Class of 1998,  1999,   2000,   2001,  2003,  2005,  2006,  2007,  2008,  2009. 

Class of 2002

11/24/02 NY Times (requires free subscription): Lenny Cooke -- N.B.A. Dream Goes Even Further Adrift.

3/17/01 Current Hoop Scoop top 100 from this class includes #1 Lenny Cooke, # 19 Jason Fraser, # 20 Elijah Ingram,  # 22 Charlie Villanueva (oops!  CV has been reclassified as 2003)  # 41 Curtis Sumpter, #45 Allan Ray, #49 Randy Foye,  # 66 Ty Dean, # 77 Rashawn Freeman,  and # 82 Ricky Solivar.  

1/7/01 Basketball Phenoms has updated their player rankings. They like 13 of this region's juniors - class of 2002 - for their top 100. In order they are Lenny Cooke,  Elijah Ingram,  Curtis Sumpter,  Allan Ray,  Jason Fraser,  Curtis Stinson,  Eric Wilkens,  Zack Martin,  Ty Dean,  Donnis McGrath,  Kennell Sanches,  Tim Doyle and Zakee Boyd.  

11/19/00  HoopsTV.com:  'Elijah Ingram, JR, 5-10, St. Anthony’s (Jersey City, NJ). A true HoopsTV.com baller, Ingram’s game features dribbles that were developed on the playgrounds of North Jersey. Ingram uses his handle to get to the tin with ease where he slides a pass to the open man or lays it in for two. If ya back off, he’ll pull it right in your mug. His fearless attitude and his thin build have made Ingram injury prone.

Donnie McGrath, JR, 6-1, JFK (Somers, NY).  With McGrath as the MC, JFK went 24-1 last year (JFK is 40-5 when he starts ) and lost in the NY Class B state semis. He’s a penetrating point guard who specializes in breaking the press and in-ya-grill defense. McGrath averaged 15 points per game in 1999-00.

Kelvin Nelson, JR, 6-3, Christ the King (Middle Village, NY).  A superb athlete who can play some small forward, “Peedy” kills on both ends of the floor. On offense, he’s quick to the basket and makes smart decisions with the pill. On defense, he excels at the five-finger-discount. With NYC legend Omar Cook gone, Nelson will be expected to score more this year.

Allen Ray, JR, 6-2, St. Raymond’s (Bronx, NY). Ray has been described as a younger version of Allen Houston. Obviously, he is a great shooter who can put the ball on the floor a little. Ray can also climb the latter to catch the alley-oop. He plays in the shadow of some great ballers at St. Ray’s, but don’t sleep on this kid.

Lenny Cooke , JR., 6-6, Old Tappan, NJ.  Cooke, who is one of the top players in the Class of 2K2, can straight score. Outside, inside, on the breakout – just feed him the rock and head back on D. Oh yeah, he can rebound and defend too. At the ABCD Camp this summer Cooke averaged 15.6 ppg. and 8.6 rpg.

Davonne Folks, JR., 6-4, St. Raymond’s (Bronx, NY).  Folks averaged 8 points and 5 rebounds last year as St. Ray’s utility man. If the coach needed someone to rebound, he did it. If the coach needed some airtight D, Folks responded. If the coach needed more offense, Folks let fly from deep. We smell a blow up year at St. Ray’s.

Curtis Sumpter, JR., 6-7, Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, NY).  Sumpter is a long athlete who has the option of crushing a defender’s ego with the 3 or by putting the ball on the deck and taking it to the hole. He typically uses his outside shooting to set up the penetration game.

Jason Fraser, JR., 6-8, Amityville (Amityville, NY).  Some have labeled Fraser as the true power forward in the East. Fraser is a dominant post player who is anchored to the blocks. It’s hard to match his desire and the way he pounds the glass. He rejects more guys than Destiny’s Child.

Jackeel Gary, JR., 6-8, St. Benedict’s Prep (Newark, NJ).  Gary is an explosive player who is deceptively fast. He can score (12ppg.), is a monster on the glass (9rpg.) and is a terrific defender. Gary worked hard on his build and game this summer so the staff at St. benedict’s is expecting double-doubles in 2000-01.'

9/13/00   100 Hoops:  Top Junior Prospects include 3. Lenny Cooke 6-5 WF/WG Old Tappan (NJ) No. Valley Regional,  20. TaQuan Dean 6-2 PG Neptune (NJ) High.  Best of the Rest:  Charlie Villanueva 6-9 BF Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy,  Jason Fraser 6-8 BF Amityville (NY) High,  Tim Doyle 6-6 BF Oyster Bay (NY) St. Dominic,  Zakee Boyd 6-5 WG Newark (NJ) St. Benedicts (oops!? - St. Anthony),  Zach Martin 6-5 WF Medford (NJ) Shawnee,  Kenell Sanchez 6-4 WG Pennsauken (NJ) Bishop Eustace,  Randy Foye 6-3 WG Newark (NJ) East Side,  Ricardo Soliver 6-3 WG Bronx (NY) All Hallows,  John Winchester 6-3 WG Bayonne (NJ) Marist (oops, again!),  Allen Ray 6-1 PG Bronx (NY) St. Raymond's and Elijah Ingram 6-0 PG Jersey City (NJ) St. Anthony's.

9/9/00:  Class 2002 coverage was at 72; it is now at 96. I've added 25 names, moved Charlie Villanueava to the class of 2003 list and eight players (Jamar Green,  Jamar Wilson, Cameron Benson,  Elvis Danjovic,  Chris Kenny, Tommy Baker, Brian Antonelli, Yohann Sangare) still require more info before their inclusion.  The 24 additions are Jason Fraser,  John Winchester,  Morel Soler,  Jomo Belfor,  Pat Devaney,  Justin Zale, Quincy Doobie,  Andre Dabney,  Kaleef Willis,   Anthony Strong,  Shaun Wynn,  Edwin Muniz, Chukku (CJ) Okejeri,  Jyles Thacker, Ontea Gates,   Shamar Green,  Kevin Hamilton,  Khary Moore,  Eric Hazard,  Nick Torres,   Rushid Simmons, Billy Dodson,  Andre Vanterpool, Michael Claxton.  Their profiles are below.  The latest index groups them thirties.  It was compiled by first referencing Blue Ribbon,  Gameball,  NJ Hoops,  Hoop Scoop, Real Scout and Apple's Ballaz lists.  The more than eighty people (almost half of them, coaches) on this site's mailing list had a chance to contribute, though many won't rank players on principle.  Ultimately, the final decision was mine, the site's programmer and basketball fan.  I am not a scout, and I am not a talent evaluator.  The implied ranking should be taken very lightly.  This listing is primarily a reason to profile this class' players in one place on this site.  I apologize to all those who should be on this list, but are not, due to my ignorance.  For comments and suggestions please email nycnjhoops@aol.com.

Leonard Cooke 6-5, Jason Fraser,   Elijah Ingram 5-8, Zach Martin 6-4, Curtis Sumpter 6-5, Ricky Soliver 6-2,  John Winchester,  Zakee Boyd 6-3,  Jason Wingate 5-10, Tim Doyle 6-4, Kennel Sanchez 6-4,  Marvin McCullough 5-10, Allan Ray 6-0,  Justin Zale,  Tykwan Dean 6-0,  Donnie McGrath 6-0, Arthur Onuara 6-4, Eric Wilkens 6-1, George Jefferson 6-4,  Kelvin (Petey) Nelson 6-3, Randy Foye 6-0,   Morel Soler,  Jomo Belfor,  Pat Devaney,  Mikail Malik 6-0, Dominick Mejia 5-11, Edwin Muniz, Gerald Crenshaw 6-0, Quincy Doobie,  Andre Dabney.

Jyles Tucker,  Amadou Fall 6-5,  Luis Rodriguez 6-3, Terrance Todd 5-8, Kenny Eusey 6-0,  Shakiem Mitchell 6-9,  Kaleef Willis,   Keydren Clark 5-9,   Aaron Estrada 6-6, Anthony Strong,  Cahill Jackson 6-5, Dwayne Lee 5-10,   Anthony Drejaj 5-11,  Dave Cogan 6-5,  Scott Greenman 6-0, Aaron Nelson 6-9, Donald Copeland 5-10,  Jamal Ford 6-2, Henry White 6-3,  Davonne Folks 6-4,   Isaiah Davis 5-11,  Dwayne Thomas 5-9,   Eric Hazard,  Deshawn Mason,   Steve Burtt jr. 6-0, Kenny Davis 5-11,  Jakeel Gary 6-6,   Kirll Waschmann 6-5,  Matt Henry 5-10,   Bobby Santiago 5-10.

BJ Bakanowski 6-8, Rashard Turner 6-1,  Ferard Ensley 5-8,  Olabode Olukanni 6-1,  Daniel Green 6-2,  Benny Utley 6-2,  Shaun Wynn,  Chukku (CJ) Okejeri,  Ontea Gates,   Shamar Green,  Kevin Hamilton,  Khary Moore,  Richie Albright 6-0,     Divone Wise 5-8. Stephon Cherry 6-4,  Willie Miller 6-4, Eric Martin 6-4, Jamaal Wagner 6-2,  Nolan Hall 6-4,  Will Kuntz 6-6,  Matt Vitale 6-6,  Elijah Clarke 6-3,  Rashid Simmons 5-11,  Adam Payton 6-1,  Gary Jones 6-5,  Chris Murphy 5-10,  Matt Saunders, 5-10, Jason Kroll, 6-3,  Brandon Wilson 6-1,  Nick Torres.

