By Alex Kline

Nazier Chew may not get the starting job as he comes into Trenton Catholic, but he certainly has to live up to a high standard. Over the past few years, the New Jersey school has developed some of the top guards in the area.

After knocking off St. Anthony to win the Non-Public B State Championship last year, followed by a New Jersey Tournament of Champions crowning, Trenton Catholic returns a tremendous amount of talent. At the same time, they lose senior leaders Markese Tucker, Dondre Whitmore and Frantz Massenat. While Whitmore chose the Junior College route, Tucker will play at St. Peter’s next year and Massenat could start at the point for Drexel this year. While the team still has talented guard Khalid Lewis, a 2011 Delaware commit, along with junior standouts Brandon Taylor and Ronny Paden, the Iron Mikes look to continue their rich tradition with some younger players.

One of these young players in Chew. Nazier is a 5-foot-7 point guard who has a similar body and game to Hudson Catholic (NJ) point guard Kavon Stewart, a sensational sophomore. With such a small body, he has various attributes which make him one of the best freshmen in the Garden State. As a patient player who has a high basketball IQ, Chew is able to create his own shot by getting to the basket and scoring in multiple ways. His mid-range jumper is not the best part of his game but it can be effective. The young guard believes that is one of his biggest weaknesses. On defense, Chew has the athleticism to lock down ball handlers. It is something he takes pride in because of the effort that he has put in.

A member of Team Jameer Nelson on the AAU circuit, Nazier is excited for his freshman year of basketball to begin at Trenton Catholic. “I want to play varsity basketball as a freshman and actually be a factor for this year,” he stated. “I was looking into the North Jersey programs, you know like: St. Anthony, St. Pat’s and St. Benedict’s, but I had to make a decision based on whether I am going to play. I wanted to play right away and TCA is a great program; school wise and basketball wise.”

While Chew has not been exposed much to the recruiting scene just yet, he has played in front of a few schools. “When I was playing in Philadelphia, schools like St. Joe’s and La Salle were there,” Chew stated. ”Someone from the University of Connecticut came up to me while I played in Florida at Nationals. That’s actually my dream college, so when I saw he was from there I was extremely excited.”

The talented freshman guard has already played against Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson. Nazier got a lot out of that experience. “I got a chance to play against Jameer Nelson at his old school, St. Joseph’s,” Chew stated. “He was playing against us in one of our scrimmages during AAU practice. Aw man, that’s was a great experience, but a hard one to because I was one actually guarding him. Everyone else was scared. But in the end he gave me advice and I took and ran with it. I saw that the NBA is not a joke, your game has to be tight.

Could Nazier Chew follow in the footsteps of Jameer Nelson?

(Photo courtesy of Basketball Spotlight)

By Alex Kline

New York has always had it’s fair share of talent. Chance Ellis has the potential to be the next big thing in the Big Apple.

A rising freshman from Christ the King (NY), Chance is the top 2014 prospect in the state of New York. At 6-foot-3, the Empire State native is already a grown man. Weighing in at two-hundred pounds, Chance has a similar body to Oregon commit, Jabari Brown.

That’s not the only thing the two have in common. Both are shooting guards with range. “I’m a big time scorer with a flawless release on my jumpshot, who can beat the defense in variety of ways,” he said. Ellis does it in numerous ways. He can score with his long range shooting, slashing to the basket, posting up anyone his size and making the correct pass. “I’m a silent assassin,” says Chance. “I get hot and score 14-16 points; then teams start to deny me touches. I’m one of the premier shooters in the country with up to 25 feet in range.” While he is confident in his game, Chance is a smart player and knows what he must improve on. The youngster wants to become more explosive and work on his conditioning.

As the standout player for the Juice All Stars heads to Christ the King for his freshman year, he has some big goals. “My goals there are to work hard everyday to improve my game in order to continue the winning tradition,” he stated. “I want to be one of the best players in the country.”

