VAN COLEMAN
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Bob Hurley has been one of the preeminent high school coaches in the country over the past 30-plus years and has built his St. Anthony squad into a perennial national power built on great defense and a belief of his players in a system that gives them the opportunity to succeed. That has led Hurley coached squads to 23- state titles, but for St. Anthony's storied program, they have done two better, and on Saturday night they set the all-time national high school record with 25 state titles. This broke a tie at 24 they held with Cheyenne Central (Wyo.)
Top tournament coverage across the nation...
New Jersey - Last week was a record setting week for Jersey City St. Anthony's as they overcame four years of frustration to upend Elizabeth St. Patrick's 64-52 for the North Jersey region, New Jersey Non-Public B championship before almost 7,000 last night at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
The game was close in the first half as the two heavyweight programs battled to a 30-all halftime at the RAC! But, St. Anthony's broke it open in the second half behind Rutgers signee Mike Rosario who scored 12 of his 19 points in the second half. He hit two big 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to eliminate a St. Patrick's run and helped his No.1 rated St. Anthony's remain unbeaten.
But, it was their state championship final that Hurley and his St. Anthony's squad will remember for some time to come, as St. Anthony's cruised to a national record 25th state high school title by winning a 74-44 Decision over Trenton Catholic to claim the State Non-Public B Championship.
St. Anthony's was led by 6-foot-2 Mike Rosario who finished with 17 points, while 6-foot-3 TyShawn Taylor added 16 points and 6-foot-1 Travon Woodall and 6-foot-6 Dominic Cheeks chipped in with 12 and 10 points respectively. Trenton Catholic was led by sophomore Frantz Massenat with 11 points.
Congratulations to Coach Hurley and his squad for capturing another state title and setting a national record, one I think they may add to in the next couple years before Coach Hurley decides to put away his clipboard!
Georgia - It isn't very often that the highly anticipated matchups between highly rated squads lives up to its expectations, that wasn't the case when No. 6 Norcross met up with No. 15 Marietta Wheeler in the Georgia AAAAA state championship game.
It was all Norcross early as the Blue Devils ran to a 17-2 lead in the first quarter. But, Wheeler didn't roll over as they came roaring back to close the gap to just 28-24 at the end of the half.
It was close throughout the third quarter, and it was just a one point game heading into the final minute of the game when Al Farouq Aminu hit two free throws with 25 seconds left to give Norcross a 55-52 advantage. Wheeler came right back to on a bucket by Phil Taylor to close it to one 55-54 with 14 seconds on the clock. But, Taariq Muhammad drove the length of the court to ice the game with a lay-in to give Norcross a 57-54 victory to become the first three-peat winner in Georgia since 1930!Aminu led Norcross with 17 points, but made as much of an impact on defense blocking six blocks. Wheeler's top gun was 6-foot-6 Ari Stewart who had a game high 18 points.
AAAA - Decatur Columbia held on to win a close one 69-63 over FayettevilleFayetteCounty. Columbia was led by its dynamic trio as Kenny Mitchell scored 17 points, while Travis Leslie added 15 points and 6-foot-9 Darrius Morrow added 15 points and 8 boards. Fayette Co. was led by Quincy Carruthers with 25 points, while 6-foot-7 Noel Johns chipped in with 14 points.
AAA - Glenn Hills one its first boys basketball crown with a 64-57 victory over Columbus Carver. GlennHills held a ten point lead most of the second half, but closed to 59-55 with a minute to play. But, Carver's Jarvis Jones got his fifth foul on the next possession and GlennHills held on for a 64-57 championship victory. The Hills was led by Reggie Middleton and Shawn Allen who finished with 18 points each. Jones led Carver with a game high 23 points.
AA - Norcross Wesleyan controlled the 2A final from end to end, scoring a 61-43 victory over East Laurens as 6-foot-5 Tanner Smith stepped up to score 27 points to lead the way after Howard Thompkins was hurt in the second quarter.
A - Hancock Central broke open a 40-all tie in the final minutes as James Watkins and Kammeon Hosley lead a 6-2 run to put the game out of reach 49-45 over TurnerCounty. Watkins and Jontarius Stanton finished with 10 points each for H.C., while Marquis Jackson topped all scorers with 14 points for TurnerCounty.
