Press release by Alex Kline

The 2012 Mary Kline Classic in Pennington, New Jersey, will be hosted on Saturday, May 5th, 2012. The event is expected to top the first annual event last year, which featured numerous talented players, including Khalid Lewis (Delaware), John Johnson (Pittsburgh), Jerrell Wright (La Salle), Khem Birch (UNLV), Devin Coleman (Clemson), Jabril Trawick (Georgetown), Tyler Harris (NC State), Will Wise (UMBC), Jordan Allen (Hofstra), Angel Nunez (Louisville), Isaiah Williams (Marshall) and many other talented student athletes.

In the 2nd annual event, a dunk contest and three-point shootout will be highlighted by two games. The senior game featuring twenty-six of the top 2012 players from the east coast will participate in the event. A new addition has been added to the event with the underclassmen game, featuring some of the top freshmen, sophomores and juniors from around the east coast. This year’s crop at the Mary Kline Classic is anticipated to be the best yet with all players participating being of a division one basketball caliber, as well as potential professional basketball players.

All proceeds raised from the game will be donated to the National Brain Tumor Society in support of cancer research. As $7,300 was raised last year, we are currently at $3,600 for this year. If you would like to make a contribution to the 2012 Mary Kline Classic, please email Alex Kline at AlexKlineBasketball@Yahoo.com. The game is in honor of Kline’s late mother, Mary, who passed away from a brain tumor over seven years ago. Admission into the event is a $10 donation.

The Mary Kline Classic would like to thank Vincent Robinson of The Robinson School for contributing uniforms, as well as Patrick Coombs of Reebok for contributing Zigtech sneakers.

THE EVENT WILL BE HOSTED ON SATURDAY, MAY 5TH FROM 5PM-9:30PM AT THE PENNINGTON SCHOOL – 112 WEST DELAWARE AVENUE IN PENNINGTON, NEW JERSEY. PLAYERS SHOULD ARRIVE AROUND 1:45PM FOR PRACTICE, SHOOTAROUND AND A QUICK MEAL. GEAR WILL BE DISTRIBUTED TO EACH PLAYER. ADMISSION IS $10 IN GENERAL, BUT VOLUNTEERS, PARENTS AND PLAYERS ARE ALLOWED IN FREE UNLESS THEY CHOOSE TO CONTRIBUTE. WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE THERE!

Listed below are the four different rosters for the Blue and Red Senior and Underclassmen teams.

Blue Seniors

#33 Eric Fanning – 6’5 wing – Perkiomen (PA) – Team NJABC – Wagner signee

#22 Maurice Watson - 5’9 point guard - Boys’ Latin (PA) – Team Philly – Boston U signee

#35 Phillip Lawrence – 6’7 combo forward – Mount St. Joseph’s (MD) – Philly’s Finest – Marist signee

#30 Brandon Taylor – 6’7 combo forward – Trenton Catholic (NJ) – Team Philly – Penn State signee

#10 Charles Cooke – 6’6 wing – Trenton Catholic (NJ) – Team NJABC – James Madison signee

#44 Blaise Mbargorba – 7’0 center – Peddie (NJ) – NJ Roadrunners – SMU signee

#15 Daniel Ochefu – 6’10 power forward – Westtown (PA) – PTP – Villanova signee

#23 Daiquan Walker – 6’2 point guard – Constitution (PA) – Team Breakdown – Unsigned

#2 Anthony Gaffney – 6’1 combo guard – Taft (CT) – Team NJABC – Princeton Football signee

#14 Marcus Gilbert – 6’6 small forward – Academy of the New Church (PA) – East Coast Elite – Fairfield signee

#0 Bruce Brittingham – 6’0 point guard – Perkiomen (PA) – Team NJABC – Wagner Football signee

#24 Nizar Kapic – 6’6 wing – Perkiomen (PA) – Austria – Unsigned

Red Seniors

#42 Daniel Dingle – 6’7 combo forward – St. Raymond (NY) – Long Island Lightning – Temple signee

#12 Quenton DeCosey – 6’5 wing – St. Joe’s Metuchen (NJ) – Sports University – Temple signee

#1 Alex Mitola – 5’9 shooting guard – Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ) – Hoop Heaven – Dartmouth signee

