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.

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.

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.

More on Aaron Brown's Commitment

After Dave Telep of Scout.com published an article yesterday that Penn Wood's 6'5 rising senior Aaron Brown officially committed to West Virginia, I put a brief article with a few links up here. Since that point, a number of other media outlets, including ESPN.com, have confirmed the decision. One of the better articles on Brown and his decision is written by Chris Vito of the Delaware County Times. In the article, which is linked below, Brown explains his rationale behind the decision. Ultimately, Brown chose West Virginia over Temple, having narrowed his choices to two. Penn Wood head coach Clyde Jones explained Brown's decision, saying that the challenge of playing in the Big East conference was a major factor.

Brown's commitment to West Virginia shows that there is only so much that local coaches like Temple's Fran Dunphy and Saint Joseph's Phil Martelli can do when Big East and ACC schools come calling. Members of the Temple and SJU staff were fixtures at Penn Wood games throughout this season.

Brown is the third Philadelphia-area 2011 star to make his college decision. John Johnson and Jaylen Bond are both headed to Pitt, choosing the Big East program over serious local A10 interest. Saint Joseph's was heavily involved with Johnson until he made his decision, and Temple was heavily recruiting Bond. Brown is now the third local star to choose the Big East route, picking West Virginia over heavy interest from both Temple and Saint Joseph's. Devin Coleman, Juan'ya Green, and Malcolm Gilbert are three more local 2011 players with serious interest from local A10 schools and Big East, Big Ten, and ACC programs. Will they go the route of Brown, Johnson, and Bond or not? We will find out over the coming months.

Chris Vito Article on Aaron Brown's Commitment to WVU

A Look at Rivals' Top 150 of 2011

While I was away, Rivals rereleased their list of the top 150 players nationally in the 2011 recruiting class. Later today they will release their new rankings for the 2012 class, which I will look at tomorrow, along with Scout's 2012 list.

There is one Philadelphia player in the top 10, and that player is Academy of the New Church center Rakeem Christmas. Christmas had trimmed his list of colleges earlier in the year, but according to Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog, he reopened that last week when he visited Rutgers unofficially.

Christmas isn't the only player from Academy of the New Church on the Rivals list. Fellow frontcourt player Malcolm Gilbert, a 6'11 center, checks in at number 145 on the list. For quite some time Gilbert was attracting mostly local interest, from schools like Saint Joseph's, La Salle, Drexel, and a few others. That has changed dramatically over the past few weeks. In the past few weeks, Gilbert has visited a trio of college basketball powerhouses. Gilbert has recently visited Duke, Pitt, and Ohio State unofficially. In addition to being a tremendous force on the defensive side of the ball, Malcolm is also an impressive student, which explains the mutual interest in Ivy League schools. Gilbert has seen his stock rise through the roof over the summer, and his recruitment will be one of the more interesting local ones to follow over the coming months.

Speaking of Pitt, two players from Philadelphia are committed already to the Big East program. While neither player has appeared on any of Rivals' previous top 150 lists, both make their debut here. 6'1 guard John Johnson, from Girard College. checks in at number 132 and 6'6 forward Jaylen Bond makes an appearance at 141. Bond's PW team won a state championship team this year, courtesy of the interior play of Bond and Saint Joseph's-bound center CJ Aiken and perimeter play of senior guard Whis Grant.

Xavier secured an early commitment from the number 58 prospect on the list, 6'4 wing Dezmine Wells. Wells recently put on a show at the NBPA Top 100 camp against many of the best high school players in the country. Xavier just keeps on rolling.

Desmond Hubert, a lanky 6'9 shot-blocking force from New Egypt, New Jersey appears at number 78. Hubert has said that Pitt and Villanova are two of the frontrunners in his recruitment, although a number of other schools are making a serious push.

