Hold’n Court: The HoopGroup Blogs

*There are currently 6 teams who still remain undefeated:  Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Mississippi and Washington St.

*2 new teams have entered the Bracks this week:  Northern Arizona & UNLV

*Creighton is the 1 at-large team removed from the Bracks due to their loss at home vs. Illinois St.

*Dayton’s 25 point home win vs #6 Pittsburgh bumps them up to a 5 seed.  The Atlantic 10 continues to play really well against top competition and will surely be a multiple bid league for the NCAA tourney

*As non-conference play comes to an end, here are my rankings of the top 10 conferences in the country:

1)Big 12  2)Pac-10  3)ACC  4)Big East  5)Big Ten  6)SEC  7)Atlantic 10  8.)Missouri Valley  9)Mountain West  10)Conference USA

*Most surprising loss of the week = Illinois at home vs Tennessee St.

*Best matchups this upcoming week:

1) West Virginia @ Notre Dame

2) Providence @ Marquette

3) UCLA @ Stanford

4) Kansas @ Boston College

5) Virginia @ Xavier

6) UMass @ Vanderbilt

7) St. Mary’s @ Texas

8) Pittsburgh @ Villanova

9) Marquette @ West Virginia

10) North Carolina @ Clemson

*As we move into conference play, RPI/SOS will now loom large.  Will the teams in the Bracks now be there at the end?  Chances are some won’t even be mentioned come Selection Sunday, but now is their time to prove that they belong in the Facts & Bracks

I just returned home from a road trip to Memphis, Tennessee where I saw the Memphis Tigers defeat the Georgetown Hoyas 85-71 in a game that featured two of the top teams in the country.  It was a tight game the whole 1st half, and Georgetown actually led by 8 at one point.  But, as the 2nd half rolled around here’s what happened:

*Roy Hibbert was a non-factor (6 pts, 6 reb)

*Georgetown couldn’t make free throws (12-23)

*Memphis dominated the offensive glass (16 off reb, Joey Dorsey had 8 of them)

*Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose of Memphis had 24 and 18 respectively and were able to breakdown Georgetown’s zone and pull away midway through the 2nd half

As a result of all of this, Georgetown gets bumped down to a 4 seed in my latest projections, while Memphis remains a 1 seed.  I do feel, however, that Georgetown has the tools to be a contendor for the national championship.  Although they lost Jeff Green to the NBA, this Georgetown team is much deeper than it’s been in years past.  If this team can gel throughout Big East play, then they will be a major factor down the stretch.

*With Mississippi’s win over Clemson, they have finally earned their way into the Bracks.  Also entering for the first time is Stanford and Oklahoma.

*Teams that dropped out of the Bracks are: Arkansas, California and Missouri

*Right now, there are 3 clear #1 seeds…North Carolina, Memphis and Kansas.  UCLA becomes a #1 almost by default, as Texas and Duke both lost this week.

*Pittsburgh’s big win at MSG over Duke bumped them up from a 4 seed to a 2 seed

And of course…here are my latest FACTS & BRACKS

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Once again, North Jersey was the epicenter of HS basketball this weekend for the Hoop Group Tip Off Classic at Seton Hall. Eleven games over 2 days showcased the top players, coaches and teams in NJ. As you sit there and watch all of the talent on display, you have to ask yourself the question, “Why is NJ high school basketball so good?” Well, it starts with the coaches. Bob Hurley, Kevin Boyle and Danny Hurley have shown that they are 3 of the best in the nation. Bob Hurley has built tiny St Anthony into the most recognizable HS program in the country on his way to the Hall of Fame. Kevin Boyle is the reigning National HS Coach of the Year and the most energetic sideline coach I have ever seen on any level. Danny Hurley has turned St Benedict’s into the new Oak Hill.

But while they are the best known of the coaches from the Garden State, they are certainly not Jersey’s only elite coaches. Bob Farrell has won an amazing 678 games in his 31 years at Seton Hall Prep. Nick Mariniello has taken tiny Bloomfield Tech and made them a state power with 2 appearances in the TOC final. Phil Colicchio won 30 games last year at Linden. You get the idea. The more you see games throughout the state, you realize how lucky the players and fans are to have such a deep, talented and dedicated group of coaches throughout the state. They will help ensure that the quality of play and the quality of the players remains at a national level.

