2012 Mongreltopia Class Top 50!

Without further delay here is the 2012 Mongreltopia Top 50! I'll try to do an updated top 50 list after the May evaluation period and again right before high school season gets started. Most of these guys are pretty close to where I'd have put them, but I've adjusted some guys up from reader persuasion and a few of them I'm going totally off other reports. Potential is a bigger part of the picture and its hard to predict who will be good in a few years, and I've seen less of most of these kids than I would if I were trying to do a list without help from the readers and tons of research! Let me know what you think, I'll move kids up and down the list if you make a good argument! Remember, this list is Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, and Ohio only!

1. Emmanual Ochenje is a 6'9 forward/center prospect from Brehm Prep, IL. This inside force is already muscular, long, and moves very well. He's still a little raw but gets it done on both sides of the ball even at this stage of his development. He has an offer from Illinois. Its too tempting to go out on a limb a little for this one, but the kid is so big and should be excellent in two years. As kids get older, you give them less benefit of the doubt with big kids. National Rankings: ESPN #52, Sportspress TV #78, State Rankings Chicagohoops #1,

2. Devontes Smith-Rivera is a 6'3 combo guard from North Central HS (Indianapolis) who has been a big name in this class for a few years. Several people were worried a year ago he might have peaked early since like most of the kids on this list he's a year ahead of much of his class but his improvement this summer was spectacular as the sweet shooting bull of a guard continues to make plays driving to the basket with his strength and incredible balance but also is developing more point skills. He was outstanding at the Adidas Nations in July at point. He has offers from Indiana, Xavier, Purdue, Ohio State, and Tennessee and strong interest from North Carolina and others. National Rankings: ESPN #12, Hoopscoop #20, NY2LA #47, Hoopmasters #19, Sportspress TV #22 State Rankings: IndyStar #1,

3. Adolphus Washington is a 6'8 Taft HS (Cincinnati) power forward who was a dominant inside force for All-Ohio Purple who won AAU nationals in the age group yet again. Washington was dominant down the stretch at the AAU Nationals in Clarksville going for 20 in a semi-final win against Indiana Elite, 25 in a quarter against the Georgia Stars, and he recently transfered from Roger Bacon to Taft. Photo at right is from a Roger Macon game taken by Spiritofsports.net which has an outstanding collection of sports photos.

4. Elijah Macon is a 6'8 Marian-Franklin HS power forward who has already found his college home at West Virginia. He came up huge against Nike Team Florida in the AAU Nationals in Orlando with 16 points to lead his All-Ohio Red to the title. National Rankings: ESPN # 10, SportspressTV #30,

5. Ken Kaminski is a 6'7 wing forward from Medina HS (OH) who has a sweet stroke and can play in the paint. Kaminksi has wonderful leaping ability and can put the ball on the floor as well as float up there for some pretty slams. He has offers from Ohio State, Michigan State, and Indiana so far.

6. Ron Patterson is a long armed 6'3 shooting guard from Broadripple HS (IN). Patterson can shoot the three and is developing more of a handle but already one of the best defenders in his class and can score from anywhere on the court. His best trait is his extreme competitiveness which has helped him earn offers from Tennessee, Ohio State, Indiana, Purdue, Illinois, Cincinnati, Xavier, Depaul. National Rankings: Hoopscoop #89, NY2LA #44, Sportspress TV #95, Local Rankings: Indystar #2,

7. TJ Bell is a 6'8 forward for Bloomington South (IN). He has outstanding athleticism and great reach, but is still a little gangly. Bell is somewhat raw, but very good in the paint. He is getting some serious attention at wide receiver this year good speed for a 6'8 kid. He has an offer from Indiana (for basketball). National Rankings: ESPN #31, NY2LA #28, SportspressTV #37, State Rankings: Indystar #13,

8. AJ Hammons is a strong 6'11 kid from Carmel HS (IN). He is still a work in progress on offense but has soft hands and great potential. Hammons is not usually very aggressive on offense, however on defense he shuts people down and goes after the ball hard at times. When his light goes on he's quite possibly a top ten player nationally. National Rankings: ESPN #30, Hoopscoop # 67, SportspressTV #71, State Rankings: Indystar #5,

9. Jaylen Beckham is a 6'1 cat-quick point guard for powerhouse Lexington Catholic who can get to the basket at will. He’s got a lot of reach and athleticism and is amazing getting to the hoop, uses hesitation well, and has a soft shot but probably needs to extend his range. He made some wild passes when I've seen him, but he was a freshman. He has very good court vision but needs to tighten the whole package a little and could wind up best prospect from Kentucky in several years and is already a special defender. He played well for Hoop Dreams last summer especially at the Boo Williams Invitational and is being recruited by Cincinnati, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Indiana. National Rankings: Hoopscoop (6/17/09) #42, NY2LA #36, SportsPressTV #44, ESPN #83, State Rankings: Demling #1

