DiLoreto and Stefan Updates

Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News featured Anthony DiLoreto (former Hopkins center) and Cole Stefan in a recent look at Las Vegas action. (Read it here). Stefan for the 2nd straight year was hot in Vegas. Very different than the struggles I saw from him in Denver back in April. Scout.com's Dave Telep views Stefan and Jacob Thomas as mid-major guys.

Speaking of rankings, what's with the huge number of votes for "Other" on the poll for best 2010 prospect? Throw some comments on this post to chime in with who you think is the best of the MN class of 2010. Do we have an outstate riot for not listing guys like Marshall Bjorklund, Taylor Filipek or Dyami Starks? How about other guys from the metro like DJ Peterson or Mike Rostampour.

As to DiLoreto, the article references a scholarship offer from St. Louis despite court proceedings that are scheduled for next week. What I find interesting though is that all the writers I've seen refer to DiLoreto as a lefty and I seem to recall he was a righty. I can understand the potential confustion though since all he shot in high-school were lefty jump hooks. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Take your pick.

Scout.com releases final class of 2009 rankings

Scout.com has released their final 2009 top 100 (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#32, down from #30)
Rodney Williams Jr (#34, up from #32)
Trent Lockett (#97, down from #94)

Wisconsin
Jamil Wilson (#30, up from #35)
Jeronne Maymon (#84, down from #75)

Others who appeared locally
DeMarcus Cousins (#3, up from #6)
DJ Richardson (#46, down from #66)
Darius Smith (re-enters at #83)
Naji Hibbert (enters at #99)

Rivals releases final 2009 rankings

Rivals.com released their final class of 2009 rankings today. Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (August 19, 2008).

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #19, Minnesota (no change)
  
• Trent Lockett #80, Arizona State (down from #73)
  
• Rodney Williams Jr #100, Minnesota (down from #95)
• Sam Dower #116, Gonzaga (up from #119)
• Mike Bruesewitz #118, Wisconsin (up from #124)

Wisconsin Players

• Jeronne Maymon #47, Marquette (down from #46)
• Jamil Wilson #94, Oregon (down from #93)
• Johnny Lacy #143, Providence (down from #110)
  

Other players who have appeared locally

• DeMarcus Cousins #2, Kentucky (no change)
  
• DJ Richardson #38, Illinois (up from #57)
• Darius Smith #71, Connecticut (up from #113)
• Naji Hibbert #97, Texas A&M (down from #88)
• Joseph Bertrand #128, Illinois (down from #116)
• Diamond Taylor #129, Wisconsin (down from #118)
• Michael Dixon #136, Missouri (down from #130)

ESPN releases final 2009 Rankings

On April 9th, ESPN released their final rankings for the class of 2009 . Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (January 13, 2009).

Minnesota Players

* Royce White #35, Minnesota (previous #25)
* Rodney Williams Jr #42 (previous #40)

Wisconsin Players

* Jamil Wilson #31 (previous #62)
* Jeronne Maymon #79, Marquette (previous #55)

Other players who have appeared locally

* DeMarcus Cousins #4, UAB (no change)
* DJ Richardson #46, Illinois (previous #51)
* Naji Hibbert #70, Texas A&M (previous #61)

ESPN releases in-season class of 2009 Rankings

On January 13th, ESPN released their in-season rankings for the class of 2009 . Read the entire rankings here. Here are the changes to Minnesota players (and others of note) from the last period (August 19, 2008). Read analysis of the new rankings, including an explanation of the drop of Rodney Williams in the ESPN article here. You'll find it to be consistent with what Rivals said last August. I made some comments last August similar to these as well.