The first player associated with the Hawks checks in at number 80. Myles Davis, from Saint Peter's Prep in Jersey City, is a 6'2 combo guard. There has been some speculation about Davis over the summer months, concerning both his high school for next year and his classification. There has been talk that Davis could possibly transfer to Plainfield, his home town. In addition, there has been talk that Davis could reclassify to the 2012 class. When I spoke with SPP head coach Mike Kelly over the winter about Davis, he told me that Davis was young for his grade, which could be a possible reason for reclassifying. Davis lists the Hawks, Villanova, Pitt, UConn, George Mason, the University of Virginia, and Georgetown as his schools of interest. Davis played high school ball with 2010 Hawk commitment Ronald Roberts at Saint Peter's Prep, which is certainly worth noting when discussing Davis' recruitment.

Two other players on the list have expressed varying degrees of interest in the Hawks. 6'9 Derrick Randall, who played at Paterson Catholic last year and will play at South Kent his senior year, comes in at number 131 on the list. Randall has been providing the same basic list of schools to recruiting sites for almost the past year. A list that includes Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Providence, Seton Hall, Saint John's, and Saint Joseph's. The other player that has listed the Hawks makes his debut at number 147. 6'5 wing Vaughn Gray played for Don Bosco in Bergen County, New Jersey for the past three years. He will play this coming season at national powerhouse Saint Benedict's Prep. Gray has interest from Saint Joseph's, Richmond, Temple, Xavier, the University of Virginia, Providence, and Oregon. Playing at Saint Benedict's next year, that list is likely to expand.

Check back tomorrow for a look at the 2012 rankings.

The Rivals Top 150 for 2011 is linked below:

Rivals 150 for 2011

Plymouth-Whitemarsh Takes State Title

Last night, at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State, the Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials defeated the Penn Wood Patriots 58-51 to take home the Pennsylvania AAAA title. The win avenged an overtime loss to Penn Wood in the District 1 Final at Villanova. The Colonials were led by senior forward CJ Aiken's 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 blocked shots. Senior guard Whis Grant had yet another strong performance as well, dropping 17 points and really controlling the game's tempo. On the other side, Penn Wood got 15 points from both Aaron Brown and Tyree Johnson. Shawn Oakman, the junior center for Penn Wood, was held to only 4 points. He was not nearly the factor that he was when the teams met in the district final.

CJ Aiken's last high school game of his career was certainly one to remember. Plymouth-Whitemarsh trailed by 4 at the half and Aiken was kept relatively in check. He had the Colonials' first 4 points in the game on dunks, but was quiet after that, only hitting a pair of free throws. CJ was a force in the second half though, providing a number of highlight-reel plays. He had two blocks on Penn Wood's Aaron Brown as well as a put-back one-handed dunk that had the Plymouth-Whitemarsh faithful happy they traveled west to Happy Valley.

The first time the teams met, in the district final, the turning point was Aaron Brown's dunk that had Aiken running for cover. In this game, the turning point was a rejection of Brown by Aiken. Aaron's dunk attempt was swatted away by Aiken this time, and Plymouth-Whitemarsh didn't look back from there.

Brown did have a solid game for the Patriots still, especially in the first half. Aaron and Tyree Johnson sparked Penn Wood to an early lead, but it was closed to 30-26 at the half.

Saint Joseph's coaches Phil Martelli and Geoff Arnold were on hand for the game, as was Temple's Fran Dunphy. Both schools are recruiting Penn Wood's Aaron Brown. During the TV telecast, the announcers stated that Shawn Oakman was at Penn State a day early, on a visit for the Nittany Lions football team. Temple is also heavily recruiting Plymouth-Whitemarsh's junior forward Jaylen Bond, who was limited to only 5 points in this game after having a career game in the semi-finals with Pitt coach Jaime Dixon in the house.

A number of links to recaps, video, and pictures from the game are below:

Inquirer Article by Rick O'Brien

Times Herald Article and Video from State Final

Chris Vito Article from Delco Times

The picture above of CJ Aiken's block on Aaron Brown is from the Times Herald article linked above.

