By Alex Kline

With a name like Goodluck Okonoboh, you would think that he would have an interesting story of how they got their name. With this story, there was plenty of good luck.

“When I was a baby in my mom’s stomach my dad was a cab driver, and one day he was taken to a dead end and shot in the chest by some thugs,” Goodluck recounts. “The bullet pierced his heart and the doctors told my mom that he wasn’t going to make it, and the best thing she could do was put him on life support for the night.”

The next morning, however, the doctor went to check on his father. “Everything was running fine. The doctors have never seen anything like this happen and couldn’t believe my father had lived.” The next week, their son was born. The boy would be named Goodluck because “while he was suffering all he was thinking about was living to see my face, to not die without seeing his unborn son, and the fact that not everyone in the world is lucky enough to have a father.”

With good morals and an amazing story, Goodluck Okonoboh is about to create a story to tell his kids. As a 6-foot-9 forward who attends the Tilton School in Massachusetts, Okonoboh is currently one of the top sophomores in the country.

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(Photo courtesy of Goodluck)

By Alex Kline

When Kevin Thomas was younger, he had aspirations of becoming a great basketball player.

“I used to sleep with my basketball at night,” he stated. “I thought that the game would come easier to me.”

Although this is not exactly the case, Thomas has become one of the premier players in Canada on the AAU scene, as well as during the high school season in North Carolina.The 6-foot-7 forward plays for Coach Ro Russell with Grassroots Canada and Christian Faith Academy (NC). Thomas is a very good scorer and can get buckets in a number of different ways. While he usually gets to the rim and scores, Thomas has the ability to pop out and hit a midrange shot. He can shoot but with limited range as he hasn’t developed much of an outside shot yet. His strength is an area of question, too. As of now, Thomas would be an ideal fit to play small forward in college.

The senior is waiting to sign in the late period but will not take much longer to decide. “I should be making my decision next month (December),” he stated. “I’m starting to feel comfortable with certain schools but I’m not too sure yet.” Thomas hopes to “take more visits” and recently took unofficial visits to NC State and Wake Forest in the fall. Kevin has plans to visit Texas soon but no date has been setup yet.

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(Photo courtesy of Rivals)

By Alex Kline

As the year 2010 began and a new decade was off and running, life for Anthony Norris was fantastic. The 6-foot-6 small forward out of Christian Life High School in Texas was considered a 4-star prospect and ranked in the top thirty five in the country for the class of 2011. Eleven days into the new year, Anthony made a decision that would change his life forever. The junior verbally committed to his favorite school, Memphis.

An athletic wing who runs the floor well, Norris struggled over the summer on the AAU circuit but is determined to finish his senior year of basketball on a high note.

Before the summer ended, Anthony had to make a difficult decision as he parted ways with Coach Josh Pastner and the Tigers. “I decommitted from Memphis because it was the best situation for my family,” he stated. As he looked back on the decision five months after it occurred, Norris believed that “it was the right decision considering the fact that they have eight players for the class of 2010.”

As the months went by, he continuously stayed out of the spotlight in order to work on his game. When asked who the unsigned senior was being recruited by, Norris was brutally honest. “I’m not really being recruited right now,” he said. As shocking as it sounds for someone to go from a top thirty five player in the country to being unrecruited, this is what happened to Anthony Norris.

While he will still search for a college in the future, there is a more likely destination for him. “I’ll probably go prep,” he stated. “I’m going to make a decision at the end of the high school basketball season. If I do go prep, I’ll stay at Christian Life in Texas.”

Some may be doubting Anthony Norris at the moment and some may believe his chance is over, but for Norris this will just be motivation to fuel his fire and quench his thirst and desire.

(Photo courtesy of Rivals)

By Alex Kline

Recently, the UConn Huskies have been in need of a top shooting guard in their recruiting class. This year, they attempted to recruit Jabari Brown, a 6-foot-5 shooter from California. While he visited and had the Huskies in his top five, Brown ultimately chose Oregon.

Now, Coach Jim Calhoun is on to a new class and a new west coast shooting guard. Gabe York, a top fifty player in the class of 2012, is an impact player from California that looks like he might fit UConn’s needs. While York stands 6-foot-2 and has a completely different body structure from Brown, he can shoot the rock just as well.

When it comes to taking defenders off the dribble, York has improved immensely on that aspect of his game. He is one of the best pure shooters in the nation and has good range to his shot. The Compton Magic standout can also attack the rim and finishes well when he is in transition. While his shot selection isn’t always the best, York needs to improve on his handle. He struggles to break down defenders, which gives him limited opportunities to attack. If York can improve in this area the California native will be one of the best scorers in the country.

