By Alex Kline

Sam Thompson has dealt with struggle and triumph, especially with injuries, over the past few years. He has always remained optimistic and continues to work hard no matter what. Today, the 6-foot-6 senior forward from Illinois, had a big day in his life.

Thompson decided where he will be attending college next year. “Yeah, I’m going to Ohio State,” he exclaimed. Sam previously visited the Buckeyes officially last weekend. As he watched the Ohio State football team knock off Miami (FL), he experienced the winning attitude of Columbus.

“I love the staff and love the school,” Thompson stated. “Coach Matta’s forwards have excelled in the past and I’m looking forward to help bring a national championship to Columbus!”

Sam joins a stacked 2011 class for Ohio State, which features guard Shannon Scott of Georgia and forward LaQuinton Ross of Mississippi.

(Photo courtesy of TheMash.com)

By Alex Kline

Jabril Trawick, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Abington Friends High School in Pennsylvania, has seen his stock rise over the last year. Trawick was a virtual unknown a few years ago. Now he is one of the top seniors in the Philadelphia area.

This weekend, the guard went on an official visit to Georgetown. He came out a Hoya. “I just committed to Georgetown,” Trawick said by text. Georgetown coach John Thompson III and staff were very pleased with what they saw this summer out of Jabril. They offered during the July live period.

“The coaching staff and the group of players that I will be playing with is a big reason why I chose Georgetown,” Trawick stated. “The time we will get on television is awesome and I really like the Verizon Center. There are a lot of connections there, it’s like a pipeline.” Jabril will also see some significant minutes early on. “(Current Hoyas) Austin and Chris are leaving and I’m going to fill in.” He also commented on the location, “It’s a good location; it’s not to far from home.”

As the Philly native is the first commitment for the class of 2011, Georgetown looks to head in the right direction with this commitment. During his official visit, Trawick got to see and experience the Georgetown lifestyle. “I got to play pickup with former Hoya, Roy Hibbert,” he stated. “It was a good time.”

Jabril was down to the Big East school and Florida State. This time, the Hoya’s came up big and received a commitment from a guard who has NBA potential.

(Photo courtesy of Bixtar Photos)

By Alex Kline

Malcolm Coleman is a 6-foot-7 forward from Pennsylvania.

The rising junior is aggressive down low and a huge presence on the board. Because of his size, he reminds coaches of a Glenn Davis-esk type player. While Malcolm has a big body, he struggles finishing at the basket. None the less, Coleman is a force to be reckoned with.

This summer, Malcolm played AAU basketball with Team Phenom out of Philadelphia. During the winter, the 2012 prospect will play high school basketball at Upper Merion High School.

While the college process has been very slow so far, Xavier has shown some interest in the big forward. Malcolm currently has no offers and has not visited any schools yet.

For now, Coleman is a very under the radar prospect who has a long way to go. Entering his junior season of basketball will be crucial to his future in the game.

(Photo courtesy of Malcolm)

By Alex Kline

On the day as his 17th birthday, Brandon Bolden decided to take in the weekend with an unofficial visit. Bolden, a 6-foot-10 power forward from The Miller School in Virginia, is a big time talent in 2012. He decided to stay in-state for this visit.

Bolden took an unofficial visit to Virginia, according to his AAU coach George Burgess of Celtics South. “I had a great time at Virginia today,” he said. ”They have a great staff and pretty hot facilities. I have a lot of respect for Coach Bennett & Coach Williford.” While Virginia has not offered yet, they could deliver soon.

Brandon has offers from Virginia Commonwealth and Georgia. He is being recruited by Tennessee, Virginia, Xavier, Texas, Clemson and Baylor.

Recently, Bolden transferred from Sumter in South Carolina to the Miller School. He will be a key component to the team during his junior season.

(Photo courtesy of 6thmanbasketball.com)

By Alex Kline

Jermaine Sanders, a 6-foot-4 small forward from New York, is starting to go further in the recruiting process. Sanders, a rising senior at Rice High School in Queens, will most likely make his college decision during the late signing period in the spring.

Tonight, the New York guard took a step in the right direction as he hosted his first in-home visit. “I had a visit with the Cincinnati staff,” Sanders stated by text. “The visit went well, I loved everything about it.” He later went on to say, “nothing but good things to say about it.”

Interestingly enough, the visit came a few hours after another player from the tri-state area committed to the Bearcats. Shaq Thomas, a 6-foot-6 wing from NIA Prep in New Jersey, committed to Head Coach Mick Cronin and staff.

The Bearcats are recruiting the New Heights guard, along with Marquette, Maryland, Miami, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Providence, Virginia Tech, West Virginia and others. Although he was not aware of any other visits being setup just yet, Jermaine stated that, “more in-home visits will be made in the near future.”

Jermaine begins his senior year of high school on Monday at Rice.

(Photo courtesy of the NY Daily News)

By Alex Kline

Adonis Thomas, a 6-foot-6 forward from Tennessee, has set up five official visits for the fall. Adonis, a rising senior at Melrose in Memphis, has a final list of five, which includes Tennessee, Arkansas, UCLA, Florida and Memphis. Here is a rundown of the schedule.

