Class of 1998,  1999,   2000,   2001,  2002, 2003, 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010

Class for 2007

8/14/05 Scout.com: Top 50 includes # 15 Corey Stokes, # 32 Corey Fisher, # 33 Corey Chandler and #  38 Devin Ebanks

7/17/05 Hoop Scoop Top 124 in NYC are 1 Darius Gabriel, 2 Malik Boothe, 3 Devin Ebanks, 4 Nathaniel Lester, 5 Jamine Peterson, 6 Alanzo George, 7 Kidani Brutus, 8 O'Neil Cooper, 9 Paul Scotland, 10 Josh Spivey, 11 Zamal Nixon, 12 Christian Morris, 13 Rocco Rubino, 14 Brandon Walters, 15 Jamie Harris, 16 Keith McCallister, 17 Andrew Gabriel, 18 Morgan Kelly, 19 Marcus Matthews, 20 Jovan Deare, 21 Dwan McMillan, 22 Devon Peterson, 23 Chris Delarosa, 24 Chris Abney, 25 Latiq Agard, 26 Darien Benbow, 27 Vin Natale, 28 Elon De Jourdan, 29 Quasim Pugh,  30 Markphi Josephs, 31 Maurice Lloyd, 32 Mike Douglass, 33 Kirby Williams, 34 Donovan Lowe, 35 Dakell Glenn, 36 Michael Bruce, 37 Justin Garvin, 38 Jamie Blanchard, 39 Kendell Culter, 40 George Wilkerson, 41 Justin Rivers, 42 Kareem Corprew, 43 Gerald Holloway, 44 Naji Turner, 45 Taylor Foster, 46 Isiah Boyd, 47 Jamal Green, 48 Raymond Grayson, 49 Brandon Smith, 50 Nick Walsh, 51 Ian Walcott, 52 Mike Cavateo, 53 Kresimi Knez, 54 Andrew Hoffman, 55 Tyrell Faulcon, 56 Chris Ruiz, 57 Devon Saxon, 58 Karron McKenzie, 59 Curtis Leslie, 60 Cameron Sutton, 61 Benji Washington, 62 Edil Lacayo, 63 Daniel Thomas, 64 Al Alexander, 65 Chris Kirkland, 66 Taiquan Newkirk, 67 Robert Adon, 68 Josiah Peay, 69 Nakum Verna, 70 Jamel Edwards, 71 Matt Galvin, 72 Demetri Jacobs, 73 Derrick Benton, 74 Elliot Bryan, 75 Morgan Mizell, 76 Vic Caputo, 77 Eric Smiley, 78 Gerald Colds, 79 Evion Gordon, 80 Vance Kelly, 81 Rashawn Salley, 82 John Celionet,  83 Ernst Duverger, 84 Giovanni Keye, 85 B.J. Washington, 86 Rahmel Miller, 87 Brian Riley, 88 Tamer Farid, 89 Andy Garcia, 90 Dominck Goj, 91 James Hett,  92 Michael Hernandez, 93 Nick Hendra, 94 Kevin Hedgepeth, 95 Matt Sullivan, 96 Andrew Mottola, 97 Robby Janeczek, 98 Dale Gregory, 99 Keith Nandin, 100 Keith Moss, 101 Anthony Urcivoli, 102 Akeem Brightman, 103 Joshua Nesbit, 104 Marko Budija, 105 Andrew Hannah, 106 Dayshaw Long, 107 Kyle Brown. 108 Menley Khuv, 109 Ariel Ritchin, 110 Markell Bailey, 111 Reggie Azemas, 112 Darwyn Lynch, 113 Josh Dupree, 114 Kevin Mitchell, 115 Tyief Thompson, 116 Ahmad Hemingway, 117 Jonathan Mitchell, 118 Terrell Matthews, 119 Lamar Dubose, 120 Robert Gutierrez, 121 Steven Arzu, 122 Bryant Davis, 123 Ednut Egberonbe and 124 Rasak Bello.'

4/15/05 Scout.com: Top 50 includes # 13 Corey Stokes, # 22 Corey Fisher, # 30 Mike Coburn, # 33 Melquan Bolding and # 42 
Jeff Robinson.

4/18/05 This is the ranking for the top 46 in the class of 2007 with over 50 others listed alphabetically. John P Miciotta, tbone and others on this site contributed to the profiles and player evaluations. The rankings were compiled by referencing InsiderHoops and Hoop Scoop lists and by watching play during the school season and at IS8, UDC, Gauchos and others. The more than 100 people (half of them, coaches) on this site's mailing list had a chance to contribute, though most 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. This ranking should be taken very, very lightly. It is primarily a reason to profile prominent 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, suggestions and further evaluations please email to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

Top 46 grouped by fifteens: Corey Fisher, Mike Coburn, Melquan Bolding, Miles Beatty, Devin Ebanks, Corey Stokes, Jeff Robinson, Corey Raji,  Andrew Gabriel, Dashuan Barrino, T.J. Carey, Malik Boothe, Darius Gabriel, Terrell McKenzie, Brandon Walters, Chris DeLaRosa

Talor Battle, Zach Rosen, Keith McAllister, Durann Neil, Rocco Rubino, Malcolm Pope, Nate Craig, Christian Morris, Zamal Nixon, Derrick Price, Joshua Spivey, Paul Scotland, Anthony Nelson, John White

Mike Cavataio,  Mike Galarce, Alanzo George, Justin Rivers, Corey Chandler, Idris Hilliard, Daniel Anderson,  Marquis Deans, Hamidu Rahman, Tom Amalfe, Alray Blackman, Rashon Dwight, Marcus Matthews, John Marciano, Kharique Irick, Gerald Colds.

David Cook 6-0, Kendell Cutler 5-5, Joe D'Amelio, Darnell Davis 6-5, Bernie Dingle 5'5, Dorian Dixon 5-11, Mike Doulgas 5-8, Fred Dorgler 6'3, Agron Drejaj 6'2, Darren Duncan 5-7, Josh Dupree 5'9, Jamar Edwards, Justin "JJ" Garvin 5-8, Clayvon Givens 5-8, Jamaal Green 5-6

Jamie Harris 5’9, Dashon Henning 5-7, Terrell Hernandez 5-8, Rashid Isler 6-4, Morgan Kelly 6'8, Giovann Keye 5'11, Eric Kessler 5-7, Duquan Leonard, Maurice Lloyd 5-5, J  Anthony McClain 6-11,  Dwan McMillan 5-3, Vincent Natal 5-10, Samuel Obetoh 5"8, Ricco Oliver 5-10

Kevin Roberts 6'1, Tyrik Spencer 5-10, Clifford Spiller 6'3, Justin Stewart 5'10, Shaheen Taylor 5-6, Marcus Thompkins 5'5", Emanuel Valentin 6'2, Josh Wadkins 5-4, Gary Wallace, George Wilkerson 6'0.

Corey Fisher 5'11 PG St Patrick, NJ. 7/12/05 Daily News: SJU Fishing for Bronx guard - Corey Fisher.  4/1/05 NJO: Union county season in review --   All-sophomore/freshman team: First Team: Corey Fisher11/25/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 1 Corey Fisher - NJ Hoops #1 frosh a year ago held on to his top spot. After completing a stellar freshmen year for the Celtics, Corey killed the IS8 playoffs, did work at ABCD and won MVP of the Empire State games in New York. Nuff said!' 11/23/04 Daily News: 'A playmaker who sees the court extremely well, Fisher is also an explosive scorer. He's deadly on the fastbreak and can hit his teammates on a dime or simply pull up and hit NBA-range three-pointers.'

11/9/04 NY Hoops: ' The Fall That Was. In my opinion Corey Fisher was the best player on the court, as he knocked down threes (4 of them), he penetrated at will and finished with sick moves at the rim like the spin move that he put on Harris that resulted in an easy two. He threw in a couple of assists to keep his teammates happy and he even picked up Harris full court on the defensive end. Fisher’s 27 points was the high for the day and he walked away with his team’s MVP in the loss.'  11/3/04 Metro Hoops Just call Fisher Houdini because he makes defenders instantly disappear. Corey’s head and shoulder fake allows him to discard defenders before dribbling the ball. Fisher is the type of player that lives for the spotlight.   Possessing tremendous court vision, a scorers’ mentality and NYC swagger Corey will give you a show buzzer to buzzer. 5/04 NJ Hoops # 1.  10/27/04 The Hoopstown Top 25 Underclassmen # 16. Corey Fisher  – One of the best young high school point men in the country… Has outstanding court vision… Very creative distributing the ball without being too flashy… And takes very good care of the ball.  5/23/04 IS8 Spring Classic  Corey Fisher was the Rookie award winner. 10/27/03 Hoop Scoop national # 15. 12/22/03 John Malone: 'Tip Off Classic -- St. Patricks beat Irvington 67-49. St. Pat's was led by their 6th man, freshman phenom, Corey Fisher who had 23 points, 3 boards, 4 assists, and 5 steals. He is going to be a great one. He already is.' 12/01 GB # 34. HS # 2.  3/7/03 GB # 48.

 

Mike Colburn 5-11, Mt Vernon. 10/27/04 The Hoopstown Top 25 Underclassmen # 20. Mike Coburn  – Elite young talent who can really score… His size deceives the fact that he has shooting guard tendencies… He has a strong body… Decent shooter… and a great playmaker… Needs to improve his jump shot and point guard qualities. 10/18/02 Dwayne "Coach D" Murray, Mt. Vernon Basketball: 'Mike Colburn is an 8th grader who attends A. B. Davis Middle School in Mt. Vernon. He played for the Mt. Vernon Junior Knights, Mt. Vernon Knights 14U AAU team, and currently plays with Riverside's 14U, as well as for the Mt. Vernon Knights Varsity at IS 8.

Easily the best 8th grader in Westchester. He's 5' 8", tremendous work ethic, handles well with both hands and is a in your face ball defender. Those who've seen him would agree with this, he easily is among the top 5 8th graders in the Metro Area. Is making it very tough on Coach Bob Cimmino to keep him off the varsity roster, but at a minimum, he will play for the Knights J.V. team. He's that good. Currently playing in the Gauchos Roundball Classic and the Nike Invitational Tournament with Riverside. Along with 6' 6" freshman, Jonathan Mitchell, they are the next "special" players to come out of Mt. Vernon since Ben Gordon and Jomo Belfor. Go and watch him play. He'll make you a believer.'   3/03 GB # 12.

Melquan Bolding 6-3 forward Beacon School, NY.  11/9/04 NY Hoops: 'The Fall That Was. This was the first time I really got to see Bolding play, and all I can say is he more then lived up to everything I had heard about him. Bolding didn’t start the game so he entered the game in the 2nd quarter with the “second 5” and he quickly stole the show, proving he was one of the better players in the game. Bolding scored 16 of his team’s 23 2nd quarter points using an array of athletic finishes around the basket. He only was forced to take one jumpshot and it was pure touching only the net. In the 3rd quarter he showed how athletic he really is throwing down a vicious 1 hand dunk that looked like he was still on the rise when he put the ball through the hole.'

6/4/04 Eric Medved, CityRocks Director of Player Personnel and Adirondack AAU Boys Chairman: 'Player note -- 6'3" Melquan Bolding is on a tear. Melquan played on the CityRocks 16-Unders in the King of the Mountain and led the team in scoring with 23ppg. If you remember, Melquan had a high school career-high 36 points against Rhode Island-bound Will Daniels' FDR team this past high school season as a freshman.'  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop nr 5/4//03 Melquan is pictured here with his parents and the trophy he won as the leading scorer in the Pro Style Midget division.  3/03 Melquan is playing for the Corney All Stars at Pro Style and is averaging 27 points a game. 9/22/02 Melquan had 22 to lead the Gauchos in the championship game at the 2002 Hoop Group Fall Jam Fest.  3/03 GB # 5.  

Miles Beatty 6'2 guard St. Anthony, NJ. 12/21/04 Metro Hoops: Coming out party for Miles Beatty - 'With Sean McCurdy out the Friars needed someone to pick up the scoring, enter Miles Beatty. The 6’2 soph. provided some outside touch and put pressure on the South Plainfield defense. Look for Beatty’s role and production to increase as the season goes on.'   11/23/04  Metro Hoops: 'Top sophs. # 7. Miles Beatty Miles strong summer for the Playaz, and good performances at Camp Next and Eddie Griffin earned the #7 spot. When Beatty under control he gets it done.'  5/04 NJ Hoops # 2.  7/5/04 Metro Hoops: 'The 6’2 guard is a very aggressive scorer, he is not a true point or two guard, he is what you call a lead guard such as Darius Washington. Beatty appears to be flashy but effective. I wonder how he will mesh with the discipline scheme of Coach Hurley next season.'

 5/19/04 Kyle Anderson, Playaz 15 yr coach: 'Our best player is Miles Beatty, 6'2 shooting guard from St. A's in Jersey City. Has NBA range and passes better than he shoots. In the top 3 of NJ freshman. Started out on our 16's and moved down for more time. In the championship of the Southern Invitational he had 24 pts, 7 rebounds and 6 assists.'

 

Devon Ebanks 6-5 forward Bishop Loughlin, NY  7/10/05 NY Hoops: Devin Ebanks Arrives On The National Stage.  NYC Standouts  (Devin Ebanks & Darius Gabriel).   7/6/05 Newsday: Reebok ABCD Camp -- Devin Ebanks sees invite as chance to score.   7/03 HS # 28.  3/03 GB # 15. 5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- I got my first extended look at Devin Ebanks, Loughlin's fine 6'5" wing man who missed the high school season due to an injury. While stamina and speed are still things he's struggling with as he recovers, his length, rebounding ability and his passing skills were in clear evidence. He's also very thin so once he catches up to everyone in his class physically, look out he will be a special player if his work ethic matches his substantial tools.'  5/04 NY Hoops: 'Ebanks is a player that has a lot of potential, he stands 6’4 but is very skinny but he seems to have a frame that he will be able to add a good amount of weight. He scored most of his 14 points in the paint, using his soft touch around the basket.'