#55 Dominic Hoffman – 6’7 power forward – Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ) – Hoop Heaven – Bucknell signee

#33 Justin Sears – 6’7 combo forward – Plainfield (NJ) – Sports University – Yale signee

#4 Chris Jones – 6’5 shooting guard – Teaneck (NJ) – NJ Playaz – Unsigned

#35 Neville Fincher – 6’9 power forward – Teaneck (NJ) – NJ Playaz – Unsigned

#25 Brandon Bolden – 6’10 power forward – Quality Education (NC) – Team Nike Florida – Georgetown signee

#2 Dallas Anglin – 6’2 point guard – Seton Hall Prep (NJ) – Sports University – Hofstra signee

#32 Melvin Johnson – 6’2 shooting guard – St. Benedict’s (NJ) – NY Gauchos – Miami signee

#5 Sekou Harris – 5’10 point guard – Plainfield (NJ) – NJ Playaz – Unsigned

#20 Georges Niang – 6’7 combo forward – Tilton (NH) – BABC – Iowa State signee

#14 Nkereuwem Okoro – 6’4 wing – St. Raymond (NY) – Long Island Lightning – Iowa State signee

Blue Underclassmen

#31 Jermaine Lawrence – 2014 6’9 combo forward – Pope John XXIII (NJ) – Positive Direction – Undecided

#11 Isaiah Briscoe – 2015 6’2 point guard – St. Benedict’s (NJ) – NJ Playaz – Undecided

#21 Chris McCullough – 2014 6’8 power forward – Salisbury (CT) – Team Scan – Undecided

#25 Davon Reed – 2013 6’5 combo guard – Princeton Day (NJ) – Team Final – Undecided

#4 Geno Thorpe – 2013 6’1 combo guard – Shaler (PA) – NJ Playaz – Penn State commit

#20 Johnnie Davis – 2013 6’4 wing – Neumann Goretti (PA) – Team Final – Undecided

#3 Conrad Chambers – 2014 6’1 point guard – Friends Central (PA) – Team Scan - Undecided

#12 Tyler Ennis – 2013 6’2 point guard – St. Benedict’s (NJ) – CIA Bounce – Undecided

#32 Jared Terrell – 2014 6’3 shooting guard – New Hampton (NH) – Expressions Elite – Undecided

#35 Abdul-Malik Abu – 2014 6’7 combo forward – Kimball Union (NH) – Expressions Elite – Undecided

#13 Lenny Kadisha – 2015 6’3 combo guard – Wadleigh (NY) – Real Scout - Undecided

#5 Reggie Cameron – 2013 6’7 small forward – Hudson Catholic (NJ) – NJ Playaz – Undecided

#1 Wayne Selden – 2014 6’5 shooting guard – Tilton (NH) – BABC – Undecided

Red Underclassmen

#15 Isaiah Whitehead – 2014 6’4 combo guard – Lincoln (NY) – Juice All-Stars – Undecided

#22 Josh Brown – 2013 6’2 point guard – St. Anthony (NJ) – Sports University – Temple commit

#24 Ben Bentil – 2014 6’8 power forward – St. Andrew’s (DE) – Team ECE/NJABC – Undecided

#30 Allerik Freeman – 2013 6’4 shooting guard – Olympic (NC) – Team Nike Florida – Undecided

#3 Hallice Cooke – 2013 6’3 shooting guard – St. Anthony (NJ) – Sports University – Undecided

#31 Jared Nickens – 2013 6’6 wing – St. Patrick (NJ) – NJ Celtics – Undecided

#0 DeAndre Bembry – 2013 6’6 wing – St. Patrick (NJ) – NJ Celtics – Undecided

#44 Karl Towns – 2015 6’10 combo forward – St. Joe’s Metuchen (NJ) – Sports University – Undecided

#23 Jaren Sina - 2013 6’1 point guard – Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ) – Hoop Heaven – Undecided

#10 Kaison Randolph – 2014 6’2 combo guard – Pennington (NJ) – Team ECE/NJABC – Undecided

#34 Isaiah Watkins – 2013 6’7 power forward – St. Benedict’s (NJ) – CIA Bounce – Undecided