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #25, Minnesota (previous #23)
• Rodney Williams Jr #40 (previous #29)

Wisconsin Players

• Jeronne Maymon #55, Marquette (previous #76)
• Jamil Wilson #62 (previous #60)

Other players who have appeared locally

• DeMarcus Cousins #4, UAB (no change)
  
• DJ Richardson #51, Illinois (previous #56)
• Naji Hibbert #61, Texas A&M (previous #59)

Gonzaga blog update on Dower and Stefan

The Kennel Report had a chance to catch up with Net Gain coach Marquis Watts for an update on Sam Dower and Cole Stefan. A couple noteworthy items from the interview. Coach Watts thinks Sam should average 25 and 12 and Stefan's visit to Gonzaga for the Idaho game got cancelled. In addition they have a nice update on the schools looking at Stefan.

Read the entire interview here.

Best of National Signing Day

For the class of 2009, Rivals named their best prospect at each position for each conference today. Plenty of local flavor.

Royce White: Top SF for Big Ten
Mike Bruesewitz: Top PF for Big Ten
Chris Halvorsen: Top SF for Horizon
Sam Dower: Top PF for West Coast Conference

Others who made a local appearance last season.

Jeronne Maymon of Madison Memorial: Top SF for Big East
DeMarcus Cousins of Mobile LeFlore: Top PF for Conference USA

Gopher Hole talks to the Washburn stars

How timely that after I did my Minneapolis City Conference preview, Gopher Hole caught up with some of the seniors for the Washburn Millers to talk about the upcoming season. They got words from Dylan Hale, Cedric Martin, DeAaron Hearn and Noah Sheppard. Read it here.

Note: It appears Thomas Cunningham will remain at South and not be at Washburn as I reported in my Minneapolis City preview.

NY2LA Sports names 2009 Top 150

NY2LA Sports released their 2009 Top 150 this week.

Minnesota Players
Royce White #20
Rodney Williams #24

Wisconsin Players
Jamil Wilson #10
Jeronne Maymon #26

Others who played locally
DeMarcus Cousins #4
DJ Richardson #48

In September, the 4 players from Minnesota and Wisconsin were named the top 4 in the North Region (read that here)

Interviews and Thoughts from Midnight Madness

Gopher Hole did a couple of interviews at Tubby's Tipoff (midnight madness). One was with a couple of committed Gophers, Royce White and Rodney Williams. The other was with a couple of potential Gophers, Trevor Mbakwe and Chad Calcaterra.

Read the Royce and Rodney Intervew Here

Read the Trevor and Chad Interview Here

Also, if you didn't get a chance to see the Wisconsin midnight madness on the BTN they had each player come out and dance with a member of the dance squad. Jon Leuer did Minnesota proud. Jared Berggren came out and danced to "Ice Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice. Joe Krabbenhoft and his cowboy hat win honors for funniest dance moment of the night.

Royce White comments on selecting Minnesota

Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com had a chance to talk recently to Royce White about picking Minnesota (scroll down to read the Royce comments). He admits Tubby was a major reason in him staying home instead of leaving for a high profile out-state suitor. But he did complement Dan Monson on how he dealt with him in a funny statement.

Rodney Williams commits to Gophers

From the Star Tribune, Rodney Williams Jr has committed to the Gophers. Congrats to him, let's hope he can maintain his grades and get that passing score on the ACT. This is a big moment in U of M recruiting. The Dan Monson era was marked by the best MN players leaving (Kammron Taylor to Wisconsin, Cole Aldrich to Kansas, Isiah Dahlman to Michigan St). Wisconsin made a killing getting guys like Jon Leuer, Joe Krabbenhoft and Mike Bruesewitz. Much to my own personal dismay as a Badger, this looks like Tubby slamming the door shut on big programs coming in here and getting the biggest names. Tubby really didn't have a chance with Mike Bruesewitz or Trent Lockett, but he could have done more with Sam Dower. With a post player still needed, we'll see if Tubby ends up regretting that move.

NY2LA Sports comments on local players

NY2LA Sports released comments on a few players this week. Their article includes comments on Rodney Williams, Billy Giddings (Blaine), Cole Stefan and Nick Latzke (Minnetonka) along with a couple of Wisconsin players that I saw last season and one of the sons of the best player ever. The entire article can be read here.

It also mentions the 2008 Full Court Fall Showcase camp that will be held at Minnetonka on Oct 11 and 12th. This is put on by Net Gain Sports. More info can be found on the Net Gain Sports website.