Corey Stokes 6-4 forward St Benedict, NJ  11/25/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs.  # 3. Corey Stokes. - Corey had a phenomenal summer. Stokes finished as one of the top sophomores at Reeboks ABCD. Corey’s performances on the circuit and camps validate his #3 spot.   10/03 NJ Hoops # 1. 10/04 Corey played for the Playaz Gold team, that made the semi-finals this fall at IS8.

 

Jeff Robinson 6'4 2G St Patrick  NJ. 11/25/04  Metro Hoops: 'Top sophs. # 2 Jeff Robinson  Where did he come from is the question everybody was asking. Jeff leaped to the #2 spot by helping NJ AllStars bring home the Nike Super Showcase and raking up MVP awards at both the Metrohoops Showdown and the Eddie Griffin Challenge.'    11/3/04 Metro Hoops Robinson burst on the scene this summer dunking on opponents for the NJ All-stars . He is NJ’s version of the human highlight film. His leaping ability is unbelievable. Robinson tries to dunk anything around the basket and usually delivers. Jeff has developed his outside shot which helped him take home MVP honors for the sophomore games from both the Metrohoops North South Showdown and the Eddie Griffin Challenge. 3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 108 nationally.

6/04 Jeff was on St. Patrick's roster at And 1 as his team made it to the semifinals. He's got a lot of competition (seniors 6-5 Andre Davis and 6-3 Tyrone Cook, plus juniors 6-6 Yves Mekomgo-Me, 6-7 Daquan Cook and 6-8 Yanick Formanano) for playing time next year.   4/04 Insiders has Jeff now at St Patricks.

Corey Raji 6-3 forward Westwood NJ.  5/19/04 Kyle Anderson, Playaz 15 yr coach: 'Cory is a big time player. He may be the best rebounder I've seen in years. He averages a double-double. He also led Bergen County in rebounds as a frosh (Tyrell Biggs, J.R. Inmann, John Oates are a few players in the county). In the chip at Southern he had 20 pts. and 16 boards.'

 

Andrew Gabriel 6'5 forward Christ the King NY  4/04 Andrew has great potential, which is easy to see when he plays with intensity. But too often he doesn't dominate in games as he should.  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop # 2  3/03 GB # 2.  8/30/02 JPM: 'Younger brother of Christ the King's Elsmore Gabriel and better than his brother at this age. Andrew has good growth potential to 6-4, 6-5 and the ability and agility to be a two guard in high school.   5/5/01 Pro-Style Final Fours -- Game 8 - Biddy Division The Final Fours L.I. Lightning 46, Gauchos 27. Players of the Game: L.I. Lightning: Andrew Gabriel, 12 points, Gauchos: Jonathan Rigg, 12 points.

DaShon Barrino 5'9 guard Shabazz, NJ. 4/1/05 NJO: Essex county season in review --  All-soph, frosh first team: Da'Shon Barrino.  Despite a backcourt featuring two sophomores, Da'Shon Barrino and Alray Blackmon, and a young bench, Shabazz finished 24-7 and surprised just about everyone by claiming the Group 3 championship.  11/20/04 Metro Hoops:  # 12. Dashon Barrino 5’9 Guard ( Shabazz). Barrino pops in at #12 after a strong performance for the Bulldogs this past season. Dashon’s quickness and handle allows him get anywhere he wants on the floor.   5/19/04 Terence J "T-Bone"Johnson : '.#1 ranked freshman Watchung Conference, Deshawn has that inner city swagger in his game that just speaks to you and say, "I'm good, and I'm going to show you why". No fear, no pressure, no problem,,, that describes Deshawn's game. He was the leader for a young group of players at Shabazz at the tender age of 14!'  5/19/04 Shawn McCray, Zoo Crew: 'Dashuan started the point position all season for a young Shabazz team. Natural point guard and leader. Good defender, quick, and makes the right decisions on the court. Not sure what AAU team he runs with.'

T.J. Carey 6'2 2G St. Dominic, NY.  3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 157 nationally. 12/30/03 John P Miciotta: 'Xaverian High School hosted the Red Saracheck Classic, a terrific freshman and junior varsity tournament named for the long time Yeshiva University coach and mentor to many of the city's best coaches.The freshman Bayhawks from Long Island broke open a close game in the third period in route to a convincing 67-44 win over the Clippers. St. Dominic's coach Tom Carey may well have one of the deepest and well balanced freshman teams in our region. The best player is his son TJ a 6'1" guard who shot the ball beautifully and played very much like a coach's son, getting his teammates involved and defending. He's also very smart and tough mentally and ran the team with good awareness of time and score and helped his team finish off a great win.'

 

Malik Boothe 5'8 point guard Christ the King, Queens NY   5/04 NY Hoops: 'Right Bounce Showcase 9th Grade Game -- At the conclusion of the game I think it was clear Booth was the best player on the court, he was able to penetrate and either score himself or dish to a teammate as evident by his 15 point and 6 assist effort. He also knocked down a couple of perimeter jumpers which is a good sign considering that is possibly his only weakness on the offensive side. Booth also played his usual tough defense coming up with 3 steals.'   7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #1 Gameball # 3   8/30/02 JPM: 'Stocky Long Island Lightning point is put together and already physically mature. '

 3/12/00 IS8 Sunday finals - In the Biddie game 80 Park easily took the Springfield Rifles 56 - 39. 80 Park led throughout - 14 - 3 after one, 25 - 13 at the half and 42 - 26 going into the final quarter. Biddie MVP Wes Fredrique scored 26 for the winners, while Nick Reynolds (8 for 9 from the line) and Sean Crawford had 14 and 10 points. As usual Malik Boothe ran the show from the point and center Hickman Simmons anchored the defense. 80 Park pressed throughout most of the game causing numerous turnovers. Boothe, Crawford and Fredrique are marvelous defensive ball hawks and solid ball handlers.   3/03 GB # 9. 

Darius Gabriel 6'0 point guard Bishop Loughlin, NY   7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #4  3/03 GB # 7. 5/3/03 The second Pro Style Midget semi between the NYC Rise Panthers and the Gauchos was even closer as Darius Gabriel (pictured) got the tip-in as time expired for the 48 - 47 win. 5/18/02 Dtko35: 'Darius Gabriel is in the seventh grade goes to MS 53 Queens, Far Rockaway. Darius is now playing with 80 Park and the Long Island Lightning as a 5'10 sg for their seventh grade team going to the nationals with Malcolm Pope aka Snoop as Lightning's starting pg. Darius is dunking a little and sure he can shoot and great ball handling skills and good defense.

Darius has a great attitude on and off the court. I went to see Darius and Snoop play at Island Garden and they were doing everything. Darius had 21points, 9 rebounds, 6 nice passes to his teammates and 2 steals. Malcolm Pope had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1block, 2 steals also had 7 good passes to his teammates. And this is a coach from the Lightning.'   

 

Terrell McKenzie 6-0, forward Paramus Catholic, NJ 12/21/04 Metro Hoops: Coming out party for Terrell McKenzie 'Wearing #12 McKenzie gave me flashbacks of Mark Macon when he heated up for 4 first half threes. The sophomore guard is a perfect complement to junior showmen Luis Guzman. Terrell plays with so much confidence as a 10th grader.'  12/01 GB # 1.6/02 JPM: 'Terrell is very strong, he finishes around the basket and has a steady mid-range jumpshot. He is the point guard in this class most ready to play at the high school level. He is a clever player and a leader.'  2/02 Terrell is part of the awesome Gauchos frontline at IS8 Winter Classic with 6-7 Curtis Kelly (GB # 4) and 6-2 Kashif Pratt (GB # 2).  3/7/03 GB # 14.

Brandon Walters 6-8 center Lincoln, Brooklyn. 7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #11.  3/03 GB nr!? 5/03  Brandon played for the Juice All Stars at IS8 this spring and scored 9 points with 13 rebounds on 5/10 in the Juice vs. Ravens game at St Raymonds.

Chris DeLaRosa 5-11 point guard, All Hallows, Bx.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'He had an outstanding first year as AH decided to move Chris, a freshman, to the JV level. He shot the ball well and became a better playmaker as he got to know his teammates.'  7/03 Hoop Scoop nr!?  3/03 GB # 16.  3/2/03 Chris is doing it all for his St. Elizabeth C.Y.O. team - playing center on defense and bringing the ball up on offense. He's too strong and agile for most of the competition.  9/23/02  Chris DeLaRosa of the C.A.S. Warriors eighth grade team went  in for the lay-up (pictured right) in the semifinal game against Sam Rines yesterday afternoon.  Chris sizzled with a game high 25 but his team lost the heartbreaker 53 - 51.

Talor Battle 6-0 guard Bishop Magin, NYS.  6/04 Talor starred for the Albany Rocks 15 under team at this summer's Rumble in the Bronx. The Gauchos, City Rocks game may have been the day's best as the 'chos held on for a 60-57 victory despite a 28 point effort from the Rocks' Talor Battle. Albany City Rocks getting a 72-71 overtime win against Ahead of the Game as the Rocks' off-guard Talor Battle (pictured) exploded for 35 points, most on decisive drives to the hoop.

Zach Rosen 5-10 guard Colonia, NJ. 11/25/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs.  '# 4. Zach Rosen  Before watching Zach, people wonder what’s so special about this little white point guard. Rosen is top 5 because he is one of the best floor generals in NJ regardless of class. Zach proved himself on the circuit, at Camp Next and during the NJ fall showcases. Rosen has the ability to set teammates up for easy looks and will stick the jumper if you leave him open.'   7/5/04 Metro Hoops: Zach Rosen, the crafty lefty used savvy and court awareness to offset his opponent’s size and speed. Rosen also showed the ability to hit the open jumper.  6/7/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 2 Report: 'Rosen was Second Team Metrohoops Showcase. Zach has excellent poise and decision making skills. Reminds many of a young lefty Mike Nardi. But at this stage Zach probably has a better jump shot. Rosen showed this shooting ability winning the Three- Point Shooting Contest.'

7/03 NJ Hoops: 'Freshman guard Zach Rosen from Colonia High School at first glance might not overwhelm you in an eyeball test, but Rosen put on a spectacular clutch performance in four overtime thriller at the Linden Summer League.'  7/03 Colonia plays in the Central Jersey, group four section which Franklin won last season. Colonia was seeded eighth and lost in the first round to second seeded West Hamilton. The good news for Zach is that he is likely to see plenty of playing time. 3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) Zach was not rated among top 79.

Keith McAllister 6'7 center Campus Magnet, NY.  4/04 Keith averaged 9 points and 9 rebounds during the regular season as the starting center for Campus Magnet (Queens III A, 12-2) and upped that to almost 16 points and 9 rebounds in three playoff games. 1/23/04 Newsday: Magnet Wins With Defense. Stifles Van Buren in 4th. Coach Granby lauded the play of 6-7 freshman forward Keith McAllister, who pulled down 13 rebounds and blocked three shots in the last two minutes. "[McAllister] is only a freshman," Granby said. "He's still learning the game."   1/12/04 psal.org: 'Campus Magnet, which is undefeated in Queens III-A, played one of its poorest games of the season. “We played terrible,” said Campus Magnet coach Charles Granby. “They played great. We didn’t go inside and attack the zone. I told them what to do. It’s as simple as that.”  Keith McAllister led the Bulldogs with 13 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals.'

3/03 GB # 4. 5/03 Louis Xifaras: 'Keith has a big upside to him. Being 6'6" with good movement towards the basket, this 8th grade project will surely develop into a big time player. Over the past year, Keith's jumping ability has increased immensely and he is starting to mature. Once he develops a strong low post game, he should be a force at whatever high school he enters in September 2003.'

Durran Neil 5'11 guard Pleasantville NJ Pleasant Tech  HS # 4 in southern Jersey.  3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) # 1 Durann Neil  8/02 NJ Hoops: Darrin is selected to Eastern Invitational All Star game for freshmen and sophomores. 10/9/02 General00use : 'Doran Neil's real name and spelling is Durann Neil he is in the 8th grade at Pleasant Tech middle school in Pleasantville NJ. He won MVP at midnight madness 7th-8th grade division and played in the all star game at Eastern camp 9th grade division. He got moved up and scored game high in session 4.'

Rocco Rubino 6'2  guard Molloy, NY.  3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 47 nationally.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'He does a nice job getting to the basket and passing both into the pivot and to shooters. Shoots mainly off the catch and needs to improve shooting off the dribble. He's the nephew and godson of CK's great frosh coach Greg Lemko so he gets good coaching both at home and at school.'  5/19/04 Coach Jeff Rivera, Team Genesis: 'I saw the comment by John Micciotta about Rocco Rubino needing to work on shooting off the dribble. If that's what he thinks Rocco needs to work on John hasn't been watching him enough. Ironically that is one of Rocco's biggest strengths. He can pull up and shoot the midrange jumper better than anyone in the 2007 class. I see him make about 5 of those every game we play.'

 

Malcolm Pope 5'7 point guard Blair Academy, NJ  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #5. 3/03 GB # 3.  8/30/02 JPM: 'One of the 'blanket point guards' from this class he's the best defender and speediest of them.  He's flashy and demonstrative but needs to control his emotions on the court.'  8/02 Malcolm played as the point guard for Abyssinian at IS8 last year and at Pro-Style this winter.

Nate Craig 6'5 forward Bishop Eustace NJ 1/25/05 Hoop Scoop Top national players # 334. Nate Craig Camden (Leap Academy) NJ. 3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007) # 2 Nate Craig.

Christian Morris 6-8, center Bishop Loughlin, NY.   5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- Pivot men Chris Abney of CK, Christian Morris of Loughlin and Elon DeJourdan of Park East High in Brooklyn each played well. Morris in particular demonstrated that the progress he showed at the end of the High School season has continued this summer.

 

Zamal Nixon 5'9 PG Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY.  5/04 NY Hoops: 'Right Bounce Showcase 9th Grade Game --Although he finished with 12 points, Nixon’s point total was a little misleading considering he hit 5 free throws down the stretch when the Green team was fouling. Despite that he still looked impressive; he showed incredible ball handling skills and just looked real smooth on the court. Nixon also stuffed the stat sheet grabbing 5 rebounds, dishing out 3 assists and getting 3 steals.   3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 150 nationally. 5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Lefty who's a good all around point man. Passes and shoots it well. It appears he'll grow to a good size for college hoops. Sometimes tries to do too much but when he's playing within the team's structure he's as good as any point guard in this class save for the two "super" PG's Colburn and Fisher.'