Rushid Simmons, Billy Dodson,  Andre Vanterpool, Tarik Viaer-McClymont 6-8,  Michael Claxton, Tyler Alten 6-5.

2/8/00:  Class 2002 coverage at 72;  this index groups them by twenties.  

Leonard Cooke, 6-5 forward Old Tappen, NJ.   GB # 1. HS #1  NJH #1. .12/99:  Jay @aol: 'oh yeah i forgot to tell you...a player to watch is Lenny Cooke from LaSalle who scored over 30 on Saturday, and 24 yesterday in the O'Hara Martin tournament at St Peters in Staten Island.'  1/99:  Not ranked by Gameball or Hoop Scoop at the beginning of the year, but Leonard is the star of the undefeated LaSalle JV team.   8/18/00  Hoop Scoop:  'Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio also has an early list of schools on 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, who will rank as either the #1 or #2 junior in the nation, along with 6'9 Amarie Stoudamire from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, when we start working on our list of the top juniors nationally in the near future. Cooke says he likes Seton Hall, Connecticut, St. John's, and North Carolina, but adds that going directly out of high school into the NBA draft in two years is strong possibility.'

Jason Fraser 6-7 forward,  Amityville, LI ( GB #3) . 2/15/99  Newsday: Fabulous Freshmen / Five players make big impact with boys teams. Fraser  ... is one of the top shot-blockers around and a voracious rebounder.  3/25/00 Post Star: Amityville reaches Class B title game. Jason Fraser was dominant inside and Tristan Smith handled the ball in his usual smooth fashion.  3/25/00 Daily News: Boys Class B Semifinal -  Amityville 66, Roosevelt 60:  Roosevelt, the PSAL B city champs, put a major scare into heavily favored Amityville, leading 25-23 at halftime. Sophomore Jason Fraser led Amityville with 20 points.  3/26/00 Post Star:  Sweet Reward -- St. Mary's takes Class B crown. Class B Boys - Final. Smith led the way for the Warriors with 15 points, while Jason Fraser recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Elijah Ingram 5-8 point guard, St. Anthony.  NJ Hoops #2. 7/98:  Frank: 'Southpaw guard from Newark's Camden Middle School will be attending St. Anthony High School. Follows Terrell Prince from Camden who last year went to St. Patricks.'  1/2/99 Frank: 'St. Anthony's young backcourt provided mature leadership and offensive spark to lead the 6-0 Friars tothe National Division boys basketball championship in the Nike National Prep Classic Thursday night in San Diego. Sophomore Tony Tate and freshman Elijah Ingram scored 15 points apiece to pace the 74-53 win over Simi Valley of California. This site was the first to recognize Ingram in a posting last spring. The freshman came to St. Anthony by way of Camden Middle school in Newark.'  1/99:  Hoop Scoop liked 6-0 Dwayne Lee (#39, nationally) as the impact St. Anthony freshman, but Elijah is getting the minutes and the points early in the season.  8/22/00 NJ Hoops:  Elijah Ingram and Randy Foye @ Sonny Hill.

Zack Martin 6-4 Shawnee, NJ Hoops #3.  HS # 6 in south NJ & Pa. 12/27/99 REM35 33: 'Shawnee 1st round win - Just got the call from South Carolina - Shawnee 65 St. Mary's Prep 52. Don't have all the details yet but I know Shawnee's guards were in early foul trouble so Zach Martin played some point and went 18 for 19 from the line.'  12/29/99 Duane McLendon: 'The Alltel Classic semifinals portion of the Beach Ball Classic has just ended. Purcell Marion, Ohio defeated Shawnee, NJ 63-56 to advance to the championship game.  The Renegade's were led by Super-Soph Zach Martin with 17 points.'

Curtis Sumpter, 6'5" Bishop Loughlin.  GB # 2. HS #2.  8/24/98:  'If I had to make a prediction, I would say that Curtis Sumpter would be the best player just based on how tall he will be, the skills he has now and most importantly, his demeanor. He is a really nice kid and eager to learn and his father was a great player. His father played with Pete Edwards from IS8.'  1/99:  FullCourtMag #75 nationally.

Ricky Soliver 6-2, wing, All Hallows.  GB #9  HS 500+  10/98 John: 'the least heralded of the All Hallows group but a very good player.'  1/16/00 John P. Miciotta: All Hallows at Xaverian - The jv game, which may well have been a preview of the city finals at that level saw All Hallows jump out to an early first quarter lead and win by 11. Rickey Solivera, Bobby Santiago and Kyrill Waschmann all starred for the Gaels.

John Winchester 6-3 forward NJ,  ( NJ Hoops # 5).  1/15/00 MSG Super Six is a NY sweep. The morning game featured two Knight teams with Mt. Vernon taking Marist 69 - 56. Marist has lost star junior Tony Tate for the season and senior Rashid Dunbar did not start. John Winchester, a 6-3 sophomore wing forward, led his team with 19 and Dunbar managed 16 in the losing effort.'  2/25/00  NJO:  Marist's Chris Chevannes, proclaiming innocence, resigns as basketball coach. Marist was sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association when it was discovered that sophomore forward John Winchester, a transfer student from Stamford, Conn., played for Marist without sitting out the mandatory 30-day transfer waiver period.   6/19/00 Ball4Life: 'The Tim Thomas Playaz are the Real Deal -- The 16s have a Bomb Squad. including freshman Marquis Webb - he is an excellent shooter and defender. John Winchester played 9 games in 2 days a still averaged 16pts a game and lets not forget he played a whole half of defense on Wagner. John is a good shooter and very athletic.'  8/19/00 Maverick Athletics: 'Sonny Hill Future Stars Tournament - Friday results: Tim Thomas Gold 99 - Allentown 85. Leading Scorers: John Allen (26), John Winchester (20) led the Gold.'  8/22/00 S. A. Madden, Maverick Athletics: 'Sonny Hill / Tony Samartino Future Stars Tournament in Philadelphia. Semifinals - Tim Thomas Gold 69 - Sonny Hill Seniors 58, John Winchester (16) led the Gold. Championship Tim Thomas Gold 93 - Newark Rams 78. Outstanding Players: John Winchester's tremendous leaping ability and accurate shooting was impressive.'

Zakee Boyd 6-3 forward, St. Anthony, NJ. NJ Hoops #10.  7/14/98   Frank: 'An incoming freshman to watch is 6-3 Zakee Boyd of Hudson Catholic. Onlookers at the St. Peter's College camp were very impressed with his athleticism. Boyd will help seniors, Cornelius Frazier 5-10 and Claude Lewis 6-3.'  1/99:  FullCourtMag #18 nationally.  08/99:  Zakee playing for Newark Rames in the Tim Thomas tournament.

Jason Wingate  5-10, point guard,  Rice, NY.  GB #6. HS #6.  The Riverside Church stalworth is heading for Rice. 11/98:  McCullough, Folks and Wingate are the three Blue Ribbon freshmen from this region.   1/99:  FullCourtMag #17 nationally.  12/13/99 Daily News: 'Barrett, Rice Win One for the Show - Jason Wingate slowed Cook with tough fourth-quarter defense and delivered a back-breaking 3-pointer while Barrett was ailing on the sideline.'  1/9/00 Daily News:  'With Bell and Satterfield graduated, Rice has had to work a few new names into the mix, including sophomores Keydren Clark and Jason Wingate and senior Alexy Ferrera.'

Tim Doyle  6-4, forward,  St. Dominic.  HS nr!.  GB #9.  3/28/98:  Lutheran 6-8 junior center Jacob Kudlacz said of Doyle, '" He's going to grow another three or four inches and he's got another four years to go. He's going to be a great player.' -   Post Star.    3/30/98   Daily News:  They're talking about Glover and Doyle.  Rated #6 nationally by Recruiter Online; we'd like to see the top five!  1/99:  FullCourtMag #43 nationally.  1/29/00 Rich: St. Mary's 77 St. Dominic's 61 - The premier Long Island CHSAA teams, St. Mary's and St. Dominic's, met tonight before an overflow crowd with St. Mary's coming out on top a 77-61 victor. The game was much closer than the final score. The score was tied at 51 to begin the fourth quarter. ... Sophomore Tim Doyle's 22 points and junior Mike Grinnon's 12 points led St. Dominic's. The rematch will take place at St. Dominic's on 2/25 at 7:30pm.'

Kennel Sanchez, 6-4 Bishop Eustace NJ Hoops #1.  HS #3 in south NJ & Pa.  1/99:  Kennell is starting and starring for Eustace.  2/99:  Inquirer:  Sanchez helps Eustace prevail in tournament.  The freshman scored 15 points and made key foul shots in a 52-48 victory over Middle Township.  1/23/00 Frank: Bishop Eustace vs Marist - For Eustace the highly touted 6-1 Sean Mulholland and 6-4 Juan Rozier looked good as expected. But 6-4 sophomore Kennell Sanchez was very impressive in all phases of the game and really bears watching.'

Marvin McCullough  5-10, point guard,  New York, NY.  HS #9. GB #14.   Marvin is headed for All Hallows and expected to play for the varsity.  Rated #11 nationally by Recruiter Online.  11/98:  McCullough, Folks and Wingate are the three Blue Ribbon freshmen from this region.  1/99:  FullCourtMag #38 nationally.  9/12/99 John P. Miciotta: 'The Gaels also get back 5'10" junior Rashawn Vaughn who missed last year for academic reasons. His leadership and tough defense should compliment heady soph Marvin McCullough and propel the Gaels to a fine bounce back season after disappointment last year.'