10. Garry Harris is a 6'3 combo guard for Hamilton Southeastern who jumped around this summer on different AAU teams, he has big time bounce and command of the game. I'm not positive if he's going to be a point guard or not, but he can pass and has a nice three point shot and is a superior scorer. He was outstanding for Up Tempo, Team Indiana, and whomever he laced them up with but got hurt for a couple of weeks in July so not a lot of people got to see him. The Good Mongrel sat next to Tom Crean and Bruce Weber on the first day of the evaluation period at 9:05 AM so head coaches know plenty about him. His parents went to Purdue. National Rankings: State Rankings: Indystar #10,

11. Dejuan Marrero "Rico" Marrero's best trait is his unmatched motor, he is king of the offensive glass and most of his game revolves around cleaning up after others at this point. But the 6'6 Bowman Academy (IN) forward is developing some wing skills and has a decent perimeter shot while unguarded. He has offers from Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Ohio State, Virginia, and Valparaiso. National Rankings: Hoopscoop #40, ESPN #50, SportspressTV #42, NY2LA #115, State Rankings: Indystar #3,

12. Raphael Davis is a 6'5 well developed kid from Ft Wayne who has committed to Matt Painter at Purdue. He's a pure scorer and can get hot from outside but shows outstanding aggressiveness and has the perfect scoring mentality. National Rankings: ESPN #59, Sportspress TV #62, State Rankings: Indystar #7,

13. Jeremy Hollowell is a rangy 6'6 wing forward from Lawrence Central. He is a smooth shooter with a very good handle to go with long arms. Hollowell has a calm demeanor and can lull you to sleep by looking passive but don't let it fool you because he usually plays great defense which has helped earn him offers from several high majors including Ohio State, Tennessee, Iowa, Cincinnati, and Indiana. National Rankings: NY2LA #76, State Rankings: Indystar #4,

14. Austin Burgett is a 6'8 Avon HS small forward that has three point range, nifty post moves and handles like a wing. He might project to be a power forward in college if he keeps puting on muscle but he grew late and played guard a couple of years ago. He has several good offers already including Cincinnati, Iowa, Ohio, and Northwestern. National Rankings: NY2LA #141, State Rankings: Indystar #6,

15. Yogi Ferrel is a pass-first 5'8 pure point and has really long arms for his size. He has an infectious wide-eyed Mike Singletary type of intense style and is a good defender. Yogi has offers from Purdue, Ohio State, Butler. National Rankings: SportspressTV, #35, ESPN #61, State Rankings: Indystar #8,

16. Jordan Hare is arguably the most promising prospect in Michigan from the 2012 class. He is a 6'7 forward from Saginaw Arthur Hill. Bankhoops has him as the top ranked forward in Michigan. National Rankings: ESPN #48 State Rankings:

17. Jalen Robinson is a 6'8 wing forward from Northland HS (Columbus) who has offers from West Virginia, Akron, and Kent State. Robinson has great length and has outstanding potential. National Rankings: State Rankings:

18. Keith Carter is a 6'0 point from Proviso East who is arguably the class of the special group of sophomore points in Illinois. He was a standout on Team NLP at the NY2LA Shootout along with teammate Aaron Simpson, they drew a crowd of Big Ten coaches to watch. According to Illinoisprepbullseye.com he is the best guard in 2012 in Chicago, he has good range and is strong and athletic and has a calm demeanor on the court. Purdue and Illinois are among the schools he is interested in. He's one of three kids Hendrickson considers vying for the top spot in Illinois in 2012. State Rankings: Chicagohoops #11,

19. Kyle Molock is a 6'1 point guard from Dublin-Coffman HS (Ohio) who committed to Purdue after having a big summer for Ohio Basketball Club. ESPN #65, SportspressTV #91, State Rankings:

20. Bobo Drummond is a 5'11 pg Peoria Central HS has big time potential is on the radar of several Big Ten programs. He is a pure point and still working on getting his own offense but has a great feel for the game. National Rankings , Local Rankings: Chicagohoops #5,

21. Edward Seay is an athletic 6'8 power forward from Merillville. He is long and athletic and should have a huge year. He played well for the SYF Players 2012 squad last summer. National Rankings: Hoopscoop #110, NY2LA #106, State Rankings: Indystar #11,

22. Dylan Kaufman is a 6'4 wing for Hiland HS (Akron) who is a fine shooter and good all around player. He and his CBIZ team were scouted by coaches from Ohio State, Indiana, North Carolina, and others but he already has some good offers including Miami and Akron. National Rankings: State Rankings:

23. Jermaine Morgan is a 6'8 combo forward for Whitney Young. Hendrickson of the Hoopsblog included him among 15 players to watch for this class and said he has as much upside as anyone in the class. National Rankings: ESPN #36 State Rankings: Chicagohoops #19

