By Alex Kline

This weekend, a number of talented players were offered. Three big scholarships were distributed from an ACC, Big-10 and Big East school to three rising underclassmen.

After a thrilling victory over DeMatha (MD) on Friday night, 2013 6-foot-4 Paul VI (VA) guard Stanford Robinson received a long awaited offer. With Marquette, UMass, Virginia and Virginia Tech, as well as Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon in attendance, Robinson played very well in the upset victory. Maryland decided to offer the talented guard a scholarship the following day. The Terps join the Hokies, Golden Eagles, Minutemen and Cavaliers, as well as Drexel, Miami, NC State, Pittsburgh, Villanova, South Florida, Seton Hall, VCU and Xavier to offer the Team Takeover (DC) standout.

Earlier in the week, 2014 6-foot-4 guard JaQuan Lyle of Evansville Bosse (IN) attended the Ohio State-Michigan Basketball game. On Saturday, Lyle took an unofficial visit to the Buckeyes’ campus and left with a scholarship offer from Thad Matta and company. The talented sophomore guard, who has averaged a near triple-double this season, is being carted by the entire Big-10, among other schools. He took in the Wisconsin-Illinois Basketball game the weekend before – the Illini have offered – and he also has offers from Indiana, Xavier, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State and several others.

After playing his first game in front of legendary coach Jim Boeheim, Isaiah Briscoe picked up an offer from Syracuse on Sunday night. A 2015 6-foot-3 point guard from St. Benedict’s (NJ), Briscoe is the younger brother of Iasia Hemingway, a senior of the Syracuse women’s basketball team. The freshman guard already had offers from Miami, Arizona, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, DePaul and Baylor. Besides the local schools, Briscoe has been to the Syracuse campus on multiple occasions to see his sister, as well as to take in Midnight Madness last October with his teammate, Tyler Ennis, who received an offer from the Orange back in December.

(Photos courtesy of DMV Elite, Rivals and St. Benedict’s)

By Alex Kline

Coming into his freshman year of high school, the pressure and hype of Kavon Stewart was fairly high. Currently in his junior year, the talk and attention has drifted away from Stewart towards his teammates, but he remains optimistic on the court.

A 2013 5-foot-11 point guard from Hudson Catholic in New Jersey, the junior has improved upon a number of parts to his game. With a much better pull up jump shot, Stewart’s increased strength and muscle definition is evident on the court. Clearly – because of his size – he needs to continue to add muscle and be able to finish at the rim with contact. He also needs to take more of a leadership position as the floor general and get used to running plays on the court. Because of his slick speed and excellent ball handling skills, Stewart plays a street ball type of game but can be limited in certain offensive systems. This is where choosing a college will determine how successful he can be at the next level.

Currently, a few schools who have offered Stewart are in solid contention for the guard. He lists scholarships from, “Rutgers, UMass, Cincinnati and Towson,” with interest from, “Xavier, Miami, Florida International and a few others.” The Minutemen of Massachusetts are one of two schools in the Atlantic-10 who have made a strong impression on the New Jersey native.

“UMass is the school recruiting me the hardest,” he said. “I’m really cool with Coach Kellogg and think he’s a great teacher of the game.”

Stewart went on to mention another A10 program he is interested in.

“I am really waiting on an offer from Xavier,” Stewart said. “I love their offense and the freedom a guard like Tu Holloway has for them.”

The junior point guard hopes to get on a few college campuses before the summer is over, including Miami, Florida International, UMass and Xavier. Whether or not more schools offer is to be determined, but Stewart is part of a very talented Hudson Catholic team, never the less.

While he may not be the player that was as highly hyped heading into high school, Kavon Stewart has a chance to enter college in a big way as the floor general and his team has the goal of winning a county, state and TOC championship before Stewart graduates in 2013.

“As long as we’re winning, that’s what matters,” he said.

(Photo courtesy of NorthJersey.com)

By Alex Kline

Not since Danilo Galinari of the New York Knicks has a native of Italy made such a splash on the American basketball scene. While Galinari did it at the professional level, one senior is making his presence felt in the high school game.

