The College Basketball Post

[dacomeup]

UNC Keeping Eye on Smith Premium Story


By Evan Daniels
Special to IC
Posted Jan 13, 2009


North Carolina has targeted a handful of wings in the 2010 class. Harrison Barnes, Travis McKie and Roscoe Smith appear to be at the top of their list and UNC's head man was checking in with Smith this past weekend.

Williams made the trek to Baltimore (Md.) Walbrook for the second time this season last Friday. He was also at Smith's first game of the season.

This past weekend, Williams watched Smith record 18 points, 12 rebounds and a handful of highlight-worthy blocks in Walbrook's 56-46 win over Northwestern.

"Every chance he gets he comes to see Roscoe, so that's a plus," Brian Thompson, Roscoe's father, said.

It's clear that North Carolina is keeping a close eye on the 6-foot-7, 185-pound small forward. Their presence at his games this season certainly hasn't gone unnoticed.

"He's been coming out here and calling," Thompson said. "They are doing everything the right way. He makes the decisions to come to the games. He's not sending the assistants; he's coming to the games by himself. I think he's seen Roscoe more than he's seen anybody."

"He's seen Roscoe more than anybody, so that tells me a lot," Smith's father continued. "If he wasn't one of their top recruits, he definitely would be sending his assistants."

Although the attention from the Heels staff is frequent and steady, they haven't yet offered Smith a scholarship.

"I think the way he wants to do it is that he wants to wait for Roscoe to come to campus," he said. "That way him and Roscoe can talk face to face. He wants to talk to him eye to eye. That's how they want to do it."

At this time there isn't a plan to visit North Carolina in the near future. According to Thompson it's something they want to do, but it'll likely have to wait until after the high school season.

"We are focused on the season," he said. "We haven't had time to get away during the season. It's just been kind of tough to get away."

It's not just North Carolina that has littered Smith with attention. John Thompson has been a common visitor to Walbrook games this season, and the Hoyas have put forth a big effort with Smith.

Among the other programs that are recruiting him are Florida, Connecticut, Texas, Maryland, Memphis and LSU.

 

[messiahchild]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

Vinson has indeed re-opened now...

Rumors of a Big East school...to be determined and the locals.

Vinson is all yours. Nova has no more scholarships for 09'.

If anybody miss it from yesterday.....

 

[allen3xis]

Don't want him to be honest.

Gary can take him.

 

[messiahchild]

Find this on the ESPN website and seriously couldn't answer the question honestly. It's obvious that it's all about matchups, but I seriouslycan't answer that question as of right now.

Which league is likely to have more teams in the Final Four?

ACC or the BIG EAST. They currently have 52% towards BIG EAST and 48% towards the ACC.

What do you guys think???

 

[craftsy21]

Originally Posted by MessiahChild

Find this on the ESPN website and seriously couldn't answer the question honestly. It's obvious that it's all about matchups, but I seriously can't answer that question as of right now.

Which league is likely to have more teams in the Final Four?

ACC or the BIG EAST. They currently have 52% towards BIG EAST and 48% towards the ACC.

What do you guys think???

Considering the big east has only landed about 5 final four teams in the last 10 years, i would lean the ACC. Although who really knows, it'sgoing to come down to matchups as you said.

 

[allen3xis]

I really don't know..Duke and Wake I wouldn't completely trust nor would I ANY Big East team, but they have more teams with a chance.

Stop.

I'm serious. This ridiculousness needs to stop right now. If you choose to support the light and truth - Syracuse University - you have one archenemy: Georgetown University.

This is the law of literature; every protagonist needs a solitary antagonist. Granted, there may exist other foils, but the protagonist can only exist if a resolute antagonist operates as the protagonist's thorn. If you prefer moving pictures over books, just remember M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable: Elijah Fields needs David Dunn; they're at opposite ends of the spectrum, and one does not maintain relevance without the other.

Such is the Syracuse-Georgetown experience. And yet, many do not believe it.

