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OldGoldFreePress COLUMNISTS | BACK TO Bob_Richards'S COLUMNS

PURDUE MENS BASKETBALL RECRUITING:
2001 Recruiting News Archive - January to July




Date: 7/31/2001
Author: Bob_Richards
© Bob_Richards

June 2001 - January 2001


> JUNE 30, 2001

  • Just added a new player profile on 2002 forward Barbara Turner to the prospects page.

       MORE: Player profile: Barbara Turner [Boiler Basketball Recruiting]

  • It has been confirmed by Matt Kiefer that he has indeed made a commitment to Keady and the Boilers.

       MORE: Evansville's Kiefer commits to Boilermakers [J&C]
       MORE: Kiefer connects with Purdue [Evansville Courier]

    > June 29, 2001

  • Reports are indicating Matt Kiefer has verballed to Purdue. We like to be a little more cautious than most sites when reporting commitments, and will officially move Kiefer to the commitment column after the rumor has been verified. Kevin Garrity was widely reported by many Purdue and recruiting sites to have verballed to Monmouth in August of 1999, but a day later Garrity sent us an email stating he had not verballed to Monmouth. So, we will wait to put Kiefer in a Purdue uniform when we can actually get some more reliable information.

    > June 24, 2001

  • The Indiana All-Star team protected the home court on Saturday by defeating the Kentucky All-Stars 107-91. Brandon McKnight finished with nine points, four rebounds, four assists and one turnover, while David Teague had 14 points, one rebound, two assists and three steals.

       MORE: Purdue recruits help Indiana salvage split [J&C]
       MORE: Early surge propels Indiana win [Indy Star]
       MORE: South Bend stars simply super [South Bend Tribune]

    > June 23, 2001

  • Matt Kiefer and Chris Hunter talk about Purdue, with Kiefer confirming Purdue is still the leader by saying, "Yes, they're clearly the leader."

       MORE: Big Men, Big Decisions [J&C]

  • Another article from the Journal and Courier, this one on Brandon McKnight. McKnight discusses the positive effect fellow South Bend natives Jaraan Cornell and Darmetreis Kilgore have had on his commitment to Purdue, and knows he will have to fill a role with the Boilers next season due to an abundance of upperclassmen scorers. Also included is a link to a South Bend Tribune article on McKnight and tonight's All-Star game in Indianapolis.

       MORE: Purdue recruit embraces role with All-Stars [J&C]
       MORE: McKnight ready to assist All-Stars [South Bend Tribune]

    > JUNE 22, 2001

  • Purdue is showing interest Blue Star's No. 6 player in the Class of 2002, Erin Grant. The 5'8 point guard from Arlington Mansfield (TX) is considering Purdue, Duke, Georgia, Texas Tech and Stanford. You might remember Mansfield as the team that defeated Shereka Wright's Copperas Cove team in the Texas Class 5A Region I championship game. Grant led Mansfield to a 36-1 record and their third state championship. In her three years on varsity, Mansfield has compiled a 110-3 record. As a junior, Grant averaged 11.8 points and 8.1 assists. Grant averaged 10.9 points and 7.0 assists as a sophomore, and 8.2 points and 5.8 assists as freshman. Some articles of interest on Grant...

       MORE: All-District Team + Grant photo (PDF file) [Dallas Morning News]
       MORE: Two-time champ Mansfield a marked team [Dallas Morning News]
       MORE: Photo series featuring shots of Grant [Dallas Morning News]
       MORE: Mansfield cruises to 5A crown [Amarillo Globe News]

  • In recruiting news, Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood, the rising freshman sensation at last year's Nike All-American Camp, has given an early verbal to Tennessee. Purdue's name came up in connection with her, but the 5'9 point guard from Lynwood California is pulling out of the recruiting race early. She will just be a sophomore this coming year. Rumored is the commitment of Tye'sha Fluker also to Tennessee this weekend. Fluker is a 6'5 post player with an excellent perimeter shot from Pasedena (CA). Fluker is rumored to have told the Tennessee staff not to recruit over her as she will make an official announcement this summer. Both Wiley-Gatewood and Fluker were on the Tennessee campus on Sunday for the Tennessee Elite Camp.

  • A new article in the Journal and Courier talks about Cuonzo Martin's role in getting Purdue in the mix with some of the nation's elite players and helping to upgrade Purdue's athleticism through recruiting.

       MORE: Martin's efforts allow Boilermakers to pursue high-caliber recruits [J&C]

  • There have been three updates recently from Prep Stars on Tyler Best (July 21 update), Stanley Gaines (July 19 update) and Chris Hunter (July 18 update). Best says he is still wide open, but is interested in Purdue, Florida, Miami, Cincinnati, Indiana State and Ball State. Gaines says Purdue and Seton Hall have offered him, with Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, and UConn among his favorites at the moment. Gaines also mentions he'd like to see more schools get involved, particularly Florida and North Carolina. Hunter says he hasn't been extended any scholarship offers, but won't look to narrow his list until July. He still sees himself as playing the three or four positions in college.

       MORE: Daily News Archive [Prep Stars]

  • Gary Westside coach John Boyd states Chris Hunter will make an unofficial visit to Michigan this weekend, and might be considering a package deal with Brandon Cameron. However, only two schools seem to appear on both players' lists. Boyd mentions Hunter involved with Purdue, North Carolina, Penn State, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Michigan State, while Cameron is interested in Penn State, Marquette, Louisville, Princeton, and Michigan.

       MORE: Big Man to Visit Michigan [The Wolverine]

  • Matt Dennison spoke to Kristof Kendrick, who will be attending the NBA Players Association Camp June 24-28. Kristof mentioned interest in Purdue, Indiana, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Illinois, Ball State, Kentucky, Michigan, Seton Hall and Ohio State.

       MORE: Kendrick updates list of choices [M@tts Stats]

  • Mike Pegram has a wrapup of the Senior All-Stars 115-82 victory over the Juniors on Wednesday night.

       MORE: Chris x 2 Shoot Down Juniors [Peegs.com]

    > June 21, 2001

  • Roy and Harv have updates on two Purdue targets, Stanley Gaines from Providence-St. Mel (IL) and Joe Chapman from Bloom Township (IL). Gaines lists his two leaders as Marquette and Purdue, with Seton Hall, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa State, and Florida still in contact. Chapman is a 6'4 wing forward/guard who can play inside and out. He is listing Marquette, Michigan State, Illinois State, Purdue, Illinois, and Bradley, despite some other published reports claiming Purdue has been eliminated recently. Both Gaines and Chapman will be attending the Adidas Camp in Teaneck (NJ).

       MORE: Meet Stanley Gaines & Joe Chapman [All Star Report]

  • Six-foot-two shooting guard Robert Hite has a list of eight schools, but is still open. He has visited Purdue, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Ohio State, and Xavier, and also has interest in Michigan State, Louisville, and Seton Hall.

       MORE: Robert Hite: Has List Of Top Schools [RivalsHoops]

  • Another update on Delco Rowley, with no new information. Still working on his game, still wants to stay close to home, and still interested in Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana State, and Ball State.

       MORE: Rowley Is Player To Watch This Summer [RivalsHoops]

  • Melvin Buckley has narrowed his list to include Michigan State, Illinois, Arizona, Stanford, Purdue and Marquette, and hopes to get an offer from Michigan State this weekend. Notre Dame and Wisconsin have been dropped from his list.

       MORE: Buckley cuts list; could decide soon [RivalsHoops]

    > June 18, 2001

  • There were two nice articles written before the weekend on Brandon McKnight as a member of the Indiana All-Star team. The Tribune article won't be around for long.

       MORE: McKnight ready to assist All-Stars [South Bend Tribune]
       MORE: All-Stars look for McKnight to run show [Indy Star]

  • New position rankings for the Class of 2002 are up on the CNNSI site by Prep Stars. We have the rankings linked from our rankings page...

       MORE: Player Rankings [MrHoops]

  • The Indy Warriors AAU program has won the 2001 Indiana State AAU Tournament by defeating the Spiece Pistols in the semis and Team Indiana in the finals.

       MORE: Tournament Report [M@tts Stats]

    > June 17, 2001

  • The Kentucky All-Stars defeated the Indiana All-Stars in Owensboro (KY) on Saturday, 103-90.

       MORE: Indiana All-Stars suffer 13-point defeat [MrHoops]
       MORE: Kentucky boys pound Indiana, 103-90 [Journal and Courier]
       MORE: Kentucky boys leave losing streak behind [Courier Journal]
       MORE: Sparks fires up Kentucky in 103-90 win [Herald Leader]
       MORE: Indiana boys humbled by Kentucky [Indy Star]

    > JUNE 14, 2001

  • Too much on the interior was a key to the Senior All-Stars defeating the Junior ALl-Stars Wednesday evening, 111-66 in Bloomington.

       MORE: Gebisa helps All-Stars kick around junior team [Indy Star]
       MORE: Region’s all-stars tune up for Kentucky [Gary Post Tribune]

  • It may have been thought the 2001 Junior All-Star team was stronger than the 2001 Senior All-Star team, but the seniors put that theory to rest on Wednesday with a 129-88 blowout of the juniors in Bloomington.

       MORE: Coach gets through to All-Stars [Indy Star]
       MORE: Region’s all-stars tune up for Kentucky [Gary Post Tribune]

    > June 13, 2001

  • Purdue has made the top four for Tyler JC big forward Chris Booker, but has some strong company with Kansas, Illinois and DePaul also in the hunt. Tyler head coach Chris Crutchfield said the Boilers were showing plenty of interest, adding "Purdue wants to add some more athleticism to their front line."

       MORE: Chris Booker Has Top Four Schools [Russ Blake]

  • Russ has another article on 6'5 small forward Jeff Halbert from White Bear Lake (MN) who says Purdue has shown interest. Halbert averaged 22 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a junior and is already qualified.

       MORE: Jeff Halbert: A Player To Watch [Russ Blake]

  • The Wolverine spoke with a couple of Indiana power forwards recently, Delco Rowley and Matt Kiefer. Kiefer names a list of five schools getting the most of his attention at the moment, including the Boilers, Michigan, Notre Dame, Kansas, and Iowa. Rowley says Xavier, Iowa, and Purdue are the three schools showing the most interest in him at the moment.

       MORE: Indiana Power Forward Targets [Tobie Smith]

    > June 12, 2001

  • Melvin Buckley's visit to MSU was postponed, moved out to June 20th. Stanford is the newest school on a list that includes Michigan State, Arizona, Illinois and Marquette.

       MORE: Buckley Delays MSU Visit [BlueChip Hoops]

  • An update on Ricardo Billings, who sports a 3.0 GPA. Billings mentions Xavier, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wake Forest, Boston College and Marquette.

       MORE: Billings: A Player To Watch [RivalsHoops]

    > JUNE 10, 2001

  • Now that the school year is over in most districts and last year's freshmen are now sophomores, we can start talking about another rising class of talent. One player we've been hearing about for over a year now getting attention from the staff is Narbonne HS (CA) point guard Camille Lenoir. The 5'6 playmaker put up an impressive 7.9 points and 5.2 assists for Narbonne, the 2001 mythical high school national champion. Those numbers by themselves might not be a very good indicator of talent, especially when compared to other freshmen who come out and score in the twenties their first year. However, Lenoir plays on a team described by her coach as having 11 legitimate Division I players on the roster, including five names that have shown up on elite player lists. Lenoir was also named the MVP of the Brea-Olinda tournament. USA Today, which handed the mythical national championship to Narbonne for the second straight year, said Lenoir emerged as the leader of the team over the course of her first season.

       MORE: Narbonne girls rise to the top [Sports Census]
       MORE: Finally, South Sioux girls take to court [Sioux City Journal]

    > June 9, 2001

  • 2001 swingman Derrick Byars of Memphis Ridgeway (TN) doesn't mention Purdue among a list given to Russ Blake. Included on the list are Clemson, Maryland, Miami, Louisville, Memphis, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

       MORE: Derrick Byars Has List Of Schools [RivalsHoops]

    > June 7, 2001

  • Delco Rowley mentions still being open, but has Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Indiana State, and Ball State on his list.

       MORE: Delco Rowley: Big And Ready To Bang [RivalsHoops]

  • Yet another list from Brown Deer HS (WI) forward Steve Novak, and unlike the one we saw just a few days ago, this one mentions Purdue and Wisconsin along with Illinois, North Carolina, Southern Cal, and Florida. Novak mentioned these are the schools getting the most attention from him at the moment. He'll major in business.