Derek Price 6'0 point guard Burlington City HS. NJ,. 11/23/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs.  # 9. Derrick Price - The ultra quick point guard made his impact felt last season guiding his team to the state finals. Derrick sets the table for City to flourish.   3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) # 4 Derrick Price.  5/02 Hoop Scoop # 1 in southern Jersey.  8/02 NJ Hoops:  Derek is selected to Eastern Invitational All Star game for freshmen and sophomores. 6/03 Derek is on the Burlington City roster for the And 1 tournament.

 

Joshua Spivey, 5-10 guard Wings Academy NY.  4/04 Josh only averaged 4.5 ppg. for six regular season games for coach Tony Begeron, but upped it to over 10 points average for four playoff games. He'll be teaming with sophs Andre Tarver and Rasheem Jenkins from the start next season.   5/10/03 Josh and Melquan Bolding each scored 16 points for the Ravens who lost to the Juice All Star eighth graders 58 - 54 at St Raymonds.  Bert Beagle thought Joshua looked like the most talented Raven in this game.  5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- Paul Scotland of Urban Peace Academy and Josh Spivey of Wings Academy are both physical point guards who go to the basket strong.'

Paul Scotland 5’11 guard, Urban Peace Academy, New York., NY. 10/04 Paul played for the winning (and older) Playaz Black team at IS8 behind Derrick Mercer and Marquise Johnson. He was the only sophomore on the court for the championship game and he held his own.  4/04 Paul averaged 14.4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists during UPA's 14 game season. Paul has played for the Metro Hawks Future Stars at UDC and Each 1 Teach 1 at ProStyle, but is scheduled to play for the Bingo All Stars this summer. 5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- Paul Scotland of Urban Peace Academy and Josh Spivey of Wings Academy are both physical point guards who go to the basket strong.'

Anthony Nelson 5'11 St.Joseph, NJ  11/23/04  Metro Hoops: ' Top sophs.  # 10. Anthony Nelson Anthony jumped on the AAU scene made noise in the 15 and under group. Nelson showed little rust from his season layoff at St. Joes. His play during the AAU season and showcases put him in the Top 10.'  6/6/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 1 Report. 'Rumor has it that Rutgers has given this kid a verbal offer if so smart move for Coach Waters. This kid’s potential can be scary. He has the quickness to get to the cup and the strength to finish among the big men. His handle and court vision separate him from some of the other guards in the state regardless of class. His poise really makes you smile when you hear he is a freshman.'

5/19/04 Terence J "T-Bone"Johnson: 'Anthony Nelson is coming into his game. Has an ability to get to the basket like no other freshman I've seen in years and I saw Shaheen Holloway, Jay Williams, Andre Barrett, Jihad Muhammad, Andre Dabney and Russell Robinson at this same stage in their HS careers. He has also developed a nice pull up jump-shot. Anthony will have a breakout summer this year with St.Joseph HS as they will be in virtually every event from the Prime-Time in Trenton to the HSBC at Seton Hall showcasing Ant, 6'11 Jr. Andrew Bynum and Jr. Sean Baptise. Ant has already received a non-binding scholarship offer to a big-east school located in New Jersey off the turnpike (smile).

John White 6'2 guard St. Augustine NJ.  11/20/04 Metro Hoops: # 13. John White  Coming in at 13 the left handed gun slinger can score on anyone. White finds away to get a shot no matter what the circumstances.  6/7/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 2 Report: 'White caught my eye a little Day 1 with his ability to score but nothing prepared me for his outburst on Day 2. White went on a scoring binge, scoring 24 and 34 respectively. The lefty is very strong for a frosh and isn’t bashful. A trip down the expressway might be in my near future to see Mr. White in action.'   3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) # 8 John White Galloway NJ Middle.  5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- John White from St. Agustine High in New Jersey was a player we saw for the first time and we loved his combination of rugged play and outside shooting.'

Mike Cavataio 6'2 guard, Christ the King, Queens. 7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #9. 3/03 GB nr.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Mike is probably the best all around player in a deep freshman class at CK. He's a great shooter and a fine passer who uses long arms and quick feet to defend well. Not likely to move up to varsity next season because of depth on the wings and on the baseline but he's a poised confident kid who'll keep getting better.

Mike Galarce 5-11 Irvington HS NJ.  4/1/05 NJO: Essex county season in review --  All-soph, frosh first team: Mike Galarce.  6/03 Mike is the only freshman on Irvington's And 1 roster. 5/19/04 Terence J "T-Bone"Johnson: '#3 NJ Hoops, #2 Watchung Conference. Mike Plays AAU basketball with the Playaz and it's helping his leadership well. Mike didn't start the beginning of the season, but it was hard for the Irvington coach to keep him off the court long. Mid-season, Mike took over the team. He's a wonderful court leader (Mark Jackson) and can shoot the pill.'

Alanzo George 6'7 forward Tilden, NYC.  5/11/04 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'Please add 6' 7" freshman power forward Alanzo George to the list of top young players in the city. Alanzo is a super young man on and off the court and is from a great and involved family. I believe he will be one of the best big men in the city next year.'  4/04 Alanzo only averaged 2 ppg. this season but he hauled in more than 6 rebounds a game. 

Justin Rivers 6'3 PF New York (St. Raymond's) NY.  11/04 It doesn't look as if Justin will make St Raymond's varsity this fall. 3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 174 nationally. 5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Good early size and girth makes "experts" refer to him as a power forward but his strengths are his floor game and his passing. He needs to improve his conditioning, concentration and his competitiveness.'

Corey Chandler 6-0 guard Newark Eastside, NJ. 7/11/05 Metro Hoops: Inside The Paint with Corey Chandler.  7/10/05 NorthJersey: Seizing a golden opportunity - Corey Chandler.  4/1/05 NJO: Essex county season in review --  All-soph, frosh first team: Corey Chandler. Sophomore Corey Chandler sank 21 points and helped East Side defeat No. 19 Shabazz, 75-55, on Jan. 13.  11/23/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs.  # 8. Corey Chandler - The Brick City guard cracked the top 10 with a wicked crossover and deadly range. Look for Chandler to pack many Essex County gyms.

11/2/04 Terence (T-bone) Johnson: 'Watchung Conference Pre-Season Preview -- Newark Eastside has a gem on their basketball team this year that everyone is going to have to take notice of  by the name of Corey Chandler. Corey stands about 6'0 and is only a sophomore, and I can hear the coaches at Elizabeth and Plainfield thinking 2007 can't get here fast enough. Corey will be a D-1 player with the correct work ethic and development, and judging by the history of Coach Tavares and Bryant, he's in good hands. Last year as a freshmen, Corey managed to put a scare into many ranked teams that laced their sneakers up to play Eastside. Versus Plainfield, he almost knocked the Cardinals off himself, missing a 3pt basket at the buzzer that would of won it.'   5/19/04 Shawn McCray, Zoo Crew: 'The Newark Eastside freshman should be on that list. Corey Chandler saw valuable action for the Red Raiders at the guard position. Corey is a pure shooter. He plays AAU for the NJ Roadrunners.' 

Idris Hilliard 6’5 forward Hun, NJ. 11/23/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 6. Idris Hilliard - Hilliard pounded the boards for the Cyclones all summer. The Hun School workhorse is force to reckon with. His inside presence was felt at both NJ fall showcases.

Daniel Anderson 6-3 forward St. Augustine NJ.  3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007) # 36 Daniel Anderson Pleasantville NJ.

Marquis Deans 6'5 PF St. Dominic's NY  5/04 NY Hoops: 'Right Bounce Showcase 9th Grade Game -- Deans was the leading scorer in the game putting in 20 while grabbing 12 boards and blocking 3 shots. Deans also did most of his scoring around the basket but at 6’5 he also showed the ability to step out and knock down the mid range jumper.'  3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 63 nationally. 12/30/03 John P Miciotta: 'The freshman Bayhawks from Long Island broke open a close game in the third period in route to a convincing 67-44 win over the Clippers. An outstanding game on the perimeter was augmented by terrific effort inside from a trio of rugged post players, 6'2" James Wilson 6'3" TJ Thomas and 6'4" Markeys Deans. Of the three Deans is the most athletic and it showed in his ability to challenge shots as well as rebound and score inside.'

Hamidu Rahman 6’10 center Franklin, NJ. 11/20/04 Metro Hoops: 'Top sophs. # 11. Hamidu Rahman  The big fella has too much of a impact on the game not to appear on this list. Hamidu’s size and strength makes him a tough match-up for any high school player.'

Tom Amalfe, Gov. Livingston. 4/1/05 NJO: 'Union county season in review  -- Sophomore of the year: Tom Amalfe. Sophomore Tom Amalfe scored 33 points and had six assists Dec. 30 to help Gov. Livingston past Brearley, 70-52.'

Alray Blackman 6-1 guard Shabazz HS Newark, NJ. 4/1/05 NJO: Essex county season in review --  All-soph, frosh first team: Alray Blackman.  11/25/04  Metro Hoops: 'Top sophs. # 5. Alray Blackmon. Alray stepped away from the AAU scene this summer to train for the season. But after finishing as one of the top players in the Watchung Conference (toughest in the state) and reviving Bulldogs basketball as a frosh, his resume speaks for itself. The second generation guard is the “New Don” in a long list of Shabazz guards.'  7/02 NJ Hoops: Alray is selected to Eastern Invitational All Star game for freshmen and sophomores.

Rashon Dwight 6'1 guard Bloomfield (Tech) NJ. 4/1/05 NJO: Essex county season in review --  All-soph, frosh second team: Rashon Dwight.  12/1/04 Metro Hoops: Jersey sophomores under the radar - Rashon Dwight.  2/1/04 Metro Hoops: Jersey sophomores under the radar - 'Ra Ra had an up and down freshmen year. Dwight received some significant minutes, but gave some see-saw results. The wiry wing showed flashes of greatness with dribble drives and extended finishes, and then on other plays he proved to be turnover prone. Look for a more steady campaign out of Rashon.' 

Marcus Mathews 6'1 guard Bishop Loughlin NY  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #9. 3/03 GB # 8.  8/30/02 JPM: 'Younger brother of McClancy star, Wesley and son of Buzz, the onetime Christ the King standout.  Marcus is a great shooter who knows a good shot from a hoist.  He needs to work on his handle and aggressiveness taking it to the hole.'  8/02 Marcus played with Team Next in the IS8 Winter 2001 Classic and with SONDAY in their tournament this summer.

John Marciano 6'10 C Seton Hall Prep NJ.  6/5/04 NJ Hoops: Tornadoes top Jersey Shore Panthers -- 6 foot 10 Seton Hall Prep freshman, John Marciano, had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks.'   3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 197 nationally.

Kharique Irick 6-1 forward St Anthony, NJ. 6/05 Rumble in the Bronx -  Kharique (right) is playing for the Playaz 16's and obviously enjoying the Rumble.  11/20/04 Metro Hoops: # 14. Kyreek Irick 6’4 Forward (St. Anthony). The athletic forward snatched the 14th slot after decent showings at Camp Next and Metro Hoops North South Showdown. Irick slashes to the basket with force.  8/02 Kharique is the younger brother of Teaneck and Riverside Church star, Willie.  Like Willie he was playing for the Church this last year.    8/19/03 AKaDMks JeAniUS: ' Kharique Irick is not going to Paramus Catholic. He will be attending St. Anthony's in Jersey City, coached by Bob Hurley.'

Gerald Colds point guard, St Raymond, NY.  11/9/04 Coach Oliver Antigua: 'Sophomore Gerald Colds, 5'11 combo guard will play both spots on the varsity.' 7/18/04 Deidra Colds: 'Gerald Colds is the freshman from St. Raymond's in the Bronx. He is a very good player and is the only freshman from his school who has been invited to play varsity ball next season. He averages 15 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals per game. Gerald scored 30 points against All Hallows in the semi finals game and was the capatin and the leader of St. Raymonds's freshman team.'   5/22/04 Donovan Lowe Sr: 'As I read through your list of class of 2007 I can only wonder why ... St Raymond's Gerald Colds didn't make the list. You have Justin Rivers and Darian Bembow from St Ray's on the list but those guys didn't carry the Ray's freshmen team; Gerald Colds did.'

Chris Abney 6-5 forward Christ the King, NY. 5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- Pivot men Chris Abney of CK, Christian Morris of Loughlin and Elon DeJourdan of Park East High in Brooklyn each played well. Abney showed he's getting more comfortable playing in the pivot.'

Latiq Agard 6'5" forward CTK NY.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'When he's active he can be as good as any rebounder on the freshman level, and shot blocking presence inside. Got off to a slow start but came on as the season progressed. Very strong.'

Derrik (Shaq) Ballard 5-11 center Manhattan, NY .GB # 8.  Derrick is the star of Riverside 13 u teams which includes Kharique Irick, Dwan McMillan, Marcus Matthews and Kyle Brown.  He's played well for the Church at IS8 and Pro-Style.   3/03 GB # 11.

Jeremy Bauman  New Rochelle, NY.  6/7/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 2 Report: 'Bauman is a pure sharpshooter. He loves to catch and shoot from any distance. Can keep other players more honest by putting the ball on the floor more. When Bauman is hot it can be lights out for the other team.'  5/04 Jeremy played for the Remington Rebels at Pro Style this winter and is playing for the Westchester Hawks this summer.

Darien Benbow 6'6" forward St. Ray's NY    6/04 NY Hoops # 13. 5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Long and agile player who runs the floor and rebounds..Has great timing and a soft touch...needs to get stronger.'

Jamie Blanchard 6'2" forward Xaverian, NY.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Good quickness and long arms make him a kid worth watching closely. Just learning how to play, pretty good athlete and hard worker.'

Jason Brogsdale 6'4 forward Paul VI  HS NJ.  3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007) # 17 Jason Brogsdale Holy Rosary, Cherry Hill NJ.

Kyle Brown 5'0 2007 PG Bklyn NY Mt. Carmel Gameball # 19. 8/02 Kyle is another Riverside Church player on a loaded Church team.   3/03 GB # 23.