Penn Wood- Plymouth Whitemarsh Recap

Friday night, for the second time in four days, I went over to Villanova to watch both Penn Wood and Plymouth-Whitemarsh, arguably the two best teams in all of Pennsylvania. Friday night's game, for the district title, is the game that people, myself included, have been waiting for all season long. There were stars on the court and a number of coaches in the stands. Saint Joseph's was represented with both Phil Martelli and Geoff Arnold in the stands. Temple's Fran Dunphy, Penn State's Ed DeChellis, and West Virginia assistant coach Billy Hahn were all among the nearly sell-out crowd.

The game, eventually won 54-49 in overtime by Penn Wood, was a tale of two halves, a number of sub-plots, and a great atmosphere. Going into the game, I was really interested in how the match-up down low between SJU commit CJ Aiken and Penn Wood junior center Shawn Oakman would go. In the first half, we saw very little of that match-up since Oakman went to the bench with two fouls only a few minutes into the first quarter. He sat out the rest of the half, which opened things up in the middle. At the half, CJ was well on his way to a double-double. On one particular sequence, he made a perfectly timed block on the defensive end, sprinted the court, and had an alley-oop way above the rim. It was my fourth time this season seeing Aiken play, and each time out, I am more and more impressed by his timing on the defensive end and his ability to catch anything thrown in his direction on the offensive side of the ball. Despite Oakman's benching, Plymouth-Whitemarsh only held a 5 point lead going into the break. Aiken had a great first half for PW and Tyree Johnson played very well for Penn Wood in half one. The play of the half, and probably the game came in the second quarter. With Penn Wood down just about double digits, Penn Wood junior wing Aaron Brown received the ball on the left elbow and took it hard to the rim, jamming it with home left-handed. After the jam, Brown ran down the court, arms motioning for the Penn Wood faithful to make some noise. They did, Brown took his game to another level, and Penn Wood went to the locker room only down 5.

While CJ Aiken was the most impressive player on the court in the first half, that award easily goes to Aaron Brown for the second half and over-time. Most of that is due to Aaron's great play, but it's also due to Plymouth-Whitemarsh's inability to get the ball to Aiken in the second half. I counted only two or three occasions all half where Aiken got a touch. Part of that is due to Oakman's presence, but it was almost like there was a reluctance by PW's guards to get the ball to their big-man. Jaylen Bond, the junior PW forward, really struggled in the second half, especially from the free throw line. I lost track, but according to the Philly.com article linked below, Bond shot 3-12 from the line, with the bulk of that coming in the second half. Aside from the momentum-changing dunk in the first half, Aaron Brown was quiet up until intermission. That changed in the fourth quarter, when he demanded the ball every time down the court. On one particular play, Brown took the ball hard to the basket and was fouled by Jaylen Bond. After hitting his first free throw, Brown took a step toward Bond and said to him, "You can't guard me. Ever." In this game, that was true. Brown absolutely took over, hitting crucial free throws in overtime for Penn Wood. In this game, he scored on a great variety of dunks, drives, pull-up jumpers, and free throws.

For the game, according to Philly.com, Brown finished with 20 points and 8 rebounds. For Plymouth-Whitemarsh, CJ Aiken had 10 points, 7 boards, and 6 blocks. Those numbers would have probably been a lot higher had CJ gotten more touches on the offensive end.

Both teams now advance to the state playoffs, which begin this coming week.

The day after winning the district title, Aaron Brown took in the Saint Joseph's - La Salle game at SJU along with his father and Penn Wood head coach Clyde Jones. It's clear that Brown is one of SJU's top targets in the junior class, and his performance Friday night should have all SJU fans hoping that he decides to come to Hawk Hill.

The link directly below from the Times Herald, gives a nice recap and video highlights from the game. Aaron Brown's dunk is in the video, and he is number 2 in blue.

