By Alex Kline

Dylan Ennis was born and bred in Canada, so when he had to leave the country for New York City, it came as the biggest obstacle in the young man’s life. Ennis attended school in the Bronx.

“My uncle had to move to Long Island before I got there,” he said. “I had to take the bus to and from school every day.”

It took Ennis three hours in the morning to get to school and three hours going home as he would have days when he left for school at five in the morning and not get home until eleven thirty at night.

“It was a very tough situation for me,” said Ennis. “It made me a stronger person on and off the court though.”

This has led the leader to help run his Team Takeover Canada squad to new heights. Ennis is a 6-foot-1 point guard who attends Lake Forest Academy in Illinois, but is originally from Canada. He is a leader all around.

“Being the point guard on the floor, I feel like I have to do everything it takes for my team to get the win,” Dylan said.

Ennis has range from deep and even has a mid-range game as well. What stands out about Ennis is his Basketball IQ and court vision. In the open court, the Canadian is unstoppable as he can push the ball and make plays with his vision all around the court.

Ennis needs to improve on his defense as he wants to improve in that category and become a lock down defender especially for college.

As a rising senior, schools from high to mid-major levels are all over him.

To continue reading this story, click here.

By Alex Kline

Jordan Adams has had an interesting few months. At first, rumors had spread around that the Georgia native committed to Tennessee after their elite camp. Rumors are rumors though and that was not the case. One thing is true, and that’s that Adams is transferring high schools. Central Gwinnett was the high school of Adams for his first two years of high school, and now he is Oak Hill bound and will play for Coach Steve Smith on one of the best teams in the country. This looks to be a big boost for Adams on both an academic and athletic level, as well as in preparation for college in two years. The rising junior is going to do it big and this is just the start of things.

“I played down low as a big man my whole basketball career until about two or three years ago,” he said. Clearly, Jordan may be a talented player but is in no way a big man.

Adams isn’t always at his best in the smaller games and it’s something that he’s aware of.

“I need to improve on playing well every game,” Adams said. “It can’t just be the big games or the championship games. I have to be consistent.”

If Adams can play his best every game then he could be one of the best players in the class of 2012.

To continue reading this story, click here.

By Alex Kline

It didn’t take long for rising sophomore Jason Boswell of St. Patrick (NJ) to pick up more offers. Recently, the University of Pittsburgh offered the 6-foot-6 guard his first scholarship. Now, two more schools have come calling.

“Rutgers and Houston have offered me,” Boswell said in a text message to me. “I am very excited about the two new opportunities and will look to explore all of my options.”

The versatile guard was familiar with one school, but not so much on the other. “I know Rutgers and it is very close to home,” said the Bronx native. “My good friend Mike Poole will be an incoming freshman there.”

As for Houston, Jason wasn’t sure. “I’m pleasantly surprised about the offer from Houston,” he stated. “I don’t know much about the school but it is a great opportunity for me.”

With three offers on the table, the sky is the limit for young Jason Boswell as this is just the start of things.

By Alex Kline

This year, Reggie Cameron helped contribute to one of the best Paterson Catholic teams in history. The New Jersey school went 28-1 as the freshman showed maturity coming off the bench. Now as a rising sophomore, Reggie is starting to draw college looks as he stars with the New Jersey Playaz.

While Cameron had no official offers yet, he has two tonight. According to his AAU coach, Jamal Slappy, the University of Cincinnati has offered the 6-foot-7 rising sophomore his first scholarship. Shortly after this, Providence College, another Big East school, offered the Garden State native.

Coach Slappy describes Reggie as a “young player with huge upside, if he continues to work hard in the classroom and on the court.” He went on to say, “He is a great kid who can shoot the ball with the best of them.”

As for Reggie, he was extremely excited, yet humble, about receiving the offer. “Cincinnati is a great school,” said Reggie. “I like that a lot of good players have gone through the school and program.” He added, “who wouldn’t want to play in the Big East?”

When it comes to Providence, Reggie has a good feeling about them, too. “I like that the school is close to home,” he said. “I think they have a great coach (Keno Davis), as well.”

As Cameron looks to finish up the July live period on a high note, he continues to raise the bar. He will attend Hudson Catholic High School in New Jersey next season. While playing up a level and participating in some of the top tournaments around the country, the star in the marking has a bright head on his shoulders and a clear future ahead of him.

By Alex Kline

Since winning the state championship, life has been very different for the boys of the Trenton Catholic Academy Basketball team. One rising junior, Brandon Taylor, has seen an impact from this. The 6-foot-8 native of Philadelphia has seen his recruitment skyrocket ever since knocking off St. Anthony High School in triple overtime to win the state crown. Taylor and company did not stop there as they pulled off a few wins in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions and beat Camden Catholic to win it all. In the championship game, Brandon sealed his team’s fate after he slammed down the first dunk of his career in the final minute. This is just the start of big things for this big boy.

The rising junior is an interesting player. With a big body, he can not only be a power forward, but a wing and a major factor from the outside. Despite not looking like the conventional three point shooter, Brandon can shoot the long ball with ease and is fairly accurate. Taylor is also big on the boards as he is a rebounding machine. In college, he hopes to play as a wing. In order to play that, he will have to improve on his ball handling ability otherwise power forward will have to be his main option. He is a big time, under the radar wing in the making.