Allan Ray  6'0" St. Raymonds.  GB #12. HS # 6.   9/13/98   Coach A at AOL: 'Allan Ray is a tremendous player and is something to look out for this season. He is currently attending St.Rays this year as a freshman.'  Web note: Two freshmen played for the 15 and under St. Raymonds team at the Rumble in the Bronx - Jay Harper and Adam Gonzalez.  Gameball only ranks Allan and Folks at #1 for St. Raymond's incoming freshmen in their top 30.  By comparison Rice has 11 - Jason Wingate, Kenneth Eusey, Luis Rodriguez, Steven Burtt jr, Shakiem Mitchell, Benny Utley,  Michael Manning,  Bobby Potts, Ferard Ensley and Keydren Clark.  1/23/00  TLCwestie: 'St.Rays wins it. St.Raymonds defeats Rice 86-75 in front of sellout crowd at the Ravens center. Peter Mulligan the CHSAA leading scorer shows up again leading the Ravens with 26 points, Julius Hodge 23, Darnell Miller 12 were key in the victory . However it was the coming out party of super sophmore, Allan Ray, who scored 16 but none more important than the huge 3 down the stretch in crunchtime.'

Justin Zale Jericho, LI.   2/11/00 Newsday:  'Sophomore Justin Zale had 19 points, including 10-for-10 shooting from the free-throw line, to lead Jericho to a 49-39 win over Roosevelt in a Conference B-V boys basketball game yesterday. Zale scored six points in the fourth quarter as Jericho extended its three-point lead. Jericho scored 11 of its 16 fourth-quarter points from the free-throw line.'   2/18/00 Newsday:  'Justin Zale scored 11 of his 32 points in the first quarter as No. 5 Jericho opened a 12-point lead en route to a 75-67  victory over No. 12 MacArthur. Zale shot 8-for-8 from the free-throw line for Jericho (14-4), which led by 16 points after three quarters. Eric Cunningham  scored 27 points, including seven three-pointers, for MacArthur (5-12). Jericho plays Glen Cove at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Massapequa.'  4/00 Newsday - Nassau First team All County Conference V-B Justin Zale Jericho Sophomore.  Only other sophs are Jason Fraser and Gerald Crenshaw.

Tykwan Dean, 5-11, guard, Neptune, NJ. NJ Hoops #19.  3/6/99 Bayshore: 'RED BANK OUT - Colonia guard Risko sent Red Bank home on the short side of a 67-64 score with a three pointer with no time on the clock. Colonia pushed the lead to 13 before freshman phenom Taquan Dean came off the bench with 2 3's and a spectacular baseline drive on consecutive trips down the floor to pull the Bucs back to within 54-49.' 5/99: Ty Dean was in the Red Bank Metro Classic roster as a sophomore, but we think he's a freshman. 12/20/99 Asbury Park Press: CLASS B NORTH - Scouts are drooling over Neptune's frontcourt of Brian Showers, Rafig White and Robert Layton, with Red Bank transferee Ty Dean on the way. 12/23/99 Bayshore: 'The NJSIAA waived the 30 period for Ty Dean, no furthrer explanation than that in the APP, who had 22 for Neptune as they downed a decent Raritan club 70-61 after being pounded by AC.'

Donnie McGrath 6-0 guard, JFK, Somers.  1/9/00 Matt Grasso: 'He is a sensation. The top player in the class. He has led his team to an 9-0 start. He can score great getting 17 a game and his passing is the best aspect of his game getting about 9 assists per game. He is a fun player to watch with his smoothness, great handle and moves, shot, and unbelievable passing. His shot is unstoppable and he defends well too. He is ranked top 20 in the city but in my opinion is top 10 without a doubt. He is going to be a great player as his career continues and will be a high division 1 player. He plays 16 and under AAU for the Bronx Gauchos '.

Arthur Onuara  6-4, forward, Baldwin, NY.  GB #19. HS nr.  1/99:  FullCourtMag #9 nationally. 1/16/99: Arthur is FCM's highest rated freshman in the region, but he could use some help. Baldwin is 0-4 in conference play.  12/99:  Arthur has transferred to Long Island Lutheran. 

Eric Wilkens 6-0 point guard,  Piscataway, NJ.  NJ Hoops # 6.  Transferred from St. Joe's Metuchen to Piscataway.  2/4/00  Glenn Bynes:  'Piscataway boasts sophomore sensation Eric Wilkens.'  2/9/00   NJO:  'Piscataway triumphs ... Erik Wilkens, who played at St. Joseph's last season before transferring, contributed 13.' 2/11/00  InJersey:  Eric is averaging 11.2 ppg.  9/1/00 tbone: 'Jr. Eric Wilkens of Plainfield NJ will likely be starting at national power and #1 pre season ranked Oak Hill Academy of VA this year... to read more go to www.highmajorhoops.com/august17_oak_hill.html.'

George Jefferson, 6-3, forward, Automotive, NY. GB #22.  HS #25.  4/1/99 Gameball #22, Hoop Scoop #17.  5/12/99: Coach William Stasiuk of Automotive: 'George completed his freshman season at Automotive.. yes he is good... started every game averaged 12.6 and 8.8 boards- needs to work on his ballhandling- is bright and has a great future ahead if he keeps working at his game.'  1/30/00 George Jefferson, sophomore star for Automotive high school, fractured his wrist on Friday night playing for the Elmcor junior team at IS8.

Kelvin (Petey) Nelson,  6-3, forward, CTK, NY  GB #11. HS #4.  8/1/98   John P Miciotta:  'Christ The King's entire freshman class has not been finalized yet but one key guy they will definitely have is Kelvin (Petey) Nelson, a 6'3" wing player whose thin frame, long arms and great quickness will remind Royal followers of Ira Miller. He also comes to CTK well prepared having played on Riverside Church's 14-and-under team that features Jason Wingate and Keydren Clark (both headed to Rice).  1/99:  FullCourtMag #88 nationally.  11/17/99 CTK's coach Bob Oliva: 'We've got four sure starters: Omar, Zack, Juma and Mike Radziejewski. Four players are trying for the two guard spot. The juniors are 6-0 Sharod Tomlinson and 5-10 Alex Dinca; the sophs are 6-3 Kelvin 'Petey' Nelson and 5-10 Mikhal Malik.'

Randy Foye 6-0 Newark Eastside, NJ Hoops #4. 1/99:  The sophomore imports, Samuel Nadeau and Kugjo Sogadzi, are getting Randy's minutes.   9/13/99 NJ Hoops: 'The Roadrunners lost in the semifinals of the Connecticut Hoop Challenge this afternoon to St. Thomas Moore. The Roadrunners attack was paced by 5'11" Sr. Abe Johnson of Barringer with 20 points, including 4 treys, 6'2" Jr. Kudjo Sogadzi of Newark Eastside with 10  points and 10 rebounds, and 6'2" So. Randy Foye of Newark Eastside with 12 points.'    8/22/00 NJ Hoops:  Elijah Ingram and Randy Foye @ Sonny Hill.

Mawel Soler 6-5 forward North Bergen, NJ.  ( NJH #9). 5/7/00 St. Michaels Black (they had a white and 16's team as well) team won the 17u NJ state tournament beating the Jersey City Bondsmen 64 - 51. Harold Bautista and John Blackgrove made the tournament first team while Chad Timberlake (ironically for the Bondsmen, he is from St. Anthony's) made the third team. Darryl Melvin, Elizar Velez, Mawel Soler and Jarrett Love also contributed to a very balanced and deep team. 7/13/00 Rich: '2000 Beast of the East - I was also impressed with the St. Michael's team, a top quality program led by head coach Steve Ricciardi and assistant coaches, Ryan Peterson and Tom Peterson. ... The three juniors that fill out the roster are New Utrecht's Chad Timberlake and the North Bergen HS duo of Mawel Soler and Paul Williams.'

Jomo Belfour 6-0 guard Mt Vernon, NY.  (GB # 6). 1/15/00 MSG Super Six is a NY sweep. The morning game featured two Knight teams with Mt. Vernon taking Marist 69 - 56. As expected Ben Gordon was the MV star with 20 points, but he was helped by 6-8 senior center Greg Jenkins with 14 points, impressive sophomore guard Jomo Belfour with 12 and steady senior forward John Plenty with 9.'  6/20/00 The Apple's Best High School Ballaz' -- Player Evaluations from the Rumble -- 16u division: Jomo Belfor 6'1 PG- He showed a very good jumpshot and good point guard skills and he also showed that he can perform in the clutch with a shot with 1 second left in the semifinals against Connecticut Select to put the game in to overtime.  7/23/00 PeteAbe: 'This from The Journal News of Westchester: "Metro Classic - junior point guard Jomo Belfor (16 against Brick and 11 against Holy Cross) showed how much his offensive game has improved and caught the eye of several recruiters.'   8/24/00 Journal News: Jomo played for Riverside Church in three leagues, with both its 16- and 17-and-under teams. Summer school kept him from playing out of the area but he still found time for the adidas ABCD Camp, the New Rochelle summer league with his high school team and the Metro Classic.'

Pat Devaney 5-10 guard St. Augustine, NJ (NJH #30). 6/19/00 Ball4Life: 'The Tim Thomas Playaz are the Real Deal -- . The 16s have a Bomb Squad. including a sophomore. Pat Devaney - I've been waiting to see him play again. He can pass like no other and scores only when he has to. He makes the team around him better. He averaged 6pts a game and 9assts. And lets not forget he has mad handle and he is also a sophomore.'  7/7/00 Jimmy Sedereck: 'The Atlantic Cape Camp is holding its Exposure camp at Richland NJ. The top players going to be there are: Jr. Olu Balboa, Soph. Patrick Devaney both of St.Augustines. Devaney is supposed to be transferring there.'