The picture above of CJ Aiken is also from the Times Herald article.

Times Herald Video Highlights

Philly.com Recap of PW-PW Game

PIAA Semi-Finals Recap

Last night I made my way over to Villanova for the two 4A district semifinal games. While neither game was especially close or competitive, the stage is now set for a game that many people have been waiting for since December. At 9:00 on Friday night at Nova, Penn Wood and Plymouth-Whitemarsh will take the court for the district title. I have a write-up on some of the standout players in both games below. Keep in mind, while reading, that I don't keep stats myself at games. Some of the numbers may not be perfect, but most are from Philly.com articles that are linked below.

Penn Wood is loaded with Division 1 talent. This was my second time this week seeing them play, and it's amazing how roles on the team can change. When I saw Penn Wood beat Bensalem last Tuesday night, it was the Aaron Brown show. Brown was dominant while senior Hartford-bound guard Tyree Johnson had a rough outing. Last night it was Tyree Johnson and Shawn Oakman with the most impressive performances. Tyree had 15 points and more than half a dozen assists while really controlling the game's tempo. Penn Wood's size was just too much for Souderton. Shawn Oakman played as well as I've ever seen him play. What really impresses you about Oakman is his great feel around the basket and great hands. He is as physically imposing a force as you'll find in high school basketball, but he also possesses great hands that allow him to catch just about any ball in his direction. Shawn also showed good shooting touch on a jumper from the right wing. For the most part, his points will come in the paint, but that's not a bad thing. Someone with his size and feel around the bucket shouldn't worry about spending much time away from it.

When I looked at the box score linked below after the game last night, I shook my head when I saw Aaron Brown's line. He finished the game with 15 points and 9 rebounds, which is very solid. And he did that while playing the least impressive game I've seen from him this year. Early in the game, Aaron's jumper was not falling the way that it was last week. In the first quarter, he went up strong for a two-handed dunk, was hit, but the whistles remained silent. There was definitely some frustration evident in his demeanor the rest of the half. Penn Wood won the game going away and did not need anything more from Aaron last night. Despite it being an off game for Brown, he still showed some real flashes. He displayed his athleticism on a monster fast-break dunk. Aaron also buried a 3 in the 4th quarter from the right wing. Brown is one of SJU's top targets in the 2011 recruiting class. That was evident in assistant coach Geoff Arnold's presence in the crowd at Nova.

Game 2 featured top-seeded Plymouth-Whitemarsh and a talented West Chester Rustin team. Unfortunately for W.C. Rustin fans, this one was over shortly after it began. PW won the game going away, 79-47. PW's bigmen, senior CJ Aiken and junior Jaylen Bond, were too much for West Chester. Aiken had a triple-double (12 pts, 12 boards, and 12 blocks) in the win while Bond had 17 points and 17 boards. Aiken's uncanny ability to block shots was on full display last night. In the first quarter, West Chester players continued to drive the lane past Aiken, and time and again, their shots were swatted away. CJ's points were almost all right around the bucket on a flurry of acrobatic dunks and layups. On one particular play, Aiken followed up a Jaylen Bond miss and dunked the ball home with both arms elevated way above the rim. He is a human pogo stick around the basket. Aiken has the talent to be a real difference-maker on Hawk Hill. At first, it may be mostly on the defensive side of the ball, but CJ is not nearly as raw offensively as most high school bigs.

This was one of the best outings I've seen from junior Jaylen Bond. Bond has an interesting decision ahead of him. He could be an all-league player for 2 or 3 years in a conference like the A10 or work his way into a rotation on a Big East or ACC school. That is not a knock on Bond. Not in the least. He is an absolute force around the basket. While he is undersized for a college 4, standing around 6'6, he has the strength and athleticism to play that position in college. It would be an adjustment for him to play the 4 in the Big East due to his height. Can Jaylen turn into a college 3? Possibly. What I saw last night, however, was a player who is a force around the basket. Temple is recruiting Bond hard, and he would be a great get for Fran Dunphy. On the flipside, a top program in the A10 is probably a great fit for Bond. He is an incredible talent who impressed me again last night.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh's bigs get all the attention, but, as I've said before on here, Whis Grant is very underrated in the area. Whis, along with the other PW guards, is a terrific on-ball defender. He also plays a terrific floor game, which was evident again last night. I don't know what schools are looking at Grant, but he looks like a player that should have a terrific career at the right program. I'm really interested and curious to see where Whis plays his college ball next year.