Amedeo Della Valle is a 2012 6-foot-6 point guard attending Findlay Prep in Nevada. Right off the bat, Della Valle’s skills and size strike many suitors as he has great size and continues to grow as he came in at 6-foot-5 to begin his senior year. An import from Italy, the big guard came to Las Vegas with more than hopes of attaining his basketball dream.

“I came to America because I love the country,” he said. “It can provide me with a great opportunity and the experience itself can make me a better person.”

Due to his size, Della Valle creates a number of mismatches on the court. At the same time, he has not had much of an opportunity to play the point guard with teammates, Nigel Williams-Goss and Oregon signee Dominic Artis, running the show at the point. He has exhibited a number of talents though, as he has great court vision and shooting ability for a big guard. In college, he could be placed at various positions, which makes his stock even higher for someone who will sign in the spring. In order to take his game to the next level, it is the off court preparation in his lifting and strength that will help him have a successful college career.

Currently, the talented guard has a number of options around the United States. He has received offers from, “UConn, Arizona, Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, California, Loyola Marymount, Portland, Utah, Oklahoma State and UCLA.” Ohio State also recently reached out to Della Valle and could be out to watch him play again after seeing him at the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts.

With a decision looming after the season, Della Valle’s recruitment has been slow, as of now. He has only taken one visit – an unofficial to Arizona with his teammate and Wildcats signee Brandon Ashley.

“I want to wait it out a little bit,” he said. “My goal is to get as comfortable with the coaches and campuses as possible.” With Ohio State looming around his recruitment, official and unofficial visits are expected to be setup in the near future.

(Photo courtesy of Draftology.com)

By Alex Kline

As the recruiting process begins early for most basketball players, it is evident that the class of 2016 is about the get noticed. Before they break out, Rob Brown of Team Final hosted the Nike PreDraft Camp at Life Center Academy in Burlington, New Jersey. The camp featured 150 of the top middle schoolers around, including the future of the Nike EYBL squad, Team Final. While they may be young, here are four players that stood out.

Terquin “Buddah” Mott – A 2016 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Mott is the son of Terquin Mott – A former standout at Coppin State and La Salle, who played for the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves. A Dion Waiters clone, Mott is a big, bulky guard who has the power to play in the post because of the size advantage for his age. Mott will play high school ball at Life Center and is running with Team Final on the AAU scene. With a solid jumper, he can also attack the basket and has a great inside-outside game where he can play in and out of the post, as well as on the wing. The rising star has the potential of being a point forward who could play high-major basketball. Similar to Waiters, a star in high school and currently at Syracuse, he is mentally inconsistent and gets frustrated as a result of his mistakes on the court. His basketball IQ needs to improve, as well as his decision making at times. Mott could grow to 6-foot-7 by the summer and is projected to potentially hit 6-foot-9. Whether he stays his size or grows, we could be looking at a Kyle Anderson type of player down the road. Buddah Mott’s dream schools are Syracuse, Ohio State and Kentucky.

Vaughn Covington – A 2016 5-foot-11 point guard, Covington was by far the best pure point guard in attendance at the camp. With a father who played professional basketball overseas, Covington has a body similar to Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics. While he lacks strength, the physicality to rebound and needs to work on his shot selection, Covington has the potential to be the real deal because of his abilities and upside. A leader and floor general, the soon to be freshman can shoot the rock and excels at passing. Covington has a high basketball IQ and is a true point guard who makes the right decisions on the court. With a dream school of Syracuse, he must make a high school decision first. The New Jersey native is looking at Neumann Goretti (PA), Roman Catholic (PA), Life Center and St. Andrew’s (DE). If he can reach his projected height of 6-foot-3, look for Covington to be one of the premier point guards to come out of the area for the class of 2016.

