Hold’n Court: The HoopGroup Blogs

Half way through July we at Hoop Group Skills Camp are having an excellent summer of basketball. The level of teaching has remained high from Shooting Skills Camp all the way through Skills Camp 2. Players are getting a day full of competitive games, constant skill development and a lot of fun.

Skills Camp just finished up Thursday and was one of our most fun, instructional, and competitive weeks so far this summer. Some stand out performers this week both on the court in games and in our intensive skill development.

Eatontown, NJ freshman Brian Blaney had a great week by winning the one on one final in the Big East. He also was one of the hardest workers at camp. Brian took the time to work on his game every shot he got.

Jack Cataldo, a 7th grader from Freehold played well for UNC all week while getting to every early bird workout and never taking a drill off during skill development.

It was good to see Andrew Ehinger back for a third straight summer and to see how far his game has come. The sophomore big man from Maplewood, NJ has become a great high post passer and continued to develop his skills. Teammate Austin Little also showed how far his game has come. Both guys were at each early bird workout and constantly improving throughout the week.

A group of Pleasantville, NY players were back again and like always added a ton of talent and hard workers to camp. 5th grader Jack Finnegan had a great week as did Greg Nicolai. Both guys were working hard every morning at 7:15 for the optional early bird workout.

Flemington, NJ was well represented as well as Zach Schreck proved to be one of the top PG’s in the Big East and John Osborne moved up to the NBA and still scored the ball in bunches.

The Irish campers and bus boys in attendance added a lot of excitement and talent to the group. There were too many to name them all but Aodha’n Hickey was one who really stood out. Hickey’s game is ahead of his age as he seems to always make the correct play. As a rising junior Hickey will be a player to look out for on the Irish national team in years to come. John Martin and David O’Leary also had great weeks. We look forward to seeing what the future has in hold for all of these great international players.

A few other guys that really separated themselves were Alex Haines from Northampton, PA, Matt Healey from Rumson, NJ, Jake Harris from Westfield, NJ, Tyler Veretto from South Windsor, CT, and Angel Ortiz from Niantic, CT. These guys were working hard and playing hard every chance they got.

Some other guys really stood out in games. Robbie Kaiser led his team to the championship in the NBA and really let him shooting ability carry his team all week. Marcus Howell was an 8th grader playing up a league in the Big East and still managed to be the league’s best player while leading his team to the title. Khyan Rayner proved his talent as he was also moved up to the Big East from the SEC. You never saw Khyan not on a basketball court working on his game whether it was 6 AM or 9 PM.

 Game of the Week: NBA Finals Lakers vs Wizards

 These two teams came into the finals as the #1 and #2 seeds with the Wizards on a hot streak. This was a hotly contested game throughout with the Wizards controlling the tempo and pace throughout. Down 7 with under a minute thiry seconds left Stroudsburg senior Robbie Kaiser took over for the Lakers. After hitting two consecutive 3’s to cut the lead to 1, Kaiser connected on 2 FT’s to give the Lakers a one point lead. The Wizards Marcus Mitchell hit on an AND-1 to give the Wizards a two point lead. The Lakers scored to tie the game up and send it to OT. In OT the Wizards failed to connect on one and one FT’s to open the door for the Lakers to come back from 4 points down with under a minute left. Brendan Donohue was fouled with no time left on the clock and connected on both FT’s to send the game into double OT. In the “first to 3″ double OT Zach Dorsey banked home a 15 footer to seal the victory for the Lakers. Congratulations to the Lakers and all of our team champions for the week.

Early Riser’s Club
(These guys were at all 4 mornings of Early Bird Workouts)

Jake Harris
Brian Blaney
James Bathon
Justin Cirello
Andrew Ehinger
Steven Pashuk
Justin Price
Jack Cataldo
Matt Healey
Khyan Rayner
Jack Finnegan
Joey Hartman
Max Parauda
Tyler Veretto
AJ Kelly
Alex Haines
Angel Ortiz
Austin Little

Great job to all the campers at HG Skills Camp 2. Everyone worked hard and really improved as the week went on. I hope to see everyone back again later this summer or again next year.

For more information on all Hoop Group Camps including our last two Skills Camps of July and all the August weeks please visit http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/pibc.php

By Alex Schwartz
 

Thursday may have been the best day yet at The Hoop Group Elite Camps. Some of the top teams in the eastern part of the United States showed why they deserve that title. All four of the Elite Eight games in the National Division began at 10:10am, with teams from five states still remaining: three from Pennsylvania, two from Maryland, one from New Jersey, one from New York, and one from Ohio. The two Maryland squads faced off, and Bishop McNamara came out victorious over Good Counsel, in a matchup of WCAC foes. Meanwhile, one the other side of the bracket, two Pennsylvania squads, Academy of the New Church and Neumann-Goretti met for the right to play in the semifinals. In the end, it was Neumann-Goretti that walked away as the winner in the contest. Boys & Girls (NY) and Middletown (OH) met to determine who would face the ANC/Neumann winner in the Final Four. The Boys & Girls squad continued its fantastic run, after previously knocking off North Catholic (PA) and Gonzaga (DC).  St. Patrick’s (NJ) and Roman Catholic (PA) were the teams in the other quarterfinals game, and it was a much anticipated game between two of the best teams on the whole East Coast. Although Roman did not have its star, Villanova-commit Maalik Wayns ‘09, St. Pat’s was without two of its best players, class of 2011 phenom Michael Gilchrist and North Carolina-commit Dexter Strickland ‘09. Despite the buildup, the game was not all that close, as the Celtics dominated from start to finish, making it so that each team in the Final Four was from a different state. Before I get to the semifinals, here is a list of the standout players that I saw on Thursday, as well as some school lists:

Anton Dickerson ‘09, Boys & Girls (NY)
Devante Cutler ‘`0, Boys & Girls (NY)
Mike Taylor ‘11, Boys & Girls (NY)

Tyreek Duran ‘10, Neuman-Goretti (PA)

Daniel Stewart ‘10, Neuman-Goretti (PA)

Andre Gillette ‘09, Neuman-Goretti (PA)

Markus Kennedy ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)

Paris Bennett ‘09, St. Patrick’s (NJ)

Kyrie Irving ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Lasan Kromah, ’09, Eleanor Roosevelt (MD)
Andre Marhold, ’09, North Mecklenburg (NC)
Kyle Galliard, ’09, North Mecklenburg (NC)
Duane Johnson, ’09, Penn Wood (PA)
Recardo Gaddy, ’09, Good Counsel (MD)
Rashad Whack, ’09, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Lawrence Smith, ’09, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Bill Edwards, ’09, Middletown (OH)
Egheosa Edomwonyi, ’09, Hun (NJ)
George Harper, ’10, Academy of the New Church (PA)
Jarrell Eddie, ’10, Cannon School (NC)
Steve Rennard, ’10, St. Joe’s Metuchen (NJ)
Kyle Stockmal, ’09, Watertown (MA)
Cory Stockmal, ’09, Watertown (MA)
Julio Rosario, ’09, Cardinal McCarrick (NJ)
Kyle Wehner, ’09, Manasquan (NJ)
Gary Lawrence, ’09, Chestnut Hill Academy (PA)
Ian Umpierre, ’09, Edison Academy (NJ)
David Laury, ’09, The Nia School (NJ)
Brian Neller, ’09, Christian Brothers Academy (NJ)
Bobby Harris, ’09, Eastern Regional (NJ)
Steve Suida, ’09, Malden (MA)
Josh Heyliger, ’12, Hill School (PA)
 

SCHOOL LISTS-

Derrick Gordon ‘11, St. Patrick’s (NJ): Florida, Maryland, Syracuse, Villanova, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Tennessee, Marquette, and West Virginia

                                  Favorite: Florida
                                   

Chase Plummer ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ): Miami, LaSalle, and St. Joseph’s

                                  Favorite: Miami

  

Tyreek Duran: Louisville, Georgetown, Virginia, Maryland, Providence, Robert Morris, Houston, and Miami

                         Favorite: Georgetown

                         Note- he said that Miami is “recruiting [him] the hardest.”