#21 Tyler Roberson – 2013 6’8 combo forward – Roselle Catholic (NJ) – NJ Roadrunners - Undecided

#13 Kamar McKnight – 2015 6’4 point guard – St. Patrick (NJ) – Grassroots Canada – Undecided

Coaches

Blue Team Seniors- Matt Pauls of ECE/NJABC and Terrell Myers of ECE/NJABC

Red Team Seniors – Mergin Sina of Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ)/Hoop Heaven (NJ) and TBD

Blue Team Underclassmen - Billy Diamond of Berkley College (NJ) and Terrance “Munch” Williams of Team Scan

Red Team Underclassmen - Eric Harrield of St. Anthony (NJ)/Sports University (NJ) and a special guest coach.

Contests

Dunk Contest Participants: DeAndre Bembry, Jared Terrell, Marcus Gilbert, Dallas Anglin, Johnnie Davis, Wayne Selden & Neville Fincher

Three-Point Shootout Participants: Blaise Mbargorba, Alex Mitola, Nizar Kapic, Karl Towns, Allerik Freeman, Melvin Johnson, Hallice Cooke & Jared Nickens

The following media is expected to attend the event: SNY, CBS Sports, ScoutsFocus, Ballin 365, CourtCred, 5-Star Basketball, Recruit Recon, City League Hoops, BallasTV, Rivals, Scout, Collegiate Hoops, 24/7 Sports, NJ.com, Trenton Times, MSG Varsity, Philadelphia Inquirer, Hoop Dreams Magazine, Newark Star Ledger, Trentonian, WZBN and more.

(Photos courtesy of NJ.com and NY Post)

By Alex Kline

On Wednesday night, Nerlens Noel – arguably the top player in the class of 2013 – made a drastic decision to alter the fate of high school and college basketball.

According to an ESPN report, Noel will move back to the class of 2012 – his original class – and graduate this year as a senior. A 6-foot-10 center from Tilton School in New Hampshire, and a native of Massachusetts, the top shot blocker in the country has already made some choices in regards to where he is considering for college.

Dave Telep is reporting that the Everett native will take his first visit to Syracuse on February 11th for their game against UConn, a school he is also looking at and has visited. Noel has also been to Providence, but will consider North Carolina, Florida, Georgetown and Kentucky, as well. A decision will come in the spring for him, but this could shape up to be a big recruiting weekend for the Orange. Along with Noel comes Tyler Ennis, a 2013 6-foot-2 point guard from St. Benedict’s in New Jersey, and a native of Canada, who will also be on campus that weekend.

With the decision of Nerlens Noel impacting the class of 2012 and 2013, along with high school and college basketball in general, one has to wonder where arguably the most talented player in the nation will land? If Syracuse can reel him in he would join a duo of DaJuan Coleman and Jerami Grant. One crucial factor in Noel’s recruitment could be the draft status of Orange sophomore center Fab Melo, who may or may not declare for the NBA Draft after the season. Sources indicate that Melo, along with sophomore guard Dion Waiters, are highly considering the move and, in that case, Noel may be able to gain a vast amount of playing time during his freshman year.

Look for Nerlens Noel to make more decisions on visits after February 11th.

(Photo courtesy of ESPN)

By Alex Kline

South Orange has always been a dangerous area but now all crime will be stopped as the “Crime Stopper” himself has landed in New Jersey.

On Friday afternoon, 2013 5-foot-6 point guard Aquille Carr of Patterson High in Maryland verbally committed to Seton Hall in what came as a shocking surprise. Carr announced his decision on his Twitter account and one of his high school coaches confirmed, along with another source close to the situation.

“That’s where he’s going,” said Seth Hoffman, an assistant coach at Patterson (MD), regarding Carr’s choice. “It’s not official until next week. The plan was to do a press conference, but he posted it on Twitter. For all intents and purposes, he’s committed to Seton Hall.”

Carr, who informed The Recruit Scoop on Thursday night that he would making his college decision the following day, claimed he was deciding between the Pirates, Baylor, South Florida, Maryland and Memphis. Although his older sister, Ashlie, said that he had not informed the family he was deciding – along with Carr stating in an interview last week that he would wait until the spring of his senior year to decide – he went along with his choice and accepted a scholarship to attend the Big East school.