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(Photo courtesy of Rivals.com)

By Alex Kline

Over the past seven months, Michael Chandler’s recruitment has been one of the most interesting topics in the country. The 6-foot-10 senior center from Lawrence North High School in Indiana was a solid verbal commitment to Louisville during his junior year. As he was rumored to be struggling in the classroom, Michael made a tough decision and decided to re-open his commitment from Rick Pitino and the Cardinals last spring. While some were shocked, Chandler thought it would be best to focus on his academics.

While most skeptics believed the big man would not qualify, he recently took some action in looking at where he would go to school. Chandler considered UConn, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence, Kentucky and Xavier before he ultimately committed to the Musketeers in late October. As a surprise pickup, Chandler made his pledge to Xavier Coach Chris Mack during an official visit. About three weeks after that Chandler decommited on the first day of the early signing period.

This may seem a bit odd as some would say, but Michael Chandler is not the person most people want to believe he is. He’s not a bad kid. Chandler tries hard in school and has come up with a new work ethic and motive.

According to Chandler, everything is fine. “My grades are fine,” he said by text. “I came a long way. I’m a totally changed person.” As the public has not heard from the prospect all that often, Chandler was asked how he has recently changed. “I’m a way more focused person,” he responded. “I work harder and I’m more accountable for my actions.”

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(Photo courtesy of Rivals)

By Alex Kline

As a Rivals top 135 player in the class of 2012, Charles Mann is one of the top players in the country. Although Mann plays for one of the best AAU teams in the country, basketball wasn’t always so smooth for the junior.

“I went from being a nobody to being put on the map,” Mann stated. “I got with the right AAU team, the Southern Kings, and had an outstanding summer. We made it to Nike Peach Jam. I played with a lot of good talent on the team, which boosted my game.” By the end of the summer, Mann had turned a lot of heads and continues to work hard at his game.

A 6’5 combo guard from Georgia, Mann is primarily a point guard who can score the ball. He attacks the rim at will like a slasher and dishes the rock around like a point guard should. While his jump shot wasn’t too astouding last year, he has improved it in a major way over the past twelve months. Mann needs to get quicker, especially with his feet, for him to become an elite player.

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(Photo courtesy of Charles)

By Alex Kline

While the Kiski Prep (PA) basketball team prepares for their championship game in the National Prep Tip Off Tournament this afternoon, one of the members of their team got some good news a few hours beforehand.

Sophomore center Tanveer Bhullar, who has been receiving interest from multiple colleges, has picked up his first college offer. Standing at 7-foot-2, Bhullar was informed of his offer this morning. “Just got my first offer from Seton Hall,” he wrote via text. While it came as a complete surprise for the up and coming phenom, it left him with a smile on his face. “I’m happy,” Tanveer said. “I didn’t know they were looking at me but it means a lot.”

The first thought that pops into people’s heads when they hear the name Bhullar is Tanveer’s older brother, Sim. The two are originally from Canada, with Indian heritage, where they star on the AAU circuit with Team Takeover Canada. During the high school year, they attend Kiski Prep, a small school in Pittsburgh. As Sim, a 7-foot-4 junior, has already picked up a plethora of offers from high major schools, most were waiting to see just how far his younger brother would come.

It appears as if this is going to be the first of many steps in the sophomore’s career. After watching him last night, Seton Hall also offered his teammate, 6-foot-9 Stefan Jankovic.

(Photo courtesy of Kiski Prep)

By Alex Kline

Before he entered middle school, it was evident that Karl Anthony-Towns was a legit star in the making. As he was ranked in the number one spot for the class of 2015 by multiple scouting sites, Towns has made a big name for himself.

Fast forward a few years and nothing has changed. While Karl has not been hyped up as much now that he is a current eight grader, the future is looking bright for the Garden State baller. Currently, a 14-year old who is 6-foot-7 and 190 pounds, the Piscataway native plans to finish off his middle school career on a high note. “I want to get straight A’s again and play well in my fall league,” he said. “I want to improve on my game. In order to do this, I want to pick a high school and get the decision out of the way early so I can focus on that program and what they require for me to do during the off-season. I want to get myself ready for the next level and make that transition.”

While he plays under Team New Jersey ABC on the AAU circuit, Karl Jr. plays under his father, Karl Sr. As many know, Karl Sr. was a standout player at Monmouth, who led the country in rebounds for a season. Now the older Towns has the challenge of coaching his younger son and developing him into the next great talent. “When it comes to my son, I am more impressed by his humble attitude,” Towns Sr. stated. ”Karl has never been one to take anything for granted. When my son first started liking sports, I just took it for granted and was just happy that he liked sports.” 

As his father reflected on a meaningful moment in the life of his son, Coach Karl Towns Sr. was hit was an influential moment. ”When my dad was about to expire, he was visiting us,” he stated. ”He pulled Karl to the side and told him that he wanted one thing from him and when my son asked him what he wanted, all my dad told him was, be the best you can for your parents and never change your personality. To this day Karl carries that with him and Karl always says that he has to be the best because grandpa is watching. The love we feel for him goes beyond sports.”