       MORE: Steve Novak: Short List Right Now [RivalsHoops]

    > JUNE 6, 2001

  • Class of 2001 ?? center Gillian Goring has announced a transfer to Waterloo West HS from the school she led to a 25-2 record last season, Germantown Academy. The move is an attempt to get her qualified for college with the class of 2001. The concern has been her academic progress would require another two years of secondary schooling before she could gain eligibility. The move to Waterloo West is designed to avoid that by placing her in an environment strong in academics. Waterloo West has had recent success in grooming high school centers, preparing former 6-foot-4 Iowa Miss Basketball Nina Smith for Division I. While her game is still developing and will also get extensive attention at Waterloo West, the completion of her academic core load will be a priority.

       MORE: Goring to leave GA for school in Iowa [Philly Inquirer]

    > June 4, 2001

  • Last week with the announcement Ramon Diaz of Wabash was heading to Purdue as a walkon candidate, we posted an article on foreign athletes that mentioned Diaz. It was Part Six in a series of articles on foreign players. It was mentioned by a site regular that the other articles in the series were good reading also. So, here are some of the articles from the series on foreign athletes. They do help to get a little better view of why the IHSAA seemed to take a harsh stance on the eligibility of Diaz and other foreign players in Indiana such as Miguel Bierdiel of Andrean.

       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 1 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 2 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 3 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 4 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 5 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 6 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Foreign Athletes Part 7 [Cox Newspapers]
       MORE: Local kids often lose out [Dayton Daily News]

  • More evaluations from the Nike Memorial Day Tournament. This time, Roy and Harv Schmidt give their impressions of Chris Hunter, Deuce Miller, Ricardo Billings, Melvin Buckley, Delco Rowley and Brian Randle.

       MORE: Nike MDC Evaluations: 17-under forwards and centers [Bob Gibbons]

    And here's more evaluations from the same tournament from Van Coleman of Future Stars. Mentioned here of interest are Chris Hunter, Delco Rowley, Lavar Carter, Brian Randle, Melvin Buckley, Derrick Byars and Ricardo Billings.

       MORE: Memorial Day Recap From Future Stars [Van Coleman]

  • James Augustine (pictured at the top of this page) was one of the better performers at the Purdue Elite Camp this weekend, showing he can hit from the perimeter with some consistency. But he is a power forward who can go inside or out, and help out a team considerably in rebounding. Dave Telep has an update on his recruitment, and Augustine continues to list Purdue near the top of his list with Illinois, Marquette and Iowa. He is also being pursued by Iowa State, Wake Forest, Xavier, Wyoming, Indiana State, Northern Illinois and Ball State.

       MORE: Augustine Heating Up [Dave Telep]

  • An update on Steve Novak does not mention Purdue, but even more puzzling is the fact Wisconsin is not mentioned either. Wisconsin has been very much in the hunt for Novak, and he recently visited Madison. I'd consider this a partial list and not an indication of all the players involved with Novak.

       MORE: Novak: Three Schools Have Offered [Dave Telep]

  • Melvin Buckley will soon take an unofficial visit to Michigan State, and if offered will probably accept. He still mentions most of the Big Ten, Marquette, Wake Forest, Virginia and Arizona, with Purdue and Marquette with the only offers on the table so far.

       MORE: Buckley Says MSU Leads [Dave Telep]

  • Purdue is still on the list for 6'3 Rogers Academy scoring guard Ricardo Billings. He mentions eight schools showing interest including Xavier, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Wake Forest, Boston College and Marquette. He has a 3.0 GPA with the SAT soon to come.

       MORE: Ricardo Billings Has Eight Schools [Russ Blake]

  • According to Tobie Smith, former Purdue prospect Kelly Whitney who verballed to Michigan last fall, will attend prep school and reopen his recruitment. Purdue was in the hunt for Whitney in the end along with Illinois, Iowa, New Mexico, and Alabama, with Indiana State, Siena, Bradley and St. Joseph's having offers on the table. Purdue had not offered when Whitney verballed to Michigan, preferring to continue to monitor his academic situation.

       MORE: Whitney to attend prep school [Tobie Smith]

    > June 3, 2001

  • A couple of reports from the Purdue Elite Camp. We have gathered a list of all the campers, plus a report from the afternoon sessions on Saturday. Action starts again on Sunday at 9:00am with a series of tournament-type games.

       MORE: 2001 Elite Camp Attendees [MrHoops]
       MORE: Elite Camp afternoon report [MrHoops]

    > June 1, 2001

  • Purdue's first Elite Camp brings 100 players to campus this weekend, a large percentage of those players being recruiting targets of the staff. The camp is open to the public, and the staff wants fans to attend and watch these 8 through 12 grade high Division I potential players mix it up around Mackey.

       MORE: Purdue to hold first Elite Camp [Exponent]

    > May 31, 2001

  • PrepStars has player evaluations from the Bloomington Nike Tournament, including comments on Greg Brown, Ricardo Billings, Chris Hunter, Derrick Byars, Delco Rowley, Brandon Cameron and Melvin Buckley. Billings is now favoring Ohio State, and Brown has Wisconsin at the top of his list. Byars is a new name, a 6'7 190-pound wing player from Memphis Ridgeway (TN). He's a solid student, and pegged as the top junior in the Memphis area, if not the state of Tennessee. Byars was named to the Tennessee Class AA all-tournament team this year and was named an honorable mention all-american by USA Today. Byars is rated #54 by Basketball Phenoms and #57 by Basketball Census. Byars is listing Memphis, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Arkansas, USC, Clemson, and Kentucky. He has already visited Arkansas and Vanderbilt, and has had glowing comments about Kevin Stallings' Vandy program.

       MORE: More Player Evaluations [PrepStars]

  • Bob Gibbons breaks down the forwards and centers and evaluates their play at last weekend's Tournament of Champions. Mentioned are Marcus White and Stanley Gaines.

       MORE: TOC Evaluations: Forwards/Centers [Bob Gibbons]

    > May 30, 2001

  • Purdue will have some frontline help for the 2001-02 season in the form of a 6'8 walkon. Ramon Diaz, who will turn 18-years-old on July 22nd, will attempt to be one of Gene Keady's walkon players next season. Diaz attended Wabash High in Wabash, IN this past year after moving to the states from Puerto Rico. In hopes to better his English language skills to prepare him for a course of study in engineering at Purdue, Diaz also hoped to qualify for instate tuition by being a resident of the state prior to collegiate enrollment. In Puerto Rico, Diaz was called an "exceptional student both academically and athletically, especially in basketball and volleyball" according to IHSAA court documents. The reason the IHSAA became involved was due to a question of his athletic eligibility. The IHSAA eventually ruled Diaz could not play varsity sports for Wabash, which relegated him to the junior varsity squad for the 2000-01 season. The former honor student in Puerto Rico has struggled in his new English environment, but is said to be a hard worker academically. Attempts taking the SAT without any language help have so far been "disappointing". Assuming Diaz can gain admission to Purdue academically, Keady would get a boost from having another big body on the bench. Below are two articles. The first is a copy of the petition brought before the IHSAA to appeal his denial of eligibility (in PDF format), and the second is an article on the influence of Giddel Padilla in bringing basketball players to the U.S. to improve their chances of landing a college athletic scholarship.

       MORE: IHSAA case review (PDF format) [IDEA]
       MORE: Series on foreign athletes [Cox Newspapers]

  • Purdue will be holding an Elite Camp on June 2-3, bringing 80 players with Division I potential to Purdue for a day and a half of intense basketball instruction, teamwork and competitive games. The camp is for grades 8-12 (players must have finished their eighth grade year), and will host a lengthy list of Purdue prospects including Tyler Best, Russell Trudeau, Matt Kiefer, Robert Vaden, Antwan Alexander and Delco Rowley. Purdue fans are encouraged to attend the camp All-Star Game held at 9:30pm on June 2nd in Mackey Arena.

  • Some scouting reports from the Gibbons Tournament of Champions, including James Augustine, Stanley Gaines and Marcus White.

       MORE: TOC Player Evaluations (A-M) [BlueChipHoops]
       MORE: TOC Player Evaluations (N-Z) [BlueChipHoops]

  • The Spiece Pistols won the senior division of the Spiece Memorial Day Tournament on Sunday by defeating the Michigan Mustangs. In the semis, Spiece defeated Warrick County, arguably Indiana's top senior team to date. Warrick County's Matt Kiefer finished with 19 points and 7 rebounds. For the Pistols, Kevin Cates had 21 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while Tyler Best added eight points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. Standing back-to-back, Kiefer looks to have about an inch and a half on Tyler Best. Kevin Cates is an intriguing player. He continues to have great games on the boards, and is surprisingly agile for his size.

    > May 28, 2001

  • More coverage of the Nike Memorial Day Tournament in Bloomington...

       MORE: Day Two report [Mike Pegram]
       MORE: Memorial Classic Day Two [PrepStars]
       MORE: Tournament Coverage with scores [M@ttsStats]

  • I have updated the Prospects page, adding a few new players, plus the Class of 2004 targets.

       MORE: Men's Prospects [Boilermaker Basketball Recruiting]

    > May 27, 2001

  • Mike Pegram is down at the Nike Memorial Day Tournament in Bloomington, and has some first day reports. Also included are reports from other sources...

       MORE: First day report [Mike Pegram]
       MORE: Bloomington Red game stats [SportsCombine]
       MORE: Team Indiana Red game stats [SportsCombine]
       MORE: Indiana Warriors game stats [SportsCombine]
       MORE: Chris Hunter quotes [Cardinal Sports]

  • No mention of player performance, but the coach of this year's Indiana All-Star team likes what he sees so far.

       MORE: All-Star boys impressive for Holmes [Herald Times]

    > May 24, 2001

  • A trio of updates from Russ Blake confirms interest in Purdue from Melvin Buckley and Greg Brown, and verifies Purdue is off the list of Rick Cornett.

    Thornwood's 2002 wing forward Melvin Buckley tells Russ Blake both Purdue and Marquette have offered scholarships, but Michigan State might have the early edge. Additional schools under consideration are Michigan, Wisconsin, Boston College, Virginia, Notre Dame and Arizona. Buckley is also academically qualified with a 3.7 GPA and an ACT score of 23.

       MORE: Melvin Buckley Has Top Schools [Russ Blake]

    Off-guard Greg Brown, a 6'2 190-pound shooter from Milwaukee Vincent (WI), has Iowa, Michigan State, and Wisconsin leading Minnesota, Purdue, Michigan, Cincinnati and Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Unlike Buckley, Brown is in need of some help to academically qualify. His GPA is low at 2.0, and he has yet to take the SAT or ACT.

       MORE: Greg Brown Has A Leader [Russ Blake]

    After hearing lists that have not included Purdue from his parents and his coach, Rick Cornett confirmed he will choose from a list of 13 that includes Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Kansas State, Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Arizona, Southern Cal, Stanford and Marquette.

       MORE: Rick Cornett Gives His List Of Schools [Russ Blake]

  • Last weekend in Saint Louis, the Saint Louis Eagles AAU program sponsored a tournament that brought in some quality AAU programs. New player evaluations are up on the All-Star Report site, including reports on Brandon Cameron, Greg Brown, Chris Hunter, Justin Johnson, and class of 2003 forward Brian Randle. Rumors have Randle favoring Illinois at this point. Don't ask me what a "high mid to lower high major" is. Your guess is as good as mine on that one.

       MORE: Eagles Evals: SR/JR/SO/FR [All-Star Report]

    > May 23, 2001

  • Darmetreis Kilgore has been named a second team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

  • Dave Telep is back with a new site and a few words about Matt Kiefer. Kiefer lists Purdue, Michigan, Notre Dame, Marquette, Iowa, Missouri and Indiana, with Purdue the only school to offer a scholarship so far.

       MORE: Kiefer Becoming A HM Target [BlueChipHoops]

  • Wisconsin has Steve Novak at the top of their recruiting wish list, and the new coaching staff is determined to keep the state's prize recruit home for his college career.

       MORE: Signing Novak a priority for Wisconsin [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

  • Lester Abram has re-committed to Michigan after getting to know the new coaching staff.

       MORE: Basketball receives first commitment [The Wolverine]

  • I have updated the "Recruiting Links" page, adding a few new sites and cleaning out some of the old, dead Rivals sites.

       MORE: Recruiting Links [Boiler Basketball Recruiting]

    > May 22, 2001

  • Tobie Smith has some updates on a few Purdue targets. When Brian Ellerbe was shown the door at Michigan in March, 6'6 wing prospect Lester Abram decommitted and reopened his recruitment. Purdue was mentioned along with a handful of other Big Ten schools. Smith recently spoke to Abram and believes he will recommit to Michigan in the near future. Smith also spoke with the high school coach of Ricky Cornett, and got an 11 school list similar to the one given by his father last week. Purdue is no longer mentioned. And lastly, Smith spoke with Gary West head coach John Boyd and got a list for Chris Hunter that includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Michigan State, Georgia Tech, and Missouri. Boyd said Hunter will take visits in June, and should be ready to announce his decision in late July or August.