I am planning on attending the title game Friday night, so check back here for a recap on Saturday.

Penn Wood Recap from Philly.com

Delco Times Article on Plymouth-Whitemarsh Win

Picture above of Penn Wood's Shawn Oakman from Rick O'Brien's article linked above.

Penn Wood and Plymouth Whitemarsh to Face Off for the District Friday

The match-up that players and fans (Plymouth-Whitemarsh fans last night were chanting "We want Penn Wood" in the first half) have been awaiting all season long will finally take place on Friday night at Villanova. Both Penn Wood and Plymouth-Whitemarsh cruised to easy victories last night in the district semi-finals. There was no drama. No need for a late rally. After giving up some early easy buckets, Penn Wood tightened things up defensively and continued to feed the ball to junior center Shawn Oakman en route to victory over Souderton. In the night's second game, Plymouth-Whitemarsh never allowed West Chester Rustin to even feel like they belonged on the same court. SJU commit CJ Aiken notched a triple-double with 12 points, 12 boards, and 12 blocks while junior forward Jaylen Bond also had a monster game and double-double. Senior guard Whis Grant also had another impressive outing. I will have a more detailed recap up on the site later today.

PIAA 4A Final Four Set

And then there were four. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, Penn Wood, Souderton, and West Chester Rustin all won last night to punch their tickets to the PIAA semi-finals, to be held Tuesday night at Villanova. Plymouth-Whitemarsh defeated Penncrest in a low-scoring affair, 39-22. Senior SJU-bound bigman CJ Aiken was held to 7 points while junior forward Jaylen Bond had ten. The Colonials will face W.C. Rustin on Tuesday night, since they took out Pennsbury last night.

On the other side of the bracket, Penn Wood took a two point halftime lead into the locker room and exploded in the second half to beat Neshaminy 74-52. Sophomore Ryan Arcidiacono led Neshaminy with 19 points, most of which came in the first half. Aaron Brown once again led Penn Wood, scoring 20 of his 26 points in the second half. Penn Wood will take on Souderton Tuesday night. Souderton defeated Chester last night behind 19 points from AJ Picard. Chester got 15 points from talented sophomore Erikk Wright in the losing effort.

I will be on hand on Tuesday for the semi-final games, so check back here Wednesday night for a recap.

Penn Wood and Plymouth-Whitemarsh Roll; Friends Central Beats ANC

The Pennsylvania Boy's Basketball playoffs got underway today. In the AAAA bracket, the number one and two seeds cruised into the second round. Plymouth-Whitemarsh, the number one overall seed, blew out West Chester East 70-28. According to Philly.com, PW got 20 points from senior bigman CJ AIken and a triple-double (16 points, 11 boards, 10 blocks) from junior forward Jaylen Bond. PW will play the winner of tomorrow's Spring Ford- Upper Dublin game on Tuesday night at PW in the second round.

Penn Wood, the overall number two seed, pummeled Oxford 80-36 at home earlier tonight. According to Philly.com, Dequan Parker paced the Patriots with a career-high of 20 points. Junior Hawk target Aaron Brown had 17 points. Penn Wood center Shawn Oakman, another SJU target, had 8 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Penn Wood plays Bensalem at home on Tuesday evening in the second round.