Marquis Collins - A 2016 6-foot-3 small forward from Chester, Pennsylvania, Collins is the cousin of one of the top players in the state. A cousin of 2014 Roman Catholic (PA) guard Shep Garner, the similarities are uncommon. At the same time, the two could end up being very different players because of size and position. Collins, who is considering Roman Catholic and Chester (PA), is projected to grow to 6-foot-8 at his climax. An excellent defender, who can alter shots and rebound well on both ends, the eighth grader has good side and ability. He can score at times but is a much better defender than an offensive threat. He has great handle, but must work on his jumpshot and get stronger to make an impact at the high school level. Depending on how tall he grows, Collins could be very good. Never the less, anyone who can play on-ball defense to his level is needed at the varsity level. Marquis Collins is leaning towards joining 2013 star Rondae Jefferson at Chester next year, but nothing is official at this time.

Tyus Battle – A 2016 6-foot-4 combo guard/wing, Battle had the most potential at the camp. For more on his evaluation and high school decision, along with some college interest, check out his Recruit Scoop feature here. A Michael Gilchrist/Penny Hardaway comparison, Battle will play at Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ) next year. He is already drawing interest from Seton Hall, Rutgers and Cincinnati.

(Photos courtesy of BBallSpotlight.com and Marquis)

By Alex Kline

After making moves to new prep schools in New Hampshire, sophomores Jared Terrell and Abdul-Malik Abu are having big years for their schools.

Terrell, a 2014 6-foot-3 shooting guard from New Hampton School, has emerged as one of the premier scorers nationally in his class. A power guard with an excellent body and athleticism, he has become an elite defender, as well. Because of his body and overall size for a guard, his aggressive style of play makes him a threat not only on the defensive side but the offensive end when he attacks the rim. Terrell can also shoot the rock as he is a key factor for a New Hampton team that also features 2014 stud Noah Vonleh, Notre Dame bound Zach Auguste and Boston College bound Olivier Hanlan.

He currently has a mass amount of college coaches calling about him. Terrell has scholarship offers from, “Providence, Cincinnati, Temple, St. John’s, DePaul, Boston College, Miami, Virginia Tech, UMass and Rutgers,” with interest from, “UConn, Tennessee, West Virginia, NC State, Iowa State, Memphis and Pittsburgh.” It is still very early in Terrell’s recruitment and there do not appear to be any favorites or schools recruiting him harder than others. Look for even more schools to get involved during the spring.

Abu, a 2014 6-foot-7 combo forward from Kimball Union, is quietly emerging on some college coaches radars and is working his way up. With a big body, as well, he may be a bit undersized in height but he makes up for it with his stature and high basketball IQ. A true team player, he tries his best to get his teammates involved. The sophomore has a similar game to Penn State bound forward Brandon Taylor, who is a similar size but is playing at a high level. Abu does not have a consistent jumper like Taylor’s, but he must work on his handle to play at the next level, especially if he wants to go high-major.

If he grows an extra inch or two, Abu’s stock could rise. He is already garnering plenty of attention from coaches, nonetheless. He currently maintains offers from, “Iowa State, New Hampshire, UMass, Wisconsin and Michigan State,” with interest from, “Rutgers, Providence, Cincinnati, Tennessee and Oklahoma.” His recruitment could certainly be bolstered by an extra inch of growth, but if not look for him to still end up playing at a very high level in college.

The natives of Massachusetts, and Expressions Elite teammates, will be playing together at the 2012 Mary Kline Classic on Saturday, May 5th at 5pm in Pennington, New Jersey.

(Photo courtesy of Rivals and Expressions)

By Alex Kline

Hidden in the state of Delaware may be two of the most talented sophomores in the northeast.

2014 duo Ben Bentil, a 6-foot-8 power forward, and Austin Tilghman, a 6-foot-1 point guard, are making the most of their impressive gym at St. Andrew’s in Delaware. Bentil – originally from Ghana – is projected to breakout this year, according to his high school and AAU coach Terrell Myers, who played professionally overseas. As Bentil has already matched up and played well against Villanova bound Daniel Ochefu, he will have to make the most of his talented, bulky point guard – Tilghman – and their newly merged AAU team, ECE/NJABC, this spring and summer.

Bentil is a high octane big man with plenty of energy, strength and athleticism. He is controlled, yet aggressive when he has to be and is a force down low. The sophomore is a strong transition player, but is also working on becoming a much better shooter and becoming an all-around talent on the offensive side of the ball.