While the Pirates pick up one of the top junior point guards in the country, they have also lost out on one for the time being.

Former Alabama commit Jaren Sina, a 2013 6-foot-1 point guard from Gill St. Bernard’s, is no longer considering Seton Hall.

“They are now off the list,” he stated. “I spoke with my dad and he said that they are longer a part of the schools I’m considering.”

Sina – who had been to a number of Seton Hall games and had visited the campus a number of times since re-opening his commitment from the Crimson Tide – will now have some big decisions to make as the Pirates were heavily involved in his recruitment.

Now, it appears that Virginia, Northwestern, Rutgers, St. John’s, Villanova, Kansas, Michigan, West Virginia and a hand full of other schools are in solid shape for Sina, who recently added scholarship offers from the Cavaliers and Wildcats (Northwestern).

Whether one looks at this as a win or loss for Seton Hall, one thing is for certain and this is that Kevin Willard has finally landed his first big time recruit during his tenure in South Orange. After missing out on 2012 St. Anthony star, and now UCLA signee, Kyle Anderson, the Pirates are making noise and could continue to make progress on the recruiting trail.

(Photos courtesy of Rivals)

By Alex Kline

Anton Gill, a 2013 6-foot-2 combo guard from Ravenscroft in North Carolina, is off the board.

On Wednesday afternoon, Gill verbally committed to Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals – something that both he and his AAU coaches, Dwayne West and Brent Murphy of Garner Road.

“Yes it’s official,” Gill said. “Louisville was the best fit for me. I think I can do big things there.”

The North Carolina guard committed one day after another 2013 talent, Brannen Greene, popped for Kansas. Gill chose the Cardinals over Charlotte, Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest, North Carolina and many more. He becomes the first commit in Louisville’s class of 2013.

“He deserves it,” said his coach, Brent Murphy. “He is a good kid who makes all the right plays, works hard on his game and in the classroom. He’s unique in a lot of ways but if I had to pick a player he is similar in comparison to at Louisville it would be Francisco Garcia (referring to the current NBA player who led the Cardinals to the Final Four a few years ago). Francisco’s game comes to mind in correspondence with Anton.”

Despite the difference in height, Gill also draws similarities to current point guard Peyton Siva from a standpoint of his abilities and size. Will Gill lead the Cardinals back to a Final Four – just as Garcia did?

(Photo courtesy of Rivals.com)

Press release by Alex Kline

The roster for the 2012 Mary Kline Classic event is in the process of being announced with spots being filled every week. A charity high school basketball all-star game that features some of the top talent around the east coast is in its second year as Alex Kline will host the event at the Pennington School in New Jersey again.

The official date for the spring event is Saturday, May 5th at 5PM.

The newest change to the Mary Kline Classic is that it will feature two games this year, along with the dunk and three-point contest. The first game will be the underclassmen game, which features freshmen, sophomores, and juniors from the classes of 2015, 2014, and 2013. On top of that, the senior game will feature some of the top talent from the class of 2012.

There are twelve 2011 Mary Kline Classic alumni currently playing division one college basketball. They are Jordan Allen of Hofstra, Khem Birch and John Johnson of Pittsburgh, Angel Nunez of Louisville, Jabril Trawick of Georgetown, Chandler Fraser-Pauls of Lafayette, Khalid Lewis of Delaware, Devin Coleman of Clemson, Tyler Harris of NC State, Isaiah Williams of Marshall, Will Wise of UMBC and Jerrell Wright of La Salle. In the inaugural event, it was the Black team who defeated the Red team by a score of 110-87. Jabril Trawick and Jerrell Wright were named Co-MVP of the game, while Trawick won the slam dunk contest and Isaiah Williams won the three-point shootout.

Of the fifty-two expected participants in this year’s Mary Kline Classic, here are the current invites to the game. At the moment, zero spots remain open for the Senior and Underclassmen games. Players are still being taken into consideration; however, as current invites may drop out before May 5th.

The Mary Kline Classic would like to thank Vincent Robinson of The Robinson School for contributing uniforms, as well as Patrick Coombs of Reebok for contributing Zigtech sneakers.