The sophomore class in Philadelphia has three elite level recruits in Friends Central's Amile Jefferson, Academy of the New Church's Savon Goodman, and Westtown's Daniel Ochefu. Two of those sophomores met this afternoon when Friends Central and Academy of the New Church took the court. Amile Jefferson's Friends Central team got the best of ANC despite trailing 14-3 at the end of the first quarter. Friends Central got 14 points from junior guard Devin Coleman and super-soph Amile Jefferson. Both players are receiving recruiting interest from the Hawks. Savon Goodman, as he has all season long, paced ANC. He was the game's high-point man with 16 points. Malcolm Gilbert had 4 points for ANC and elite-level 2011 center Roc Christmas was limited to 6 points.

Links to the Philly.com scores are below:

Friends Central beats ANC

Plymouth-Whitemarsh Pounds West Chester East

Penn Wood Beats Oxford

Bond and Aiken Continue to Power Plymouth-Whitemarsh

The Plymouth-Whitemarsh Colonials, now ranked 18th nationally by MaxPreps, improved to 20-1 last night with a 77-52 win over Cheltenham. The Colonials only have one game remaining, against a Springfield team that they already beat this year by 32 points. PW has continued to get stellar play from their frontcourt of CJ Aiken and Jaylen Bond. While these two players get most of the national attention, guards Whis Grant and Brandon Dixon are also integral to their success. In last night's win over Cheltenham, Aiken dropped 34 points, pulled down 17 rebounds, and had 4 blocks, according to Philly.com. Junior forward Jaylen Bond also contributed 24 points. On Monday night, in a win over Norristown, Aiken notched a triple-double with 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots. Video from Monday's win, courtesy of the Times Herald Online.

PW-Norristown Game Highlights

And here is an article from the Times Herald on last night's win against Cheltenham:

PW-Cheltenham Game Summary

Photo Above of CJ Aiken also courtesy of the Times Herald

Week in Review

My last update on here was Saturday, and quite a bit has happened between then and now. This is my effort of getting you (and me) back up to date.

On Sunday, Plymouth-Whitemarsh suffered their first loss of the season, falling to Danny Hurley's Saint Benedict's squad 52-50. Despite the loss, Plymouth-Whitemarsh made their debut in the national top 25, according to Prepnation.com. PW checks in at number 25 on that list, which is quite an accomplishment for Jim Donofrio's team, led by frontcourt stars CJ Aiken and Jaylen Bond. The Colonials bounced back on Tuesday night, defeating Upper Dublin by 13 points. Friday evening, the Colonials have a rematch with Norristown at home.

On Tuesday, Penn Wood got their 13th win in a row, demolishing Chichester 88-49. Penn Wood was, once again, paced by Saint Joseph's recruiting target Aaron Brown and his 22 points. Penn Wood then defeated rival Chester earlier this evening by a final score of 57-40. Aaron Brown had 27 points to once again lead the way for Penn Wood.

UMass picked up an important commitment earlier this week, when Maryland senior point guard Daryl Traynham decided to play his college ball for the Minutemen. Traynham is a quick, tiny (5'8) point guard who is well regarded by the recruiting sites, and ranked 110th in the senior class by Rivals.com. Derek Kellog has done a nice job recruiting at UMass, but that has yet to really translate to wins. Traynham could be a part of that change.

Earlier in the week, I came across this video of current Louisville freshman Mike Marra dunking in a game last year for Northfield Mount Herman. It's a 30 second, slow-mo clip of Marra throwing down an impressive dunk. Well worth the 30 seconds it takes to watch.


Mike Marra Dunk

Aiken Has Another Double-Double; Newbill Fills it Up

CJ Aiken and Jaylen Bond led Plymouth-Whitemarsh to their 8th straight win earlier this evening. Aiken had 22 points and 14 rebounds while junior Jaylen Bond led PW with 23 points. The Colonials are now 8-0.

