Bleacher Report - Articles by Marcus Shockley

NC State Lands Big Man, Tennessee Courts Tobias Harris

Marcus Shockley — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:45:42 -0500

Photo courtesy Rivals.net

NC State has not been shy about picking up early commitments in the past, and now they’ve landed Joseph Uchebo (C, 6-foot-9, Class of 2012), a player originally from Nigeria and currently playing in North Carolina at Oak Ridge Military Academy.

I don’t have much info on Uchebo, so I will have to drop by Oak Ridge and get some video, but he seems like a big post player that Lowe is probably looking to develop.

Meanwhile, as we mentioned yesterday, Tobias Harris (PF, 6-10, Class of 2010) made a surprise visit to Tennessee.

Here’s a Q&A with Harris .

Vol fans apparently knew he was coming even though it was a surprise, as evidenced by the fact that they had time to paint the side of a giant rock with his name on a jersey.

However, I’d like to point out that since the player in the painting is facing away, they might just change the name on the jersey whenever a recruit visits:

NC State Still Hot on C.J. Leslie; Tobias Harris Visits Tennessee

Marcus Shockley — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:51:56 -0500

Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010) just finished an expected visit to Georgia Tech and then followed up that visit with an unexpected visit to Tennessee.

Bruce Pearl and Tennessee are proving that they are becoming one of the top programs in the country, and Harris’ upcoming announcement is still up in the air.

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NC State is still high on the list for C.J. Leslie (SF, 6′8″, 2010), who is also highly considering Maryland, Florida, Kentucky, UConn, Georgetown, and Tennessee. Oregon has also been mentioned.

Although Leslie plays his high school ball in NC State’s backyard, he’s not on an imminent timetable like Harris at this point.

Saying "high on the list" is possibly a misnomer, since Leslie has maintained no favorites at this time.

As for Leslie’s skills and game, I will have more in the near future, but from my perspective, he’s much more of a three than a four, can shoot from outside, and plays facing the basket.

ACC Basketball: Tobias Harris is Next

Marcus Shockley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:39:55 -0500

With the Harrison Barnes (SF, 6′7″, 2010) recruiting saga over and UNC the victor, ACC recruiting turns to the next big 2010 recruit that might play ball in the ACC and hasn’t committed. That would be Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010), who is considering Maryland, Georgia Tech, Kentucky and West Virginia along with some other schools.

Barnes just completed a campus visit to Maryland, and he’ll visit Georgia Tech next. ACC fans won’t have to wait long to find out where Harris is going, he’s scheduled to announce on November 19th, although it likely won’t have the fanfare of Barnes.

Harris is a true post player who works hard in the paint, and would be able to get minutes in either the Big East or ACC.

Harrison Barnes: The Prep Who Has It All

Marcus Shockley — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:18:04 -0500

So the question of the day, at least until 4 p.m., is "Where is Harrison Barnes going to go?"

I’ll post that when he announces, but I wanted to post some thoughts on Barnes’ game, the skills which he will take wherever he ends up.

Barnes is built like a SF, but he’s got serious ballhandling ability, is extremely fluid and poised with the ball, and can play defense.

He’s definitely got the skills to become an NBA shooting guard. I hesitate to say that he would ever play PG in the pros, because moving him there would limit his offensive options and I really don’t know if he’s the type of player who can direct an offense.

In my mind, he’s an offensive catalyst and unlike a lot of NBA and college "big" guards who carry the ball and push off in order to play the position, Barnes actually can handle the ball, slash to the hoop, and can shoot from outside.

I’ve heard knocks on Barnes' ability to create his own shot, but honestly I haven’t seen that as an issue. If anything, I’d like to see how well he can shoot from outside when he’s guarded by better defenders at the collegiate level.

His release seems fluid but a tad slow, but that might just be because he makes it look so easy. Time will tell. All in all, he’s got a great game.

Kyrie Irving Picks Duke; Update on Harrison Barnes

Marcus Shockley — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:33:36 -0400

Kyrie Irving (6′1″, PG/SG, 2010) has officially committed to Duke, giving Coach K another guard to run the offense and adds a great passer to the Blue Devils. This recruit was needed by the Devils and many in Durham will be breathing easier with him in the fold.

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Harrison Barnes (SF, 6′ 7″, 2010) is now officially a much watched ACC recruit, with his top three reportedly UNC, Duke and Kansas. While the Iowa high school star has taken an official visit to UNC and Oklahoma, he’s also taken one to Kansas among several ‘unofficial’ visits.

So the question is, where would Barnes fit in the best? There’s no doubt that this battle for Barnes is heating up.

ACC Players in the Draft; UNC Offers McAdoo

Marcus Shockley — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:07:50 -0400

A quick rundown of ACC players taken in the NBA draft last night:

First Round

12. Charlotte—Gerald Henderson , Duke
13. Indiana—Tyler Hansbrough, UNC
16. Chicago—James Johnson, Wake Forest
18. Minnesota—Ty Lawson, UNC (traded to Denver)
19. Atlanta—Jeff Teague, Wake Forest
28. Minnesota—Wayne Ellington, UNC
29. New York—Toney Douglas, Florida State

Second Round

46. Phoenix—Danny Green, UNC
51. San Antonio—Jack McClinton, Miami

There were some initial head scratches in the overall draft, such as why Jack McClinton wasn’t drafted higher, or why the Bobcats took a guard when they need post players so badly.

James McAdoo Offered by UNC

James McAdoo (PF, 6′8″, 2011) now has another offer from an ACC school, and it’s a big one. The UNC Tar Heels have offered McAdoo, according to Scout.com, and this offer is added to the existing ones he has from Virginia, Clemson, Kentucky, and Florida.

McAdoo is one of the top ranked recruits for 2011 and has several big schools after him. He’s also strongly considering Duke at this time.

McAdoo is a strong player with good patience and timing. That timing allows him to be both a shot blocker and a scorer when combined with his solid 10 foot floater and ability to wade through traffic to get through the hoop—definitely a big time prospect.

Here’s some video of McAdoo:

Noel Johnson Commits to ACC; NBA Draft Notes

Marcus Shockley — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:05:40 -0400

Last summer we tracked Noel Johnson (6′6″, SF, 2009) as an ACC recruit, but despite looking at several ACC schools, Johnson ultimately committed to Tim Floyd and USC.

However, Tim Floyd was found to be guilty of recruiting violations and is now no longer the head coach of the Trojans.

Johnson decided to withdraw his commitment from USC and now has decided on Clemson, giving Oliver Purnell some talent on the wing to help replace K.C. Rivers and Terrence Ogelsby.

Sean May, Raymond Felton, and J.J. Redick

A quick note on some former ACC stars: if you watched the NBA Finals a few days ago, you know that J.J. Redick has played well but seems to be underutilized by the Magic. However, it is apparent that he’s going to stay in the NBA for now, and I expect the Magic to try and trade JJ and Rafer Alston during the draft.

Meanwhile, two former UNC stars from the Tar Heels’ 2005 national championship team are seeing their careers continue in different directions. The Charlotte Bobcats have decided not to make a qualifying offer to Sean May, which would make him a restricted free agent. At the same time, Charlotte has made a qualifying offer to Raymond Felton. A qualifying offer is just a starting point, which means that the player can look at other teams but the Charlotte has the first right to match the offer in order to keep the player.