Weekend Notes: 

*Sometimes it is too hard for kids to live up to everyone’s expectations. With the internet and the additional attention now given to high school basketball, players are sometimes not allowed to develop their games without people picking them apart. This weekend there were 2 great examples of this, John Riek and Dexter Strickland. After the LeBron James camp this summer, Riek was anointed a NBA lottery pick. This was based on an extensive basketball resume of all of about 5 days. While watching Riek play, it is obvious that everyone got ahead of themselves. Clearly he has the potential to play in the league, but he is a long way off. It has to be hard for a 7’2 to live up to expectations on the HS or prep level. People just assume with his size he should dominate against 6’5 post players. It doesn’t just automatically work that way. If people give him time to develop under the guidance of one of the top coaches in the country, Mike Byrnes, he has a chance. But if everyone around Riek tries to make everything right away, I think it will be a mistake. As for Strickland, there is no question to me that he is one of the best juniors in the country. But fans and media have to stop trying to make final judgments after every game. Even though his team beat a solid Science Park team fairly easily on Sunday, Dexter did not play well. Guess what. It happens to everyone. Even Michael Jordan had bad games. I don’t think NBA fans and media kept wondering if he was overrated or if something was wrong with his game. We need to give HS players the same leeway, if not more. They are just kids who are still developing their game. The final judgments aren’t due for YEARS.

*Just like college basketball, more and more underclassmen are making big impacts. The freshman and sophomore classes are loaded. Here are a couple of the players that impressed this weekend: Tavon Sledge, Ozan Dilik, Vaughn Gray, Sterling Gibbs, Tristan Thompson, Myck Kabongo, Mike Poole, Shaquille Thomas, Jermaine Pert, Fuquan Edwin, Jayon James, Shaquille Stokes, Kevin Boyle, and Michael Gilchrist to name of few. With these players, the sky is the limit. The 2010 and 2011 classes may be 2 of the best ever in NJ.

*But the best sophomore of the whole event did not even play at Seton Hall. Instead, she was at Kean University showing college coaches and fans why she is the best sophomore in the country. Laurin Mincy followed up her state tournament MVP performance as a FRESHMAN with 16 points in University’s hard fought 55-45 win over St Elizabeth (DE). If you haven’t seen her play, do yourself a favor and get to one of her games. I promise you it will be worth the trip.

*Great to see so many head coaches at the event. Jay Wright, Bob Huggins, Bobby Gonzalez, Phil Martelli, Glen Miller, Randy Monroe and John Dunne were just some in attendance along with dozens of assistant coaches and scouting services. Also great to see Chris Lawlor is his new role with ESPN.com. After so many years as the guru of HS sports with USA Today, he will now help make ESPN the leader in HS sports as well.

*Finally, you know we are in a new media age when you see TV cameras following Bob Hurley and St Anthony’s every move. ESPN is doing a season long documentary on the legendary coach and team. Could this season be a repeat of the year in which Adrian Wojnarowski followed the Friars for his sensational book, “Miracle of St Anthony?” Remember the Friars went undefeated that year. With 6 high level Division 1 signees and junior sensation, Dominic Cheek, it is a strong possibility. 

HERE’S THE DEAL

The big story of the week was the St Benedict’s win over Oak Hill on ESPN last Thursday night. The two teams battled throughout, but in the end, the depth of the Grey Bees and the timely shooting of junior Tamir Jackson gave Benedict’s the win. We felt a little early season vindication as we were the only poll, which we know of, that had St Benedict’s ahead of Oak Hill before the game. Oak Hill followed up the Benedict’s loss with a one point setback to Richmond Benedictine.

