Penn Wood-Liberty game, won easily by the Patriots of Penn Wood. Two names on Penn Wood, Shawn Oakman and Aaron Brown, have long been on the radar of the Saint Joseph's coaches and fans. Liberty High, out of Bethlehem, PA, has a star of their own in 6'5 junior guard Darrun Hilliard. Following his 26-point outburst in the game, Hilliard picked up an offer from the Hawks according to the article linked below. Darrun was on Hawk Hill, and seated behind the SJU bench, for the Dayton game earlier this year. Coincidentally, Neshaminy sophomore guard Ryan Arcidiacono was also at the Dayton game. Ryan was also in the stands at Council Rock, as a spectator, on Wednesday night.

In the game on Wednesday, Darrun got off to a slow start before really taking the game over in the third quarter. Darrun showed an ability to shoot the ball from deep, burying a few shots from well beyond the 3-point line. He also took the ball strong to the basket, finishing at the rim with both hands. In this particular game, Darrun was the best player on the court for either team. It will be interesting to follow Darrun's recruitment over the coming months.

Philly.com Article on Hilliard Offer

Image of Hilliard above from acrylicsports.com

Hawks Beat Dayton in a Nailbiter

While I have focused mostly on the recruiting side of things this year, last night's SJU win over Dayton certainly bears mentioning. The Hawks beat Dayton 60-59 at the Hagan Arena in front of the most animated crowd of the season. Despite leading most of the game, and the entire second half, Dayton had a chance to steal a win on the final possession. Hawk senior Garrett Williamson came up with a game-saving block in the final seconds to secure the victory. The block was the number 3 play of the day on Sportscenter's Top Ten plays. The video is below.

A few recruits were in the building for the game as well. Neshaminy sophomore guard Ryan Arcidiacono was seated behind the Hawk bench. Ryan is considered one of the best sophomores in the Greater Philadelphia area. Also behind the bench was 6'4 Liberty High School junior guard Darrun Hilliard. Hilliard was seated behind the bench wearing something that said Hilliard #32. That, coincidentally, is the same number that Hawk junior Idris Hilliard wears.

Sportscenter Top Ten Plays of the Day January 23rd