The article mentions Tyler Brown and Brett Meinecke from Wisconsin. Brown plays in the shadow of 2010 star Evan Anderson (committed to Wisconsin, ranked #37 Rivals.com, #17 Scout.com, #24 ESPN), but he's the best scorer on his Eau Claire North team. Can play inside and has the ability to step all the way out to the 3 point line and make shots. Nice pickup for Central Michigan. I'll get another chance to see him play December 2nd for their big game at the Swamp vs La Crosse Logan and one of Wisconsin's top 2011 prospects, Trevor Jorgenson (offered by UW-Milwaukee). Its a matchup of some of the best big guys in Wisconsin.

Meinecke is also in the shadow of another star Kameron Cerroni (26.5 PPG last year as a sophomore, committed to UWGB). He's part of a young and small Sussex Hamilton squad that is building to be very dangerous in 2009-2010. He's a small guard but can shoot it. A nice compliment. He struggled with injuries this summer. They play De La Salle in the Border Battle in Owatonna on Saturday January 24th, 2009 in a compelling matchup.

Giddings has sufficient physical tools. Playing without the ball and his defense are areas he continues to work on. But he can definitely score.

Latzke is a lot like his older brother Andrew who played for the Skippers this last year. Another sweet shooting lefty who will be a big contributor down the road.

And what more needs to be said about Cole Stefan. His stock continues to rise and with a full year to shine now that all of the Tonka seniors are gone, expect him to have a monster year.

Gopher Hole talks recruiting with Rodney Williams

After his mom talked recruiting with the Star Tribune yesterday, Rodney Williams Jr talked to Gopher Hole about his recruitment today. Some highlights.

• While he's cleared by the NCAA, he still has to retake the ACT and get a higher score than his previous score.
• The U of M is the front runner to get him, but he'll still visit Santa Clara.
• Wisconsin quit calling him. (OK that's not news, but being a Wisconsin guy I'm compelled to mention it)
  

Everybody has been saying he's fine academically, but the news that he still has to get a better score on the ACT is big. Shouldn't be an issue, but it changes the previous perception that his academic issues were just about his grades. Wisconsin probably quit calling him because they're out of scholarships, but ultimately Bo Ryan succeeds with players that are well-rounded and maybe not the most athletic. He's done a terrific job of getting guys to fit his scheme. Williams isn't as well-rounded as guys like a Joe Krabbenhoft so I think that the Badger system wouldn't have been a good fit for his skills. Unlike Minnesota where he's definitely a fit with Tubby's system. Obviously the U of M is the front runner but Santa Clara has a recruiter (Raymond Cowles) on their roster too. Therefore, there it would be understandable if he went there. But since I think this is ultimately about basketball and not academics, I'll be shocked if he ends up anywhere but Minnesota.

Read the entire Gopher Hole interview here.

Interview on Sam Dower's Signing and Cole Stefan's Future

Gonzaga student blog The Kennel Report did an interview yesterday with Net Gain Sports coach Marquise Watts regarding the signing of Osseo standout Sam Dower and the future for up and coming Minnetonka junior Cole Stefan. Nice job by TKR as this provides some nice insight on both players. It was interesting to see that Stefan may be a better baseball player as Ryan James of Minnesota Preps just wrote an article that Stefan may be the top junior basketball player in the state. Should be interesting to see how he performs in front of at least 5 schools at an open gym tonight. With Wazoo hard after him and watching Tony Bennett play at UWGB when I was young, I'd be happy to see another Minnesota player end up in the Pacific Northwest. Stefan could really light it up in that system.

Read the entire TKR interview here.

NY2LA Sports names MN Stars to midwest top 5

NY2LA Sports named their top 100 players in the midwest region this week. Royce White and Rodney Williams come in at 2 and 3 in that list. Wisconsin players Jamil Wilson and Jeronne Maymon come in at 1 and 4 in the list. Read the NY2LA Sports Midwest top 5 with comments on each player here.

