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Florida International crop surprises
Posted: Wednesday January 24, 2001 2:48 PM
Since the conclusion of the eight-day (Nov. 8-15) fall national signing period, we've provided seven installments (one for each of the power conferences) summarizing the results. But what about the other 230 or so Division I schools? How did they fare? Which of them snared particularly impressive, national-caliber recruiting classes in the fall?
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| TOP FALL 2000 NON-POWER CONFERENCE RECRUITS |
| 1. 6-9 N.J. PF/SF Taurance Johnson (Florida International) |
| 2. 6-5 Ohio WG/SF Keith Jackson (Xavier) |
| 3. 6-6 Calif. SF/PF Jamaal Williams (New Mexico) |
| 4. 6-6 Md. SF/WG Eddie Basden (UMass) |
| 5. 6-2 N.J. WG Ernest Turner (UNLV) |
| 6. 6-10 Mass. C/PF Darius Manciel (TCU) |
| 7. 6-6 Fla. SF T.J. Waldon (Old Dominion) |
| 8. 6-5 N.C. SF Antonio Hargrove (Virginia Commonwealth) |
| 9. 6-4 Fla. WG/PG Martin Osmani (Utah) |
| 10. 6-8 Col. PF Patrick Simpson (SMU) |
| 11. 11. 6-2 Fla. WG/PG Carlos Morban (Florida International) |
| 12. 6-11 N.Y. C Simplice Njoya (UNLV) |
| 13. 5-9 1/2 Ariz. PG Jason Fontenet (New Mexico State) |
| 14. 6-8 Ohio PF Danny Horace (Miami, Ohio) |
| 15. 7-0 N.M. C Chris Jackson (Utah) |
| 16. 6-7 Fla. SF/PF Rafael Luis (Florida International) |
| 17. 6-11 Mass. C Brian Carter (TCU) |
| 18. 6-8 Mass. PF Maurecio Branwell (UMass) |
| 19. 6-11 Calif. C Chad Bell (New Mexico) |
| 20. 6-8 Fla. PF Glen Elliott (Temple) |
| 21. 6-8 N.Y. C/PF Wendell Gibson (Hofstra) |
| 22. 6-4 N.Y. WG/SF Chris McRae (Hofstra) |
| 23. 6-5 Calif. WG/PG Eddie Draughan (Yale) |
| 24. 6-8 Fla. PF/C Johan Rivera (Florida International) |
| 25. 6-6 Ga. SF/WG Jarius Glenn (Tulsa) |
| 26. 6-8 Utah PF Jared Jensen (Brigham Young) |
| 27. 5-11 Ill. PG Jason Straight (Wyoming) |
| 28. 6-7 Va. PF/SF James Smith (Old Dominion) |
| 29. 6-4 La. WG Corey Dean (Louisiana Tech) |
| 30. 6-9 Texas PF/SF Marcus Sloan (TCU) |
| 31. 6-1 Mich. PG Corey Santee (TCU) |
| 32. 6-4 Calif. WG Eric Osmundson (Utah) |
| This week, in our eighth (and final) installment on the November signing period, we'll provide answers to those questions raised in the previous paragraph. Remember that, as usual, the seven power conferences (ACC, Pac-10, SEC, Conference USA, Big Ten, Big East and Big 12) truly did dominate the recruitment of elite high school prospects. From our preseason list of the nation's top 100 prep seniors, a total of 87 signed binding letters of intent in November, and 82 of those 87 inked with members of the power conferences.
The five top-100-caliber prepsters headed to other Division I schools are (with current national ranking, collegiate destination and conference): 6-9 Glassboro (N.J.) Faith Christian PF/SF Taurance Johnson (No. 39, Florida International, Sun Belt); 6-5 1/2 Cincinnati Purcell Marian WG/SF Keith Jackson (No. 50, Xavier, Atlantic 10); 6-6 Corona (Calif.) Centennial SF/PF Jamaal Williams (No. 61, New Mexico, Mountain West); 6-6 Greenbelt (Md.) Eleanor Roosevelt SF/WG Eddie Basden (No. 72, Massachusetts, Atlantic 10); and 6-2 Somerdale (N.J.) Sterling WG Ernest Turner (No. 79, UNLV, Mountain West).
With the next best prep prospects, however, non-members of power conferences recruited much more successfully, landing a total of 26 players from the second 100, including 11 ranked between 101 and 150. In addition, 12 of the premier 75 junior-college sophomores signed with Division I schools that aren't in one of the power conferences, which isn't bad when you consider that 43 of those 75 remain unsigned.
