Day #2 of the T-Mobile Invitational on Saturday on Versus

Day #2 of the T-Mobile invitational continues and ends tomorrow on Versus with four games, two boys and two girls games. First up the third place games (consolation games) and then the first place games, ladies play first. The 3rd place for the men is expected to tip off around 1130am pacific (time may change) and the 1st place game is expected to tipoff around 230pm pacific.

The 1st place game will be between St Anthony's of New Jersey which blew out the local team on Friday and Lone Peak of Utah. The 3rd place game will be between Centennial of Roswell (Georgia) and La Cueva of New Mexico.

The games are played at the Pit, at the campus of the University of New Mexico, in New Mexico.

More details in our earlier T-Mobile Invitational preview.

T-Mobile Invitational Preview (2007 edition)

The second annual T-Mobile Invitational High School Basketball tournament tips off tonight on Versus TV. Versus was formerly OLN (Outdoor Life Network). Some of it will also be shown on the high definition channel Versus-Golf which blends content from Versus and the Golf channel.

This is the official website for the T-Mobile tournament. Four men's teams and four women's teams square off. The games will be played in The Pit in New Mexico. Last year's inaugural T-Mobile invitational was played in Seattle, Washington.

There will be four games on today and tomorrow, all shown on Versus as one long block. The games will interchange between women and men. Tim McCormick and Tim Everett will be the announcers.

On the men's bracket the Knights square off (no, not Bob vs Pat Knight): Roswell (Georgia, not New Mexico) Centennial vs Lone Peak at 12:30pm mountain standard time, and at 330pm mountain standard time the storied St. Anthony's Friars square off with the La Cueva Bears. Please note that tip off times are approximate and depend on how long the previous games are going to be! Here are the official brackets of the tourney.

And here is the press release announcing this year's matchups.

More coverage of the event:

USA Today preview

The Versus website

MaxPreps.com (now a CBS Sports company)

Lone Peak preview at PrepRally.com

ESPN Video (broadband)

Free New Mexican

Latest USA Today Super 25 rankings, St Anthony's leads this field

Rio Rancho Observer

Coverage of the inaugural 2006 T-Mobile Invitational here at Recruiting Wars


Players to Watch

Mike Rosario (St. Anthony's)

Travon Woodall (St. Anthony's)

Bracken Funk (Lone Peak)

Justin Hamilton 6'10" (Lone Peak)

Lorenzo Brown (Centennial)

Top basketball player of the 2008 class is not clear

As you can see from our unscientific poll in the right hand column, the vote for the top player of the 2008 class is not clear at all. Of the six candidates we included in the poll, Brandon Jennings has a slight lead, but look at how close they are. The 6th player has about half of the votes of the 1st player. Brandon Jennings is leading with just 24% of the vote.

Tyreke Evans and Samardo Samuels are currently tied at the #2 spot, while Greg Monroe is one vote ahead of Samardo Samuels who is one vote ahead of the 6th player, John Riek!

This of course is consistent with what we see out there in the rankings among the various recruiting services and websites and what recruiting experts are saying. There is no clearcut top tier player (or players) in this class. No Greg Oden, or Kevin Durant. But it's only mid-December. There's still time for the players to "shape/reshape" our opinions of them.

Then again, the way recruiting works these days, the spotlight starts to shine on the class of 2009 and beyond, since the 2008 class has been dissected and analyzed and a large number of the players have committed already.

Oak Hill Academy vs St Benedict's

In Benton, Kentucky, as part of an Old Spice event, Oak Hill Academy of Mount Wilson, Virginia squared off with St Benedicts Prep of New Jersey in front of an ESPN crowd and 6,000 in the stands. The game was previewed earlier here at Recruitng Wars.

So what did we learn after watching the game? For one thing, that Fran Frachilla needs to retake Math 101: "300+ division 1 schools, with 13 scholarships each is more than 1,000 players" said Fran. *Cough* *cough* How about 4,000 players?

Brandon Jennings had a lot of weight on his shoulders with Jason Campbell injuured (broken hand) and Malik Story dismissed from the team for other reasons. After watching this game, there's one thing that Brandon Jennings reminded me that I didn't think of before: Salim Stoudamire. And it's not just the step-back three, but his on-court demeanor/moodiness. Which perhaps explains his college destination (Arizona).

If Jennings is the #1 player in the 2008 class, he didn't show it on Thursday. He surely showed flashes of great talent and explosiveness but he was not the star of the game by any means.

The other touted player in the game, Samardo Samuels had a solid game, but was not as dominant as his top ranking might suggest. Part of it of course was the Oak Hill bottling it up zone, part of it facing a 300-pounder in "Tiny" Gallon.

But there was a star in the game, Tamir Jackson, a junior (2009 class) of St Benedicts, who almost put 30 points on the scoreboard. Not bad for a player who was definitely flying under the radar on the national scene. #11 showcased his skilled at a very big stage, ESPN - and he certainly deserved it!

A number of other juniors (2009 class) showed promise, like big man Greg Echenique of St Benedicts who promises to be a highly sought after big man among the premiere college programs. Oak Hill's Glen Bryant (#31) has a lot of athletic talent, and he's certainly at the right place to make the most of his talent. Another player in a similar situation is the big 300-pounded Tiny Gallon. Frachilla compared him to an Oliver Miller (no one was throwing burgers on the court as far as I could tell).

But wait, there's more! The 2010 class (sophomores) was well represented, with Oak Hill's starting wing duo of Howard and Allen, and St Benedict's promising wing Aaron Brown (#22) and promising Canadian forward Tirstan Thompson (#13) coming off the bench.

Of course as you are well aware a single game does not tell the whole story, but it can tell part of the story.

Oak Hill Academy vs St Benedict's on Thursday on ESPN

Be sure to program your TiVo or VCR for 9pm eastern on Thursday, December 13, 2007, on ESPN for the Oak Hill Academy vs St Benedict's high-school basketball game, featuring two of the top five players of the 2008 class, Brandon Jennings of Oak Hill and Samuel Samardo of St Benedicts.

More details on the college hoops tv schedule at NCAA Hoops Today.

Discussions and previews of this game at:

Zags Blog preview (not related to Gonzaga)

GoAZcats.com

Kentucky Sports Radio

Oak Hill Hoops website, including player roster and profiles.

Saint Benedict's Prep's game preview, and basketball team page.

Blitz Sport blog

Blue Devil Nation


Related Content

USA Today's Super 25, with capsule updates on the latest games.

Top players in the 2008 class by Slam Online

ESPN releases TV schedule of 2007-2008 high school basketball games

ESPN has release the schedule of their 2007-2008 men's high school basketball games. A total of 15 games will air on ESPN's air. Details at ESPN.com.

A number of touted prospects are featured as expected, so be sure to mark your calendars or check the tv listings frequently at NCAA Hoops Today. The list includes Lance Stephenson, Tyreke Evans, Delvon Roe, Eloy Vargas, Jrue Holiday, Kenny Boynton, Brandon Jennings, and lots more!

Campbell Hall (CA) vs St Edward (OH)

It took an overtime to decide this high school game between Campbell Hall Episcopal of California and hosts Saint Edward of Lakewood, Ohio that featured three top 150 players, two of which are in the top 10 of the class of 2008. If you missed our game preview be sure to check it out.

The highest ranked player of the game, UCLA-bound JRue Holiday justified his top tier ranking by showcasing a lot of skills by taking on the whole team and being very effective at it in the first half of the game. Clearly he looks like a special talent. Obviously under the Ben Howland regime his shot selection will greatly improve, but some of that was by necessity - as it is often the case in high school basketball where the talent level difference between teammates can be huge.

The second highest ranked player, #7 by the ESPN Top 150 players of the 2008 class, Izzo State bound Delvon Roe also showed his skills, but because he was playing with a more mature and balanced team, he didn't need to try to take over the game the same way JRue Holiday did. Izzo himself was in the stands with his posse, wearing a leather bomber jacket to showcase his toughness (or because of the cold).

Delvon Roe has another talented teammate, Indiana-bound Tom Pritchard, who was ranked just outside the Top 100 by ESPN, but after his performance last night, he may have managed to put himself into the top 100. He showed that he is good at doing what he can do, meaning that he plays within himself and focuses on his strengths. Not exactly NBA lottery material, but he is an ideal forward for Kelvin Samspon's rotation. And he has the Indiana trademark outside shot too.

Of the other players, 2010 (sophomore) James Johnson of Campbell Hall showed some promise at 6'7". But he got a Fathead-size facial dunk by the high flying Delvon Roe, then pushed by Tom Pritchard and got an emphatic block too. A painful lesson for the youngster, but that's how one improves.