Mikail Malik 6-0 Christ the King, NYC.  GB #2.  HS # 7.  1/99  Last year's Royals varsity team started two sophomores in Omar Cook and Zack Williams;  this year's 14 man roster is seven seniors and seven juniors.  Mikail and the other Royal underclassmen are left on the 'B' team or JV.  Gameball popped Mikaail's rating from #21 in 12/98 to #2 in mid-January, so they're impressed.  1/31/99  John P Miciotta: 'First of all for our readers he comes to CK by way of family ties as his stepbrother is the Royals' second all time leading scorer Buzz Matthews. He is a terrific open court performer with the kind of explosives that helps him not only in the transition game but by allowing him shoot a true jump shot at an age when many players are still making the transition from shooting set shots. He has great quickness and can be a good defender both on and off the ball, although like many freshman his concentration waivers at times. The one thing that could really improve his game if he could master the skill is movement without the ball. His leaping allows him to get to shooting position quickly so if he can complement it with an ability to use screens better he'd be a very proficient scorer.'  11/17/99 CTK's coach Bob Oliva: 'We've got four sure starters: Omar, Zack, Juma and Mike Radziejewski. Four players are trying for the two guard spot. The juniors are 6-0 Sharod Tomlinson and 5-10 Alex Dinca; the sophs are 6-3 Kelvin 'Petey' Nelson and 5-10 Mikhal Malik.'

Dominick Mejia 5-11 Eastern, NJ Hoops #8. Blue Ribbon. HS #7 in south NJ & Pa.  1/99:  FullCourtMag #42 nationally.  1/30/00 Inquirer: 'Eastern pulled away for good. The Vikings scored the next nine points on a three-pointer by sophomore Dominick Mejia, Barton's turnaround jumper, two more free throws by Mejia and a layup inside by Darryl Scott on a nice feed from Evans.  Mejia had been the point guard, but switched to shooting guard as Adam Taliaferro returned to run the point three games ago. In Eastern's 15-10 fourth quarter, Mejia scored five points after being held scoreless the first three quarters.'

Edwin Muniz 6-6 forward Passaic, NJ.  (NJH #23). 2/29/00 Frank:  'NJ State Tournament - 6-6 sophomore Edwin Muniz put on a show for Passaic in a 60-48 victory over Hackensack.  Muniz had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.'  3/4/00  BRO Passaic fouled up by Dickinson - The Indians played most of the game with one hand behind their back as 6-6 center Edwin Muniz ran into very early foul trouble. He had four fouls three minutes into the second quarter and didn't reappear until the start of the fourth. The sophomore quickly put in a layup to cut it to 39-34, but going down to the other end, he fouled on Parker's three-point attempt and was gone.  3/26/00   BRO Hard to believe, but Muniz started for the Passaic varsity as a freshman despite never having played organized basketball before high school. "He's only played on a team for two years -- that's the scary part," says Grier. "He can flat-out play." A great shooter who scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds per game, the 6-foot-6 Muniz was just as valuable defensively. "He's the key to our defense," says Grier. "Anybody gets beat, there's Eddie, hands in the air. He keeps working, he'll end up at Rutgers."  4/00  Key 17u Playaz not at the Fling were 6-8 Isaiah Gomez from Garfield and 6-3 Chester Carter of Don Bosco. The younger group's star trio of Webb,  Sanchez and Nutter are joined by Passaic's 6-6 Edwin Muniz and 6-5 Kaleef Willis.

Gerald Crenshaw, 5-10, guard Greenport, L I. HS nr.  1/12/99  Newsday:  Greenport Freshman Crenshaw Gets 48.  1/22/00  Newsday:  Gerald Crenshaw Scores 32 In Greenport's Loss.  Crenshaw provided the heroics again but even a 10-1 run spurred by the 5-10  guard in the last 3:30 of the game was not enough. Bridgehampton survived a scare en route to a 65-64 League VIII victory over Greenport.'

Quincy Doobie 6-2 guard Grady, NYC (GB #11,  HS #8).  6/1/00 Coach Jack Ringel: 'The Grady Falcons have been playing as a team in the IS275 HS tournament and doing fine. The sleeper for next year is 6\2 soph Quincy Doobie. He is an Eric Leslie clone with a better shot. He just got back from Albany with the Gauchos.'

Andre Dabney 5-8 guard Plainfield, NJ.  (NJH # 44). 7/18/99 MarburyII on last week's Citywide Classic: 'My friend Andre Dabney from the MSU Skyliners played with 17 year old and under team ..they played the Bronx Ravens with Andre Barrett and Dabney who is 15 totally embarassed Barret for two quarters then Mr. Barrett took over. If you don't believe me check out the MSU Skyliner web page. Andre Dabney finished 16 pts. 5 assists.'    6/9/00  T-Bone:  'Rising sophomore Andre Dabney..(5'7 Plainfield HS) was selected  to the 3rd team for the 17u AAU basketball tournement in NJ. Andre averaged 19.5pts 6 assist and 5 steals a game for the tournament... not bad for a  sophomore playing up in age, and being selected in the top 15 out of over 320 players. Andre Plays AAU basketball for the MSU Skyliners -  http://sport.nj.com/sport/skyliners.'  6/24/00 T-bone:   'The Plainfield Cardinals showed why they are going to be one of the teams to beat this up and coming season by winning the Kean U. Team Camp Eastern division (bigger schools). Plainfield manhandled a tough and favored to win the North Jersey sec 1 group 4 title Teaneck Hs team yesterday 56-38. Jr (to be) Andre Dabney finished with 14pts 6 assist and 6 steals.'

Jyles Tucker 6-4 Morristown, NJ (NJH #18). 5/22/00 T-MoneyMorris county Bulls - this is just to let you know the Bulls played in the Garden State Sharpshooters Tournament at NJIT in Newark, NJ this past weekend and ran through the competition. They beat up n the CJ Jammers AAU 16U team in the finals by 22, Jyles Tucker finished with 27 and Mykhael Lattimore finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds. These two players are really good. Jyles Tucker is legit, big time talent.5/30/00 T-Money: 'This weekend the Nike Gym Rat Challenge was held at the University of Albany and Sieana College. Must say Jyles Tucker did major work the entire Tournament, this kid is a real player his stock is rising by the second. It's about time the National rankings began to come in.'  6/8/00 Glenn Bynes: 'Last evening the NJ Wildcats 16/17's scrimmaged the Morris Cty Bulls at Piscataway Vo-Tech. The Morris Cty Bulls are one of the Top AAU teams in NJ.The visiting Bulls were led by Jyles Tucker 32 pts and Mykhael Lattimore 18 pts.

Amadou Fall 6-5,  forward, Boys & Girls.   HS #52,  GB nr.  6/12/99 John P. Miciotta: The first Brooklyn vs. Philly tilt saw the home standing Brooklynites from the class of 2002 overwhelm their Philly counterparts with a combination of quickness and balance. The Boys High duo of Gary Jones and Amadou Fall took care of the rebounding and Fall showed shooting and perimeter skills that bode well for him at the next level.'

Luis Rodriguez, 6-3, forward, Rice, NY.  4/1/99 Gameball #13, Hoop Scoop #21.  1/00:  The three D1 seniors,  Barrett,  Cuffe and Sweet carry the current Rice team, but the sophomores Jason Wingate, Keydren Clark,  Kenny Eusey,  Luis Rodriguez  and Shakiem see varsity playing time, while Steve Burtt jr. and Benny Utely are with the JV.

Terrance Todd, 5-8, guard, Neptune, NJ 9/98: NJ Hoops nr. 2/22/99 Bayshore: 'Holmdel outlasted Neptune in a four OT classic. Unbelievable! Here's a name to seed away - Terrance Todd 5'8" freshman that started at point for Neptune, kid has a future. He hit a 3 to put Holmdel down three at the end of regulation, two foul shots for a 3 point lead at the end of the first OT, another big three in the third. Went to the hole two or three times for key buckets in OT when Neptune's seniors didn't want the ball.'  3/4/99 Bayshore: 'Neptune freshmen point Terrance Todd continues to grow each time I see him. He had 15 pts. (3 3's) and 5 assists (he would have had 5 or 6 more except for Holden's blocks and blown lay-ups). At the end of the 1st period Todd had a highlight no look pass from the top of the key for a lay-up, drove the lane to hit a floater over Holden, hit a 23' trey, grabbed a rebound and drove the length of the floor only to robbed of an assist off of a great pass by a Holden block. An impressive minute's work for anybody.'  03/04/99:  NJO:  Red Bank advances.  02/02/00:  InJersey: 'Neptune is No.17. The Scarlet Fliers won their ninth game in a row as sophomore guards Taquan Dean and Terrance Todd each scored 13 points in a 63-56 win over Long Branch.  

Kenny Eusey, 6'0"  shooting guard, Rice.  GB #4.  1/99:  FullCourtMag #55 nationally. 7/25/99 Russ Blake SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. --  Barrett scored 15 of his 24 poinnts in the second half to lead the Rice comeback. Eusey finished with 17. 1/30/00: LFBALL: 'Rice vs Seton Hall Prep Put Andre back at true point, let Ken Eusey into the starting line up, and Rice is a different team.'