24. Aaron Simpson is a 5'11 combo guard for North Chicago Community HS who played this summer for Team NLP along with Keith Carter. He's a big time athlete and can shoot. Illinois and Purdue were two schools watching him IN July. Reader comments influenced a bump from 25 to 24 and Chicagohoops backed it up by puting him in a 3 way tie for #1 in the state. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #1

25. Malcolm Hill-Brey is a 5'9 point for Mt Carmel HS (Illinois). He played up for Chicago Summit on their 2011 team in the summer and made a splash. He also played with the Derek Rose All-Stars later in the summer and is being recruited by Tennessee, Indiana, Wake Forrest, Detroit, Marquette, and Illinois. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #14,

26. Jay Simpson had a good summer for the Illinois Wolves. He is a 6'8 forward from Champaign Central HS who committed to Purdue. National Rankings: ESPN #98 State Rankings: Chicagohoops #7,

27. Matt Costello is a 6'8 center from Bay City, Western who is a very good perimeter shooter with excellent potential. He has good shot blocking instincts. I caught him at the Kentucky Hoopfest for Team Pride and he was very good. Bankhoops outstanding website has him ranked #1 post player in his class for Michigan. He has visited Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan State but no offers yet. National Rankings: ESPN #63, State Rankings:

28. Kellon Thomas is an outstanding 5'9 true point guard from Southport HS who is a very good scorer with a smooth outside shot being recruited by Butler, Indiana, and others played for the Spiece Indy Stars 2012 club. National Rankings: Hoopscoop #126, State Rankings: Indystar #9,

29. Tyrone Sherman is yet another outstanding point guard prospect in this class from Illinois. He is a 6’0 score-first point guard from Homewood-Flossmoor who played up in the summer with the 2011 Illinois Wolves. Sherman was outstanding at the Next Level Invitational and has the confidence and presence on the floor that an elite player needs at the point as well as the ability to knock down three point shots when well guarded. In a link I can no longer find, IllinoisPrepBullseye.com called him one of the top five players in Illinois from the class. State Rankings: Chicagohoops #18,

30. Kellen Dunham is a 6'4 shooter from Pendleton Heights (IN) who I've had a couple of emails about. Here is a quote from comments section on him "Langkabel and Dunham are both highly skilled, solid players. Dunham can shoot from anywhere ...that only adds to his game." He grew four inches from his freshman year and has the attention of big ten and mid-major programs. Dunham had a big summer for the Eric Gordon Indy Stars 2012 squad.

31. Tameron Manning is a 6'3 guard from Scott Co who is an athletic player with great upside. He was dominant against older kids at the Tennessee Elite camp according to Tate on hoopsreport.com. He's had foul trouble a couple of times when I've had the chance to see him so I don't have a great feel for his game. He did get good reviews playing this summer for Hoop Dreams. State Rankings: Demling #3

32. Sean Sheldon is a 6'8 forward from Traverse City St Francis (Michigan) who Bankhoops has as the second best post player in his class from the state. A couple of emailers are big fans of his and suggest he is the best true post man in his class in Michigan. National Rankings: State Rankings:

33. Ray Lee is a 6'2 shooting guard from Detroit Cass Tech. Bankhoops has him as the top ranked shooting guard in Michigan's 2012 class. I have had an email and a reader comment sugesting he is undervalued so we'll give him a bump up from 41 and keep a close eye on him this fall. The anonymous comment also suggested he is more of a point than a wing. National Rankings: State Rankings: Bankhoops #2,

34. CJ Jones is a 6'0 combo guard from Chicago Orr who Hendrickson from the Hoopsreport considers one of three players vying for the top spot in the class and praises his toughness. * 11/11 update here's a great article from Chicagohoops which says CJ has a Depaul offer and is hearing from Northwestern, Illinois, Indiana State, and USC. http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/curtisjones1.html State Rankings: Chicagohoops #8,

35. Jelani Neeley is a 6'0 point guard from Chicago Simeon who Hendrickson from the Hoopsreport sees as one of the three players vying for top spot in the state in 2012. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #4

36. Cameron Harvey is a 6'3 guard from St. Joe's in Chicago. He played well for Indiana Elite Team Indiana in the summer and just committed to Wyoming! Congrats Mr Harvey, take lots of pictures its stunning out there! http://ilprepbullseye.com/page7.html National Rankings: ESPN #81, SportspressTV #51, State Rankings: Chicagohoops #10,

37. Malik London is a 6'8 forward from Chillicothe HS (Ohio) who is being tracked by mid-major and high major programs. National Rankings: ESPN #99

38. Desmond Dorsey is a 6'0 scoring point guard from Jeffersontown, Kentucky that I got to see playing for the Nashville Celtics. He's a big time scorer but not sure he is a point yet or not. State Rankings: Demling #2

39. Derrick Randolph is a 5'8 pure point for Chicago Whitney Young who has the quickness you need and plays with some intensity. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #13

40. Glenn Robinson Jr is a shooting guard who had a big summer for the 2012 SYF Players. He says his favorite is Dad's alma mater Purdue but he is also interested in Indiana. National Rankings: NY2LA #99, State Rankings:

41. Lamar Walker is another big man from Michigan. He's a 6'9 kid with potential from Detroit Community HS. Bankhoops has him as the 3rd best post player in his class in Michigan.