  

Anton Dickerson: Quinnipiac, Hofstra, Robert Morris, LIU, Duquesne, and George Washington

                              Favorite: Quinnipiac

Today was a great day for players to shine, as numerous NCAA head coaches were in attendance, including Billy Donovan of Florida, Dan Leibovitz of Hartford, Chuck Martin of Marist, Derek Kellogg of UMass, and Michael Rice of Robert Morris to name a few. In front of many of these coaches, St. Pat’s advanced to the title game by knocking off Bishop McNamara (MD). The other Final Four game was much more interesting as Boys & Girls seemed to have the game in hand, leading 54-39 at the half over Neumann-Goretti.  The boys from Philly would not go down without a fight and stormed back into the game. Just nine minutes into the half, Neumann-Goretti had taken the lead (72-71) and complete control of the game. The game went back and forth for a while, remaining close all along. Neumann was up 82-77 with 2:45 left and seemed to have all the momentum, but Boys & Girls would not go down, as Dickerson and Taylor brought the team back. With just 60 seconds left, the game was knotted up 86-86. At the fifty second mark, Mike Taylor fouled Lamin Fulton, and sent the N-G youngster to the line, where he hit one of two, giving his team an 87-86 lead. With 13 ticks left, Dickerson hit two shots at the line, the second of which would end up as the winning shot in the team’s 90-87 victory. All six guys played well for Neumann-Goretti, but it was Tyreek Duran who really stood out. The rising junior had a great game, but it didn’t match that of Anton Dickerson who poured in 35 points for Boys & Girls, and Mike Taylor added 21 in his own right. The win by Boys & Girls set the stage for an NY-NJ game for all the marbles.

In the battle for supremacy at the 2008 Hoop Group Elite Team Camp – National Bracket, the first half was almost as even as it gets, as St. Patrick’s went into the break at the half leading 35-33. In the first 16 minutes of play it was again Dickerson who was leading the way for Boys & Girls, as he was the only player on his team with 10+ points. For the Celtics, Paris Bennett had 12, Kyrie Irving had 11, and Markus Kennedy had 10. For the first ten minutes of the second half, it was all St. Patrick’s, as the team ran out to a 53-44 lead.  By the 5:45 mark, Kevin Boyle’s group had climbed out to a seemingly safe 61-46 lead. The Celtics, though, could not hang on. An 11-0 run in about two minutes by Boys & Girls cut the lead to four. Paris Bennett and Kyrie Irving teamed up to seal the deal, and the comeback bid by Boys & Girls was stopped short. The Celtics went on to win the crown, beating Boys & Girls by a score of 73-62. In the victory, Kyrie Irving scored 29 points, while Paris Bennett added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Markus Kennedy dropped in 13. For Boys & Girls, Mike Taylor was the leading scorer with 19 points (including some deep 3’s). Anton Dickerson had 18 along with Devante Cutler’s 11. The title at The Hoop Group Elite Camp gave the team its second championship of the summer, having won the Hoop Group Showcase just a few weeks ago. My MVP award winner for the camp would have to be 6′6 forward Paris Bennett of St. Patrick’s, a rising senior.
 

The American Division was dominated by two schools from New Jersey – The Nia School and Edison Academy.  Both schools defeated Massachusetts teams (Malden HS and Watertown HS) in the semifinals, setting up a great matchup in the championship.  Both teams played well in the highly contested battle which was back and forth for most of the game.  A basket at the buzzer forced overtime.  Edison Academy was a little stronger in the overtime and ended up with a 66-60 victory.  Both championship games were fantastic and were a great finish to two great days.
 

The 2008 Hoop Group Elite Team Camp was a wonderful event that drew hundreds (yes, you read the correctly) of college coaches from all levels over just two days. The Hoop Group is not even close to done, though, as it will have numerous events throughout July and August.
 

For more info on Hoop Group Elite Camps, please click the following link:
http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_traditional.php

For more information on high school and AAU basketball from Alex Schwartz, check out http://northstarbasketball.blogspot.com/.

 

by Alex Schwartz

St. Patrick’s (NJ), Roman Catholic (PA), North Mecklenburg (NC), Boys & Girls (NY), Prep Charter (PA), Neumann-Goretti (PA), and Academy of the New Church (PA) are some of the top high school basketball programs on the east coast. These seven schools and 63 others are the participants in the 2008 Hoop Group Elite Team Camp. The competition has some of America’s top ballers from the class of 2012 all the way up to post-grads. Here are the players who stood out to me on Wednesday:

Andre Wilburn ‘09, Archbishop Carroll (PA)
Benjamin Mingledough ‘10, Archbishop Carroll (PA)
Mike Payne ‘09, Archbishop Carroll (PA)
Ryan Washington ‘09, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Rashad Whack ‘09, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Brandon Coleman ‘10, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Fred Wilson ‘11, Hillhouse (CT)
Terrance McKiver ‘09, Hillhouse (CT)
Sam Prescott ‘09, Imhotep Charter (PA)
Will Adams ‘09, Imhotep Charter (PA)
Erik Copes ‘11, Imhotep Charter (PA)
Rakeem Brookins ‘10, Roman Catholic (PA)
Quasim Jones ‘10, Roman Catholic (PA)
Andre Gillette ‘09, Neumann-Goretti (PA)
Paris Bennett ‘09, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Markus Kennedy ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Kevin Boyle, Jr. ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Chase Plummer ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Dexter Strickland ‘09, St. Patrick’s (NJ)

St. Patrick’s has almost all of its players here, and being that the Celtics are one of the best teams in America, they entered the tournament as the favorite in many peoples’ minds. In addition to the five players listed about, Kevin Boyle’s team also has Derrick Gordon ‘11, Kyrie Irving ‘10, and Dean Kowlaski ‘09 amongst others. Irving, though, did not play in either game today due to a hip injury. Other pre-tournament favorites in the National Division were Roman Catholic (PA), Neumann-Goretti (PA), and Academy of the New Church (PA).

SCHOOL LISTS-

Shawn Lawrence ‘09 PG, Trinidad: None, as he is not at a school in the USA
                                    Favorites: None
                                    Note- Lawrence, who started playing basketball “three years ago,” has had a “nice experience” the past five days at TCNJ, with his favorite part of The Hoop Group Elite Camp being “stations.”