       MORE: Updates on Chris Hunter and Ricky Cornett [The Wolverine]

  • Tobie Smith also had a handful of updates we missed last week, including juniors Chris Grimm, Stan Gaines and Ricardo Billings. Purdue was popping up on the 6'10 Grimm's list, but it now looks like Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Stanford, Illinois, and Ohio State are the main players. Ohio State is also hinted as being the favorite for Billings, a 6'4 shooting guard from Detroit Rogers. And Purdue is still listed by Providence-St. Mel (IL) forward Stan Gaines, along with Michigan State, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Seton Hall, and Marquette.

       MORE: Updates on Rising Seniors [The Wolverine]

  • Merrillville High 2002 forward Justin Johnson still lists Purdue, as well as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Georgetown, Arizona, Cincinnati, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Johnson is listed as having a 2.5 GPA and has yet to take the SAT or ACT.

       MORE: Justin Johnson Has A Top List Of Nine [Russ Blake]

  • The sites have been chosen for the all-star scrimmages against the 2001 Indiana Junior and Senior All-Star teams. The first game featuring the core and south junior teams will be played on June 13 in Assembly Hall on Bloomington's Indiana campus. The second scrimmage, featuring the core and north junior teams will be played at Lawrence North High in Indianapolis on June 20. Tickets for the exhibition events are $5 at both sites and will be available through the box offices at Bloomington South (sponsor high school for the south game) and Lawrence North. For team and coaching information, follow the links below...

       MORE: 2001 Junior All-Star team [Boiler Basketball Recruiting]
       MORE: 2001 Senior All-Star team [Boiler Basketball Recruiting]

    > May 21, 2001

  • We were wondering if the Journal and Courier was going to have all-area teams this year. Better late than never, the J&C released their small school all-area boys team last week and placed Tyler Best and Russell Trudeau on the all-area first team. Kristof Kendrick was named honorable mention all-area by the group of local boys coaches polled.

       MORE: Russell Trudeau All-Area profile [Journal and Courier]
       MORE: Tyler Best All-Area profile [Journal and Courier]

  • Junior prospect Ann Strother, 6'1 150-pound wing guard from Highlands Ranch (CO), has accepted an invitation to tryout for the USA Basketball Women's Junior World Championship Team. Trials will be held June 15-18 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Twelve players from the thirty invited will be chosen following the trials to be a part of the 2001 USA Women's Junior World Championship Team.

    > MAY 20, 2001

  • Three names mentioning Purdue appear on USA Today's list of top girls underclassmen, one from each of the 2002, 2003, and 2004 classes. Barrington (IL) guard Lindsay Richards is listed as one of the eight top junior players, while Beech Grove (IN) wing Katie Gearlds is strengthening her reputation as one of the top players in the class of 2003. Keep and eye on a class of 2004 player Purdue is also all over, Naperville Central's (IL) 6'3 Candace Parker.

       MORE: USA TODAY's top girls underclassmen [USA Today]

  • Roy and Harv Schmidt have more Spiece player evaluations up on the Bob Gibbons site, this time for small forwards, wing players and guards. Evaluations are here for Matt Kiefer, Steve Novak, Russell Trudeau, Seth Colclasure and Dedrick Finn. Purdue is said to be interested in Finn as a shooting guard, which is contrary to Finn's wish to play the point.

       MORE: Spiece Evaluations: WF/WG/PG's [Bob Gibbons]

  • Purdue has the 7th best recruiting class in the conference according to a new article on ESPN by the Recruiting USA crew. Not much analysis besides naming most school's top recruit, but Darmetreis Kilgore gets a mention.

       MORE: Top Big Ten recruiting classes [ESPN]

    > May 18, 2001

  • Ricky Cornett's reduced list of eleven doesn't include Purdue, according to his father.

       MORE: Rick Cornett's Latest List [Mike Sullivan]

    > May 17, 2001

  • Purdue, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Missouri, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Southern California and Utah are among the many interested in 6'9 forward Steve Novak from Brown Deer (WI). Purdue, Marquette, Michigan State and Wisconsin have already extended scholarship offers. Florida could become a bigger player if they decide what they want to do with their big forward and wing scholarships. There is talk Donovan might give a scholarship to 6'3 shooter Daniel Horton, then go big at power forward with 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas. Both Bosh and Horton have mentioned Florida leads. With the recently verballed 6'6 shooter Matt Walsh joining the Gators, plus the possible addition of shooter Horton, Florida would not have much room for Novak at small forward. Wisconsin is also very involved and has been for quite some time. Novak averaged 22.2 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 blocks, shooting 90-percent from the stripe and 43-percent from the perimeter for a 14-8 team as a junior. Novak is touring with the Wisconsin All-Stars AAU program this summer, and will again attend the ABCD Camp in New Jersey.

       MORE: Novak gets rave reviews [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
       MORE: Novak Getting Looks From Entire Big 10 [School Sports]

  • Although a lengthy list of high school big men from the class of 2002 fills Keady's recruiting board, the staff is also looking at junior college talent. A couple of weeks ago we heard of 6'9 Tyler JC big forward Chris Booker. Add to the list 6'10, 205-pound big forward Jackson Vroman of Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. Vroman led Snow in scoring and rebounding during his freshman season, averaging 10.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in only 13 minutes per game on a very balanced Snow team. Vroman shot 54-percent (132-243) from the field and 64-percent (82-129) from the line, missing all six perimeter attempts last season. He will have no problem academically qualifying if his first year grades are an indication. Vroman was one of a couple dozen athletes at Snow to be honored academically for maintaining at least a 3.5 gpa. The second team all-SWAC Region 18 honoree is getting attention from Purdue, Gonzaga, Utah State and newcomer Iowa State according to Russ Blake. Jackson's father played collegiate ball for both John Wooden at UCLA and Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV.

       MORE: Snow J.C. Updates [Russ Blake]

    > May 16, 2001

  • Some big man scouting reports have been posted over on the Bob Gibbons site. Players mentioned of immediate interest to Purdue fans are Tyler Best, Kevin Cates and Marcus White. Good reports on Best and White, and White has the same schools listed that we heard at Spiece including Purdue. However we disagree a slight bit with the report on Kevin Cates being limited by a bandaged knee. It didn't seem to bother him as much as reported, and we saw a lot of him over the weekend. If Cates' knee was indeed a limiting factor, then his tournament average of 11 rebounds per game should have suffered to a greater extent. He also ran very well and jumped amazingly well for a 6'9 skinny center. He got a tech called on him on Sunday for swinging in the rim off a fastbreak dunk. Impressive springs.

       MORE: Spiece Evaluations: PF's & C's [All-Star Report]

  • Some new pre-summer rankings for the top 100 players in the junior class from Brick Oettinger have been published. Five players on the list, according to Oettinger, are listing Purdue... No. 11 Sean May from Bloomington North (IN), No. 40 Chris Hunter from Gary West (IN), No. 42 Rob Hite of Winton Woods (OH), No. 74 Ricky Cornett of Homewood Christian (IL) and No. 76 Tyler Best of Lafayette Central Catholic (IN). Others making the list that we have heard mention Purdue recently include No. 29 Lester Abram from Pontiac Northern (MI), No. 45 Ricardo Billings of Detroit Rogers (MI), No. 64 Marcus White of Chicago Whitney Young (IL), No. 75 Greg Brown of Milwaukee Vincent (WI), No. 87 Justin Johnson of Merrillville (IN) and No. 97 Stanley Gaines of Providence St. Mel (IL).

       MORE: Oettinger's Top 100 Juniors [CNNSI]

    > May 9, 2001

  • A complete set of games statistics for Spiece Pistols has been added to the Spiece tournament page. Over the five games of the tournament, the following potential Purdue targets had the following averages...Tyler Best (14.2 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 5.4 apg), Russell Trudeau (15.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.6 apg), Kevin Cates (7.6 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 2.8 apg) and Seth Colclasure (11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.2 apg).

       MORE: Run 'N Slam Tournament Coverage [MrHoops]

    > MAY 11, 2001

  • Center Vilma Grismanauskaite of Weatherford College has announced she will attend the University of North Texas.

    > May 8, 2001

  • The Spiece Run 'N Slam Tournament Coverage page has been updated. Included in the first update are complete scores from pool and tournament play, links to summaries around the web, the all-tournament teams, and over 100 photos taken over the weekend. Special thanks go out to the Spiece organization for throwing another great tournament, stats man Dale Knott and his lovely assistants, Mike Pegram and Jud Burton, all the coaches and scouts we talked to over the weekend. More summaries will be coming over the next week, as well as game and player statistics.

       MORE: Run 'N Slam Tournament Coverage [MrHoops]

  • Some new player rankings for the Class of 2002 have been added to the "Rankings" page. Dave Telep breaks down the top 50 in the class, and the top players by position.

       MORE: Player Rankings [MrHoops]

    > May 4, 2001

  • Darmetreis Kilgore's Tyler JC teammate 6'8 Bobbye Hill was once seen to list Purdue, but has chosen to attend Austin Peay. A freshman forward currently at Tyler, 6'9 Chris Booker, is now showing interest in Purdue along with Kansas and Illinois. Booker averaged 9.3 points and 9.3 rebounds (252 in 28 games) while shooting 50-percent from the field, 42-percent from the perimeter (17-41) and 79-percent from the line. Booker was named honorable mention all-Region XIV conference as a freshman. Booker attended Diamond Hill-Jarvis High in Fort Worth, TX where he was the area player of the year as a senior. He originally signed with Houston in high school, hoping to play for former NBA star Clyde Drexler. Drexler later left, and Booker went the junior college route. TCU and some Big 12 schools recruited Booker out of high school when he was generally considered a sleeper. He didn't play summer ball until the summer between his junior and senior seasons. As a senior he averaged 23.9 points, 12.1 rebounds, 7.6 blocks and 4.4 assists. Booker's junior stats were 16.6 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks and four assists. The most notable quote from Booker was one he made during his senior season in high school when asked about the NBA..."There are other ways to make a million dollars. I am not going to college to play pro basketball." (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

       MORE: Player Profile: 2002 Chris Booker [MrHoops]

    > May 3, 2001

  • A list of the top players by position in the Class of 2002 is up at ESPN, written by Recruiting USA's Mark Mayemura. Chris Hunter was rated as a top center and power forward. Providence-St. Mel's Stanley Gaines was named a top small forward.

       MORE: Class of 2002: Top juniors [ESPN]

  • Speaking of Recruiting USA, they are reporting California big man Nick Vander Laan has chosen to transfer to Virginia.

  • The Michigan-based AAU team "The Family" won the championship at the Jerry Watson All-Ohio Great Eight tournament this past weekend. Two players mentioning Purdue were named co-MVPs -- Ricardo Billings and Lester Abrams -- and Thornwood (IL) wing Melvin Buckley made the all-tournament team. While The Family isn't scheduled to attend this weekend's Spiece Run 'N Slam tournament in Fort Wayne, Buckley will be playing for the Illinois Warriors who will be in attendance. The Warriors' first game will be at 10:00pm Friday in the Spiece Fieldhouse on Court 8. If you attend that game, you might want to cruise over to Court 1 during the game to check out prospect Matt Kiefer, who will be playing for Warrick County AAU.

       MORE: The Family Wins "All-Ohio Great 8" [Midwest Hoops]

  • A note on the coverage of the Spiece tournament this weekend. Mike Pegram and I, along with any other fans who would like to join us, will be attending the entire weekend. I expect to start adding articles and scouting reports at the beginning of next week, but watch the MrHoops forum for updates during the weekend. Anyone interested in meeting up with us should drop either myself or Mike an email before the end of Thursday. I think most of the first night of the tournament will be spent in the Spiece Fieldhouse watching senior the senior teams.

       MORE: MrHoops Men's Basketball Forum [MrHoops]
       MORE: Run 'N Slam Tournament info [MrHoops]

    > May 1, 2001

  • Beginning next summer, high school programs will become more involved in summer basketball. The IHSAA has voted to do away with most restrictions on summer play, including eliminating limits on the number of players from a high school team that are allowed to play on the same summer basketball team, and allowing high school coaches to coach their players during the summer. Currently, the IHSAA allows a maximum of three players from the same high school team to play on the same summer squad. Now it is possible to see high school teams remaining intact throughout the summer camp circuit. High school coaches may place demands upon players to stay with their team for the summer and work on their high school position, when summer AAU competition may allow them to work on their future collegiate position. It also remains to be seen if high school team will be able to afford the expenses of competing in the summer circuit. Is corporate sponsorship of high school summer teams in Indiana far behind?