I’m not surprised with Felton, one of the few bright spots for the Bobcats and one of the more underrated starting point guards in the NBA. The Bobcats have never been a serious playoff contender and thus, no one on the Bobcats gets much publicity, not even Gerald Wallace or Emeka Okafor.

With Sean May, it’s all about injury. He’s been injured or dealing with chronic pain for nearly his entire stint in the pros. In three seasons he’s been unable to play even one season’s worth of games. The reality is that the Bobcats still might sign Sean, but the team can’t keep money tied up at the PF spot when they are so thin there. I believe that the move not to offer May is a sign that they want to see what they can get in the draft.

NBA Draft

Ah, the NBA draft. One of the most annoying things about the NBA is how much they promote personalities over teams, and it often starts right here on draft day. This year the perennial losing L.A. Clippers are sitting on the number one draft pick, and everyone expects them to take Blake Griffin, a monster PF who should be an impact player.

I like Griffin’s game, which involves basically leaping from the half court line and dunking on anyone who gets in his path.

The only concern I would have is that when UNC thumped his Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA tournament, he seemed to have a hard time handling the double team and doesn’t seem to have much mid range game. Still, the NBA is about man-to-man and he is an athletic freak.

I see a lot of mock drafts picking UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet as the No. 2 pick, and I’ve got to say I see that as a huge mistake. I’d take Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, James Johnson, or Stephen Curry over Thabeet. I think Thabeet is the most overrated player in this year’s draft.

Who's the most underrated player going into the draft? Possibly Tyler Hansbrough.

It’s fashionable to hate Hansbrough and claim he’ll be a joke in the pros. Throw all the college awards out the window, because they mean nothing to the NBA, but in Hansbrough, I see a better version of Glenn “Big Baby” Davis or Corliss Williamson. He has developed a better shot than either of those players but he will need to be more of a rebounder in the pros.

Charlotte worked out Hansbrough, Gerald Henderson, Steph Curry, K.C. Rivers, and Ben McCauley over the past couple of weeks. Charlotte’s roster move with Sean May could make room for Hansbrough at the 13th pick. Most drafts have Tyler going late first round, but it’s probably going to depend on the Bobcats. There aren’t many PF players to pick from this year, and the ‘Cats will have to decide if they want to take the best player available (which could be Brandon Jennings) or draft for need.

Conference Tournament Stadiums Packed With...Empty Seats

Marcus Shockley — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 08:28:21 -0400

It's no secret that the United States is suffering a major economic downturn, and Conference and NCAA Tournament ticket sales across the nation are reflecting this, just as retail sales and real estate are.

Television screens across the country are showing a stark reality: The attendance for conference tournaments is down, sometimes dramatically. The ACC late night game in the first round looked like a practice gym.

Of course, there's likely to be a different atmosphere when the top teams come to play, but it's obvious that ticket sales are down significantly. Not dead, perhaps, but down. This will likely carry over into next week's sales of NCAA Tournament tickets, especially in the Regional games, where it's likely the teams with large fanbases will be playing farther from home.

If UNC gets a No. 1 seed, they will likely be playing in Greensboro, which is a short ride down I-40 from Raleigh and Chapel Hill, and right in the center of UNC fan nation, so ticket sales might actually be higher than they were for the ACC Tournament in Atlanta.

This might have less of an effect on the NIT, where the first rounds are played at the higher seed's home court, and local fans won't have to travel.

NCAA Tournament Tickets: The Breakdown

Marcus Shockley — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:39:25 -0400

Before we get started, click here to see all of the cheapest prices for NCAA tournament tickets. See all the varying differences in prices? That's because the secret to getting the best tickets is completely related to which teams are playing in which venues. UNC playing in Greensboro drives up demand, since UNC's campus is about an hour away and Greensboro is in the heart of the UNC fan base.

Often called March Madness, the tournament is one of the most watched events of the sports year. It is referred to as the Big Dance, which juxtaposes the tournament against the NIT, which has become less and less relevant over the years.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that going to watch NCAA tourney games in person is one of the best atmospheres in sports, and it's fantastic, even if you aren't rooting for a specific team at the venue.

The NCAA tournament was started in 1939 and thrives on underdog teams winning unexpected games. Underdogs that win in the tournament are nicknamed "Cinderellas" and a lot of fanfare surrounds how far a "Cinderella" team can advance in the tournament.

This year the tournament will play the semifinals and championship in Detroit, and these games are affectionately called The Final Four.

The NCAA Tournament is played entirely at neutral sites. This year the first and second round games will be played at the following sites:

Boise
Dayton
Greensboro
Kansas City
Miami
Minneapolis
Philadelphia
Portland

The Regionals (also known as the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight) will be played in the following cities:

East Regional - Boston
Midwest Regional - Indianapolis
South Regional Tickets - Memphis
West Regional Tickets - Phoenix

Click here to see all of the cheapest prices for March Madness tickets.

More on the NC High School Playoffs

Marcus Shockley — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 08:29:53 -0400

The regional round of the basketball playoffs are this week meaning that eight teams are left alive from each class in the state (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A). Due to the inclement weather in the Western half of the state, some games have been rescheduled in the West Regional while all East Regional games remain unchanged.

Here is a quick rundown of the teams and some of the standout players remaining in the playoffs.

The 1A East Regional features Weldon (26-1) vs. South Robeson (17-6) on Wednesday, March 4th at 7pm inside Minges Coliseum at East Carolina University.

South Robeson is playing the role of underdog in this game but features some good shooters as well as versatile forward David Goins (6’4’’, 2009), who had 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three blocks in their latest playoff win.

In the other semifinal Camden (25-3) will battle Pender (23-6) at 8:30 PM at Minges Coliseum. Camden features Ricky Krainiak (6’2”, 2009) a combo guard who is averaging 22 points and over five rebounds a game. The championship game will be Saturday, March 7 at 3 PM.

The 1A West Regional begins Friday March 6 at 7pm at Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro with Bishop-McGuinness (28-2) facing Hendersonville
(17-9).

Bishop-McGuinness out of Kernersville has a decided advantage in overall height with eight players standing at least 6’2” including Robbie Fitzgerald (6’9”, 2009) and Jack McSwain (6’7”, 2010).

The 8:30 PM semifinal will showcase Cherryville (22-8) vs. South Stokes (17-9). Cherryville, traditionally a baseball power, features one of the best young shooting guards in the state in Terry Whisnant, Jr. (6’4”, 2011).

Whisnant dropped in 36 points and grabbed 12 boards in Cherryville’s sectional final win against Nantahala. The championship is this Saturday (3/7) at 4pm in Fleming Gym.

In the 2A East, South Brunswick (24-5) will play against Northwood (18-5) out of Pittsboro at 7pm on Thursday, Mar. 5 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on the campus of East Carolina University.

With an 8:30p tip-off East Duplin (21-6) battles traditional basketball heavyweight Burlington Cummings (21-6). Cummings features J.T. Terrell (PG/SG 6’2”, 2010) who is a pure scorer and torched Reidsville in the sectional final with 42 points. The championship begins at 5pm on March 7th at Minges Coliseum.