Paris Bennett: Rhode Island, Rider, Iona, Kent St., George Mason, LaSalle, and Providence
                     Favorites: None

Egheosa Edomwonyi ‘09, Hun (NJ): Delaware, Harvard, Fordham, Toledo, Vermont, Lafayette, Colgate, Siena, Davidson, UPenn, Princeton, Yale, Iona, Holy Cross, and Dartmouth
                                    Favorites: None, “I don’t have any favorites, [I am] . . . trying to have an open mind.”
                                    Note- his dream school is Wake Forest

Aaron Brown ‘11, Roman Catholic (PA): Villanova, Temple, Texas, Georgetown, Delaware, Virginia, and St. Joseph’s
                          Favorite: Villanova
                          Notes- Villanova, Temple, Texas, Georgetown, Delaware, and Virginia are the schools he is focusing on, with Villanova being “the main one” recruiting him

Rashad Whack: George Mason, Virginia Commonwealth, Richmond, James Madison, Colorado, Virginia Tech, Marquette, and Clemson
                       Favorites: None, “I couldn’t say right now.”
                       Notes- Whack, whose dream school “was Connecticut,” is “trying to go [to the] ACC or Big East.”

Will Adams: James Madison, Rider, Marquette, Providence, Rhode Island, Temple, Drexel, LaSalle, St. Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, Loyola Chicago, Mt. St. Mary’s, Central Connecticut St., Robert Morris, George Washington, South Florida, Xavier, St. Peter’s, Towson, Ball St., St. Francis (NY)
                  Favorites: Rider, Marquette, Temple, Drexel, George Washington, and George Mason, with his top three being Marquette, Drexel, and George Mason

The top performers of the day were definitely Paris Bennett, Markus Kennedy, Andre Gillette, Will Adams, and Rashad Whack. These five guys represent four schools in three states. The best player on Wednesday was Bennett. The 6′6 rising senior from St. Patrick’s was the best player on the court in both of his team’s games, wins over Archbishop Carroll (PA) and Hillhouse (CT). Without Paris, there is a real chance that the Celtics would have had their championship hopes shot down already, as the team blew big leads in both games and almost let the contests get away. Bennett was there to do the dirty work down low, though, grabbing boards on both ends of the court, and scoring in bunches. The class of 2009 baller definitely raised his stock today in front if hundreds of college coaches. Speaking of college coaches, there were a number of well-known and highly-regarded head coaches in the building at TCNJ on Wednesday including Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech, James “Bruiser” Flint of Drexel, and John Calipari of NCAA Runner-up Memphis.

The Elite Eight matchups in the National Division will be as follows:

Top Left Bracket- St. Patrick’s (NJ) vs. Roman Catholic (PA)
Bottom Left Bracket- Good Counsel (MD) vs. Bishop McNamara (MD)
Top Right Bracket- Boys & Girls (NY) vs. Middletown (OH)
Bottom Right Bracket- Neumann-Goretti (PA) vs. Academy of the New Church (PA)

No matter what, both Pennsylvania and Maryland will be represented in the National Division Final Four. To find out what ends up happening at the 2008 Hoop Group Elite Team Camp be sure to check back right here!

For more info on Hoop Group Elite, click here: http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_traditional.php

For more information on high school and AAU basketball from Alex Schwartz, check out http://northstarbasketball.blogspot.com/.

by Alex Schwartz

The final day of The Hoop Group Elite Camp Session 2 was certainly the best of the four. Tuesday’s action featured numerous top-notch player and team matchups, with it being playoff time. As well, the five All-Star games displayed 100 of the premiere players at the camp, from rising freshman all the way up to rising post-grads. These are the players that I felt stood out during the playoff games in the morning and early afternoon:

Rakeem Christmas ‘11, North Catholic (PA)
Keith Thomas ‘09, Gwynn Park (MD)
Devon Saddler ‘09, Aberdeen (MD)
Chase Plummer ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Naufall Folahan ‘10, Massanutten (VA)
Jawaun Lockhart ‘09, Flint Hill School (VA)
Given Kalipinde ‘09, Episcopal Academy (VA)
Ajahmo Clarke ‘09 PG, TBD

Derrick Wilson ‘11, Hotchkiss School (CT)
Malcolm Gilbert ‘11, Academy of the New Church (PA)
Khyle Marshall ‘10, Flanagan (FL)
Deric Skeen ‘09, North Mecklenburg (NC)
James Stukes ‘09, Rice (NY)
Nash Oh ‘09, Walter Johnson (MD)
Ryan Rhoomes ‘10, Middletown (NY)
Brandon Coleman ‘10, Bishop McNamara (MD)
Blake Price ‘09, Archbishop Carroll (DC)
Diyaaldin Kelley ‘09 PG, Mariana Bracetti School (PA)
Tom Folliard ‘09, Deep Run (VA)
Christopher Hampton ‘10, Our Savior New American (NY)
Karon Abraham ‘09, Westfield (NJ)
Dalton Pepper ‘09, Pennsbury (PA)
Kyle Anderson ‘12, Paterson Catholic (NJ)
Jamee Jackson ‘09, St. Anthony’s (NJ)
DeOliver Davis ‘10, Hun (NJ)
Edward Hall ‘09, St. John’s College HS (DC)
Anthony Mayo ‘10, Roman Catholic (PA)
Kyrie Irving ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Chris Pelcher ‘09, Albany Academy (NY)
Gary Gilliam ‘09, Milton-Hershey (PA)

There was a trio of phenomenal games on Tuesday. First off was the contest between Kyrie Irving’s squad and a group featuring Dominic Morris ‘10 of Friends Central School (PA). The game was well-played and the lead went back and forth from start to finish, with the score remaining close the whole time. The game was tied after regulation ended, and it seemed that Morris’ team, led by 6′1 rising senior Nash Oh, would come away with the win as they had the lead late in the overtime period. Kyrie Irving, though, had other ideas. The new St. Patrick’s Celtic took control of the game in the last minute, knocking down a long three to cut the lead to two late. After a made free throw at the other end, the ball was back in Kyrie’s hands. Irving went to almost the same spot on the floor, pulled up, and knocked it down to tie the game and send it to overtime. The first extra period, though, was not enough, and the game went to a first-to-five-points two-minute double overtime. Irving again led his team, scoring four points, including two free throws at the line to win the game for his team, with a double overtime score of 5-2. One of the final day’s other outstanding contests was Dalton Pepper’s team versus Rakeem Christmas, Devon Saddler, and Co. This affair had the top player picked in the NBA East Draft at the center position (Christmas), small forward spot (Pepper), and at the two-guard (Saddler). Thus, not surprisingly, the game was close throughout and came down to the wire. Besides those big three, a number of guys stepped up including Christopher Hampton and Diyaaldin Kelley for Pepper’s team and Keith Thomas for Christmas’ bunch. Kelley actually outplayed Rakeem Christmas, and had an outstanding game. It was Pepper, though, that would eventually steal the show. The chiseled and athletic wing missed two free throws late, with his team down a point, but made up for it with very little time to go. Dalton knocked down two free throws to redeem himself, and they would ultimately be the deciding factor in his team’s 71-70 win. The last outstanding game again involved Pepper’s team, with them facing a group that included Naufall Folahan and Derrick Wilson. Both squads had a great set of days and the matchup drew a large crowd. At first, though, the contest did not nearly live up to expectations, as Kyle Anderson pushed his team out to a 25-12 lead at the end of the first quarter, and then Dalton Pepper followed him up giving their team a commanding 40-25 lead at the halfway mark. The difference was as much as 20 points (34-14 with 4:30 left in the half), but Given Kalipinde and Derrick Wilson would not let their team go easily. The point differential was still 15 after three quarters, 52-37. In the final eight minutes of play, things got real interesting. Led by the youngster Derrick Wilson, the lead was cut all the way down to just five at one point late in the game. Dalton and Co. would not fall all the way, and held on to their lead just long enough to grab a 63-56 win to finish with a 6-2 record. The best part of this game was probably the battle of the bigs down low: Naufall Folahan and Diyaaldin Kelley. Both are 6′10, but Kelley is much bigger overall. Folahan’s bread and butter is defense, where he is a shot blocking machine, but he is also good around the hole on offense with putbacks. Kelley was dominant throughout the camp on the low post, where he was almost unstoppable. The duo fought it out, but it was not clear just which one was better, as both are quite talented and have a vast amount of potential.