    > APRIL 30, 2001

  • Midwest Hoops has released their list of the top 25 juniors in the midwest. Purdue has been heard to be involved with...No.5 Lester Abrams (6'6 Pontiac, MI), No.8 Rick Cornett (6'8 Homewood, IL), No.10 J.R. Morris (6'5 Milwaukee, WI), No.11 Ricardo Billings (6'4 Detroit, MI), No.13 Chris Hunter (6'10 Gary, IN), No.18 Matt Kiefer (6'8 Evansville, IN), No.21 Melvin Buckley (6'7 Thornwood, IL), No.22 Robert Hite (6'1 Cincinnati, OH) and No.24 Greg Brown (6'1 Milwaukee, WI).

       MORE: Midwest Top 25 Class of 2002 [Midwest Hoops]

    > APRIL 29, 2001

  • Incoming recruit Matt Carroll scored 11 points in a Colorado All-Star game featuring the top 20 players in the state of Colorado. Carroll's Blue team won the game 98-96. University of Minnesota prospect Rodney Billips, brother of the Timberwolves Chauncey Billups, had 13 and the game-winning shot. Carroll averaged 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.5 blocks as a senior.

       MORE: Prep boys all-stars make the big time [Denver Post]

  • Purdue officially announces the transfer of Ivan Kartelo, who will be eligible to join the Boilers in the 2002-03 season.

       MORE: Purdue Announces Transfer [Purdue SID]

    > APRIL 28, 2001

  • Vilma Grismanauskaite of Weatherford College has been honored by her program. Grismanauskaite was named the "Super Gold" winner in women's basketball. A Super Gold award is given to an athlete in each sport for those who display the best attitudes and work habits on and off the field. From the Weatherford Democrat, women's head coach and athletic director Bob McKinney said,"Her attitude and just her presence, the way she presents herself, on and off the court are things that are really important. Maybe she wasn't outspoken or vocal, but she was a really kind of quiet leader. She leads by the way that she does things."

       MORE: WC recognizes its top athletes [Weatherford Democrat]

    > APRIL 27, 2001

  • The Fort Wayne News Sentinel has an article on the recruiting efforts of Purdue and Indiana. Keady told Pete DiPrimio, "Big guards are a priority, but more important, big rebounders are." Among the usual suspects of David Teague, Seth Colclasure, Matt Kiefer, and Sylvester Mayes, the article also mentioned class of 2002 guard Derrick Graham of South Bend Washington, high school teammate of Darmetreis Kilgore.

       MORE: Purdue, Indiana tracking recruits [News Sentinel]

  • Derrick Graham was also named as a Purdue target in this South Bend Tribune article last weekend. The article has some glowing comments about Keady's trip last week to see Darmetreis Kilgore in Texas. The "pleasantly surprised" Keady said, "I think Darmetreis can have an instant impact on the program because he's quick and he can shoot."

       MORE: Keady speaks in South Bend [South Bend Tribune]

    > APRIL 25, 2001

  • Mandy Davis has officially become a Purdue Boilermaker as Purdue receives her national letter of intent.

       MORE: Davis Signs National Letter-Of-Intent [Purdue SID]

    > APRIL 24, 2001

  • Another one of Vilma Grismanauskaite's teammates has signed Division I. Six-foot-three sophomore forward Melissa Fairley has signed with the University of Texas-Arlington.

  • Purdue recruit Ashley Mays will be playing for a new high school coach next season. Rodger Kirkpatrick has been named the new girls basketball coach at Warren Central. Kirkpatrick comes from South Bend Adams who finished 17-6 last year and made it to regionals in the IHSAA tournament. This will be Ashley's third coach during her career at Warren Central.

  • Ivan Kartelo has announced he will transfer to Purdue next season and be eligible to play for the 2002-03 season. Kartelo will assume the scholarship recently abandoned by Adam Wetzel. With Kartelo and Garrity both at 6'11 and 250-pounds, the staff has put itself in excellent position to chase some top big forwards in the class of 2002, forwards that may have been concerned they may have had to play with their backs to the basket. This has to make Purdue more attractive to at least Chris Hunter, Matt Kiefer and Tyler Best, three big forwards not yet strong enough to play under the basket in the Big Ten. It is also very good news for a very hard working and out of position Brett Buscher. Kartelo's announcement will calm some of the negative recruiting other programs have been using against Purdue with these big forwards for the lack of size and depth in the post.

  • The eighth annual Spiece Run 'N Slam AAU tournament will be held the weekend of May 4th in Fort Wayne at the new Spiece Fieldhouse. Although the tournament has moved from the Purdue campus to Fort Wayne, we will be covering ever hour of the tournament again this year. Check the tournament coverage page frequently for information on the tournament. We may try to organize a get-together in the Fort Wayne area the weekend of the tournament, and we'll keep everyone posted on when that might happen. Already up on the tournament coverage page is a tournament preview article, links to the pools and schedules, information on accomodations and directions to the Fieldhouse. A permanent link to the tournament coverage page has been added above under "MRHOOPS EXCLUSIVES".

       MORE: 2001 Run 'N Slam Coverage [MrHoops]

    > APRIL 22, 2001

  • Sophomore post Adam Wetzel will leave Purdue at the end of the semester to pursue basketball opportunities closer to his home of Keokuk, Iowa. After sitting out the fall semester for academic reasons, Wetzel returned in January to average 3.2 points and 3.4 rebounds. Wetzel's decision frees up a scholarship to offer Notre Dame transfer Ivan Kartelo, who completed an official visit to Purdue this weekend. Kartelo received a release from his scholarship at Notre Dame due to a lack of playing time, and would have to sit out one year before being eligible to join the Boilers in 2002-03. Kartelo will have two years of eligibility remaining. Purdue is the second visit of three, the first being to Northwestern and the third possibly being set up for North Carolina. Kartelo hopes to make a decision by May 14th, but many expect it much sooner. According to this report from the South Bend Tribune, Kartelo had nothing but great things to say about his visit to Purdue. Kartelo also mentioned he may not take a visit to North Carolina after all, as he doesn't see much playing time developing there.

       MORE: Kartelo considering transfer options [South Bend Tribune]

    > APRIL 19, 2001

  • Ok, so we don't have to be beaten over the head to see the trend here. And if the trend holds true to course, it could mean good things in the recruitment of Weatherford Junior College post player Vilma Grismanauskaite. The list of potential junior college post players has been recently reduced by two. Palm Beach CC center Crispina Correia and Miami-Dade post Trish Patterson have chosen to accept scholarships elsewhere. However, both players will be joining current junior college teammates at their new programs. Correia, along with PBCC teammate Kerdu Arbet, both signed with the Auburn Tigers this past Monday. Trish Patterson has signed to play for the University of Florida, joining her teammate Courtney Cooper who signed with the Gators on April 11th. Purdue hopes to have a similar package deal when Vilma Grismanauskaite visits campus today. Grismanauskaite's teammate Mandy Davis announced three weeks ago she would sign with the Boilers.

       MORE: Auburn signs two post players [Auburn SID]
       MORE: Women's basketball signs second Miami-Dade star [Florida SID]

    More on the junior college signings of Correia and Patterson, plus an update on junior point guard Lindsay Richards of Barrington, IL. Richards unofficially visited for the Tiffany Young Charity Game last Saturday, and is rated the top point guard in the nation in the junior class. All Star Girls Report ranks Richards as the 9th best overall prospect in the class of 2002. Richards lists Purdue, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Boston College and Notre Dame, wants to stay close to home, and hopes to make an early summer decision.

       MORE: Richards visits; Grismanauskaite visiting [J&C]

  • After the Boo Williams AAU tournament last week, Virginia notified Tyler Best they are now focusing on him. Odds are still likely he will remain close to Indiana. The Spiece Pistols AAU squad, featuring a host of interesting prospects including Tyler Best, Russell Trudeau, Kevin Cates and Seth Colclasure, will be playing this weekend in the 16-team Hoops Star Classic AAu tournament in Louisville, KY. The Pistols will be playing without Seth Colclasure and James Banks this weekend. Bloomington Red, featuring Chris Hunter, Anthony Winchester and Brandon Cameron among others, will also be at the tournament.

    > APRIL 16, 2001

  • The 2001 Indiana All-Star team has been announced, and two future Boilers have made the squad...

       MORE: 2001 Indiana All-Star team [MrHoops]

    In another article on Indiana All-Star Kyle Hankins, Hankins had a comment about fellow all-star Brandon McKnight. "McKnight is going to Purdue. He's tough," Hankins said.

       MORE: Hankins earned spot on Indiana All-Stars [Bloomington Herald]

  • Central Catholic junior big man Tyler Best has been invited to attend the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis the second week of July.

    > APRIL 11, 2001

  • Here's a look at some Indiana players from the class of 2002 who are currently rated by All Star Girls Report as top 100 caliber prospects.
      #04 Shanna Zolman (5'9, Wawasee) - Verbal to Tennessee
      #12 Missy Taylor (6'2, Connersville)
      #36 Sharika Webb (5'7, Cathedral)
      #59 Ashley Mays (5'7, Warren Central) - Verbal to Purdue
      #87 Amber Johnson (5'5, Ben Davis)
      #93 Jessica Wright (5'9, Cathedral)
  • A couple of articles on Travis Best and his decision to transfer. It looks like Indiana Wesleyan or Marian College are possible destinations.

       MORE: Best leaving Boilers due to lack of playing time [J&C]
       MORE: Little-used Best to transfer from Purdue [Indianapolis Star]

  • A Hoosier-centric article on Indiana's pursuit of Gary West junior big man Chris Hunter. Reading the quotes from Hunter, it is obvious he is playing it cool so far.

       MORE: Indiana Aiming for Chris Hunter [Inside IU]

    > APRIL 10, 2001

  • Purdue's Travis Best has decided to transfer to a Division II or III school where he can play as a senior. He had hopes to be able to grab some playing time at Purdue, but got caught amongst an unusually talented corp of guards, including several young guards the staff felt needed more time on the floor. Travis Best leaves Purdue on a good note, caring a great deal for the staff and his teammates. He just wanted to play more in his final year of collegiate eligibility. As for his brother Tyler Best, a current Purdue target in the class of 2002, he still remains interested in Purdue. The staff has communicated to Tyler that a scholarship offer is still on the table. Purdue remains very impressed with Tyler's mix of talents, especially his vision and passing out of the post. One question Tyler has to answer is if he wants to play down low in college. Purdue needs a rebounder, low post scorer and someone who can step out and pick. If Tyler sees himself playing that role, Purdue will continue to be a strong consideration regardless of Travis' decision to transfer. In this respect, Travis' decision to transfer will have little influence on Tyler's view of Purdue. We will miss Travis Best and we hope he is able to find a program he can make a mark with as his college career approaches an end.

  • An article on Matt Kiefer, who has been named the Evansville Courier 2001 Player of the Year.

       MORE: Wildcats’ Kiefer likes rush basketball brings [Evansville Courier]

    > APRIL 9, 2001

  • In talking to the head coach at Mandy Davis' junior college, the guys at the Journal and Courier have found out Purdue is also showing interest in teammate Vilma Grismanauskaite. Grismanauskaite, originally from Lithuania, is a 6'5 center more apt to hit double-figures in rebounds rather than scoring. She's also a great shotblocker. Her increased aggressiveness this season for the Lady Coyotes has been a plus defensively, helping Weatherford JC to a frugal 57.8 points per game allowed whcih ranks second in the conference, but she does tend to land in foul trouble frequently.

  • The Louisville Courier-Journal has released their 2001 Indiana all-state teams. Sophomore Katie Gearlds and junior Missy Taylor were named second team all-state, junior Sharika Webb made the third team, and Purdue-bound Carol Duncan and Ashley Mays both made the honorable mention list.

       MORE: 2001 Courier-Journal All-State Team [Courier-Journal]

  • A nice Q&A with Gene Keady in the Journal and Courier on Sunday. Several recruiting questions were asked by Washburn, and Coach openly discussed the issues. Keady touched on topics from the unfairness of the NCAA's treatment of Cameron Stephens, to Purdue backing off Marion prospect Zach Randolph due to pressure placed upon the staff as a result of Randolph's legal woes in high school.

       MORE: Keady admits recruiting a top priority [Journal and Courier]

  • Brandon McKnight finished second in the voting for the 2001 Indiana Mr. Basketball title. Indianapolis Pike guard Chris Thomas took the title, with Indiana-bound forward Sean Kline coming in third. McKnight was also named to the Louisville Courier-Journal Indiana all-state first team.