Currently, he is being targeted by Indiana, Penn State, Villanova, Rutgers, La Salle, Delaware, Temple and St. Joe’s, among others. Bentil has offers but is currently not focused on the recruiting process as he continues to develop on the court. He visited Villanova unofficially for their Midnight Madness in the fall and enjoyed it. He has also been to numerous St. Joseph’s Basketball games over the course of the season. As Bentil has been to numerous college campuses, he always goes with his close friend and teammate, Austin Tilghman.

With great court vision and the ability to setup and convert the pick and roll with Bentil, the sophomore point guard is extremely gifted. Tilghman uses his bulky body to get to the hole and create matchup problems against smaller guards who are not as strong. While he lacks a jumper coming off of screens, Tilghman intends to improve upon this area before he takes his game to the next level.

The talented floor general has similar college choices to his teammate and acknowledges he has been to St. Joseph’s a lot. He has taken an interest in them and they have certainly reciprocated. On that notion; however, he has no offers at the moment and i hearing from a variety of schools ranging from the Atlantic-10 to Big East.

Together, these two could go as a package deal or go their own ways. Tilghman and Bentil are a very young, dynamic duo who has amazing chemistry and have yet to break onto the scene as national names. After this summer, that may change permanently.

(Photo courtesy of St. Andrew’s)

By Alex Kline

Lenny Kadisha is only 14-years old, yet the hard working freshman has a boatload of potential that could get him very far.

A 2015 6-foot-4 combo guard from Wadleigh High in New York, Kadisha is averaging 9 points and 10 rebounds per game during his freshman campaign as a starter for the 15-5 Manhattan PSAL AA squad. While he has not yet received the attention or hype of most players from the Big Apple, Kadisha is bound to be a hidden gem that schools have already found out about.

The strong guard goes hard to the basket as he uses his athleticism to make the impossible look easy at times. With some comparisons to NC State signee Rodney Purvis, Kadisha does his job as a combo guard by getting his teammates involved through his high basketball IQ, passing ability and the tools to score it himself. With most of the tools to succeed on the court, the freshman simply plays like a freshman at times. Kadisha gets in slumps and can be streaky at times. Being that he is a freshman, the guard will likely get out of this mental funk with more experience at the high school level. If he can do this – with his size, talent and ability to work for his goals – Kadisha is bound to be one of the top guards to come out of the tri-state area in 2015.

A number of schools have already taken a liking to the freshman. Kadisha received a scholarship offer from Arizona on Thursday. Along with the Wildcats, he has offers from Iowa State, St. John’s and Providence. Along with that, he has interest from Memphis, Rutgers and a number of other schools. Kadisha has taken an unofficial visit to St. John’s and plans on visiting Providence in the spring.

This spring and summer he will begin to receive more attention as he will be participating at the Reebok Breakout Camp, Pangos All American Camp and Mary Kline Classic.

As New York has been known for producing some of the top guards over the past few decades, Lenny Kadisha’s size and talent could determine his status as one of the better guards of the 21st century out of the state.

(Photo courtesy of Wadleigh Basketball)

By Alex Kline

After having a dominant performance with Team Loaded of Virginia this summer, Markell Lodge began to make his name known as one of the premier players in the state.

A 2014 6-foot-7 small forward from Miller School in Virginia, Lodge has been bombarded by college coaches this fall after his teammate, Andrew White, became one of the top seniors in the country. White ended up committing to Kansas, but not before the bouncy forward was seen by dozens of division one coaches. This led him to his first scholarship offer – earlier in the year – from George Mason.

An above the rim type of player, Lodge struggles with his jumper. At the same time, he makes up for it with his length and ability to get to the rim. An amazing athlete, the sophomore excels at rebounding and can also play a power game as he can post up defenders while on offense. His athleticism, though, makes him an elite player who could easily have a dozen high major offers by the end of the year.

While the Patriots are the only one to offer, Lodge says that South Carolina is recruiting him the hardest. Along with the Gamecocks, he has interest from, “Virginia, Washington State, Appalachian State, NC State, Notre Dame, Clemson and Virginia Tech.” He has not taken any visits yet; however, the bouncy forward plans on visiting NC State and George Mason in the near future.