Among the prime jucos bound for one of the relatively less prominent leagues are 6-9 Wabash Valley (Ill.) JC PF/C Hiram Fuller (Fresno State, WAC), 6-5 San Jacinto (Texas) JC WG Antonio Falu (Valparaiso, Mid-Continent), 6-1 Calhoun (Ala.) CC PG Eric Tutt (Georgia State, Trans America), 6-10 Marshalltown (Iowa) CC C Joe Sykes (Louisiana Tech, Sun Belt), and the Odessa (Texas) JC duo of 6-9 PF Sylbrin Robinson and 6-6 SF Cornelius Wright (both to Northeastern, America East).
Following the top seven leagues in the overall conference recruiting rankings for the fall come the Mountain West, Sun Belt, Atlantic 10, Western Athletic Conference and America East. Among individual colleges, surprising Florida International (ranked No. 22) is the only non-member of a power conference to have corralled one of the nation's best 25 fall recruiting classes, although the crops of Texas Christian, UNLV, Utah, Massachusetts, Xavier, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Old Dominion and Hofstra all rate among the best 65 nationally. The signees of these 10 schools are listed below, along with a brief comment assessing their recruiting. In the table above are the 31 members of the prep class of 2001 -- and one well-regarded player from the class of 2000 -- who signed fall national letters with non-members of power conferences.
| TOP FALL 2000 NON-POWER CONFERENCE RECRUITING |
1. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (No. 22 class nationally)
6-9 Glassboro (N.J.) Faith Christian PF/SF Taurance Johnson (No. 39); 6-2 Miami Christian and Puerto Rico PG/WG Carlos Morban (No. 122); 6-7 Miami Northwest Christian and Puerto Rico SF/PF Rafael Luis (No. 139); and 6-8 Miami Christian and Puerto Rico PF/C Johan Rivera (No. 174). |
| New coach Donnie Marsh has recruited superbly, so look for the Golden Panthers to quickly rise to the top of the Sun Belt Conference. |
2. TEXAS CHRISTIAN (top 65)
6-10 Winchendon (Mass.) Winchendon School C/PF Darius Manciel (No. 142 is too low); 6-11 Winchendon (Mass.) Winchendon School C Brian Carter (No. 144 and a January 2001 enrollee at TCU); 6-9 Houston Eisenhower PF/SF Marcus Sloan (No. 191); and 6-1 Detroit Southwestern PG Corey Santee (No. 192). |
| Billy Tubbs has proven once again that he can definitely recruit. |
3. UNLV (top 65)
6-2 Somerdale (N.J.) Sterling WG Ernest Turner (No. 79); 6-11 Dobbs Ferry (N.Y.) Masters School C Simplice Njoya (No. 123); and 6-2 Dixie (Utah) JC WG/PG Marcus Banks (top 75 JC soph). |
| What effect will the sudden coaching change (from Billy Bayno to Max Good to ... Rick Pitino or whomever) and NCAA sanctions have on this program? Two scholarships remain available for the spring. |
4. UTAH (top 65)
6-4 Hialeah (Fla.) Champagnat Catholic and Uruguay WG/PG Martin Osmani (No. 104); 7-0 Los Alamos (N.M.) High C Chris Jackson (No. 136); and 6-4 San Diego St. Augustine WG Eric Osmundson (No. 198). |
| In recent years, the Cyclones have often gotten more than expected from relatively unheralded prospects, and it might happen again with this foursome, though Morgan needs more consistency and Schaper additional strength. A scholarship could be given to a center or another backcourtman in the spring. |
5. MASSACHUSETTS (top 65)
6-6 Greenbelt (Md.) Eleanor Roosevelt SF/WG Eddie Basden (No. 72); 6-8 Fitchburg (Mass.) Notre Dame Prep PF Maurecio Branwell (No. 151); and 6-2 Winchendon (Mass.) Winchendon School WG/PG Jeremiah King (top 300). |
| This is a good group, but is it enough for coach Bruiser Flint to keep his job after this season's struggles? |
6. XAVIER (top 65)
6-5 1/2 Cincinnati Purcell Marian WG/SF Keith Jackson (No. 50); 6-9 Indianapolis Warren Central C/PF Will Caudle (top 300); and 6-2 Aurora (Colo.) Hinkley PG/WG Jaison Williams (top 350, but booted from his high school team this season). |
| Look for the athletic Jackson to be one of the very best newcomers in the Atlantic 10 next season, if not the best. |
7. NEW MEXICO (top 65)
6-6 Corona (Calif.) Centennial SF/PF Jamaal Williams (No. 61); and 6-11 Los Angeles Westchester C Chad Bell (No. 161). |
| Coach Fran Fraschilla has already done an impressive job of tapping into the huge talent pool in Southern California, and he has two more scholarships to work with in the spring. |
8. NEW MEXICO STATE (top 65)
5-9 1/2 Phoenix St. Mary's PG Jason Fontenet (No. 124); 6-9 Garden City (Kans.) CC PF/C Chris Jackson (top 100 JC soph); 6-8 Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe PF Jemel McClendon (top 350); and 6-1 Phoenix St. Mary's WG James Fontenet (top 350). |
| The presence of quickster Jason Fontenet ensures that the Aggies will play an uptempo game. |
9. OLD DOMINION (top 65)
6-6 Lakeland (Fla.) Kathleen SF T.J. Waldon (No. 103); and 6-7 Virginia Beach Cape Henry Collegiate Prep PF/SF James Smith (No. 181). |
| Waldon has the potential to be every bit as good as his brother B.B., a star at South Florida. |
10. HOFSTRA (top 65)
6-4 Bronx (N.Y.) St. Raymond's WG/SF Chris McRae (No. 172); and 6-8 Briarwood (N.Y.) Archbishop Molloy C/PF Wendell Gibson (No. 175). |
| Coach Jay Wright's deceptively strong program continues to bring in well-regarded prospects from New York City. Gibson, in particular, has had a very good senior season against excellent competition. |
Regional nuggets
For the next five weeks, we'll identify our current choices as the best senior and junior at every court position for each geographic region. This week the focus is on centers. A few recent verbal commitments are also included.