Underclassmen Game

Isaiah Whitehead, a 6’4 combo guard from Lincoln (NY)/Juice All-Stars (NY), who is considering Georgetown, Xavier, Seton Hall, USC, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Syracuse, Rutgers, UConn, St. John’s, North Carolina and more.

Jermaine Lawrence, a 6’9 combo forward from Pope John XXIII (NJ)/Positive Direction (NY), who is considering Cincinnati, Florida, Fordham, Rutgers, Georgetown, Syracuse, St. John’s, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Marquette and more.

Conrad Chambers, a 6’1 point guard from Friends Central (PA)/Team Scan (NY), who is considering Providence, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Temple, Drexel, Villanova, UConn, West Virginia and St. John’s.

Wayne Selden, a 6’5 shooting guard from Tilton (NH)/BABC (MA), who is considering Kentucky, Duke, Boston College, Providence, UConn, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Arizona, Georgetown, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina and more.

Tyler Ennis, a 6’2 point guard from St. Benedict’s (NJ)/CIA Bounce (Canada), who is considering Arizona State, Boston College, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, NC State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, Providence, Rice, Rutgers, Santa Clara, Seton Hall, Villanova, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest and West Virginia.

Tyler Roberson, a 6’7 combo forward from Roselle Catholic (NJ)/New Jersey Roadrunners, who is considering Kansas State, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgetown, Rutgers, Kansas, Seton Hall, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Villanova, Providence, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, St. Joseph’s and more.

Reggie Cameron, a 6’7 combo forward from Hudson Catholic (NJ)/New Jersey Playaz, who is considering Cincinnati, Rutgers, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Miami, Xavier, Northwestern, Providence, Tennessee, Villanova, Virginia, West Virginia, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, DePaul, UMass and more.

Johnnie Davis, a 6’5 wing from Neumann Goretti (PA)/Team Final (PA), who is considering Towson, VCU, George Mason, Temple, Delaware, La Salle, UMass, Rider, Northeastern, Seton Hall, Manhattan, Florida Atlantic, St. Peter’s, St. Joe’s, Robert Morris, Boston University, Penn State and Villanova.

Kaison Randolph, a 2014 6’2 combo guard from Pennington (NJ)/Team ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who is considering Boston University, Cincinnati, Wagner, Drexel, Iowa State, Seton Hall, Rutgers and VCU.

DeAndre Bembry, a 2013 6’4 wing from St. Patrick (NJ)/NJ Celtics, who is considering Central Florida, Georgetown, Auburn, VCU, South Carolina, Villanova, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech and more.

Jared Nickens, a 2013 6’6 small forward from St. Patrick (NJ)/NJ Celtics, who is considering Seton Hall, Virginia, Notre Dame, VCU, Fordham, Penn State, SMU, St. Joe’s, Rutgers and Maryland.

Lenny Kadisha, a 2015 6’3 shooting guard from Wadleigh (NY)/Real Scout Express (NY), who is considering Virginia, Providence, St. John’s, Iowa State and Memphis.

Kamar McKnight, a 2015 6’4 combo guard from St. Patrick (NJ)/Grassroots Canada, who is considering Arizona, Rutgers and Seton Hall.

Isaiah Watkins, a 2013 6’8 combo forward from St. Benedict’s (NJ)/CIA Bounce (Canada), who is considering Arkansas, Cincinnati, Harvard, Indiana, Iowa State, New Mexico State, Penn, Temple, St. Bonaventure, Providence, Rice, Santa Clara, Lafayette and more.

Jared Terrell, a 6’3 shooting guard from New Hampton (NH)/Expressions (MA), who is considering UConn, Cincinnati, Miami, Boston College, Rutgers, NC State, Virginia Tech, UMass, Temple, Iowa State, Providence, DePaul, Texas, Tennessee, Arizona and Baylor.

Abdul-Malik Abu, a 6’7 combo forward from Kimball Union (NH)/Expressions (MA), who is considering Iowa State, Rutgers, UMass, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Boston College and Missouri.

Geno Thorpe, a 2013 6’3 point guard from Shaler (PA)/New Jersey Playaz, who is commited to Penn State.