       MORE: 2001 Courier-Journal All-State Team [Courier-Journal]
       MORE: Brandon McKnight all-state profile [Courier-Journal]
       MORE: Seth Colclasure all-state profile [Courier-Journal]

  • The Purdue staff was in attendance for the Boo Williams Invitational AAU tournament in Hampton, VA checking out Brian Randle, who is playing for the St. Louis Eagles AAU squad. Randle is a 6'7, 190-pound athlete in the class of 2003, who is getting major early attention. He averaged 15 points and over seven rebounds per game as a sophomore. He has good hands on defense in both steals and blocking shots. He averaged 10.5 points and five boards as a freshman. He's versatile enough to play any position facing the basket in high school, but will be a prospect at the wing in college. Scouts are saying his main weaknesses are only age and inexperience. Randle is ranked anywhere from a top ten to a top 50 player in his class, and is a priority recruit for some programs already as a sophomore.

  • When Brian Ellerbe was forced from Michigan, 6'4 junior off-guard Lester Abrams decided to back out of his verbal commitment to the Wolverines. Playing this past weekend for The Family AAU at Boo Williams, Abrams gave Dave Telep a new list that includes Purdue, Illinois, Stanford, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Michigan and Michigan State. The Family lost the championship to the Charlotte Royals 78-49, but landed two players on the All-Tournament team in Abrams and 6'4 junior swingman Ricardo Billings. Billings also lists Purdue along with most of the Big 10, plus Marquette, Iowa State and Xavier. Both players are considered at least top 40 talent in the junior class. According to recent comments by Abrams' high school coach, Michigan is still a strong consideration for Abrams. Billings, however, is still actively shopping around and his stock is rising.

       MORE: Family Goes Cold From Perimeter [Dave Telep]

    > APRIL 8, 2001

  • Darmetreis Kilgore has popped up on some of the NJCAA statistical leader boards in his final season. Kilgore's 187 rebounds, or 6.448 per game average, ranks 42nd among Division I players. And his 21.414 points per game average is ranked as the 12th best in Division I.

    > APRIL 7, 2001

  • Purdue has received a verbal from Indianapolis Pike senior guard David Teague, who will spend next season polishing his skills at Bridgton Academy Prep School before joining the Boilermakers in 2002-03. Teague averaged 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Class 4A state champs Pike High, shooting 40-plus percent from the perimeter. Bridgton Academy will give Teague and excellent opportunity to hone his skills. Bridgton plays in the Class A division of the New England Prep School league, a league consisting of national prep powers Winchendon School, St. Thomas More and Maine Central Institute. Bridgton finished 26-6 this past season, losing to St. Thomas More in overtime in the championship game of the NEPSAC tournament.

    NOTE: The following article on David Teague also includes a recruiting update on Matt Kiefer.

       MORE: Pike guard will be a Boiler [J&C]

  • The scholarship grid has been updated to reflect the verbal commitment of David Teague. With Teague's verbal, the Boilers have nine of thirteen scholarships taken for the 2002-03 season. This scenario still considers Andrew Ford and Willie Deane as walk-ons. If both remain walk-ons for Coach Keady, the Boilers would have four more scholarships to offer that year. But Willie Deane is likely to be on scholarship before the 2002-03 season, potentially reducing the number to three.

       MORE: Scholarship Grid [MrHoops]

    > APRIL 4, 2001

  • Emily Heikes has been named the Suburban Chicago Star's Player of the Year. As the article points out, Heikes has set the following individual records during her career...most points scored in a game (32 against Hillcrest), most points scored in a season (381), most field goals in a season (155), most rebounds in a game (26 against Rich East), most rebounds in a season (283) and most rebounds in a career (751), most blocked shots in a career (83), most steals in a season (94), most steals in a career (200), most career free throws made (184), most blocked shots in a game (5) and most blocked shots in a season (39).

       MORE: Heikes rewrites Stagg record books [The Star]

  • The rosters for the 2001 Junior All-Star teams have been announced. Many Purdue targets are named to the junior teams that will prepare the Senior All-Stars this summer.

       MORE: 2001 Boys Junior All-Star Team [MrHoops]

    > APRIL 2, 2001

  • Here's an article that mentions prospect Parnell Smith and current Boiler Rodney Smith are the 23rd pair of siblings to win Indiana boys basketball titles.

       MORE: Smith brothers claim double [Indianapolis Star]

  • The player profile for Mandy Davis is now up. Davis, a junior college sophomore who will be joining the Boilers for the 2001-02 season, and Illinois senior Emily Heikes are the only two incoming players next season. So far...

       MORE: Player Profile: Mandy Davis [MrHoops]

    > APRIL 1, 2001

  • Two underclassmen prospects have landed on the AP all-state second team -- junior Sharika Webb and sophomore Katie Gearlds.

       MORE: AP Girls All-State Teams [MrHoops]

  • I've updated the scholarship page to reflect the recent verbal commitments from Mandy Davis, Carol Duncan and Ashley Mays.

       MORE: Scholarship Grid [MrHoops]

  • Brandon McKnight has now been named to the Associated Press all-state first team, while several Purdue targets get honored on the second team.

       MORE: AP Boys All-State Teams [MrHoops]

    > MARCH 31, 2001

  • In an article sent to us from the Hammond Times which can be accessed at the following link today only, Ricky Wright spoke about his situation at Villanova and his possible transfer. The telling comment from Ricky was a response to the question if he was going to transfer. "I think I'm gonna stick it out here and see what my other teammates do. But it's not 100 percent definite." Reporter Al Hamnick asked if Purdue would be his top option, and Ricky replied he did not know. Ricky also was said to be a lifelong Purdue fan, and added he did not want to be part of a rebuilding process at Villanova and not have a shot at playing for a national championship. Hamnick builds on the article's angle that Wright's entire career has been full of turnover. From East Chicago teams where he played for two coaches and suffered everything form player defections to teammate ineligibility, to his current Villanova situation where multiple player are now contemplating jumping ship. Checking with the Villanova athletic department, Wright still has yet to ask for a release from his scholarship.

       MORE: Waiting for the other shoe to drop [NW Times]

    > MARCH 29, 2001

  • An article in the New York Daily News today suggested Purdue might be in good shape to get a transfer from Villanova. Former Villanova head coach Steve Lappas resigned last Saturday, only to be seen accepting a new coaching position at UMASS two days later. One player thinking of a change in program is Ricky Wright, the 6'7 forward originally from East Chicago who chose Villanova over Purdue two years ago. Wright is a sophomore, and would have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out a year per NCAA rules. "There is speculation starting junior forward Ricky Wright may transfer to Purdue," the Daily News stated today. As of yet, no confirmation has been released from Villanova on a request by Wright to be released from his scholarship. Until that happens, a transfer is mere speculation. In the meantime, here are some links to help get reacquainted with Ricky Wright, including our recruiting profile from years ago, his season stats at Villanova, his player profile from Villanova, and the entire article that started all the talk today. Coincidentally, today is Ricky's birthday.

       MORE: Wright may transfer to Purdue [NY Daily news]
       MORE: MrHoops Recruiting Player Profile [MrHoops]
       MORE: Villanova player profile [Villanova SID]
       MORE: Villanova 200-2001 team stats [Villanova SID]

  • Brandon McKnight has landed on the IBCA all-state first team, while several Purdue targets get honored on the underclassmen team.

       MORE: IBCA Boys All-State Teams [MrHoops]

    > MARCH 28, 2001

  • Bellmont's Seth Colclasure has been named the area Player of the Year by the Fort Wayne News Sentinel. Colclasure finished his junior year with 706 points and a state-leading 29.4 average, averaged 5.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.2 steals, and shot a national record 97.6 percent from the free throw line.

       MORE: Special delivery [News Sentinel]

  • Several Purdue targets is the junior class are mentioned in this article on Ball State recruiting. The article has Purdue in contact with 6'9 center Kevin Cates of Marion (IN), 6'10 center John Morningstar of Elkhart Concord (IN), 6'9 forward Tyler Best of Lafayette Central Catholic (IN) and 6'2 Seth Colclasure of Bellmont (IN). Cates has been offered by Ball State, Butler and Bowling Green, but hasn't yet been extended an offer from Purdue. One of the areas of concern in recruiting Cates is his poor free throw shooting, currently below .500 at 46-percent. Morningstar is getting luke warm interest from a host of schools including Purdue, but has only received a scholarship offer from Ball State. Lafayette Central Catholic head coach Chad Dunwoody states Tyler Best only has two offers so far, one from Purdue and one from Wright State.

       MORE: BSU recruiting update [Muncie Star Press]

    > MARCH 27, 2001

  • Purdue's interest in senior David Teague of Indianapolis Pike may continue if he chooses to go to prep school next season, rather than accept a scholarship offer from Bowling Green or Central Michigan. Teague helped Pike to another 4A IHSAA state championship on Saturday with 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and four steals. He is averaging 15.3 points this season, only his second season on varsity.

       MORE: Teague makes a name for himself [Kokomo Tribune]

    More stories on Pike's 4A state championship...

       MORE: 2001 4A title summary [IHSAA]
       MORE: Pike defense smothers Penn [Indianapolis Star]

  • Despite 23 points on 10 of 14 shooting by Matt Kiefer, Mater Dei lost to Muncie South in the Class 3A state championship game, 81-78 in overtime. Kiefer also hit 3 of 5 free throws and grabbed eight boards. Mater Dei finishes the season 26-2.

       MORE: 2001 3A title summary [IHSAA]
       MORE: Muncie South tops Mater Dei in OT [Indianapolis Star]
       MORE: Mater Dei star won’t wait to start work [Evansville Courier]
       MORE: Overcome in overtime [Evansville Courier]

    > MARCH 25, 2001

  • Two of Purdue most recent verbal commitments will be busy this summer with the Junior All-Star team. The team will also showcase a few other Purdue targets in the Indiana junior class.

       MORE: 2001 Girls Junior All-Star Team [MrHoops]

  • Brandon McKnight and Brandon Jones have been selected to attend the Hoosier Basketball Magazine Top 40 workout at Pike High School in Indianapolis on April 1st. The workout, divided into two sessions, is used as a way to scout seniors for the upcoming Indiana All-Star games this summer. Forty seniors and ten alternates will compete from 1:00pm until 5:30pm, with players from northern and southern Indiana playing the first two hours and players from central Indiana competing the final two hours. If you are in the Indianapolis area and would like to check out two future Boilermakers, be there at 1:00pm. The event is open to the public with admission costing $5.

       MORE: Top 40 Boys Invitees [MrHoops]

  • More honors for McKnight. He can now add Northern Indiana Conference Player of the Year and the South Bend Tribune Metro Player of the Year to his list of accomplishments. McKnight ended his high school career setting the career scoring record for LaSalle at 1,444 points. Also named to the all-Metro squad were junior Derrick Graham of Washington and sophomore Sylvester Mayes of Clay. McKnight (28.6 ppg), Graham (25.0 ppg) and Mayes (24.9 ppg) finished 1-2-3 among the top South Bend area scoring leaders.

  • Tyler Clevenger, a 6'3 junior shooting guard from Winchester HS (IN), recently said Ohio State, Xavier, Purdue, and Butler are the schools still showing strong interest in him.

    > MARCH 24, 2001

  • Purdue is showing interest in one of the top junior guards in the state of Michigan. Anthony Hamo, a 6'2 190-pound two-guard from Flint Powers HS (MI), is getting attention from Purdue, Providence, Boston College, Eastern Michigan, Oakland, Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Notre Dame and Northwestern. Hamo is the best perimeter in the state according to Prep Spotlight Magazine averaging 39.5 percent from the arc, and also holds his school record for most points scored in a game (40).

       MORE: Anthony Hamo Is Getting Big College Looks [MidwestHoops]

  • Here is an article on Thornwood (IL) forward Melvin Buckley. Buckley supposedly had a hip injury that dramatically affected his play in the Illinois state finals last weekend. Which explains why he showed little to be impressed with for the game. Schaumburg upset Thornwood 66-54 in the state finals. A player Buckley spent some time defending, ended up having a career night with 21 points and 10 assists. The outside shooting touch we've been hearing about was not on display during the game. Buckley did hit a couple threes, the best one coming off the dribble, but he also banged a perimeter attempt off the side of the backboard on a shot from the baseline. A hip problem would definitely explain the lack of movement and quickness on defense we saw. We'll get some more looks at him this summer.

       MORE: Outsider provides a spark for Thornwood [Chicago Tribune]

  • Junior prospects Ricky Cornett (6'8, Homewood Christian, IL) and Melvin Buckley (6'7 Thornwood, IL) have been named all-state special mention players by the Chicago Tribune.