Of the remaining players, two senior guards from each team have improved their standing and/or scholarship opportunities, St Edward's Frankie Dobbs and Campbell Hall's Dallas Rutherford.

More on this game at West Shore Sun, Kid Cleveland, and the 5in60 blog.

The next high profile high school basketball game on ESPN is on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 9pm eastern (6pm pacific) between perennial powerhouse Oak Hill Academy and New Jersey's St Benedicts. This game features two of the best players of 2008, Oak Hill's (and presumably Arizona-bound) Brandon Jennings and St Benedict's Pitino-bound Samardo Samuels (Wow, both Caracter and Samuels in the line-up! Wow! For more details on the high-school and college basketball tv schedule, check the December 2007 College Hoops Schedule at NCAA Hoops Today.

Tonight on ESPN2: Campbell Hall of CA visits Saint Edward of Ohio

The first men's high school basketball game of the season airs tonight (Thursday, December 6, 2007) on ESPN2: Campbell Hall of CA visits Saint Edward of Ohio. The game will be televised live at 9pm eastern (6pm pacific). There is a college game before that (Providence vs South Carolina at 7pm eastern (4pm pacific), so if that game goes longer, it may "eat up" some of the air time of the high school game.

The biggest stars in the game is J'Rue Holiday who is following Kevin Love to UCLA, and Delvon Roe, who broke Ol' Roy's heart when he signing with Izzo State.
Here is a detailed college and high-school hoops tv schedule.

You can find a nice preview of the game at USA Today. There you can also find their Super Top 25 "ranking" of high school basketball teams.

The game is also previewed at Cleveland.com, the city hosting the game - at St. Edward's home gym.

Also a nice preview of the game at the 5in60 blog.

Meanwhile Jody Demling of the Louisville Courier Journal previews this game, but also has a schedule of upcoming college hoops games on the ESPN family of networks(six more events!) This year ESPN "stole" Spalding HoopHall Classic games from CSTV, except they are putting them on ESPNU which is like showing them on Mars because a number of cable companies and ESPN are unable to find a way to make ESPNU available to anyone who wants to subscribe to it. Here is a rant on Comcast and ESPNU.

Update! Here is our post-game report

Catching up with the latest recruiting news

All apologies for falling behind in our updates, unfortunately there are only 24 hours in a day. Here are the latest updates from CSTV's Hodge Report.

From all those commitments, here is what has caught our cyber eye:

Georgetown gets a big recruiting W as they get a top forward from SoCal, beating some of the top national and regional powers for his services

Willie Warren, the talented, but also at time troubled guard finds a new home, and he is going to be coached by a former Dookie! Oy! Van Coleman opines.

Kevin Love is Ben Howland's pied piper as UCLA adds a 2010 top 30 guard from the area

A tough cookie Gouchos guard commits to Drexel

Touted Chris Singleton picks a school, and he's gonna be having orange juice and sunshine at his new college

Mike Mercer transfers to a college coached by a former SEC coach (no, not Tubby Smith)

John Pemprhey (sp?) at Arkansas continues to pile up the recruits during his first season there

Leonard Hamilton ...cooks something in the ...kitchen

In my estimation the big winner of November was Leonard Hamilton and Florida State as he added a number of talented players. Not bad for a coach who may be a potential Hot Seat nominee. But I think FSU is on the verge of a major breakout on the court. Don't be surprised if we see a Sweet 16 or even an Elite 8 run from FSU this year.

For a list of player destinations, player profiles, and team databases, all free of charge, along with expert commentary from Van Coleman, check CSTV's Hodge Repor(t).

The One And Out Super Recruit is a gift that keeps on giving

As we have seen, the majority of coaches would rather take a one-and-out superstar, than not take him. This was the case even before the new 19 year old NBA rule was in place. But with the NBA rule in place, it makes this even more predictable because you know that the players who would have gone straight to the NBA, are very likely to be one and out.

So why are they going after them? Is it just because of a shot at the national championship? Or is more than just that? Because for every Carmelo Anthony, Mike Conley and Greg Oden, there is a Kevin Durant, Spencer Hawes and DJ Wagner.

Of course there is more to it. Just ask Ben Howland. Before he got Kevin Love, he had to find diamonds in the rough and scrap to get touted players even though he was a Final Four coach at UCLA. But once the big star of Kevin Love signed on the dotted line, a number of players from 2008+ converged on UCLA, Drew Gordon, Holiday, Lee, etc.

Look at Syracuse's talented freshman class of 2007. You think the signing of Carmelo did not have an impact on them going there as well? Or the players committing to USC and Tim Floyd after he got OJ Mayo, starting with Devon Jefferson perhaps and continuing with the 2008+ players.

Each one of the big signings creates a sonic boom, and the upcoming recruits in the pipeline pay close attention and are influenced by where the players they were looking up to went to. So getting one of them can get you tax-free recruiting dividends for years to come!

And speaking of superstars, after seeing the positive impact Pitino had on Derrick Caracter, there's a what-if Sebastian Telfair might be asking himself when he wakes up in the middle of the night. What if he played at PitinoVille for a year and got himself sorted out and disciplined? That one year could have resulted in a much better NBA career for him.

But only a handful of coaches are able to do that. When the coaches star is brighter than the players star, then the coach has a lot more flexibility in dealing with a super star recruit. The likes of Pitino, Coach K, Roy Williams, Lute Olson can point to their rings, final fours, number of wins and success and can discipline the players. But when a superstar goes to a place where he is the biggest star (OJ Mayo at USC, Michael Beasley at Kansas State) the coach does not have as much flexibility. If you are Frank Martin you can't just bench Michael Beasley for a month because he doesn't go to class. The boosters and the runners will eat you alive. But if you are Pitino or Coach K, you can certainly do it.

Breaking news from Kentucky Ink on Leonard Washington

Breaking news from Kentucky Ink on Leonard Washington! Just posted on their website is a detailed account of the Leonard Washington story. It involves the NCAA Clearing House, and the side-effects of NCAA's long-winded red tape. For the details, check the Kentucky Ink story!

Erik Murphy reveals his final seven!

According to Jeff Goodman's blog at FoxSports.com, touted forward Erik Murphy has "trimmed" his list down to just seven teams. While seven teams are a lot, when you consider that there are over 300 division one schools, and even more in D2, D3, NAIA and Jucos, then you can see why it is a trim :-)

I won't reveal his final seven schools, but Jeff Goodman does!.

PS> If you missed CSTV's two hour special on signing day, be sure to check your local listings or CSTV.com for a repeat. It features Seth Davis, Van Coleman, Steve Lappas, the Godfather Sonny Vaccaro, Tom Konchalski, and lots more!

Jonathan Baldwin featured on Future Phenoms

Two-sport star (football, basketball) Jonathan Baldwin was featured in this week's edition of Future Phenoms. Future Phenoms is a 30 minute news-magazine show looking at upcoming athletes, and narrated by the legendary Pat Summerall. The show is produced out of Texas.

Next week they will feature a basketball player from the Northeast who has committed to Ole Roy and North Carolina. Future Phenoms is broadcast nationally on Fox College Sports.

This show is also produced under the name of "Sports Stars of Tomorrow", with the same content but slightly different graphics. Check your local listings for airtimes and availability.

Breaking news from Kentucky Ink on a potential 2007-2008 player

Kentucky Ink has the scoop on a potential recruit that has been cleared (or will soon be) by the NCAA to play for this season if he choses to do so. This player had previously reclassified for the 2008-2009.

I don't want to steal their thunder, so to get the juicy details, please visit Kentucky Ink.

Fall Signing period two hour recruiting show on CSTV today!

Seth Davis and his recruiting expert friends will be presenting a two hour college basketball recruiting special on CSTV tonight, Wednesday November 14, 2007. The show will debut at 6pm pacific on CSTV. It will repeat at 10pm pacific and 2am pacific, with more repeats later in the week. As always check with your local listings for the channel number and air times.

More TV scheduling at NHT, with the latest college basketball games, documentaries and preview shows are listed. This includes ESPN, ESPN2, FSN, Fox College Sports, CSTV, Versus, ESPN Classic, and CBS and ABC when they start broadcasting games in December. Not listed are ESPN Full Court and ESPNU.

Tyreke Evans reveals his Final Five and other stories

Dick Hoops Weiss has the final five for Tyreke Evans, and despite his valient efforts Gonzo (Bobby Gonzalez of Seton Hall) is not in the final five. So who are the final five? Read Dick Hoops Weiss's post for the reveal. I don't want to spoil the "surprise" :) A great post by Weiss's colleague Ebenezer Samuel.