The other top games of the week saw Gonzaga defeat Bishop O’Connell in a key DC Catholic League early season contest and then O’Connell bounced back to defeat DeMatha. Up in New York City, St Raymond’s defeated cross town rival Christ the King, in overtime, 95-90 in as good a game as you will see all year. Four of the top seven teams all recorded victories over the week end in The Hoop Group Tip–Off Classic at Seton Hall University. St Anthony, St Benedict’s, St Patrick, and St Raymond’s all recorded impressive wins during the two day event.

The next update of the poll will be Monday, January 7^th. Look for a lot of movement as many of our top teams travel throughout the country during the Christmas Holiday. And now onto the teams in question…Deal… or No Deal?

For this weeks version of Facts & Bracks, I decided to input team’s RPI/SOS.  Although it is too early in the season to really look deep into those numbers, it is still interesting to note them. 

*The Atlantic 10 is really making a strong push–I currently have 4 teams in the Bracks from the A10, with UMass making its first appearance after a big win at state rival Boston College…Rhode Island, Xavier, and Dayton continue to impress against top competition

*After looking at RPI/SOS I have come to the conclusion that, AS OF NOW, Florida is not in. With an RPI of 132 and SOS of 294 and 0 quality wins, they are not automatically in as a result of last year’s performance.  But, we will see a rematch of last year’s NCAA title game when they go on the road against Ohio St. this coming Saturday.  Unfortuantely, however, the two teams have completely changed due to NBA defection and graduation.  Should be a good one, nonetheless. 

 *There are still 13 teams in Division 1 who remain undefeated as of 12-17 (some may surprise you):  North Carolina, Memphis, Duke, Texas, Kansas, Georgetown, Washington St., Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Miami (FL), Mississippi, Sam Houston St., and Texas-Arlington

*Best game of the week will be this Saturday in Memphis, where the Memphis Tigers take on the Georgetown Hoyas.  I will be in attendance for this matchup between two of the top teams in the country and hopefully it lives up to its billing.

Again, I am open to any and all comments/suggestions

…But, for now, enjoy my Facts & Bracks

Let the hoops begin! The Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic is set for this weekend at Seton Hall. The 11 games include 22 teams, and 19 of them are ranked in NJ Hoops top 40. As always NJ Hoops will have complete coverage. A quick preview:

Saturday December 15

NJ Hoops
Brian Dougher

Noon- Scotch Plains-Fanwood vs. Neptune

Two deep, good high school teams both ranked in NJ Hoops top 20, as Neptune is 15th and Scotch Plains 17th. Neptune has an edge in quickness but must shut down high scoring 6-foot Stony Brook bound Brian Dougher.

1:40 p.m.- Bloomfield Tech vs. Hackensack

7th ranked Group 1 state power Bloomfield Tech will have a size disadvantage against the 23rd ranked Comets. 6-foot-6 Iona bound Sr. Keon Williams will be a handful for Bloomfield Tech to stop. Bloomfield Tech has the edge in big game experience and 5-foot-10 Sr. RJ Hall.

3:20 p.m.- St. Benedict’s vs. Winchendon (Mass.) Prep

St. Benedict’s Prep team is rated as the 3rd best prep team in the state by NJ Hoops and is led by 6-foot-1 Penn bound Zach Rosen and 6-foot Dwan McMillan. Winchendon is led by what many consider the top big man in the country John Riek. Former Wildwood Catholic star Anthony Raffa runs the point for Winchendon.

5 p.m.- Don Bosco vs. Bridgewater-Raritan

12th ranked Bergen Jamboree champ Don Bosco will face the challenge from 22nd ranked Somerset County power Bridgewater. 6-foot-3 Iona bound Sr. Kyle Smyth leads Don Bosco and 6-foot-6 Felician bound Sr. Andrew August.

	NJ Hoops
	Billy Oliver

6:40 p.m.- Christian Brothers Academy vs. Chatham

Shore power CBA ranked 8th by NJ Hoops will face defending Group 2 state champion, 16th ranked Chatham. Chatham is powered by 6-foot-8 Penn State bound Billy Oliver. High scoring guards Mike Kuhn and Brian Neller lead CBA.