42. Delvon Rencher is a strong 6'5 forward for Homewood-Flossmoor (Illinois) that was co-MVP of the Windy City Classic in May for the Derek Rose All-Stars. When I saw him in May he was very strong but undersized for a power player for college so he'll have to grow some or expand his game. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #17

43. Davon Scott is a 6'7 forward for Columbus Northland who manages to stand out even among so many talented big kids on one team. National Rankings: SportspressTV #65.

44. Jerad Drew is a 6'5 wing from Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) who has outstanding reach and athleticism. He can drive, shoot, and defend but needs to be a little more polished. He's getting early interest from Indiana, Illinois, and several mid-major schools. He came up huge on the defensive side of the ball in two separate championship games against JP Tokoto as he teamed with Jeremy Hollowell to hold Tokoto to the peremiter where he was less effective.

45. Marcus Jones is a 6’4 forward playing for Team Detroit who is one of the top 2012 players in the midwest. He had nice write-ups for his performance at the King James event in April.

46. Fred Van Vleet 2012 is a 6’0 point guard for Rockford Auburn who plays summer for Rockford 5-O. He was playing well at 17U for them at the Chicago Tip-Off Classic. Chicagohoops raved about him saying he has a strong frame, is a good decision maker, passer, and handles the ball well. At the Nike Spring Shootout in Merrillville he played for Pryme Time and won the bronze division and also when winning the 15U division at End of Summer Classic in Merrillville. He's thin but changes speeds well and is a leader on the floor. Depal and Illinois are recruiting him. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #6,

47. DJ Ballantine is a 5'11 point guard from Kokomo (IN) who had a big performance at the Michigan Elite Camp this summer. National Rankings: Hoopscoop #190 (June/09), State Rankings: Indystar #20,

48. Rhett Smith is a versatile 6'5 wing forward from Sullivan HS (IN). Smith is tough, has range and plays with some strength and is one of those prospects who really needs a couple of inches and will explode up the rankings. He came up big playing with his 2012 Spiece Indy Stars going up against the 2011 King James All-Stars scoring 18 points including the game winning three pointer in a game at the Kansas City Hoopfest this July. Southern Illinois and Indiana State are recruiting him and he has an offer from Deleware.

49. Desmond Ridenour is a guard from Cleveland Benedictine to keep an eye on. According to comments from readers... "6'0 PG on the same (Cleveland)Benedictine team as Cameron Wright(your 2010 #10). With schools such as Florida, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State coming to the open gyms to see this crafty yet explosive young player he is definitely one to watch for.",

50. Orlando Berry Jr is an undersized point who runs the show for Taft HS and his dad's dominant All-Ohio Purple AAU program. They won the Nationals in Clarksville, Tennessee behind Berry's leadership. His old man played with Alan Houston at UT.

50. Charles Harris is a 6'3 guard for Lake Forrest academy and Full Package Athletics in the summer. I had him in the honorable mention until Chicagohoops updated their state rankings and put him in a 3 way tie for #1 so I'll give him a debut on the list. National Rankings: State Rankings: Chicagohoops #1

Possible top 50 candidates:

Austin Angel is a 6'3 guard from Boylan (Rockford) State Rankings: Chicagohoops #12

Aaric Armstead is a 6'4 guard from Chicago Hales-Franciscan. State Rankings: Chicagohoops #16

Conner Boehm is a 6'6 New Trier forward.

Travis Britt is an outstanding point guard prospect for Culver Millitary Academy. He is being recruited by Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Drake, Michigan, and Dayton. National Rankings: Hoopscoop #149, State Rankings:

Nathan Boothe is a 6'7 forward from Warren. Chicagohoops #20,

Nate Brooks is a 6'5 Whitney Young guard who got MVP of the 15U division for Illinois T-Wolves at the tip-off classic 3/30.

Deontra Brown is a 6'1 guard for Plainfield HS (IL).

