College recruits and commits coming soon to your TV

With the various high school championships under way there will be increased tv coverage with some of the top caliber players potentially making it to a tv near you. Most of the games will be shown on regional FSNs and Fox College Sports. I will post a schedule later on as more details become available. For now, you can rewatch Kevin Love this week as Fox College Sports will be replaying his game at Mater Dei for a 2-3 times, including right now.

McDonalds All American Selections for 2007

The McDonalds All American Selections for 2007 has been announced!. The game will be played at Freedom Hall in Louisville and carried by ESPN on Wednesday, March 28, 2008 (as usual).

Most of the expected prep stars were included, but as always, there is politics and favoritism among other things, prime examples being Taylor King, and Jai Lucas. Funny how players get selected in the McDonalds game after they committed to Duke (Taylor King, Nolan Smith). Would they be selected if they committed elsewhere? (Maybe yes, maybe NO!)

The undecided (college-wise) players are:
* Pattrick Patterson (Florida, Kentucky, duke, ...)
* Jai Lucas (Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Duke?, ...)


More coverage at other sites:

Chat with CSTV's Van Coleman on Wednesday 330pm eastern/1230pm pacific.

CSTV commentary by Van Coleman who voted for Anthony Randolph (LSU) and Jamelle Horne (Arizona) who were not included.

Rival's ranking of the selected players

AOL Sports blog

Google Search Results

Basketball-heavy Sports Stars of Tomorrow

This week's edition of Sports Stars of Tomorrow is basketball heavy as it has features on some high profile 2007 basketball players: Kevin Love (UCLA), Anthony Randolph (LSU), Jerryd Bayless (Arizona; no relation to reporter Skip Bayless) and Michael Beasley (Kansas State). Beasley said that he is trying to get a couple of his (basketball) friends to commit to Huggins State as well. Looks like Huggins is thriving away from Nancy and the other University of Cincinatti administrators/beauraucrats.

Update Tue 2/27/07: Thanks Kansas State fans for reading this blog. Fortunately I did not delete that episode, so I went back and played that segment again: The player names mentioned by Michael Beasley were Thomas Manzano and Greg Hill from Bridgeton. The episode aired last Saturday, however, I do not know when the interview actually took place. Sports Stars of Tomorrow is a magazine-type show with some features repeating. The Scout.com profiles: Manzano, Hill

TV Review: Generation Next, Episode IV

In a galaxy far away, ... ooops, wrong Episode IV :-)

Episode review

Recruiting expert guests: Van Coleman and Tom Konchalski. Grade: Good!

Show started with a recap of recent commitments, including the son of one of Seth's classmates at Dook. Grade: Good feature!

A review of the "commitments" in the 2009 class (sophomores) and a discussion on the silliness of very early commitments (freshmen or sophomores). Grade: Good discussion!

Top three classes in the ACC for 2007, including top commits and top targets and two sleeper classes. Grade: Good step in the right direction, but it would be nice if they spent more time on this and covered the whole conference (similar to what FSN's Countdown to Signing Day used to do by going through each school/class).

Video profile on Danny Hurley (son of Bobby Hurley, brother of Dookie Bobby Hurley), head coach at St Benedict's Prep in New Jersey. Grade: Interesting.

Nano-interviews of recruits but not about basketball. Grade: Silly. (but if you like reality tv crapola, or think "Idol" is not a glorified karaoke show, you may like it).


Show details

The show's webpage is at CSTV and it includes recruiting coverage from Van Coleman and Bill Hodges.

For airtimes of Seth Davis Generation Next, check my daily college basketball tv listings at Ncaa Hoops Today or CSTV's TV schedule page

OJ Mayo mania on ESPN2 Today (Huntington vs Saint Patricks)

*** all times pacific; add +3 for eastern; adjust appropriately for other time zones

LIVE GAMES and new shows!

4pm,OJ Mayo mania on ESPN2!. Huntington of West Virginia has two of the top players of the class of 2007 hosts Saint Patrick's of New Jersey. The other top player being also the top uncommitted player of the class, Patrick Patterson. The game will be played at Marshall's home court (capacity 9000 give or take). OJ Mayo has returned to action without incident in two games. Coverage of the Top 25 prep teams at USA Today Sports. While OJ Mayo is the biggest star, recruiting wise Patrick Patterson is the biggest story because he is the top uncommitted player with everyone going after him. His top teams are (in no order) Kentucky, Florida and duke. But don't count out West Virginia!