The National Prep Championship title game was played last week and HargraveMilitaryAcademy (Va.) survived a late rush by Henderson Findley Prep (Nev.) to hold on for a 75-73 victory in the final.
Hargrave held a ten point lead over Findley Prep with just over two minutes to play when the Nevada squad exploded to close the gap to just three 75-72 with just two seconds to play and DeAndre Liggins at the free throw line. He made the first to pull his club within two points. He then elected to miss the second, and then try and go for the win with a putback. It all just about played out as scripted, until Hagrave's 6-foot-9 Chris Braswell blocked Findlay's Curtis Dennis putback attempt at the buzzer.
Hargrave was lead by tournament MVP Dee Bost with 26 points, while his backcourt running mate, Damier Pitts added 22 points in the championship game. Findley Prep's top gun was Dennis with 22 points, while 6-foot-10 Bryce Massamba added 15 points and pulled down 9 rebounds. Both DeAndre Liggins and Jacques Streeter added 13 points in the tough loss.
Iowa - I spent a couple days at the Iowa State Championships this week and had a chance to see some hard fought state tournament basketball at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.The tournament featured a deep group of underclassmen that entertained the Mo Valley, Big Ten, and Big Twelve coaches in attendance.Here's a quick look at the four class championship games.
4A - This was a battle of Midwestern heavyweights as no less than eight division one prospects matched up in the 4A finals in the Wells Fargo Arena. It lived up to the hype, as the game was timed at 24-all just seconds into the second half, but Iowa City High took over in the early minutes of the fourth period, building from a 44-39 lead to start the final stanza to go up 56-40 with three minutes to play. But Central wasn't done yet as 6-foot-2 E.J. Hicks knocked down three straight threes to lead a 12-2 charge that cut the lead to 58-52 with just under a minute to play. But, Matt Gatens and John Lickliter hit their free throws in the final seconds to ice a 64-54 victory for City High in the 4A final.
Iowa City was led by the 6-foot-4 Iowa signee Gatens with 21 points while Lickliter added 11 points. Zach and A.J. Derby added 9 each and 6-foot-7 Malcolm Moore chipped in 8 points in just 12 minutes of action. Central's top gun was Hicks with 15 points, while 6-foot-8 L.A. Pomlee added 14 points and 12 rebounds. 5-foot-10 junior speedster Hal Bateman added 14 points in the loss.
3A - None of the tourney finals had more drama than this one, as Harlan fought back from a double-digit deficit to Dubuque Wahlert in the second half to tie it at 67-all with two seconds to play. We were headed to overtime, right? Not so fast, as Wahlert through a long pass to just across the half court line, 6-foot-3 junior Eric May went high over a Harlan defender to snatch the ball then came down, spun and let fly with a 35-footer, that touched nothing but net to give Wahlert the 70-67 victory as the Harlan players and crowd were stunned!Wahlert featured a balanced attack, as May led the way with 13 points, Mike Rupp added 12 points, 6-foot-8 Drew Davis had 11 points, and Billy Scherr added 10 points and 9 rebounds. That balance offset a great game by Harlan's 6-foot-1 Kyle Haake who finished with 30 points in the heartbreaking loss.
2A - It was close through the first three quarters as Hull Western Christian held a 53-50 lead with just over six minutes to play, when the Wolfpack went on a 9-2 run to go up by ten, 62-52, over Fort Dodge St. Edmond's. Western Christian hit their free throws down the stretch to hold on for a 71-62 victory in the state title game.Western Christian was lead by 6-foot-2 Jeremy Zeutenhorst with a game high 20 points, while 6-foot-5 Trevor Wolterstorff (5 assists), Kevin Fopma, and Shawn Keizer added 12 points each. St. Edmond's was led by 6-foot-5 Kevin Engler and 6-foot-1 Bryan Huss with 13 points each. 6-foot-9 Andy Nagle chipped in with 10 points in the loss.
1A - NU High came back from a six point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead for good 44-42 on a three pointer by Nick Ellerbroeck, then hit their free throws down the stretch to win their first state title 49-44 over George-Little Rock. NU High was led by Ellerbroeck with 15 points, while his brother Travis added ten points in the win. George-Little Rock's top gun 6-foot-1 Mack Vande Kamp with a game high 21 points.