Chance is already doing that and working on being the best. “At  the top forty national camp in Chicago, after seeing how fit those players were, I realized that I have to dedicate myself to getting in the best shape possible in order to reach my goals,” said Ellis. With a ton of fans and supporters, this star is being guided in the right direction. “Omar Calhoun, T.J. Curry, Corey Edwards, and Jordan Fuchs have all taken me under their wing to help me improve my game.”

A top fifty player in the class of 2014, Chance is already hearing from schools. “South Carolina, Arizona, George Mason and Xavier are already showing me interest,” he said. “My dream school is Duke, though.” He may only be in the 9th grade, but Chance is proving himself to the critics thus far.

As he continues to work on improving his conditioning, he has a ‘chance’ at being one of the best shooters to come out of New York.

(Photo courtesy of Basketball Spotlight)

By Alex Kline

Despite being a sophomore, young Shannon Hale has come to a conclusion on where he will play college basketball.

Hale, a 6-foot-8 forward out of Science Hill High School in Tennessee verbally committed to Alabama today. “Yeah I did,” he said. “Coach (Anthony) Grant is a great guy. I love the way he plays. It’s just a good fit for me.” Hale took an unofficial visit to Alabama over the weekend (as pictured above) and enjoyed it.

He picked Alabama over North Carolina, Texas, Miami (FL), LSU, Tennessee and Florida.

Shannon showed off his skills during the spring and summer, including a great performance at the Nike Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis. The Tennessee native runs the floor very well and can make some deep jumpers for a kid of his stature. He has good hands and is very quick around the rim. While Hale will fight for rebounds, he struggles against stronger players due to his lack of strength. It is something Shannon plans on working on during the coming months.

While he made his decision on the same day as senior standouts LeBryan Nash, Deuce Bello and Quincy Miller, Hale modestly decided to not dive in to the spotlight. That describes the type of athlete and person that Coach Anthony Grant and the rest of the Crimson Tide staff will have in 2013.

Thanks to Bryant Northington for the tip!

(Photo courtesy of Shannon)

By Alex Kline

Midnight Madness kicked off the first practice for college basketball teams to start the 2010-2011 season. Events were hosted all around the country and were packed to the gills with crazy fans and spectators. As the first practice happened, dunk and three-point competitions took place, as well. The best part of all of this was seeing which recruit would be where for Midnight Madness. Here are a few recruits breaking down their trip to Midnight Madness

Dakari Johnson ’14 of New York – Georgetown – It was a good experience and good atmosphere. I got to hang out on campus, watch the activities, meet the players and meet the other recruits.

Julius Randle ’13 of Texas – Kansas- It was amazing. I loved the atmosphere. The fans are really excited for Jayhawk Basketball and I loved the fan support. Also, I got to hang out with the players and they all seemed really cool. The coaching staff was cool, as well.

Jaren Sina ’13 of New Jersey – St. John’s- It was a really cool experience seeing a little preview of the team scrimmaging. The environment was awesome. There were a lot of people in attendance and you can tell that the school is excited about the direction Coach Steve Lavin is taking the program in.

Nate Britt ’13 of Washington D.C. – Duke – My trip to Duke this weekend for the midnight madness was great. I enjoyed the ring ceremony that team had for being NCAA Champions last year. It was fun to watch the guys play too. The team looked great. It was clear why they were NCAA Champions and should be even better this year with new incoming freshman. After the game I hung out with brother Tyler Thornton for the rest of the night and had a really good time. So the trip was great.

Tanveer Bhullar ’13 of Canada – Georgetown – The visit to Georgetown was great. We (my brother Sim and I) got to tour their campus and saw how new some of the buildings were and how much stuff they have in one place. Their gym was sort of old but they’re building a new facility and practice court. We met with the coaching staff and talked to them. We saw a bit of their practice, as well.

Da’Shawn Suber ’12 of New York - West Virginia – It was good. It is always fun when you’re at West Virginia. They make you feel like family when you come down there. I went last year so there were no real surprises. I had a great time though.