More from Weiss, on Indiana Jones, yes the name sound so cool, it has to happen, if nothing else so we can play with words. "Indiana Jones" is of course hot prospect Kevin Jones looking at the University of Indiana as potential destination. But calling this "Indiana Jones" is just more fun :)

And more from Weiss, as he discusses the commitment of Tyler Zeller to Ole Roy.

Meanwhile our other favorite NY/NJ recruiting writer Zagoria of the Zags blog reveals that Kevin Jones will reveal on Wednesday, perhaps going for a dramatic announcement on CSTV's Signing Day special? (this part is pure speculation on our part). If he doesn't commit to Indiana, we have just five days to milk the "Indiana Jones" name!

Zags blog also reveals that Duke is set to offer a big man from Jersey. Who? Read on to find out!

Zags blog also talks about the Four Punks. How is that related to basketball? Read on his story to find out!

College Hoops Heaven has an update on seven footer Charles Okwandu. Okwandu is already 19, and he is recruited by BCS teams. To find out who is chasing after him, and more details about this potentially upsideous recruit, check the CHH. ("upsideous" is a word I made up just for the purposes of this post to mean that "he has upside").

Meanwhile Jeff Goodman talks about Wichita State grabbing a big forward by beating some bigger names. And this may come as a surprise but we have a transfer already! Who did Jim Calhoun drive crazy this time? Goodman has the answer.

And one more, did you know that every single 2007 NCAA college basketball tournament game is available on DVD?

November 14, 2007: CSTV will have a Signing Day special

Mark your calendars basketball fans, on Wednesday November 17, 2007, CSTV will have a special College Basketball Signing Day show. If you miss the original fear not, it will repeat a few more times. For specific airtimes and channel numbers please check with your local cable or satellite provider. CSTV is usually available not available on standard cable, but on digital cable or special cable packages, such as Comcast's Sports Tier.

CSTV's basketball recruiting team usually includes a combination of Seth Davis, Tom Konchalski, Vance Coleman, and Dave Telep.

Speaking of TV, the last two episodes of "Future Phenoms", narrated by legendary Pat Summerall featured the Morris twins going to Kansas, Drew Gordon going to UCLA, and Oklahoman Xavier Henry being one of the most coveted recruits of the 2009 class.

Also on TV, ESPN2 will be having a 90 minute edition of the Boost Elite 24 classic on Tuesday November 17, 2007. This will be after a live game, so expect some turbulance.

For all the college basketball and recruiting related TV listings, visit and bookmark the tv listings at NCAA Hoops Today.

Thanks Sportsblog.org!

Thanks to the SportsBlog.org directory for adding Recruiting Wars to their directory listings. If you have any sports blogs or websites, you may want to submit them to SportsBlogs.org. There you can also discover new (to you) websites and blogs.

And they have a really cool logo:

Ole Roy strikes back!

With Ole Roy "under fire" for not getting every available recruit out there, the announcement of Tyler Zeller on Monday took on extra importance in the ephemeral world of "making too much of things". Ole Roy was once again parachuting into a distant state and trying to steal one of their very best.

The three Indiana schools were poised to put up a fight, all three of them on the uptick, despite the PhoneGate scandal by Kelvin Sampson and a Duke emissary running Notre Dame after the UNC emissary bolted after a year and headed into career self-destruct.

But just like Ole Roy "stole" Tyler Hansbro out of Mizzoura (Missouri), he managed to "steal" Tyler Zeller out of Indiana, even though his younger brother played for a Dookie, Mike Brie (oops Brey) and the Notre Dame Hunchbacks. Zeller's profile at CSTV's Hodge Report.

Here's Ole Roy's secret: It's the name. If your name is Tyler, just go ahead and commit to North Carolina, it's inevitable ;-)

Catching up with recruiting news - part II

Thanks to MSNBC's Beyond the Arc for including our top 10 of 2007 in their article on the incoming freshmen of the class of 2007.

College Hoops Heaven talks Morris twins. The Philly duo recently committed again.

More good stuff from College Hoops Heaven as they recap the Eddie Griffin challenge which includes updates on the Morris Twins, Malik Wayns, and lots more.

Big visits this weekend according to Zags blog, including Tyreke Evans and Dexter Strickland.

TV reminder! On November 14, 2007, CSTV will be having a college basketball signing day special!. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Jeff Goodman talks about Puke recruiting, the Morris twins, and Lance Stephenson visiting SoCal.

Dick Hoops Weiss reports on Rutgers getting a ninth grader, which should put him in the class of 2011. He also has an honest one-sentence critique of Duke's recruiting (Thank you Dick Hoops Weiss!).

Weiss also reports on the Morris twins finding a new destination, at least for now I add :) And he chimes in on the Indiana PhoneGate scandal.

An update on Kemba Walker from the Zags blog.

Catching up with a week's worth of new commits!

We fell behind in our updates and now we pay the price with all the new waves of commitments and de-commitments!

We start with CSTV's excellent Hodge Report which features free player profiles and databases of commitments by college or conference and a lot more for the sweet price of FREE :)

On the anxiously waiting front, top 20 forward Tyler Zeller is down to four schools and he will announce on Monday. Who will it be? Who will it be? Will Ole Roy get yelled at if he doesn't steal him out of the state of Indiana?

John Brady continues to bring on talented players at LSU, this time he gets a top 100 center from Texas.

The Morris Twins saga is over, at least for now, the Stewart twins Morris Twins have selected a new destination, one of the top ten college basketball programs in the country. Click on the Hodge Report story for the reveal. I don't want to spoil the surprise like an ugly bird ;-)


Other teams getting new players

Duke grabs a guard from TN, will he transfer to Bruce Pearl or John Calipari in 2009? :)

Despite the phone scandals, Kelvin "500 calls" Sampson grabs another wing

Jerry Tark Kruger gets a wing from the East Coast to "play" in Vegas and beats Turn Around "Juco" Tom for a JuCo.

Leonard Hamilton who looked great on paper for the Florida State job but has been unable to break out has picked up a top 50 big mean, beating out an in-state school and Thuggins

Some good news for one of our favorite coaches, Seth Greenberg and Virginia Tech as they manage to get a 2009 recruit, as they continue to recover from the tragic shootings.

A player from Durham, North Carolina (no relation to Duke) likes to get yelled at non-stop. Why? He chose ...Texas Tech.

Tubby Smith gets a high profile fro the Timbergophers by signing the son of a former Virgina super-star.

Tom Crean continues to stock pile talent, this time with a St Anthony's guard

The Oregon schools continue to go to the mid-west, this time Oregon State grabs a top 100 guard. Maybe Ernie Kent and Jay John should consider getting new coaching jobs in the mid-west? :)

The Godfather's tree continues to grow, as Travis Ford picks up a 2010 at UMass and Sendek picks up a top 100 2009 guard.

Hey, it's Tommy Amaker again! Free from the tyrants of Ann Arbor (presumably his side of the story), Amaker is loading up with new talent as a new player finds a ...nest at Harvard (yes, we specialize in obnoxiously silly puns).

James Madison is looking at perhaps the next JP Batista from the JuCo ranks?

Tiki Mayben resurfaces near Syracuse, at a mid-major.


More teams gaining new talent: Pacific, Ball "coaching scandal" State, South Florida, South Alabama, Penn, Tulsa with Izzo Jr, the rebooted East Carolina, Oral "scandalous" Roberts, and many more!


I didn't really commit!

Baylor loses one to a change of mind.


Downgrading (going from D1 to D2, D3, or NAIA)
Teams losing players to downgrades (a lot of these "encouraged" by the coaching staff who are obviously just "teachers" and "care" about each player and want them to stay, "keep their scholarship", and graduate, even if they can't play): Tubby Smith's TimberGophers, Pepperdine's AASAA, St Peters, Idaho State and more.


For all the details, player profiles, team and conference current, future and historic database, visit CSTV's excellent Hodge Report .

Shopping: Russell sweatshirt and t-shirt, together for $19

The daily deal at Amazon (in their Gold Box - they must have seen the Pirates of the Caribbean one too many times) is a combo of one t-shirt and one sweatshirt made by Russell Athletic with the blessings of the NCAA.

A total of 37 NCAA colleges are available. The price is $19 for both, and good today only (Thursday). Free shipping is with orders $25 or more. You can get some mp3s or email an e-gift certificate to yourself (or someone else) to jump over the $25 mark if you like the free S&H.