Shakiem Mitchell  6'9" Rice.  GB #12.  1/00:  The three D1 seniors,  Barrett,  Cuffe and Sweet carry the current Rice team, but the sophomores Jason Wingate, Keydren Clark,  Kenny Eusey,  Luis Rodriguez  and Shakiem see varsity playing time, while Steve Burtt jr. and Benny Utely are with the JV.  Unfortunately for Shakiem, he did not play well against Seton Hall Prep when Kyle Cuffe missed that game.

Kaleef Willis 6-3 forward Passaic, NJ.  (NJH #35). 3/2/00  BRO Top two seeds fall to Passaic and Teaneck  Kaleef Willis led Passaic with 22 points and 13 rebounds. 3/26/00   BRO The 6-foot-3 Willis, who averaged 13 points and six rebounds, might switch positions next season, moving from small forward to shooting guard. "Because he can really handle it," says Grier. "And he can really jump. The kid has great athletic ability, that's the bottom line. His nickname is 'Takeoff,' because there is not a dunk he can not do. But we'd tease him, because he never did one in a game -- until we beat Kennedy [in the State tournament] when he threw one down that brought down the house."  4/00  Key 17u Playaz not at the Fling were 6-8 Isaiah Gomez from Garfield and 6-3 Chester Carter of Don Bosco. The younger group's star trio of Webb,  Sanchez and Nutter are joined by Passaic's 6-6 Edwin Muniz and 6-5 Kaleef Willis.

Keydren Clark  5-6, point guard, Rice.  GB #40. HS #37. As with teammate Wingate, Keydren is moving from Riverside Church to Rice.  12/8/99  Rice 64 - 53 over Miami Senior. Off game for Andre, seven points, all in the first half and foul trouble. Sweet had 23, Cuffe 14 and Keydren Clark 11, all in the second half.  1/9/00 Daily News:  'With Bell and Satterfield graduated, Rice has had to work a few new names into the mix, including sophomores Keydren Clark and Jason Wingate and senior Alexy Ferrera.'

Aaron Estrada, 6-7, forward, Woodbury, NJ. NJ Hoops # 13,  HS #13 in south NJ & Pa. . 4/99: NJO: 'Wait your turn" was most definitely not the credo for Woodbury freshman Aaron Estrada. The 6-7 forward averaged 17.2 points to pace his team and finish among the top 40 scorers in South Jersey.'  5/99:  Aaron was originally slated for Marist, he was on their Metro Classic roster.  He went to Woodbury and made NJ Hoops all Glocester/Salem all county team.  2/3/00  Aaron Estrada - 17.5 ppg.

Anthony Strong 6-3 guard Lincoln NY,  (GB #22,HS #23, RS #17 ).  03/12/00 Daily News: Anthony Strong Survives Thanks To PSAL's Weak Rule. Lincoln's Anthony Strong — a transfer from Fitch Senior High in Groton, Conn., who was listed on the roster for the previous two games as team manager — played in his first game after becoming eligible. The 6-2 sophomore saw a few minutes and made a pair of high-impact three-pointers in a semifinal victory over Cardozo.  3/1200 Coach Will Stasiuk: 'PSAL Finals - A League: JFK 52 - Lincoln 51. Lincoln was led by Lesane (12 pts.) and the Anthony Strong (11 pts.) (Note: The game was played under protest by JFK, which questioned the eligibility status of Strong - the controversial transfer student from Fitch HS - under a state rule which forbids a student from playing the same sport at a new school after completing a full season in that same sport.)  3/13/00 Daily News: J C Mathis, Kennedy Reign.  Lincoln's Aaron Lesane earned the game's MVP award for a 12-point, 10-rebound performance that included four dunks worth the price of admission. John Quintana and Anthony Strong each scored 11, but star Eric King managed just five points, shooting 2-for-14.

Cahill Jackson 6-5, Marist.  NJ Hoops #14.  7/14/98     Frank:   'Marist has a pair of child prodigies: 5-9 Brett Wyatt and 6-5 Cahill Jackson. The freshmen duo made some noise down at the WAR IN THE WOODS for the Knight.'  1/99:  CJ got some playing time at the Garden in the Marist victory over Long Island Lutheran.   1/00: Cahill was in Super 6 again.  He needs to put on some weight and take the ball strongly to the hoop.

Dwayne Lee 5-10 St. Anthony, NJ.  NJ Hoops #24.  One of four Blue Ribbon Friar sophomores with Ingram,  Ford and Copeland.  9/99:  With Ingram sidelined, Dwayne ran the show for the Jersey Bondsmen,  the St. Anthony entry to the IS8 Fall Classic.

Anthony Drejaj 5-11 guard Seton Hall Prep.  NJ Hoops #11.  1/23/00:  Frank:  'SHP - 6-3 sophomore Anthony Drejaj sustained a stress fracture to the lower leg in the Columbia game. Saturday's game against St. Patrick's was the first game this season that he did not start for Seton Hall Prep. He will miss 4-6 weeks.'

Dave Cogan 6-5 Sterling NJ.  NJ Hoops #13.  Blue Ribbon.  HS #17 in south NJ & Pa.

Scott Greenman 6-0 guard.   HS #12 in south NJ & Pa. . NJ Hoops #18. 3/19/99  Inquirer:  St. Augustine's Greenman is growing up quickly. Only a freshman, he is outplaying far more experienced opponents.  2/3/00  Inquirer:  'St. Augustine sophomore point guard Scott Greenman was the catalyst for the Hermits' quick start. Greenman scored nine of his 15 points in the first quarter, when the Hermits took a 13-5 lead. In his second season as a starter, Greenman is looked on as much more than a distributor. He is averaging nearly 13 points per game, and last night he set the tempo for the win.'

Aaron Nelson 6-9, center LaSalle, NY. HS # 28.   1/99:  In the fall of '98 Gameball rated 5-7 LaSalle point guard Lloyd Weeks #50 in NYC.  He was the only Cardinal freshman in their top 67.  But it's  freshman Leonard Cooke who is piling up the points and Aaron who is manning the middle for the undefeated JV team.  Both Aaron and Leonard narrowly missed making this year's varsity roster.  With four senior starters (Caballero, Amadee, Mann and Hassell) graduating there'll be spots open next year.  

Donald Copeland 5-10, guard, St. Anthony, NJ.  NJ Hoops #10.  One of four Friar Blue Ribbon sophomores with Ingram,  Lee and Ford.

Jamal Ford 6-2 guard St. Anthony, NJ  NJ Hoops # 26.  One of four Friar Blue Ribbon sophomores with Ingram,  Lee and Copeland.  

Henry White 6-3 forward Absegami. NJ Hoops # 90.  HS #86! in south NJ & Pa. .Henry is one of 14 New Jersey Blue Ribbon players from the class.  

Davonne Folks  6-3, forward.  GB #11. HS #8.   8/1/98   John P Miciotta: Folks of Mt. Carmel will be attending St. Ray's this fall.  11/98:  McCullough, Folks and Wingate are the three Blue Ribbon freshmen from this region.  1/99:  FullCourtMag #18 nationally.  

Isaiah Davis, 5'11"  point guard, Brooklyn Tech. HS # 17.  GB #22  1/18/99:  Isaiah is up to # 22 from #32 for Gameball ratings, but he still doesn't start for Tech.

Dwayne Thomas 5-8 Sayerville, NJ Hoops #15.

Eric Hazard 6-5 forward CBA, NJ (NJH #14). 2/12/00 Bayshore: Prime Time Shootout - CBA sleep walks past LaSalle 47-35. Krayl led CBA with 22, Lynch added 9, and 6'5" So. Eric Hazard had 8.  2/21/00 Bayshore: 'CBA (22-0) cruised into the semis of the Shore Conference Tournament with a 76-30 victory over Group IV Southern Regional (19-5). CBA cleared the bench in the 4th and 6'0" Jr. Pat Cremen stepped center stage with 9 points. Couple him with 6'6" Jr. Tim Begley (9pts) and 6'5" So. Eric Hazard (9pts) and CBA looks to reload for next year.' 3/8/00 Bayshore: 'Parochial A South Final -- CBA 65 -- RBC 49 6'6" So. Eric Hazard, who has been 1 or 2 off of the bench lately, started for Mike Skrocki. He did not respond well, finishing with 2 points for the evening.'

Deshawn Mason point guard, Benjamin Banneker Academy, Brooklyn. HS #50.  10/9/98:  LFBALL:  'Put down Deshawn Mason ... a freshmen point guard with a D1 future!'  1/00:  Hoop Scoop has Deshawn with Lincoln.

Steve Burtt Jr. 6-0, guard, Rice. GB #11.  The son of the former Iona great guard is headed for Rice with Wingate and Clark.  1/00:  Wingate and Clark are getting playing time with the varsity;  Steve is running the show for the JV.

Kenny Davis, 5-11, Ewing NJ. NJ Hoops #31. 9/99:  Kenny played well for the Central Jersey Express 15 and under AAU team this summer.

Jakiel Gary, 6-6 St. Benedict, NJ. NJ Hoops # 7. 11/11/98 Coach Cordeiro:  '6'7" Jakiel Gary a freshman will get a serious look.'   1/99:  FullCourtMag #35 nationally.  

Kirll Waschmann 6-5 forward, All Hallows. GB nr.  1/00:  Kirill has plenty of good sophomore company at All Hallows.  1/16/00 John P. Miciotta: All Hallows at Xaverian - The jv game, which may well have been a preview of the city finals at that level saw All Hallows jump out to an early first quarter lead and win by 11. Rickey Solivera, Bobby Santiago and Kyrill Waschmann all starred for the Gaels.