Rodney Purvis ’12 of North Carolina – Duke – It was an amazing experience, being in that the atmosphere meant a lot. The fans are great. They showed me a lot of love! Afterwards, myself and all of the recruits went in to the locker room and interacted with the players. My family and I really enjoyed our time at Duke!

Ishmail Wainwright ’13 of Missouri – Kansas – It was crazy! My first time at Midnight Madness. Late Night at Kansas was crazy! The videos were giving me goosebumps. The crowd was going wild. The dances that the players did were funny; they looked silly.

Nerlens Noel ’13 of Massachusetts – Providence – I enjoyed Providence Midnight Madness and all of their fans. They had a lot of enthusiasm and that meant a lot.

Austin Colbert ’13 of New Jersey – Georgetown – It was a great experience getting invited to a fun event. To cap it off we had a tour of the campus.

Perry Ellis ’12 of Kansas – Memphis – His Mother, Fonda- We had a meeting with Coach Josh Pastner at 4pm followed by Perry and his brothers hanging out with the players and other recruits at 5pm. The players rode on a bus to the FedEx Forum. My husband, Will, and I watched the women’s team workout. Our daughter, Savannah, plays for Memphis’ women’s basketball team. We caught up with the boys before Midnight Madness started. Coach Jack Murphy escorted us in. Once we sat down the fans behind us chanted ‘Perry Ellis’ for a long time. The event was great. We were there last year, too, and I didn’t think it could get better but it did. They had great fan support; it was packed. They even had fireworks in the building. It was great and Yo Gotti, the rapper, performed. They had great former players there like Chris Douglas-Roberts, Rudy Gay, Penny Hardaway and Brandon Jennings. The atmosphere was amazing. Perry and his brothers had a great time. It was great seeing our daughter, Savannah, as a senior now. Coach Pastner is great. He is the same way now that he was when we first met him. He is a head coach now but still remains the same person and treats us the same way he did as an assistant coach and I respect that. He is building Memphis back and it is exciting to see.

(Photos courtesy of Rivals)

By Alex Kline

In 1987, a star was born in the state of New York. Standing at 6-foot-6, Danny Green dominated high school basketball while playing at St. Mary’s in Manhasset. Green went on to become one of the most highly recruited players in New York. In 2004, Danny committed to North Carolina on a full ride scholarship. With the Tar Heels, Green was a 1,000 point scorer and ultimately one of the winningest players in school history. He current plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers and is in his second year in the NBA.

Now, set the time frame to 2010, where a new star has arrived on the circuit. Devonte Green, an 8th grader at Rober Moses Middle School in North Babylon, New York, is making a name for himself. As his cousin, Gerald, a former NBA Lottery pick from a few years back, along with his other brother, Rashad, who played at Manhattan and San Francisco, Devonte has some big shoes to fill.

While the younger Green has a long path to travel, he is ready to follow in his brother’s footsteps and make a name for himself. “The positive part of being the brother of an NBA player is that he’s already been through the process of making it to the league, so he knows what I have to do to get there, as well,” he stated. ”At the same time, the negative part of being the brother of an NBA player is that everyone knows who you are. So that automatically puts my name on the list that everyone wants to go at. Plus everyone expects me to be better or just as good as my brother, which puts a lot of pressure on me.”

The brother’s made be separated by a distance as Danny is currently playing in Cleveland, but that doesn’t keep them far apart. ”Me and Danny are very close because he’s always been there for me; even when our dad got arrested,” Devonte said. “He was there to take care of me and I look up to him, not just as a basketball player, but as a person in general.”

Green has all the motivation in the world but keeps it simple as he steps onto the court with his New York Gauchos squad. “I don’t have a big story about me,” he said. “Every time I step out on the court, I go out there and just play my game.” While it is simple, the middle schooler remains humble and hungry. He has been playing for the North Babylon Varsity Basketball team for the last two seasons, despite being extremely young. Next year, however, he may be attending a bigger high school for his freshman year. “I am at North Babylon for now,” he stated. “I’m looking at St. Patrick’s, Oak Hill, Christ the King, Rice and others.”