On various Syracuse-centric message communities, there is talk of "Who do you want to beat the most?" and other related topics. Surprisingly, colleges and universities other than Georgetown received top honors: Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Villanova, etc. This is patently unacceptable.

There is one answer and one answer only - Georgetown. Every other answer is a disparagement of all the former student-athletes - Pearl Washington, Billy Owens, Sherman Douglas, Rony Seikaly, et al. - that went to war with Georgetown during their tenure. It is an admonishment of what Jim Boeheim and John Thompson meant to Big East basketball. It is myopic consumerism that holds value only in the moment.

How do I know this is true? Well, because Georgetown still cares. And like the Orange Empire, the Hoyas waffle, but when ultimately posed with the question, Syracuse and Georgetown will always become dance partners.

Instead of illustrating this state of affairs with my own words, here's an excerpt of an essay penned by John Hawkes, a 2004 Georgetown graduate. In the essay, Hawkes describes his trip to Syracuse for the Orange-Hoya encounter on February 22, 2008.

It seems like each time the Hoyas and Orange get together lately, somebody is compelled to post a thread on the HoyaTalk message board questioning whether Georgetown vs. Syracuse is still a rivalry.

The answers myself and my fellow bloggers Mike Karam and Tom Wong gave to The Hoya's blog (The Saxa) last week make it pretty clear where we come down on the issue.

In response to a question about what the GTown-Cuse "rivalry" was like when I was a student, I cited a story from my sophomore year (2001-2002). In a nationally-televised Big Monday contest, Georgetown defeated the #14 Orange 75-60 (the "Preston's Crying" game for those who were there). After the game-which featured two teams destined to miss the NCAA Tournament and which wasn't competitive for the final 18 minutes of play-the Georgetown student section stormed the court for the second consecutive season after beating the Orange.

There was no real reason for anyone to feel compelled to rush the court. None of the standard "rules" (if you will) for rushing the court applied-Syracuse wasn't ranked highly enough, Georgetown was probably too good for the win to be considered an upset, and unlike the previous season's February triumph at MCI the 2002 contest didn't put the Hoyas over the top in their quest for an NCAA Tournament berth. It was just a normal game.

Lots of anti-court rushing sentiment popped up on the HoyaTalk board that night. For some reason-that I completely understand to this day-I felt compelled to respond with a lengthy defense punctuated by one single, powerful six-word line:

This is different. This is Syracuse.

Syracuse-Connecticut is fun.

Syracuse-Pittsburgh is ugly, but maintains consequence.

Syracuse-Villanova is valuable only in that I get to see Jay Wright's fancy suits.

Syracuse-Georgetown generates Sports Illustrated covers. It finds its place in campy hotel commercials. It is, for the sake of brevity, everything. Without Georgetown, Syracuse is just lining up to play a great basketball game; with Georgetown, Syracuse is lining up in a battle of ideals.

Georgetown matters, and it matters the most. Once you realize that, full consciousness is attainable.

Amen.

 

[blazinjkid]

I expected us to lose on Sunday so I'm not shocked at all. Wake has as much talent as anyone in the country, they're just young...but that fact isbasically voided with how quickly they're coming together. I said at the beginning of the season that if they matured quickly they could make a serious runat a championship this year, and I think that it's pretty obvious at the way they're progressing that they can. Teague has been beasting since he gotthe job last year and IMO, was the best rookie PG in the country, but in their last 5-10 games he's vaulted himself into one of the best players in thecountry, period. At this point, Wake and Pitt are the frontrunners until UNC gets their %@*+ together.

As far as the Heels, we looked horrible. Our halfcourt offense is still suspect. Ty is one of the most bi-polar players I've ever seen and is 100% thedifference between us being a good team and us being unbeatable. The fact that we played so horribly and still managed to stay in the game is somewhatcomforting, but it scares me as to which team will show up. If we play like we did against ND and MSU, nobody in the country can beat us, but we haven'tplayed at even 80% of that clip since that early stretch in the season. It must be a mental thing, because it's almost like there's 2 completelydifferent squads; the confident unanimous pre-season #1 team and this insecure, uncertain and unconfident squad that has emerged as of late. They themselvesare the only team standing in their way of raising a banner, and until they realize that, they don't have a chance.