Brent Calhoun is a 6'7 forward for Indianapolis Warren Central who played for the Spiece All-Stars 2012 squad with Patterson, Hollowell, Burgett, and company. State Rankings: Indystar #17,

Trashaun Carroll is a 6'5 forward from Proviso East (was with Curie last year) who plays strong, plays on the Chicago Summit and did a good job playing up with 16U at the tip-off classic per chicagohoops. The next week he was with the 15-U Derek Rose All-Stars playing in the Knoxvegas Heat tourney. State Rankings: Chicagohoops #20,

Max Clemons is a guard from Scottsburg, IN who had a huge summer for Team Southern Indiana (Red).

Jaleel Cousins is a 6'8 forward for Tates Creek who just so happens to be Demarcus Cousins' cousin.

Charles Foster plays for Derek Smith All-Stars in the summer and Trinity (Louisville) for school. I've read Hoopmasters has him in their top 150 but can't find a free link for that.

Jordan Foster is a 5'11 point guard from Oak Park-River Forrest who is among the best of the several elite points in this class from Illinois. Some reader comments from "anonymous" suggest he's equally effective on both sides of the ball.

Myles Hamilton is a point guard from St Edwards OH.

Chris Harrison-Docks is a 5'11 combo guard playing this year for Okemos HS (MI). He was in Kentucky last year and played for Indiana Elite Team Indiana over the summer.

Brad Hartman is a 6'7 forward from Union (IN) with a big future but he's a bit skinny now. he shows excellent fundamentals and improved rapidly this summer for the Spiece Indy Stars 2012 squad.

Chris Heaney is a 6'3 guard from Lincoln Park (IL).

RJ Hunter is a 5'10 point guard from Indianapolis whose dad is the famous African shoe donor who coaches IUPUI.

Patrick Ingram is a 6'1 combo guard for North Central (Indianapolis) who was outsanding for the Eric Gordon 2012 all-stars. State Rankings: Indystar #15,

Logan Irwin is a 5'9 high scoring point guard for dad's team Whitko HS. State Rankings: Indystar #16,

Ronnie Johnson is a 6'0 combo guard for Indianapolis North Central. National Rankings: State Rankings: Indystar #12,

Andrew Jordan is a 6'5 small forward for the Illinois Wolves in 2012.

Jason Kilongi is a wonderful sleeper from Bishop Leurs in Ft Wayne who looked great for Spiece Gym Rats Davis. He was on JV last year but should be unleashed this year.

Dylan Lankabel is a guard from Morristown who was outsanding for the Eric Gordon Indy Stars 2012 club.

Michael Mache is a 6'5 forward for Illinois Select and Glenbard HS (Glenelyn, IL).

Matthew Mache is a 6'5 forward for Glenbard (Glenelyn, IL) and Illinois Select.

Kellon McCormick is a 6'6 wing from Notre Dame Prep who shoots the lights out and is still growing.

Nick Osbourne is a 6'7 Muncie Central with a bright future. State Rankings: Indystar #14,

Jordan Potts is a 5'10 point guard for Columbus Northland HS who hit a string of big three pointers in the tournament last year. He has an offer from James Madison.

Michael Ramey is a 6'4 wing for Southport (Indianapolis). State Rankings: Indystar #18,

Jacoby Roddy is a 6'5 swingman for Peoria Manual that played for the Illinois Wolves 2012 club in the summer.

Jordan Smith is a 6'3 wing guard for Chicago Whitney Young and the Illinois T-Wolves in the summer.

Akeem Springs is a 6'3 guard from Waukeegan (IL).

Jeff "Kiki" Stokes is a sleeper to watch from Peoria Manual. He's a point guard in the summer for the Illinois Wolves 2012 club.

Steve Taylor is a 6'7 forward for Simeon (Chicago). State Rankings: Chicagohoops #9,

Tim Williams is a 6'7 forward from Homewood-Flossmore. State Rankings: Chicagohoops #15

Anton Wilson is a 6'5 wing from Flint who played for Team Pride over the summer who looked great. Cleveland State has offered and Iowa is also interested.

* Note on rankings, ESPN only ranks a top 25 officially, but if you search 2012 prospects and then click on grade, it gives them in the order they have them picked in thus far. I don't have a prescription to Hoopscoop or NY2LA unfortunately, I've included their rankings on several prospects that I ran across online in different articles. A kid showing no rankings doesn't mean they are really unranked.

Sullivan Star Rhett Smith Coming up Big.

The Spiece Indy Stars 2012 team is attracting a lot of attention for a team in their age group. Ron Patterson and Jeremy Hollowell have offers from some of the top programs in the country before ever entering their sophomore year in high school. Austin Burgett continues drawing a crowd and has coaches from Indiana, Purdue, Cincinnati, Iowa, and other schools taking close notes. Kellon Thomas is a can't miss point guard prospect with a sweet shooting stroke and the mentality to score or distribute.

