Special Guests at the Hagan Ceremony; Ronald Roberts to SJU?

Some significant news has trickled into Hawk Hill Hardwood over the past couple of hours concerning this Saturday's Hagan Opening Ceremony and Dedication. The festivities will take place this Saturday at 5 pm on Hawk Hill.

Three future Hawks will be in the house for the festivities. Louisiana native Langston Galloway (pictured above), 6'6 small forward Daryus Quarles, and 6'9 shotblocker CJ Aiken will all be in attendance for the dedication. They will get a glimpse inside a building where they are sure to sure to create many memories over the coming years.

A possible fourth member of the 2010 recruiting class will also be on campus for the weekend. Hawk Hill Hardwood has heard from a reliable source that 6'7 Saint Peter's Prep forward Ronald Roberts will also be on campus this weekend to attend the dedication.

Roberts has long listed the Hawks as a potential college destination. That is looking like even more of a reality now. Our sources have informed us that Ronald has possibly narrowed his college list to two schools: Saint Joseph's and Saint John's. This is major news for the Hawks as Roberts would add yet another dimension to the already exceptionally talented 2010 recruiting class. Roberts does appear to be SJU-bound. Which SJU, however, still appears up in the air.

Stay tuned.

Hawk Hill Hardwood will be on hand for the ceremony Saturday which could give Hawk fans an exciting look into the future.

New 2010 Target for the Hawks?

With CJ Aiken, Daryus Quarles, and Langston Galloway set to sign with the Hawks in a little less than a month, a new name has arrived. The Hawks have long been linked with Saint Peter's Prep forward Ronald Roberts from the class of 2010. A new name in that class has come to our attention at Hawk Hill Hardwood courtesy of Matt Bracken at the Baltimore Sun. In an article from October 7th, Bracken discusses the recruitment of Baltimore shooting guard Dante Holmes.

In his article (which is linked below for you to check out) Bracken interviews Saint Frances assistant coach Nick Myles about his senior guard. Myles mentions that Providence is coming in to see Holmes and that SJU, Fordham, Temple, and Quinnipiac have also been in lately to see him.

Holmes is an athletic 2 guard who checks in right around 6'3. ESPN has evaluated him over the past couple of years and describes him as an athletic and hard-working wing guard. ESPN also cites his ability to guard the 1, 2, and 3 defensively.

This is a new name to us at HHH and probably to most Hawk fans. The level of interest either way is unknown, but it is a name to put in the back of your head for the time being.

Baltimore Sun Dante Holmes Article

Alex Schwartz's Top 45 in Jersey

Alex Schwartz of the Northstar Basketball Blog released his list of the top 45 upperclassmen in the state of New Jersey today. The names up top (Mike Gilchrist and Kyrie Irving) are no surprise at all. Many of the names on the list are of some interest to Hawk fans. And here they are:

10- Daryus Quarles (SJU verbal...can sign his LOI a month from yesterday)

15- Ronald Roberts (has been listing the Hawks as one of his top schools)

Both Quarles and Roberts are seniors and members of the 2010 class

17- Desmond Hubert (one of the big men targeted by the staff in the 2011 class)

18-Derrick Randall (another 2011 big who lists the Hawks as having offered...pictured above)

23- Myles Davis (a 2011 guard who has already visited Hawk Hill. High school and AAU teammates with Roberts)

27- Vaughn Gray (2011 small forward who claims to have an SJU offer)


Other names on there have been linked to SJU as well, but to a lesser degree. Names like Shawn Valentine and Jarrod Davis.

New Jersey, year in and year out, is a state deep in basketball talent. To be so involved with so many of the state's top players has to be viewed as a positive sign.