Matt Henry 5-10, guard, Creekskill, NJ.  NJ Hoops #47.  9/98: Matt played for the Bergen Flash 14 and under team, which made it to the Orlando, Florida nationals this summer.  1/00:  As a freshman Matt was rated by NJ Hoops as # 18 in the state;  #47 is quite a drop.

Bobby Santiago 5-10, guard, All Hallows. GB #17.  1/16/00 John P. Miciotta: All Hallows at Xaverian - The jv game, which may well have been a preview of the city finals at that level saw All Hallows jump out to an early first quarter lead and win by 11. Rickey Solivera, Bobby Santiago and Kyrill Waschmann all starred for the Gaels.

BJ Bakanowski 6-8,  Camden Catholic, NJ.  NJ Hoops # 51.   HS #34 in south NJ & Pa. 02/02/00:  InJersey: 'Camden Catholic is No.19. The Irish were beaten by No. 9 Camden, 70-53, on Thursday night despite 16 points from Will Bakanowsky and 14 from Ernie D'Orazio. The Irish had beaten the Panthers by one point in their first meeting.'

Rashard Turner 6-1, ' PG Peekskill, NY.. 1/9/00 Matt Grasso: 'Another point guard sophmore sensation. He has been running the show in Peekskill who is off to a 8-0 start. He gets about 16 points a game and has been there key to success. He is very fast and is in control all the time. He will be a top recruit as well in the years to come. He plays AAU for Team Lopez who should have a nice squad this year.Rashard might be just an inch short in being as good as McGrath and Simmons. However, he is still a top recruit. He is the second best player on the second best class B team in the county behind Kennedy.'

Ferard Ensley, 5'8"  point guard, John Jay.  GB #44  8/28/98:   Ferard Ensley is going to John Jay.  1/18/99:  Ferard is up to # 25 from #34 for Gameball ratings. 1/00:  The rating roller coaster continues - Ferard is now #44. Unfortunately for Ferard, it's easy to get lost playing for John Jay.

Olabode Olukanni, 6'1"  guard, Lincoln.  GB #10.  8/28/98:   Olabode Olukanni from our class of 2002 has decided between Xaverian and Lincoln - he will be going to Lincoln to play varsity.  1/99:  FullCourtMag #81 nationally.  1/99: Coach Gary DeCesare:  'I had a chance to see Lincoln play the other night against Bayshore at the Gaucho gym. I was very impressed with their freshman point guard Olabode Olukanni. First of all he did not start this game. Second, this kid is going to be an outstanding point guard in New York City. As I have preached before, Why don't we let a freshmen be a freshmen? Instead of building all this hype and putting a lot of pressure on this young man. He has terrific skills and plays very smooth. But I repeat to all... Let this youngster be a young freshmen so he can play, make mistakes and have fun, and let's not put this pressure on him. Too many players who were young with big reps have not made it in New York because they get caught up in their hype and listen to the wrong people.'  5/2/99 Mail from ORTT4: 'Olabode Olukanni, who recently tore his ACL, is transfering from Lincoln to Newport Prep(MD).'

Daniel Green, 6'2" Poly Prep.  GB #27.  HS #47.  12/99:  Poly Prep returns 6-7 senior star Andre Logan (GB # 26) and senior point guard 5-7 John Verzosa, a Daily News second team Private school selection in April.  The other starters will be two juniors, 6-0 two guard Ray Corrigan (GB #70) and 6-4 Keith Williams (GB #74) and the 6-2 sophomore, Daniel Green (GB #27).

Benny Utley, 6'2"  Robeson.  GB #14.  5/31/99 mcternan: 'Brooklyn USA sweeps at City Slam -  In the 15-under division, Brooklyn USA coasted to an easy 111-52 win over the Brooklyn Beasts in the title game. Darren Sykes (New Utrecht) led six double figures scorers with 22, followed by Isaiah Davis (Brooklyn Tech - 17), Jason Martin (Automotive - 17), Lav Bauta (Poly Prep - 14), Gary Jones (Boys and Girls - 13) and Benny Utley (Westinghouse - 10).  11/99:  Last year we had Benny Utley (GB #37) at Boys & Girls. He wasn't. Benny played for Westinghouse. Now Benny is at Robeson and was on their Metro Classic roster.

Shaun Wynn 5-10 guard Xaverian, NY.  (GB #25, HS #26). 9/98  The mystery freshman is junior varsity swingman, 5-10 Shaun Wynn. Neither Hoop Scoop nor Gameball rank Shaun, but he's got his Xaverian AOL fans and we're ranking him in the freshmen class.' 5/29/00 2000 New York Metropolitan AAU Boys Championship at Island Garden: -- Gauchos 16u team took the Westchester Hawks 41 - 39 in the Gym Rat Challenge semi-final. Today they beat them in the 16u championship game. The Hawks were led by Luis Rodriguez (18), Tom LaDue (11) and Mike Goin (11). Rashad Turner had a tough time with only five points. Donnie McGrath and Benny Utley led the 'chos with 18 and 17 points and they got help from Shaun Wynn (10), Ron Wyatt (9), Kenny Eusey (7) and Isaiah Davis (7).  6/26/00 Bklynazal: 'Hi, I just wanted to tell you about the Big Apple Classic. Shaun Wynn from Xaverian matched up good against the top ten nationally ranked gaurd Sean Dockery. Their skill level seemed even. Shaun came out scoring the first 12 points for Xaverian and played excellent defense throughout the whole game. Although Xaverian lost the game, I think Shaun proved that he should be a top player in the city. Shaun finished with 22 points 4 steals and multiple assists.'

Chukku (CJ) Okojeri 6-1 guard Bayside, LI (GB #52, AB #34).   2/16/00  Staten Island Advance:  Curtis ousted from PSAL playoffs.  Bayside beats Warriors at own game, 94-87. Sophomore guard C.J. Okogeri sparked Bayside with a game-high 28 points as he banked in 10 breakaway chippies and reverse layups along the baseline.  2/19/00  Daily News:  Lincoln 95, Bayside 57.  Graig Banton scored 19 and C.J.Okogeri 16 for Bayside (15-7). 3/10/00 Real Scout: 'IS8  Student Athletes vs. Elmcor - C.J.Okogeri (11pts,8stls).  

Ontea Gates 5-9 guard Robeson, NYC.  (GB #28).  2/9/00 Daily News: Ontea Gates' 3 Lifts Robeson 2nd Game in Row. 4/27/00 realscout@webtv.net: 'The second game was the very highly talented Gauchos vs Long Island Panthers. The Gauchos lost by about 15 because of the good defensive pressure from Eric Ferguson and Ontea Gates.

Shamar Green 6-1 guard Xaverian, NY (GB #38).  8/19/00 UDC, 2000 - The Junior championship will be a Church affair. The A team began the game with the Gauchos up by 16 - 4, were passed 60 - 62 in the fourth quarter and won 78 - 69. The winners were led by Ricky Solivar (15) and Shamar Green (11).

Kevin Hamilton 6-3 guard Molloy, NY.  (GB #45).  5/26/00  Matt Grasso: 'This past weekend at Walt Whitman high school the Bronx Gauchos and Westchester Hawks both qualified for the nationals. The Westchester Hawks beat ... the NYC Jaguars led by Stephon Cherry, Jamal Wagner and Kevin Hamilton. 8/17/00  Kevin Hamilton Sr:  'The New York City Jaguars 16 & Under team will be participating at Hofstra on the weekend of Sept 8th. These primarily juniors competed in the Adidas Big Time, Nike' Supershowcase and 16 & Under Nationals with the best finish by any other team from the New York area. Roster includes: Kevin Hamilton Jr. 6'2" Archbishop Molloy, Jr. Leading Scorer/Assist.'

Khary Moore 6-1 guard Bishop Ford, NY (GB #66).  11/5/99:  PJG:  'Bishop Ford is coached by Ray Nash...  There are very talented sophs. on this year's Ford junior varsity team. Khary Moore (6'2" soph), Nimai Garrett (6'0" soph) and Donald Mannino (5'9" soph), make up a very good future. Moore and Garrett, are very good players and versatile in position. 6/4/99 Ford fan: 'One of the best shooting guard/ point guard duos is freshmen Khary Moore and William Reyes. They will be playing at the Hofstra University tournament June 5th-6th (Saturday-Sunday) against Rice, Raymonds, Robeson and Christ the King. Hope to see u there.' 1/16/00  THREEDEE25:  'Khary Moore 6'3 sg (Ford): He is the best player on the JV at Ford. He is verstile swingman with good skills. He should see prime-time on the varsity at Ford next year.'

Richie Albright  6'0" Bishop Loughlin. GB #23.   8/98:   Gameball thinks Richie is heading to LaSalle.   9/16/98   Winston Kelly:  'I spoke with a coach at Bishop Loughlin and he advised me that Rich Albright (Gameball #23 freshman) registered at Bishop Loughlin this past Tuesday, September 8, 1998. Another big score for a program that was not supposed to be bring in a lot of talent this year. Word has it they plan to fill Rice HS's shoes next year, with their own version of stockpiling talent.'