    > MARCH 23, 2001

  • The name Nick Vander Laan sound familiar? Purdue spent quite a bit of time recruiting the 6'10 center back in the summer of 1998 when rated as a top 100 high school center and the tenth-best center in the country by PrepStars. Vander Laan ended up signing with California, part of a three player class all from the same summer AAU team, the LA Rockfish. Now a sophomore, Vander Laan has announced he will transfer from Cal, citing "personal reasons". Those personal reasons are likely playing time issues, considering Cal teammate Soloman Hughes and his younger brother have been getting more playing time at center. Cal also has an elite high school senior coming in named Jamal Sampson, who like the Hughes brothers and Vander Laan, is also 6'10. Vander Laan averaged 26.4 points, 16.1 rebounds as a top prep junior when he caught Purdue's eye. He averaged 6.2 points and 5.3 rebounds as a 21-game sophomore starter for Cal this past season. Vander Laan has not formulated a new list of schools, but Purdue was among his final choices back in 1998 along with Notre Dame, Utah, Arizona, UNLV and Stanford. All of those schools received either official or unofficial visits from Vander Laan a few years ago. We were first alerted to Purdue's interest in Vander Laan by West Coast Hoops' Mike Miller, who wrote the following email comment to us in July of 1998..."[Purdue] wants him for his wacky mind, and not just for his body. I think they need someone to calm Brian Cardinal down...or just to make him look calmed down by comparison." Vander Laan has officially been released from his Cal scholarship, so he will have two years of eligibility remaining. NCAA transfer rules will require him to sit out for the 2001-2002 season.

       MORE: Bears center transfers [Daily Californian]
       MORE: Sophomore center receives release [Cal SID]
       MORE: Nick Vander Laan profile [Cal SID]

    > MARCH 21, 2001

  • Bellmont junior guard Seth Colclasure is being recognized for setting the single season national free throw shooting record for the 2000-01 season. Colclasure is 167 of 171 this year with a percentage of .976. His career percentage from the line stands at .944, or 376 of 398. The national record for career free throw percentage is .921, set last year by another Indiana native, Steve Drabyn of LaPorte.

    > MARCH 19, 2001

  • I just returned from vacation in St. Louis to find a lot of movement in women's recruiting over the past few days. We got the tip last week that it was likely Carol Duncan would choose to commit this weekend, which is what happened. The 6'2 junior forward from NorthWood HS (IN) chose Purdue over Indiana and Valparaiso. Duncan now joins fellow junior Ashley Mays of Warren Central as the first two junior commitments. What caught everyone by surprise was the commitment this weekend of a junior college guard, 5'7 Mandy Davis of Weatherford JC (TX). Davis averaged 15 points per game this season, and considered no other school. Also visiting for the Friday game were a pair of junior college post players, both foreign players now playing in the Florida junior college system. Crispina Correia, a 6'4 209-pound center from Palm Beach CC, originally hails from Cabo Verde, South Africa. Trish Patterson, a 6'2 post player currently enrolled at Miami-Dade CC, is orginally from Toronto, Ontario. Once I get unpacked and resettled, I'll update the scholarship page and dig up some more info on these new players.

       MORE: Junior college guard commits to Purdue [Journal and Courier]
       MORE: Duncan becomes Purdue's second junior commitment [Journal and Courier]
       MORE: PIC: Crispina Correia [Palm Beach CC SID]

    > MARCH 16, 2001

  • Senior JaQuan Hart, who announced for Michigan last fall, is having second thoughts about Ann Arbor after the recent firing of head coach Brian Ellerbe. The following link seems to suggest a current assistant coach is the key to him remaining a Wolverine.

       MORE: JaQuan Hart ponders Ellerbe's dismissal [The Wolverine]

    > MARCH 14, 2001

  • The Tyler Junior College Apaches ended the 2000-2001 season on Saturday with a 97-83 loss to Trinity Valley in the Region 14 tournament. The Apaches were in need of some consistency and immediate improvement on rebounding against a team that beat them 88-79 a week ago. More importantly, Tyler needed to find a way to replace the scoring punch of Darmetreis Kilgore, who did not start due to a case of the flu. For a while it looked like Tyler would be able to build and maintain a decent lead, but two crucial runs by TVC put TVC in the position to pull away near the end of the game. TVC made 18 of 23 free throws in the second half, and outrebounded Tyler 35-29. TVC was led by Jerome Holman with 32 points, including huge threes when TVC needed a score. Tyler was led by Kilgore, managing 21 points fighting the flu. Tyler finishes the season 14-17. Darmetreis Kilgore was named to the Region 14 all-conference first team, and finished as the No. 2 scorer in the conference.

    > MARCH 13, 2001

  • No. 5 Bellmont built a double-digit lead at the half and maintained it from the final two quarters to win the Blackford sectional championship over No. 13 Maconaquah, 72-61. Tied up at 13 at the end of the first, Bellmont was up by 13 at the end of the second quarter. Bellmont got shots from every player, inside and outside, despite a dramatic size disadvantage. Maconaquah boasts a trio of big men in 6'7 Mike Otto, 6'7 Buddy Richardson and 6'8 Corey Burns. On the other hand, Bellmont has just one player over 6'2. Bellmont's gameplan was simple -- spread the floor and create gaps in the paint, and pass until a man is open. They did this by placing 6'2 Seth Colclasure at the high post and sliding the low post out to the baseline wing. It helps when your center, 6'4 Sam Conrad, can hit from the perimeter. Bellmont conceded the offensive rebound, but focused on taking good shots to decrease the number of rebounds available. Maconaquah could have had a great night feeding the post, but didn't execute well in getting their big men the ball. Maconaquah did suffer from a handful of shots in the paint that were close to halfway down before popping back out of the rim. Seth Colclasure finished with 33 points and was very effective in distributing the ball from the high post, and slashing to the basket when playing out on the wing. He's also has a great baseline move. Colclasure was also very effective in driving around his man on the perimeter, then pulling up for the 15 footer before Maconaquah's big men could come out to defend the shot. After building the lead at halftime, Bellmont ate some clock by stalling for most of the final two minutes of the third quarter and for most of the final four minutes of the game. Maconaquah chose to double and triple the Bellmont ballhandler with pressure instead of fouling, something they had to do against a team of very good shooters from the charity stripe. Bellmont handled the pressure, and won the game by 11. No. 5 Bellmont (20-3) moves on to face No. 2 Muncie South (19-3) at Bellmont on Wednesday.

    > MARCH 12, 2001

  • Spurred by a school-record 47-point outburst Feb. 27, Bellmont’s Seth Colclasure regained the state scoring lead from Brandon McKnight of South Bend LaSalle who held the lead for one short week after chasing the title the entire year. Colclasure hit 19 of 28 field shots with five three-pointers as Bellmont defeated Fort Wayne Northrop 77-60. The junior guard came back with 22 points March 2 as the Braves (17-3) defeated Fort Wayne South Side 66-56. In his final regular-season outing on Feb. 27, McKnight scored 19 points and became the school’s season (581) and career (1,381) scoring leader as South Bend LaSalle (12-8) rallied to top South Bend St. Joseph’s 56-49. As of March 3, Colclasure's scoring average stood at 29.5 points per game, compared to McKnight's 29.0.

  • Brandon McKnight's high school career came to an end on Saturday as Penn defeated LaSalle 61-52 in the sectional finals. McKnight led LaSalle (14-9) with 29 points. McKnight scored 28 Friday night in LaSalle's 51-45 victory over Adams, and 25 in last Wednesday's sectional opener against Mishawaka.

       MORE: Lions run out of gas [South Bend Tribune]

  • Matt Kiefer had 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in a 72-59 sectional championship victory over Heritage Hills. Mater Dei (23-1) next plays in the regional championship game against Jasper (13-10) at Jasper.

       MORE: Wildcats’ supporting cast takes center stage [Evansville Courier]

    > MARCH 11, 2001

  • Highlands Ranch has won back-to-back Class 5A state titles, following a 53-44 victory against Doherty on Saturday night. Ms. Basketball Ann Strother finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, five steals and four assists in the championship game. Strother was also named to the 5A all-tournament team.

       MORE: Falcons soar to 5A girls title [Rocky Mountain News]
       MORE: Falcons' fine finish isn't surprising [Denver Post]

    Articles on Highland Ranch's semifinal victory over Fort Collins Friday night.

       MORE: Bench sends Highlands Ranch to finals [Denver Post]
       MORE: Falcons prey on Ft. Collins [Rocky Mountain News]

  • Central Catholic's reign in Class A basketball is over at the hands of Park Tudor.

       MORE: Park Tudor knocks out top-ranked CC in OT [Journal and Courier]

    > MARCH 10, 2001

  • Ann Strother has been named the 2001 Colorado Class 5A Ms. Basketball.

       MORE: Ms. Basketball awards [Rocky Mountain News]
       MORE: Great seasons helped make great teams [Rocky Mountain News]

    > MARCH 9, 2001

  • Sharika Webb and her Cathedral Irish took the Indiana Class 3A state championship, beating No. 7 Plymouth 54-39 in Conseco Fieldhouse. Webb scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Cathedral finished the season 29-1.

       MORE: Cathedral repeats as 3A Champ [Indy Star]

  • Highlands Ranch (22-1) advanced to the Colorado Class 5A semifinals with a 75-40 win over Heritage on Wednesday. The semifinal games will be held tonight, and the championship game on Saturday. Highlands Ranch has defeated their four opponents in the state tournament this season by an average of 35 points, but have yet to face anyone seeded higher than 16th. Friday's opponent, No. 4 seed Fort Collins, has a mixed history against Highlands Ranch. Fort Collins has been the only team to defeat the Falcons this year. Fort Collins also beat Highlands Ranch in the regular season last year, but lost to Highlands Ranch in the 5A state final game last year. The winner Friday will move on to face either No. 2 seed Doherty or No. 3 seed Horizon Saturday.

       MORE: Falcons make win look easy [Denver Post]

    > MARCH 7, 2001

  • Another center from the class of 2002 is showing interest in Purdue. Chris Grimm, a 6'10 220-pound center ranked as a top 100 player by Hoop Scoop, is interested in several midwestern high majors including Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State and Marquette. The Big Ten schools are said to lead. Grimm has made unofficial visits to Ohio State and Michigan State. After a quiet sophomore season where he was used sparingly by Brighton HS (MI), Grimm immediately put himself in the mind of recruiters by putting in a strong performance at the beginning of this season at the Tip-Off Classic. Grimm hit 14 of 16 field goals and 11 of 14 free throws, had six offensive and 11 defensive rebounds, smacked away four shots, and ended the game with 39 points. Over the entire junior season Grimm is averaging a more modest 20 points and 12 rebounds.

    > MARCH 5, 2001

  • Homewood Christian Academy's Rick Cornett has been named to the all-Chicago team as a junior by the Chicago Sun-Times. Homewood Christian won the Illinois Christian Schools tournament and finished with a record of 30-1. Cornett averaged 21 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks per game.

       MORE: Small-school sensation Cornett makes the cut [Sun-Times]

    > MARCH 4, 2001

  • Emily Heikes has been named an all-area selection by the Chicago Daily Southtown. Heikes led Stagg to their first conference title since 1978, averaging 14.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game.

    > FEBRUARY 25, 2001

  • A look at which prospects are still alive in their respective state tournaments, and which ones are now looking ahead to summer basketball...

    Emily Heikes (Stagg, IL) - Season over. No. 8 Mother McAuley (28-3) cruised to a 59-44 victory over No. 19 Stagg (21-7) in the Oak Lawn sectional semis. Heikes was held to 12 points but still led Stagg in scoring.

    Gillian Goring (Germantown Academy, PA) - Season over. Germantown Academy (24-2, 6-0) won the Inter-Academic championship by defeating Notre Dame (19-7, 6-1), 59-38. Goring led GA with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Goring was named all-league first team.

    Carol Duncan (NorthWood, IN) - Season over. NorthWood (19-4) fell for the fourth consecutive time to Wawasee, this time a season-ending loss in the sectional championship game, 65-59. Carol Duncan finished with 17 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Duncan finished the season averaging 17.3 points per game.

    Missy Taylor (Connersville, IN) - Season over. In the first game of the Southport semistate, Connersville cruised past Castle 69-47. Taylor had a game-high 21 points in the win. The win put Connersville in the finals against Class 4A No. 3 Ben Davis. Despite 22 points and five boards from Taylor, Ben Davis expanded a five point lead at halftime into a 58-45 final victory. Connersville finished the season 19-5.

    Ann Strother (Highlands Ranch, CO) - Next game: 2/27 vs. Aravada. The defending state champions easily disposed of winless Westminster 70-24 in the first round of the Colorado 5A tournament. Strother led all scorers with 23 points. Notre Dame signee Katy Flecky added 10. Strother boosted her season average to 20.0 points per game.

    Ashley Mays (Warren Central, IN) - Season over. Warren Central went down in the first round of sectional play to Lawrence North, 76-56, despite a game-high 30 points from junior Ashley Mays. Warren Central finished the season 4-16.

    Candis Jackson (Chicago Whitney Young, IL) - Season over. Hope, the No. 19 team in Illinois (Associated Press) defeated Whitney Young 68-46 in the quarterfinals of the Chicago Public League playoffs.