A link to the Schwart article is below:

Schwartz Top 45 in NJ

Quarles To Sit Out the Year

Paulsboro senior and Saint Joe's commit Daryus Quarles has been officially ruled ineligible to play this season by the New Jersey Commissioner of Education according to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Phil Anastasia. Quarles had appealed the initial ruling, but this week the appeal was turned down. Daryus played for the Paulsboro Red Raiders as a freshman and sophomore before transferring to Life Center Academy last year. In March, he left LCA to return to Paulsboro. Phil Anastasia reported that Quarles will be allowed to participate in team practices. The article is linked below:


Phil Anastasia Article

Desmond Hubert Gets Another Offer

One of the top junior big men on the East Coast had a big weekend. On a visit to Maryland, 6'8 Desmond Hubert received a scholarship offer according to ESPN. Hubert has an offer from Maryland to go along with interest from Saint Joseph's, Villanova, Pitt, Providence, Xavier, Rutgers, Penn State and numerous other schools. Hubert's cousin, Brian Grant, starred at Xavier before having a successful NBA career. In a July interview with Rivals, Hubert mentioned that he thought that he favored a small school. Obviously Maryland does not quite fit that bill, so Hubert is probably open to at least looking at schools of all sizes. He also said that his family would not mind if he stayed close to home. Hubert is a long way from making a college decision. The talented junior will certainly have options big and small, near and far.

Desmond is a consensus top 75 player. Rivals ranks him 41, Scout as their 8th best center, and ESPN as #60 in his class. He is an extremely athletic and long prospect who, as of now, does not show much of a back to the basket game. He runs the court and can get way above the rim on the offensive and defensive ends.

Final Gym Rats Recap

Better late than never, here is the final recap of last Saturday night's Gym Rats Midnight Madness event at Cherry Hill East High School in New Jersey. The final two players we are going to take a closer look at are Patterson Catholic's 6'7 Kyle Anderson and the "youtube sensation" Cesar Guerrero.

Kyle Anderson(Class of 2012, undecided, pictured above): Anderson is considered by most to be one of the most intriguing and promising sophomores in the country. It's very difficult to label Anderson as a guard or a small forward or to really put a label on him at all. He is simply a tremendously talented basketball player. Although only a sophomore, Anderson displayed a calm and understanding of the game well beyond his years. At 6'7, he could project as a lead guard at the next level, a 2, or a small forward. He showed great court vision, a reliable jumpshot, and good athleticism. Anderson played on the USA Basketball Men's Developmental Team earlier this summer. As he continues to grow, both physically and skill-wise, Anderson is likely to become one of the more hotly recruited players on the East Coast. His understanding of the game and selflessness were almost easily overlooked in a game like this, but the fact that we could notice shows you just how much potential he has.

Cesar Guerrero (Class of 2011, undecided): If there is a basic polar opposite to Anderson, Guerrero is it. That is not to say at all that he doesn't have talent. He does. And plenty of it. As smooth and fluid and relaxed as Anderson is on the court, Cesar is up-tempo and flashy. Standing right around 6 foot, Cesar is basically a human highlight reel. He played in the event last year so his no-look passes and dynamic dribbling were no surprise at all. Cesar has terrific court vision and makes every pass, at the least, very entertaining to watch. He also played surprisingly good defense in this game, which is possible due to his competitive nature and quickness. The only question that colleges are likely to have is whether he can temper the And 1 style to his game for a college setting. He was one of the most entertaining players on the court and one that can electrify a crowd. He was introduced on Saturday as a "youtube sensation" because of his highlights online. For those interested, there's a link below to check them out.

Guerrero Youtube Highlights

Photo Above Courtesy of SNY

Crosgile Injured, Out 6-8 Weeks; Final Gym Rats Recap Tomorrow

Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog is reporting that Saint Joseph's freshman guard Justin Crosgile will be sidelined 6 to 8 weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb. Zags is reporting that the thumb was injured in a pick-up game. This is tough news for the Hawks since he will likely miss some games at the beginning of the season. Justin was going to get to compete with fellow freshman Carl Jones, among others, for a possible spot in the starting lineup at lead guard. This is a story that we will continue to follow as information comes out.

See the link below for the Zagsblog article:

Justin Crosgile Injured

My final notes from last week's Gym Rats Midnight Madness will be up tomorrow. The recap will focus on Patterson Catholic sophomore Kyle Anderson and California native Cezar Guerrero.

Photo Courtesy of Rivals