SCHOOL LISTS-

Kelvin Amayo ‘10, Hillside (NJ): Towson, Delaware, and Rutgers
                          Favorites: Delaware and Rutgers

Diyaaldin Kelley: James Madison, Holy Family, and LaSalle
                        Favorite: LaSalle, “right now I’m liking LaSalle.”
                        Note- he was formerly committed to Holy Family, but has re-opened his recruitment, and he mentioned that he is “trying to go to a prep school” next year, with Hargrave Military Academy (VA) being one of the schools he listed

Daryl McCoy ‘09, Hartford (CT): St. Joseph’s, Temple, Rhode Island, Providence, Kentucky, LaSalle, and Drexel
                         Favorites: Temple, Providence, and Kentucky

Jermaine Peart ‘10, Paterson Catholic (NJ): Iona, Fordham, Farleigh Dickinson, Providence, and LaSalle
                            Favorite: Fordham, with part of teh reasoning being that his high school teammate Lance Brown ‘09 being committed there already

Steven Samuels ‘09, Windsor (CT): Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, Penn St., Fairfield, St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Providence, Rutgers, and Albany
                               Favorites: Providence and Rutgers

Aaron Brown ‘10, St. Benedict’s (NJ): UConn, Kentucky, Harvard, Miami, Florida, Providence, and UPenn
                          Favorites: None, “right now I don’t even have any favorites, . . . [I am] just looking at all the options.”

Given Kalipinde: Loyola Marymount, Boston University, George Mason, Richmond, and American
                       Favorites: Loyola Marymount, Boston University, and George Mason are his top three
                       Notes- as for other schools recruiting Kalipiinde, he said that “the rest of them are [for] soccer,” and added that “Loyola [Marymount] might consider . . . making me play soccer too.” Kalipinde said he is “going to visit [Loyola Marymount] . . . in a couple weeks.”

Markus Kennedy ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ): Rutgers, Rider, Virginia, Miami, UMass, Villanova, Penn St., Michigan St., Ohio St., Georgetown, Syracuse, Xavier, Seton Hall, Rhode Island, LaSalle, Temple, and Arizona
 

Dominic Morris ‘10, Friends Central School (PA): George Mason, Cincinnati, Seton Hall, Northeastern, and Pitt
                            Favorite: Cincinnati

Deon Jones ‘11, Sanford School (DE): Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Virginia, St. Joseph’s, Delaware, Georgia Tech, and Temple
Khalil Murphy ‘09, APEX Academies (NJ): Virginia Tech, Indiana, Penn St., Rider, Georgetown, Marquette, Arizona, Michigan, Ohio St., Fordham, NJIT, and Stony Brook
                          Favorites: n/a, did not want to say his favorites, but did say that “yeah” he does have some schools at the top of his list

Clayton Sterling ‘08 (Looking for a school for 2008-09), Boys & Girls (NY): Central Florida and Loyola Marmount
                                  Favorites: Central Florida and Loyola Marymount
                                  Notes- said that Loyola Marymount was “at a lot of [his] games,” and that he is “supposed to visit” Central Florida

After all the games were completed, it was time to honor some of the best and brightest stars at The Hoop Group Elite Camp. There were numerous awards given out, and many teams and players received some love. The champion of the NBA East featured rising post-grad Mike Burwell of South Kent (CT), rising senior Marcuss Damas of Bay Shore (NY), and rising senior Cameron Sutton of Kimball Union Academy (NH). The team ended the camp with a 8-0 record. Here is a list of some of the awards given out, and who the honors went to:

NBA East Co-Most Outstanding Player awards: 6′5 Dalton Pepper ‘09, Pennsbury (PA) and 6′10 Mouphtaou Yarou ‘09, Massanutten (VA)
NBA East Most Outstanding Prospect award: 6′1 Kyrie Irving ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
NCAA Most Outstanding Player award: 5′10 Traveon Henry ‘12, Pine Crest School (FL)
NBA East Top 20 All-Star Game Most Outstanding Player award: 6′9 Rakeem Christmas ‘11, North Catholic (PA)
NBA East Senior All-Star Game Most Outstanding Player award: Jamee Jackson ‘09, St. Anthony (NJ)
NBA East Underclassmen All-Star Game Most Outstanding Player award: 6′9 Markus Kennedy ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
NCAA All-Star Game Most Outstanding Player award: 6′5 Savon Goodman ‘12, Academy of the New Church (PA)

NBA East Underclassmen All-Star Game Top Performers:

6′2 Jermaine Peart ‘10, Paterson Catholic (NJ)
6′4 Dominique Raney ‘11, Putnam City (OK)
6′6 Dominic Morris ‘10, Friends Central School (PA)

NBA East Top 20 All-Star Game Top Performers:

6′10 Mouphtaou Yarou ‘09, Massanutten (VA)
6′5 Dalton Pepper ‘09, Pennsbury (PA)
6′9 Rakeem Christmas ‘11, North Catholic (PA)
6′2 Davon Saddler ‘09, Aberdeen (MD)
6′1 Kyrie Irving ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
5′10 Rakeem Brookins ‘10, Roman Catholic (PA)
6′0 Justin Crosgile ‘09, DePaul Catholic (NJ)
6′7 Chris Cantino ‘09 PG, Northeast Prep (PA)
6′1 Clayton Sterling ‘09 PG, Boys & Girls (NY)

Other NBA East Top 20 All-Star Game Standouts:

6′6 Khyle Marshall ‘10, Flanagan (FL)
6′1 Antonie Allen ‘09, Notre Dame Prep (MA)
6′7 Khalil Murphy ‘09, APEX Academies (NJ)
6′5 Lasan Kromah ‘09, Eleanor Roosevelt (NY)
6′6 Mike Burwell ‘09 PG, South Kent (CT)

All Other NBA East Top 20 All-Star Game Participants:

6′3 Khalif Wyatt ‘09, Norristown Area (PA)
6′5 Ed Waite ‘09, Pine Crest (FL)
6′4 William Adams ‘09, Imhotep Charter (PA)
6′8 Daryl McCoy ‘09, Hartford (CT)
6′1 Ameer Weeks ‘09, Lincoln Park (IL)
6′6 Mike McFadden ‘09, Technology (NJ)

The Hoop Group Elite Camp was a great event, and The Hoop Group will be running many more camps and tournaments this summer, including the Elite Team Camp on July 9th and 10th, the Reebok Summer Classic East on July 11th and 12th, and the Triple “S” Harley Davidson West Virginia Jam Fest from July 14th through 16th. Make sure you continue to check back for updates on these events!