Kidani Brutus 6'0 2G Wings Academy Bronx,  NY. 3/13/04 Hoop Scoop Top 275 national from class of 2007 includes # 202 Kidani Brutus. 1/14/05 NY Hoops # 17. Kidani Brutus.

Ronique Colbert 5'7 point guard Bishop Ford NY   3/03 GB # 30. 8/02 Ronique played for Brooklyn USA in the IS8 Winter 2001 Classic but he's with the Church these days.

David Cook 6-0 wing forward Teaneck, NJ.  7/04 David is playing for the Metro Hawks this summer. The And 1 Teaneck roster was all 12th and 11th graders, so David was nowhere in sight.  6/14/04 Coach Kenny Pretlow: 'The Metro Hawks 14 under played in the Playaz Club Blowup this past weekend held at FDU.  We had a UDC game in between in which we defeated Bronx Kings and it tired some of the guys. But the bench picked up the slack 8th grader David Cook led the way with 14 (4 treys).  4/10/04 IS8 - In the Friday night second game AJ Price and Arturo Dubois combined for 46 points (26 and 20 respectively) to squeeze Juice 86-84 in overtime. K Baker, Taskico Brown and David Cook had 15, 9 and 8 for the winners

Oneil Cooper 6'3 forward Evander Childs, NYC.  4/04 Oneil averaged an astounding 33.6 points and 17.3 rebounds a game for Evander Childs junior varsity as a freshman. It will be interesting to see how effective he is on the varsity level. 3/03 Oneil played for the Bronx Kings at Pro-Style this winter, usually leading them in scoring. 

Austen Cortese 5'10 point guard, St Dominic L.I. NY 3/03 GB # 27. 7/7/03 T. Cortese: 'Austen Cortese is going to St Dominic High School, LI'

Kendell Cutler 5'10 point guard Benjamin Banneker Bklyn NY  3/03 GB # 20.

Jordan Costner 6-4 forward Seton Hall Prep, NJ. 7/7/03 Tony Costner: 'Be on the lookout for an 8th grader attending Seton Hall Prep in the fall. Jordan Costner 6-4, is the brother of 6-9 PF Brandon. Very good athlete, good defender go passer. Will help Seton Hall Prep stay competitive until 2007.

Joe D'Amelio Watchung Hills, NJ. 4/1/05 NJO: Somerset County season in review -- sensational sophs and county third team  Joe D'Amelio. 

Darnell Davis 6-5 forward Atlantic City, NJ.  6/7/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 2 Report: 'The 6’5, 240 lbs space eater hit the boards hard both days. His interior defense was decent. Once Davis hits the 12 footer consistently his game will elevate even more.'

Jovan Deare 6’3 forward Rice, NY.  6/04 NY Hoops # 12. 5/22/04 Donovan Lowe Sr: 'As I read through your list of class of 2007 I can only wonder why Donovan Lowe, Jamie Harris and Jovan Deare, all Rice freshmen and St Raymond's Gerald Colds didn't make the list.'

Elon DeJourdan 6-7 center Bishop Loughlin, NY.   5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- Pivot men Chris Abney of CK, Christian Morris of Loughlin and Elon DeJourdan of Park East High in Brooklyn each played well. DeJourdan showed an outstanding knack for getting offensive rebounds.'

Bernie Dingle 5'5 PG Bklyn. NY St. Marks 7/03 Hoop Scoop # 30  3/03 GB # 22.

Dorian Dixon 5-11 point guard, Absegami NJ.  3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007) # 35 Dorian Dixon Egg Harbor City Middle School NJ.

Fred Dorgler 6'3" forward Molloy, NY.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Long arms good hands and a knack for rebounding make him a potential prospect. Teamed well with Morgan Kelly more often than not feeding the ball to him from a high post position.'

Mike Douglas 5-8 point guard Bishop Loughlin, NY. 5/17/04 John P Miciotta: 'Saturday's Right Bounce Classic -- point guards led the way as CK's Malik Boothe, Xaverian's Zamal Nixon, and Loughlin's Mike Douglas, who are well known to this site each had good moments.'

Agron Drejaj 6'2" forward Bishop Ford, NY.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'People who have been around the Falcons program compare him to former star Mergin Sina, who played at Seton Hall and Rhode Island. Those comparisons are made because like Mergin, Agnon has good size early and his best attribute is his ability to find teammates with good passes.'

Josh Dupree 5'9 point guard Bishop Ford, NY.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'He was the point guard on the Falcons Class "A" freshman champs. He and teammate Agron Drejaj were both impressive holding their own against "AA" teams in the IABBO frosh tourney early in the season. Very quick with the ball and on defense. Outstanding leader as well.'

Jamal Edwards guard Pleasantville, NJ.  2/1/04 Metro Hoops: Jersey sophomores under the radar - The silky smooth Edwards is an athlete that can shoot the three. Jamal enjoys slashing and finishing at the hole. Edwards’s greatest asset might be his ability to lock in on defense.    6/7/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 2 Report: 'Edwards has great size and athleticism for a young guard. He loves to get out and finish in transition. Could have a bright future.'

Kyle Fitzgerald Red Bank, NJ. 4/1/05 NJO: Monmouth County season in review -- Super sophs: Kyle Fitzgerald went from sixth man as a freshman to Red Bank's most consistent performer, averaging 13.7 points and seven rebounds. Kyle made All-Monmouth fourth team. 12/1/04 Metro Hoops: Jersey sophomores under the radar - Kyle is a multi-talented wing player. Fitzgerald shoots the three and has and above average handle. A trip to the weight room will do this sophomore some good. Some added muscle will make Kyle more willing to bang and finish off plays in the lane.'

Justin "JJ" Garvin, guard Bayside, NY.  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #8.   3/03 GB nr  4/04 Justin averaged 4.5 ppg. for the 11-3  Commodores this past season. 5/7/03 Rob WIlliams, Bistate Pythons: 'Class of 2007 - You have got to add Justin "JJ" Garvin of MS 158, where he avereaged 20+ pts. He is quick, smooth, hits the three and slips the defense to hit the midrange. He is not shy on defense taking charges, picking pockets and blocking shots. He won the MVP at IS 8 championship with Kat Keyes. Panthers against Abyssinian this winter. He is right there with Snoop going head to head in IS 8 and other tournaments. He slips by the ratings as he plays up a lot with the Rifles, because he can compete. He'll probably be at Christ the King next year. Only flaws - not knowing how good he really is so there is no doubt he is the guy. All my kids want to play with him, when I can get him.'

3/2/03 IS8 Champions - The 80 Park trio of wing J.J. Garvin (22 points and pictured above, right with his MVP trophy), center Terrence Howard and point guard Malik Boothe (17) bested Abyssinian's quartet of Malcolm Pope, Justin Rivers (18), Jamie Harris (9) and Kafele Carty (8). 

Clayvon Givens 5'8 point guard Bklyn NY 7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #3. 3/03 GB # 1.  8/30/02 JPM: 'The current star of this class, Clayvon is another promising point guard from Brooklyn with all the requisite skills - handle, vision, passing, defensive focus and the ability to score.'    8/02  Clayvon played last year with Brooklyn USA and Michael Shine.   

Dakel Glenn  6-1 guard Westinghouse, NYC. 4/04 Dakell started for coach Mike Williams' Warriors (Brooklyn II A) this past season averaging 14 points and 4 assists in their 14 game schedule.  5/04 NY Hoops: 'Glenn is a player I had never heard of before this game, but after his performance he is a player I won’t forget. The 6’1 guard showed off a great handle, and got to the basket pretty much at will on his way to finishing with 12 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds. After the first half Glenn may have been on his way to MVP honors but he cooled off a bit in the 2nd half.'

 

Raymond Grayson, 6-4 forward Friends Academy  Brooklyn, NY. 08/04 Ray was the leading scorer for the Gotham Reign's junior team at UDC.  They made it to the semis where they lost to the Metro Hawks.

Jamaal Green 5'6 point guard Lincoln, Bklyn NY  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #22.  3/03 GB # 13. 5/10/03 Jamaal started for the eighth grade Juice All Stars at St Raymonds but was scoreless in 16 minutes of play.  Teammates Rashid Isler (13 points, 6 rebounds) and Brandon Walters (9 points, 13 rebounds) dominated inside for Juice. 

Jamie Harris 5’9 SG Rice, NYC.  11/30/04 Coach Oswald Cross: 'Our Savior Lutheran, Rice transfer sophomore Jamie Harris.  6/04 NY Hoops # 9. 5/22/04 Donovan Lowe Sr: 'As I read through your list of class of 2007 I can only wonder why Donovan Lowe, Jamie Harris and Jovan Deare, all Rice freshmen and St Raymond's Gerald Colds didn't make the list.'

Dashon Henning 5'7 forward Brooklyn NY  3/03 GB # 28. 8/30/02 JPM: 'He's tremendous.  Dashon comes from IS 265, Erick Barkley's old school.  Dashon is not a natural point guard but he does have an ok handle, a good jumpshot, quickness and athletic ability.  If his skills and size progress he can be very good at the high school level..

Terrell Hernandez 5'8 forward Bklyn NY IS 51  3/03 GB # 28..  8/30/02 JPM: 'Terrell lives on the Brooklyn, Queens border.  He has good size and currently plays forward, dominating as a rebounder. Terrell needs to improve his court and game smarts to continue improving.'  

Rashad Isler 6-4 guard IS 390 NY. 4/04 Rashid averaged 9.5 points, over 7 rebounds and 6.5 assists starting for Campus Magnet (Brooklyn IIA, 12-2). Coach Joseph Marini: 'Good ball handler for his size and can hit the open j. He is our second option on offense and is exciting when he attacks the basket.'  12/21/03 Bryan Griffith, N.I.K.E.-1 Basketball Program Inc. & Big Apple Sports Inc: 'I  would like to re-introduce a young man that is currently playing solid basketball at Grand Street Campus HS (PSAL Brooklyn II A). The reason for this “notice” is that this young man is a freshman. His name is Rashid Isler, starting guard/forward at Grand Street Campus HS, where is he currently flirting with a triple-double average for the season. This young man is a solid, complete player with good rebounding instincts, solid passer (he could easily have more assists per game, but for dropped/errant passes) and the ability to score both in traffic as well as on the perimeter. This kid deserves our attention especially as he is in his freshman year. Rashid is 6’4” 185lbs with a crafted body and basketball IQ usually expected from a seasoned HS player (Junior/Senior). Another stat to take notice: Rashid is doing well in the classroom with a 75 avg. and is not satisfied, and will look to improve on all his stats.'   3/7/03 GB # 19.  6/6/03 Coach Bryan Griffith: 'Rashid is a solid player who has potential to be a very good wing player at 6'4' and (15 y/o). Rashid possess great court awareness and basketball understanding. Rashid is a player to watch for the future. He certainly should be considered top five in his "class".  10/10/02 Coach Bryan Griffith, N.I.K.E.-1 Basketball Program Inc. Big Apple Sports Inc: 'Rashid Isler - I  spoke with him last night and he insists that he is a freshman attending  Boys and Girls HS.'

Ray Jones 6’0 SG Amityville, LI.  6/04 NY Hoops # 10.

Morgan Kelly 6'8 PF Archbishop Molloy NY.  3/13/04 Hoop Scoop # 128 nationally.  5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Good hands, OK feet. Needs to play through contact a bit better. Nice touch around the hoop,'

Giovann Keye 5'11 2G Manhattan Village, NY. 4/04 Giovann averaged almost 22 points and 11 rebounds a game playing in 13 games this season for the 7-11 Silver Hawks who play in the Manhattan IIIB division. You can bet he'll be playing in all their games next season.  

Eric Kessler 5'9 guard Medford Memorial NJ. 3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007) # 30 Eric Kessler NJ  5/02 Hoop Scoop #  2 in southern Jersey.  

Duquan Leonard 5-10 guard Newark Central, NJ.  4/1/05 NJO: Essext County season in review -- All-soph, frosh third team: Duquan Leonard.  5/19/04 Shawn McCray, Zoo Crew: 'This is in response to your 2007 rankings. I know you can't see everyone, but Duquan Leonard should be on that list. He started varsity for Newark Central this past season, and averaged 6 pts, 5 assist, and 3 steals. Very good ballhandler, passer, and defender. He plays AAU for the Newark Zoo Crew. Duquan will be on hand at the Metro Hoops Showcase in June.'  5/11/04 Metro Hoops Showcase: 5-7 Freshman Duquan Leonard – Central High School (Newark).

Maurice Lloyd 5'7  Loughlin, Brooklyn NY Mt. Carmel 3/03 GB # 19.  8/30/02 JPM: 'I haven't seen him yet, but I'm hearing he's the second best point guard in this class behind Clayvon Givens and ahead of the other points who you can throw a blanket over - Malik Boothe, Davon McMillan, Malcolm Pope, Shaheen Taylor and Josh Wadkins.'   5/04 John P Miciotta: 'He's not a point guard I was told he was but he's an outstanding defender and good slasher,'

Donovan Lowe 5’6 point guard Rice, NY.  6/04 NY Hoops # 20.  5/22/04 Donovan Lowe Sr: 'As I read through your list of class of 2007 I can only wonder why Donovan Lowe, Jamie Harris and Jovan Deare, all Rice freshmen and St Raymond's Gerald Colds didn't make the list.'

Anthony McClain 6-11 center Solebury Prep, Pa. 6/6/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 1 Report. 'Being able to reclassify as a sophomore was the best thing that could have happened to this Trenton native. Listed as 6’9 this past season McClain looks to be about 6’11 now. He still has to put weight on and become more aggressive on offense. But his wing span alone will always make him a migraine for opposing coaches. The extra year can help this project reach his full potential.'

Dwan McMillan 5'3 point guard Boys & Girls, Brooklyn NY JHS 113  3/03 GB # 10. 8/30/02 JPM: 'One of this class' 'blanket point guards'.  He's tiny, quick and heady - good at getting the ball to teammates on target and on time.  He's efficient and it seems that his shot improves as the game continues and he finds the creases in the defense.'  