EAST
Top senior center: 6-10 Winchendon (Mass.) Winchendon School fifth-year senior Darius Manciel, a former Detroit Pershing star who has signed with Texas Christian, has been extremely impressive at times this season. He gets the nod over more publicized big men such as 7-0 New Yorker Craig Forth, a Syracuse recruit.
Top junior center: 6-10 Atlanta native Sani Ibrahim, Manciel's teammate and a junior at Winchendon, has the potential to be a national top-five prospect in the class of 2002.
Dartmouth gained a commitment from 6-8 Elon (N.C.) Western Alamance senior C/PF Brandon Smith (top 600).
SOUTH
Top senior center: Uncommitted 7-0, 300-pound Senegal native DeSagana Diop of Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy gets the nod by a narrow margin over unsigned 7-0 Tennesseean David Harrison, who's posting 31 points per game. Diop is considering North Carolina, Virginia, Miami (Fla.) and the NBA. Note that unsigned possible super Ousmane Cisse from Alabama and Mali is being placed in the power forward category, since that will be his future position.
Top junior center: Even though he's been declared ineligible to play this season for Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange, there's no doubt that 6-10 superstar Amare Stoudemire is the No. 1 junior center prospect in the South. He almost certainly will go directly from high school to the NBA.
Wake Forest has received a verbal commitment from 6-10, 230-pound Fork Union (Va.) Fork Union Military Academy C John Chappell (top 350), a Milwaukee native and the son of former Demon Deacons All-American Len Chappell. He was also offered scholarships by finalists Oregon and St. Louis, among others.
South Carolina gained a verbal commitment from 6-8 Dodge City (Kans.) CC SF Pawel Storozynski (top 75 JC soph), a sharpshooter who was also pursued by Illinois, Kansas State, Tennessee and Oregon.
MIDWEST
Top senior center: The No. 1 big man in the Midwest and in the nation is 6-11, 290-pound South Holland (Ill.) Thornwood's Eddy Curry, who has signed with DePaul but might still enter the NBA draft this year.
Top junior center: While we're not completely sold on him based on what we've observed the past two summers, 6-10, 250-pounder Michael Thompson of New Lenox (Ill.) Providence Catholic is in the midst of an outstanding season and recently gave an early verbal commitment to Duke.
6-10 Benton Harbor (Mich.) High C/PF Robert Whaley (No. 27), the cream of Missouri's signing class, will stand trial on two charges of felony sexual assault for allegedly raping a 13-year-old last Nov. 23. Should the Tigers cut him loose, as expected, Missouri would still have an excellent trio of signees, but the team would be lean in the post, where Whaley was expected to team with current freshman Arthur Johnson.
SOUTHWEST
Top senior center: He's not there yet because of the need for more physical strength and better post moves, but 6-11 Phoenix St. Mary's senior center Channing Frye possesses mobility and outstanding promise as a shotblocker. He's signed with Arizona. Texas in-state signee Chris Wright, who stands 6-10, also received serious consideration.
Top junior center: We're concerned about his recent weight gain, but 6-9 1/2 Midwest City (Okla.) High star Shelden Williams still appears to be a big-time prospect.
WEST
Top senior center: Unsigned 7-1, 223-pound Tyson Chandler of Compton (Calif.) Dominguez has been hyped since his freshman year yet has been quite inconsistent at times. Nevertheless, he's unquestionably a superb prospect with athleticism and body control that cannot be taught. If he doesn't enter the 2001 NBA draft, he'll likely sign this spring with UCLA.
Top junior center: One of the best three or four junior big men in the nation is 6-9 1/2 DeAngelo Collins of Inglewood (Calif.) High, even though he was outplayed by Sani Ibrahim (mentioned above) in a fall matchup.
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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