But today in Kansas City playing up against the powerful King James Shooting Stars in the 16U division it was Rhett Smith of Sullivan, Indiana who knocked in the three pointer at the buzzer to win the game. Smith often plays a key roll for his team. He has a nice soft shot, is good on the glass, and can put the ball on the floor some. I spoke with Stars coach Chris Hawkins from Kansas City today after Smith knocked down 18 points in the win and he indicated Smith has quite a bit of D1 interest already. Indiana State likes him and Southern Indiana is "looking hard".

The good Mongrel has seen this squad play several times, as has a host of college coaches. Tom Crean and Bruce Weber joined me to watch them play a couple of games on the first day of the evaluation period in July. Thad Matta, Matt Painter, Mick Cronin, and others were soon to follow. Right now Smith is about 6'5 or 6'6 and plays a wing forward role. He can put the ball on the floor but his athleticism is more up and down than lateral at this point as I've seen him block a few shots that got my attention. Smith has a good soft shot and is tough on the glass. At this level and age he is good guarding big kids and playing in the paint on offense.

Comparisons are always a little tricky for kids who just finished their freshman year, but if he can put on a couple of inches during the next couple of years I could see Smith having a style of play not unlike former Iowa Hawkeye Greg Bruner. Smith has a really good feel for the game and is seemingly always in the right place at the right time. His fundamentals and intensity always stand out.

Smith first caught my eye in Sullivan's sectional loss to a strong Edgewood Mustangs 3A squad when he scored 23 points. His 7.6 rebounds per game was the second highest total in the state for freshmen and he also averaged about 12 points per contest.

The photo above is from a Goldandblack.com article on Smith from a few weeks ago. http://purdue.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=962589 They are an excellent Purdue rivals site which provided quite a bit of coverage of this squad from the Hoosier Shootout and Kentucky Hoopfest earlier in the month.

Tourney/Recruiting Updates and Link-O-Rama 7/16

Eric Gordon All-Stars won the Best of the Midwest tournament and Purdue commitment Terone Johnson won MVP as he continues turning heads this July. Here is a Monday notebook on the tournament from Hoosier Hills Report, I will recap the tournament's later action in other updates. http://www.hoosierhillshoops.com/index.php

Jorddan Myrick of the West Michigan Lakers got an offer from Ernie Zeigler's Central Michigan program. http://www.westmiallstar.com/tag/grand-rapids-storm/

According to Coach Chris Hawkins the Spiece Indy Stars 2012 players continue to get new offers after winning the Kentucky Hoopfest, Hoosier Shootout, and making the finals in the 16U division at Best of the Midwest. Sullivan's Rhett Smith was offered by Deleware and 6'6 Indianapolis wing Jeremy Hollowell received offers from Illinois and Xavier. Photo is from GoldandBlack.com's Brian Neubert 7/8/09.

Club Ohio Purple and Indiana Elite Team Indiana were in the semi-finals of the gold division at the 15U AAU nationals in Clarksville.

Hoop Dreams is in the 15U semi-finals in the West Virginia Mountain Jam according to Jody Demling. http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/blog.html Scott County's Tameron Manning and Jaylen Beckham are playing for them.

NYC point guard Sterling Gibbs plans on taking August unofficials to five schools and decide this summer. Two of the schools are Kentucky and Indiana. Kentucky target Doron Lamb is also close to a decision and wants to visit Oklahoma and Kansas before deciding in the next couple of weeks per Zagsblog. http://www.zagsblog.com/2009/07/15/sterling-gibbs-may-decide-this-summer-team-njabc-wins-joe-brown-memorial-tournament/#more-19245

Tom Crean released his travel list on Twitter and we can deduce he was in Clarksville likely watching Indiana Elite's Devontes Smith-Rivera and company during their run to the semi-finals in the loaded 15U national tournament. Other Indiana targets at the event include SYF Players (they played their last game at 12 on Tuesday right before a 1:15 Indiana Elite). SYF's Edward Seay and Smith-Rivera are along with Ron Patterson, DeJuan Marrero, and probably Jeremy Hollowell top Indiana targets for 2012.

Alex Jesswain from Marquettehoops.com was twittering from the NY2LA Summer Jam and was clearly blown away with performances from Cleveland's Cameron Wright and Gary's Xavier Jones. Here is a link to his recap from last week's NY2LA Invitational, and we look forward to updating this article if he recaps the Summer Jam. http://marquette.scout.com/2/878421.html

Players getting buzz from this event include Vander Blue, Flavien Davis, Moses Morgan, Branden Dawson, Jay Harris, John Gasser, Jalen Kendrick, Dominique Fergeson, and many many others. If not for being run at the same time as the Peach Jam this event would likely jump out as one of the most loaded of the year. Team Detroit won the 17U bracket but look for some wrap ups from this event coming soon.