James Mills guard Robeson, Brooklyn. 10/5/04 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'Here is an update on former Tilden point guard junior James Mills. James was transferred from Tilden on Monday Oct. 4th 2004. I hope James ends up at Robeson where Coach Larry Major and former Coach Todd Myles can hopefully get him back on track. James is a talented young man who unfortunately could never get it together at Tilden off the court. I hope James grows up and fulfills his potential both in basketball and in life. One further note - nobody at Robeson did anything wrong here. I asked Larry Major to try and help James where I had failed to reach him. This is not a recruiting story rather this is a last chance for this young man to" Do the Right Thing"

Vincent Natal 5'10 forward Mt St Michael, Bronx  3/03 GB # 6.  8/30/02 JPM: 'Vincent is a physically mature player who is a good rebounder, a force in the paint who anticipates well. Vincent's growth potential may be limited but he appears athletic enough to make the transition to a perimeter player.'  8/02 Vincent plays for coach Joe Walsh's L I Lightning team with Malik Boothe and Andrew Gabriel.

Samuel Obetoh 5"8 forward Brooklyn NY IS 311  3/03 GB # 32.  8/30/02 JPM: 'Samuel is from downtown Brooklyn, he's long, an inside player with good hands.'  

Ricco Oliver 5'10 center Brooklyn NY PS 305  7/3/03 Hoop Scoop #20. 3/03 GB # 14.  8/30/02 JPM: 'Ricco's game and build are much like that of Jonathan Riggs, the class of 2008 star. Ricco is a strong inside player who is beginning to improve his perimeter game.' 

Kevin Owens 5-11 point guard Neptune, NJ. 12/21/04 Metro Hoops: Coming out party for Kevin Owens - 'While Terrence Grier was putting a dunk fest, Owens was quietly displaying his skills. The Neptune sophomore had his outside shot working to go along with his driving ability. KO showed great poise and decision making running the point.' 12/12/04 Some other New Jersey sophomores of note  Kevin Owens guard, Neptune.

Kevin Roberts 6'1" guard Molloy, NY,. 5/04 John P Miciotta: 'Gives the Stanners a bit of everything. Good passer and defender as well as an improving shooter.'

Tyrik Spencer 5'10 forward Brooklyn NY IS 287  3/03 GB nr.  8/30/02 JPM: 'A wonderful, nice kid!  He has a nose for the ball and soft hands in the paint.  He played with Ronique Colbert for Brooklyn USA last year at IS8 and played this summer for the Runnin' Hustlers at Kenny Anderson.'  

Clifford Spiller 6'6 forward Pleasantville, NJ. 11/20/04 Metro Hoops: '# 15. Clifton Spiller  The long arm relentless rebounder cracked our list because of his hard work on both ends of the floor. Spiller showed good strides this summer playing with the NJ Allstars 16’s and at showcases.'  6/6/04 Metrohoops Showcase Day 1 Report. 'This 6’6 warrior reminds me of a miniature Bo Outlaw. He loves to eat rebounds and play defense. Very active and moves well without the ball. If you are not careful he will definitely catch you with a facial. He tries to outwork every opponent.'  3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007) # 25 Clifford Spiller.

Justin Stewart 5'10 forward Burlington Township HS NJ  3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) # 59 Justin Stewart Burlington NJ  5/02 HS # 4 in southern Jersey.

Shaheen Taylor 5'5 PG Qns NY MS 45  3/03 GB # 31. 8/30/02 JPM: 'One of the 'blanket point guards' in this class, Shaheen is a defensive ballhawk who needs to work on his offensive game, scoring and playmaking.'  

Marcus Thompkins 5'5"  Beach Channel, Far Rockaway point guard. 4/04 Marcus was on the Dolphins' junior varsity inactive list this past season.  4/27/03 Louis Xifaras: 'Marcus Thompkins is a small, intelligent guard from Far Rockaway who isn't getting the spotlight he deserves. MT knows how to control games with his slick dribble and patience with the ball. A strong on-the-ball defender, Marcus has proved at Nate Blue's All-Star game at FIT that he is one of the elite guards in New York City in his class. He is a good fast break player that gets the ball to the right player at the right time. Marcus is playing with the Queens RimRockers 14 and under squad.'  4/29/03 John P Miciotta: 'Marcus is a poised and confident kid who runs the show and can make shots. Because he's not strong yet he needs room to get it off but his shot selection takes that into account. He doesn't force anything. Louis is also correct about his on the ball defense although strength limits him there also. When he catches up physically he'll move past a few guys on our list. Most important, he's a well motivated student and a terrific kid.'

Emanuel Valentin 6'2 forward Absegami HS NJ. 3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) # 19 Emanuel Valentin 6'2 Egg Harbor City Middle School NJ.

Josh Wadkins 5'4 point guard  NYC PS 197  3/03 GB # 25. 8/30/02 JPM: 'The last (alphabetically) of this group's 'blanket point guards'.  Josh plays for Mt Carmel but is not a typical Carmel player.  He's not flashy, but he's good, solid, poised and seems to make the key plays in games. Josh limits his mistakes and is the consummate team player.'  

Gary Wallace guard, Seton Hall Prep, NJ. 5/19/04 Kyle Anderson, Playaz 15 yr coach: 'Gary Wallace, a very good guard who plays for Seton Hall Prep. Steady and consistent gets 10-12 pts. every game.'.

George Wilkerson 6'0 2G Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY   6/04 NY Hoops # 8. 10/03 Hoop Scoop # 54 nationally.

News: 

1/25/05 Hoop Scoop Top national players 17. Corey Stokes 6'5 2007 2G Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 22. Melquan Bolding 6'4 2007 2G Beacon (H.S.) NY 25. Corey Fisher 6'1 2007 2G Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ 27. Mike Coburn 6'0 2007 2G Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY 35. Jeff Robinson 6'5 2007 WF Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ 58. Miles Beatty 6'3 2007 PG Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ 60. Malik Boothe 5'8 2007 PG Middle Village (Christ the King) NY 71. Darius Gabriel 6'1 2007 2G Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY 105. Markeys Deans 6'4 2007 WF Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY 118. Terrell McKenzie 6'0 2007 PG Paramus (Catholic) NJ 121. Andrew Gabriel 6'5 2007 PF Middle Village (Christ the King) NY 130. Corey Raji 6'5 2007 WF Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ 133. Brandon Walters 6'9 2007 C Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY 142. Taylor Battle 6'0 2007 PG Albany (Bishop Maginn) NY 151. Humidu Rahman 6'10 2007 C Somerset (Franklin) NJ 160. Devin Eubanks 6'7 2007 PF Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY 176. Malcolm Pope 5'10 2007 PG Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ 193. Terrell McKenzie 6'0 2007 PG Paramus (Catholic) NJ 199. Christian Morris 6'8 2007 C Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY 204. John Marciano 7'0 2007 C West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ 216. Zach Rosen 5'9 2007 PG Colonia (H.S.) NJ 246. Greg Holle 6'7 2007 WF Albany (Christian Brothers) NY  251. Corey Chandler 6'1 2007 PG Newark (East Side) NJ 260. Devyn Erwin 6'6 2007 PF Albany (Bishop Gibbons) NY 262. George Wilkerson 6'1 2007 2G Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY 273. Josh Spivey 5'10 2007 PG Bronx (Wings) NY 278. Idris Hilliard 6'6 2007 PF Princeton (The Hun School)) NJ 288. Al Blackmon 5'9 2007 PG Newark (Shabazz) NJ 304. Devon Peterson 6'3 2007 WF Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY 305. Julian Sanders 6'3 2007 WF Medford (Shawnee) NJ 308. Jamie Harris 5'10 2007 PG New York (Rice) NY 324. T.J. Carey 6'1 2007 2G Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY 328. Kyreek Irick 6'4 2007 WF Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ 334. Nate Craig 6'6 2007 PF Camden (Leap Academy) NJ 347. Clarence Jackson 6'4 2007 WF Marlton (Cherokee) NJ 354. B.J. Washington 6'3 2007 WF Bronx (All Hallows) NY 359. Anthony Nelson 6'2 2007 2G Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ 362. Nahji Turner 6'6 2007 PF New York (Rice) NY 370. Chris De la Rosa 6'0 2007 PG Bronx (All Hallows) NY 371. Daniel Anderson 6'1 2007 2G Richland (St. Augustine) NJ 384. Rashon Dwight 6'1 2007 PG Bloomfield (Tech) NJ 395. John White 6'2 2007 2G Richland (St. Augustine) NJ 397. Rocco Rubino 6'2 2007 2G  Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY 398. Dashawn Barrino 5'9 2007 PG Newark (Shabazz) NJ 423. Shawn Goodwin 6'8 2007 C Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA 424. Jason Brogsdale 6'7 2007 PF Haddonfield (Paul VI) NJ 425. Morgan Kelly 6'8 2007 C Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY 438. Michael Paulus 6'4 2007 2G Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY 440. Durann Neil 6'0 2007 PG Pleasantville (Egg Harbor Township) NJ 450. Nick Walsh 5'7 2007 PG Bronx (All Hallows) NY 452. Derrick Price 6'0 2007 PG Burlington (City) NJ 460. Clifford Spller 6'6 2007 PF Pleansantville (H.S.) NJ 

12/20/04 Darrell Kirkpatrick: 'If you haven't been keeping a close eye on my brother, Paul Kirkpatrick here is a little information. Paul's school record as of today is 4-2. The first week of school games his team went 3-0 with Paul averaging 23 pts a game. The second week his team went 1-2 with him averaging 2 5pts a game. Paul is leading the the PSAL. Manhattan in scoring as a sophomore and is number eight throughout the entire PSAL. The season is still early. I just wanted to enlightened you on Paul and his teams progress as of today.'

12/12/04 Some other New Jersey sophomores of note are Corey Raji shooting guard, Westwood, Chaz Cervino point guard, DePaul, Donovan Smalls point guard, Union, Spencer Van Wagoner guard Christian Brothers Academy, Don Johnson point guard, St. Anthony, Kevin Owens guard, Neptune, James Lee wing, Montclair and Randy Kelleman small forward, St. Augustine.

12/1/04 Metro Hoops: Jersey sophomores under the radar - Darnell Davis, Jamal Edwards, Kyle Fitzgerald, Rashawn Dwight and Keith Jones.

11/25/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 1 Corey Fisher, # 2 Jeff Robinson, # 3. Corey Stokes, # 4. Zach Rosen and # 5. Alray Blackmon. 

11/23/04  Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 6. Idris Hilliard 6’5 forward (Hun), # 7. Miles Beatty 6’2 guard (St. Anthony),  # 8. Corey Chandler 6’2 guard ( Newark Eastside),  # 9. Derrick Price 6’0 guard ( Burlington City), # 10. Anthony Nelson 6’2 guard (Plainfield).  

11/20/04 Metro Hoops: Top sophs. # 11. Hamidu Rahman 6’10 Center (Franklin), # 12. Dashon Barrino 5’9 Guard (Shabazz), # 13. John White 6’1 Guard (St. Augustine, # 14. Kyreek Irick 6’4 Forward (St. Anthony), # 15. Clifton Spiller 6’6 Forward (Pleasantville).

11/11/04 Onlylove1game23: 'Dorian Williams does not go to Teaneck High School. He goes to Manhattan Center and he is in the 10th grade. He also has good teammates like Joe Edwards, Darrin Townes and John Pressley.'

8/31/04 Rivals top 40 includes # 21 Jeff Robinson G 6-4 St. Patricks, # 29 Terrell McKenzie G 6-0 Paramus Catholic, # 34 Mike Coburn G 5-10 Mt. Vernon and # 35 Corey Fisher G 6-0 St. Patricks.

7/5/04 Hoop Scoop Top NYC 40 1 Darius Gabriel 6'1  Bishop Loughlin, 2 Malik Boothe 5'8 PG Christ the King, 3 Andrew Gabriel 6'5 PF Christ the King, 4 Melquan Bolding 6'0 WF Beacon, 5 Vincent Rodgers 6'5 C, 6 Zamal Nixon 5'9 PG Xaverian, 7. Josh Spivey 5'10 PG Wings,  8 Brandon Walters 6'8 C Lincoln, 9 George Wilkerson 5'11 PG St. Raymond's,  10 Mike Cavateo 6'2  2G Christ the King, 11 Alanzo George 6'7 PF Tilden, 12 Keith McCallister 6'7 PF Campus Magnet, 13 Dakell Glenn 5'8 PG Westinghouse, 14 Paul Scotland 5'10 PG Urban Peace, 15 Devin Ebanks 6'5 PF Bishop Loughlin, 16 Jamie Harris 5'9 2G Rice, 17 Giovann Keye 5'11 2G Manhattan Village, 18 Jovan Deare 6'3 WF Rice, 19 Isiah Boyd 6'2 WF Bushwick,  20 Rocco Rubino 5'8 PG Archbishop Molloy, 21 Ryan Davis 5'5 PG Holy Cross, 22 Darien Benbow 6'3 PF St. Raymond's, 23 Morgan Kelly 6'7 C Archbishop Molloy, 24 Christian Morris 6'7 C Bishop Loughlin, 25 Justin Garvin 5'8 2G Bayside, 26 Marcus Matthews 6'0 2G Bishop Loughlin, 27 Vincent Natale 6'1 WF Mt. St. Michael, 28 Chris DeLaRosa 6'0 PG All Hallows, 29 Agron Drejaj 6'2 WF Bishop Ford, 30 Justin Rivers 6'1 2007 WF St. Raymond's, 31 Mike Douglass 5'8 PG Bishop Loughlin, 32 Jamie Blanchard 6'2 WF Xaverian, 33 Jamal Green 5'7 PG Lincoln, 34 Chris Abney 6'5 PF Christ the King, 35 Dwan McMillan 5'7 PG Boys & Girls, 36 Matt Galvin 5'11 PG Regis,  37 Fred Dorgler 6'3 WF Archbishop Molloy, 38 Donovan Lowe 5'7 PG Rice, 39 Rashid Isler 6'4 WF  Grand Street and 40 O'Neil Cooper 6'3 WF Evander Childs. 

10/27/04 Gauchos Roundball Classic 16’s All Tournament 1st Team - Michael Coburn (Metro Hawks Blue), Terrell McKenzie (Gauchos Orange). 2nd Team - Malcolm Grant (Aneesa Sports), Darius Gabriel (NY Panthers).