In the past roughly 24 hours, Strawberry Mansion senior DJ Newbill had two stat-stuffing performances. Mansion ran all over Bodine today, with Newbill notching a triple-double. His 19 points, 10 boards, 10 assists, and 5 steals paced Mansion in the blowout. If that performance sounds impressive, check this out. 19 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 assists in the first half of yesterday's win over Hope Charter. Newbill finished that game with 37 points. Talented sophomore Khyree Wooten had 13 points and 10 rebounds as well for Mansion in the win.

Aiken and Bond Power Plymouth-Whitemarsh by Academy of the New Church

Hawk Hill Hardwood was on hand for one of the most anticipated high school basketball games of the early 2009-2010 season last night. Plymouth Whitemarsh used lots of ball pressure and big-time performances from Jaylen Bond and CJ Aiken to beat ANC 57-46 at Gwynedd Mercy College. Today we will look at the performances of Plymouth Whitemarsh's CJ Aiken, Jaylen Bond, and Whis Grant. All three had impressive performances in front of a packed house that included a number of college coaches. Hawk head man Phil Martelli was in the stands for the game, along with Rutgers head coach Fred Hill, ex-Penn coach Glen Miller, and La Salle head coach Dr. John Giannini.

CJ Aiken- Going into the game, CJ knew that he was going to have his hands full against a frontcourt that starts a 6'11 center, a 6'9 power forward, and a 6'5 small forward. CJ set the tone for the game early, on a beautiful alley-oop way above the rim. CJ dunked his way to a game-high 21 points and MVP honors for the Colonials. The word used to describe Aiken for the past couple years has been upside, and that word still is fitting. That being said, Aiken demonstrated a level of toughness and intensity that I haven't seen from him in the past. There were a number of jaw-dropping plays during the course of the game that showcased his unbelievable athletic ability. Aiken plays above the rim, and that was no difference in this game. In addition to the athletic ability, CJ has terrific hands, catching everything thrown in his general direction throughout the game. In the final minutes, when ANC pressed the Colonials, CJ was used on the inbounds passes to help break the press. High school bigmen are prone to turnovers, but that was not an issue in this game. CJ also had a number of beautiful assists during the game. PW won the game by double-digits, but it was much closer than that early in the 4th quarter. Aiken battled foul trouble in the second half, and ANC made their comeback with CJ on the bench, which is a telling fact. Aiken is headed to Hawk Hill next year. Head coach Phil Martelli had to be impressed with what he saw from his future frontcourt player.

Jaylen Bond- Bond (pictured above) showed again tonight why he is being courted by a number of Big East schools. The 6'7 Bond had 12 points for the Colonials and pulled down a number of important rebounds. Bond did have his hands full with ANC's Savon Goodman, who I will be writing about tomorrow. In the opening frame, Bond had a dunk that displayed his athleticism. On a fast break, Bond got the ball only a couple feet from the hoop, caught it, and in the same motion, went under and over the rim with an electrifying jam. Bond, like Aiken, gets off the floor in a hurry. Jaylen plays in the post for Plymouth-Whitemarsh. If he wants to play at the Big East level, he will probably have to move out to the wing. While he didn't demonstrate that ability tonight, it is something that he will have time to continue to work on. I doubt there was a college coach in the house last night that doesn't want Jaylen on their team in two years.

Whis Grant- While Aiken and Bond get most of the attention and notoriety for the Colonials, Grants plays a vital role for the team. In fact, it was the guard play from the Colonials last night that led to the win. Grant is the engine behind that backcourt. The 6 foot senior applied terrific ball pressure all evening, resulting in a number of turnovers for the ANC guards. Despite struggling from the free throw line, Whis was the third double-digit scorer for the Colonials, scoring 11 points. Grant is quick, strong, and plays very tough defense. Aiken and Bond are the big names for the Colonials, but without Whis, it is unlikely the two would put up the numbers they do. Whis did a great job feeding his bigs last night, both in the post and above the rim.