For more info on Hoop Group Elite Camp, click here:  http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_traditional.php

For more information on high school and AAU basketball from Alex Schwartz, check out http://northstarbasketball.blogspot.com/.

by Alex Schwartz

The 2008 Hoop Group Elite Camp continued rolling along today, as more colleges were represented and a number of players took advantage of the opportunity to showcase their skills. There was once again rain on and off throughout the day, but it barely altered the course of the day, and everyone still got to play their game. I got to see a handful of games today, and saw quite a few talented players. Here is a list of the guys who stood out to me:

Mouphtaou Yarou ‘09, Massanutten (VA)
Jayon James ‘10, Paterson Catholic (NJ)
Trevor Cooney ‘11, Sanford School (DE)
Brian Fitzpatrick ‘09 PG, Northfield Mt. Hermon (MA)
Khalif Wyatt ‘09, Norristown Area (PA)
Vaughn Gray ‘10, Don Bosco Prep (NJ)
Shawn Lawrence ‘09 PG, St. Augustine College HS (Trinidad)
Cameron Sutton ‘09, Kimball Union Academy (NH)
Mike Burwell ‘09 PG, South Kent (CT)
William Harrison ‘09 PG, Wadleigh (NY)
Jamee Jackson ‘09, St. Anthony’s (NJ)
Erik Copes ‘10, Imhotep Charter (PA)
William Kernan ‘09, Lawrenceville Prep (NJ)
Rayner Moquete ‘09, Our Savior New American (NY)
Kyrie Irving ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Antoine Brown ‘09, Bishop Loughlin (NY)
Daniel DiVietri ‘09, Chaminade (NY)
David Johnson ‘09, St. Mark’s (MA)
Shabazz Napier ‘09, Charlestown (MA)
Ike Azotam ‘09, O’Bryant (MA)
Antoine Allen ‘09, Notre Dame Prep (MA)

Monday was the final day of “regular season” games, with Tuesday being the playoff rounds. There were a handful of great games today, including a game that went to overtime. As well, the contest between Kyrie Irving’s squad and Rayner Moquete’s group was a quality give-and-take battle. Moquete’s team, which also has William Kernan and Adrian Satchell ‘09 of Windsor (CT) had the lead at the half, but an 11-point swing in the third put Irving and Co. on top, and it would stay that way. Kyrie calmly knocked down all four of his free throws near the end of the affair to seal the deal.

SCHOOL LISTS-

Malcolm Gilbert ‘11, Academy of the New Church (PA): Villanova, Temple, St. Joseph’s, LaSalle, Rutgers, Maryland, Tennessee, Virginia, and Notre Dame
                             Offers: St. Joseph’s, LaSalle, Rutgers, Maryland, and Virginia
                             Favorites: the “Big Five [Philadelphia-area] schools,” which are Temple, St. Joseph’s, Villanova, UPenn, and LaSalle, all of which are recruiting him other than UPenn
                             Notes- He is re-classifying to the class of 2011. His coach at ANC, Kevin Givens, mentioned all the Philadelphia schools, Rutgers, Stanford, and Ivy League schools as those interested in him, and then let Malcolm take it away

Khyle Marshall ‘10, Flanagan (FL): Georgia Tech, Miami, Florida St., Florida, Tennessee, Kansas St., Missouri, Rice, and Texas A&M
                           Offers: None
                           Favorites: None

Kyrie Irving: LaSalle, Indiana, Kansas, Ohio St., Pitt, Marquette, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, New Mexico St., Virginia Tech, Memphis, Villanova, Wake Forest, UMass, St. Joseph’s, and Rhode Island
                  Offers: Rutgers, Seton Hall, Memphis, and St. Joseph’s
                  Favorites: None, “I don’t have any favorites right now.”

Jayon James: Syracuse, Clemson, Providence, St. John’s, Xavier, Fordham, LaSalle, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, and Rutgers
                    Offers: Xavier, Fordham, LaSalle, Rhode Island, and Seton Hall
                    Favorites: “I don’t have any favorites.”

Mouphtaou Yarou: Villanova, UCLA, New Mexico St., Georgetown, and Maryland
                           Offers: None
                           Favorites: None
                           Note- he did not know all of the schools recruiting him, but did say that there are “many schools” that are involved

Shane Southwell ‘10, Rice (NY): Xavier, Marquette, Memphis, Miami, Clemson, South Carolina, and St. John’s
                               Offers: Xavier and St. John’s
                               Favorites: None, “I don’t really have one.”

Vaughn Gray: Rutgers, Villanova, Syracuse, Richmond, St. Joseph’s, Georgetown, and Cincinnati
                     Offers: Rutgers
                     Favorites: Rutgers and Villanova, “those are really about it, . . . those [are] my favorites, “I really like Rutgers,” and “I like Villanova.”

Jamee Jackson: Iona, Siena, South Carolina, Monmouth, Clemson, and Quinnipiac
                       Offers: None, “no offers.”
                       Favorites: n/a, “I don’t want to say any favorites,” he said, but also mentioned that, ”yeah,” he does have some

Tyreak Johnson ‘09, St. Raymond’s (NY): Cornell, Columbia, Holy Cross, Miami (OH), Vermont, Northeastern, Navy, Drexel, Hofstra, Bryant, and Fairfield
                              Offers: None, “no offers yet.”
                              Favorites: None, “right now it’s about everybody.”

Antoine Allen: Providence, Rutgers, Maryland, Towson, TCU, Auburn, George Mason, Robert Morris, and Rhode Island
                     Offers: Towson, TCU, Auburn, George Mason, Robert Morris, and Rhode Island
                     Favorites: Providence, Rutgers, Maryland, Towson, TCU, and Auburn are his top six
                     Note- he said that Providence, Rutgers, and Maryland are “about to offer” him a scholarship

Jayvvi Myvivulula ‘09, Paterson Catholic (NJ): Iona, NJIT, and Rhode Island
                               Offers: None
                               Favorites: None

Leonard Hayes ‘09, Lawrenceville Prep (NJ): St. Joseph’s, UAB, and Rider
                            Offers: None, “I don’t have any offers.”
                            Favorite: St. Joseph’s, “probably St. Joe’s”

Lasan Kromah ‘09, Eleanor Roosevelt (MD): George Washington, George Mason, Robert Morris, St. Joseph’s, and James Madison
                            Offers: George Washington and George Mason
                            Favorites: George Washington and George Mason

Frantz Massenat ‘10, Trenton Catholic (NJ): Xavier, Florida, Virginia Tech, Kent St., Princeton, LaSalle, Fordham, Iona, Robert Morris, and Rider
                               Offers: LaSalle, Fordham, Iona, Robert Morris, and Rider
                               Favorites: None, “I’m willing to play anywhere.”
                               Note- has around a “90 average” in school 

Austin Alecxih ‘09, Oak Hill Academy (VA): Rutgers, Siena, Seton Hall, St. John’s, St. Francis (PA), LaSalle, Towson, and Davidson
                           Offers: Rutgers and Siena
                           Favorites: Rutgers and Siena, “probably those two.”
                           Note- he said that Davidson is “probably the third” school on his list

Tuesday should be the best day of the camp. There will not only be playoff games, but all-star contests as well. There will be five of these: NCAA, NBA West, NBA East Top 20, NBA East Top 40, and NBA East Underclassmen. Many of the nation’s premiere players will be competing. The camp has so much talent, that a number of skilled players will likely be unable to be in any of the games. That just goes to show you how good of a camp The Hoop Group Elite Camp really is. Stay tuned for more information!