 

[dacomeup]

Whispers: Leaders emerge for 2010 five-star?

Jerry Meyer
Rivals.com Basketball Recruiting Analyst
Roscoe Smith, a 2010 five-star prospect, had a couple of important visitors at his games last week. Georgetown coach John Thompson III watched Smith put up 21 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks on Tuesday, and North Carolina coach Roy Williams watched the wiry forward score 18 points, grab 14 rebounds and block six shots on Friday.


UNC hasn't yet extended an offer to Roscoe Smith.
Smith has a number of schools interested in him, but he has not officially narrowed down his school list. The strongest mutual interest between Smith and the schools appears to be from Georgetown and North Carolina, although UNC has not yet offered a scholarship. Ames, Iowa, forward Harrison Barnes is the top recruiting priority for the Tar Heels in the 2010 class.

EMERGING BIG MAN

Michael Cobbins' travel team coach Ross Romero of the New Mexico Force said Cobbins picked up an offer from USC on Monday morning to go along with his offer from New Mexico. The 6-foot-9 post player in the 2010 class has a plethora of schools tracking his play at Amarillo (Texas) Palo Duro High School, and Romero expects plenty more schools to offer. Cobbins is averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds this season.

WAKE FOREST ON A ROLL

The future looks bright for coach Dino Gaudio and the Wake Forest basketball program. The Demon Deacons scored a big win Sunday night against North Carolina, and plenty of young recruits were in attendance. Melvin Tabb and Reco McCarter of the 2010 class were in the house, and a host of 2011 recruits - including Marquis Teague, the brother of game standout Jeff Teague - were also at the game.

After the sudden death of Skip Prosser, Gaudio kept the 2008 recruiting class, which was ranked No. 3 nationally, intact. And four-star 2009 signee Ari Stewart is making significant strides in achieving his potential this year with Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler High School.

AVAILABLE POINT GUARD

Darius Smith of Chicago Marshall High School, the third-best available point guard in the 2009 class, recently told Rivals.com that he has a top-five of Arizona, DePaul, Indiana, Kentucky and Marquette. All five schools have been to Chicago to watch him play this year and have offered, Smith said.

INDIANAPOLIS FRESHMEN

Mike Pegram of Peegs.com & Inside Indiana reported Monday on the recruitment of two freshman guards in Indianapolis' Ron Patterson and D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera. Both prospects are making a big splash with their play this year and have offers from Indiana and Purdue. Both prospects were offered by Purdue while attending the Boilermakers' weekend win over Wisconsin.

STEPHENSON'S SUITORS


Is Pitt a player in the Lance Stephenson sweepstakes?
It looks like Pittsburgh, the No. 1-ranked team in the country, is attempting to jump into the Lance Stephenson sweepstakes. Pittsburgh assistant Tom Herrion watched Stephenson play against Brooklyn (N.Y.) Boys and Girls High School last week in a game where Stephenson scored 37 points. Pittsburgh, which has had success recruiting the New York City area, joins Kansas, St. John's and USC as schools that are recruiting Stephenson.

TRANSFER NEWS

UNLV transfer Beas Hamga has landed at Valparaiso after also visiting Rutgers and South Carolina,. Oklahoma State transfer Ibrahima Thomas has enrolled at Cincinnati. Both players will be eligible next December.

FREE THROWS (recent commitments)

• As expected, Texas landed Myck Kabongo of Newark (N.J.) St. Benedict's, one of the top point guards in the 2011 class.

• Isiah Epps of Plainfield (N.J.) High School, a 2010 four-star guard, is headed to Pittsburgh.

• Oklahoma State has some frontcourt help on the way in 2009 prospect Jarred Shaw out of Dallas Carter High School.