With an excellent jump shot, the combo guard is already hearing from a few colleges but has no idea where he wants to look at yet. As he continues to follow in the footsteps of his cousin and brothers, Devonte Green looks to continue his success on and off the court. As he overcomes the odds of life, the youngster will be a star in the near future.

(Photo courtesy of Basketball Spotlight)

By Alex Kline

When Ronshad Allen-Shabazz was playing with the Showtime All-Stars in Maryland, he was noticed by a certain coach. “Coach Van Whitfield from Princeton Day Academy (MD) was at the game,” he said. “I had about 26 points and I talked with him afterwards about going to his school and what it would be like.” Later, Whitfield offered Ronshad a scholarship to attend his school, a basketball powerhouse.

Allen-Shabazz is from North Carolina and is currently in the 8th grade. He will stay at Princeton Day Academy (MD) for his high school years.

At 6-foot-1, the Raleigh native is a crafty guard who has a big time mid range jump shot. He has a good range from beyond the arc and is a stellar scorer. Ronshad needs to work on getting to the basket with his right basket. At only 160 pounds, he struggles to go to the basket strong with defenders around.

As only an eight grader, Allen-Shabazz says that his dream college is Clemson. He doesn’t know which schools are looking at him just yet. However, once he gets to high school, Ronshad Allen-Shabazz will be a big name to look at.

(Photo courtesy of Basketball Spotlight)

By Alex Kline

The class of 2013 in the state of Texas is stacked with talent. Two shooting guards in particular are making a name for themselves.

Keith Frazier, a 6-foot-5 shooter out of Irving High School is ranked in the top 10 of his class along with Lone Star State native Matt Jones, a 6-foot-4 shooter from DeSoto High School.

Jones can really shoot the rock and one of the best in the country at it. He needs some work on his ball handling, though, which is inconsistent at times. Frazier can shoot with deep range. He finishes with contact in the lane as he can be a slasher, as well. With a lean body, Keith has a solid ability to push the ball up the court and make a play through traffic. His left hand needs to be incorporated more in his game. His defense and rebounding skills are not all the way there yet, but Frazier makes up for it with his scoring ability.

At this point, Matt Jones is hearing from “Missouri, Baylor, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, Houston, Creighton and more.” Jones has recently visited Baylor, Missouri and Texas A&M. Matt already has a few offers in his corner this early into his career. Keith is hearing from similar teams in “Baylor, Tennessee, Texas and Kansas,” but is also being looked at by “Marquette, Indiana, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Oregon, West Virginia, Arizona and Syracuse.” With offers from Texas, Kansas and Baylor, Frazier has already visited the three schools.

Matt wasn’t always the special talent that he is to this very day. “When I was young, I made my AAU team because my friend who also played for them wouldn’t play until I could play,” he said. “I wasn’t that good back then. It really motivated me.” Keith, on the other hand, has a different inspiration. “Looking at the top players in the nation and watching them on YouTube builds a fire inside of me,” Frazier stated. “People say I can’t do this and I can’t do that, it makes me want to work so much hard. My mom is struggling and I don’t want to see that. I want to work hard for her.”

While Keith Frazier and Matt Jones are very different people, they are very similar on the court and with their goals. The two are ranked in the top-10 in their class and continue to impress on and off the court.

(Photos courtesy of Matt and Keith)

By Alex Kline

New York City is known for it’s famous point guards. From Sebastian Telfair to Nate Archibald and Kenny Smith to Kenny Anderson, New York is the hometown of point guards. For a few years, there has been an absence of that. Meet the next great one in the line of point guards from the Empire State, Terrence Samuel.

Samuel plays high schools hoops for South Shore High School and runs with New Heights on the AAU circuit. The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard originally played for the Brooklyn Ballers until he made the move to play for the New York powerhouse of New Heights.