For more information on high school and AAU basketball from Alex Schwartz, check out http://northstarbasketball.blogspot.com/.

by Alex Schwartz 

Day two at The Hoop Group Elite Camp involved a nice blend of playing five-on-five games, drill work and instruction, and listening to a renowned guest speaker.  Rain yet again altered the setup of the day, but that was not nearly enough to keep away throngs of college coaches from schools such as Pitt, Rutgers, St. Joe’s, Temple, UMass and Providence. These six were amongst the THREE HUNDRED or so universities represented today at the camp. Here are the players that I saw who thrived under the spotlight and had nice showings:

Ishmael Kalilou ‘10, Windsor (CT)
LeBrent Walker ‘12, Lincoln (NY)
Prince Okoroh ‘11, Eleanor Roosevelt (NY)
Jimmy Louissaint ‘09, Robeson (NY)
Trevor Cooney ‘11, Sanford (DE)
Mario Monroe ‘10, North Cambridge Catholic (MA)
Kelvin Amayo ‘10, Hillside (NJ)
Rico Winston ‘09, Jericho Christian Academy (MD)
Aaron Brown ‘10, St. Benedict’s (NJ)
Zackary O’Brien ‘09, Watchung Hills (NJ)
Jay Bowie ‘10, Tampa Prep (FL)
Naufall Folahan ‘10, Massanutten (VA)
Given Kalipinde ‘09, Episcopal Academy (VA)
Derrick Wilson ‘11, Hotchkiss School (CT)
Markus Kennedy ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Ed DiRugeris ‘09, Pennsbury (PA)
Diyaaldin Kelley ‘09 PG, Mariana Bracetti School (PA)
Ryan Hill ‘10, Steelton Highsprire (PA)
Dalton Pepper ‘09, Pennsbury (PA)
Kyle Anderson ‘12, Paterson Catholic (NJ)
Dondre Whitmore ‘10, Trenton Catholic (NJ)
Kamil Parzch ‘10, Lindenhurst (NY)
Josiah Woodruff ‘09, Jericho Christian Academy (MD)
Blake Bozeman ‘10, Paul VI (VA)
Justin Crosgile ‘09, DePaul Catholic (NJ)
Theo Boyomo ‘10, The Kent School (CT)
Omi Ogolo ‘09, James Madison (VA)
Marcus Hebron ‘09, Laurel (MD)
Stephen Spinella ‘09 PG, The Nia School (NJ)
Nick Goff ‘09, St. Francis DeSales (OH)
Kellen Cade ‘09, Hotchkiss School (CT)
Cameron Baker ‘09, Columbus Academy (OH)

The single most impressive one-game performance I saw today was easily that of 6′0 Justin Crosgile in his team’s win during the after set of games. Although official stats aren’t kept, Justin probably dropped around 20 or 25 points in a come-from-behind victory. The Saint Joseph’s commit almost single-handedly brought his team back into the game, against a quality squad featuring Trevor Cooney. Crosgile got it done on both sides of the ball, getting steals and boards on defense, while hitting jumpers, getting to the hole, rebounding, and getting his teammates involved. Crosgile is one of the best point guards in the class of 2009, and games like he had this afternoon are proof of just that.

Some of the young guns went to work today - giving everyone a preview of the talent in the classes of 2011 and 2012. LeBrent Walker, a 6′1 rising freshman had a solid showing in his squad’s final game of the day. Walker got to the basket with ease and had some tough finishes around the rim. LeBrent’s teammate, 6′3 rising sophomore Prince Okoroh also performed well in the team’s last game on day two. Prince showed off a nice all-around game and a knack for getting to the rack.  Another youngster who had a solid showing was 6′0 Derrick Wilson, a rising sophomore from out of The Hotchkiss School (CT). Despite not playing up to his potential for much of his team’s first game, Wilson came through when it mattered most. With his squad down one and only eight seconds to go, Derrick drove the length of the court for a layup to put his team out front 53-52, and it would stay that way after 6′4 Aaron Brown of St. Benedict’s missed a shot from about 14 feet out at the buzzer. Last but not least of the underclassmen who had impressive showings on Sunday was Kyle Anderson of Paterson Catholic (NJ), a 6′5 rising freshman. Anderson is one of the most highly-touted players in the class of 2012 nationally, and although he was not outstanding, Kyle more than held his own on the court. The Playaz (NJ) AAU program member showed nice court vision and stellar passing skills - his biggest asset is his fantastic basketball IQ.  If these five kids are any indication, the talent level at The Hoop Group Elite Camp will not be falling off any time soon, as there are some gems in younger classes.

SCHOOL LISTS-

Derrick Wilson: Xavier, Texas, Arizona, Duke, and Stanford
                      Offers: Xavier
                      Favorites: Texas, Arizona, and Duke; those are his top three
                      Note- Xavier, Texas, Arizona, and Duke are “highly interested” and “are the main schools” recruiting him

Zackary O’Brien: Central Florida, Stanford, Fordham, Penn St., Niagara, Rider, Auburn, Missouri, James Madison, and St. Joseph’s
                         Offers: Stanford, Fordham, Niagara, James Madison, and St. Joseph’s
                         Favorites: Central Florida, Stanford, Niagara, and St. Joseph’s
                         Note- he says that Rider is “going to offer in [around] two weeks.”

Dalton Pepper: West Virginia, Villanova, Temple, Wake Forest, and Miami
                       Offers: All five
                       Favorites: None, “I’m not sure yet.”

Myles Mack ‘11, Paterson Catholic (NJ): Florida and Georgetown
                       Offers: Georgetown
                       Favorite: Florida
                       Note- “That’s all I know right now,” he said of the schools recruiting him, indicating that there are likely more schools involved

Russ Smith ‘10, Archbishop Malloy (NY): Jacksonville, Arkansas, Louisville, George Mason, Ohio, Rutgers, Iona, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Wright St., Miami, St. John’s, Minnesota, Virginia, and South Carolina
                        Offers: Iona and Rhode Island
                        Favorites: n/a
                        Note- he said that “it looks like [Virginia and South Carolina] will offer” him a scholarship

Mike McFadden ‘09, Technology (NJ): Utah, Maryland, Providence, Penn St., LSU, and George Mason
                             Offers: Utah
                             Favorites: None, “not really”

Dondre Whitmore: Rider, Iona, Fordham, Robert Morris, St. John’s, and Kent St.
                           Offers: Rider, Iona, Fordham, and Robert Morris
                           Favorites: None, “I really don’t have any.”

DeOliver Davis ‘10, Hun (NJ): Dartmouth and Yale
                            Offers: None
                            Favorites: n/a
                            Notes- he is being recruited by “a lot of Ivy [League schools],” has a GPA of “about 3.6,” and said, “I like American, I like Lafayette, . . . I like the Patriot League.”