I saw the top 4 kids play in person last season so here's how I'd rank them.

1. White, hands down, due to his polished offensive game.
   
2. Maymon, due to versatility. He's a horse inside, but can handle too. 30 points, 14.6 rebounds, 4.7 blocks, 3.7 steals and 3 assists averages during the Wisconsin state tournament don't lie.
   
3. Williams, due to athleticism. A highlight reel waiting to happen every time he plays.
   
4. Wilson, he didn't impress when I saw him during last year's WBY Shootout.

The concern with White and Maymon is what to do with them at the next level as they are classic tweeners. Neither one is a true power forward and neither has the athleticism of a top small forward. Williams and Wilson do project as wing players at the next level and have the athleticism and skills to play there.

Three more 2009 players make college choices

Congrats to the following local players for their college choices over the last few days.

Sam Dower (Osseo) - Gonzaga
Mike Broghammer (Hopkins) - Notre Dame
Ethan Wragge (Eden Prairie) - Creighton

Here are links to a couple of articles by respective local papers on the signings.

Spokesman review article on Sam Dower signing
South Bend Tribune article on Mike Broghammer signing

ESPN releases end of summer 2009 top 100

ESPN released their end of summer rankings for the class of 2009 last week. Read the full rankings here.

Minnesota Players

• Royce White #23, Minnesota (up from #61 in last ranking, read why here, was #71 in May)
• Rodney Williams Jr #29 (up from #66 in May)
  

Wisconsin Players

• Jamil Wilson #60 (down from #13 in May)
  
• Jeronne Maymon #76, Marquette (unranked in May)
  

Other players who appeared locally this year

• DeMarcus Cousins #4, UAB (up from #5 in May)
  
• DJ Richardson #56, Illinois (up from #93 in May)
  
• Naji Hibbert #59, Texas A&M (down from #47 in May)
• Michael Dixon dropped out, Missouri (was #49 in May)
  

Scout.com releases end of summer 2009 Top 100

Scout.com has released their end of summer 2009 top 100 (read it here). Here are players that caught my attention.

Minnesota
Royce White (#30, up from #32)
Rodney Williams Jr (#32, up from #57)
Trent Lockett (#94, down from #89)

Wisconsin
Jamil Wilson (#35, down from #16)
Jeronne Maymon (#75, down from #66)
Johnny Lacy (drops out after being #96)

Others who appeared locally
DeMarcus Cousins (#6, unchanged)
DJ Richardson (#66, down from #46)
Darius Smith (dropped out after being #90)
Michael Dixon (dropped out after being #94)

Scout obviously didn't think Rodney Williams performance at the Nike Global Challenge was an issue (unlike Rivals) as they moved him up 25 spots to number 32 (#5 small forward prospect). I'll agree more with Rivals evaluation right now. #5 SF in the nation for a guy who needs to work on his ballhandling and shooting seems rather high right now. Granted, with his athleticism, Scout could easily turn out to be right down the road. Its bad for Rodney's development for the next level that he plays center for Cooper during the high school season as that doesn't allow him to work on or showcase his perimeter skills. Great for Cooper though as their starting 5 will be close to Hopkins for most athletic in the state. Tough spot for a coach when you have a star like that who is better for the team at a different position than he'll play at the next level.

Why Rodney Williams Ranking Fell

In my last post, I noted that Rodney Williams had a drastic drop in his ranking. I asked Rivals.com what their logic was behind dropping Rodney Williams from #28 to #95 in their latest rankings. Their head scouting guru Jerry Meyer responded with this answer.

"We were giving Williams a big benefit of the doubt with the #28 ranking based on his athletic ability and potential. Unfortunately, we just haven't seen progress. He looked very out of place at the Nike Global Challenge and was just okay at Lebron Skills Camp. Can really jump, but don't know if he'll get the feel for the game and skill level for that athleticism to really translate."

Read the entire thread where my question was posted here.

Williams drops behind Trent Lockett for the #2 spot in the Minnesota Class of 2009.