Note: If you feel we've missed a great tournament match-up, please drop us an email at van@hoopmasters.com or vcoleman@cstv.com so we can consider it for our next state tournament update.
Along the recruiting trail...Top commitments & other recruiting news...
Kentucky has added a quality wing talent in 6-foot-6 Kevin Galloway from the College of Southern Idaho. Galloway, originally signed with USC out of high school, then transferred to Fresno State, but left for CSI. He seems to have really settled in this year, averaging 8.8 points an outing for CSI this season and getting his academics in order. He is an explosive athlete who has range to the arc and can finish in traffic off the dribble. He can play the two or three spots and will be a solid replacement for Alex Legion who left the Cats for Illinois last spring.
Speaking of the Fighting Illini they have added one of the top junior college talents in the country in our No.12 rated Dominique Keller from Lee CC, (Tex.).Keller visited Champaign for the Minnesota game and felt that Illinois was the right fit for his game. He is a quick leaper who has a Big Ten body (235-pounds) and excellent touch around the hoop. He averaged 25 points and just over 9 rebounds a game as a sophomore for Lee CC.
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels received a commitment from one of the top available west coast guards, 6-foot-2 Oscar Bellfield last Saturday. Bellfield is an explosive scorer from the point spot, who has range to three, can attack the hoop with either hand, and is an excellent passer in the open court. He has tools to contribute right away as a freshman at UNLV.He chose the Runnin' Rebels over interest from the Pac-10!
Wisconsin has shown some interest in a number of 2008 prospects, but it was in the junior class that they made a splash this week receiving a commitment from our No.85 junior prospect, 6-foot-3 Diamond Taylor from Westchester St. Joseph's (Ill.). Taylor is an explosive combo who can run break or deliver rock to open man in transition. He has range to three and can create pull-up jumper with either hand.
But, it seems to be the players deciding to re-open their commitments that have been making the most headlines this week, with no less than five top prospects changing their minds over the past seven days.
Indiana seemed to have taken the biggest hit, as two of their fall recruiting class have asked to open their recruiting.One is a potential mega-loss for the Hoosiers in our No. 13 senior Devin Ebanks from Oakdale St. Thomas More (Conn.).He has all the tools to be an impact talent, something Indiana needs since D.J. White is graduating.Then over the weekend 6-foot-1 Terrell Holloway, physical point guard from Cincinnati Harmony Community (Oh.) prep decided to opt out of his scholarship and look at other opportunities.
Both players used a prior agreement with the school, that if Kelvin Sampson was released they would be released from their national letters if they requested to be.It will be tough for any new coach to find quality replacements for these talents once he's hired this spring
OregonState lost one of its Class of 2008, when 6-foot-5 wing guard Chris Turner from HumbleChristianLifeCenter (Tex.) decided to re-open his recruitment.He had originally decided to play for the Pac-10 squad when Jay John was still the Beaver coach, and felt he needed to check out his options this spring.
Another school that has struggled since their coach left is Pepperdine, who since Vance Walberg stepped down in mid-season has lost three players from their fall class now that 6-foot-7 Paul George from Palmdale (Calif.) decided to open up his recruiting.The Waves had one of their best classes ever decimated this spring as George along with Oregon backcourt talents 6-foot-3 Brad Tinsley from Oregon City and 6-foot Paul McCoy of Portland Grant all have re-opened their recruiting.It will be an uphill battle to replace this trio for any new coach who takes over this Malibu program.
The prize big man in Harvard's fall recruiting class, 6-foot-10 Franklin Ben-Eze from Arlington Bishop O'Connell (Va.) has decided to re-open his recruitment. The gifted big man is a defensive stopper who has really come on this year on the offensive end of the court. He has decided to look at other schools this spring and should become a hot commodity nationally with the shortage of true post prospects (with grades) currently available. His loss will be a big one in the efforts of Tommy Amaker to rebuild Harvard into a contender in the Ivy League.
Up next, we will be updating the nation's top junior college talent, as we get ready to cover the NJCA Nationals next week in Hutchinson (Kan.), right here at "Generation Next".
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