The 2A West Regional should be just as exciting with the great matchups that are in store. Shelby (26-2) will go up against West Caldwell (22-6) at Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center at 5:30 PM on Thursday (3/5).

West Caldwell has an outstanding point guard in Kendall Jones (5’9”, 2011) who has scored at least 30 points in six games this season. In the second semifinal East Lincoln (26-4) will play Ashe County (25-3) inside Fleming Gym on the campus of UNC-Greensboro, also with a 5:30pm tip time.

Ashe County showcases a talented forward in Tommy Spagnolo (6’7”, 2009) who is committed to Radford and averages over 15 points and eight rebounds a game. The championship game will be played on Saturday (3/7) at noon in Greensboro Coliseum’s Special Event Center.

In the East 3A Regional North Guilford (27-3) will face Bertie (22-4) at Minges Coliseum on Friday, Mar. 6 at 7 PM. Bertie features balanced scoring with three players averaging at least 11 points which includes Tyson Perry (PG, 6’1”, 2009) who totals 17.9 points a game.

At 8:30 PM Kinston (26-3) will take on Dudley (26-3), with the regional championship this Saturday (3/7) at 7 PM.

The 3A West is also strong featuring Concord (28-1) vs. Charlotte Catholic (13-15) with a start time of 7 PM on Wednesday (3/4). Following this game, T.W. Andrews (24-4) out of High Point will take on Gastonia’s Forestview (23-6).

Preston Holmes (PG, 6’0”, 2010) will anchor Forestview’s attack and averages over 15 points and 3 steals a game. The championship will begin at 2 PM Mar. 7; all games will be held Greensboro Coliseum Special Events Center.

Cary’s Panther Creek (28-2) will battle Fayetteville’s Jack Britt High School (24-6) in the 4A East Region’s first game at 7 PM at Minges Coliseum Today (3/3). Panther Creek has a talented SF/PF in Marques Oliver (6’6”, 2009) who is very athletic and creates havoc for other teams on both ends.

In the other semifinal matchup, Enloe (28-2) will play Terry Sanford High School (26-3) out of Fayetteville at 8:30 PM. The Championship game is Saturday Mar. 7 at 1 PM at Minges Coliseum at ECU.

The 4A West Region features some very talented teams as well. On the campus of UNC-Greensboro in Fleming Gym, Hopewell (27-0) will take on Charlotte’s Ardrey Kell (21-8) at 7pm on Thursday (3/5).

Immediately following this game Mt. Tabor (28-1) out of Winston-Salem will try to knock off Myers Park (24-6) of Charlotte.

Mt. Tabor features a trio of talented guards who have already committed to college programs including C.J. Harris (6’3”, 2009) who is headed to Wake Forest, Michael Grace (PG, 6’0”, 2009) who is committed to Yale, and Josh Hicks (6’2”, 2009) who is committed to Old Dominion University in Virginia.

The state championship games will be held next week on Saturday, Mar. 14 at two locations. 1A and 3A teams will play at Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State University (NCSU). 2A and 4A teams will play at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill at the University of North Carolina (UNC).

ACC Basketball Recruiting: High School Basketball Playoffs Begin

Marcus Shockley — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:23:39 -0500

As high school playoffs kick off around the country, we turn our attention to the players who have committed or may end up in the ACC.

John Wall and Word of God have already lost the NCISSA 1A title game, after getting downed by United Faith as Ian Miller hit a 40-footer at the buzzer. This was only moments after Wall dribbled off of his foot and out of bounds:

Falcons senior Blake Smith hit a tying three-point shot from the corner with 14.3 seconds left. Wall dribbled off his foot trying to take a championship-winning attempt.

Meanwhile, in Georgia, Walton is shaking up the AAAAA tournament after knocking out No.1-ranked McEachern last week. Next up, Walton will take on Norcross, the three-time defending champion.

What’s important about all of this to ACC fans is that Walton has Ryan Harrow (point guard, 6′0″,2010) , who is headed to NC State, and Glen Rice Jr. (shooting guard, 6′4″, 2009), headed to Georgia Tech.

Norcross has Taariq Muhammad (point guard, 6′2″, 2009), who at one time was listing Wake Forest, but hasn’t mentioned them recently but still lists Virginia as a possibility.

Big East Tournament Tickets: A New Day in NYC

Marcus Shockley — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:56:14 -0500

The Big East is one of the premier conferences of college basketball, with a rich history of champions and players.

This year, Big East Tournament tickets are going to be more in demand than ever, because for the first time, all of the Big East teams are getting an invitation to Madison Square Garden to compete.

Here's how it's going to work:

The new format will feature bye games for the teams which finish in positions higher than eighth, with the teams finishing lower than eight (9-16) playing in the first round.

Teams finishing from fifth through eighth will receive a bye until the second round, and the top four teams will receive a bye to the quarterfinals.

What all of this means is more basketball, more fans, and probably a better tournament in a year when the Big East is loaded with talent, and several teams could make a deep NCAA tournament run.

Fans looking for Big East Tournament tickets should check out this tool, which lists all of the cheapest tickets at one time.

UConn, Pitt, Syracuse, and Marquette are rolling into March Madness, but with more teams getting a crack at an NCAA berth, expect some upsets in New York and a fantastic kickoff to March Madness.

ACC Tournament Tickets Go On Sale (Psst..to the Public)

Marcus Shockley — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:29:55 -0500

For the first time since 1966, ACC Basketball Tournament tickets will go on sale to the general public. The general thinking is that the economy is driving the decision. I wrote a few days ago about the cheapest way to find ACC Tournament tickets, and I saw a few tickets a couple of days ago listing at less than $200 for a full session.

Those, I think, went pretty quick.

This year’s tournament in Atlanta should be a real brawl, with several teams that could walk away with a title, so I expect that a lot of fans will take advantage of the great Georga Dome venue and the more availability of tickets...but I wonder if that will ultimately drive up demand, since a lot of fans would like to attend but didn’t have the ability to get tickets.

Now, that’s changed a bit. The Georgia Dome is the largest venue that the ACC tournament will be played in, with seating for basketball at 30,000.

It’s the second time the tournament will have been played in the Georgia Dome.

NC State High School Basketball Playoffs

Marcus Shockley — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:33:15 -0500

The North Carolina state basketball playoffs began this week with first round games being played on Monday. The playoffs are great opportunity for North Carolina’s best talent to showcase their skills while competing for a championship.

Sectional semi-final games will be played Wednesday with higher seeds having home court advantage. Sectional Finals will be held this Friday at the location of the higher seeded team. Please visit the link to view brackets for all men’s basketball pairings and stay tuned for updates on winners and premier player profiles.

North Carolina High School Basketball Playoffs

Rosters Announced for Jordan Brand Classic

Marcus Shockley — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 20:40:33 -0500

The biggest high school basketball all-star game of the year is the McDonald’s All-American game, but the Jordan Brand Classic might be the second in line and rising fast.

The rosters for this year’s teams have been announced and there’s quite a bit of future ACC to see. Here's the press release:

Jordan Brand, a division of Nike, Inc., announced today during a special ESPNU Selection Show that the top-five ranked ESPNU 100 players — Xavier Henry (Oklahoma City, OK/Memphis), Derrick Favors (Atlanta, GA/Georgia Tech), John Henson (Tampa, FL/North Carolina), DeMarcus Cousins (Mobile, AL/Undecided) and Renardo Sidney (Los Angeles, CA/Undecided) — will headline the nation’s 20 best high school senior basketball players at the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic, presented by Foot Locker, at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April 18 at 8:00 p.m. EST. This year’s event will once again be televised nationally live on ESPN2.