10/12/04 Robert Rahn: 'Peter Bonilla of Don Bosco Prep is a strong player. However, he is a sophomore, class of 2007. He is not class of 2008. He is tough though and strong!'

6/19/04 Thirty-one sophomores of note at the And 1 tournament were Chris DeLaRosa (All Hallows), Darnell Davis (Atlantic City), Rich Tarr, Mike Roeder and Clarence Jackson (Cherokee), Aaron Dorrell (Dwight Morrow Englewood),  Wayne Turner (Grady), Mike Galarce (Irvington), Marcus Boyd (JFK Paterson), George Bease (Linden), Duquan Leonard (Newark Central), Corey Chandler (Newark Eastside), Sean Canty and Will Clark (Paramus Catholic),  Raphiq Carnegie (Plainfield), Gary Wallace, Jordan Costner and John Marciano (Seton Hall Prep), Dashawn Barrino and Alray Blackman (Shabazz), Julian Sanders (Shawnee), Miles Beatty (St Anthony), TJ Carey and Markeys Deans (St Dominic), Anthony Nelson (St Joe Metuchen), Corey Fisher, Jerrel Thompson and Jeff Robinson (St Patrick), Gerald Colds (St Raymond),  Donovan Smalls (Union) and Dakell Glenn (Westinghouse).

5/24/04 Coach Alan Jeffries, Southern Jersey Hawks AAU Boy Basketball 15 under: 'Do you have any rankings on DeAndre "LA" Little from Hightstown, NJ? He's a freshman stands about 6'5". Jeff Robinson and DeAndre have been balling since 6th grade and hang tight (like brothers). In south Jersey they took on several teams in the Trenton, Neptune and North Brunswick areas in AAU under the Hightstown Spirits for years. Some of the players in Trenton call them the Twin Towers. Look out for DeAndre in the near future, he has several post up moves, moves like Shaq and does plus some And 1 moves that are unbelievable. He kicked my team's @$$ when we played him.

I know these kids from playing against them for years in Trenton, Hightstown, Neptune and Burlington areas. My team has played the Hightstown Spirits for years and could not stop them. However, I saw DeAndre on the Central Jersey Hornets in Holmdel. DeAndre currently goes to Hightstown High School and plays for an AAU team called the Central Jersey Hornets based out of Trenton, Ewing. DeAndre and Jeff are unstoppable when playing together.'

5/20/04 This alphabetical listing of 38 of the top class of 2008 players was compiled by referencing Hoop Scoop and by watching play at IS8,  UDC, Gauchos and Citywide. John P Miciotta, t-bone and others on this site contributed to the profiles and player evaluations, but we won't rank this class until after freshman year. These players are mostly New York City kids, who play for the Metro Hawks, the Gauchos or other prominent AAU clubs. This listing should be taken very, very lightly. These players are children, most will grow another six inches plus. Listing them here is primarily a reason to profile currently prominent players from this class 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.

5/22/04 Donovan Lowe Sr: 'As I read through your list of class of 2007 I can only wonder why Donovan Lowe, Jamie Harris and Jovan Deare, all Rice freshmen and St Raymond's Gerald Colds didn't make the list. You have Justin Rivers and Darian Bembow from St Ray's on the list but those guys didn't carry the Ray's freshmen team; Gerald Colds did.'

5/19/04 Kyle Anderson, Playaz 15 yr coach: 'Our best player is Miles Beaty, 6'2 shooting guard from St. A's in Jersey City. Has NBA range and passes better than he shoots. In the top 3 of NJ freshman. Started out on our 16's and moved down for more time. In the championship of the Southern Invitational he had 24 pts, 7 rebs, and 6 assists. Cory Raji is a big time player. He may be the best rebounder I've seen in years. He averages a double-double. He also led Bergan County in rebounds as a frosh (Tyrell Biggs, J.R. Inmann, John Oates are a few players in the county). Iin the chip at Southern he had 20 pts. and 16 boards. Another you left off is Gary Wallace, a very good guard that plays for Seton Hall Prep. Steady and consistent, gets 10-12 pts. every game.'

5/19/04 Shawn McCray, Zoo Crew: 'This is in response to your 2007 rankings. I know you can't see everyone, but Duquan Leonard should be on that list. He started varsity for Newark Central this past season, and averaged 6 pts, 5 assist, and 3 steals. Very good ballhandler, passer, and defender. He plays AAU for the Newark Zoo Crew. Duquan will be on hand at the Metro Hoops Showcase in June.

Two Newark Eastside freshmen should be on that list. Corey Chandler saw valuable action for the Red Raiders at the guard position. Corey is a pure shooter. He plays AAU for the NJ Roadrunners. Also Derek Miller, 6'0 wing player with a good jump shot, strong rebounder, and good leaping ability. He plays AAU for the Newark Zoo Crew. Derek saw major minutes towards the end of the season for Newark Eastside.

Dashuan Barrino, 5'9 guard from Newark Shabazz. He started the point position all season for a young Shabazz team. Natural point guard and leader. Good defender, quick, and makes the right decisions on the court. Not sure what AAU team he runs with.'

5/19/04 Terence J "T-Bone"Johnson : 'Anthony Nelson 5'11 St.Joseph... is coming into his game. Has an ability to get to the basket like no other freshman I've seen in years and I saw Shaheen Holloway, Jay Williams, Andre Barrett, Jihad Muhammad, Andre Dabney and Russell Robinson at this same stage in their HS careers. He has also developed a nice pull up jump-shot. Anthony will have a breakout summer this year with St.Joseph HS as they will be in virtually every event from the Prime-Time in Trenton to the HSBC at Seton Hall showcasing Ant, 6'11 Jr. Andrew Bynum and Jr. Sean Baptise. Ant has already recieved a non-binding scholarship offer to a big-east school located in New Jersey off of the turnpike (smile).

Alray Blackmon 5'9. Shabazz .#16 in NJ, #3 Watchung Conference. Alray is a 3pt specialist.

Deshawn Barrino 5'9 Shabazz .#1 ranked freshman Watchung Conference, Deshawn has that inner city swagger in his game that just speaks to you and say, "I'm good, and I'm going to show you why". No fear, no pressure, no problem,,, that describes Deshawn's game. He was the leader for a young group of players at Shabazz at the tender age of 14!

Mike Galarce 5'9 Irvington HS.#3 NJ Hoops, #2 Watchung Conference. Mike Plays AAU basketball with the Playaz and it's helping his leadership well. Mike didn't start the beginning of the season, but it was hard for the Irvington coach to keep him off the court long. Mid-Season, Mike took over the team. He's a wonderful court leader (Mark Jackson) and can shoot the pill.

Donovan Smalls 5'8 Union HS..#13 NJ, #5 Watchung Conference..Donovan started every game for Union this past season, and that's not going to change next season. Donovan just has a knack of getting to the foul-line with his ability to get to the basket and draw fouls. He is also a good outside shooter..(Plays up with the Jersey Cyclones)

John Marciano goes to Seton Hall Prep and not Colonia

1 you need to put on .. Corey Chandler 5'10 Newark Eastside #3 Watchung Conference, #12 NJ. Corey reminds everyone that has seen him play of another former Red-Raider currently playing for Villanova, Randy Foye. He just has court presence and a nose for the basketball. Shoots well from the outside, and can get to the hoop pretty good.'

5/11/04 Coach Kevin Cullen: 'Matt Galvin from Regis should definitely be on that list. Matt resides in Floral Park, N.Y. He is a 5'11 guard who can play both positions very, very well. Our freshmen team did not make the playoffs so I moved Matt up for the Junior Varsity playoffs. Our team lost to Salesian in the finals but Matt averaged 24 pts. over 3 games. I surprised Hoop Group does not know him. He plays AAU with T.J. Carey who is on the list.'

5/11/04 LFBALL: 'Kirique Irick, 6 ft 4 from St. Anthony of Jersey City. Outstanding prospect.'

5/11/04 Coach Rock Eisenberg: 'Please add 6' 7" freshman power forward Alanzo George to the list of top young players in the city. Alanzo is a super young man on and off the court and is from a great and involved family. I believe he will be one of the best big men in the city next year.'

5/11/04 Metro Hoops Showcase: 6-2 Freshman Anthony Nelson – St. Joseph, 5-11 Freshman Zack Rosen – Colonia, 6-4 Freshman Jeff Robinson – St. Patrick’s High School, 5-11 Freshman Donavin Smalls – Union High School, 6-7 Freshman Edris Hillard – Roselle Catholic, 5-7 Freshman Duquan Leonard – Central High School (Newark).

4/22/04 NY Hoops: 2007 top 20 -- 1. Mike Coburn 5’9 PG Mt. Vernon, 2. Darius Gabriel 6’1 PG Bishop Loughlin, 3. Zamal Nixon 5’9 PG Xaverian, 4. Malik Booth 5’6 PG Christ the King, 5. Keith McCallister 6’6 PF Campus Magnet, 6. Josh Spivey 5’10 PG Wings Academy, 7. Andrew Gabriel 6’6 PF Christ the King, 8. George Wilkerson 5’11 PG St. Raymond, 9. Jamie Harris 5’9 SG Rice, 10. Ray Jones 6’0 SG Amityville, 11. Mike Cavateo 6’2 SG Christ the King, 12. Jovan Deare 6’3 PF Rice, 13. Darien Benbow 6’3 PF St. Raymond, 14. Morgan Kelly 6’7 C Molloy, 15. Christian Morris 6’6 C Bishop Loughlin, 16. Chris Delarosa 6’0 PG All Hallows, 17. Rocco Rubino 6’1 SF Molloy, 18. Justin Rivers 6’0 SF St. Raymond, 19. Marcus Matthews 6’2 SF Bishop Loughlin and 20. Donovan Lowe 5’6 PG Rice.

4/9/04 Rudy King: 'May 15, 2004 @Long Island University - Brooklyn Campus. The 1st Annual Right Bounce Basketball Showcase - Rising 10th Grade Boys Final Selections – Leader Darius Gabriel – 172 Votes. Darius Gabriel – Far Rockaway, NY – 6’0”, Zhamal Nixon – Brooklyn, NY – 5’9”, Mike Colburn – Mt. Vernon, NY – 5’11” – John White – Richland, NJ – 6’2”, T.J. Carey – Long Island, NY – 6’3”, Chris Abney – Queens, NY – 6’5”, Devon Ebanks – Queens, NY- 6’4”, Melquan Boolding – New York, NY – 6’4”, Malcolm Pope – New York, NY – 6’0”, Andrew Gabriel – Brooklyn, NY – 6’5”, Christian Morris – Bronx, NY – 6’8”, Cori Fisher – Bronx, NY – 6’0”, Malik Booth – Queens, NY – 5’7”, Marcus Matthews – Queens, NY – 6’1”, Joshua Spivey – Yonkers, NY 5’10”, Mike Douglas – Queens, NY – 5’9”, Ray Jones – Amityville, NY – 6’0”, Rocco Rubino – Queens, NY – 6’0”, Paul Scotland – New York., NY – 5’11”, Justin Rivers – New York, NY – 6’3”, Rashid Issler – Brooklyn, NY – 6’5”, Morgan Kelly – Queens, NY – 6’7”, Brandon Walters – Brooklyn, NY – 6’8”.

4/2/04 NJO Essex county Freshman of the year: Da-Shon Barrino, Shabazz.

3/13/04 Hoop Scoop Top 275 national from class of 2007 includes 44 from this region. They are # 10. Corey Fisher 5'10 PG St Patrick, NJ, # 14. Mike Coburn 5'10 PG Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, # 20. Melquan Bolding 6'3 WF Beacon NY, # 42. Malik Boothe 5'8 PG Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, # 47. Rocco Rubino 6'2  PG Molloy, NY,  # 54. Andrew Gabriel 6'5 PF Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, # 63. Marquis Deans 6'3 PF Oyster Bay (St. Dominic's) NY, # 65. Malcolm Pope 5'10 PG Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, # 70. Darius Gabriel 5'2 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, # 43. Corey Stokes 6'3 2G Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, # 83. Mike Cavataio 6'3 2G Middle Village (Christ the King) NY,  # 91. Brandon Walters 6'8 C Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY,  # 100. Taylor Battle 5'10 PG Albany (Christian Brothers) NY,  # 104. Mike Galarce 5'8 PG Irvington (H.S.) NJ, # 106. George Wilkerson 6'0 2G Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, # 108. Jeff Robinson 6'4 2G Hightstown (H.S.) NJ, # 110. Derrick Price 5'8 PG Burlington (City) NJ, # 121. Marcus Matthews 5'10 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY,  # 126. Durann Neil 6'0 PG Pleasantville (Egg Harbor Township) NJ, # 128. Morgan Kelly 6'8 PF Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY,  (Web note: Jabari is in the class of 2006 and replaced Joakim Noah as the starting center for Poly Prep # 142. Jabari Edwards 6'8 C Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY),  # 145. Dwan McMillan 5'5 PG Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY, # 150. Zamal Nixon 5'9 PG Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, # 153. Greg Holle 6'7 WF Albany (Christian Brothers) NY, # 154. Nate Craig 6'6 PF Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ, # 157. T.J. Carey 6'1 2G Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY,  # 162. Devyn Erwin 6'6 PF Albany (H.S.) NY, # 167. Michael Paulus 6'3 2G Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY,  # 172. Daniel Anderson 6'1 2G Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, # 174. Justin Rivers 6'3 PF New York (St. Raymond's) NY, # 177. Devin Eubanks 6'0 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, # 184. John White 6'2 2G Richland (St. Augustine) NJ,  # 192. Chris Abney 6'5 PF Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, # 197. John Marciano 6'10 C Colonia (H.S.) NJ, # 199. Kirby Williams 6'5 WF New York (Xavier) NY,  # 202. Kidani Brutus 6'0 2G Bronx (Wings) NY,  # 207. Christian Morris 6'7 PF Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, # 214. Jamie Harris 5'7 PG New York (Rice) NY,  # 221. Vincent Natal 6'1 WF Bronx (Mt. St. Michael) NY,  # 227. Joshua Spivey 5'9 PG Bronx (Wings) NY, # 228. Jason Brogsdale 6'5 PF Haddonfield (Paul VI) NJ,  # 242. Nahji Turner 6'6 WF New York (Rice) NY, # 249. Ryan Davis 5'4 PG Flushing (Holy Cross) NY,  # 262. Nick Walsh 5'6 PG Bronx (All Hallows) NY, # 264. Mike Douglass 5'8 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY. # 273. Donovan Lowe 5'5 2007 PG New York (Rice) NY.