Mid-week Update: Good news and bad news

Some good news for some schools as they gain new players, but some bad news for others as they lose players to academics. Come on NCAA, we all know the kids go to college to play basketball, give them a break! CSTV's Hodge Report has the details!

Tommy Amaker John Beilein lost one player who is going to "concentrate on academics". Meanwhile tough Gordon Watt is out of Purdue for the all-inclusive "off the court problems".

And while Beilein's first year at Michigan is not as smooth as he would have liked, his old school is doing just fine with Bob Thuggins-Bear as he beats his former team (if one year counts) and Pitt for the services of a forward.

Meanwhile Dave Leitao beat his former boss and coach and friend and book author Jim Calhoun for the services of a South Kent big man. And he didn't make an ...ass out of himself with assinine behavior ;-)

The Thad Matta Express is in full steam again as he grabs a 2010 guard as it had been speculated. You can't stop the Matta Train! But in a way it is sad being Thad Matta because you know that for the rest of your career you are probably not going to get a better player than Greg Oden. Poor Thad Matta???

On the mid-major front, football powerhouse (!) South Florida, Marist and UMKC add new talent to their future rosters.

CSTV's Hodge Report has the details!


The wait is over and Quintrell Thomas is leaving the Big Apple for one of the biggest college basketball programs. The Zags blog reveals his new destination. Zags blog also talks about Gonzo (Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez) remaining in the pool for Tyreke Evans. Can Gonzo really pull it off? Also Kevin Jones visited West HuggingsVille. This and more at the Zags blog.

Dick Hoops Weiss discusses Virginia's big center as well and talks about the Thad Matta express.

Jeff Goodman digs into the Bruce Weber recruiting mystery, even though he lost assistant Tracy Webster to Kentucky, the commitments came flying in from all over the state. He also looks at Leito's recruiting success.

Monday Night Recruits

New news from CSTV's Hodge Repor(t). George Mason got a Morrison, but not Ammo. Thad Matta is expected to get a touted 2010 guard on Tuesday. Who?. Other teams adding new players: Rhode Island, Central Florida (UCF), Drexel, Penn, Oral Roberts (with or without a scandal?), Duquesne gets three, and Rutgers gets a local wing.

Meanwhile Gary Williams "rebounds" another Gilchrist, while Thad Matta grabbed a top 20 2010 guard. Meanwhile a former Minnesota player makes a horizontal geographic move to Utah State. For all the details, check CSTV's Hodge Repor(t).

An update on Lance Stephenson at Zag's blog. And an update on Quintrell Thomas.

Goodman's blog takes a look at Ohio State's recruiting success. Not only did Thad Matta get a load of 2008 players, but he is making big moves in 2009 and beyond. Also recruiting updates from Rhode, Maryland and the Bonnies.

New updates from CSTV's Hodge Report: The new assistants at Louisville are hard at work as they grab yet another commitment, this time a forward from the IMG Academy. Meanwhile Marquette quickly bounces back from the loss of Iman Shumpert by getting a Texan JuCo who did not qualify at Billy G's Texas A&M. Even without Huggins Kansas State continues to make a killing on the recruiting landscape as they grab a 2009 player from DC. Duquesne, which I can never spell right, tries to bounce back from all their troubles by adding two new players.

A lot of other mid-majors gained new talent including Calhoun's favorite preseason oppoenent Holy Cross, Wagner (two), Marist, The Bonnies, Portland State and lots more. Check the Hodge Report for the details, along with free player profiles and commitment databases.

On the other side of the ledger four D1 players are "downgrading". The list includes players from Colorado, the Bonnies, the Citadel and Texas A&M-CC.


The Wildcats Thunder blog has compiled an elaborate list of potential recruits who visited Kentucky's Midnight Madness. Also from the Wildcats Thunder, an update on Garrett Stutz.

Dick Hoops Weiss takes a look at the recruiting of Thad Matta in the post-Oden era. Has he been able to keep up? Can he find the next Greg Oden?

Brooklyn wing Patrick Jackson has made his choice. Where will he play? The Zags Blog has the answer. More from the very information Zags Blog: Is Ole Roy about to get a power duo from the NY/NJ metro area? This is something we will eventually find out, but I'm sure Tar Heel fans are excited with this possibility. Certainly the 500-calls scandal by Kelvin Sampson may nudge them that way. Also an update on Quintrell Thomas and Dwight Miller.

It's almost Friday, do you know where your recruits are?

As always, CSTV's Hodge Repor(t) is loaded with new news. A touted wing, Iman Shumpert has announced and it's not North Carolina! Ouch for Ole Roy? So where did he go?

Orlando Woolridge's son is a top 100 forward and he has committed to Pat Summitt's future husband's basketball program. March to Madness was the e-harmony for this future wedding ;-)

With so many teams from all over the oountry raiding the west coast, both Oregon and Arizona State coaches used their midwestern connections to grab players from the mid-west.

Despite losing Terrance Jennings, and having an embarassing academic situation, Gary Williams picked up another commitment, this one from Australia.

Other teams adding new players: Rice, SFA, UTSA, Winthrop, the Bonnies, Drexel, Ruland-less Iona, and Hartford (with or without Calhoun's permission? :) And a few more!

Meanwhile the "downgrades" continue with players leaving Charlotte and Bobby Lutz's unfortunate moustache, Temple, Manhattan, UTEP, Portland, SDSU, TCU, and more.

Last but not least promising but not delivering MN big man Bryce Webster is now off to a JuCo, and he will be one of the popular Juco players in the 2008-2009 class. He had committed and played for Dan Monson's TimberGophers.

All the details and free player profiles at CSTV's Hodge Report.


Is that enough or do you want more? Here's some more!

Dick Hoops Weiss has a couple of recruiting updates as well, involving Rutgers. He also reports on Kelvin Sampson's PhoneGate. I love that name! PhoneGate! Imagine if Sampson hadn't signed Eric Gordon and hadn't brought in Lance Stephenson, Dexter Strictland and the likes for Midnight Madness. Would he still be there?

A Sea of Blue takes an in-depth look at the Kelvin Sampson PhoneGate, doing a great job in rounding up reactions from around the net.

Zags Blog has an update on Quintrell Thomas (of St Patrick's), and one of his teammates has made his decision. And where does Gary Williams stand in the Quintrell Thomas sweepstakes?

The Zags Blog (no relation to Gonzaga) has an update on the Olsen Morris Twins. They are down to two schools. Find out which two!

And one more update from the Zags blog, when will Tyreke Evans decide? Tyreke is one of the top players of 2008 and he has the potential of a successful one-and-done and into-the-lottery college career.

Recruiting updates involving Ralph Sampson III, Chris Singleton and Van Treese and Garret Stutz at A Sea of Blue!

Meanwhile Jeff Goodman over at Fox Sports had a block of recruiting updates included touted Elliott Williams, and many more.

All of a sudden you can't stop the Weber Train!

While Bruce Weber couldn't get Derrick Rose, The Hodge Report of CSTV informs us that he managed to get one of his teammates. Despite the departure of Bob Huggins and the 7-footer transfer, one of his teammates is heading over to Kansas State. Other colleges adding new players: Syracuse, Alford-less Iowa (juco), a former Oklahoma commit going to Arkansas, George Mason, UNC-Greensboro, Miami of Ohio (again), Evansville, and Loyola-Chicago.

As you may recall from yesterday, the Zags blog had the scoop on Mookie Jones and Syracuse.

Dick Hoops Weiss has an update on the new Kelvin Sampson 3-way phone call scandal, with three former Indiana-Knight players calling for the ejection of both Kelvin Sampson and AD Rick Greenspan. Ouch! And everybody's favorite CBS Sportsline writer Greg Doyelllll chimes in.

And one could not help but wonder in this age of cynism, cheating and wonder, how did Bruce Weber become a great recruiter all of a sudden? Did he switch his cell phone provider to that of Kelvin Sampson? :-)

Monday Night Recruits

Discussion on the latest commitments of Terrance Jennings and Greg Monroe at A Sea of Blue.

The Card Chronicle blog discusses PitinoVille's signing of Katie Couric Kyle Kuric Kuric is a three point shooter, as the Yugoslavian-sounding last name may suggest :) Pitino is also chasing forward Jared Swopshire. They also discuss the signing of Terrance Jennings.

Meanwhile from the CSTV Hodge Report we have new players for Arkansas, Oklahoma, Miami of Florida, Miami of Ohio, Duke Slayers VCU, Marquette, Colorado, Pepperdine, and a few more. One of the biggest surprises (not really) is that a 2011 player has committed. As Tom Konchalwski likes to say, at that age they can't even decide what they want for breakfast. But regardless, this player has decided on Texas A&M. And to put it in perspective the class of 2007 are the incoming freshmen of the 2007-2008 college basketball season. The class of 2008 is who will be freshmen of the 2008-2009 college basketball season. So this 2011 commit will play his first college basketball game in 2011-2012.

