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Big East not as strong as usual
Posted: Wednesday January 10, 2001 1:20 PM
After looking at some of the major post-Christmas holiday tournaments, let's return now to another installment of our in-depth examination of the results of the fall (Nov. 8-15) national signing period, with the focus this week upon the Big East Conference.
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| FALL 2000 BIG EAST RECRUITS |
| 1. 5-11 Md. PG Jonathan Hargett (West Virginia) |
| 2. 6-8 Tenn. PF/SF Harvey Thomas (Georgetown) |
| 3. 6-6 Pa. SF/SG John Allen (Seton Hall) |
| 4. 6-1 Ind. PG/WG Chris Thomas (Notre Dame) |
| 5. 6-2 N.Y. WG/PG Ben Gordon (Connecticut) |
| 6. 6-1 Conn. PG/WG Carl Krauser (Pittsburgh) |
| 7. 6-2 Va. PG Billy Edelin (Syracuse) |
| 8. 6-7 Va. SF Brennan Martin (Villanova) |
| 9. 7-0 N.Y. C Craig Forth (Syracuse) |
| 10. 6-8 Ohio PF/SF Jordan Cornette (Notre Dame) |
| 11. 6-2 Md. PG/WG Tony Bethel (Georgetown) |
| 12. 6-3 Va. WG Ricky Shields (Rutgers) |
| 13. 6-9 Pa. SF/PF Hakim Warrick (Syracuse) |
| 14. 6-6 Ga. SF/WG Josh Pace (Syracuse) |
| 15. 6-3 Mass. PG/WG Jermaine Watson (Boston College) |
| 16. 6-9 N.J. C/PF Marcus Austin (Villanova) |
| 17. 6-10 Conn. PF/C Mark Konecny (Syracuse) |
| 18. 6-6 Conn. SF/PF Eric King (St. John's) |
| 19. 7-0 Conn. C Chris Charles (Seton Hall) |
| 20. 6-7 Va. SF Tyrone Sally (West Virginia) |
| 21. 6-1 N.Y. PG Adrian Walton (Miami) |
| 22. 6-4 Maine WG Drew Schifino (West Virginia) |
| 23. 6-9 N.Y. JC PF Garnett Thompson (Providence) |
| 24. 6-4 Conn. WG/SF Robert Swain (Connecticut) |
| 25. 6-9 Va. PF/C Dimari Thompkins (Virginia Tech) |
| 26. 6-7 La. SF Darrel Owens (Georgetown) |
| 27. 6-2 Mass. PG/WG Juel Wiggan (Rutgers) |
| 28. 6-7 Conn. PF/SF Ryan Gomes (Providence) |
| 29. 6-8 Texas SF/PF Jason McCoy (Rutgers) |
| 30. 7-1 Germany C Kristen Zoellmer (Boston College) |
| 31. 6-7 Ga. PF/SF Jemere Hendrix (Notre Dame) |
| 32. 6-2 Md. PG/WG Drew Hall (Georgetown) |
| 33. 6-1 Canada PG Kyle Wilson (Villanova) |
| 34. 6-6 Conn. SF/PF Rob Sanders (Providence) |
| 35. 6-8 Calif. PF Craig Smith (Boston College) |
| 36. 6-7 Va. PF C.J. Pigford (Virginia Tech) |
| Overall, the 14 members of the Big East didn't recruit exceptionally well last fall, hence the conference's recruiting ranking is No. 6 in the nation, while in some other recent years it has been No. 1 or 2. Three league schools did emerge with national top-25 recruiting classes, but none was ranked higher than 19 (Georgetown), although we may well have underrated Syracuse's crop at 25.
Besides the Hoyas and Orangemen, at least seven other Big East universities gained solid results during the November signing period. The program that inked the premier prospect is West Virginia, where Gale Catlett and his staff (especially new assistant coach Chris Cheeks ) corralled exciting 5-11 1/2 Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian Academy star Jonathan Hargett, a scoring point guard who is ranked No. 11 among all prep seniors. Hargett, incidentally, had minor knee surgery in late December to remove bone fragments and is expected to be back in action very shortly.