    Lindsay Richards (Barrington, IL) - Season over. Barrington 25-11) made a run at No. 3 Stevenson in the sectional championship, but came up just short, losing 45-39. Richards cut the lead to two on a three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining, but Stevenson went on to win it at the line. Richards had 10 points for the game. Named to the 20 player postseason all-state team by the Chicago Sun-Times.

    Sharika Webb (Indianapolis Cathedral, IN) - Next game: 3/03 vs. Plymouth (22-5). Cathedral advanced to the 3A state final game for the third year in a row by defeating No. 3 Franklin County 47-45. Sharika Webb led all scorers with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Cathedral's record stands at 28-1.

    Katie Gearlds (Beech Grove, IN) - Season over. Beech Grove was bounced in the first round of sectional play by Class 3A No. 1 Cathedral. Gearlds finished her season rated as the Indianapolis area top scorer, and No. 2 in the state behind Wawasee's Shanna Zolman. She averaged 27.3 points per game this season. Beech Grove finished the season 13-8.

    Blair Hardiek (Effingham, IL) - Season over. At the Mt. Zion sectional, No. 12 seed Rantoul defeated No. 5 seed Effingham 57-44.

    > FEBRUARY 24, 2001

  • Matt Kiefer scored a quiet 10 points in very limited play for Mater Dei against Rivet. On this Senior Night, Mater Dei coach Roger Sills started five seniors, and played them for significant minutes throughout the game. Even senior basketball manager Chris Stratman got the opportunity to start and play in Mater Dei's final home game.

       MORE: No. 1 Wildcats reward their seniors [Evansville Courier]

    A new player profile for Matt Kiefer has been added.

       MORE: Player profile: Matt Kiefer [MrHoops]

    > FEBRUARY 23, 2001

  • Sharika Webb went 3-of-7 from the perimeter for 21 points and three steals in Cathedral's 52-36 regional matchup against Franklin. Indianapolis Cathedral moves on to Jasper on Saturday at 11:45am to play Jasper (19-5). The winner gets the Franklin County (23-0) vs. Lebanon (15-9) winner at 8:15pm.

       MORE: Cathedral runs away from Franklin [Indy Star]

  • The lineup for the Southport semistate is set, and Connersville (19-4) will play Castle (22-3) in the 11:45am game. The winner gets the Terre Haute South (22-1) vs. Ben Davis (24-2) winner in the semistate championship game at 8:15pm. Missy Taylor scored 14 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the regional championship game against North Central.

  • Coach Keady was spotted at Thursday's Gary West Side vs. Gary Mann game. West Side clinched a share of the Nortwestern Conference title in the 66-53 victory. Brandon Cameron scored 12 points and dished out seven assists, while Chris Hunter finished with nine points and five rebounds.

    > FEBRUARY 22, 2001

  • The coaching staff is showing interest in 6'6 junior wing guard Melvin Buckley from Thornwood (IL). Buckley transferred from Marian Catholic between his sophomore and junior year, bringing an immediate perimeter threat to a team already blessed in the post. Buckley was getting a reputation as a top sophomore in the state of Illinois, which brought about a meeting between the coaches and his parents about his future with the team. When the Buckley family found out the future plan for his son at Marian Catholic was post play, they went looking elsewhere. They didn't get far. Buckley lived across the street from Thornwood. Buckley lead No. 1 Thornwood (24-1) on Monday with 21 points in a 70-57 win over Rich East. Buckley sank five three-point baskets, taking advantage of Rich East's double-teaming of center Eddy Curry in the post. The all-around threat averaged 14.5 points, nine rebounds and three assists as a sophomore at Marian. Those numbers, along with a growing reputation as a perimeter shooter in summer basketball, were good enough to be named a top 150 player by former Prep Stars scout Dave Telep. Buckley is highly athletic, but needs to get stronger to improve his finishing around the basket. While at Marian Catholic, Notre Dame, Northwestern and Michigan State began paying attention. Since then, Illinois, Purdue, North Carolina, Marquette, and Arizona have all made the list.

    > FEBRUARY 21, 2001

  • Last week, Purdue signee Brandon McKnight trailed the state scoring leader Seth Colclasure by one-tenth of one point of his scoring average. This week, McKnight remains in second place, now by only one-one hundredth of a point. The averages of both players are still on the rise, up almost a point since last week. Colclasure currently sits with an average of 29.25, while McKnight comes in at 29.24 points per contest. Other players of interest listed by the IHSAA ... No. 13 Anthony Winchester (24.0), No. 15 Sylvester Mayes (23.8), No. 18 Chris Thomas (23.4), Tyler Clevenger (22.5) and Brandon Jones (22.5) tied at No. 24, and No. 26 Marques Bennett (22.2).

  • Emily Heikes' high school career has come to an end. No. 8 Mother McAuley (28-3) cruised to a 59-44 victory over No. 19 Stagg (21-7) in the Oak Lawn sectional semis. Heikes was held to 12 points but still led Stagg in scoring.

  • NorthWood fell for the fourth consecutive time to Wawasee, this time a season-ending loss in the sectional championship game, 65-59. Carol Duncan finished with 17 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

       MORE: No. 2 Wawasee eliminates No. 5 NorthWood [Times-Union]

  • Connersville plays tonight for a chance to advance to the Southport semistate this Saturday. Their opponent, North Central (11-11), gets the advantage of playing the regional final game on their home court. Connersville has already beaten North Central once this season, an 11 point loss back in late December. Taylor comes into the game averaging 22.1 points, fresh off a 34 point outburst in the sectional final last Saturday.

  • Highlands Ranch (18-1) began this season ranked No. 1, and finished the regular season clinching the No. 1 seed in the Colorado Class 5A tournament. Highlands Ranch opens the tournament on Friday against 0-19 Westminster. Through the end of the regular season, Ann Strother is averaging 19.8 points per game.

    > FEBRUARY 20, 2001

  • Louisville senior power forward Brian Thornton has verballed to Vanderbilt after a weekend visit, according to his high school coach.

  • I had a chance to talk with Denise McClanahan, 16-under AAU coach for the Indiana Finest program. McClanahan has both Sharika Webb and Katie Gearlds on her summer squad, so she was the perfect person to give us some scouting on the two players.

       MORE: Sharika Webb and Katie Gearlds: Rivals and teammates [MrHoops]

    > FEBRUARY 19, 2001

  • A new profile for class of 2002 guard Sharika Webb has be added.

       MORE: Player profile - Sharika Webb [MrHoops]

    > FEBRUARY 18, 2001

  • Just last week it was Sharika Webb's Cathedral squad bouncing Katie Gearlds' Beech Grove from the 2001 IHSAA tournament. On Sunday, both players were in attendance to see the Purdue women win another Big Ten Basketball Championship. Gearlds has become a fixture at Purdue home games, rated as the top player in the Indiana sophomore class and rated as Full Court Press's No. 18 player in the Class of 2003. Gearlds finished the regular season rated as the Indianapolis area top scorer, and No. 2 in the state behind Wawasee's Shanna Zolman. Before the tournament, Gearlds was averaging 26.7 points with a season high of 42, on .538 shooting from the floor, .864 from the line and .420 from the perimeter. Gearlds is also averaging 9.2 rebounds, 6.2 steals, 6.7 assists and 3.2 blocks per game. With the loss to Cathedral last week, Beech Grove finished the season 13-8. Webb, on a more loaded team, is averaging 15.4 points and 4.4 steals. Cathedral is still alive in the IHSAA tournament, winning the Sectional 25 championship at Beech Grove behind a game-high 21 points from Webb. Cathedral, the defending state 3A champion, moves on to a Wednesday matchup with Franklin (15-7). Both Webb and Gearlds played for the 15-under Indiana Finest AAU program last summer, finishing 5th in the nation. Webb was named the team's most outstanding performer for the summer of 2000, while Gearlds won the award in 1999.

  • Louisville senior power forward Brian Thornton is visiting Kevin Stallings' Vanderbilt program this weekend, to be followed next weekend by a visit to N.C. State.

       MORE: Thornton update [Fastbreak Recruiting]

    > FEBRUARY 17, 2001

  • Rossville gave Central Catholic their third loss of the season and second in a row, convincingly beating them 80-64. Rossville was determined to send multiple defenders at Tyler Best to shut him down, and it was successful. Best finished with 6 points. Russell Trudeau had another outstanding offensive game with 23 points.

       MORE: Rossville knocks off No. 1 [Journal and Courier]

    > FEBRUARY 15, 2001

  • One-tenth of one point. That is the margin between the scoring averages of the state's No. 1 and No. 2 scorers. Battling it out are Bellmont junior Seth Colclasure and Purdue-bound senior Brandon McKnight. A 79-point weekend by McKnight helped to close the gap between the two leaders, but both are slowly separating themselves from the rest of the state. There now exists just under a three point gap between McKnight and the state's No. 3 scorer, Cris Brunson of Evansville Reitz.

       MORE: 2000-2001 Scoring Leaders [IHSAA]

  • Kristy Curry attended Tuesday's first round sectional matchup between Cathedral and Beech Grove to check out two of the best guards in the junior and sophomore classes. Cathedral bounced Beech Grove from the IHSAA tournment 74-60. Cathedral's Sharika Webb led her team with 25 points, hitting 5-of-11 shots from the perimeter. Katie Gearlds led all scorers with 33 points, only one coming from long range. She made only one of eight shots from the perimeter, but was a perfect 16-of-16 from the free throw line. Gearlds also added nine rebounds and five assists.

       MORE: Cathedral has too many weapons [Indianapolis Star]

  • What's the saying about revenge? It's best served cold? For the past two seasons Maria HS has beaten Stagg in the regional championship game of the IHSA tournament. This season's matchup came in the regional semis on Tuesday, and Stagg slowly dispatched with Maria before blowing out to a final 69-31 victory. Heikes, one-half of a dominating inside duo also consisting of forward Heather King, scored 16 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Stagg outrebounded Maria 33-11. Next up for Stagg, a regional championship game tonight against nemesis Sandburg. Stagg is 2-1 against Sandburg this season with Sandburg holding the advantage in tournament games. Sandburg is the Class AA regional's third seed. Stagg is seeded sixth.

  • Purdue is looking at junior point guard Candis Jackson of Chicago Whitney Young. The nationally ranked 5'8 playmaker is also getting serious attention from Iowa and Marquette with more schools coming into the picture. Jackson is averaging 24.7 points, six rebounds, six steals and eight assists for Whitney Young (9-13). She scored 22 points in a 107-61 win over Juarez in the first round of the Chicago Public League playoffs. Whitney Young also competed in the 2001 Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago in December. While Whitney Young could only manage 14th in the Blue Division, Candis was named to the Blue Division All-Tournament team. All-Star Girls Report has Jackson as the nation's 25th-best junior player.

       MORE: Candis Jackson, Whitney Young [Chicago Sun-Times]
       MORE: Rising Stars [WBJ]

    > FEBRUARY 14, 2001

  • Purdue was in attendance to see Louisville Manual's 6'8 senior center Brian Thornton on Tuesday, along with coaches from Vanderbilt, Tennessee and NC State. There is mutual interest between Purdue and Thornton, but it remains to be seen if a scholarship can open or a year at prep school. Pegged in the preseason as being on the bubble for the Kentucky senior all-star team, Thornton is becoming a hotly recruited player. In a preseason poll of high school coaches by the Louisville Courier-Journal, Thornton was listed as the state's 12th-best player. His 25 point and 20 rebound effort Tuesday shows why his stock is rising. Helping his improvement has been his growth spurt, and getting used to playing with his back to the basket instead of as a guard. Thornton began his high school career at 6'1 and 240-pounds. He's still a 240-pounder, but has grown to 6'8. This brings to mind comparisons to Brad Miller, who went through a similar growth spurt and managed to keep his vision to become a great passing big man. Thornton averaged 15 points as a junior, ranked as the 11th-best in field goal accuracy at 63.5-percent. As a senior through 22 games, Thornton is averaging 21.7 points (477), 13.0 rebounds (287), and continues to tweak his shooting percentage from the field (.650). Below is a link to a game report from Tuesday, and a scouting report from the summer of 1999.

       MORE: PRP press throttles Manual [Louisville Courier-Journal]
       MORE: Brian Thornton scouting report [SoCal Hoops]

    > FEBRUARY 12, 2001

  • A new name to consider in the class of 2003. Sylvester Mayes, a 6'2 shooting guard from South Bend Clay (IN), is rated as Indiana's top sophomore shooting guard according to rankings by OnCourt Indiana. Mayes is already getting interest from the Big Ten, and has listed Purdue as one of his top choices so far. Notre Dame and Tennessee are also in play. Mayes is the top scorer in the sophomore class, averaging 23.8 points and 3.9 assists while shooting 41-percent from the perimeter. Mayes led Clay (9-8) with 28 points and eight rebounds in a loss Friday night to South Bend LaSalle. LaSalle was led by Purdue signee Brandon McKnight's 38 points. South Bend Clay is the same program that has sent both Lee Nailon to the NBA and Jaraan Cornell on to the CBA within the past decade. Current head coach Joe Huppenthal, who took over the helm after the graduation of Jaraan Cornell in 1996, was a Purdue basketball manager under Gene Keady from 1983-86.