Here is a link to a wonderful article by the Indianapolis Star's Nedenmeier.
http://www.indystar.com/article/20090715/SPORTS0615/907150326/1361/SPORTS0615/Shorter+prospects+try+to+measure+up He strikes a blow for the little man. He updates the recruiting picture of Yogi Ferrel (Butler offer), Kellon Thomas, Nic Moore, Michigan target DJ Ballantine, Ronnie Johnson, and PJ Boutte. These kids are sooo good in the Mongrel's opinion that a small growth spurt between now and next year will put any of them with high major offers. Some of them will make it anyway.

10 July Recruiting Observations to Watch

Here is volume one of the soon to be anticipated 10 hot tips from the recruiting world.

1) The Mongrel has been all over the spectacular job being done by the Dayton Flyers in recruiting some of the best talent in the midwest in any conference for the class of 2010. Staten, Berry, and company could be on the verge of adding Chicago's Brandon Spearman to that haul according to the Hoops Report blog (Hendrickson). http://blogs.suntimes.com/hoopsreport/ Scroll down to the sub-header "Warriors Brief Appearance" and you'll see that Hendrickson is saying word from the Chicago Summer Classic was that Spearman is about to join the already loaded Dayton class of 2010. Hendrickson also talks about Purdue and Illinois targets (not to mention half the Big Ten) Nana Egwu and Chasson Randle as well as Louisville and Indiana targets Mike Shaw and Wayne Blackshear. James Siakhem, Jacob Williams, Jordan Threloff and other Chicago area players are mentioned.

2) IPFW offered Bloomington South's Spencer Turner and head coach Dane Fife was on hand to watch Indiana Elite at the Kentucky Hoopfest on more than one occasion. Turner is one of the best shooters as I have seen in the high school ranks but isn't extremely quick laterally. He has improved his conditioning this summer from last year and is getting stronger. In the quarter-final loss to Team Takeover Turner made a key drive late in the game and hit an 8 foot floater that we have seen him bust out a few times before. He is more than just a shooter, but it is that amazingly deadly rainbow bomb that will always be his hallmark. http://www.hoosierhillshoops.com/index.php

3) The Mongrel will not often (if ever) use the word lock, but you can put this in the bank. Western Michigan is an already attractive mid-major destination. They have the finest brewery in the Midwest (Bells) and the great middle linebacker (inside linebacker in the NFL) John Offerdahl went to school there. That is enough to get the Mongrel on board, but the Western Michigan staff also used the greatest weapon in their arsenal. They photo-shopped Taylor Swift's face on recruiting material with Jack Isenberger from Zionsville, Indiana. http://blogs.indystar.com/recruitingcentral/2009/07/crunch-time-for.html Isenberger has strong interest in Wright State and Miami of Ohio but since the Taylor Swift card has never been used unsuccessfully, the Mongrel suggests betting on the Mustangs. In fact, double down!

4) Here is a link from IllinoisHSBasketball.com who had a very interesting blog last year but it stopped being updated for a while and it looks like Mr. Poneman is back online. Here is a link to a story from what sounds like a killer Mac Irvin Fire vs Team STAT game which featured Austin Rivers who is rumored to be close to a decommitment and Illinois HS basketball also says in its twitter that Coach K and Tom Crean and others were on hand. http://illinoishsbasketball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=868&Itemid=1 Keep an eye on Mr Rivers. Tweet tweet.

5) The Vill 14U have an absolutely dominant incoming freshman named Daryl Hicks who is going to Shelbyville. He was held in check for once in the title game of the 14U bracket. There is no doubt he is an elite player in his class and he has big time athleticism and a strong mature frame and is already being watched by Indiana, Ohio State, Xavier, Michigan State, Illinois, and other Kentucky incoming freshmen such as Trinity's James Quick who looked outstanding. http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/2009/07/ville-falls-short-in-14s.html In the Sunday afternoon game he hit a few 3 pointers and had some unreal drives finished off with finger rolls and just couldn't be stopped. Hicks' teammate Shane Hatcher was the leading scorer with 17. Hatcher is a strong kid who might project as a small forward but will certainly benefit from the attention placed on his star teammate. http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090712/SPORTS/907120356/1030/rss0704 Also note the game Cody Zeller had which inspired Brian Snow to publicly apologize for not ranking Zeller on twitter.