430pm, 730pm, 12am, Seth Davis Generation Next, Episode IV, on CSTV.



*** all times pacific; add +3 for eastern; adjust appropriately for other time zones

DePaul signee a Face in the Crowd...

Thanks to Jeff Rutherford for the story and links: DePaul-bound senior Darquavis Tucker, a future college wing player, is featured in SI's Video Faces in the crowd. Tucker was chosen by users of Takkle.com, a social-networking website for high school student-athletes.

Speaking of DePaul, their coach, Jerry W (Weinwright) is going to be - in my opinion - the next John Beilein with a dose of Thad Matta. His Richmond teams were able to bite some of the big names, and this year they beat Kansas and its boatload of McDonalds stars. Beating top-rated teams gives one street-cred with top caliber talent. A college/coach is more likely to get a high-level recruit if they beat Kansas but lose to Iona, rather than beat Iona but lose to Kansas. DePaul is struggling with consistency, but that is not unexpected with college basketball teams. DePaul is on its way to become one of the top recruiting destinations in the upper/lake-midwest. Having said all that, they still have to earn it between the lines...

Bobby Hurley Senior nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame

Bobby Hurley Senior: IN!. If you are not sure, read the book, The Miracle of Saint Anthony. (this is a basketball book, not to be confused with books on religion with similar names). Also available as a $5.49 bargain hardcover (Bargain hardcover books are brand new - but with marks/stamps that they are overstocked books, not to be sold at full price).



A detailed look at all the 2007 nominees for the Basketball Hall of Fame at NcaaHoopsToday

Jeff Peterson feature on Sports Stars of Tomorrow

This week's edition of Sports Stars of Tomorrow has a feature on DeMatha's academic star guard Jeff Peterson and his journey there from the state of Missouri. His teammates include highly ranked prospects Jerai Grant (Harvey Grant's son) and Austin Freeman. Next week's episode will have a feature on UCLA-bound Oregonian Kevin Love.

Hello TheCatsDomain forum users!

Hello TheCatsDomain users, this blog is not affiliated with Seth Davis or CSTV or CBS or SI or ESPN or anybody else. I'm just a basketball fan blogging on the web. I am not Seth Davis!!!

The following thread at TheCatsDomain accidentally attributes my comments on Duke recruiting from a different post to Seth Davis. I don't want Seth Davis to get in trouble for my comments!

Thanks for reading :-)

TV Review: Generation Next, Episode 3

I am putting on my reviewer hat again to review episode 3 of CSTV's Generation Next with Seth Davis, Vance Coleman and Tom Konchalski (one of these days I'll learn how to properly spell his name).

Thumbs up for starting each episode with an update on the latest commitments and for including mid-majors commitments in their coverage.

New player alert: 7-2 sophomore center John Riek Suas

Top 10 juniors discussed (class of 2008)

Paraphrased Quote of the night: From Vance Coleman, Tyreke Evans made Nolan Smith lose his shoes.

Seth Davis interviewed Jai Lucas and his dad John Lucas, father of the Oklahoma State John Lucas of the 2004 Final Four run. According to dad Lucas Jai is more of a pure point guard and his ideal situation would be a team where he is option #3 or #4 on the offense. Dad said he plays better when surrounded by good players, despite his averaging 20+ in HS. The four teams that lead the way are: Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State. Some other teams (duke, iowa, arkansas, florida, nc state) are also showing interest but the first four have the edge. My opinion: Whatever you Lucas family, don't go to Duke! Bad career move!

The episode ended with highlights of the Primetime Shootout in Philly highlighting Pitt's next space-eater inside, DeJuan Blair, a recruit from western PA.

This episode airs twice today (Friday), 1030pm and 230am pacific time on CSTV. It may also be available online at CSTV.com. New episodes of Generation Next air on Thursdays.

TV Listings, Thursday February 15, 2007

*** all times pacific; add +3 for eastern; adjust for other time zones ***
*** please double-check with your local listings ***

Today on TV

430pm, 9pm, 2am, 5am, Seth Davis Generation Next, CSTV. Brand new episode with Seth Davis and recruiting experts Vance Coleman and Tom Konchalwski (sp?).