Trevor Cooney: Delaware, St. Joseph’s, Villanova, Rutgers, West Virginia, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest
                       Offers: Delaware, St. Joseph’s, and Rutgers
                       Favorites: Delaware, St. Joseph’s, Rutgers, West Virginia, Notre Dame, and Wake Forest
                       Notes- on his top three, he said they are “probably the ones that have offered me [a scholarship], . . . [and] probably Notre Dame is up there too.” If signing day were tomorrow, he would sign with “Notre Dame maybe,” but of the schools that have offered, he would pick “probably Delaware.”

LeBrent Walker: Arizona, Tennessee, Baylor, Fordham, and St. John’s
                        Offers: None
                        Favorites: Kansas St., North Carolina, and UCLA
                        Note- his favorite of the schools that he has interest from is St. John’s

Prince Okoroh: UMBC, Hood College, and he visited a “small church school” in North Carolina
                      Offers: None
                      Favorite: UMBC, “I’d like to go to UMBC out of those ones.”

Sunday was a great day at The Hoop Group Elite Camp, and Monday should bring more of the same, so make sure you check back later for more information.

For more info on Hoop Group Elite Camp, including how to register for camp, please visit: http://www.hoopgroup.com/hoopgroup/eibc_traditional.php

For more info and updates on both this event and others from the world of high school and AAU basketball from Alex Schwartz, check out http://northstarbasketball.blogspot.com/.

 by Alex Schwartz 

The Hoop Group Elite Camp kicked off today with numerous high-DI prospects, as well as many other DI, DII, and DIII players in attendance. With slightly over 700 kids, this four day camp is the biggest that The Hoop Group has ever had. I was fortunate enough to be able to see quite a few of the top players in action, and a number of ballers were kind enough to chat with me. Without further ado, here’s the overview of the first day of the The Hoop Group Elite Camp. 

First off, here is a short sampling of the well-known and/or highly-regarded prospects at the event: 

Tyreak Johnson ‘09, St. Raymond’s (NY) 

Justin Crosgile ‘09, DePaul Catholic (NJ) 

Aaron Brown ‘10, Roman Catholic (PA) 

George Harper ‘10, Academy of the New Church (PA) 

Rakeem Christmas ‘11, North Catholic (PA) 

CJ Aiken ‘10, Abington (PA) 

Tyreek Duran ‘10, Neumnn-Goretti (PA) 

Adrian Satchell ‘09, Windsor (CT) 

Shannon Givens ‘09, Academy of the New Church (PA) 

Markus Kennedy ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ) 

Khalif Wyatt ‘09, Norristown Area (PA) 

Kyrie Irving ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ) 

Egheosa Edomwonyi ‘09, Hun (NJ) 

Andre Gillette ‘09, Neumann-Goretti (PA) 

Trevor Cooney ‘11, Sanford School (DE) 

Rakeem Brookins ‘10, Roman Catholic (PA) 

Jayon James ‘10, Paterson Catholic (NJ) 

In addition, there will be a few high-quality players who will be coming tomorrow, such as Dalton Pepper ‘09 of Pennsbury (PA) and Mike McFadden ‘09 of Technology (NJ). Despite the U-18 tryouts going on in Virginia and the Rbk U camp taking place in Pennsylvania, The Hoop Group Elite Camp is not lacking talent at all. 

  

As I walked around The College of New Jersey today surveying the games, I took the time to watch some particular players. Along the way, a handful of other kids caught my eye. Some of the top players that I saw on Saturday were the aforementioned Aaron Brown, Rakeem Christmas, Shannon Givens, Markus Kennedy, Khalif Wyatt, Rakeem Brookins, and Jayon James. The following guys also stood out to me: 

Julian Watson ‘09 PG, Arundel (MD)
Kellen Cade ‘09, Hotchkiss School (CT)
Karon Abraham ‘09, Paterson Eastside (NJ)
Azfar Kahn ‘09, East Meadow (NY)
DeOliver Davis ‘10, Hun (NJ)
Lasan Kromah ‘09, Eleanor Roosevelt (MD)
Hayden Palozej ‘09, Stafford (CT)
Reginald Lewis ‘09, Beford (OH)
Jevoy White ‘09, North Plainfield (NJ)
Paris Grant ‘09, Imhotep Charter (PA)
Chase Plummer ‘10, St. Patrick’s (NJ)
Bilal Kelly ‘09, Mariana Bracetti School (PA)
William Harrison ‘09 PG, Wadleigh (NY)
Kevin McGaughey ‘10, Broad Run (VA)
Rico Winston ‘09, Jericho Christian Academy (MD)
Aaron Brown ‘10, St. Benedict’s (NJ)
Keith Brown ‘09, Malboro (MA)
Devon Saddler ‘09, Aberdeen (MD) 

SCHOOL LISTS- 

William Harrison: George Mason, Binghamton, Marist, St. Joseph’s, and Stony Brook
                         Offers: None
                         Favorite: George Mason 

Shannon Givens: Seton Hall, Drexel, Harvard, Stanford, Quinnipiac, LaSalle, and Rutgers
                         Offers: Drexel, LaSalle, Rutgers
                         Favorite: None 

Bilal Kelly: Princeton, Rider, and UConn
               Offers: None
               Favorite: Rider
               Note- Kelly is considering transferring to “either ANC [Academy of the New Church] or Solesbury,” both of which are in Pennsylvania 

Rakeem Christmas: Memphis, Kansas, and Virginia
                            Offers: None
                            Favorite: Memphis 

Rico Winston: Rutgers, St. John’s, and Clemson
                     Offers: None
                     Favorite: None
                     Note- Winston said that he gets “a lot of letters from Clemson.” 

Khalif Wyatt: Temple, St. Joseph’s, Delaware, James Madison, New Hampshire, Siena, Niagara, and Rider
                    Offers: Delaware
                    Favorite: None, “I can’t say right now.” 

Rayner Moquette ‘09, Our Savior New American: Davidson, Virginia Commonwealth, Princeton, Holy Cross, Manhattan, NJIT, and Bucknell
                                Offers: None, but said that Davidson and VCU contacting him the most and are “about to” offer him a scholarship
                                 Favorites: Virginia Commonwealth and Davidson
                                 Note- has a “3.5″ GPA 

Reginald Lewis: Oregon St., Northwestern, Indiana, and Cleveland St.
                       Offers: None, “no one right now.”
                       Favorite: Oregon St. 

Devon Saddler: TCU, Quinnipiac, Towson, and Drexel
                       Offers: TCU
                       Favorite: TCU 

Rakeem Brookins: Georgetown, Texas, Virginia, Providence, Delaware, UPenn, Penn St., Clemson, St. Joseph’s, Temple, George Mason, George Washington, Princeton, Brown, and Buffalo
                           Offers: Delaware and UPenn
                           Favorites: Georgetown, Texas, Providence, and St. Joseph’s
                           Note- has a “3.5″ GPA 

Keith Brown: Yale, Bucknell, Lehigh, Brown, Army, Navy, Holy Cross, and Quinnipiac
                    Offers: None, “no one right now.”
                    Favorites: Navy and Quinnipiac, ”probably Navy or Quinnipiac.” 

Dominique Raney ‘11, Putnam City (OK): Wichita St. and a DII school in Oklahoma
                                Offers: None
                                Favorites: n/a 

The best part of the day came in the last set of games. Inclimate weather forced the NCAA (class of 2011 kids) into the main gym, where basically everyone was at that time. During one of the games, there was a roar from the far court . . . then another . . . and another . . . and so on. I made my way over to the court just in time to see Dominique Raney make a crossover, get to the hole, sky and jam. Apparently, Raney had been putting on a show. There was a massive crowd around all four sides of the court, and people were literally on that court as well as the one next to it. Raney’s display of athleticism and hops summed up the quality of this event. 