Hallice Cooke, a 2013 6’4 shooting guard from St. Anthony (NJ)/Sports University (NJ), who is considering South Florida, Seton Hall, La Salle, VCU, Richmond, St. Joe’s, San Francisco, Rice, Iona, Wagner, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Yale, Quinnipiac, Fordham, Cincinnati, Temple, Virginia, Rutgers and Villanova.

Josh Brown, a 2013 6’2 point guard from St. Anthony (NJ)/Sports University (NJ), who is committed to Temple.

Ben Bentil, a 2014 6’8 power forward from St. Andrew’s (DE)/Team ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who is considering Notre Dame, Penn State, Villanova, St. Joe’s, Boston University, Syracuse, Rutgers and Maryland.

Karl Towns, a 2015 6’10 combo forward from St. Joseph’s Metuchen (NJ)/Sports University (NJ), who is considering Michigan State, Kentucky, Florida, Baylor, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Louisville, Villanova, St. John’s, Temple and more.

Chris McCullough, a 2014 6’8 combo forward from Salisbury (CT)/Team Scan (NY), who is considering Arizona, Florida, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse, Rutgers, Providence, Pittsburgh, UConn, West Virginia, Seton Hall, Villanova, North Carolina, Iowa State, Hofstra, Temple and more.

Isaiah Briscoe, a 2015 6’3 point guard from St. Benedict’s (NJ)/New Jersey Playaz, who is considering Syracuse, Duke, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Baylor, Cincinnati, DePaul, Arizona, UConn, Ohio State, Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame and more.

Davon Reed, a 2013 6’5 combo guard from Princeton Day (NJ)/Team Final (PA), who is considering Seton Hall, Rutgers, Xavier, Harvard, Richmond, Northwestern, La Salle, St. Joe’s, Temple, West Virginia, Penn State, Drexel, Boston College, Georgetown and more.

Jaren Sina, a 2013 6’1 point guard from Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ)/Hoop Heaven (NJ), who is considering Kansas, Alabama, Virginia, Penn State, Georgetown, Miami, Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. John’s, Florida State, Michigan, Cincinnati, Clemson, Syracuse and West Virginia.

Allerik Freeman, a 2013 6’4 shooting guard from Olympic (NC)/Team Nike Florida, who is considering Florida, Villanova, South Carolina, Texas, Kansas State, Kansas, North Carolina, NC State, Marquette, Georgetown, Arizona, UCLA, UConn and Memphis.

Senior Game

Daniel Dingle, a 6’6 combo forward from St. Raymond (NY)/Long Island Lightning (NY), who has signed with Temple.

Sekou Harris, a 5’10 point guard from Plainfield (NJ)/New Jersey Playaz, who is considering New Hampshire, Florida International, San Francisco, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Colorado State, Morehead State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rider and more.

Georges Niang, a 6’7 combo forward from Tilton (NH)/BABC (MA), who has signed with Iowa State.

Anthony Gaffney, a 6’2 combo guard from Taft (CT)/ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who has committed to Princeton for football.

Nkereuwem Okoro, a 6’4 wing from St. Raymond (NY)/Long Island Lightning (NY), who has signed with Iowa State.

Nizar Kapic, a 6’6 wing from Perkiomen (PA)/Austria, who is considering La Salle, Washington State, Dartmouth, St. Francis (PA), Boston College, Lehigh, Colgate, Rice and more.

Neville Fincher, a 6’9 power forward from Teaneck (NJ)/New Jersey Playaz, who is considering Hofstra, Western Kentucky, Temple, Binghamton, Manhattan, Seton Hall, Siena, Robert Morris and Monmouth.

Chris Jones, a 6’5 shooting guard from Teaneck (NJ)/New Jersey Playaz, who is considering Siena, Hofstra, La Salle, UMass and more.

Justin Sears, a 6’7 combo forward from Plainfield (NJ)/Sports University (NJ), who has signed with Yale.

Phillip Lawrence, a 6’7 combo forward from Mount St. Joseph (MD)/Philly’s Finest (PA), who has signed with Marist.

Bruce Brittingham, a 6’1 point guard from Perkiomen (PA)/Team ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who is committed to Wagner for football and basketball.