The Jordan Brand Classic will also continue to include a regional game, showcasing the top prep players from the New York City metropolitan area in a City vs. Suburbs showdown. In its second year of the event, an International game will tip-off the tripleheader by featuring 16 of the top 17-and-under players from around the world. A portion of the proceeds benefit the New York City-based charity, The Children’s Aid Society.

In addition to Henry, Favors, Henson, Cousins and Sidney, the event will also include Kenny Boynton (Plantation, FL/Florida), Avery Bradley (Henderson, NV/Texas), Dominic Cheek (Jersey City, NJ/Villanova), Abdul Gaddy (Tacoma, WA/Washington), Keith Gallon (Mouth of Wilson, VA/Oklahoma), Jordan Hamilton (Compton, CA/Texas), Lamont Jones (Mouth of Wilson, VA/Virginia Tech), Wally Judge (Jacksonville, FL/Kansas State), Tommy Mason-Griffin (Houston, TX/Oklahoma), Alex Oriakhi (Tilton, NH/UConn), Daniel Orton (Oklahoma City, OK/Kentucky), Mason Plumlee (Arden, NC/Duke), Durand Scott (New York, NY/Miami-FL), John Wall (Raleigh, NC/Undecided) and Royce White (Minnetonka, MN/Minnesota).

Tobias Harris Visits UConn; Melvin Tabb Commits

Marcus Shockley — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:28:23 -0500

Tobias Harris (PF, 6′8″, 2010), a player that several ACC schools are after, visited UConn for the Michigan game:

“They liked the trip,” Torrel Harris, the boys’ father, said. “Ray Allen, Cliff Robinson, and Chris Smith were present at the game. Coach Calhoun was glad to see both of my sons at the game and spoke to them at length.”

Harris is still being recruited by Maryland, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College.

Meanwhile, speaking of Wake Forest, the Deacons continued to get wins on the recruiting circuit by landing Melvin Tabb (PF, 6′8″, 2010), another in-state player. The Deacs have had quite a bit of success landing high profile North Carolina high school players. Tabb will need to improve his post play, but might see time early if Wake experiences NBA defections between now and when he arrives. He’s got a lot of raw athletic ability, which appears to be one of the things Dino Gaudio looks for in building his roster.

UNC at Duke Basketball Brawl - Round One

Marcus Shockley — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:23:14 -0500

True college basketball fans should experience this game at least once in their lives.

One of the biggest games in all of sports—not just college basketball—is the annual home-and-home series between the UNC Tar Heels and the Duke Blue Devils. If you’re a fan of the ACC, you already know so much about what goes into this rivalry, such as the fact that Duke University and the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill are only a few miles apart.

If you don’t think this game is in incredibly high demand, take a second to look at the latest UNC Duke ticket prices.

ESPN’s entire concept of ‘Rivalry Week’ was spawned from the Duke-UNC game, and few rivalries are this heated. The matchup between the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels is in the ranks of the greatest rivialries ever, including Yankees-Red Sox and Ohio State-Michigan.

While analysts, writers and pundits will tick off all the reasons why the rivalry is so big, there’s really only one reason why it’s gotten to be one of the highlights of the entire college basketball season.

It’s because Duke and UNC are heavyweights. Having Duke and UNC in the same conference is like putting, literally, UCLA and Kansas in the same conference, or maybe more accurately, having the ‘85 Chicago Bears play the ‘72 Dolphins twice every season. It’s always a clash of Titans, and sometimes, literally, blood is spilled.

This year is probably going to be one of the better games even in this storied rivalry; the Tar Heels have slipped from the vaunted perch of ‘team of destiny,' and with three roster losses (Marcus Ginyard, Tyler Zeller and William Graves) since the beginning of the season, they are strong but vulnerable. Their offense is high octane, but sometimes their defense lags. Duke, on the other hand, has played better defense than the Heels up until now, but their offense sometimes gets sporadic.

Here’s some more bullets about this game:

- UNC can score very quickly and has the best transition game in the country. Everyone talks about Ty Lawson, but a key factor is that UNC can kill you in a lot of ways, not just Lawson and Hansbrough. On the break, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington can load up on teams and Ellington is out of his shooting slump.

- Duke’s ability to handle pressure. Until the Clemson game, I would have said Duke would not be rattled, but the type of pressure Clemson used so effectively against Duke is the exact type that UNC is so good at. In fact, UNC is far better at it than Clemson. However, we must remember that Clemson at Littlejohn against Duke and UNC is a completely different team than when they hit the road, and that has to be taken into account, just as UNC’s loss to Boston College.

- Can UNC effectively guard Paulus, Smith, Henderson, Scheyer and Singler? Forget the battle in the paint—Hansbrough has always pounded Duke, and nobody on the current Duke squad is going to change that. Add in Ed Davis and Deon Thompson and Duke is going to have to see if they can work an advantage from the wings and guards, where UNC’s defense often overcommits and sometimes completely misses assignments.

Smith hasn’t proven that he’s adapted to college game well enough yet to best Lawson as the starting PG, but Paulus coming in off the bench will be matched up against Larry Drew II.

Drew is a good point guard, but in this game, this year, you have to give a decided advantage to Paulus. I expect Duke to try and free Paulus for open threes when Drew is guarding him. Long story short: Duke will probably win or lose this game based on their offensive execution from the perimeter and their ability to prevent UNC from getting easy baskets in transition.

- The key matchup: who’s got Singler? Danny Green surprisingly gave Wake Forest’s James Johnson fits when matched up, and the reason is that Green’s athletic ability allows him to play against taller players, even those like Johnson and Singler who are deep threats. Singler may have good success if he can get a matchup on Thompson or Davis and pull them out of the paint, where he can shoot or put the ball on the floor.

This game should be a blast. With the first game at Duke, I have to give them an edge, but if UNC can play defense consistently for the entire game, it will be tough for Duke. Again, if you want to see the game in person, use this free tool to find the ticket service with the cheapest UNC vs. Duke tickets.

Georgia Tech's Recruiting Woes

Marcus Shockley — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:51:49 -0500

You’ve got to wonder how Paul Hewitt will be able to continue to cope with what has become a standard M.O. during his tenure as the head coach of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Every year or two, Hewitt brings in top recruits, such as this year’s Iman Shumpert, or a few years ago with Chris Bosh, and watches them bolt for the NBA before they ever get a chance to really make an impact on the program.

Unlike other programs, like Duke and UNC, Georgia Tech hasn’t managed to recover as quickly from NBA defections. With a top tier class coming in from 2009, including Derrick Favors (PF, 6′9″, 2009), it would appear that Hewitt’s Jackets might be the sleeper team for the 2009-10 season.

But not so fast.

It turns out that already, even in a lackluster season, players on the roster are looking toward the league, and the league is interested. Gani Lawal, a 6′9″ Sophomore, is projected to be a potential lottery pick in the next draft:

With 19 NBA scouts and executives watching him play Saturday, Gani Lawal gave an impressive performance.

