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| Wednesday, July 16 |
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| Basketball recruiting buzz: The year of the center By Jon Reidel SchoolSports.com | ||||||
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There is little debate that 2001 will go down as the year of the center in high school basketball. Depending on which national list you look at, around seven of the top 25 players in this year's senior class are listed as centers. For the first time in recent memory, there are as many as 25 legitimately strong centers in one prep class. There have been plenty of questions regarding where some of these centers will play next year. In some cases, it's more than a question of which college, but rather which organization - the NBA or NCAA - they will take their game to. Discussion has also focused on whether some of these players will work hard enough to reach their potential.
According to Clarke Francis, editor and publisher of Hoop Scoop magazine, there is an abundance of great centers in this class, but a lack of work ethic among them. "It may be the year of the center, but it's also the year of the spoiled, pampered big man who doesn't want to work hard enough to be a truly great player," said Francis. "It's kind of disgusting to see these guys not play hard because everybody's telling them they're the greatest thing since sliced bread. "They all have the potential to be great players. They hold the key to their success. So we'll have to wait and see if it's the year of the center or the year of bust." NBA Director of Scouting Marty Blake thinks some of these players are really forwards, citing 7-foot Tyson Chandler of Dominguez High (Compton, Calif.) as an example. Why all the fuss about position? According to Blake, true centers are a rare breed, and thus much more desired on the college and, especially, pro levels. "It's definitely the year of the center in high school basketball," said Blake. "They claim Chandler is entering the draft, and he is a talent, but I would consider him a forward. Great centers are hard to find." Chandler recently told SchoolSports.com that he cares most about working as hard as he can to become the best center he can be. He said he'll wait until spring to decide about his future, but he likes Memphis, Michigan, UCLA and is still seriously considering the NBA. Many feel that 6-foot-10 Eddy Curry of Thornwood High (South Holland, Ill.) is the best high school center in the land. He too remains uncommitted and has been linked to the NBA. But as has been proven in the past, "highly rated" on the high school level doesn't always carry over to the next level. Remember, Marcus Camby wasn't highly rated coming out of high school in Hartford, Conn., nor was Wake Forest star Tim Duncan, and both went on to be college Players of the Year and lottery picks in the NBA draft. With this in mind, many recruiters are banking on 6-foot-11 DeSaganna Diop of Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), although certainly not a sleeper, as being the next All-Star center. David Harrison, a 6-foot-11center from Brentwood Academy (Brentwood, Tenn.), and 6-foot-11 Jamal Sampson from Mater Dei High (Santa Ana, Calif.) could also become great next-level centers. There is also a good case to be made for 6-foot-11 Kwame Brown from Glenn Academy (Brunswick, Ga.) and 6-foot-10 Ousmane Cisse from St. Jude Academy (Montgomery, Ala.). Robert Whaley of Benton Harbor High (Benton Harbor, Mich.) is a center/forward with great potential as well. What most people really want to know, however, isn't what position these prepsters will end up playing, but where these giants will be going next season. Aside from Whaley (Missouri), Brown (Florida) and underrated 6-foot-9 center Robert Little (Stanford), none of the above have made a commitment yet. Throw in 6-foot-10 Tony Key of Russellville, Ky., and 7-footer Marcus Campbell of Westover High (Albany, Ga.), both of whom have yet to commit, and there's a lot of unanswered questions. Starting with the highest rated, Curry still has a long list, which includes Cincinnati, Illinois, DePaul, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis and Michigan. Memphis and Michigan are the only two schools on both Chandler's and Curry's lists, with Michigan being the only school involved with Diop, Chandler and Curry. Diop's list includes Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, North Carolina and Florida. Harrison lists Duke, Colorado, North Carolina, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Sampson has Kansas, California, St. Louis, Connecticut, Virginia and UCLA. Campbell's list has shrunk, but according to Campbell, Auburn, Clemson, North Carolina-Charlotte, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina State, Florida State and UMass are all still in the hunt. West Virginia appears to be the front-runner for Tony Key. Other centers of attention who have already made commitments include: 6-foot-11 Larry Turner (Georgia) of Milledgeville, Ga.; 6-foot-10 Michael Fey (UCLA) of Olympia, Wash.; 7-foot Craig Forth (Syracuse) of Albany, N.Y.; 7-foot Simplice Njoya (UNLV) of Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.; 6-foot-10 Channing Frye (Arizona) of Phoenix, Ariz.; and 6-foot-10 Jordan Collins (North Carolina State) of Hyattsville, Md.
Tidbits Anthony Richardson, a 6-foot-7 forward from Leesville Road High (Raleigh, N.C.), committed to Florida State after visiting the Tallahassee campus during the Seminoles' Midnight Madness event. Wake Forest, Maryland and East Carolina were among Richardson's final four... Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) continued its impressive record of sending players to Division I programs last week when 6-foot-3 guard Rickey Shields became the seventh player from this year's team to sign with a major college program. His commitment to Rutgers follows commitments by 6-foot-7 James White (Florida), 6-foot-8 forward Jason Clark (Virginia), 6-foot-2 guard Keith Jenifer (Virginia), 5-foot-9 guard Andre Collins (Maryland), 6-foot-6 forward Brennan Martin (Villanova) and 6-foot-9 forward Sharrod Ford (Clemson). Highly regarded 6-foot-10 Michael Southall is still considering Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.... Jarius Glenn, a 6-foot-5 wing forward from Avondale High (Avondale Estates, Ga.), orally committed to Tulsa last week over Richmond, the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the College of Charleston. A visit to the school for Midnight Madness appeared to have done the trick.
Material from SchoolSports.com.Visit their web site at www.schoolsports.com | |
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