Divone Wise 5-8, point guard, Robeson, Brooklyn.  GB # 47, HS #57.  1/4/99  Walter813: 'I would like to know when you'll come out with the new ratings of the freshmen players and I would also like to know if Walter Murray and Davonne Wise are going to be ranked.'  Web note:  For Hoop Scoop only Divonne gets a Robeson freshmen mention.  Two Robeson freshmen make Gameball's top 67 - Divone and 5-8 shooting guard Ontes Gates at #65.  Walter Murray has the email account, but no respect!  1/00:  It's been a rocky year so far for Robeson.  Divonne and his team have struggled.

Stephon Cherry, 6-4, forward, Archbishop Molloy, NY. 4/1/99 Gameball #8, Hoop Scoop #46.  5/12/99:  John P Miciotta: 'Stephon Cherry is the younger brother of Baldwin High's Tony. The connection to Molloy I suspect is through the New York Skyriders who have steered Justin Wilson, Uka Agbai and even Reggie Brown (prior to his switch to Riverside) to Molloy.'  1/00:  Stephon and Tony are not related. Molloy has super frosh, Marlon Smith in school and a number of solid juniors and sophs, including Tony.  Next year looks very promising.  5/26/00  Matt Grasso: 'This past weekend at Walt Whitman high school the Bronx Gauchos and Westchester Hawks both qualified for the nationals. The Westchester Hawks beat ... the NYC Jaguars led by Stephon Cherry, Jamal Wagner and Kevin Hamilton.

Willie Miller 6-4, forward, Christ the King, NYC.  GB nr,  HS #61. 1/31/99  John P Miciotta: 'the second coming of Kamal McQueen.'    1/00:  Willie has gone from a Gameball ranking of 26 right out of the top 50 and Hoop Scoop has him at # 61. The Royal's varsity has only two sophomores:  Mihail Malik and Kelvin Nelson.

Eric Martin 6-4, Christ the King, NYC.  1/31/99  John P Miciotta: 'a late addition who I finally got a chance to see. He terrific athlete who's all arms and legs and has a great nose for the ball.  He'll improve as his shooting and handling skills develop.'  1/00: The Royal's varsity has only two sophomores:  Mihail Malik and Kelvin Nelson.

Jamaal Wagner 6-2,  guard/forward, Molloy, NYC.  GB # 18,  HS # 34. 1/00  StannerFan 'Recently had 30 pts vs. Bishop Loughlin (26 in 2nd half) and 18 pts vs Christ the King, in close victories, with our big man Stephon Cherry (already on your list) out of action for a couple of games.'

Nolan Hall 6-4, Southern Regional, NJ. HS nr,  NJ Hoops nr.  2/1/00 Bayshore: 'Nolan Hall 6-4 Southern Regional, 3rd in the Shore Conference in 3's (42 in 16 games), 16th in scoring 17.5 ppg.'

Will Kuntz 6-6, Packer, NYC.  GB nr,  HS nr. 1/31/00 Coach Grop: We have at Packer a 6'6'' soph who has played very well this season and has unlimited potential.Will Kuntz should be included on your list By the time he is a senior and with some AAU play and hopefully going to camps in his junior and senior year will be a top player. 1/29/00 Coach Grop: 'Packer game - Just got back from our game we are on a 7 game winning streak. We beat St. Anns 51 -27. Leading Packer with a hard triple double scoring, rebounds and blocks a was 6'6'' soph sensation Will Kuntz he scored 10 points, had 13 rebounds and 12 blocks.

Matt Vitale 6-6,  forward, St Edmund Prep, NYC.  HS # 36,  GB #27.  12/5/99 Daily News: 'A Look at the ‘B' and ‘C' Divisions.  In the CHSAA B South Division, defending champion St. Edmund has a new coach in Brian Mullen and returns Robert Wiatre. The very physical Andreas Pope will team with Shaun Green (6-6) and Matt Vitale (6-6) to give the Eagles good size up front.'  12/30/99  Msgr. King semis:  Game 8: (Semi-final #2) Poly Prep held close leads at the end of each quarter, except the fourth. St. Edmund's won by 2 points in an intense battle. Poly star Andre Logan was saddled for much of the game with foul trouble and St. Edmund's used a strong fourth quarter to win the game. The Eagles were led by Shaun Green on the interior and Matt Vitale.

Elijah Clarke 6-3, forward, Benjamin Banneker, NYC. GB nr,  HS nr. 12/9/99 MARIAMACOG: Benjamin Banneker's underclassmen have struck again. In an electrifying game against Sarah J. Hale, they prevailed 87 to 86 in overtime. They were led by the potent scoring of 14 year old sophmore Elijah Clarke he finished with 31 points on jump shots, lay-ups, was 7 for 7 from the free throw line, and hit the game winning basket with 9 seconds left in overtime. Simply dominant! 1/18/00 bklynbridge: 'The High Energy/ Brooklyn Bridge Basketball High School Challenge was a Complete success. The event featured some of the best talent in the city. The first game, Benjamin Banneker defeated Francis Lewis 80 to 72. They were led by 14 yr. old sophmore Elliah Clarke (6ft,3ins) who won the game's MVP award. He finished the game with 27pts., 12rebs and 4 rebs. Certainly proving that he is one of the best players in the city.  1/00:  'You missed 6 ft 3ins Elliah Clarke from Benjamin Banneker in Brooklyn. He is averaging 25 points per game and 9 rebs. Banneker is 14-5.'

Rashid Simmons 5-11,  guard- Ossining - Peekskill, NY.  GB nr,  HS nr.  1/9/00 Matt Grasso: 'He is a great player. He can shoot, drive, pass, and defend. He and Donnie get comparisons all the time about who is better. He is definitely a top player in the class. He is ranked high in the city as well in which I feel he is top 15. He distributes the ball well playing along side his brother who is my #1 senior. He runs his team which is off to a great start. He has been getting about 12 points and 10 assists a game. He is a top knoch player who should be a high division 1 prospect. He plays AAU for Riverside Church. However he was outdueled by McGrath in their recent game.'

Adam Payton 6-1,  guard, Burlington Township, NJ   HS #11 in south NJ & Pa.  NJ Hoops # 28.  

Gary Jones 6-5,  forward, Boys & Girls.   HS #11,  GB nr.  6/12/99 John P. Miciotta: The first Brooklyn vs. Philly tilt saw the home standing Brooklynites from the class of 2002 overwhelm their Philly counterparts with a combination of quickness and balance. The Boys High duo of Gary Jones and Amadou Fall took care of the rebounding and Fall showed shooting and perimeter skills that bode well for him at the next level.'

Chris Murphy 5-10,  guard Iona Prep, NY.  HS # 100. GB nr.  11/99:  The Prep lost its starting five from last season.  Their preseason plans were for seniors Khalid Rice and Rob Pollack to start in the backfield.  According to the media guide, 'We also look for sohomore Chris Murphy to contribute.'  Well, Chris is contributing and starting.  He, and fellow soph guard, Jimmy Janeczek, are thriving. 1/16/00  THREEDEE25:  'Chris Murphy 5'10 pg (Iona Prep): Very savvy player. He is keeping their varsity afloat right now with his all-around g'ame.

Matt Saunders, 6-1, guard, Cardinal Spellman, NY. 4/1/99 Gameball #16, Hoop Scoop #12.  11/99 Matt was the only sophomore to make Coach Fred Opper's varsity team and he was starting.  According to their media guide: 'Sophomore Matt Saunders will play the point,  Saunders is a great shooter, who is getting better every day.' 

Jason Kroll, 6-3, forward, Middletown North, NJ 9/98: NJ Hoops #33. 10/99:  Jason's NJ Hoops ranking has dropped from 25 to 33.  

Brandon Wilson, 6-1, forward, St. Francis Prep, NY. 4/1/99 Gameball #17, Hoop Scoop #35.  11/99 This year's Terrier varsity has seven seniors and six juniors - no sophs.

Nick Torres 6-7 forward Raritan, NJ  (NJH #16).  3/2/00 Bayshore: 'CJ Goup II - Central Jersey Group II Quarterfinal:(5) Somerville 55 - (4) Raritan 53. Somerville withstood a furious Raritan comeback fueled by 6'6" So. Nick Torres (18 P, 10 R & 3 blocks) and 6'4" Sr. David White (15 P, 12 R & 4 blocks) but couldn't overcome the 29 point effort of Somerville's 6'3" Sr. Mike Goia (9 R, 5-7 from 3 & 3 thunderous dunks). Raritan pressed their way back in the gameand Torres and White were relentless on the offensive boards.'

Rushid Simmons 6'0'' PG Ossining  (GB #35).  1/9/00 Matt Grasso: 'He is a great player. He can shoot, drive, pass, and defend. He and Donnie get comparisons all the time about who is better. He is definitely a top player in the class. He is ranked high in the city as well in which I feel he is top 15. He distributes the ball well playing along side his brother who is my #1 senior. He runs his team which is off to a great start. He has been getting about 12 points and 10 assists a game. He is a top knoch player who should be a highdivision 1 prospect. He plays AAU for Riverside Church. However he was outdueled by McGrath in their recent game. 8/24/00 Journal News: Rushid Simmons (Ossining).  A junior guard, he played extensively with Riverside Church's 16-and-under team.

Billy Dodson  5-10 guard Trevor Day, NY.  (GB #69).  4/20/99  Daily News:  Fred Agnpstakis (Loyola, coach): He also schemed a defense that slowed high scoring Billy Dodson of archrival Trevor Day to seven field goals in three games. 2/18/00  Daily News:  Trevor Day 75, Loyola 59: Billy Dodson and Matt Berkin scored 22 points apiece and Brian Landau chipped in with 14 points as Trevor (7-1, 14-6 ISAL) clinched the league's regular season title.  4/18/00  Daily News: Prep School first team - Billy Dodson is a sophomore and he's already racked up over 1400 career points. The 6-1 shooting guard averaged 18 points a game - a feat made even more impressive considering he suffered a leg injury in a car accident shortly before the season. Dodson missed all of the preseason with the injury, but quickly rounded into form and announced he was back by dropping 37 points on Fieldston. Expect to hear his name a lot the next two years.