Four more of the Big East's individual fall signees currently rank among our national top 50 high school seniors, five others are in the top 100, and an additional 13 are within the top 200 prospects. Also, two others have been ranked among the national top 200 prepsters in previous years, and another is presently a national top-100-caliber junior college sophomore. So this is certainly not a bad array of talent; it just isn't quite as impressive as some of the other power conferences.
Besides Hargett, the six other Big East recruits who are ranked among the nation's top 60 seniors are Georgetown's 6-8 Harvey Thomas (No. 28), an agile and skilled combination forward who has left Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian and apparently is transferring to a school in Memphis; Seton Hall's 6-6 swingman John Allen (No. 35), a deluxe shooter/scorer from Coatesville (Pa.) High; Notre Dame's 6-1 point guard Chris Thomas (No. 38) from Indianapolis Pike; Connecticut's 6-2 wing guard Ben Gordon (No. 44) from Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High; Pittsburgh's 6-1 point guard Carl Krauser (No. 52) from Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More; and Syracuse's 6-2 point guard Billy Edelin (somewhat underrated at No. 59) from nationally top-ranked Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy.
Below are listed the fall 2000 recruits of every Big East school, along with a brief assessment of the results for each program. The table above lists all 36 of the league's recruits in order based on our current player rankings.
| FALL 2000 BIG EAST RECRUITING |
1. GEORGETOWN (No. 19 class nationally)
6-8 Memphis TBA PF/SF Harvey Thomas (No. 28), a native of Fredericksburg (Va.) who played previously for Durham (N.C.) Mount Zion Christian Academy and Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian; 6-2 Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian PG/WG Tony Bethel (No. 107), who played formerly for Forestville (Md.) Bishop McNamara; 6-7 Napoleanville (La.) Assumption SF Darrel Owens (No. 194); and 6-2 Rockville (Md.) Montrose Christian PG/WG Drew Hall (top 325). |
| There's a question whether athletic Owens will qualify academically for freshman eligibility, and we haven't been particularly impressed by Hall, but Thomas is a blue-chip talent and Bethel a very dangerous perimeter marksman. This program continues to be in good shape. |
2. WEST VIRGINIA (No. 20)
5-11 1/2 Fort Washington (Md.) National Christian Academy PG Jonathan Hargett (No. 11), who played previously for Highland Springs (Va.) High and Durham (N.C.) Mount Zion Christian Academy; 6-7 Richmond (Va.) Meadowbrook SF Tyrone Sally (No. 154), who returned to Meadowbrook after playing last year at Durham (N.C.) Mount Zion Christian Academy; and 6-4 North Bridgton (Maine) Bridgton Academy WG Drew Schifino (too low at No. 163), a fifth-year prep who formerly played for Pittsburgh (Pa.) Penn Hills. |
| The Mountaineers got some bad publicity when they ran out of available scholarships and thus reneged on an offer to verbally committed 6-2 Pennsylvania combo guard Travis Eisentrout (who wound up signing with Liberty), but Hargett is a potential All-American, while Schifino and Sally will also both reinforce West Virginia's perimeter attack. |
3. SYRACUSE (No. 23)
6-2 Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy PG Billy Edelin (No. 59), who played previously for Hyattsville (Md.) DeMatha Catholic; 7-0 East Greenbush (N.Y.) Columbia C Craig Forth (No. 88); 6-9 Philadelphia Friends Central SF/PF Hakim Warrick (No. 120); 6-6 Griffin (Ga.) High SF/WG Josh Pace (No. 121); and 6-10 Waterbury (Conn.) Holy Cross PF/C Mark Konecny (No. 133). |
| This is the league's deepest fall recruiting class, and it may well end up being the best if Edelin proves that he can knock in jump shots, Forth performs significantly better than he has for the past year, and Warrick reaches his considerable potential by gaining strength and improving his shot selection. |
4. NOTRE DAME (top 35)
6-1 Indianapolis Pike PG/WG Chris Thomas (No. 38); 6-8 Cincinnati St. Xavier PF/SF Jordan Cornette (No. 98); and 6-7 Covington (Ga.) Eastside PF/SF Jemere Hendrix (top 325). |
| Big-timer Thomas is the crucial addition, as he's a prolific scorer, but Cornette (a leaper with a smooth jump shot) and sleeper Hendrix (a mobile athlete) also show promise to contribute early for Mike Brey's solid program. |
5. SETON HALL (top 40)
6-6 Coatesville (Pa.) High SF/WG John Allen (No. 35); and verbally committed 7-0 Milford (Conn.) Milford Academy C Chris Charles (No. 149), a Milwaukee native who transferred to Milford from York (Pa.) Crispus Attucks. |
