2005 HL Recruiting

[Big D]

I checked out the local newspaper for Wabash after I made that last post. I looked at all of the box scores for the season and it looks loke he is averaging around 10 pt and 7-8 rebs for the season.

[Raiderfan]

Thanks Big D, your research is awesome! Thanks!

These are not bad numbers for a JUCO player. His bulk will be a welcome addition next year. I suppose his arrival could have made Vova even more irrelevant next year. I wish Vova would have stayed but Chandellar, with his size, would have put a bigger dent in Vova's minutes next year assuming Chandlellar has some skills.

[Big D]

From Stickman:

Some recruiting update news from Vince Baldwin and Prepspotlight.com. This was featured back on Tuesday, 1/4/2005.

Brandon Foust is looking at several midwest schools. "Foust has a ton of interest from schools looking for him to transfer but we hear that Wright State, Penn State, Ohio State, Cincinnati and Toledo are all high on his shopping list. We will keep you posted as a decision is expected soon."

HOTTER THAN SPUDS MACKENZIE (another Vince Baldwin piece.)

"I saw this one coming at the 2004 Prep Spotlight Showcase and now it's in full swing. 6"2 PG Keith Mackenzie of Warren DeLaSalle is fast becoming one of the hottest prospects in the state of Michigan. Mackenzie was always considered a fantastic high school player but some questioned his potential to play D1 college basketball. Mackenzie, who's a true gym rat worked on his game and his body all summer long. Now he's become one of the best guards in the state and is getting more and more D1 interest by the day. Currently U of Detroit, Wright State, UW- Green Bay, Eastern Michigan and Ohio University have expressed interest, but expect more schools to come in as word leaks out."

[Big D]

Brandon Foust was a stud coming out of high school. He was a former teammate of Spencer at Brookhaven. He is a 6-6 PF. He is small for the position, but he is an incredible athlete. As a freshman at Oklahoma, he averaged 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds a game. As a high school senior he averaged 17.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks a game. He was first team All State. He was ranked a 4 star recruit by both Rivals and the Insiders. He was ranked 89th nationally by hoopscoop.

Keith MacKenzie is a 6-2 pg out of Warren DeLASalle high school. So far this year, he is averaging 21.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists a game. He is also hitting 45% of his 3 pt shots.

[Big D]

The Detroit News 2004 All-East Team
Keith MacKenzie
Warren DeLaSalle

A two-year starter, MacKenzie was a one-dimensional player last season, relying solely on his perimeter shooting. This season, MacKenzie, a junior, took on the leadership role and led the Pilots to a Class A district title. DeLaSalle is 35-13 over the past two seasons.

He averaged 17.5 points, 5.1 assists, shot 90 percent (91-101) from the free-throw line and 38 percent on three-pointers.

“He’s probably the purest shooter I’ve had in 17 years as a head coach,” Coach Greg Esler said. “He handles the ball well and has a good work ethic. He plays every day to get better. He’s improved our team with his overall game.”

www.detnews.com/2004/highschools/0403/31/e06d-108330.htm

[Grunge84]

FWIW, I've heard that the Brandon Foust situation is looking good for the Raiders. Obviously, it's not over till Mama Cass sings, but it's "supposed" to be very promising at the moment.

[Big D]

Ricardo Billings is headed to Oakland. He was offered by WSU.

[Big D]

Brandon Foust is headed to Toledo.

[Raiderdog]

Grunge, looks like you need a new source re: Foust!! Bummer, I figured we might have a good shot at him.

[Big D]

Detroit has picked up a transfer from Marquette:


Sophomore Brandon Bell is not expected to enroll in classes for the second semester and will be granted his release from MU.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder, who averaged 1.5 points in 21 games as a backup point guard last season, hasn’t played at all this season for the Golden Eagles after taking a leave of absence for an unspecified medical condition in early October.