(Photo courtesy of the Daily Progress)

By Alex Kline

As the new Miami basketball staff has deep roots in the Northeast, the staff went to see a number of New Jersey teams play in New York - including the Hurricanes’ own 2012 signee, Melvin Johnson.

As Miami head coach Jim Larranaga saw St. Benedict’s defeat Upper Room Christian of New York by a score of 114-44, the ‘Canes head man not only saw the talented shooting guard drop 26 points, but noticed two other players. Miami offered 2013 6-foot-7 Canadian combo forward Isaiah Watkins on the spot, as well as 2015 6-foot-2 point guard Isaiah Briscoe.

Watkins has a long list of suitors with plenty of offers and interest – including – Arkansas, Bucknell, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Harvard, Indiana, Iowa State, Penn, Rice St. Bonaventure, Temple and many more. After only playing 17 games in America thus far, Watkins has already become nationally ranked and is rising as one of the premier under the radar talents for the class of 2013.

Briscoe, only a freshman, now has offers from the Hurricanes, along with Baylor, Pittsburgh, DePaul, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Seton Hall and Arizona. A number of schools, including Florida, Syracuse and UConn, are coming on strong from a standpoint of interest. Briscoe has been to the Seton Hall and Rutgers campus, as well as Syracuse for Midnight Madness.

On Monday, Miami assistant coach Mike Huger traveled to Baruch College in New York, where he took in the action of Davon Reed. A 2013 6-foot-6 combo guard from Princeton Day, Reed earned an offer from the Hurricanes and Cincinnati just minutes after his game concluded. This was due to the fact that he had 26 points, 22 rebounds and 6 blocks in a loss to Bayside (NY). Reed also played well in front of Rutgers, Drexel and Xavier, three schools who have already offered. Along with those five schools, the junior also maintains scholarships from Richmond, VCU, St. Joe’s, La Salle, Seton Hall, Northwestern, Temple, Harvard, Penn State and West Virginia. Look for Reed to take a few unofficial visits in the spring before making a decision at the end of the summer.

All three players will be participating in the 2012 Mary Kline Classic on May 5th at The Pennington School, along with Reggie Cameron, Jared Terrell, Jaren Sina, Chris McCullough, Jared Nickens, DeAndre Bembry and more, who are being carted by the Hurricanes.

(Photos courtesy of NY2LA Sports and Rivals)

By Alex Kline

Rare is the best word to describe Marcus LoVett.

Unnatural is how one would define his ability to score. A 2015 5-foot-10 combo guard from Providence in California, he is a dime a dozen. While most players his age are playing freshmen or junior varsity basketball, LoVett is scoring in bunches for his school. After having games in which he has scored over 20, 30 and 40 points on multiple occasions, his 57-point outburst in LoVett’s sixth varsity game came as his introduction to the high school basketball realm. The scoring stud is averaging nearly 35 points per game this year.

With the ability to score at will – especially for his size – he can also get his teammates involved using his basketball instincts. As LoVett can score in bunches, he must learn to score without the ball in his hands at all times. More than likely – depending on his growth – the California native could play the shooting guard in college. In this case, he will need to learn how to make an impact on the court without the ball in his hands, as well as getting open when opposing schools double team him.

“The reason why my name is starting to get out there is because of the working I’m putting in at the gym,” he said. “These late nights I’m working hard on my game when everyone else is out having a good time while I’m sweating hard in the gym.”

After the 57-point performance, schools from around the west coast are all over him. As a freshman, the Providence standout has already gained scholarship offers from, “UC-Irvine, Arizona, USC, Stanford and Washington.” LoVett also has interest from, “UCLA, Colorado, UNLV, Oregon State and Arizona State.” He has taken unofficial visits to the UCLA and UC-Irvine campus, and has also went to the Arizona-USC basketball game, recently.

As most players on the west coast have yet to make themselves national names outside of Shabazz Muhammad and Brandon Ashley, could the freshman phenom that is Marcus LoVett become the next great player from the west coast?

(Photo courtesy of Under Armour)