Marquette blog Cracked Sidewalks celebrates the signing of 2009 wing Erik Williams. They also discuss Marquette's chances with touted wing Iman Shumpert.

Part II
Just added! KentuckyInk.com has posted a 10-minute podcast interview with recruit Chris Singleton in mp3 format! Check it out in the upper right corner of their website under "Kentucky Ink Podcast".

Zags man of the Zags blog has breaking news that will delight Syracuse fans. Mookie Jones has committed! Get all the juicy details from the Z-blog. Also, an update on Gerald Jones on the IU phone-scandal. He also has an update on IU's Midnight Madness extravaganza. And find out which team Dexter Strickland has added to his list. Who can it be now?

Also new updates from Dick Hoops Weiss, including Indiana aggressively recruiting the NJ/NY metro, and Greg Monroe's decision.

Big time news, Greg Monroe, Terrance Jennings pick schools!

CSTV's Hodge Report is jam-packed with new commitments from over the weekend.

The big news of course is what made Hoyas Midnight Madness weekend even more exciting when Greg Monroe picked them over others, including Duke. Thank you Greg for not going to Duke! This is a big get for JT III as he gets what could be the #1 player of the 2008 class. There is always a certain prestige that goes with having the top player, especially with the new NBA rules, since you are going to have him for at least one year.

Pitino managed to scoop up two players this weekend, one former Maryland commit and another one that has a similar name to a popular news "anchor-ess".

But the ACC did not let the Big East have a block party, as they had a trio of their own. Maryland despite losing TJ, they got a Korean forward from South Kent, while Virginia beat Stanford (again) for a top 100 center from the Gateway to the West (now that was a geographic tug of war!), and BC continued to pick up BC-type players with a new forward.

The mid-majors had their share as well with ODU, Marshall, IUPUI, and Columbia getting one each. Meanwhile half a dozen players downgraded from D1 to lower divisions, one of which will be playing in the Maui Invitational as a Chaminade plaer.

Bruce Weber scores a hat-trick!

We already mentioned the two 2009 recruits Bruce Weber picked up, but CSTV's Hodge Repor(t) reports of a 3rd 2009 player added to the Illini future. The third player is a top 75 guard. All three of them are in-state. Take that out-of-state thieves!

In their never-ending quest for the next Bill Bradley, Princeton picked up a prep, while Iona and Tennessee Tech added a player each. Siena, Texas State and UTSA added one each as well.

Zag's blog sorts out the rumors on Mookie Jones, and recaps the Johnnies recruiting status.

Meanwhile Goodman chimes in on the success of Bruce Weber, who is finally able to recover from the loss of the likes of the Helen of Troy of the Big 10 (a Dennis Miller homage/reference to Eric Gordon), and Jon Scheyer. Goodman also reports on the status of touted but troubled Willie Warren at Oak Hill and on the Patterson vs Oak Hill friendly scrimmage.

And a must read story by Goodman at Fox Sports, as he tells stories of coach in-home visits gone wild. Included are Jimmy V, Rollie Massimino, Bill Self and Billy Giilispie, Mike Brey "The Wire", and lots more! Must read!!!

Bruce Weber strikes back!

After years and years of taking a beating on the recruiting trail, unassuming Illini head coach Bruce Weber strikes back by getting two touted recruits from Illinois.

More updates from CSTV's Hodge Report as Tommy Amaker beats some high profile BCS teams for a center to get him to go to Michigan Harvard. Obviously with just 13 scholarships Calipari can't offer every single basketball player out of Memphis, but that opened the door for former Cali assistant to grab this guard for UTEP. Bucknell adds another player to its roster, putting fear into the hearts of NCAA-bound teams because they may have to face them in the first or second round. And we know what happened the last couple of NCAA tourneys!

Other mid-majors adding new players according to the Repor(t): Quinnipiac, Lipscomb, Kent State and High Point.

Meanwhile, Zags's blog gives us an update on Gonzo's recruiting status at Seton Hall. Of the three NY/NJ BCS teams, Seton Hall might be the one with the biggest upside because of Gonzo imho. Gonzo also informs us that an in-state battle may be brewing for Jackson. But there's more! A story on Lance Stephenson and Dexter Strickland including Dexter's top three teams right now. Also some action from the hardwoods where Rice and St Patricks squared off. Who won and who played well?

Goodman points out that USC's Midnight Madness may have the best players of the classes of 2009 and 2010. Wow, so is OJ Mayo Tim Floyd's ticket to the Hall of Fame assuming Floyd can get Carmello-like seasons out of them instead of DJ Wagner-like seasons?

Want to build up your NCAA March Madness college hoops DVD collection? If yes, then be sure to check out Amazon. Some of the best games of recent NCAA tournaments, both men's and women's have been added. Here are some examples of what's available: 2006 games, 2005 games, 2004 games, 2003 games, 2002 games, etc. Each DVD costs around $25.

Mid-major commit-a-thon

According to CSTV's Hodge Report a slew of mid-majors have added new players in the last few hours. Go mid-majors, go! Some of the colleges adding four year players: UCSB, UNC-Greensboro, E. Illinois, Toledo, Vitale-less Detroit, Lamar, Denver, and more. Some of the colleges adding JuCos: Boise State, East TN St. Meanwhile the Smiths have transfered to Towson. Did they go there for the music or the basketball? :) For a complete list, player destinations, player profiles and such, check out the Hodge Repor(t). Want to find out more about mid-majors? Check out the Mid-Majority Repor(t).

As we mentioned before, Taylor Rochestie decided to "give up" his scholarship for 2008-2009 so that Washington State would sign a touted Floridian recruit to Pullman. While I don't know the details of this particular case, it's not uncommon for coaches to force this situation on players. Usually it ends up with a transfer, sometimes at a place where the current coach has connections - if the main reason the player is "kicked out" is simply because he is not good enough skills-wise. Now if a player is "advised" to leave because of non-basketball reasons, that's a different story.

Zags man's blog has an update on the Jones brothers, and another recruit joining Hoosier Hysteria-Madness Also power forward Dwight Miller is looking at 10 teams at the moment and he has some Hakeem magic to boot.

Stanford has a loss for the first semester, but it's too late to make it up on the recruiting trail. Brook Lopez has fallen into the pit of academic ineligibility. Ouch!

But sometimes you can recruit from within, a hidden gem may be underneath you nose! This we saw at A Sea of Blue, from the Indy Star on 5'6" Dusty Mills.

Inside the Hall makes a case for Eli Holman, on and off the court.

Later than Sooner!

From the desk of CSTV's Hodge Report, a recruit says later than Sooner(s), South Florida and Stan Heath get an in-state center, UTEP gets a center too from under the nose of John Calipari, Auburn gets an ...arch-angel, Hofstra gets Brooklyn, Florida Atlantic gets a duo. Also adding players CalPoly, Southern and Ga So. Check the Hodge Repor(t) for all the details and free player profiles.

More updates from the Zags Blog, as he estimates that decisions from Tyreke Evans, the Morris twins and a few more are just around the corner. He also has an update on Jordan Theodore, and the big three NY/NJ schools offer a Brooklyn guard.

This is a good time to plan how to record your 2007-2008 games on TV!

New for Tubby, Kansas and Ar-Kansas!

The Hodge Report at CSTV reports some new commitments today! Tubby Smith of the TimberGophers beat out mid-western mid-major for a forward, while Bill Self picked up a JuCO! A JuCo? Yes, a JuCo! Meanwhile Arkansas with new head coach picked up a top 100 2008 prepping guard, which is a nice get for them. What's a prepping guard you ask? A guard at a prep school :-)

And one of the nicest surprises of the 2006-2007 season, Appi State, or Appalachian (Trail) State has picked up its fourth verbal.

The Hodge Repor(t) also reminds us that the early signing period is November 14 through November 21, 2007 and the late regular signing period is April 16 through May 21, 2008.

More commentary on the Arkansas commitment from A Sea of Blue. Their story is currently the featured Google Newsreel story on "basketball recruiting". Check the Google Newsreel towards the bottom of the right column!

Nevada makes waves (global warming or a verbal)?