| Tommy Amaker continues to accumulate promising prospects, and he hopes use the two remaining scholarships to corral 6-5 Albany (Ga.) Westover SF Greg Tinch (No. 51), who backed off a fall verbal commitment to the Pirates, plus perhaps a guard in the spring. |
6. VILLANOVA (top 45)
6-7 Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy SF Brennan Martin (No. 82), a fifth-year prep who formerly starred for Mission Viejo (Calif.) Trabuco Hills; 6-9 Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick C/PF Marcus Austin (No. 131); and verbally committed 6-1 White Rock (British Columbia) White Rock Christian Academy PG Kyle Wilson (top 325). |
| While this isn't a bad group (Martin is a fine shooter and Austin a good athlete), coach Steve Lappas continues to struggle to snare the quality of players that Rollie Massimino used to bring in, so the Wildcats are no longer national or Big East title contenders. |
7. CONNECTICUT (top 50)
6-2 Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High WG/PG Ben Gordon (No. 44); and 6-4 Milford (Conn.) Milford Academy WG/SF Robert Swain, a fifth-year prep who was ranked No. 157 in the Class of 2000 as a senior at East Point (Ga.) Tri-Cities. |
| Coach Jim Calhoun has plenty of backcourtmen in the fold, but to maintain his program at an elite national level, he needs to get some big men with the three scholarships he still has available. Gordon possesses lots of ability but must improve his decision-making a great deal in order to become a collegiate point guard. |
8. RUTGERS (top 55)
6-3 Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy WG Ricky Shields (No. 119), a fifth-year prep who played previously for Riverdale (Md.) Parkdale; 6-2 1/2 Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame PG/WG Juel Wiggan (top 225), a native of New York City; and 6-8 Houston Milby SF/PF Jason McCoy (top 275). |
| The Scarlet Knights have added plenty of quickness, and both Shields and sleeper Wiggan are better than their reputations. But coach Kevin Bannon needs to bring in some beef in the spring. |
9. BOSTON COLLEGE (top 65)
6-3 Marion (Mass.) Tabor Academy PG/WG Jermaine Watson (who's better than his ranking of No. 126); 7-1 German C Kristen Zoellmer (top 300?); and 6-8 Los Angeles Fairfax PF Craig Smith (top 350). |
| The Eagles are flying high as one of the nation's biggest surprises thus far this season, and better-than-advertised Watson (who scored 50 points in a tournament game in December) should have an immediate opportunity to contribute. Zoellmer is somewhat of a mystery, and one scholarship is available for spring use. |
10. PROVIDENCE (top 70)
6-9 Suffolk (N.Y.) CC PG Garnett Thompson (top-100 junior college sophomore); verbally committed 6-7 PF/SF Ryan Gomes, a 2000 graduate of Waterbury (Conn.) Wilby (ranked No. 294 then) who is working on his test scores and might enroll for the spring term at Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame; and 6-6 Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More SF/PF Rob Sanders (top 350), a native of New York City. |
| This once-proud program has faltered somewhat in recent years, and coach Tim Welsh, who has two scholarships available (likely for guards) in the spring, is bringing in a lot more sleepers than obvious big-timers, which makes it tough to consistently succeed in the Big East. |
11. PITTSBURGH (top 75)
6-1 Oakdale (Conn.) St. Thomas More PG/WG Carl Krauser (No. 52), a New York City native. |
| We like Krauser -- who drives and shoots well -- a great deal, but this program still needs more primetime players (including, hopefully, a frontcourt signee in the spring) in order to become a Big East contender. |
12. VIRGINIA TECH
6-9 PF/C Dimari Thompkins, a former Lakeland (Fla.) Lake Gibson ace who attended Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy as a fifth-year prep (ranked No. 170 in the Class of 1999), didn't qualify academically for collegiate freshman eligibility, and has been working ever since; and 6-7 Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy PF C.J. Pigford (top 400), a native of Rieglewood, N.C. |
| If Thompkins has kept up his game, he could be a major find for Ricky Stokes' program, which has its work cut out to compete successfully in this league. |
13. ST. JOHN'S
6-6 Milford (Conn.) Milford Academy SF/PF Eric King (No. 134), a fifth-year prep who played previously for Brooklyn (N.Y.) Lincoln. |
| Coach Mike Jarvis already has a strong nucleus of young talent, and he also has two available scholarships with which to attract a scoring guard (perhaps Tallahassee JC WG Marcus Hatten) and big man in the spring. |