Melvin Johnson, a 6’3 shooting guard from St. Benedict’s (NJ)/Long Island Lightning (NY), who has signed with Miami (FL).

Blaise Mbargorba, a 2012 7’0 center from Peddie (NJ)/New Jersey Roadrunners, who has signed with SMU.

Marcus Gilbert, a 2012 6’6 small forward from Academy of the New Church (PA)/Team ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who has signed with Fairfield.

Daiquan Walker, a 2012 6’2 point guard from Constitution (PA)/New York Gauchos, who is considering Tennessee, UConn, Temple, Central Florida, West Virginia, Seton Hall and Niagara.

Dallas Anglin, a 2012 6’2 point guard from Seton Hall Prep (NJ)/Sports University (NJ), who has signed with Hofstra.

Brandon Bolden, a 2012 6’10 power forward from Quality Education (NC)/Team Nike Florida, who has signed with Georgetown.

Charles Cooke, a 2012 6’5 wing from Trenton Catholic (NJ)/Team ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who has signed with James Madison.

Brandon Taylor, a 2012 6’7 power forward from Trenton Catholic (NJ)/Team Philly (PA), who has signed with Penn State.

Dominic Hoffman, a 2012 6’7 power forward from Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ)/Hoop Heaven (NJ), who has signed with Bucknell.

Quenton DeCosey, a 2012 6’5 wing from St. Joseph’s Metuchen (NJ)/Sports University (NJ), who signed with Temple.

Eric Fanning, a 2012 6’4 wing from Perkiomen (PA)/Team ECE/NJABC (DE/NJ), who has signed with Wagner.

Daniel Ochefu, a 2012 6’10 center from Westtown (PA)/PTP (PA), who has signed with Villanova.

Alex Mitola, a 2012 5’10 combo guard from Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ)/Hoop Heaven (NJ), who has signed with Dartmouth.

Maurice Watson, a 2012 5’10 point guard from Boys’ Latin (PA)/Team Philly (PA), who has signed with Boston University.

Coaches

Blue Team Seniors- Matt Pauls of ECE/NJABC and Terrell Myers of ECE/NJABC

Red Team Seniors – Mergin Sina of Gill St. Bernard’s (NJ)/Hoop Heaven (NJ) and TBD

Blue Team Underclassmen - Billy Diamond of Berkley College (NJ) and Terrance “Munch” Williams of Team Scan

Red Team Underclassmen - Eric Harrield of St. Anthony (NJ)/Sports University (NJ) and a special guest coach.

Contests

Dunk Contest Participants: DeAndre Bembry, Marcus Gilbert, Dallas Anglin, Geno Thorpe, Johnnie Davis, Chris McCullough, Wayne Selden & Neville Fincher

Three-Point Shootout Participants: Alex Mitola, Jaren Sina, Karl Towns, Nizar Kapic, Allerik Freeman, Melvin Johnson, Hallice Cooke & Jared Nickens

For media and player inquiries, as well as anything else, please contact Alex Kline at AlexKlineBasketball@Yahoo.com and follow game updates by following TheRecruitScoop on Twitter.

(Photos courtesy of George Burgess, Stephen Goldsmith, ESPN, Rivals, BBall Spotlight, Hoop Group, Fun Sport, Expressions, NY2LA Sports & video courtesy of Ballin365)

By Alex Kline

On Tuesday morning, Brannen Greene announced his decision to world via a mass text to reporters. Just what did it say?

“I’ve committed to Kansas,” he said. “I felt like I could thrive on and off the court at Kansas.”

As Greene had pondered the possibility of making his college decision by the end of December, he was down to around nine schools and there appeared to be no clear favorite. As the 2013 6-foot-7 swingman from Mary Persons made his college decision out of the blue, it came as quite a shock following the Jayhawks’ loss to Davidson the night before.

The junior chose Kansas over UConn, Florida, Florida State, Harvard, Louisville, Memphis, Ohio State and Providence. He joins a number of talented commits in the class of 2012 and 2013, including Perry Ellis, Andrew White, Anrio Adams, Landen Lucas, Zach Peters and Conner Frankamp.

(Photo courtesy of NY2LA Sports)

By Alex Kline

UNC-Wilmington has become the first school to offer Raekwon Harney a scholarship.