Plymouth-Whitemarsh is a tremendously talented team led by the three players above. Tomorrow we will look at Academy of the New Church's Savon Goodman, Roc Christmas, and Malcolm Gilbert.

Photo courtesy of Scout.com

Jameer Nelson Classic Gets Underway Today

The sixth-annual Jameer Nelson Classic will tip-off later today, marking a start to four great days of high school hoops in the greater Philadelphia area. The tournament features a number of players with bright college futures ahead of them. One of the players, Plymouth-Whitemarsh's CJ Aiken, will be suiting up for Jameer's alma mater, Saint Joseph's, next fall. Jameer's younger brother, Chester guard Maurice Nelson, is another of the top-level talents playing in the showcase. Below is a list of some of the highlight games.

Saturday at Widener College:

1:00- Strawberry Mansion vs. Girard College- Strawberry Mansion stars one of the best unsigned seniors in the area in 6'4 guard DJ Newbill. Girard College lives and dies with the success of junior guard, and Pitt Panther commit, John Johnson.

4:30- Archbishop Carroll vs. Bartram- This game features two of the best guards in the Philadelphia area in Carroll's Juan'ya Green and Bartram's Tyrone Garland. Garland is an ACC-bound senior, headed to Virginia Tech next year. Green, on the other hand, is a junior who has yet to make a college decision. Many of the Philadelphia schools, including Saint Joseph's, have exhibited interest in the 6'3 shooting guard

6:15- Friends' Central vs. Life Center Academy- This game features two players considered elite talents in their respective recruiting classes. Life Center Academy, out of Burlington, New Jersey, stars Syracuse-bound college-ready senior guard Dion Waiters. Friends' Central has plenty of D1 talent, with sophomore forward Amile Jefferson being the most well-known name on a national level. Rivals.com has Jefferson as the number 5 player nationally in his class. Another player to keep an eye on on Friends' Central is junior guard Devin Coleman.

8:00- Plymouth-Whitemarsh vs. Chester- As the younger brother of Jameer Nelson, Maurice Nelson inherently has great expectations placed upon him. The 6'1 guard for the Chester Clippers doesn't seem to let that bother him though. Maurice, who recently stated that his dream is to play for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, is coming off a 38-point outburst earlier this week. The Clippers are always one of the best in the state, and they face a Plymouth-Whitemarsh team tonight with one of the best frontcourts in the area. That frontcourt features SJU-bound 6'9 senior CJ Aiken as well as hotly-recruited junior Jaylen Bond. The nightcap to the Saturday games is sure to be a great one.

Monday at Widener University:

6:00-Penn Wood vs. Academy of the New Church- When I looked at the schedule for the tournament, this is one of the two or three games that stood out most to me. Academy of the New Church features a frontcourt that many actually consider one of the elite in all of America. 6'11 junior Malcolm Gilbert, 6'9 junior Roc Christmas, and 6'6 sophomore Savon Goodman have size and athleticism usually reserved for college rosters. They will be tested tonight by a Penn Wood team that has some size and athleticism of their own. Penn Wood throws junior multi-sport standout Shawn Oakman at you in the post. Small forward Aaron Brown is coming off a monster effort at the City of Palms Tournament that garnered him national praise from the likes of recruiting sites Rivals.com, Scout.com, and ESPN.com. The 6'5 Brown and the 6'8 Oakman are both receiving recruiting interest from the Hawks, along with numerous other programs.

8:00- Chester vs. Bartram- A chance to see Mo Nelson and Tyrone Garland go head-to-head.

Wednesday at Gwynned Mercy College:

6:15- Academy of the New Church vs. Plymouth-Whitemarsh- A battle between the two best frontcourts in the area. Bond and Aiken for PW against Gilbert, Christmas, and Goodman for ANC. Hawk Hill Hardwood will be on hand for this match-up. A detailed recap will be on the site on Thursday.


Check back in here throughout the week for updates on these games and more. It's a great week of Holiday Hoops in Philadelphia.