14. MIAMI (FLA.)
6-1 1/2 Bronx (N.Y.) Regional PG Adrian Walton (No. 160), who was at Milford (Conn.) Milford Academy last year. |
| Walton is a solid recruit, but coach Perry Clark needs to make good use in the spring of his three available scholarships. We expect he will, since he's always been a strong recruiter. |
Regional Notes
For each geographic region, one player will be mentioned whose reputation has risen markedly via stellar play over the holidays. One or two other items of interest per region are also provided.
EAST
Olu Babalola, a 6-7, 245-pound senior power forward at Richland (N.J.) St. Augustine, is a native of England who stood out at the Slam Dunk to the Beach Invitational in Lewes, Del. He signed in November with Clemson.
While backcourtmate Ben Gordon (see above) gets most of the ink, 5-11 junior wing guard William Cherry of Mount Vernon (N.Y.) High showed at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, S.C., that he's a much more reliable three-point shooter than Gordon.
SOUTH
Alexander Johnson, a 6-10 junior center at Albany (Ga.) Dougherty, has emerged this season as an elite big man who is getting attention now from a plethora of big-time programs.
Virginia Commonwealth, which loses three senior guards after the current season, has gained a recent verbal commitment from 6-1 Richmond (Va.) Meadowbrook senior PG/WG Mark Adams (unranked). He averaged 13.4 ppg last year en route to second-team All-Central District recognition, and thus far this season he's averaging 10.3 points and five assists per contest.
MIDWEST
Rian Powell, a 6-3 junior wing guard at Cleveland Benedictine, excelled throughout the Slam Dunk to the Beach Invitational, although his team did not give him a whole lot of help.
Jimmy McKinney, a 6-4 junior swingman for once-beaten St. Louis Vashon, has had an outstanding season highlighted by being named MVP of the Poplar Bluff (Mo.) Showdown, where he averaged 20.3 ppg in three games.
Michael Thompson, a 6-10, 250-pound junior center at New Lenox (Ill.) Providence Catholic who's averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocked shots per game, gave a recent early verbal commitment to Duke over Illinois, North Carolina, Georgetown, Stanford, Notre Dame and Michigan.
SOUTHWEST
Stanley Asumnu, an unsigned 6-4 senior wing guard for Houston Westbury Christian, somehow didn't make the All-Tournament Team at the Beach Ball Classic, but he impressed us as a definite national top-125-caliber prospect who just might wind up in the top 100. Asumnu, who's considering Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Baylor and others, is a fine three-point shooter as well as an excellent run/jump athlete.
Xavier fall signee Jaison Williams, a 6-2 PG/WG, has been dismissed from the team at Aurora (Colo.) Hinkley. We'll provide more details as they become available.
Emeka Okafor (No. 105), an unsigned 6-9 senior C/PF at Bellaire (Texas) High, has reopened his recruitment and now is hearing from N.C. State, Connecticut and others, in addition to previous "finalists" Vanderbilt and Rice.
WEST
Bobby Jones, a 6-6 junior SF/PF for Compton (Calif.) Dominguez, has developed into one of the premier underclassmen on the West Coast and will be very widely recruited, even though he struggled versus loaded Sugar Land (Texas) Willowridge in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Invitational.
Alex Graham (unranked), a 6-11 senior center at Redlands (Calif.) High, recently verbally committed to Long Beach State over Princeton, New Mexico and others.
Chris Massie, a highly regarded 6-8, 260-pound sophomore power forward at Oxnard (Calif.) JC who signed in November with Memphis, was suspended indefinitely from his juco team in early January.
Brick Oettinger is talent evaluator for the Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook and recruiting columnist for the ACC Area Sports Journal. For more information on either publication, call 1-800-447-7667.
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