The sophomore made seven of 10 shots from the field and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line, and he grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots in Georgia Tech’s upset of Wake Forest.

What this means for recruiting is that if Lawal goes pro, suddenly a team deep at the post with NBA talent is right back where they started. What Paul Hewitt needs to really compete in the ACC is more than a couple of NBA prospects; Duke, Wake and UNC are loaded with NBA prospects and more are coming.

However, Lawal’s not a given to go pro early:

“I plan on being here,” Lawal said. “I just want to keep playing, take it day by day and see where it goes. When the season’s over and everything is in the books, I’ll just sit down, discuss it and see. … Right now I can’t even begin to get into it.”

If Lawal returns, expect Georgia Tech to be one of the better teams next season.

Georgia Tech vs. NC State Recruiting

Marcus Shockley — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:18:40 -0500

The state of Georgia has been and continues to be a primary source of basketball recruits for the ACC, and not just because of Georgia Tech. N.C. State and Yellow Jacket fans are already closely watching the ongoing game battles between Mfon Udofia (PG, 6-foot-1, Class of 2009), who is committed to Georgia Tech, and Lorenzo Brown (SG, 6-foot-4, Class of 2009), a NCSU commitment.

I don’t know if Udofia starts right away at the point for Georgia Tech, but I think he should. I agree with your comment about him at the point and Shumpert at the two-guard spot. The Tech coaches tell me that won’t happen right away.

One of the biggest issues with the Yellow Jackets is a collective lack of toughness on the team. The team needs a leader in the locker room and they need someone to push them to new heights. Udofia clearly does bring that element to the table.

As far as Udofia as the No. 2 player in the state, he is right now. After his performance against Centennial and Lorenzo Brown, it is hard to argue against that. All of that being said, I think Brown has a higher upside, albeit not by much. If Brown can continue to fine tune his point-guard skills, he is a better professional prospect.

Udofiia’s work ethic and competitiveness will be hard to argue against. He reminds me of former Virginia star Sean Singletary in that regard.

This should develop into a nice ongoing conversation as these guys hit conference play.

John Wall: Leaning Away From ACC

Marcus Shockley — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:20:37 -0500

So John Wall is leaning away from the ACC, according to LJWorld:

The country’s top high school senior prospect, John Wall, spoke to Jason Jordan of ESPN.com about his recruitment.

Wall, 6'4" from Word of God Christian Academy in Raleigh, N.C., said he currently is “leaning toward Kansas and Memphis, not specifically in that order.”

He also has Baylor, North Carolina State, Oregon, and Kentucky on his list.

“Those are the two coaches who I’ve had the best connection with so far because they’ve been in for in-home visits,” Wall said of Bill Self and John Calipari.

Wall told ESPN.com that Self told Wall he’d “have to work for everything.” Calipari compared Wall to NBA No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose to indicate he’d have the ball in his hands a lot, which Wall said was “attractive.”

Wall told ESPN “probably” when asked if he was a likely one-year-and-done college player.

ACC Tournament Tickets 2009

Marcus Shockley — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:54:10 -0500

The ACC Tournament is my favorite college basketball tournament, which is no surprise, considering I am such a big fan of the ACC. Now there’s an awesome way to find the cheapest prices on ACC tournament tickets.

This link shows all of the cheapest ACC Basketball Tournament tickets dynamically. It updates all of the time, searching all available tickets and listing the cheapest ones. It’s a fantastic way to keep up with the prices, which tend to go up as the tournament approaches.

This year, the tournament is being held in Atlanta, GA, which should mean more fans can attend due to seating. The location of the ACC tournament is a bit of a bone of contention, with so much of the ACC focused on North Carolina. Teams outside the state of NC cry foul that Duke, NC State, UNC and Wake Forest can play so close to home, but the center of the ACC schools is squarely between Durham and Chapel Hill. This year, Georgia Tech fans will have the shortest trip to the tourney, but it’s closer for Florida State and Miami as well. Clemson fans are probably slightly closer to Atlanta than Chapel Hill.

Scouting Report: Watauga vs. East Burke

Marcus Shockley — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:58:39 -0500

Scouting report from Justin Shockley:

On Tuesday January 13 two 4A conference rivals took the court in Boone, NC and featured some stellar play from both teams. Watauga came out on top with an 80-74 win at home.

Cody Shuffler- (SF, 6’6’’, 2009) Kept East Burke in the game with his solid post play. Shuffler has the height of a SF but has the overall body mass and strength of a PF. Very strong, powerful lower body. He was forced to play C or PF the entire game because the lack of interior size that East Burke possessed but still demonstrated his skill set well. On a night when Shuffler’s mid range shot was off, he still showed great touch around the basket as well as good form and lift on his jumpshot.

Shuffler has a definitive go to move to get around defenders on the low block, spinning baseline on the right side several times to score. He showed good defensive presence by blocking or changing many shots in the paint. Shuffler was able to score 29 points even on an off shooting night to lead his team. To play his true position of SF Shuffler needs to improve his ability to guard on the perimeter as well as his ball handling.

Josh Debro- (SG, 6’4’’, 2010) A rangy, athletic defender for East Burke caused havoc for Watauga’s players all night. In a press defensive scheme Debro shined; usually playing the middle in the defensive setup and came up with four steals in the second half alone. Debro showed great recovery speed and covered the whole floor on defense coming up with several come from behind blocks and deflections. A great offensive rebounder coming from the weak side. Debro finished with seven points, five steals, and eight or nine rebounds. Debro still has another year to improve his shooting ability but has some great potential as a shooting guard.

Jeff Newell- (PF, 6’6’’, 2009) was the driving force for Watauga. The undersized PF/C showcased that he may have the ability to play SF on the next level with his bevy of finesse post moves and overall range on his shot. At one point Newell hit back-to-back three pointers and a one dribble pull up from 15 feet to demonstrating his shooting touch. Has good timing on his jumps, which helps make up for his lack of size (weighs 185) on rebounding.

Had some trouble guarding the much heftier Shuffler on the low block but did show good footwork and quick hands on defense. Newell is calm when handling the ball some on the perimeter but seems uncomfortable when forced to defend on the perimeter. Shot very well for the entire game and finished with 31 points. Needs to bulk up and work on perimeter defense.

SNY Invitational Announced

Marcus Shockley — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 17:14:09 -0500

SNY Invitational Video

SNY, the television home of the New York Mets, Jets, and BIG EAST Conference, today announced that the 2009 SNY Invitational presented by Time Warner Cable will tip off January 23-24 at 6pm and showcase four of the top ranked high school teams in New York. The teams include Jefferson, Mount Vernon, St. Raymond, and Boys and Girls High School.

All games will be broadcast live on SNY and feature SNY commentator Kevin Burkhardt calling all the action alongside SNY’s BIG EAST basketball analyst Tim Welsh. Brian Custer, host of the WheelHouse on SNY, will handle the sideline duties.

The SNY Invitational presented by Time Warner Cable was established in January 2008 with the goal of creating an annual high school basketball tournament that will be both a pillar of SNY’s involvement in the community, as well as New York’s elite high school basketball event.