8pm, from 2004, the McDonalds all-star game dunk and three point competition on ESPN2. A certain LeBron James is involved. Why the rerun at this time? Because it's the NBA All-(injured)-Star weekend!


If you find these listings useful, you can encourage this blog to continue posting them by making your Amazon.com purchases via the affiliate link here or the Amazon logos in the blog.

Saint Patrick's New Jersey vs Huntington West Virginia on ESPN2

Mark your calendars, two high profile prep basketball teams are facing off on ESPN2, on Thursday February 22, 2007, on ESPN2, at 4pm pacific / 7pm eastern. St Patricks of New Jersey faces off with Patrick Patterson's and OJ Mayo's Huntington. OJ Mayo is committed to USC but Patrick Patterson is the most highly ranked uncommitted players with a number of teams, including Florida, Kentucky and Duke, going after his signature.

In my opinion, the best fit for Patrick Patterson is anywhere but Duke. Players succeed in the NBA, not because they play at Duke but despite playing at Duke :-) The lucky ones escape early (eg Corey Maggette, Luol Deng), before Coach K drains the lifeforce out of them! Pick Kentucky or Florida (or anyone else), you get two great coaches in Tubby and Donovan, two great programs, and you play in a nice arena, not a pre-historic cavern with open doors!

Recruiting updates from CSTV

CSTV's recruiting report by Bill Hodges has a number of updates, with commitments and releases featuring Charlotte, Arkansas, Providence, UMass, Clemson, Pepperdine, VCU, Southern Miss, Southern Illinois, San Diego, and a recap of recent transfers. Visit the CSTV site for all the details...

TV Review: Generation Next, episode 2

Another interesting episode of Generation Next on CSTV, featuring Seth Davis and recruiting experts Vance Coleman and Tom Konchalwski (sp?).

New (to me) term: Swing players with respect to post-season all-star games. They are the high profile players that get invited to participate in multiple post-season all-star games, but they are only allowed to participate in two if they want to maintain their NCAA eligibility, so they end up pulling out of one of them.

Paris Horne was called "a poor man's Kobe Bryant". That sounds good for St Johns fans!

The roster for the 2007 Jordan Classic was unveiled. One topic of discussion/controversy/debate was the inclusion of Jordan's son, even though he is ranked by the experts at the mid-major level. But it's (Michael) Jordan's all-star game, and the game is played in Chicago, so it makes sense to include some local kids (his sons play at Loyola something in the Chicago area). My take on this: If Bruce Weber is smart he should offer him a scholarship, even if he does not think he is a Big 10 player right now. Weber badly needs a recruiting edge/boost and getting "blessed" by #23 is just what the doctor ordered. Anyway, back to the TV review...

An update on the OJ Mayo situation, with the referee possibly flopping in order to get OJ Mayo in trouble. The video of this incident is available at YouTube.

Cole Aldrich featured on SST

This week's edition of Sports stars of tomorrow has a feature on Kansas-bound 7-footer Cole Aldrich from Minnesota. The SST story mentions the Paul Bunyan legend. (sounds like Paul Banion or Bannion or Bunnion). Steve Lavin frequently makes Paul Bunyan references when doing Big 10 games, such as Paul "Bunyan" Davis.

During the SST special, they interviewed one of his relatives who said that he'd be very happy if the T-Wolves draft him when goes to the NBA, so he doesn't have to drive for hours to watch him play (in college, at Kansas). Apparently Dan Monson couldn't convince him to stay home...

CSTV Recruiting additions and improvements

CSTV's Recruiting with Bill Hodges continues their excellent resource, but they have also added a daily slog (sports blog) by Bill Hodges, instead of the daily text-based updates. They still maintain their archived columns.

They have also consolidated their recruiting coverage under the "Generation Next" brand, which happens to be the name of their TV show with Seth Davis.

Also Van Coleman of Hoopmasters is contributing to CSTV's recruiting coverage with various online features and TV appearances.

They have also posted their Top 250 of 2007, Top 150 of 2008, Top 60 of 2009, and Top 40 of 2010. They also have team and player databases, multimedia coverage of teams and players along with message boards.

(The CSTV recruiting website is a bit heavy on multimedia and things flashing and jumping around, which can be a bit annoying if you are doing multiple things at once on your computer as they eat up a lot of computer resources).