8:20 p.m.- Seton Hall Prep vs. Columbia

This annual Tip-Off matchup features 3rd ranked Seton Hall against 24th ranked Columbia. Pitt bound Ashton Gibbs will be hounded by a solid Columbia backcourt of Jameel Grace and Jvon Raymond

Sunday, Dec. 16

NJ Hoops
Gregory Echenique

1 p.m.- St. Benedict’s vs. Bloomfield

St. Benedict’s, coming off a win on ESPN over #1 nationally ranked Oak Hill should coast over Bloomfield in what might be the only mismatch of the weekend. Bloomfield has no answers for 6-foot-9 Louisville bound Samardo Samuels and 6-foot-9 Jr. Gregory Echenique.

2:40 p.m.- Linden vs. St. Joseph (Montvale)

Look for the defensive pressure from defending Gr. 4 champ, #4 Linden to be to much for 32nd ranked St. Joes.

4:20 p.m.- Paterson Catholic vs. St. Raymond’s (New York)

A very intriguing contest as 6th ranked Paterson Catholic will play undefeated NYC power St. Ray’s. Seton Hall bound Sr. Jordan Theodore leads an oustanding young team for PC. West Virginia bound 6-foot-2 Sr. Darryl Bryant is one of three stars for St. Ray’s along with juniors Omari Lawrence and Kevin Parom

6 p.m.- St. Anthony vs. Hun

St. Anthony’s with six seniors already signed to Division 1 schools is NJ Hoops #1 team. Hun was NJ Hoops pre-season top prep team. Rutgers bound Mike Rosario leads the Friars. 6-foot-7 Vanderbilt bound Sr. Lance Goulbourne leads a talented Hun team. St. Anthony’s guards are the difference.

	NJ Hoops
	Quintrell Thomas

7:40 p.m.- St. Patrick’s vs. Science

Another terrific matchup with NJ Hoops #2 St. Pat’s and NJ Hoops #5 Science. 6-foot-8 Kansas bound big man Quintrell Thomas has played for both teams transferring from Science to St. Pat’s before last season. Science has a lot of weapons, but St. Pat’s a little more.

story from NJHoops.com

Welcome to my weekly Deal or No Deal Top 26 High School Basketball Poll covering the states from Maine to Virginia.

The first order of business is to give a special thanks to Jay Gomes of NJ Hoops, without whom this poll could not be done.

To be eligible for this poll teams can’t have any 5^th year players. This will allow teams from the Philadelphia and Washington DC Catholic Leagues to qualify along with  teams like Oak Hill, St Benedict’s High School, and Montrose Christian. Although these schools, and others like them, have the advantage of getting players from around the country and boarding them, they do not have any players that would be ineligible to play for any of the other teams in our poll.

From our court side seat, the Friars of St Anthony appear to be the team to beat in 2008. The legendary coach of the Friars, Bob Hurley Sr, has won two national championships and this could be one of his most talented and deepest teams ever. Six seniors have already signed with Division I schools and 6’6 Junior Dominic Cheek may be the most talented of all. His son, Danny Hurley, directs St Benedict’s HS with possibly the top front line in the country, led by Louisville signee Samardo Samuels. Right on their heels will be Stu Vetter’s most talented team in years at Montrose Christian and  perennial national championship contender. Steve Smith’s Oak Hill squad, as you can see Oak Hill has already played a dozen games and is in late season form. We also can’t rule out Kevin Boyle’s St Patrick’s group, the two time defending New Jersey TOC Champions who are big, deep and led by junior All-American Dexter Strickland.

So with all that being said, here is our first edition based on what we’ve seen, who you’ve played, and who you’ve beat. We welcome all thoughts and criticisms. And now onto the teams in question…Deal or No Deal?