The NBA East Draft was a great event. The draft took about five hours total, and despite the length was an enjoyable part of the camp for those involved. Things began with the selection of centers. The top choice at this position was a kid playing up, Rakeem Christmas, a 6′9 rising sophomore from North Catholic (PA). Massanutten (MA) 6′10 rising senior Mouphtaou Yarou went second, and was followed up by 6′8 Daryl McCoy, a rising senior from Hartford (CT). After the centers came the point guards. Another Rakeem went first in this cateogry: 5′10 rising junior Rakeem Brookins of Roman Catholic (PA). After Brookins was Notre Dame Prep (MA) rising senior, 6′1 Antoine Allen. Shannon Givens, a 5′11 rising senior from Academy of the New Church (PA) went third. After the floor generals came the small forwards, and the top choice was never in doubt, as arguably the camp’s best player is a 3. Dalton Pepper, a 6′5 rising senior from Pennsbury (PA) was selected first. Bishop O’Connell (VA) 6′5 rising senior Kevin Jones was chosen after Pepper. Rounding out the top three at the 3 was 6′6 soon-to-be post-grad Mike Burwell from South Kent (CT). The power forwards were slated to go next, and 6′6 rising senior Mike McFadden of Technology (NJ) led the way. Jordan Allen, a 6′5 rising sophomore from Bay Shore (NY) was picked in the two spot. Jamee Jackson, a 6′7 rising senior at St. Anthony’s was chosen third amongst power forwards. Last but not least were the shooting guards. The two-guard is one of the most stacked positions at the event, and 6′2 rising senior Devon Saddler of Aberdeen (MD) was the first 2 picked. Shane Southewell, a 6′5 rising junior from Rice (NY) went second, and 6′2 rising junior Jermaine Pert of Paterson Catholic (NJ) went third. The NBA East Draft may have taken a while, but it turned out well. 

Stay tuned for more from The Hoop Group Elite Camp! 

For more info and updates on both this event and others from the world of high school and AAU basketball from Alex Schwartz, check out http://northstarbasketball.blogspot.com/.

June 26, 2008 was a special night for many for some young basketball prodigies. 60 players, 49 from the United States were selected in the two rounds of the 2008 NBA Draft. For all of them this was the culmination of many year’s of hard work, training and working on developing their games. The Hoop Group congratulates all of them on fulfilling their dream.

13 of them, over 20% are Hoop Group alum, including two of the top three selections. Over the past three years over 40 Hoop Group alum heard the name called on Draft Night.

The Hoop Group alum who were selected in the 2008 NBA Draft:

2th Mike Beasley Kansas State Miami Heat

3rd OJ Mayo USC Minnesota Timberwolves

8th Joe Alexander West Virginia Milwaukee Bucks

12th Jason Thompson Rider Sacramento Kings

13th Brandon Rush Kansas Portland Trail Blazers

17th Roy Hibbert Georgetown Toronto Raptors

23rd Kostas Koufos Ohio State Utah Jazz

28th Donte Green Syracuse Memphis Grizzlies

42nd Sean Singletary Virginia Sacramento Kings

47th Bill Walker Kansas State Washington Wizards

56th Sasha Kaun Kansas Seattle Supersonics

57th James Gist Maryland San Antonio Spurs

59th Deron Washington Virginia Tech Detroit Pistons
Best wishes to all!

The last two days of Kevin Boyle Basketball Camp were just as intense as the first. With Coach Boyle leading skill development sessions and a guest lecture by former Villanova star Mike Nardi the campers were able to continue to expand their basketball knowledge. Coach continues to show us why he is considered one of the top basketball coaches (at any level) in the country.

Everyone got a hands on experience as the 2007 National High School Coach of the Year built offensive and defensive skills from the ground up in the same way he does for his own St. Patrick teams.

A few other highlights from the week included 38 players at the last early morning advanced skill development session. These are 7:15 AM optional workouts and almost half the camp came out to get better. This was a dedicated group of young men who came to camp ready to get better and walked away with an understanding of what it is going to take to get there.

Playoff Highlights: In the NBA (9th grade and up) the 7-1 Lakers lost in a tight first round game to the upstart Knicks. Down by 5 with under a minute to play West Catholic (Philadelphia) senior Matt Bush stepped up and hit a huge 3 and then followed that up with a steal and bucket in the lane. Allen HS senior Isaac Coronado knocked down two free throws to seal the win with 10 seconds left. In the other semifinal the Celtics continued their hot play as Academy of the New Church sophomore Nick Jones and MCS Charter freshman Shawn Williams carried their team to the final.

Props have to be given out to Allen HS Junior Ray Styles and Philadelphia native rising freshman Imire Taylor from the Lakers. Both played tough nosed basketball all week and proved why they will both be scholarship basketball players some day.

In the final the Knicks took it home as Zafir “Black Mamba” Williams (senior at Robert Vaux HS) was unstoppable with the ball in his hands and continually made play after play for his teammates. Nick Jones and Jared Butala (Hazleton HS junior) both had clean looks to tie it up in the last minute.

In the ACC (8th grade and below) Cody Dalziel (Wake Forest) and Caleb Knudsen (Maryland) led their teams to the title. These were two talented young men who played hard and smart all week long. In the end Wake came out on top giving coach Matt Shubert his 5th camp title in 2 summers. Shubert is quickly becoming the Phil Jackson of Hoop Group Skills Camp.

Wednesday night is one of the most fun times of camp as Hoop Group Skills Camp had the first All-Star games of the summer. The ACC game was a double overtime thriller that saw spectacular performances all around. Talented wing Torie Ferguson from Duke put on a show by scoring a variety of ways (including jumpers with both hands as Torie is completely ambidextrous). Down by 3 Ferguson hit a game tying three to send the game into overtime. Dalziel carried his team back in OT before the game was tied again to send it into double OT. Scott Ario knocked down a free throw to seal the win in a first team to 3 point double OT. Joey Krempa (4th grader from Coopersburg, PA) carried the winning team all game by getting into the lane at will to score and dish.

The NBA All-Star game featured a lot of talent but Styles stole the show.

Competition and Award Winners:

NBA:
Hot Shot Champion - Angel Vargas
Free Throw Champion - Kirby O’Connell
1 on 1 Champion - Shawn Williams
All-Star MVP - Ray Styles
MVP - Zafir Williams
Most Improved Player - Maxton Wales

ACC:
Hot Shot Champion - Cody Dalziel
Free Throw Champion - Cody Dalziel
1 on 1 Champion - Austin Bender
All-Star MVP - Joey Krempa
MVP - Cody Dalziel
Most Improved Player - Jason Renner

This was a great way to start off our summer of Hoop Group Skills Camp full week sessions. With high level instruction and competition we hope every week can live up to the tone Kevin Boyle Basketball Camp set. For more information on our other great weeks visit www.hoopgroup.com or call us at (570) 992-6343. We have two more great camps with Coach Boyle including a PG Skills Weekend July 18-20 and another full week Aug 18-22 that will feature the entire St. Patrick program being on hand. See you this summer!