A 2013 6-foot point guard from Winston-Salem Prep in North Carolina, Harney has attained a vast amount of interest from mid-majors and high-majors. After a number of solid workouts, practices and games in which Harney exemplified himself as a talented floor general with great court vision and an ability to find open teammates, the junior has accomplished one of his biggest goals.

“I was so happy,” he said. “But I’m not satisfied. I’m going to keep working – better yet – I’m going to work even harder.”

While Harney was stunned to pick up his first scholarship from the in-state school, he has a fair amount of schools who could join that list in the near future. Tennessee, Georgia Tech, VCU, Xavier, Wake Forest, Louisville, Cincinnati, Maryland, ECU, Alabama, NC State, Virginia and more are all demonstrating interest in the point guard.

(Photo courtesy of Raekwon)

By Alex Kline

Tyrone Garland, a sophomore guard at Virginia Tech, is transferring – in fact, he has already made up his mind on where he will attend next year.

The Pennsylvania native announced the decision on his Twitter account. The news was confirmed by a source.

On top of that, Garland has already made up his mind on where he will be playing college basketball next season. According to multiple sources, the sophomore will return home to Philadelphia where he will enroll at La Salle. Garland, who was not available to comment, will star in the backcourt for the Explorers with Tyreek Duren. Along with that, he will fit in with La Salle’s 4-guard system and replace Earl Pettis, who is graduating. Garland is expected to miss “six to seven” games next season; however, his impact as a junior will be felt throughout John Giannini’s squad.

He finished his high school career at John Bartram as the third-leading scorer in Philadelphia Public League history, but the 6-foot-1 scoring guard did not end up molding into a point guard when it was all said and done. Garland averaged 2.7 points per game in limited minutes as a freshman last year.

Garland’s sophomore year hasn’t been much better as he had played just one minute in the past three games combined for the Hokies, according to the Washington Post. He’s averaging 4.6 points and 1.3 assists in his sophomore year.

(Photo courtesy of Rivals)

By Alex Kline

Keith Washington, a 2012 6-foot point guard from Mont Clare in Pennsylvania, has made his verbal commitment to Rice.

“I felt that Rice was the right fit for me based on their strong academics, conference and program,” said the Philadelphia native. “Rice was the first school to offer me and coach Morcos made me feel very comfortable. I’m excited to be a Rice Owl.”

Originally a member of the Frankfort basketball team with current Morgan State freshman Shaquille Duncan, Washington was not receiving much interest. After deciding to take a postgrad year at the Pennsylvania school. A true point guard, Washington had a high basketball IQ and good courtvision with the ability to attack the rim when he wants. He will fit well within the Rice system.

The Conference USA school has had a good history of producing point guards with current floor generals Tamir Jackson and Dylan Ennis, both recruited by assistant Marco Morcos, making a heavy impact on the Owls’ program. Washington, who was also recruited by Morcos and only had one offer before choosing, joins in-state big man Aly Mohamed, in the Rice class of 2012.

(Photo courtesy of Keith)

By Alex Kline

One week into the high school basketball season Matt Jones has made up his mind on where he will be attending college.

On Monday night, Jones made an unexpected decision as he verbally committed to Duke. A 2013 6-foot-4 shooting guard from DeSoto High School in Texas, he is the first player to join the Blue Devils junior class.

“I committed because of how they play,” he said. “Academics was a big factor, too. I felt like the coaches could take me to the next level, as well. It felt like a home away from home and my whole family liked Duke and the decision. It was the right timing.”

A lights out shooter from the Lone Star state, Jones becomes the second shooting guard from Texas to verbally commit to the Coach K and Duke. He joins 2012 shooting guard Rasheed Sulaimon of Strake Jesuit. The junior shooter chose the Blue Devils over Baylor, Arizona, Florida, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisville and more.

One interesting note about the recruitment of Matt Jones is his relationship with his AAU teammate, Julius Randle. One of the top three players in the class of 2013, Randle plays with Jones on the Texas Titans and the two have developed a friendship. As the Blue Devils are making a run at the talented forward, will the impact of landing Jones, as well as Sulaimon, make an impact on landing one of the top prospects in the country?

(Photo courtesy of Inside the Hall)