Throughout the two-day tournament, SNY will provide exposure to the schools and students by televising the games, as well as producing multiple vignettes and human interest pieces about the individual schools and their teams. In addition, SNY and Time Warner Cable’s NYC Region will make a donation totaling $20,000 to the participating schools.

“While the inaugural SNY Invitational exceeded our expectations, this year’s event is shaping up to be even more exciting as we aim to set a new benchmark for high school athletic events in New York,” said Steve Raab, President of SNY. “We’re honored to give back to these communities and showcase the participating high schools and their athletes.”

“Time Warner Cable has a long tradition of supporting educators and students. This includes free cable television and high speed online service to schools, scholarships and a number of initiatives offered throughout the year. This partnership with SNY is another example of how we encourage students to reach their full potential,” said Harriet Novet, Regional Vice President, Public Affairs for Time Warner Cable’s NYC Region.

“We’re thrilled to once again support local high schools. Our customers can watch these games conveniently through local on demand Channel 1111,” added Novet.

In addition to stellar high school basketball, the SNY Invitational presented by Time Warner Cable will showcase prominent entertainment acts throughout the two-day event, such as E3 Dance Crew—a Hip-Hop dance crew that has competed in a plethora of competitions and is currently the 2008 Showtime at The Apollo dance champion, and Extreme Team, which combine the talents of gymnasts, tumblers, and trampoline specialists known for their unique acrobatic slam-dunk performances.

Other performances include Street Beats Group, a New York City-based dance and percussion troupe that combine the excitement and energy of off-Broadway hits like “Bring In Da Noise,” “Stomp,” and “Blue Man Group” with their original, high-energy music and choreography. In addition, Acroback, a world class group of break dancers and tumblers will also perform at the event.

Fans in attendance will receive gift bags containing such valuable items as two New Jersey Nets tickets.

The 2009 SNY Invitational will take place at New York University’s Coles Sports Center in Manhattan. Time Warner Cable will serve as the presenting sponsor of the tournament. Other official sponsors of the event include the New York Daily News, McDonald’s, 2K Sports, Spalding, StubHub and New York’s 529 College Savings Program.

SNY and Time Warner Cable are providing fans a chance to win a new MacBook. To enter the SNY Invitational Sweepstakes, visit http://www.sny.tv/fan_zone/sweepstakes/invitational/form.jsp

SNY is available on Channel 26 and in high definition on channel 726 to Time Warner Cable NYC Region customers. Games will also be available on Channel 1111, Local Video On Demand, for Time Warner Cable customers in Manhattan, Staten Island, Queens, Brooklyn, Mt. Vernon, and Bergen County, New Jersey.

For additional information on the SNY Invitational, or to purchase tickets, visit www.snyinvitational.com .

SNY Invitational TV Schedule on Friday, Jan. 23
Game 1: Friday, Jan. 23, 2009 at 6pm, SNY Jefferson High School vs. Mount Vernon
Game 2: Friday, Jan. 23, 2009 at 8pm, SNY St. Raymond vs. Boys and Girls High School

SNY Invitational TV Schedule on Saturday, Jan. 24
Game 1: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 at 6pm, SNY Consolation Game (TBD)
Game 2: Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009 at 8pm, SNY Championship Game (TBD)

SNY—which launched in 2006—is the official television home of the New York Mets, Jets and the BIG EAST Conference. Featuring unparalleled access to the New York Mets with more than 120 live telecasts—all produced in HD—and other critically acclaimed Mets programming, SNY also delivers over 250 hours of year-round–exclusive–in-depth New York Jets content.

As the official TV home of the BIG EAST Conference, SNY will air more than 125 BIG EAST football and basketball games, as well as other BIG EAST programming.

As New York’s leader in local sports coverage, SNY delivers the most comprehensive sports access to all of the Tri-State area’s professional and collegiate sports teams through five nightly sports and entertainment programs broadcast in state-of-the-art HD from the network’s street-level studio in the heart of Manhattan.

SNY’s programming roster also includes classic sports programming, original entertainment shows and exclusive interview and magazine programs. Founded by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, Time Warner and Comcast, SNY is available to viewers throughout New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and northeastern Pennsylvania, and nationally on DIRECTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-Verse. For additional details on the network, visit www.sny.tv .

Time Warner Cable’s New York City Region serves over 1.4 million customers in four NYC boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and western Brooklyn), Mt. Vernon, Hudson Valley (Orange, Sullivan, Ulster Counties and parts of Dutchess, Greene and Delaware Counties) and Bergen and Hudson Counties, New Jersey. Visit timewarnercable.com/nynj

Time Warner Cable is the second-largest cable operator in the U.S., with technologically advanced, well-clustered systems located mainly in five geographic areas—New York State (including New York City), the Carolinas, Ohio, southern California (including Los Angeles) and Texas. As of September 30, 2008, Time Warner Cable served approximately 14.7 million customers who subscribed to one or more of its video, high speed data and voice services, representing approximately 34.2 million revenue generating units.

Tobias Harris’ Blog

Marcus Shockley — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:40:02 -0500

You might be following the recruitment of Tobias Harris (PF, 6′7″, 2010), one of the ACC’s top recruits, and you might have see our recent Q&A with Harris and heard that a few ACC teams are still in the mix for him.

Syracuse is another school interested in Harris, and one of the most interesting aspects of his high school basketball career is his blogging on Syracuse.com, which means that the Orangemen definitely are keeping up with his career, and with his recent injury, he’s blogging about being sidelined and missing games:

The next morning I got MRI results stating that the ligaments in my ankle were torn. It was devastating news for me. But everything happens for a reason and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The doctor said I’ll probably miss six to eight weeks.

Scouting Report:Watauga vs. West Caldwell

Marcus Shockley — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:46:20 -0500

Today’s scouting report is from Justin Shockley, who scouted Tuesday’s match up between Watauga and West Caldwell.

Scouting Report

Local rivals faced off in Boone on Tuesday in a non-conference match-up.

The game was a defensive struggle throughout, aided by poor shooting from both teams; however, some players were still able to showcase some of their skills.

Watauga came away with the victory in this low scoring affair, 52-49 in overtime.

Kendall Jones (PG, 5’8”, 2011), West Caldwell

Jones has great poise for an underclassman, with a quick first step and good left hand.

Jones shows a vastly improved shooting ability from last season and has a fluid release. While Jones is a pure PG, he has the ability to score by driving in or hitting the jumper and scored 37 points in an earlier contest this season.

His court vision is decent but sometimes inconsistent and he settles for jumpers too often at times. Jones finished with 15 points and six assists.

Overall, there is plenty of potential with this young player.

Yeaster Lewis (SF, 6’4”, 2009), West Caldwell

Lewis was forced to play out of position for most of the game due to West Caldwell’s lack of size in the middle, but slashed in for rebounds in the paint throughout game.

Lewis plays good help defense and attacks the glass on both ends.

He has a strong, athletic build and makes quick moves when facing up.

Lewis finished with 11 points, but needs to improve ball handling skills and interior passing.

Jeff Newell (PF/C 6’6”, 2009), Watauga

Newell played in the post for Watauga, scoring 22 for the Pioneers and showing a knack for getting the ball in a good position to score.

He lacks size for his overall skill set at PF/C but did show good touch out to about 12 feet and soft hands.