2/9/04 Coach Kenneth Shapiro: 'You have to add a player that is Lenape's best freshman. He is Dominic Shapiro, 5'10" PG. He is the future at that position and has led them so far this year to an 11-3 record. He will be making the rounds at camps this year, from RPI, Villanova & the Eastern Invitational. He will also be heading to the IMG Academy in Fla. for some intense training to round out the summer.'

8/4/03 This alphabetical listing of over 60 of the top class of 2007 players now heading for high school was compiled by referencing Gameball and  Hoop Scoop and by watching play at IS8,  UDC, Gauchos and ProStyle. John P Miciotta, tbone and others on this site contributed to the profiles and player evaluations, but we won't rank this class until after their freshman year. This listing should be taken very, very lightly. These players are children, most will grow another six inches plus. Listing them here is primarily a reason to profile currently prominent players from this class 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.  

11/27/03 Hoop Scoop Top freshman Philadelphia/South Jersey/Eastern Pennsylvania includes # 2 Durann Neil 6'0 PG Egg Harbor Township NJ, # 3 Nate Craig 6'6 PF Bishop Eustace, NJ,  # 4 Derrick Price 5'8 PG Burlington City NJ, # 12 John White 6'2 2G St. Augustine,  # 16 Daniel Anderson 6'1 2G St. Augustine,  # 20 Jason Brogsdale 6'5 PF Paul VI,  # 32 Sharif Mulkey 5'8 PG Egg Harbor Township,  # 34 Clifford Speller 6'5 PF Pleasantville,  # 42 Aaron Johnson 5'9 PG Pennsauken, # 45 Dorian Dixon 6'1 PG Absegami,  # 47 Emanuel Valentin 6'3 Absegami,  # 50 Mark Haxton 6'3 WF Cherokee,  # 51 Rich Tarr 5'11 2G Cherokee,  # 57 Ray Okoro 6'1 WF Bishop Eustace,  # 63 Julian Sanders 6'3 PF Shawnee,  # 74 Pierre Robinson 5'11 WF Collingswood,  # 75 Nick Shappy 6'5 C Gloucester Catholic,  # 76 Kevin Lipinski 5'10 2G Bishop Eustace,  # 78 Tawan Austin 5'7 Collingswood,  #  79 Spencer Reed 6'2 WF Haddonfield,  # 80 Terrell Brown 5'9 PG Camden NJ,  #  81 LaQuay McKennis 6'1 WF Egg Harbor Township,  #  82 Renie Anderson 5'8 2G Egg Harbor Township,  # 91 J.J. Chiusano 6'2 WF Shawnee,  #  93 Shaheed Rex 5'6 PG Pleasantville,  # 97 Brian Chrilley 5'10 PG Holy Spirit,  # 98 Joey Liberta 5'9 2G St. Augustine,  # 104 Todd Jones 6'1 PF Burlington Township,  # 106 Jarrad Kidd 6'1 PF Holy Spirit,  # 123 Justin Stewart 5'10 PF Burlington,  # 130 Jason Hann 5'4 PG Camden,  #  138 Marcus Everley 5'6 2G Camden NJ,  # 140 Kyle Ross 5'5 PG Kingsway,  # 144 A.J. Harris 6'2 WF Ocean City,  # 145 Rashaun Briggs 5'9 2G Rancocas Valley,  # 149 Ben Birnbaum 6'2 WF Cherry Hill East,  # 151 Brandon Friedopf 5'10 PG Gateway,  # 152 Bobby Lee 5'10 2G Willingboro,  # 159 Eric Farber 6'1 2007 WF Holy Spirit,  # 160 Chuck Martin 6'0 WF Williamstown, # 167 Marcus Valentine 6'1 PF Winslow Township,  # 171 Zach Harrison 6'2 PF Lenape,  # 172 Brian Lehay 5'11 WF Timber Creek,  # 174 Sam Washington 5'8 PG Sterling,  # 175 Andrew Hartman 5'9 PG Hammonton,  #  176 Avidon Respes 5'6 PG Winslow Township,  #  177 Clarence Jackson 5'11 2G Cherokee  #  179 Payne Ortzieb 5'9 PG Ocean City,  #  180 Justin Abraham 5'7 PG Williamstown,  #  182 Jeff Polowie 5'6 PG Bishop Eustace,  # 183 Mike Craig 5'9 Bishop Eustace,  # 184 A.J. Cerrato 6'0 PF Lenape,  # 186 Vince Creamer 6'2 PF Hammonton,  # 188 Dennis Sobolinski 5'9 PG Haddonfield,  # 189 Brian Bertucci 6'1 PF Eastern,  # 190 Steve Horsley 6'0 Hammonton,  # 191 Mike Bradley 6'0 WF Washington,  # 192 Mike Roeder 6'0 WF Cherokee,  # 194 Dan Kahlbom 5'8 2G Williamsport,  # 196 Heininger Greg 6'2 PF Ocean City,  # 197 Kyle Roos 5'7 PG Kingsway Regional and  # 198 Zach French 5'11 2G Ocean City.

10/29/03 Coach Dennis T. Terry, Longwood: 'I've got a kid from Longwood for this freshman class that should be considered. His name is Errol Daniyan. He's a 6'3" forward with soft hands and a good rebounder.'

10/27/03 Hoop Scoop Top 180 from class of 2007 includes 15. Corey Fisher 5'10 PG St Patrick, NJ, 19. Melquan Bolding 6'3 WF New York (Rice) NY, 26. Mike Coburn 5'10 PG Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 43. Corey Stokes 6'3 2G Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 50. Andrew Gabriel 6'5 PF Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 54. George Wilkerson 6'0 2G Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 57. Jeff Robinson 6'4 2G Hightstown (H.S.) NJ, 64. Malik Boothe 5'8 PG Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 66. Durann Neil 6'0 PG Pleasantville (Egg Harbor Township) NJ, 73. Darius Gabriel 5'2 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY

75. Malcolm Pope 5'10 PG Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 90. T.J. Carey 6'1 2G Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, 92. Nate Craig 6'6 PF Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ, 93. Devyn Erwin 6'6 PF Albany (H.S.) NY, 102. Mike Galarce 5'8 PG Irvington (H.S.) NJ, 104. Derrick Price 5'8 PG Burlington (City) NJ, 108. Justin Rivers 6'3 PF New York (St. Raymond's) NY, 122. John Marciano 6'10 C Colonia (H.S.) NJ, 124. Kidani Brutus 6'0 2G Bronx (Wings) NY

126. Dwan McMillan 5'5 PG Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 130. Marcus Matthews 5'10 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 139. Jamal Green 6'2 2G Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 147. Joshua Spivey 5'9 PG Bronx (Wings) NY, 152. Chris Abney 6'5 PF Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 161. Nahji Turner 6'6 WF New York (Rice) NY, 171. Brandon Walters 6'8 C Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 179. Mike Douglass 5'8 PG Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY.

7/30/03 These are over 80 graduated eighth grade players from our region and the high schools they will be attending this fall:

Chris Abney - Christ the King, Latig Agard - Christ the King,  Chris Allmond - Holy Spirit NJ,  Daniel Anderson - St. Augustine NJ,  Renie Anderson - Egg Harbor Township NJ,  Tye Beal- McClancy, George Beese - Linden NJ  Alray Blackmon - Shabazz NJ,  Isaiah Blue- McClancy, Greg Bock - St Peters Prep NJ, Malik Boothe - Christ the King,  Adam Braswell - Burlington Township, Akeem Brightman - August Martin,  Jason Brogsdale - Paul VI NJ,  Billy Butler - Poly Prep

Max Calixte- McClancy, TJ Carey - St Dominic, Raphiq Carnegie - Plainfield NJ, Shameel Carty - Holy Cross, Mike Cavataio - Christ the King, Corey Chandler - Newark Eastside NJ, Aidan Corridan - Christ the King,  Austen Cortese - St Dominic, L.I. Jordan Costner  - Seton Hall Prep, Brian Crilley - Holy Spirit NJ, Mike Colburn - Mt. Vernon,  Nate Craig - Bishop Eustace NJ,  Kendall Cutler - Banneker,  Ryan Davis - Rice, Chris DeLaRosa - All Hallows

Dorian Dixon - Absegami NJ, Aaron Dorrell - Dwight Morrow Englewood,  Mike Douglas- Bishop Loughlin, Devin Ebanks- Our Savior New American, Keshawn Faltine - Christ the King,  Eric Farber - Holy Spirit NJ, Andrew Gabriel - Christ the King, Mike Galarce - Irvington NJ,  Justin (JJ) Garvin - Bayside, Jamaal Green - Lincoln, Randy Harris - McClancy, Brad Haugabrook - Seton Hall Prep, Bobby Hernandez - Christ the King,  Alex Iachetta - Manasquan NJ, Kaihrique Irick  - St Anthony, Jarrad Kidd - Holy Spirit NJ

Michael Larse - Irvington HS NJ,  Jerell Lewis - Linden NJ, Maurice Lloyd - Loughlin, Kamonie Lytle - Seton Hall Prep, Quay McKennis - Egg Harbor Township NJ, Dwan McMillan - Lincoln, Marcus Mathews - Molloy,  Mike Miele - Manasquan NJ,  Mike Myers Jr - Fairfield Prep Ct,   Keith McAllister - Our Savior New American, Vincent Natal - Mt St Michael, Anthony Nelson - St.Joseph NJ, Duran Neill - St. Augustine NJ, Zamal Nixon - Xaverian,  Malcolm Pope - Blair Academy NJ

Derrick Price - Burlington City NJ, Quasim Pugh- Benjamin Banneker, Shaheed Rex - Pleasantville NJ, Zach Rosen - Colonia NJ, Justin Rivers - St Raymond, Rocco Rubino - Molloy, Tyhead Satchel - Newark Eastside NJ, Donovan Smalls - Union NJ, Torian Smith - Molloy, Jimmy Spaeth - Scotch Plains, Justin Stewart - Burlington Township,  David Ulak - Livingston, NJ, Emanuel Valentin - Absegami NJ, Nicholas Walsh - All Hallows, Gary Wallace - Seton Hall Prep, Darren Walls - Transit Tech

Brandon Walters - Lincoln, John White - St. Augustine NJ, Kevin Williams - All Hallows, Khabir Williams - Newark Eastside NJ. Kirby Williams - Xavier.

7/7/03 I'm alphabetically listing 28 NY players who graduated from the eighth grade last month. Please let me know if you know what high school any of them are attending. Feel free to add any good NY players who I missed by sending mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

Shawnee Alston Qns, Jaheem Antney Queens, Derek Ballard Man, Melquan Bolding Ossining, Kyle Brown Bklyn, Greg Burgess Queens, Ronique Colbert Bklyn, Kendell Cutler Bklyn, Bernie Dingle Bklyn, Mike Douglas Queens, Darius Gabriel Qns, Clayvon Givens Bklyn.

Jamaal Green Bklyn, Devin Hayes Queens, Dashon Henning Bklyn, Terrell Hernandez Bklyn, Rick Katz Queens, Maurice Lloyd Bklyn, Dwan McMillan Bklyn, Ricco Oliver Bklyn, Sanuel Obetoh Bklyn, Shaheen Taylor Qns, Marcus Thompkins - Queens, Josh Wadkins Man, Kirby Williams Bx.

7/7/03 This is an alphabetical list of 5 NJ players who are now out of the eighth grade. If you know thier intended high schools or if you want to add a talented NJ player who I missed, send mail to nycnjhoops@aol.com.

Terence Barksdale Irvington,  Terrell Brown Camden,  Eric Kessler Medford,  Clifford Speller Pleasantville.

7/3/03 Hoop Scoop top 11 in NYC from Ron Naclerio: '#1 Malik Boothe 5'8 PG, #2 Andrew Gabriel 6'4 PF, #3 Clayvon Givens 5'9 PG, #4 Darius Gabriel 6'0 PG, #5 Malcolm Pope 5'6 PG,  #7 Mike Douglas 5'7 PG, #8 Justin Garvin 6'2 2G, #9 Mike Cavataio 6'0 2G, #10 Marcus Matthews 5'10 2G, #11 Brandon Walters 6'8 C.'

5/7/03 Rob WIlliams, Bistate Pythons: 'Class of 2007 - You have got to add Justin "JJ" Garvin of MS 158, where he avereaged 20+ pts. He is quick, smooth, hits the three and slips the defense to hit the midrange. He is not shy on defense taking charges, picking pockets and blocking shots. He won the MVP at IS 8 championship with Kat Keyes. Panthers against Abyssinian this winter. He is right there with Snoop going head to head in IS 8 and other tournaments. He slips by the ratings as he plays up a lot with the Rifles, because he can compete. He'll probably be at Christ the King next year. Only flaws - not knowing how good he really is so there is no doubt he is the guy. All my kids want to play with him, when I can get him.'

4/2/03 Bryan Griffith, N.I.K.E.-1: 'I would like to introduce a young player (13 y/o), whose name is Shameel Carty. Shameel is a student at St. Claire's and will be a freshman at Holy Cross HS next year. Shameel will be a talent to keep an eye on, has good basketball instincts, good scoring ability and fine command of the point guard position, as well as proper sportsmanship. A solid student who will do well on the high school level. Shameel will be playing for Doc Nicelli's Broncos and N.I.K.E.-1 during the summer basketball season. Shameel is currently playing in Pro-Style and just finished the IS8 Winter campaign.'