September 11th – Tennessee

September 24th – Arkansas

October 2nd – UCLA

October 9th – Florida

October 15th – Memphis – He will attend Memphis Madness.

Adonis is the favorite to win the Gatorade State Player of the Year Award in the state of Tennessee for his senior season.

(Photo courtesy of MemphisHoopers.com)

By Alex Kline

When Jerome Seagers’ grandfather died, it left a giant hole in him. Seagers was sad and disappointed that one of his biggest fans would not get to see him play collegiate basketball. Now, he uses that as fuel to motivate him to play to the best of his ability. Jerome Seagers is for real!

On the court, the 6-foot-1 point guard from Flora Macdonald Academy in North Carolina is a leader. He is the floor general and controls the flow of the game. Seagers, who runs with DC Assault during the spring and summer, makes all the right moves. He can shoot it when he has to and passes when he has to. Jerome is a team player. While he is tall, his body is not up to pace with that of a collegiate basketball player. Once he gets that up, Jerome can help out a high major team with his on and off the court abilities.

As of now, Seagers is looking at three schools and they are all in the Big East. “My top three are Rutgers, Cincinnati and West Virginia,” he said. “I’m leaning toward the Scarlet Knights!” Jerome visited Rutgers earlier in the summer with his DC Assault teammate Malick Kone. Kone, a 6-foot-6 small forward, wound up committing to Mike Rice and company. Rutgers has two scholarships left for the class of 2011 and needs one guard. “Yeah, I would like to play in college with Malick,” stated Jerome. The two have been playing together for a while and the Scarlet Knights are a real possibility.

“They are putting together a great recruiting class,” he said. “They are looking to change the program around and I love what the coaching staff is doing. I have a good relationship with them.” While Rutgers leads at the moment, Seagers hopes to set up some visits. Originally he had planned visits to Cincinnati and West Virginia but they got cancelled due to “some family issues.” Jerome hopes to get everything set soon. “I want to visit those three schools in September,” he stated. “I don’t know the dates yet.”

While Rutgers is leading, Cincinnati and West Virginia will make a push for the point guard. Right now, it looks like Jerome Seagers and Malick Kone’s strong bond will crossover from the AAU ranks into college.

(Photo courtesy of NY2LASports)

By Alex Kline

Sam Thompson, a 6-foot-6 forward from Illinois, has set up four official visits for the fall. Sam, a rising senior at Whitney Young in Chicago, has narrowed his list down to four schools. They are Ohio State, Georgetown, Oregon State and Florida. Here is a rundown of the schedule of official visits he has set up..

September 11th – Ohio State

September 18th – Georgetown

October 2nd – Oregon State

October 9th – Florida

Sam is arguably the best player in the state of Illinois for 2011. A top 100 player in the country, Thompson has been hit by a few injuries but remains a high flyer.

(Photo courtesy of TheShiver.com)

By Alex Kline

Perry Ellis, a 6-foot-8 forward from Kansas, has set up five unofficial visits for the fall, according to his mother Fonda Ellis. Perry, a rising junior at Heights in Wichita, has offers from Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Kentucky, Memphis, Wichita State, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Wake Forest. Here is a rundown of the schedule.

September 7th – Kansas

September 11th – Oklahoma – He will attend the Football game.

September 25th – Kansas State – He will attend the Football game.

October 15th – Memphis – He will attend Memphis Madness.

November 12th – Kentucky – He will attend the first Basketball game of the year.

Perry was the only sophomore in the 2009-10 season who won the Gatorade State Player of the Year Award.

(Photo courtesy of Rivals.com)

By Alex Kline

Jarelle Reischel is a special player for his position. At 6-foot-6, Jarelle can really score the ball and is a true shooting guard. The New Jersey native from down the shore. He did not always live in New Jersey, though. Reischel is originally from Germany. He came over to America during his sophomore year of high school but still shows his German roots as he speaks it. As a top notch student, he can speak German, English, Spanish and Polish. Languages aren’t his only strong feature.

The kid can play! A rising senior from Point Pleasant Beach High School, Jarelle can do a lot with the rock. He can handle, pass and score the ball. Reischel is a good defender who can defend almost every position. With a good feel for the game, Jarelle is extremely versatile and can play every position on the floor. While he believes that he needs to work on all the aspects of his game, Jarelle thinks that he ”can do everything well but I’m working on doing everything great,” he said. I want to work on my handle, shot, passing, rebounding, strength, quickness and defense.” Clearly, this guard is determined to be one of the best in the state.

While he is being recruited by schools from the Big Ten, Big East, ACC and Atlantic Ten, Jarelle is focused on improving his game rather than his recruitment. Right now, Reischel has offers from “Penn State, Seton Hall, Providence, Temple, Georgetown, Rice, La Salle and St. Joe’s.” While he has visited Seton Hall, Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, Georgetown, La Salle and Temple, Reischel remains “wide open” at the moment. He hopes to commit before his senior season but is not sure yet.

As one of the most underrated players in the state of New Jersey, if not the country, Jarelle Reischel slowly, but steadily, has shown college coaches and fans why he is here to stay. Reischel will be playing big time college basketball one day.

(Photo courtesy of APP.com)