Through all of his improvement, Taylor is starting to gain a lot of interest. “Schools like Temple, Pittsburgh, LSU, Stanford, Davidson, Georgetown, Colorado State, George Mason, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Virginia Tech are interested,” he said. Taylor went on to say,” I heard West Virginia was interested but I’m not positive about that.” As of now, no one has offered the Garden State player. Some offers could come soon though.

From the looks of it, Brandon Taylor has a bright future ahead of him as he takes things slow with his recruitment. This summer has been huge for his young Team Philly club. As they have been playing up a level and taking down some of the top talent on the east coast, Taylor looks to continue improving his game. One day, Brandon will know much more about college, but for now, he is just happy with his situation.

By Alex Kline

When Jordan Gleason started off his summer on a high note by leading his U15 Albany City Rocks to a title, he realized how big of an impact he made. Gleason, a 6-foot guard from Watervliet High School in New York, won MVP of the tournament. Ironically, he didn’t know very much about basketball a couple of years ago. When Gleason was in the fourth grade and his brother was in the sixth, he would attend his older sibling’s basketball practices just to watch. Jordan was introduced to the sport when the coach put him on the team. He never played and never really understood the game. Now it’s pretty clear he has learned a thing or two about it.

When it comes to running the show, Jordan has a very calm and relaxed approach to it. At the same time, he is very smooth while running the point and shooting the rock. Despite his small frame, Gleason can get to the hole and finish with contact. In order to take his game to the next level, the rising sophomore has to improve his dribbling and mid-range jumper. This will make Gleason an excellent combo guard as his true position has not been determined yet. He can do a lot for his age.

This summer, Jordan has improved on multiple aspects of his games. “I think my confidence has gone up, as well as my basketball IQ,” he said. “I’ve learned how to put my team in the best position to win games. I came into the Rumble in the Bronx with a chip on my should because we went 0-3 last year.” Jordan and his squad had a chip on their shoulders but ultimately won the ‘chip as the team finished first and took home the title.

While tearing his rotator cuff this summer has slowed him down, it hasn’t put hope out of his mind as Jordan hopes to return to the court soon.

That being said, Gleason’s recruitment is flurishing but still has a long way to go if he wants to receive interest from his dream schools. “My dream schools are Ohio State, Kentucky, Florida and UConn,” he said. “At this point, the schools interested in me thus far are Siena and Western Kentucky.” With no offers yet, Jordan hopes to take an unofficial visit to the Siena campus soon. “Hopefully next year more schools will be interested in me.” Schools need to get on him.

To describe Jordan’s game and potential, check out the youtube video below. College coaches will begin to see how good he is from this video.

By Alex Kline

Michael Avery lives in California. He attended Crespi High School for his freshman year. After a year there, he decided it was time for a change. Michael went all the way down to Florida to attend Montverde Academy. After a year in Florida, the rising junior has decided to take his game elsewhere.

“I am transfering to Impact Academy in Las Vegas,” he said. “I chose this school because it is better for me and closer to home. Now I can see my family more often.” The decision came as a bit of a surprise, but Michael thinks it will be the best for him in the long run.

While his team had an excellent year and finished second to defending champion Findlay Prep in the ESPN Rise National Invitational, Avery did not get to see the floor as much as he would like. The team from Florida was mainly focused around key seniors James Bell, who is headed to Villanova, and Jamail Jones, who is headed to Marquette.

Never the less, Michael would like to see his recruitment pick up and at Impact he will get the opportunity to start and make a big impact from the start. At one time, he was committed to Kentucky in the eighth grade. After re-opening his recruitment, Michael looks to take things slow and has learned a lot from his decision. Avery will try to embark on a new path and may have just found his school.

By Alex Kline

Rodney Purvis has picked up his newest offer. This one comes from another ACC school, the University of Maryland.

The rising sophomore sensation was excited. “I like the colors,” he jokingly said. But in all seriousness, Purvis “likes the tradition, area and the great coaching staff,” he said. The Terps join the list of Xavier, Baylor, VCU, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina Central, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

Purvis and his CP3 U15 squad recently won the AAU Super Showcase down in Orlando, Florida. Rodney is a star on the rise and is being targeted by plenty of other schools. Look for him to take a few visits to some high major schools in the fall.

By Alex Kline

According to a reliable source, 6-foot-7 combo forward Kam Belin will be headed to junior college. Belin, a member of the class of 2010, attended Walton High School in Georgia this past year.

That close source tells me Belin “did not qualify” and due to this he will attend Cowley Junior College in Kansas.

Considered a sleeper for most of his career, he’s a good rebounder who can dominate the glass. Kam can score when he needs to. Unfortunately, his ineligibility will force his to go JUCO. Look for the Georgia native to not give up on his dream of division one basketball anytime soon.

By Alex Kline

Raleigh (N.C.) rising sophomore Rodney Purvis was one of just four 2013 prospects to be invited to this year’s NBA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, but the fifteen year-old showed he’s got plenty of game for his age.

The 6-3, 185-pounder finished twelfth overall in scoring average at the event at 11.5 points per contest; besting the next-closest person in his class by over 70 spots. He continued his run in Orlando. Arguably the best guard in the class of 2013, Purvis was outstanding in leading his team to the U15 Gold championship. Rodney had a team high 23 points in the semifinal win over the Texas Titans, going 11/16 at the line, including 8/10 in the fourth quarter as CP3 mounted a major comeback. Purvis is athletic, handles the rock, passes well, shoots it from deep, attacks the basket, and plays hard. There is not much on the court that Purvis cannot do.

To continue reading this story, click here.