Andre Vanterpool 6-4 forward Manhassett, LI (GB #32).  1/00  Andre played for Winston Kelly's Student Athlete team at the IS8 Winter Classic with Mitchell Beauford, Michael King, Brian Williams,  Jafette McNeil and Tariq Atkins.  2/4/00 Newsday - Andre Vanterpool (19 points) hit two free throws with eight seconds left to seal Manhasset's 64-62 win over Jericho in a Conference B-V  boys basketball game yesterday. After Vanterpool's free throws, which gave  Manhasset a four-point lead, Jericho's Justin Zale (23 points) hit a 12-footer  to cut the lead to two. Manhasset inbounded the ball and ran out the clock.

Tarik Viaer-McClymont 6'8" center Woodmere Academy, LI.  (GB #32). 12/99 Newsday: Tarik Viaer-McClymont, Lawrence Woodmere, 6-6, Soph., C: Another in a long line of talented Tigers big men ... Coach Jeff Wiess believes Viaer-McClymont will blossom with Rashon Banjo carrying the load.  8/17/00  Kevin Hamilton Sr:  'The New York City Jaguars 16 & Under team will be participating at Hofstra on the weekend of Sept 8th. These primarily juniors competed in the Adidas Big Time, Nike' Supershowcase and 16 & Under Nationals with the best finish by any other team from the New York area. Roster includes: Tarik Viaer-McClymont 6'8" Woodmere Academy, Jr. Leader in dunks and rebounds.'

Michael Claxton 6-0 guard Christ the King, NY (GB #109).  4/15/00 Dismal weather day in NYC and two of the first three IS8 games are forfeits - 92 St Y to Southside and New Jersey to Renaissance.  In the second game Elmcor trounced St Francis 95 - 67.  Everyone scored for Elmcor:  Shaheem McNair (19),  Scotty (13),  Kevin Bishop (11),  George Jefferson (11),  Darryl Boykins (10) and Michael Claxton (9) on three treys.  6/00  Michael was on the NY Ravens 16u team at the Rumble in the Bronx.

Tyler Alten 6-5 St. Rose, NJ Hoops #21.  1/00:  Tyler entered high school ranked be NJ Hoops as the fourth best freshman in the state.  

7/26/00  100 Hoops:  Ricardo Soliver, WG, Riverside: This young man is a member of the Class of 2002, and a fine one at that! Soliver matched Carlos Hurt three-pointer for three-pointer in the first half of their matchup. However, he ran out of steam (as did Hurt) in the second. This lefty shooter is a kid to watch in his class.'

7/21/00 High Major Hoops:  Elijah Ingram - Julius Hodge.

5'11 PG Elijah Ingram of the Tim Thomas Players is a superb scorer from the point with a beautiful three point stroke, excellent precision passing and a leaders mentality. Ingram plays high school basketball for St. Anthony's in New Jersey coached by legendary Bob Hurley Sr. He will be a popular recruit next year, surely getting offers from many high major programs.

6/21/00 nychoops@yahoo.com: 'I just finished all of my new rankings, for the classes of 2002 at The Apple's Best High School Ballaz' .

Junior Rankings --   1. Lenny Cooke 6'5 SF Old Tappan (NJ).   2. Curtis Sumpter 6'6 SF Bishop Loughlin.   3. Allan Ray 6'1 PG St. Raymond.   4. Ricky Soliver 6'3 SF All Hallows.   5. Jason Wingate 6'0 PG Rice.   6. Kelvin Nelson 6'3 SG Christ the King.   7. Jason Frasier 6'8 PF Amittyville.   8. Donnie McGrath 6'1 PG JFK Somers.   9. Kenny Eusey 6'0 SG Rice.   10. Tim Doyle 6'5 SF ST. Dominic's.   11. Anthony Strong 6'5 SF Lincoln.   12. George Jefferson 6'3 SF Automotive.   13. Marvin McCullough 6'0 PG All Hallows.   14. Keydren Clark 5'8 PG Rice.   15. Davonne Folks 6'4 SF St. Raymond.   16. Jomo Belfor 5'10 PG Mt. Vernon.   17. Olabode Olukanni 6'1 PG Lincoln.   18. Rushid Simmons 6'1 PG Ossining.   19. Mikail Malik 6'0 SG Christ the King.   20. Luis Rodriguez 6'6 SF Rice.   21. Arthur Onura 6'4 SG L.I. Lutheran.   22. Shakeim Mitchell 6'8 PF Rice.   23. Steve Burtt 6'1 SG Rice.   24. Ontea Gates 6'2 SG Robeson.   25. Gerald Crenshaw 6'1 PG Greenpoint.   26. Isaiah Davis 5'9 PG Brooklyn Tech.   27. Richie Albright 6'0 PG Bushwick.   28. Jay Harper 5'8 PG St. Raymond.   29. Jamar Greene 6'3 SG L.I.C.   30. Aaron Nelson 6'9 C LaSalle.   31. Benny Utley 6'3 SF Robeson.   32. Amadou Fall 6'4 SF Boys & Girls.   33. Stephon Cherry 6'4 SF Molloy.   34. CJ Okogeri 6'1 SG Bayside.   35. Alonzo Brown 5'8 PG FDA.   36. Kevin Johnson 5'7 PG St. Raymond.   37. Jamar Wagner 6'3 SF Molloy.   38. Paulie Nickerson 5'9 PG St. Raymond.   39. Jason Olive 6'4 SF Bishop Loughlin.   40. Steve Summa 6'2 SG FDA.

5/10/00  BERASM:  'I think you are forgetting about Alonzo Brown for the class of 2002. This year he was a vital part to the success of FDA. I think we should give him recognition.'   THE INSIDER33:  'I recently took the basketball action at the Hoop Mania Challenge at Manhattan College. I loved what I saw. I got to see one game in particular between Washington Heights Warriors vs Harlem Lions. It was an up and down with the Lions prevailing on a three point shot at the buzzer by Alonzo Brown. This kid should have a great future ahead of him. Although his team was very young and not very talented, he was able to take control of the game by being vocal and patient which allowed his team to stay in the game till the eventual game winnning shot.'

2/8/00:  Class 2002 coverage at 72;  this index groups them by twenties.  It was compiled by referencing Blue Ribbon,  Gameball,  NJ Hoops,  Hoop Scoop,  NYC Exposure,  Real Scout and Apple's Ballaz lists.  The more than fifty people (half of them, coaches) on this site's mailing list had a chance to contribute, though some won't rank players on principle.  Ultimately, the final decision was mine, the site's programmer and basketball fan.  I am not a scout, and I am not a talent evaluator.  The implied ranking should be taken very lightly.  This listing is primarily a reason to profile prominent sophomores in one place on this site.  I apologize to all those who should be on this list, but are not, due to my ignorance.  For comments and suggestions please email nycnjhoops@aol.com.

5/23/99: We are adding ten to our class of 2002.  Today's entries are Tykwan Dean, Jason Jones, Matt Saunders, Jason Kroll and Brandon Wilson.

5/18/99: We are adding ten to our class of 2002.  Today's entries are Aaron Estrada, Stephon Cherry, Luis Rodriguez, Terrance Todd and George Jefferson.

10/8/98:   NJ Hoops September issue lists their top 25 freshmen, class of 2002 for New Jersey with this caveat - 'The freshmen list is the most difficult to put together because none of these young men have even played a high school game yet. These are the best we have seen so far this spring and summer. NJ Hoops apologizes to those we may have missed, but we know we'll see you over the next few years' - They've got seven of our top nine; that's Kenny Davis #7, Zakee Boyd #10, Eric Wilkens #11, Matt Henry #18, Brett Wyatt #20, Ron Artis #21 and James Hannan #24. Their top six are Kennel Sanchez, 6-4 Bishop Eustace, Randy Foye 6-0 Newark Eastside, Dominick Mejia 5-11 Eastern, Tyler Alten 6-5 St. Rose, Dwayne Thomas 5-8 Sayerville and Zach Martin 6-4 Shawnee.

8/19/98: Coach Gary DeCesare:  'We have a great freshman class coming in at St. Raymonds, but I don't believe in having in-coming freshmen rated when these kids have not taken one High School Class yet or played a High School game yet. If you notice our Freshman team last year was 22 - 2 and the only player you have mentioned is Julius Hodge, and I just mentioned Chris McRae the other day as one of the best players on our Freshman team last year.

I've seen too many young kids get all this hype and attention and they start believing the hype and stop working in the classroom and on the court. Then you get his people who start telling him how good he is and then the kid starts to fail classes and know the High School coach wants to discipline him but his other coach is telling him don't worry we will put him in a Prep school since the your High School is not doing anything for you.....Does this sound familiar? I can put many kids in this situation from New York over the past couple of years.  Web Note:  As a coach I might agree, as a web master, here are the names for a list which should be taken with a large grain of salt. National rankings from Hoop Scoop (HS) 9/97, New Jersey from NJ Hoops 9/98, Full Court Magazine 1/99 and NYC ratings from Gameball (GB) 11/98.

Class of 1998,  1999,   2000,   2001,   2003,   2004,   2005.