According to a source, Bell, a native of Flint, Mich., is expected to transfer to the University of Detroit.

www.jsonline.com/sports/marq/jan05/293627.asp

[Big D]

More info on Bell from Detroit's message board:

High School Notes: During the 2002-03 season he earned First Team Class B All-State recognition by the Detroit Free Press, Detroit News and The Flint Journal ... Averaged 20.8 points, 8.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds his senior year at Flint Southwestern Academy where he was coached by Jeff Whiteley ... Finished fourth in the voting for Michigan’s Mr. Basketball Award ... Helped his team to a district championship and a spot in the regional title contest ... During his junior season, he averaged 19.0 points, 8.0 assists and 4.0 steals per outing in helping his team to a spot in the Class B Regional Finals in the state tournament ... Captained his high school squad for three years ... Earned first-team city and conference acclaim his junior and senior seasons ... Finished his career with 1,402 points, eighth all-time among Flint-city scorers and his 585 career assists ranked him No. 3 all-time in the state of Michigan ...... Younger brother of former Michigan State basketball standout Charlie Bell ... Selected Marquette over Pittsburgh, Arizona, West Virginia and Nebraska ... Outstanding all-around prep athlete who earned three letters in football, baseball and cross country ... Was an all-city selection twice in baseball and once in football ... Was chosen as his conference's Student Athlete of the Year during the 2002-03 school year.

www.digitaldestinies.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1523

[Big D]

Mike Hall article:


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ball State, Bowling Green, Duquesne and Marquette are commonly mentioned, but don't be surprised if Hall winds up at Wright State. He says he's been in touch with head coach Paul Biancardi and his assistants regularly.

"It's a really good school, I'm telling you," Hall said. "A lot of people are underestimating Wright State. They're a very, very good program. I've talked to their coaches many, many times and they've let me know they are very interested."

More than one veteran basketball observer said Hall was the best guard he had seen over the weekend.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

www.daytondailynews.com/sports/content/sports/preps/daily/0118flyinside.html

[Big D]

For the year, Hall is averaging 20 pts, 3.9 rebs, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals. He is connecting on 36% of his 3s and 78% of his free throws. Insiders ranks him as a 2 star recruit and he is ranked 524 nationally by hoopscoop.

[Big D]

Nwankwo Joins The Viking Basketball Team
6-7 Forward Transfers To Cleveland State After Two Years At Purdue


Jan. 18, 2005


Contact: Brian McCann

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ije Nwankwo, who started three games at Purdue in 2003-04 as a true-freshman, has transferred to Cleveland State after a year and a half at Purdue, CSU head coach Mike Garland announced on Tuesday, the first full day of classes at CSU for spring semester.

Nwankwo will sit out the remainder of the 2004-05 season and the first part of the 2005-06 campaign to meet NCAA transfer requirements. When he becomes eligible to play at the end of the 2005 fall semster (Dec. 19), he will have two years of eligibility remaining.

Nwankwo, a 6-7, 260-pound forward from Ann Arbor, Mich., was ranked as the 65th best player in the nation by PrepStars.com as a senior at Detroit Country Day High School. He played in 25 games last year as a freshman at Purdue, averaging 2.5 points and 1.4 rebounds a game. He also saw action in two games for the Boilermakers this year before leaving the team in late November.





"Ije will be a great addition to our lineup because he fits in well with our playing philosophy," Garland said. "He's a blue-collar player. He is a hard-nosed player who loves to get physical inside yet he has the shooting touch to score from 15-feet and in.

"Ije's build allows him to play much larger than he is. He has a wing span of almost seven feet and those long arms combined with his wide-body make him a very difficult player to defend. Despite his size, he loves to run the floor, dive for loose balls and block shots.

"I got to know Ije when he was in high school and we were considering him for a spot at Michigan State," Garland continued. "He is an outstanding young person who is strong academically. He will fit in well at CSU.

Nwankwo was a first team all-state honoree as a senior at Country Day High after averaging 18.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.8 steals a game. He was ranked as the third-best forward in Michigan by MichiganPreps.com and participated in the 2002 Nike Summer Camp.

The addition of Nwankwo leaves Cleveland State with three scholarships available for the 2005-06 season. The Vikings signed 6-4 forward J'Nathan Bullock from Flint (Mich.) Northern High School. The spring signing period for high school student-athletes begins on April 13
csuvikings.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011805aad.html

[Big D]

Insiders is reporting that James Craft is headed to WSU.

scout.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=1582270