Waves in Nevada, no, not side-effects of global warming, but the Nevada Wolfpack Foxes grabbed a top 100 guard from 2008 beating two BCS teams for his academic services. This and more are detailed on CSTV's Hodge Report. There we learn that new players are added to LMU, Colorado gets some veal, not buffalo, Brown and Wyoming get big men. On the other side of the ledger, Vandy loses a player to "personal reasons", while a number of D1 players "downgrade", including players from Missoura, Duquesne, So. Alabama, Wyoming and about a dozen more. By "downgrade" I mean they go to a D2 or D3 school or NAIA. Some went to JuCo instead.

Dick Hoops Weiss has updates on Lance Stephenson, the fall IS8, and a new site joining the Rivals network.

The Zags blog has updates on wing Patrick Jackson, and Keith Spellman, and Quintrell Thomas. He also has an update on a duo of assistants chasing Terrance Jennings who recently delisted Maryland. Perhaps he saw this report? But there is a response to that from Maryland.

More commitments are flying in!

Your best free source in recruiting news (and we like free!) is CSTV's Hodge Report. There we find that the following schools got new verbals: SMU with corrosive personality coach Matt Doherty, Wyoming, Fairfield, New Orleans, and Texas State. And then we have a riddle, did Arizona go to Brown, or Brown to Arizona? Read on the Hodge Report to find out!

And while the commitments continue to come in, the high stakes battles for the top recruits of 2008, 2009, 2010 and beyond are in full swing right now. Why? Midnight Madness! Everybody wants to invite the touted prospects to come see the excitement and jubilation and super-scintillating sensation (insert random Vitalisms here) of Midnight Madness. It can make a very strong impression on a recruit. For example a trio of NY Metro players are taking a trip to Assembly Hall in Indiana. That bodes very well for the Hoosiers, even if they don't get any of the three, they have won the "Midnight Madness Recruiting" battle. More on those three at Indiana Hoops blog Inside the Hall.

The Morris Twins saga continues

Goodman talks about two Big 12 schools going after talented recruit Willie Warren. He also looks a possible destination for the Morris twins and the Bud Mackey's situation at Indiana. Goodman also points at the recruiting success at Vandy, Keating's recruiting success at UCLA Santa Clara and new gets for Ole Miss and Washington State.

The commitments continue to fly in according to CSTV's Hodge Report, with new players for Houston (almost got The Flash), Auburn (two), Southern Alabama, Indiana State, Weinwright's Spiders, Nevada, Air Force and a few more. One good development for Duquesne is that despite all the drama surrounding their program they managed to secure a 2008 guard. Meanwhile a familiar Kentucky name will ...spark the offense at VMI.

As expected, everybody wants Lance Stephenson and Dick Hoops Weiss has the scoop on a west coast team interested in his commitment. He also talks about wing Mookie Jones taking visits. He also has the scoop on the final two choices of CTK Ryan Pearson. He also has the two finalists for the Morris twins with Bob Huggins being the 3rd option.

The Zags blog has some recruiting updates as well, on Houston getting a Wade, no, not Dwayne.

To commit or not to commit (or to be committed)

In these three categories we can easily fit most of the basketball coaches and players (in fact, most humans). Okay, faux-philosophy aside, we have plenty more new commitments from CSTV's Hodge Report.

Calhoun's nightmares get a forward from Florida, the Theus-less Aggies get a center, Ole Miss gets a guard, and George Washington gets a NY guard. Meanwhile everyone's favorite non-designer mid-major, Appi State (?, ok Appalachian Trail State), gets a juco forward.

And now to the reality tv portion of the Hodge Report: A space-eater with pit stops at USC, Nebraska and a Juco has picked a college in the Bayou. Insert Dave Matthews Band song here.

And now from the update desk of the Zags blog, an update on Mookie Jones, and an update on the Morris twins. It looks like they may turn out like the Stewart twins, not the Collins or Lopez or the UAB Sweet 16 twins. He also has an update on Bill Self's invasion of the NY/NJ area.

Goodman over at Fox Sports has his share of recruiting updates, including Vandy, Santa Clara, Ole Miss, and Emmy winner Tony Bennett at Wazoo.

Meanwhile Kelvin Sampson is creating true midnight madness with a trio of 2009 guards visiting for Midnight Madness according to the Inside the Hall blog. There you will also find updates on 2008 recruit Bud Mackey's crack situation, and Vitale commenting on the Helen of Troy of the Big 10 and the Mackey situation.

I always love it when Vitale takes the holier than though high moral ground. This of course coming from a guy who on a nightly basis is all over cheerleaders, not half but 1/3rd of his age :-)

The commitments are flying in!

CSTV's Hodge Report has new commitments for a number of teams. Gonzaga beats two Big 12 powers for a Texan who will be Mark Few's ...good son ;-) Not to be outdone, Washington State gets another son, Mychal Thompson's son.

Tarkanian Kruger gets a 2009 californian at UNLV. Patton-less Coloroda, Missoura, UNC Greensbro, Bradley and Wichita State grab a JuCo each. Northern Iowa has a net zero effect as they get one and lose one. Dave Odom gets another commitment, although that doesn't always translate into a player playing. Oregon State couldn't get Derrick Rose, but the got another Rose. Rhode continues to rebuild and recover from the Jim Harrick era by adding another forward. Former UCLA assistant Kerry Keating at Santa Clara gets a Canadian (the next Steve Nash??? well he is not a guard). Also new players added at Ole Miss, Detroit (is Vitale coaching there?). More details at CSTV's Hodge Report.

Zags man of the Zags blog says that Landerberg's commitment to Virginia was a big blow to the Johnnies. Meanwhile Rutgers is close to a 6'6" wing, while Kevin Stallings celebrates the verbal of yet another versatile forward. The Zags blog has updates on the Morris Twins and Bob Huggins as well. Meanwhile a NYC forward visits Kansas. That and tons more at the Zags Blog. Not to be confused with Gonzaga, the Zags blog is written by Adam Zagoria. His blog is a great recruiting resource!

Staying in the New York area we have new updates from Dick "Hoops" Weiss talking Lance Goulbourne, Gonzo, Lance Stepheson, and Dexter Strickland.

Catching up with recruiting news

Goodman has some recruiting updates including an Indiana recruit getting in serious trouble with the law, and new players for the 40 minutes of fun, and the Vermont Meows. Goodman also boldy makes a prediction on where touted forward Greg Monroe will land.

More college gear one-day specials at Amazon. This time NCAA hoodies with arch and mascot from Soffe, $13 each. 29 major BCS colleges are available!

More from Goodman as he discusses Virginia and Florida. Billy Donovan has quietly built up a five man class for 2008, perhaps in the mold of his back2back national championship team. As you may recall he got burned badly by first rounders and fellow divas (Matt "Playboy" Walsh and Roberson)

Dick Hoops Weiss has lots of recruiting updates including tidbits from the Sylvan Landesburg press conference, St John's targets a few more, Big Ten teams invading the NY/NJ metro area, and Providence getting a promising forward.

More news from CSTV's Hodge Report as Bruce Pearl drinks some ...Baileys, a Gonzaga player goes to Harvard, and Winthrop takes a ...gamble. Other teams gaining new players: George MASON, George MASON, Vermont, Bowling Green, Missouri, Tulane, SE La, Centenary and more. Visit their website for the details, along with player profiles and team databases, all for FREE!

Recruiting updates with emphasis on Marquette at Cracked Sidewalks.

DeCoury looks at St John's failure to succeed in the high stakes NYC recruiting battles.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline looks at the final five schools for Greg Monroe.
>

Rating Recruiting Classes vs Newcomers

One of the common practices among recruiting gurus is that they are rating and analyzing incoming recruiting classes, but very few people take a more holistic approach and rate all the new players that will be joining a team for the next season. To illustrate this, here are the types of new players joining teams:

Freshmen

Junior college transfers

Division 1 transfers

Redshirts (medical or developmental or for any other reason)

Prop 48 and other academic non-qualifiers

Most recruiting analysts only look at the first two groups of players when analyzing a class. Well what's the difference between a junior college transfer and a d1 transfer? Neither one played for the team last year. Same for redshirts and prop 48 and freshmen.

I understand that from a purely recruiting perspective they look at the first two groups because they are covering available recruits for each class. But when you analyze the incoming talent of a team to evaluate their chances for the next season, you can't ignore the other groups!!!

Then of course comes the confusing question of where to put the transfers. Do you include them in the year they made the transfer or the year they will be eligible to play?

Shopping spree: College t-shirts for $7 at Amazon today only!

The t-shirts of these 35 popular colleges in intercollegiate athletics (okay, mainly basketball and football) are on sale today only at Amazon for $7 per t-shirt. These 100% cotton short sleeve Soffe t-shirts qualify for free shipping if your total is $25 or more.