3/21/03 Hoop Scoop Top 8th graders  from Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey (class of 2007 ) # 1 Durann Neil 6'0 2007 PG Pleasantville NJ Pleasant Tech, # 2 Nate Craig 6'5 2007 PF Camden NJ East Camden Middle, # 4 Derrick Price 5'7 2007 PG Edgewater Park NJ Ridgeway Middle, # 8 John White 5'10 2007 2G Galloway NJ Middle, # 17 Jason Brogsdale 6'4 2007 PF Cherry Hill NJ Holy Rosary, # 19 Emanuel Valentin 6'2 2007 WF Egg Harbor City NJ Middle, # 25 Clifford Speller 6'3 2007 PF Pleasantville NJ Middle, # 30 Eric Kessler 5'9 2007 2G Medford NJ Memorial, # 35 Dorian Dixon 5'11 2007 PG Egg Harbor City NJ Middle, # 36 Daniel Anderson 6'1 2007 WF Pleasantville NJ EHT Middle, # 43 Shaheed Rex 5'5 2007 PG Pleasantville NJ Middle, # 48 LaQuay McKennis 6'0 2007 WF Egg Harbor City NJ Middle, # 49 Renie Anderson 5'7 2007 2G Egg Harbor City NJ Middle, # 52 Jarrad Kidd 6'1 2007 PF Atlantic City NJ Middle, # 53 Terrell Brown 5'9 2007 PG Camden NJ East Camden Middle, # 59 Justin Stewart 5'10 2007 PF Burlington NJ Middle, # 65 Brian Chrilley 5'10 2007 PG Brigatine NJ Middle.'

3//03 Hoop Scoop Top 25 8th graders nationally include # 4 Clayvon Givens, # 11 Andre Gabriel, # 16 Marcus Matthews, # 19 Ricco Oliver and # 23 Malik Booth.

3/4/03 Terence J Johnson "T-Bone": Watchung Conference Player Rankings. Top 2007/2008 (Middle School) These players are in the 8th grade, and its not certain if they do end up at their city HS's  In No Order -- Mike Galacre Irvington South.. PG,  Anthony Nelson Hubbard (Plainfield) PG,  Raphiq Carnegie Maxson (Plainfield) PG,  Donovan Smalls Union PG, Terence Barksdale Irvington South..SG,  Jerell Lewis McManus (Linden)..PG,  Ashton Gibbs 7th Terill Middle.(Scotch Plains)..PG, Anthony Baskerville 6th Maxson (Plainfield) PG, George Bease Soel (Linden).'

3/1/03  Gameball New York City Top 8th Grade Boys (Class of 2007) 1. Clayvon Givens,  2. Andre Gabriel, 3. Malcolm Pope, 4. Keith McAallister, 5. Melquan Bolding, 6. Vincent Natal, 7. Darius Gabriel,  8. Marcus Mathews, 9. Malik Boothe and 10. Dwan McMillan.

2/23/03 tbone: 'I have 4 names you might want to add to your list of kids from this class.

Mike Galarce 5'9 PG. Irvington NJ. Averaging 16ppg currently, but his best basketball is ahead of him. Will be on varsity next season if he attends Irvington HS, St. Patricks is also an option for Mike.

Anthony Nelson 5'10 PG..Plainfield. NJ. Averaging 23ppg 7 assist and 6 steals, Very smart with the ball.. and plays ahead of his age. St. Joseph Hs or Plainfield will get Anthony next season. Will be on varsity at either school. Very good player.

Donovan Smalls Union NJ.. 5'9 PG. Averaging 20ppg.. Very explosive player.'

2/23/03 Superscout03@aol.com: 'I was at an 8th all star game about 2 weeks ago in New Jersey and a kid named Aaron Dorrell had 30 points and 11 assists. I have been watching some of his games in NY-NJ to see what's the kid is really about and he has a great all around game he's strong, fast, good handle and defense and can play the 1,2,3,or 4. he can shoot the midrange jump shot reminds me of Josh Howard from Wake Forest. I was looking at your class of 2007 and he played most of those guys and I saw him destroy Jamall Green at FDU Rothman center in NJ with his AAU team. He should be ranked with the other class of 2007 players. He is a great all around player. Be on the look out for him.'

1/11/2003 COACHROB61: 'The NYCNJ Hoops information page should be used to boost the self-esteem of young, up and coming players. As coaches, adults, our priority should be to develop talent & character, not to submit false statements. ZBone14 stated Eric Farber held John White to 13 points in a game from last week. The truth is as follows. Last week Linwood played Galloway, and the game was taped. John White had 18 points in the 3rd and finished with 27. The Dixie Howell tournament was held in Ocean City, NJ. John White averaged 30+ each game and was named tournament MVP. I have seen Eric Farber play. By far he is one of the most talented players in South Jersey class of 2007. Over the past 15 years, I have coached & trained youth from the United States to Germany. The tournaments in Ocean City & Vineland, NJ should not be used as a barometer in terms of judging talent. On a scale of 1 - 10, the tournament talent base was a 4/5. John White, Durann Neil, Derrick Price & Eric Farber should dominate tournaments of that magnitude. There are 2 things that need to be done in order to asses talent.

#1. Play in major tournaments: Charlie Webber - Villanova, Converse Jam Fest - Rhode Island, Adidas Big Time - Las Vegas, The Pump Brothers - California, IS8 - Jamaica Queens, NY, Spiece - Purdue, The AAU Nationals - Orlando, Fla.

#2. Keep development 1st when dealing with children. Develop character & athleticism, not negative competitiveness. When children become adults, the mortgage, electric & gas companies don't care about jump shots or touchdowns, they want consistency.'

1/10/03 Leon.Matthews: 'George Bease 6'1" PF out of Hackensack. George has played for the Linden Flames for the past two years. He is very athletic and reminds you of a younger Dikembe Mutombo.'

1/9/03 Zbone14: 'Eric Farber, 5'11" guard class of 2007. Check him out. St. Augustine Regional school (3.9 gpa) Ocean City, NJ. This excellent ball handler with a strong work ethic, plays non stop defense. He's always given the teams toughest defensive assignment. I saw him hold John White to 13 pts. in an 8th grade game last week while scoring 12 of his own. Good shooter. 3 point contest winner in Dixie Howell tournament and all tournament team in the Vineland tournament both in Dec. In addition to his shooting, ball handling and defense, he is the ultimate team player-totally unselfish. Worth a look.'

1/6/03 COACHROB61: 'Derrick Price, 5'8" PG, 8th grade, Willingboro, NJ Quick ambidextrous ball handler, good floor vision in, creative off the dribble, good defender. ( Ranked #4 The Hoop Group, Class of 2007, South Jersey-Phila-Northeastern PA )

Manny Valentin, 6'2" WF, 8th grade, Egg Harbor City, NJ Very athletic & strong, good defender & rebounder, scores in clips. Nice midrange shot off the dribble. Ranked top 25 Class of 2007.

Dorian Dixon, 6'0" PG, 8th grade, Egg Harbor City, NJ Smooth player, very fundamental, creative off the dribble, good defender, nice 12 to 15 foot shot. Ranked top 25 Class of 2007.'

12/30/02 COACHROB61: 'Duran Neal, 5'11" 180 pound combo guard class of 2007 Pleasant Tech Charter, Pleasantville, NJ GPA ( 3.9 ) Ranked the #1. 8th Grader ( The Hoop Scoop ) 12/02 Northeastern, PA - Philadelphia - Southern New Jersey Dujan Wagner Part 2. ( Nuff said )

John White, 6'0" 170 pound PG Class of 2007  St. Peter's, Pleasantville, NJ ( GPA 3.8 ) Hometown - Galloway, NJ In the 2002, Sonny Hill 9th 10th grade summer league, John averaged 15 points, 5 assist, 2 steals per game. Right now, this young man would get major minutes for 90% of the varsity programs in Southern New Jersey, the other 30% he would start ! ( No stuff nor bluff ).

12/23/02 Coach Butler: 'My response was to your NY rankings of the youth in the 2007 class. Unfortunately I think that though your idea was good I think you should use personnel a little more observant to basketball talent. Out of the 24 names only about 5 actually deserve any type of rankings. Are you naming people you know personally and have you seen enough basketball or do you know about basketball? Erving Walker was a good ranking and from there I think you got lost. I have been to the Gaucho, IS8, and Pro Style and if that's what you came away with for rankings I think you need to observe a lot more basketball. Basketball is made from the fundamentals and knowledge of the game. Defense, attitude, sportsmanship and team involvement. Not by chucking up the ball every time you touch it and playing no defense and grabbing no rebounds. Something a good coach looks at and not the cocky bragging coaches who play 12 and under with 13 and 14 year old youth in an attempt to win. I'm not trying to bash you or disrespect you but I do think that you have missed some of, excuse me, a lot of the better basketball talent in the metro area. Continue with your rankings but please watch basketball and observe the fundamentals of certain players and their attitudes.'

10/19/02 tbone: 'I have a name for you to put on your 2007 list,.. Anthony Nelson,, 5'10 guard from Plainfield NJ.. Anthony plays AAU with the MSU Skyliners. He has the tools to be a very, very good basketball player. This kid has drive, something that's not taught. Anthony goes to Hubbard Middle School in Plfd, but may not end up at Plainfield Hs next year. St.Joseph/Plainfield/St.Patricks/Bishop Ahr are all looking at Ant.'

10/18/02 Dwayne "Coach D" Murray, Mt. Vernon Basketball: 'Mike Colburn is an 8th grader who attends A. B. Davis Middle School in Mt. Vernon. He played for the Mt. Vernon Junior Knights, Mt. Vernon Knights 14U AAU team, and currently plays with Riverside's 14U, as well as for the Mt. Vernon Knights Varsity at IS 8. Easily the best 8th grader in Westchester. He's 5' 8", tremendous work ethic, handles well with both hands and is a in your face ball defender. Those who've seen him would agree with this, he easily is among the top 5 8th graders in the Metro Area. Is making it very tough on Coach Bob Cimmino to keep him off the varsity roster, but at a minimum, he will play for the Knights J.V. team. He's that good. Currently playing in the Gauchos Roundball Classic and the Nike Invitational Tournament with Riverside. Along with 6' 6" Freshman, Jonathan Mitchell, they are the next "special" players to come out of Mt. Vernon since Ben Gordon and Jomo Belfor. Go and watch him play. He'll make you a believer.'

10/9/02 General00use: 'Doran Neil's real name and spelling is Durann Neil he is in the 8th grade at Pleasant Tech middle school in Pleasantville NJ. He won MVP at midnight madness 7th-8th grade division and played in the all star game at Eastern camp 9th grade division. He got moved up and scored game high in session 4.'

6/1/02  Hoop Scoop NYC Class of 2007  

1 Clayvon Givens 5'9 2007 PG Brooklyn NY I.S. 293, 2 Andrew Gabriel 6'2 2007 PF Brooklyn NY J.H.S. 143, 3 Malik Boothe 5'5 2007 PG Queens NY J.H.S. 52, 4 Malcolm Pope 5'6 2007 PG New York NY Mt. Carmel, 5 Malcolm Matthews 5'7 2007 PG Queens NY Habey School, 6 Dwan McMillan 5'4 2007 PG Brooklyn NY J.H.S. 113, 7 Jamal Green 5'7 2007 PG Brooklyn NY St. Francis, 8 Ryan Davis 5'6 2007 PG Queens NY St. Ann's, 9 Ricco Oliver 5'11 2007 PF Brooklyn NY I.S. 305, 10 Shawnee Alston 5'8 2007 2G Queens NY J.H.S. 204, 11 Derek Ballard 5'9 2007 PF New York NY J.H.S. 12 Bernie Dingle 5'6 2007 PG Brooklyn NY St. Marks, 13 Latiq Agard 5'10 2007 WF Queens NY St. Joseph's, 14 Devin Eubanks 5'10 2007 WF Queens NY J.H.S.

6/1/02  Hoop Scoop Pennsylvania, South Jersey Class of 2007  

7 Derrick Price 5'6 2007 PG Willingboro NJ Middle, 10 Eric Kessler 5'9 2007 2G Medford NJ Memorial, 18 Justin Stewart 5'10 2007 PF Burlington NJ Middle, 32 Durann Neil 5'11 2007 2G Pleasantville NJ Pleasant Tech

6/1/02  Gameball New York City Top 8th Grade Boys (Class of 2007)

1. Clayvon Givens 5'8 2007 PG Bklyn NY PS 293, 2. Vincent Natal 5'10 2007 WF Bnx NY Visitation School, 3. Darius Gabriel 5'8 2007 PG Qns NY MS 53 Christ the King, 4. Andre Gabriel 6'0 2007 C Bklyn NY, 5. Malcolm Pope 5'7 2007 PG Man NY Mt. Carmel, 6. Marcus Mathews 5'7 2007 PG Qns NY Halsey School Molloy/CTK, 7. Malik Boothe 5'5 2007 PG Qns NY PS 52 CTK/Woodmere Academy, 8. Dwan McMillan 5'5 2007 PG Bklyn NY JHS 113, 9. Tyrik Spencer 5'10 2007 C Bklyn NY IS 287, 10. Derek Ballard 5'10 2007 C Man NY Career Academy, 11. Jamaal Green 5'6 2007 PG Bklyn NY St. Francis, 12. Ricco Oliver 5'10 2007 C Bklyn NY PS 305, 13. Kirby Williams 5'9 2007 WF Bnx NY Visitation School, 14. Ryan Davis 5'2 2007 PG Qns NY St. Ann's, 15. Maurice Lloyd 5'5 2007 PG Bklyn NY Mt. Carmel, 16. Kendell Cutler 5'5 2007 PG Bklyn NY IS 383, 17. Kyle Brown 5'2 2007 PG Bklyn NY Mt. Carmel, 18. Josh Wadkins 5'5 2007 PG Man NY Mt. Carmel, 19. Nicholas Walsh 5'0 2007 PG Bnx NY St. Margarets, 20. Austen Cortese 5'4 2007 PG L.I. NY St. Ann's Holy Cross/Molloy, 21. Dashon Henning 5'7 2007 WF Bklyn NY IS 265, 22. Terrell Hernandez 5'8 2007 WF Bklyn NY IS 51, 23. Ronique Colbert 5'5 2007 PG Bklyn NY PS 20, 24. Shaheen Taylor 5'5 2007 PG Qns NY MS 45, 25. Bernie Dingle 5'5 2007 PG Bklyn NY St. Marks, 26. Sanuel Obetoh 5"8 2007 WF Bklyn NY IS 311.