Initial 2007-08 Rankings          

1  St. Anthony NJ                                0-0

2  St. Benedict’s NJ                              2-0

3  Montrose Christian MD                      2-0

4  Oak Hill VA                                      12-0

5  St. Patrick NJ                                    0-0

6  Abraham Lincoln NY                           3-0

7  Rice NY                                             2-0

8  St. Raymond’s NY                              4-0

9  Roman Catholic PA                             2-0

10 Bishop O’Connell VA                          3-0

11 Gonzaga DC                                     4-0

12  Chester PA                                      3-0

13  Mount Vernon NY                             1-0

14  Holy Cross NY                                  2-0

15  Boys & Girls NY                                3-1

16  Dematha MD                                    3-0

17  Neumann Goretti PA                         2-0

18  Mt. St. Joseph MD                            2-0

19  Benedictine VA                                 5-2

20  Windsor CT                                     0-0

21  Boston College MA                           0-0

22  Atlantic Shores Christian VA              5-0

23   Christ the King NY                           1-0

24   Strawberry Mansion PA                    3-0

25  Pennsbury PA                                  4-0

26  Seton Hall Prep NJ                            0-0

No Deal

Academy New Church PA                        4-0

Petersburg VA                                       1-0

Nansemond River VA                              0-0

Prep Charter PA                                     1-0

Linden NJ                                              0-0

Peekskill NY                                           1-0

Henninger NY                                        2-0

It is hard to believe, but we are in full swing of another basketball season. It seems like yesterday that the July period was starting at Eastern Invitational at TCNJ. Already we have seen an exciting start to the college basketball season. 

The HS class of 2007 has served notice to the basketball world that they are one of the most talented classes in years. OJ Mayo, Mike Beasley, Donte Green, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, Eric Gordon and more have created most of the buzz in the early season. Not only are they the most talented freshman class in years, but they are the most prepared. These guys are not your typical freshmen. They are basketball veterans. As the grassroots circuit, summer camps and HS schedules have grown over the past 5-10 years, these guys enter college more prepared to make an immediate impact than college freshmen 10 years ago. They have traveled the country playing against one another for the past few years. They have played in front of huge crowds in college venues for their HS teams in nationally televised games. The jump from HS to college is no longer an Evel Knievel stunt over the Grand Canyon. While the rest of the country is amazed by the freshman rebounding machine, Mike Beasley, we are just seeing him do the same thing he did four years ago at camp at The College of New Jersey. I remember OJ playing in the Hoop Group Jam Fest in West Virginia after his sophomore season. He drew crowds as if he were already in the NBA. While these pressures and expectations at such a young age come with a potentially serious downside, they do make the “special ones” ready to contribute from day 1.  

While some people have still not come to terms with the fact that high school basketball has gone national, I think it is great! ESPN, Comcast, MSG and other TV outlets have helped introduce the nation to LeBron, Sebastian, Greg Oden, OJ and more. I remember watching the Sunday morning sports shows the day after I did LeBron’s “return” game in Trenton for YES network. Instead of celebrating LeBron’s 50 points, his amazing star power, or his grace and poise, they were trivializing his accomplishments and focusing on the fact that he took his picture with the ref after the game. They saw the whole scene as the demise of the game. Boy did they miss the boat. 

While indeed there have been some examples of abuses, it has been an overall positive. It has given players and coaches memorable experiences as well as much deserved exposure. The country has become familiar with some of the best coaches and teachers of the game at ANY level. Bob Hurley, Steve Smith, Kevin Boyle and others have shown that they are as good as any coaches playing in the Final 4. Tiny schools like Oak Hill, St. Anthony, St Benedict’s and St. Pat’s have shown that they are basketball giants. I got a chance to watch part of ESPN’s first HS game with Campbell Hall vs. St Edward’s. The level of play, intensity and atmosphere (kudos to the St Edward’s student section) were better than 95% of the early season college games I have seen. Thursday’s ESPN2 match up of Oak Hill and St Benedict’s should be even better. High School basketball has earned the right to be center stage! Enjoy it. Embrace it. 

Here is the first edition of my facts & bracks for the 2007-2008 men’s college basketball season.   The facts will increase and become more detail oriented as the season progresses.  I will post these on a weekly basis, and as the season gets closer to March Madness, I will post them multiple times a week.  It is too early in the season to include RPI, in my opinion, and that is why it is not visible.  Feel free to post any comments or concerns, or anything else you would like to see included. Click the link to view the Facts & Bracks.  Thanks, and enjoy my Bradketology.