|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
High School |
| |
||||||
| Wednesday, July 16 |
||||||
| Basketball recruiting buzz By Jeff Goodman SchoolSports.com | ||||||
|
When Thornwood High (Ill.) center Eddy Curry chose DePaul University in November, most people realized the 6-foot-11 senior won't be on the Blue Deacons' campus a year from now. But don't expect fellow high school-to-NBA possibilities Tyson Chandler and Ousmane Cisse to take up scholarships unless they plan on fulfilling their commitments. Chandler and Cisse went up against each other last week at the Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney in Delaware. While Chandler's Dominguez High (Calif.) squad came out on top, it was Cisse who may have gotten the slight edge in the matchup.
Cisse, a senior at St. Jude High (Ala.), says he won't make a decision on whether he'll attend college or make the leap to the pros until the spring. His college list is lengthy: Louisville, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, Miami and Arkansas. UConn has also entered the picture in the last two weeks. "I don't know if I'm ready to make the jump," says Cisse, who will wait because of the NBA possibility and also to make sure that whatever program he chooses keeps its coach. "We'll see. Maybe." "At the end of the year, we'll get some idea of where he projects as far as the draft is concerned and we'll make decisions from there," adds Cisse's advisor and guardian, Donald Jackson. While Cisse clearly has an NBA body (6-foot-9, 245 pounds), he is raw offensively. However, he makes up for his inexperience on the basketball court with an intensity that is virtually unmatched among today's high school -- and even pro -- players. Chandler is more of a lock to bypass college than Cisse, although Chandler insists he hasn't made up his mind yet. The college list is down to just Michigan and UCLA, but sources say he's as good as gone to the pros after the season ends. "It's everybody's dream to play in the NBA, and it's just a matter of when I feel I'm ready to play in the league," says Chandler. "I'm going to look at the colleges and see where I fit in, but it's not going to be about the NBA scouts and where they say I'm going to go in the draft. "If I feel I'm ready to go, then I'll go no matter what anyone else is saying." Also, don't completely count out St. Edward's High (Ohio) all-everything forward Jawad Williams from turning pro after this season. He is leaning toward keeping his commitment to attend North Carolina and play for coach Matt Dougherty, but he says he will explore his options after the season. Just one man's opinion: Williams, who has great court vision and a game that resembles current Los Angeles Clippers forward Lamar Odom, will be the best pro of the trio.
Sudden Impact The 6-foot-5 Walsh came off the bench last season, but still managed to gain All-League honors. He wasn't invited to the prestigious Nike camp last summer, but he earned a spot the hard way. Walsh averaged 27 points per game at the Kentucky Blue Grass Tournament in May and earned an invite to the junior Nike camp, along with the other top 100 underclassmen. He was then one of the top eight players at that showcase, which secured him a spot at the Nike camp. Now Walsh's versatility, court sense and athleticism have gotten him on the radar screen of nearly every major college throughout the country. He is looking at Maryland, Stanford, UCLA, Villanova and Louisville. "It's been overwhelming and surprising at the same time," says Walsh, who has a 3.7 GPA and scored a 1250 on the PSAT. "I get about 30 letters a day, and now I only open the handwritten ones. I've always wanted to go to North Carolina, but they've only showed a little interest."
Class of New York Right now, the best junior in the state of New York may be Bishop Loughlin High's Curtis Sumpter. He has only been playing basketball since the eighth grade but has grabbed the attention of schools like North Carolina, St. John's, Seton Hall and UConn. Even Sumpter is shocked by his rapid rise. "I set goals for myself," says Sumpter, who averaged 21.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game at the Slam Dunk to the Beach tourney. "When I came in here, I looked at the recruiting book and saw my name on the ?Best of the Rest.' I just wanted to play hard and make a name for myself." Sumpter has done just that, although even he admits he isn't quite the 6-foot-7 that he is listed at in the program. He is much closer to 6-foot-5, but plays bigger than his actual size.
Bursting Onto the Scene The 6-foot-2 Burtt, whose father starred at Iona and played a few years in the NBA, played at the junior varsity level last season. He has made the adjustment to varsity without much difficulty and should soon be getting letters from more high-profile schools than the current crop of Marist, Fairfield and Hofstra. He was able to slice through opposing defenses and get to the basket at will throughout the tournament. Burtt also showed no fear, taking it right at 6-foot-9 Shelden Williams of Midwest City High (Okla.), who is considered the nation's top junior.
Tidbits Louisville coach Denny Crum was in attendance to watch Cisse. Crum coaches Cisse's older brother, Daouda, a freshman forward for the Cardinals. ... The aforementioned Matt Walsh, a junior at Germantown Academy (Pa.), is playing with a trio of future Division I players. Point guard Mike Slattery is headed to Delaware next season and a pair of juniors, Lee Malchionni and 6-foot-11 center Ted Skuchas, are being heavily recruited. Malchionni's wish list includes Duke, UNC, N.C. State and Virginia. ... One of the most impressive juniors at the Slam Dunk to the Beach was Towson Catholic High's (Md.) Carmelo Anthony, a 6-foot-7 player who likes Maryland, Syracuse, Duke, Seton Hall and UNC. ... Sanford High (Del.) 6-foot-8 sophomore Will Sheridan is starting to garner plenty of interest from all the top schools, including Duke, UNC, Maryland and Villanova. ... Brentwood High (Tenn.) 6-foot-11 senior David Harrison scored 49 points and grabbed 14 boards in a loss to Greenville High (S.C.) last week. The big man has a list that includes Vanderbilt, Duke, UNC, UCLA and Louisville.
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
|||||
|
|