• Jacksonville came away with a steal, landing Neman (Ga.) High School two-sport standout Russell Powell. A quarterback in football and a point guard in basketball, Powell could be a star in the Atlantic Sun.

• Derek Jackson of Cleveland Benedictine High School, a 2010 combo guard, committed to Central Michigan.

• And Rick Majerus once again hit up Australia for a player. Power forward Cody Ellis of the Australian Institute of Sport is headed to Saint Louis.

Wow, I can't believe Hamga ends up at Valpo. I visited that place for footbal and it was

. Potentially a steal for them though if he developsoffensively.

 

[allen3xis]

ND while a Top 25 for the majority of the time, is 13-22 on the road in conference play the past 4 years.

 

[ricardo malta]

Can somebody post that ESPN blog by the idiot Gottlieb that came out last week? He claimed that UNC should have still maintained their #1 ranking after losingto BC and that it was just one game and shouldn't be the end all when it comes to rankings. I'd love to hear what he has to say now after UNC losttheir 2nd ACC game and if he'd still rank them in the pole position.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

Why I will be highly dissapointed if Lance doesn't go to the Johnnies, I'll be ok if he stays in the Big East at Pitt.

 

[messiahchild]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

Can somebody post that ESPN blog by the idiot Gottlieb that came out last week? He claimed that UNC should have still maintained their #1 ranking after losing to BC and that it was just one game and shouldn't be the end all when it comes to rankings. I'd love to hear what he has to say now after UNC lost their 2nd ACC game and if he'd still rank them in the pole position.

Thoughts on the No. 1 ranking, the Big Ten and this weekend's slate of games

Friday, January 9, 2009 | Print Entry

Posted by Doug Gottlieb

Pittsburgh is ranked No. 1 in the country, and some might say rightfully so, but I am not one of those who falls lockstep in line.

Pitt fans may think I don't like them, but that's ridiculous. The current rankings are bogus for one simple reason: Everyone I know and everyone youknow thinks North Carolina is the best team in the country and simply had a bad night. Where in the world did we come up with the philosophy that we must put ateam that is undefeated ahead of a one-loss team? Frankly, that is a bit hypocritical.

Don't believe me? I will prove it to you.

First, we all agree -- all things being equal -- that UNC is the best team in the country. Can the Tar Heels be beaten? Yes. And thank goodness I do nothave to hear anyone say anymore that this is "arguably the best team in the last 20 years in college hoops," as a play-by-play man did earlier thisyear. The players from 1991 UNLV, 1996 Kentucky and 2001 Duke are laughing at that statement.

Now, will UNC definitely win a national championship? I am not sure, but no team has looked as dominant against game competition in a long time. Period. ButBoston College was not a fluke. Tyrese Rice gave it to Ty Lawson the entire night, Josh Southern kept Tyler Hansbrough off the line and made him shoot over his long arm, and BC was simply betterthat one night.

But the Heels have beaten up on some very good teams on a neutral floor, at home and on the road. Apparently kicking the heck out of Michigan State,Kentucky, Notre Dame and Nevada in Reno doesn't go as far as it used to.

Also, Duke is ranked No. 2 in the country with one loss at Michigan. Wake Forest is undefeated, won the 76 Classic in Anaheim and ended the nation'slongest home win streak in high altitude against a good BYU team, yet Duke is ranked higher. Huh? Yes, the Blue Devils have good wins over Michigan at MadisonSquare Garden and Purdue in West Lafayette. But isn't Duke's being ranked No. 2 just the opposite of the thinking that has led Pitt to be ranked No.1?

In the end, Power Poll fans, I ranked the best team in the country No. 1.

G, I actually would like to see Lance at Pitt, talking about the most oddball couple you can think of. I mean Lance realizes that he must play D and passthe ball as well??? But knowing him, he'll probably take a year off from playing organized ball, then go in the draft in 2010.

 

[philballa09]

he had ucla 19th or something like that w/ ASU, Zona and i think Calall ahead

 

[scuse7]

Originally Posted by worldbeefreeg

Why I will be highly dissapointed if Lance doesn't go to the Johnnies, I'll be ok if he stays in the Big East at Pitt.