New players for Iowa and Southern Illinois

CSTV's Hodge Repor(t) informs us that Steve Alfordless Iowa has picked up a 2009 in-state big man, while defense 1st and defense 2nd Southern Illinois has picked up a guard.

As reported yesterday, Greg Monroe is down to five teams. Unfortunately one of them is Duke, and Coach K can cloud the minds of recruits and their parents using his Darth Vader skills. I think Monroe would do fine if he goes to any of the other four colleges in his list. But not Duke!!!

The Final Five are revealed!

No, I'm not talking about Battlestar Galactica, but the final five teams in Greg Monroe's list. CSTV's Hodge Report has the list of five. This is not a surpring list, as it has some of the usual and expected suspects.

Meanwhile, more updates from the Hodge Report: Iowa State adds a ...mann, Andy Adam Kennedy adds a big guard at Ole Miss, Boise States goes juco, and Centenary, William and Mary, and Weber State add one each.

Shopping: NCAA branded wind jackets $12 today

Today only, at Amazon, windjackets from Campus Yard, from twenty five of the most popular (in terms of sports) colleges are on sale for $12 each. You can get free S&H if your order is $25 or more. Hint: If you are under $25, you can buy a gift certificate and send it to yourself :) Here are the 25 major NCAA colleges participating in this promotion. Remember this is only good today (Saturday).

Super prep Shaun Livingston featured on today's Outside the Lines!

Today's episode of Outside the Lines (OTL) features former super prep star Shaun Livingston and his injury train. ESPN's OTL page.

If you want to find out what stories OTL will be featuring each day, be sure to sign up for their email list. Here is a short description of the Livingston Centerpiece from the OTL email:

A routine landing gone awry on a breakaway lay-up dropped Shaun Livingston to the floor in obvious pain. Last year, on February 26, the Clippers guard, and fourth overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, suffered tears to every major ligament in his left knee, including a torn lateral meniscus and patella dislocation just days after setting a career high 14 assists. Due to various injuries, Livingston has yet to play a full NBA season. Despite rehabbing five days a week, Livingston will likely miss at least the first half of this season but he remains optimistic about his return. Today on Outside the Lines, another look at Livingston's recovery as he moves forward in his rehab after a devastating knee injury.

Coach Dracula Ratface blows smoke and nets the Polish Dunker!

Sad news for Oleg Czyz as he will probably Josh Mc Roberts (a verb) his college career collecting Cameron Crazy Dust on the bench at Duke. He committed to Duke according to CSTV's Hodge Report. I'm sure Coach Ratface K used his Polish heritage as a way to lure him in. Well Oleg, I hope you keep in touch with the other colleges on your list, because you are going to be looking for a place to transfer in a couple of years. Did you call Jamal Boykin before commiting to Duke? Do you wanna be the next Martynas Pocius? How about Eric Boetang, and dozens more!

But they don't listen, do they? Well, enjoy the Coach K Experience in the bowels of the Cameron Open Door stadium :-)

Meanwhile the Lord of the Rings (aka Billy the Diva Kid Donovan) grabbed a top 20 forward from the 2008 class. And his new recruit can deliver a knock out punch (at least in ...name)

Burst of new commitments!

CSTV's Hodge Repor(t) is your free source for recruiting info and player profiles and team databases! Check their website for all the details!

High Profile downgrades: Players from Division 1 going to D2, D3 or NAIA, usually to get more PT: Eight D1 players, including Bob Knight's Justin Wilkerson and the Johnnies Avery Patterson.

BCS teams adding players: Oklahoma (a big big man), Vandy, DePaul, Washington State, and Providence.

Mid-major teams adding players: Hofstra (juco), Missouri State of the Valley of Darkness, Austin Peay, Princeton, Wisconsin Brett Favre campus, Miami of Ohio, Eastern Illinois (two), Montana, SFA (two), Denver, Lehigh, Ashville.

In other news, A Sea of Blue has an update on Rotnei Clarke and Kentucky.

Meanwhile Goodman's blog talks of Dion Waters, a Syracuse commit. He also has an update on Isiah Thomas (the prospect, not the Hoosier/Piston), and an update from superscout Dave Telep on Greg Monroe pruning his list.

Also from Goodman, Pitino is in the mix for a recently decommitted forward (Terrance Jennings). Goodman also informs us that a who's who of coaches may be treking to observe 6'9" 2009 Erik Murphy.

Dick Hoops Weiss opens the envelope and the winner is Virginia. Winner of the Sylven Landesburg sweepstakes beating out Georgia Tech and the Johnnies.

Weiss also talks about the next big thing out of NYC, Lance Stephenson, who is expected to unofficially visit Indiana during Midnight Madness. Memo to Lance: Your assists will be low when you play total slugfest with Kelvin Sampson. Others showing active interest according to Weiss, Carolana and PitinoVille... Also from Weiss: A tough NYC guard visiting Hofstra, along with many more updates! Be sure to visit and bookmark!

More recruiting updates this time from Cracked Sidewalks, a Marquette blog.

Landersberg's commitment are among the topics at ZagsBlog. Also Lance Stepheson visiting Gozno Hall (Seton Hall), and lots more!

WildCats Thunder talks UK Recruiting.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sportsline urges Greg Monroe to pick a side.

New news from CSTV's Hodge Report

The Hodge Report at CSTV has new players listed for Penn State (they beat better teams for him), Steve Alford's Iowa, Tulsa (if the coach does well, he will be gone, if not, hello Philips again), Albany, Manhattan, New Orleans, TCU, Central Florida, Tulane, Northern Colorado, Furman, Lipscomb (a comb for your lips, what is this, Cavemen?)

But the biggest buzz at the moment appears to be Roy Williams trying to seal a top 10 guard duo from New Jersey from the class of 2009. It's hard to say no to Ole Roy if he projects them as a Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants or even as a Tywon Lawson and Wayne Ellington guard duo. Compare and contrast that with dirty Dookies Greg Paulass and nose-bleed Gerald Henderson :)

Recruiting Site: Check out the Ballers All Star Report!

The Ballers All Star Report is a jam-packed website and email newsletter with grassroots and recruiting level coverage. And best of all it is FREE!

And if you are really a hardcore hoops fan, you can now watch some of the most exciting and high profile AAU/summer games in the comfort of your own home by buying the DVDs of those games, which include play by play and analysis featuring Mr Pete Edwards.

You can also watch games as webcasts. Registered users can watch a number of webcasts of games for FREE! We like free!

Also be sure to check out their newsletter online. The latest issue talks about Demarcus Cousins, Scott Machado, Cierra Bravard, the new faces in the Colonial Athletic Association, and a lot more. Also if you are near Long Island and want to write about hoops, they are looking for writers.

And on top of that they provide a schedule of their upcoming webcasts, such as the Hoops Group Jam Fest, is8, and the 2007 Gauchos Roundball Classic Championship.

They also have message boards and polls for those interested in interactive website features.

This concludes our mini tour of the Ballers All Star Repor(t)!

The John Riek sweepstakes, NBA vs College

Thad Matta is chasing ...craters.

According to this DeCourcy story, UNC may be in trouble because Felton talked to prospect Iman Shumpert after a pick-up game. DeCourcy points out the silliness of it all as Sean May and Marvin Williams were allowed to talk to him because they are still enrolled in college, slowly working towards completing their degree. Felton is not enrolled, thus the much-ado-about-nothing situation.

Jeff Goodman scouts the 7-footer John Riek who may pull a fast one on recruiting afficianados by going to the NBA Draft via the Prep school route. We knew this would happen, and it was only a matter of time before some high profile recruit did this. Frankly I am a bit surprised it hadn't happened sooner. Granted, it is by not means guaranteed that John Riek will go for the NBA draft anyways. Goodman also talks about Terrence Jennings and the hand of Thuggins in his Gary ejection, and he kudos Tubby Smith for getting an Iverson.

Recruits are now operating like electronics companies. Sylven Landesburg has announced that he will announce his decision on September 27. He is down to three teams but you have to visit Goodman's blog to find out which three!

New news at the Hodge Report where we learn that Portland State (not to be confused with U of Portland) gets a 6'11" center. Is Portland a state? Well, not in this universe! High Point and Wagner add new players while Clemson, Colorado and Tulane lose players to transfers. One man's loss is another man's gain, so UCF, UMES (I think) and a JuCo have gained.

La Salle's new commit is discussed at CHH (College Hoops Heaven).