Unlike most of the other major recruiting sites (Scout, Rivals, ESPN, HoopScoopOnline), CSTV is providing free coverage to the masses. And no, I don't work for CSTV :-)

Of course there is one area of recruiting where I am well ahead of all the recruiting sites and recruiting professionals: I am the only one (as far as I know) to have ranked Embryos :-)

Tonight: New episode of Seth Davis Generation Next

*** Pacific times; add +3 for Eastern; adjust appropriately for other time zones ***

430pm,1030pm, 2am: Seth Davis Generation Next, CSTV. Episode 2 of the new season covering the world of recruiting with Seth Davis of CBS and SI hosting.

*** Pacific times; add +3 for Eastern; adjust appropriately for other time zones ***

Football special: National Signing Day (Wednesday)

A quick note for any football fans who may be reading this blog. Tomorrow is national signing day and it will be celebrated on TV!

ESPNU will have a seven hour marathon with all sorts of specials and live commitments and analysis and who knows what else to fill up seven hours of coverage!

ESPN2 will have a two hour special at 12pm pacific / 3pm Eastern, feeding off the ESPNU coverage

CSTV will have a three hour special, an extended version of Tom Lemming's Generation Next. Original airing will be at 11am pacific/ 2pm eastern,and it will repeat right after, and at 9pm PT/midnight ET, and at 5am/8am of thursday, and 7pm/10pm thursday, and 730pm/1030pm Friday. For more details check cstv.com

I wish they did something like this for college basketball signing day! Media networks are you reading this? :-)

TV Review: Seth Davis Generation Next

Okay now I am putting my TV reviewer hat and I will be reviewing the debut episode of the 2007 season of Seth Davis Generation Next of CSTV. New episodes air every Thursday, with a few repeats depending on the CSTV schedule of that week. It may be available on CSTV Broadband/XXL. Check their website for details.

The show is in a 30-minute time slot, although the actual content runs a bit longer than typical 30-minute shows. It is closer to 25 minutes than 22. So basketball fans we can thank CSTV for the extra minutes!

Seth Davis was the host. Seth Davis is quickly becoming a rising star among basketball analysts as he gets deeper and deeper into the game (summer camps, recruiting, CSTV's Crystal Ball, docs). On a related note, don't miss his candid interview with Rick Pitino on CSTV's "One to One" documentary series.

The recruiting experts guests of the show were Tom Konchalwski (spelling?) and Van Coleman. They went through some of the recent commitments (include Pitt's two Top 100 2008 players), and also said that Duke has a slight edge on Patrick Patterson and Duke is also looking into Jai Lucas (brother of the Oklahoma State Lucas and son of the NBA Lucas), and those two are actually close friends. Apparently Coach K is now specializing in NBA player's sons (Gerald Henderson this year).

Also featured was The Godfather, Sonny Vaccaro talking about his decision to pull the plug on his famous "ABCD camp" (covered on CSTV), and him going solo (mutually agreeing to part ways with the shoe companies). He wants his voice heard on summer hoops (presumably NCAA, NBA, AAU, USA Basketball), and he thinks that he has a better chance of getting his message across by going "solo" instead being contractually affiliated with shoe companies and camps.

Last but not least: Don't get between a camera and John Calipari! This time he found his way in front of the camera talking about 2007 super prep Derrick Rose, who is committed to the AASAA Tigers of Calipari. The NBA rules prohibit Rose from playing in the NBA in 2007, but they can't stop him from playing in an NBA arena next year: Memphis plays at the FedEx Forum, shared with their NBA team, the team formerly known as the Vancouver Grizzlies.

The Jordans vs Eric Gordon, and debut of Generation Next today!

Today is: Thursday February 1st, 2007. All times PACIFIC; add +3 for Eastern

4pm, Loyola Academy of Wilmette, Illinois at North Central, Indiana on ESPN2. Repeats a few times after that on ESPNU. North Central features the "Helen of Troy" of the Big10 (Dennis Miller Monday Night Football joke attempt), Eric Gordon. Loyola Academy features the sons of #23, yes, the sons of Michael Jordan! A made for TV game! USA Today has an excellent preview of this game, including quotes from Clark Francis of Hoop Scoop Online and more on the Jordans.

430pm, 1130pm: Debut of the 2007 season of Seth Davis Generation Next on CSTV. It will also repeat after original broadcast. Check local listings or CSTV.com for more details. I may post a review of it after it airs.