Newell showed several good finesse post moves and good offensive rebounding ability, but was easily pushed around at times because he only weighs about 185 pounds.

Final Scouting Report From The Frank Spencer

Marcus Shockley — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 00:06:29 -0500

The final round of the Frank Spencer Classic features two games, the battle for third place and and the title game.

The first game featured Ashe County against R.J. Reynolds. Ashe is led by big man Tommy Spagnolo (PF, 6′7″, 2009), a Radford commit. Spagnolo was the best pure post player in the tournament, and already has the build of a collegiate athlete. He is a paint player, with a good array of moves around the basket. In this game, he was careful not to get trapped on the baseline and the RJR defenders had a lot of trouble stopping him inside. He also finished several times after contact, and he has a lot of control on his shots around the basket.

At first, Reynolds doubled him as soon as he touched the ball in the post, and then the Ashe guards stopped going inside for a while to avoid the double team.

Spagnolo still scored double digit points in the first half, mostly by grabbing offensive rebounds and scoring putback shots. He establishes position in the paint well, sealing his man and boxing out well.

Spagnolo finished with 20 points for the night. He is extremely good from about 12 feet in, even putting the ball on the floor a couple of times and slashing to get better looks.

Spagnolo was guarded most of the night by Matt Kunz (SF, 6′7″, 2009), a player who is playing out of position in the paint, being more of a forward than a post player.

Kunz was active. He had three steals and at least four blocks in the game, but was forced to play post most of the game and had to sit for extended minutes due to foul trouble. Kunz was a player who looked like he has promise if he could be consistent from mid-range and become a slashing forward.

The prominent player for R.J. Reynolds is Will Carpenter (SF, 6′6″ 2009), a player who ended up making the all-tournament team. Carpenter did not score until the second half. In the second half, he became much more active even bringing the ball up on the break

Kunz and Carpenter are playing the post in high school but in my opinion should be scouted as forwards. They look more like players who can face the basket.

A player of interest is Alex Greven (SG, 6′3″, 2009), who hit a couple of threes early for R.J. Reynolds and even though he wasn’t playing point, he was usually defending the point. He has excellent defensive skills and a good release on his shot.

The game was back and forth with Reynolds leading 18-15 at the half.

During the second half, Ashe took at 37-29 lead at one point, but Reynolds tried to neutralize the inside power of Spagnolo by moving Kunz to the high post and feeding Carpenter under the basket. This worked enough that Ashe moved Spagnolo back to the low post, but Reynolds managed to cut the lead 37-35 with transition points and the interior passing.

With 1:29 left to go and leading 37-35, Ashe called a timeout. Matt Kunz fired a terrific interior assist to tie the game 37-37. Ashe missed a shot on their next possession as Alex Greven was making a back door cut to the basket. Spagnolo was forced to foul him, and he fouled out of the game. Greven hit one free throw and RJR went on to win, 38-37.

Championship Game: Mount Tabor vs. West Forsyth

Mount Tabor came in wanting to defend their Frank Spencer Classic title from a year ago, and being led by a trio of star guards in C.J. Harris (PG/SG, 6′3″, 2009), Mike Grace (PG, 6′0″, 2009) and Josh Hicks (PG/SG, 6′2″, 2009).

This game was tight in the opening quarter, but Mt. Tabor, led by explosive games from Mike Grace and Josh Hicks, pulled away with a run at the end of the first half and West Forsyth never recovered. Mt. Tabor won 73-54 in a bit of a blowout, so I’ll just rundown some of the player notes:

C.J. Harris (Mt. Tabor) - Still under control, had some nice slashing moves and a sick spin move inside to get shots off. Not a huge scoring night for him, but it wasn’t needed. A big guard who plays with a lot of poise, was named to the All-Tournament team.

Josh Hicks (Mt. Tabor) - A player I was again impressed with, fast, good handle, excellent scorer and defender.

Mike Grace (Mt. Tabor) - A terrific game where he showcased his ability to pull up in transition and hit the mid range jumper or three pointer. He absolutely has a solid mid range game, can finish and is a pure PG.

Turner Simpson (SG, 6′3″, 2009), (Mt. Tabor) - A very active shooting guard who gets a lot of minutes and plays tenacious defense. He finds holes in the defense and works the backdoor cut effectively.

Chrishawn Rhyne (PG, 5′11″, 2009) (West Forsyth), speedy ballhandler who can defend and score. Finishes in traffic, athletic.

Tabarris Hamilton (SG, 6′2″, 2011) (West Forsyth), showed flashes of offensive ability as a sophomore, will be one to keep an eye on.

Allan Jones (SF, 6′5″, 2009) (West Forsyth), a strong player with a good first step but had trouble finishing. Made the All-Tournament team. Needs to work on his mid range shooting and free throw consistency, his shot comes off a little flat on release. Could be tough to stop offensively with a little work on his jumper; he’s the kind of player who, if played close, might put the ball on the floor and slash past the defender. Relies too much on his strength to score around the basket, and at his size will need to improve his forward skills.

Tyler Alberts (SF/PF, 6′6″, 2010) (West Forsyth), runs the floor well and is active on defense. Had a little trouble catching interior passes at times, managed to seal his man in the post but did not use the drop step to get a shot off. Has good size and had some good moments. Needs to be more active in the paint at times, has potential.

Familar Foes at the Frank

Marcus Shockley — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:44:39 -0500

Today’s Frank Spencer championship features two team familiar with one another, Mount Tabor and West Forsyth.

As Wake fans know, Mount Tabor is led by commit C.J. Harris (PG/SG, 6′3″, 2009) and is the returning Frank Spencer Classic champion.

The Spartans (10-1) and the Titans (10-0) will tip off at approximately 8:30, after the third-place game between Reynolds and Ashe County (7 p.m.)

Mount Tabor beat West in last year’s Spencer final in what was the first of four meetings between the Central Piedmont 4-A Conference rivals.

Coach Mike Pennington of West said that he was glad to get a one-day break between Saturday’s semifinals and tonight’s championship to give him a chance to work on defending Mount Tabor’s guards C.J. Harris, Mike Grace and Josh Hicks.

More Scouting From The Frank Spencer Classic

Marcus Shockley — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 22:38:04 -0500

Thanks again to James Blackburn for turning in these scouting reports for Saturday’s action of the Frank Spencer Classic prep basketball action in Winston-Salem, NC.

The championship games are Monday.

Scouting Report: Mt. Tabor vs. Ashe

Mt. Tabor proved to be too much for Ashe to handle defeating Ashe 64- 50 to advance to the championship game Monday night versus West Forsyth.

In my opinion this game featured the best guard and the post player in the Frank Spencer Classic in C.J. Harris (PG/SG, 6′3″, 2009) for Mt. Tabor and Tommy Spagnolo (PF/C, 6′7″, 2009) for Ashe. Mt. Tabor used an effective 2-3 zone with Harris and Josh Hicks at the perimeter disrupting Ashe County’s offense. This game featured several D-I commits.

C.J. Harris - Mt. Tabor (committed to Wake Forest) - C.J. had another great game, scoring 25 points and dishing out a few nice assist. He is smart, active on defense, and has the prettiest jumper in the tournament. He took whatever the defense gave him. If his defender played up on him he would drive around him and often finish with the foul. If his defender played off on him, he would hit the jumper, either from the 3-point line or the midrange.