Zags blog discusses Quintrell Thomas's visit to Gary Williamsville. Zags blog also says that Ole Roy has offered two 2009 Jersey guards. Also updates from the world of high school hoops.

A detailed look at the current status of Kentucky's Recruiting at the Wildcats Thunder Blog.

The title can be confusing "Will Hill to Florida", but according to Dick Hoops Weiss it is so. No, the hill is not going to go to Florida, but a player named Will Hill :) Also more recruiting updates from the NY/NJ area from Weiss. More from Dick on Landerburg and more!.

The new slick willy blog format is live!

I am trying a more slick willy format since it is a good match for the style and content of this blog! The conversion is complete! If you have any questions, feedback or suggestions please feel free to make then! This was the big conversion, more refinements will take place in the next few days...

Improvements and additions with the new format:

Added Labels (Tags) in the middle of the right column

Ability to instantly add polls (see the Best Recruiter multi-choice poll that was just added)

Cleaned up the look and removed overflowing pictures

Blog Archives now show all the posts made in the current month

Links were divided into two categories, strict recruiting and general college hoops links

Contact Information is now easier to find (middle of right column)

Added a Newsreel catching baskeball recruiting news (well, whatever Google picks up, I have no control)

All the stuff at the bottom of the screen have moved to the bottom of the right column to make it easier to read

Blog reformatting about to begin!

This blog will be converted to the new blogger format in the next few minutes! Please pardon our dust while we update! Expect some turbulance while the upgrade is in progress. Just earlier today I finished converting the NCAA Hoops Today blog, so this one should be much faster to do!

Catching up with the latest commitments

We have a lot of ground to cover since our previous updates. As always, CSTV's Hodge Report is the best source of free recruiting information on the internet!

Drama
It must be the name, another Jennings, this one committed to Maryland has now re-opened this recruitment.

Commitments
This was a good week for Ole Roy, he managed to outdo both Duke and Georgetown by beating those teams for the early verbal of a top10 2010 guard... Tubby Smith pulled a stunner, he signed Iverson! Well okay that was an exaggeration, not Allen Iverson, just a player whose name happens to be Iverson... While it's the Oregon coach Ernie Kent with the mid-west connections, it was Jay John at Oregon State who got this Chicago guard... Bob McKillop leverages his international connections to get the younger brother of a recent Saint Louis center. He's tall too... Rhode, still reeling from the Jim Harrick era, added two player for the 2007-2008 season. Hey, if you have scholarship slots open, use them! No Big Baby, no Tyrus Thomas but that didn't stop Brady from signing more top 100 players... Houston, we don't have a problem, just another JuCo! Turn it around, Tom, turn it around, Conference USA is getting tougher this year... The Bears of Berkeley grab a 2008 guard.

Also adding new players in BCS Land: Indiana, Iowa State, and Virginia Tech

More mid-majors adding new players: Vermont, Western Kentucky, Lafayette, Bowling Green, NAU, Austin Peay, Denver, and corrosively-coached SMU.

Transfers
Three D1 players are moving to Barton County Community College, and a couple more are "downgrading" to a lower level division.

The Colbert Repor(t) meets the Recruiting Repor(t)

Lots of updates from CSTV's Hodge Report, your free source of recruiting news, player profiles, and recruiting databases by team and by year!

BCS teams
The Auburn Tigers grab one in 2008 and one in 2009. Is Jeff Lebo the next Buzz Petersno, Eddie Fogler, Neil Daugherty or Kevin Stallings? (ouch!). The Cal Bears travel to the Oregon woods to snatch a 2008 commit.

non-BCS teams
Tarkarian is not back at Fresno State but the funk returns! It pays to be North! Both Northern Arizona and Northern Illinois got a new commit each. LaSalle defends their home turf in 2009 by getting the next Bill Raftery? :) Eastern Michigan raids Illinois for a verbal. Majerusless Utah goes to Wichita (White Stripes not included). Wyoming gets a 2009. No Lefty at Georgia State so i can't use the "left field" pun for their new recruit. Also adding new players: Jim Rome's alma mater, Penn, and Los Alford Lobos.

Transfering out!
Happy BCS trails to Bobby Maze, Joe Harden, Mike Smith, and Ricky Torres. Also losing players are Jon Stewart, FDU, Delaware and Southern Utah. But Ball State wins this segment as they lose two players due to the quasi-Orwellian term "off court issues".

To get all the details and the player profiles visit CSTV's Hodge Repor(t)

2007 NCAA College Basketball Tournament games on DVD!

Meanwhile, Goodman's blog talks about the Marquette coaches chasing Iman Shumpert. College Hoops Heaven discusses Martelli's latest 2008 verbal.

Also at College Hoops Haven a closer look at 7-footer Charles Okwandu, a player that could make some waves both on the recruiting trail and on the floor when he gets to college. CHH sets the record straight on some of the mythinformation on the internets. And yes, he has not committed to a university yet! Dick Hoops Weiss also comments on Okwandu while giving an assist to CHH/Bulletin for the story.

Greg Monroe gets more pub, this time from DeCourcy who thinks his decision to become a small forward was not not ill-advised :-)

New players for Purdue, New Mexico, Martelli, Bob Knight, Clemson, etc

The Hodge Report at CSTV informs us of new recruits at New Mexico (Tubby Smith's loss), Clemson, Georgia going Euro, Purdue getting a 2009, Bob Knight goes big, LSU is trying to find the next Tyrus Thomas, Mike Anderson's 40 minutes of "fun' are an easier sell to recruits than Quin Snyder's messy head (inside and out) [ouch!].

Also adding players Beilein's two guard offense at Appalachian State Michigan, Steve Cleveland's Fresno State goes cherry picking, the entertaining Phil Martelli gets a forward and Austin Peay gets one too.

All the details are at the Hodge Report @ CSTV for free.

Catching up with the latest recruiting news

Catch up with all the latest, along with free player profiles and lists of commits per university at CSTV's Hodge Report. Forgive my silly puns below but here we go:

New Commitments
Who says no one likes slugfest? Because if no one did, how did Kelvin Sampson get a top 100 2009 forward at Indiana? Who says Texas A&M can only recruit in Texas? They picked up a top 100 player from Florida as a recommit from 2009 to 2008. Steve Alford grabs a top 100 2008 guard from Texas. The Bob Knight possie is taking over the Southwest! Staying in Texas, Drew continues to pick up talented recruits at Baylor. Jon Stewart's daily show gives him an unfair recruiting advantage as he secures a 2008 forward from nearby Illinois.

Rice adds some ...mayo to the mix. ODU picks up a guard in the ...nick of time. Central Michigan makes a ...grand signing (actually two). Also adding new players: Wichita State, Bradley, UNC Wilmington, USF (two), Cal Poly StL-Obisbo, UTSA, Denver, and Cornel.

Decommitments
Hey it's the Morris twins again! They decommited from the Calipari Tigers for the 2nd time. Will the Joe Biden of college coaches go after them for the 3rd time or move on to other recruits?

Transfers

A disgruntled NYC guard goes from Nebraska to Louisianna Tech. Thanks Karl Malone for the new gym!

A former Skip Prosser recruit leaves for UMass. This was a bit of a surprise! Family reasons were the reason given. Also at UMass an Auburn non-qualifier walks on.

A Colorado player goes to Northern Illinois.

Another player leaves troubled Duquesne. this one for Wright State

A handful of players are "downgrading" - eg going from D1 to D2, D3 or NAIA (D1 or D2).

Having had enough of the Suttons scowling, grinding and whining like its the end of the world (presumably) a forward transfers out ot Louisiana Tech. This is the 2nd high profile transfer added to the WAC school and should make their 2008-2009 team a top tier team in the conference and very likely for post-season play.

For all the details, visit CSTV's Hodge Report.

Update on Weekly TV Listings feature

Mainly because there is very little on TV I decided to merge the TV listings and post them only at NCAA Hoops Today. With so few recruiting related shows on TV this post was really an overkill. But be sure to visit NCAA Hoops Today every week for the latest college basketball TV listings. The listings actually are longer than a week, but since programming changes often, check every week :-) This concludes this blog update.

2008 Darius Miller commits to Kentucky basketball

Wildcats Thunder informs us that Darius Miller has committed to Kentucky and Billy Clyde Gillispie. Miller is a top 50 forward and will enroll in college in 2008 (2008-2009 season). Also at Wildcats Thunder they have a basketball video of Darius Miller

New updates from CSTV's Hodge Report: San Francisco gets two new players and they are eligible right away. A traveled Creighton player goes to Division 2. Weber State grabs a forward from ...the apple tree. Visit their website for free player profiles and all the details.