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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Basketball Recruiting Buzz By Jeff Goodman SchoolSports.com | ||||||
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The big news of the week was the oral commitment of Providence Catholic High (Ill.) big man Michael Thompson to the Duke Blue Devils. Thompson, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound junior, is averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four blocks per game this season and chose Duke over Illinois, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Stanford and Georgetown. "I cannot wait to play in front of the Cameron Crazies," says Thompson. "Coach K said that I will have an opportunity to play right way. It will be a challenge, but I like my chances."
Thompson is an athletic big man who has shown the ability to score with multiple moves in the low post. The 17-year-old, who has already received a qualifying score on the SAT, is not allowed to sign a letter-of-intent until November.
The Next Blue Devil? Dockery, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound floor leader who has improved his outside shot considerably since last season, has drawn comparisons to NBA players Stephon Marbury and Cuttino Mobley throughout his prep career. His current list is headed by Duke and also includes Michigan State, Illinois, DePaul, Missouri, Marquette and Cincinnati. "I talk to them (Duke) a lot, but I haven't made any commitment yet," says Dockery. "I don't know when I'll make a decision. It could be tomorrow, whenever I feel it's time. But I'll probably hold off a while and visit some of the schools at the beginning of the school year next year."
Spear-heading the Tigers The news was bigger on the gridiron, as that's probably where he'll make a larger impact, but Spears will also play basketball for the Tigers. Gonzalez, now the NFL's top tight end with the Kansas City Chiefs, played both sports while at Cal. Spears caught 25 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns and also made 50 tackles and had 11 ½ sacks on defense during his senior campaign in football. He chose LSU over Miami, Florida State, Texas and Texas A&M.
And Then There Were a Few Albany Westover High's (Ga.) Greg Tinch is another player who still hasn't finalized his plans after de-committing from Seton Hall. Tinch, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound senior, is also a football standout and wants to go somewhere that has a football program in hopes of playing both sports. "He's probably the best football player in the state," says his basketball coach at Westover, Willie Boston. "He plays the post at 6-foot-5 for us, and that's been a question for some of the larger schools whether he can play the perimeter. Knowing him, he can learn to play the small forward position without any problem, but he's just so strong and tough that we needed him on the inside." Tinch is looking at Louisville, Colorado, Miami and Cincinnati. Other seniors who haven't committed yet are: Brentwood Academy (Tenn.) big man David Harrison, who is deciding between Colorado, Vanderbilt, North Carolina, Duke and Kentucky; Louisville Ballard High (Ky.) center Brandon Bender, whose list includes Kentucky, Memphis, DePaul, Louisville and Alabama; and Oak Hill Academy (Va.) 7-footer DeSagana Diop (UNC, Virginia and Michigan).
Tidbits Lonoke High (Ark.) 6-foot-5 guard Chad Wise is looking at Arkansas, Providence, Oklahoma and the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Wise is averaging 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists per game this season.
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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