Same. I just don't want him go to Self.

Good article Alllen

 

[superofficial]

Derrick Favors deciding on the 22nd... Georgia, Georgia Tech, or NC St. I'm going with Tech.

 

[wildkycat]

Cats vs. Volunteers tonight

 

[mdterps4]

Originally Posted by allen3xis

Don't want him to be honest.

Gary can take him.

 

[jamesonnt]

Did anyone else see Bob Knight call Steph Curry one of college basketball's best passers ever on Sportscenter?

$+*% is wrong with this man?

 

[haiti5]

Did anyone else see Bob Knight call Steph Curry one of college basketball's best passers ever on Sportscenter?
thats what i dont get..dudes sayin he gonna be a cold pro but i dont think he will..he has terrible vision and decisionmaking with the ball in hishands.

 

[jamesonnt]

^ Seriously. I was shocked .. like %$% is he thinking?

MALIK STORY YOU WILL BE ON NATIONAL TV TONIGHT - REPRESENT!

 

[lifelessons]

is malik story a NT member or something?

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

Originally Posted by LifeLessons

is malik story a NT member or something?

Yes.

 

[dacomeup]

Time to watch Allen's favorite player, and NT's own Malik Story

 

[allen3xis]

I don't see an issue with Lance in a team setting and passing the ball....he has a great ability to play in control and get his

now is Pitt the best fit? Probably not.

Anyone who wants to make money..

I can personally guarantee that there is no way G'Town covers 6.5 tomorrow night.

Not that I'd bet against my team or that we won't win.. But take that to the bank.

 

[allen3xis]

Time to watch Allen's favorite player,

.


Derrick Favors will decide tomorrow.....Ga Tech, NC State and Georgia.





[font=Arial, Helvetica]So this Brandon Jennings Experiment isn't going quite as planned.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]That's what you've heard, right?[/font]
[table][tr][td]

[/td] [td] [/td] [/tr][tr][td]Brandon Jennings (left) has struggled some to keep up while playing in Europe. (Getty Images)[/td] [td] [/td] [/tr][/table][font=Arial, Helvetica]That while his classmates -- like Georgetown's Greg Monroe, UCLA's Jrue Holiday and Wake Forest'sAl-Farouq Aminu -- are here in the United States making serious impacts on possible Final Four teams, Jennings is over in Europe struggling with theadjustment, averaging only 8.9 points per game and turning the ball over just as much as he's recording assists.[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]Consequently, you've heard the European clubs have become skeptical of signing more American prospects interestedin avoiding college while they wait the mandatory one year post graduation to enter the NBA Draft. And you've heard the market has been diminished for thecrop of current high school seniors curious to see whether there's a paycheck waiting in Italy, Greece, Israel or Russia.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]That's what you've heard, right?[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Well ...[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]"That's not true," insisted Sonny Vaccaro. "I can tell you, none of that is true."[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Vaccaro answered the phone Monday night with the same excitement he always possesses. He explained how he and hiswife, Pam, are looking forward to attending President Obama's inauguration next week, then he transitioned right into his favorite topic, i.e., theinner-workings of the basketball world that have featured his fingerprints for decades. Yes, the Godfather of summer hoops turned anti-NCAA crusader is stillvery much involved in the sport, as the world learned last summer when Vaccaro helped broker the historic deal that made Jennings the first American to chooseEurope instead of college. And now Vaccaro is likely just months away from helping secure a similar deal for a similarly heralded high school star, which wasthe focus of our late conversation.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Here's the gist of it:[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][size=+1]• Vaccaro said he had breakfast Monday morning with a table of people working on behalf of orin association with European clubs, and that there are "six or seven" clubs considering offering a contract to an American more interested inspending at least one season in Europe than college. Furthermore, Vaccaro said there are people "right now" scouting various high school players, andthat this will continue through March.[/size][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]"They will make offers," Vaccaro said. "They will make offers (to players) they think canplay."[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][size=+1]• Though Vaccaro declined to name names -- "Now is not the time for that," heexplained -- the 69-year-old legend was very specific about the number of prospects interested in exploring a jump to Europe. He said there are exactly"five" high school seniors who have either contacted him or had somebody working on their behalf contact him, and that there are "eight"underclassmen (juniors, sophomores and/or freshmen) who have also reached out.[/size][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]"I can say this," Vaccaro said. "(According to) the recruiting things you look at, all of these kidswould be considered top 10 prospects in their class. These are kids who are interested in playing professional basketball, and (ones who are) capable of doingit."[/font]