6) The previous Demling article mentions the Spiece Indy Stars 2012 win (their second consecutive tournament) over the Wisconsin Playground Warriors 72-66. Rhett Smith had an outstanding game scoring 16 points and I always liked him but he is showing a bit more athleticism than I gave him credit for. He had a foul called on an outstanding block he had in the semi-final that really underscored he can get up. He also showed the ability to look good shooting deep. He shows potential to be a very good small forward. Jeremy Hollowell and Ron Patterson had another great game as well. Hollowell had to go toe to toe with JP Tokoto and came out on top for the second time in a week. Jody Demling likes Tokoto more than Burgette, Patterson, and Hollowell. That is a tough one to call. I think Patterson is the best player right now and Hollowell outplayed Tokoto head to head over the last couple of championship games and has even more outstanding upside. But Tokoto and Burgette will be outstanding players too. I could defend any of the four. If Tokoto adds some range to his game he will probably end up a McDonalds All American and Burgette is a wonderful forward who gets better every time out. http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/2009/07/spiece-team-wins-15s-title.html Demling also has nice things to say about another couple of Louisville Trinity players (Charles Foster and Kyle Saxon) as well as Indianapolis stars RJ Hunter and Harry Willis. Patterson and Hollowell for the Indy Stars have indicated some interest in winding up in college together and seem to be drawing non-stop attention from Bruce Weber, Mick Cronin, Tom Crean, and other coaches this July. They made quite a stir by showing up for a couple of games wearing Ohio State shorts. Thad Matta may have snuck in when the Mongrel wasn't watching but he seems to be the one serious suitor not following the duo like the previously mentioned group. The move is sure to be seen in the paranoid world of recruiting as indicating OSU is out in front, it will be interesting to see if the Stars continue to draw the same crowd of pursuers the rest of July. The Mongrel suspects these two kids are just being playful, but it will be interesting to keep an eye on their recruitment.


7) The 16U players at Kentucky Hoopfest were outstanding. There were some grumblings about 17U talent at the event but the 16U plate was full. The good Mongrel had the chance to take in outstanding performances from Warsaw's Nic Moore who has drawn Matt Painter to at least one high school game and had an outstanding first half in the semi-final. He is about 5'8 but can jump and has a sweet stroke. He's got all the quickness that the handful of guys his size have that make it to high majors, it will be fun to see who steps up and offers Moore. Playing alongside Dee Davis and Jeremiah Davis gives coaches a point guard smorgasbord to check from. I pointed out Davis looking outstanding in a couple of other posts and he is really raising his stock this July. Kentucky and Indiana were schools to offer Davis early but there has been speculation that Kentucky wanted to take another look and bring him back to campus again and similar questions with Indiana but Davis would appear to have met those questions. Austin Etherington and Deng Leek had some good moments, both have a lot of potential but probably need to develop for a year or two to show what kind of players they can be. Etherington had a couple of nice tip ins and hit a deep ball but needs to get stronger with the ball. As does Deng who is looking a bit stronger than last couple of times I saw him. He and Cheir Ajou can really alter shots and Ajou shows some range as well but has had his minutes limited in this tournament with a tender ankle. Some Michigan players had outstanding tournaments as well. James Johnson had a huge game for Team Pride against IE Team Indiana and Matt Poches from Harland HS had a big game on Sunday as well. Johnson often set up at the free throw line with his back to the basket on offense and caught the pass to initiate the offense, then showed nice decision making in finding the open man or the guy who could get to the hole. He also hit several baskets himself and had a great game. Avon's Kendall Griffin had a couple of nice games in this tournament for Spiece Select 2011, he shows the ability to shoot and has good size for a point guard and is shaping up to be a top sleeper in the class of 2011. Cody Zeller and Matt Carlino are a treat to watch for Indiana Elite Orange. Zeller took over in his morning game and ended up with 25 points and Carlino had a few buckets but had lots of assists and made good decisions as coaches sons are known for. 16U kids might not like me saying so, but the best player in the 16U division might have been Jeffersonville's Daryl Baker who was playing up two years.

8) Mounds Meridian 2010 star Hoopy Jones has picked up an offer from the Indiana State Sycamores. Jones was getting great reviews this past week for his play with the Illinois Bobcats. http://www.chicagohoops.com/articles1/ijones.html

9) Indianapolis Pike junior to be Marques Teague is calling Louisville his favorite to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports in a blog entry yesterday. http://community.foxsports.com/goodmanonfox/blog/2009/07/12/en_route_to_peach_jam_ Normally I don't pay a lot of attention to calling someone your favorite but a couple of days ago Teague said he knew where he wants to go but will take visits with his Mom and combined with him saying Rick Pitino is his favorite, expect Louisville to get the most talented guard in the class of 2011 when the July evaluation period wraps up.

10) Branden Dawson told GoldandBlack.com's Brian Neubert that Purdue is his favorite and he plans on deciding next year. Indiana is in hot pursuit and has hosted Dawson a couple of times but the school for Purdue to watch for is probably UCLA who just had Dawson in for a camp. I doubt Dawson shuttles back and forth to Pauley Pavilion on his own dime every June so when he gets that solid UCLA offer and doesn't commit Purdue fans can breath easier. There were earlier reports that his mom wanted him to stay close to home for college. But that is kind of like a sky is blue story, you don't want the kid on your team whose mom wants him to go to school farther away from home.