The sophomore sensation is under the radar but starting to gain some publicity after a great summer. Samuel is a slasher who has a deadly pull-up jumper at the same time. Terrence’s handle and distribution skills are solid for a point guard of his level. He is not flashy but he can really put the rock on the floor and make a play. While his jumper is money, his outside shot is something he needs to improve on. Samuel is a subpar three-point shooter who continues to work hard in the gym to improve on that part of his game.

The 2013 guard is starting to grab attention from a number of Big East schools. ”Villanova, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Pittsburgh, Louisville, LSU and George Mason are showing me interest, so far,” Samuel stated. With offers from Villanova, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Terrence feels pretty confident about these schools as the Big East teams continue to watch him during open gym workouts this fall. As colleges are showing interest, Terrence has not taken any visits yet.

One school stands out the most to Terrence, however. “Kentucky is my dream school,” he stated. It clearly makes sense as the Wildcats are a point guard oriented school as John Calipari has helped his point guards become stars at the next level.

Whether he ends up a Wildcat or not, one thing is certain, Terrence Samuel is going to be a big time name in the class of 2013. The star New York guard is here to stay; remember his name.

(Photo courtesy of the NY Post)

By Alex Kline

Ricardo Ledo, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Rhode Island, is digging deep into the recruiting process. Ledo, a junior who attends South Kent Prep in Connecticut, has narrowed down his list and is starting to think a lot more about his recruitment.

Asked on a time-frame for when he would make a decision on college, Ricky responded, “I don’t know about very soon but in the near future I can see myself making a decision.” During the summer, Ledo was looking at about twenty schools from all around the country. In recent months, the talented scorer has made some tough decisions. “I have narrowed it (my list) down to a few schools,” he stated. “Kentucky, Syracuse, West Virginia, Louisville, Villanova, Texas and Providence.”

As it was a bit surprising to see Pittsburgh not make the list, Ledo believes he has a solid list of schools. His AAU teammate with Expressions out of Massachusetts, Khem Birch, is committed to the Big East school.

While Kentucky was recently profiled as one of the many schools to check out Ricardo during an open gym at South Kent Prep, he remains wide open. The junior claims offers from all seven of the schools on his list.

With Midnight Madness coming up this week, Ricardo has no plans of visiting anywhere. “I haven’t take any unofficial visits in recent memory, nor have I set up any visits for the future,” he stated.

Ledo is new to an outstanding South Kent team which features Rutgers commits Derrick Randall and Kadeem Jack, along with St. John’s pledge, Maurice Harkless. Ricardo, being one year younger, has learned a lot from the seniors. He has big aspirations for his first year at South Kent, which he is enjoying. “I look to become an all around better player and want to become stronger,” he said. “I want to do well in the classroom, as well.”

(Photo courtesy of ESPN)

By Alex Kline

George Fant, a 6-foot-6 forward from Kentucky, is off the board.

Fant, a standout on the court for All-Ohio Red, chose Western Kentucky over Penn State today. “George Fant is a Hilltopper,” Fant’s AAU coach Benji Burke said. Fant decided last night and had a tough time doing it. “I heard about it,” said his future teammate at Western Kentucky – Derrick Gordon. “He told me about his decision last night.”

The forward joins a tremendous 2011 class put together by Hilltoppers Head Coach Ken McDonald. George joins New Jersey combo guard Derrick Gordon out of St. Patrick’s, along with a recent pickup in 7-foot big man, Deng Leek. Western Kentucky may not be done yet as they could add a fourth piece to the 2011 class. “We might get Cezar Guerrero,” Gordon stated. Guerrero is a crazy 6-foot guard out of California who recently visited.

As for Fant, his AAU Coach believes that he will make an excellent contribution to the team. “George Fant will be a dominant player before he leaves that conference,” Burke said. “It’s a great get for the Hilltoppers.”

George is scheduled to make his college announcement today during a press conference at Warren Central High School (KY).

(Photo courtesy of the Courier Journal)