Josh Hicks - Mt. Tabor (reportedly uncommitted) - smart player, plays on both ends of the court. Well rounded offensive game. Finished with 8 points.

Tommy Spagnolo- Ashe (committed to Radford) - Tommy struggled offensively this game and played limited minutes due to foul trouble. Tommy still played solid defense, blocking several shots and altering others, and rebounded the ball well on the defensive end. He has good form on his jumper.

Tommy has a tendency to go towards the baseline when operating in the post and this sometimes gets him in trouble because he gets trapped. He again attracted double teams and is smart enough to know when to turn away from the double team and shoot or find the open man on a pass. Tommy finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Tatum Lemly - Ashe- (SG, 6′0″, 2009) Tatum is very active on the offensive and defensive ends of the court. His offensive game is not the prettiest, but it is effective. He can score the ball in numerous ways from shooting the 3 to taking the ball to the basket strong. Needs to improve ball handling skills. Tatum finished with 18 points.

Scouting Report: West Forsyth vs. Reynolds

West Forsyth defeated Reynolds in the first game of the nightcap 67-58 to earn a berth in the Frank Spencer championship game on Monday night. The teams were tied at half time at 28 apiece, but the second half belonged to West. Reynolds hurt themselves by giving up too many offensive rebounds and turning the ball over in the second half. Several players are getting D-I attention for both teams.

Allan Jones –West Forsyth (SF/PF, 6′5″, 2009) - Can take it to the basket strong, athletic, good shot blocker, solid post moves, needs to improve jumper and ball handling skills. Allan finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds while being guarded by another D-I post player in Will Carpenter most of the game. Elon, Gardner Webb, and several D-II schools have expressed interest.

Ricky Brown - West Forsyth (SG, 6′3″, 2011) - Ricky is a great shooter and is active on the glass and defense. Ricky is a kid that you should keep an eye on; he has potential being only a sophomore. He finished with 10 points and 4 rebounds.

Will Carpenter - Reynolds (SF/PF, 6′6″, 2009) - Will is a good strong defender that can block shots and moves his feet well. He is good shooter for his size with 3-point range. He finished with 17 points. Schools that have taken a notice of Will are Lenoir Ryne, Air Force, and Winthrop.

Kendall Wicks - Reynolds (SG, 6′1″, 2010) - Great shooter who gets good elevation on his jump shot. He can shoot 3’s and midrange jumpers and possess the ability to create his own shot. He has a quick first step which he uses to get to the basket and finish. He needs to improve decision making and ball handling skills. Has potential. He finished with 17 points. Wright State, Elon, and UNCW have looked at him.

Photo Credit: Winston-Salem Journal, Bruce Chapman
Original Photo Link

Scouting the Frank: More From the Frank Spencer High School Tournament

Marcus Shockley — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:59:15 -0500

James Blackburn was able to scout some games at the Frank Spencer Classic, and provided the following scouting notes for the match up between North Forsyth and Ashe County. Ashe features Tommy Spagnolo (PF/C, 6′7″, 2009), a Radford commit who had an excellent game:

Ashe vs. North Forsyth Scouting Notes

No. 4 seed Ashe County defeated North Forsyth in the quarterfinal game tonight 59-56. Ashe controlled the game from the start weaving, through North’s defense and press for layups and open shots. There were several players who stood out for both teams.

Tommy Spagnolo (PF/C, 6′7″, 2009) scored 19 points, grabbed 21 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots while controlling the middle for Ashe. Tommy is a strong/physical force that plays good D, contesting every shot, and rebounds exceptionally well on both ends of the court, boxing out on every shot.

He is a great shot blocker, blocking shots from the weak side as well as his own mans shot. He hustles and runs the floor. He has a consistent jumper with a range of 18 feet.

He is unguardable within four feet of the basket, using size and good post moves to score. He has good feet and hands and passes well out of double and triple teams which he often attracts.

Kameko Wells (SG/SF, 6′4″, 2009) for North is a smart player who possesses good basketball IQ. He is long and lanky and uses his length to get to the basket easily and finish. He has good ball handling skills for a 2 guard. He has good form on his jumper and gets good elevation off the ground when he shoots. He finished with 13 points.

Jairus Simms (PG, 6′1″, 2009) finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds for North. He has great ball handling skills and changes speeds and directions well to get to the basket at will.

He has excellent court vision and can create for other players after breaking his man down. He is a true scorer who can get his points in many ways; floaters, mid-range jump shots, layups, and three-pointers.

Scouting Report: Mt. Tabor vs. Parkland

Marcus Shockley — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:28:15 -0500

I was able to catch the late game of the Frank Spencer Classic, featuring No. 1 seed and returning champ Mt. Tabor against Parkland. Mt. Tabor’s best known player is C.J. Harris (PG/SG, 6′3″, 2009), who has committed to Wake Forest.

Mt. Tabor uses three big, smart guards to pressure the perimeter and this worked against Parkland repeatedly, who had trouble getting into a flex offense before it was disrupted by the Mt. Tabor guards. Mt. Tabor’s guards are led by C.J. Harris, Mike Grace (PG, 6′0″, 2009), who is committed to Yale, and Josh Hicks (PG/SG, 6′2″, 2009).

Wake fans will be glad that C.J. Harris' game is still the consistent, steady and smart play that is a coach’s dream and should add balance and poise to the Demon Deacons.

One thing I’ve always liked about Harris’ game is that he doesn’t make silly mistakes, and in this game he was able to put the ball on the floor several times and drive through traffic for a bucket, a dish to a teammate or a trip to the free throw line.

Harris is exceptional from the free-throw line and the form on his shot is excellent. I originally wondered if he had the speed to play in the ACC, but I think his calm demeanor is deceptive, as he consistently outmaneuvered smaller guards with his ball handling.

The player who impressed me the most in this game was Josh Hicks. While all three guards for Mt. Tabor have a good release on their shot, and all three are strong defenders, Hicks was exceptional in moving his feet to cut off passing lanes, create traps and generate turnovers.

He has a good offensive game and although I do not see him as a pure PG or SG, I think he can play either position well. He, like Harris, can also slash to the hoop.

Mike Grace is the player whose game is the most pure point guard of the three, also with a good release on his shot and defensive awareness.

All three guards for Mt. Tabor play well together and generate a lot of turnovers out the perimeter which turn into fast break points.

For Parkland, I was disappointed with the team’s overall cohesion, but I did notice Antonio Robinson (SG/SF, 6′2″, 2011), a player with a fluid offensive game and potential. Although Parkland’s lack of size forced Robinson to play some in the paint, he looks to me like he could really have potential as a shooting guard, he has an easy stroke and can handle the ball.

I think he will need to bulk up some as well as improve his shot’s consistency, as his release can be a little flat at times. Terrance Surratt (PF, 6′4″, 2010) has an offensive lineman’s build but has great timing on rebounds and blocks, but foul trouble limited his play down the stretch.

Flashes of offense from Dontre Barrett (SG, 5′8″, 2009) and nice court vision from Mykjuan Truesdale (PG/SG, 5′9″, 2009) weren’t enough to overcome the dominance of Mt. Tabor’s guards.