While the 6-foot-7 eighth grader has many dimensions to it, he uses every phase. With a solid shot that is developing over the course of time, Towns excels at posting up on defenders and getting to the hole. His ball handling skills are improving and have become very good for his size and age. While he is not the quickest player on the court, he makes an impact in multiple ways. Karl’s defense is improving but with an improvement on his speed and footwork, he can become a special talent. Despite being much bigger than most kids his age, he can play the guard, forward and center positions fairly well. In a way, you could say his game is similar to that of St. Anthony (NJ) guard Kyle Anderson, a 2012 star who is extremely versatile at 6-foot-8.

As Karl Towns Jr. is focusing on picking a high school, he can’t help but enjoy watching the college game. “I have two dream colleges,” he stated. “My dream school is Florida, but I have always loved Rutgers.” The dual sport athlete, who excels at baseball, wants to look at both options for sports so he also likes “Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona State and USC.”

As he is still five years away from college, Towns is now making one of the biggest decisions of his basketball career. He must pick a high school to attend for the coming year. “I am big on some schools already like St. Benedict’s Prep and St. Patrick’s because of my relationships with their former players,” he said. Towns is close with former St. Patrick’s stars Dexter Strickland, a current North Carolina guard, as well as Paris Bennett, a current George Mason forward. On the other hand, he likes a certain coach who is in his first year at a local school. “I love the way Coach Roshown McLeod has made me feel at St. Benedict’s, as well as the staff at St. Patrick’s,” Towns stated. Along with the major basketball schools, he is also highly interested in “Rutgers Prep, Hun, Piscataway, Piscataway Tech and Seton Hall Prep.” However, one small Prep B school is a remotely small town may snag this prospect. “The school that gave me the best feeling recently was The Pennington School,” he stated. “I totally loved it and was very impressed with the coaches and how they feel I can make a big impact at the school.”

With a tough decision brewing, Karl Anthony-Towns and his family plan on making a decision by January at the latest. At this point, Pennington is the current leader for his services but he hopes to setup visits to St. Benedict’s, Hun and St. Peter’s soon. Whichever way you look at it, the talented Garden State native will make an impact on the basketball world starting in 2011. Karl hopes to make it back to the top spot in 2015.

(Photo courtesy of Karl Towns Sr.)



By Alex Kline

For years, Will Wise has been one of the biggest names in Philadelphia. On and off the court, Wise has made his name known.

This was not always the case during his early days as Will struggled throughout his life. Starting at a young age, the young boy who would grow to roam the basketball courts of Philly could not do much with his life. He was bound to a homeless shelter. After transferring from one shelter to another, and yet another, Wise got his big break. At the age of 14, he was adopted. Following that, school became a struggle for Will as he had to transfer to seven different schools in eight years.

“Life was crazy,” he stated. “But I adjusted to it. It got us to moving around a lot so I dealt with it. He went on to say, “It’s crazy because if you look at me now, you would of never known that I was without a home and a guardian from the ages of eleven to fourteen because of the way that I act. I’m silly and play around but I’ve been through some real horrifying situations. The reason I always keep my head is because i have a strong will.”

As Will was not determined to let the past determine who he was, the tall boy would watch movies with a pen and paper in hand. Using the paper and pen, Wise wrote down parts about the movie that were negative and mentioned how life could always be worse for himself. He had it bad but never wanted to admit it. As Wise copped with everything, he took all his aggression out on the court.

Once he reached high school, the young man played early and often during his early years at Abington Friends High School in Pennsylvania, Will saw some success. When the 6-foot-9 forward received a better opportunity, he decided to head to prep school. The big man entered his junior year at the Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey. After a battle during the regular season, Wise and company led the Raiders to a Prep A State Title game berth against Peddie. While they came up short by a basket, the group reached a high level of expectations.

Entering his senior year, Will had plenty of goals to accomplish. Before the season started, however, he wanted to get one big decision off of his mind. Tonight, the forward has made his college decision and has verbally committed to the University of Maryland Baltimore County. “I committed to UMBC,” he stated with a smile on his face. “I chose to commit there because of my relationship with the coaching staff. The campus was amazing! The school is only forty years old so everything is up to date.” He continued by saying, “I feel like I will be able to make a big impact there early and often.”

While some people are inspired by music, Will is inspired by one quote. “Our deepest fear is not that we’re inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.” As he recited the quote by memory and heart, he has is tattoed on his chest. “This quote changed my life.”

As Will Wise continues with another part of his destiny, the quote will stick with him and so will his heritage and pride. While he may be known for his skills on the court in Philadelphia, he has more heart and passion than any one of the hundreds of dunks that he had thrown down.

(Photo courtesy of The Hoop Group)