[font=Arial, Helvetica]As far as this senior class, there is no consensus top 10 list, per se. But the prospects most commonly identified as"top 10-caliber" recruits are Derrick Favors (uncommitted), John Wall (uncommitted), John Henson (committed to North Carolina), Xavier Henry(committed to Memphis), Renardo Sidney (uncommitted), DeMarcus Cousins (uncommitted), Lance Stephenson (uncommitted), Kenny Boynton (committed to Florida),Abdul Gaddy (committed to Washington), Avery Bradley (committed to Texas) and Jordan Hamilton (committed to Texas). Again, Vaccaro declined to name names. ButCBSSports.com has previously reported that the prospects who remain uncommitted -- specifically Wall, Sidney and Stephenson -- are the most likely to exploreEurope as an option, though it's worth noting that Vaccaro insisted the group of prospects who are intrigued by Europe isn't necessarily limited touncommitted players.[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]
[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica]"I've given teams the names of the kids I think would be worth looking at," Vaccaro said. "That,I've already done."[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica][size=+1]• One of the common misconceptions of all this, Vaccaro said, is that the European clubs nowrealize how difficult it is even for a player of Jennings' caliber to transition from American high school basketball to European professional basketball,and that's why options will be limited going forward. But Vaccaro said the actual finances of a deal are barely an issue, because the European clubs putbuyouts in contracts that essentially allow them to recoup any financial investment.[/size][/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]For example, let's pretend a European club wanted to offer John Wall, the nation's top point guard, a $1million contract to play professionally next season. What it might do is put an $800,000 buyout in the contract, meaning if Wall was then selected No. 1 in the2010 NBA Draft, whichever NBA franchise picked him would subsequently send $800,000 to the European club that initially signed him, meaning the European clubwould be out only $200,000.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]That's how this stuff can work, give or take a few hundred thousand dollars.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]"It's been under-reported in the American media, but the buyout pretty much protects the teams,"Vaccaro said. "They're going to get most of their money back on the buyout. So money will not be the reason (a European club doesn't sign anAmerican high school player). They might not do it because they don't think there's a player who can help them win games. But money won't be thereason, because they'll get most of that money back."[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]So what does this all mean?[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]It means that some group of college fans is almost certainly destined to be disappointed by a prized prospectshunning school the way Arizona fans were when Jennings opted for Europe. It also means the trend will likely continue for many years to come, and that theonly thing that has changed in the five months that Jennings has been in Europe is that the difficulty of the task has been underscored for all tosee.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]Remember, Jennings really is averaging only 8.9 points per game, and he really has turned the ballover just as much as he has recorded assists. That alone proves that playing professional basketball in Europe is much more difficult than playing collegebasketball in the United States, and then there's the mental side of it that Vaccaro believes is actually the hardest part.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]"There was a game where Brandon didn't play (at all) the whole game; that stuff happens in Europe, and youhave to know how to handle it," Vaccaro said. "Brandon handled it. But if you're a prima donna who can't handle it, you shouldn't even doit. That guy won't make it. So while I will help any kid who asks for my help, I won't recommend this to a kid who I don't believe in my heart canmake the mental part of this journey.[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica]"But I can tell you, Brandon's experience has not hurt (the next batch of) kids," Vaccaro said."It's just helped them understand that doing this isn't easy."[/font]