       MORE: McKnight's 38 helps LaSalle beat Clay [South Bend Tribune]

    Additional articles on Sylvester Mayes...

       MORE: Athleticism too much for Chesterton [Chesterton Tribune]
       MORE: Late turnovers cost HNHS [Huntington Herald-Press]

  • Junior prospect Anthony Winchester scored 39 points in a loss to Corydon, 73-60. Corydon decided to focus the defense on everyone but Winchester, allowing only three other Austin players to score in the game.

  • Matt Kiefer scored a season-high 32 points and added 14 rebounds in a 81-69 win over Evansville Reitz. Kiefer shot a near perfect 12 of 13 from the field and eight of nine from the line. Mater Dei's record improves to 16-1.

       MORE: Kiefer scores season-high in win [Evansville Courier]

    > FEBRUARY 9, 2001

  • Here are a couple of new articles on junior prospect Seth Colclasure of Bellmont (IN).

       MORE: Colclasure state scoring leader [Indy Star]
       MORE: Colclasure makes Bellmont No. 1 [Hoosier Times]

  • An article on Blair Hardiek from the Herald & Review. Her averages this year to date are 25 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

       MORE: Sophomore Hardiek Effingham's trump card [Herald & Review]

    > FEBRUARY 8, 2001

  • Purdue has a head start on 2003 point guard Blair Hardiek, a 5'6 sophomore point guard from Effingham (IL) who visited Purdue last Sunday for the Michigan game. It wasn't her first visit to Purdue. She has been to many Purdue games, and has attended a Purdue basketball camp in each of the past four years. Hardiek is a big reason for the success of the Effingham Flaming Hearts, who just clinched the Apollo Conference. Her freshman year, Effingham improved from a 5-19 record in 1998 to a winning record of 14-10. Her freshman year she averaged 20.5 points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists per game, plus led the team in blocked shots. She has also attended camps at Ball State and Illinois.

    > FEBRUARY 7, 2001

  • Another story placing Gene Keady in the gym scouting 6'8 Rick Cornett of Homewood Christian (IL).

       MORE: Cornett Becoming Hot Name [Rivals100 Hoops]


  • The newest state scoring rankings have been released by the IHSAA. Brandon McKnight remains at No. 3 with an average of 27.0 points per game. But he now has the distinction of being the only senior among the top five scorers in the state. Last week's No. 2, Purdue football signee Brandon Jones, fell six spots to No. 8, leaving four juniors and McKnight in the top five. Bellmont's Seth Colclasure remains the top scorer in the state with a 27.7 per game average.

       MORE: 2000-01 Scoring Leaders [IHSAA]

  • Matt Carroll nailed a three with a little over a minute remaining to tie Cherry Creek at 54-54. Carroll would add a freethrow to boost it to 55, but couldn't stop Cherry Creek from taking the game at the end. Carroll finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds and three blocks in the loss. A loss that was Smoky Hill's first loss in the past ten games.

       MORE: Smoky Hill juggernaut stopped [Rocky Mountain News]
       MORE: Creek upsets No. 7 Buffs [Denver Post]

  • NorthWood moved to 16-3 on Carol Duncan's double-double, dropping South Bend LaSalle 61-43. Duncan had 26 points and 13 rebounds.

  • Purdue lone 2000-2001 recruit so far had a taste of high school success this past weekend. Stagg HS clinched their first SICA West league championship since 1978 in a 47-42 win over Andrew. Heikes led Stagg with 17 points.

    > FEBRUARY 6, 2001

  • Four top high school players unofficially visited for the Michigan game in Mackey on Sunday. As expected, Missy Taylor (2002, 6'2, Connersville, IN) visited, joined by Katie Gearlds (2003, 6'0, Beech Grove, IN) making her third unofficial visit to Purdue. Two new prospects from Illinois, Lindsay Richards (2002, 5'8, Barrington, IL) and Blair Hardiek (2003, 5'6, Effingham, IL), also visited. Richards and Hardiek have been added to the prospects page ...

       MORE: Future prospects [MrHoops]

  • Here are some articles on junior Carol Duncan, the 6'2 center for NorthWood HS (IN). Duncan is averaging 16.3 points for 15-3 NorthWood.

       MORE: Angola Stings No. 4 NorthWood [Warsaw Times-Union]
       MORE: Warriors Give Panthers First Loss [Warsaw Times-Union]
       MORE: No. 5 NorthWood Downs No. 4 Plymouth [Warsaw Times-Union]
       MORE: Panthers Force Tigers To Share [Warsaw Times-Union]
       MORE: Warriors Stun Defending State Champions [Warsaw Times-Union]
       MORE: Quiet freshman contributes big [South Bend Tribune]
       MORE: NorthWood champions [South Bend Tribune]
       MORE: Class 3A Championship Results [IHSAA]

    > FEBRUARY 5, 2001

  • Interest both ways when it comes to 6'4 junior guard Marques Bennett from Indianapolis Brebeuf. Bennett was spotted with his parents behind the Purdue bench for the Wisconsin game last month. His older brother currently is at Ball State. Bennett is rated the top point guard prospect in the Indiana junior class. He and Gary Westside's Brandon Cameron are also two of the best defenders in the state at guard. Bennett can play both guard positions, but is attractive as a 6'4 point prospect. Look to see him also be recruited as a shooter and perimeter defender. Bennett is averaging 22.0 points and 4.6 steals for Brebeuf this season, and averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists as a sophomore.

    > FEBRUARY 4, 2001

  • Little doubt remains that Brandon Mcknight is a playmaker. Not including his 27 point, 10 rebound, nine assist, six steals and one turnover performance against Gary Mann on Friday, McKnight currently ranks as the state's third best scorer. He's averaging 27.3 points and 7.8 assists through 12 games this season.

       MORE: McKnight time the right time [South Bend Tribune]

  • New photo of Missy Taylor now included in her profile.

       MORE: Player profile - Missy Taylor [MrHoops]

    > FEBRUARY 3, 2001

  • Player to watch...Blake Grider. A great article on a Purdue legacy who wants nothing more than to be some part of the Purdue program. A 6'1 senior guard for Maroa-Forsyth (IL), Grider has been in the Purdue family for a while. His parents are both Purdue graduates, and he has two brothers currently attending Purdue. And he's not a bad basketball player, averaging 26.3 points and and 6.6 rebounds for his high school team. Read more at the following link...

       MORE: Grider saves his best for last [Herald & Review]

  • A potential future walk-on to keep an eye on? Sandburg (IL) 6'2 senior center Lauren Valenta will be a student at Purdue next fall, and currently plans to give up basketball for academics. In the classroom, the National Honor Society member boasts a 4.3 GPA. On the court, she is one of the better post players around Chicago. Averaging eight points, five rebounds and two blocks per game for Sandburg, she played well against Emily Heikes in two meetings this season. Valenta and Heikes played on the same summer team last year. A name to keep in the back of our minds.

    > FEBRUARY 2, 2001

  • The Stagg Chargers (16-6, 8-0) clinched at least a tie of the SICA West Championship Wednesday with a 62-35 win over Joliet Township. Emily Heikes had 12 points and eight rebounds in the win.

  • Darmetreis Kilgore is rated by Brick Oettinger as the third best junior college prospect in the article linked below. Of additional interest in the article, Kilgore's teammate Bobbye Hill, a 6'9 sophomore center, is listing Purdue. We did a quick sweep of the players on the Tyler JC team last summer to see if anyone else on the squad was considering Purdue along with Kilgore. At that time, Bobbye Hill was listing mostly mid-majors like Florida International, East Carolina, Stephen F. Austin and Virginia Tech. Now, according to the Oettinger article, Hill is listing Southern Mississippi, Virginia Tech and Purdue. Another junior college sophomore on Oettinger's list is Barton County's 6'7 forward Eric Washington, who lists Purdue, Houston, UAB, Providence, Iowa and Michigan. Washington has recently stated Purdue is a clear leader, but it is not known if he will be qualified at the end of this year. Some lists have him as a freshman eligibility-wise. If he does wait to come out until the 2001-2002 season, Purdue would have a scholarship to offer. However, it does not look likely Purdue will add anyone to the current incoming class of Carroll, Kilgore and McKnight.

       MORE: Jucos offer quality frontcourt talent [CNNSI]

    Some updated stats for Darmetreis Kilgore through 16 games...20.1 points (.413 FG, .690 FT, .362 3PT), 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.6 steals per game.

  • A scouting report from forum member CoBo on Matt Carroll's performance last Tuesday against Boulder. Smoky Hill beat Boulder 66-45. Carroll had game-highs in points (18) and rebounds (17).

       MORE: Report on Matt Carroll [MrHoops]

  • Illinois is putting the pressure on Homewood Christian's Rick Cornett. The Chicago Sun-Times reports Duke has not called Cornett since receiving a verbal from Providence's Michael Thompson. Illinois coach Bill Self took his staff and entire team to see Cornett play, then invited the Homewood Christian team to Assembly Hall to watch the Illini prepare for Penn State. According to Taylor Bell, Cornett currently favors Illinois, Purdue, Iowa, Marquette, Wisconsin, USC and Valparaiso.

       MORE: Boys basketball notebook [Sun-Times]

    > JANUARY 28, 2001

  • No. 9 Connersville's 13-game winning streak ended in a 62-38 loss to Martinsville. Missy Taylor had a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss.

       MORE: Artesians drop ax on CHS win streak [News-Examiner]

  • Despite Carol Duncan's 23 points and 13 rebounds, both game-high marks, Angola defeated NorthWood 57-47. Duncan was 9-of-16 from the field and 5-of-9 from the line. Duncan contines to lead the Northern Lakes region with 11.1 rebounds per game.

       MORE: Angola Stings No. 4 NorthWood [Warsaw Times-Union]

  • Junior prospect Ann Strother scored 21 points in a 75-24 beating of Ponderosa. Strother produced seven field goals, one three-pointer, and four free throws. Linked below is an article on Strother's knee injury last season, and injury first wrongly diagnosed as a pulled calf muscle.

       MORE: The three scariest letters: ACL [IHigh Colorado]

  • Sharika Webb, a 5-7 all-state junior guard from Class 3A No. 1 Indianapolis Cathedral, led the Irish with 23 points on Friday and surpassed the 1,000 point career mark. She is the first player at Cathedral to hit the 1,000 point mark as a junior. Webb averages 15.5 points per game for the 17-1 Irish.

  • Sitting behind the men's bench for the Minnesota game were Indianapolis Cathedral freshmen Desmond Gadis and Robert Vaden.

  • A breakout game Friday night by Gary West's Chris Hunter. Hunter hit for 31 points as the Cougars beat host East Chicago 68-58. Hunter was the only West Side (11-3) player in double figures. The closest teammate was Brandon Cameron with nine.

  • An update on Illinois sophomore Brian Randle. The 6'6 Peoria Notre Dame (IL) forward is averaging 14.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, shooting over 70-percent from the field. Randle had nine points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in a 58-50 win against Woodruff Friday.

  • Tyler Junior College lost to Baytown Lee 80-71 at home Saturday. Baton Rouge (LA) 6'0 freshman point Will Watson led TJC with 19 points, including a three-quarter court bomb at the buzzer. Averaging 20 points per game entering the game, Darmetreis Kilgore was held to 12 points, eight coming from the free throw line.

    > JANUARY 27, 2001

  • Due to a number of requests by fans of the women's team for their own forum, we have added a "Ms Hoops" women's forum for discussion of women's sports and issues. The forum will also be a posting board for links related to women's basketball. A link on the lefthand sidebar will take you there!

       MORE: New women's forum! [MrHoops]

    > JANUARY 26, 2001

  • Class 3A No. 1 Evansville Mater Dei was toppled on Tuesday by Castle, 73-67. Matt Kiefer scored 11 points in the loss.

       MORE: Knights topple No. 1 team [Evansville Courier]

    > JANUARY 25, 2001

  • Purdue has extended a scholarship offer to 6'9 power forward Ricky Cornett of Homewood Christian Academy (IL). The 240-pound junior is a high major prospect, potentially a top ten type player. There are two updates on Cornett and his recruitment at the following links...

       MORE: Rick Cornett profile [Midwest Hoops]
       MORE: Rick Cornett has nine offers [High Major Hoops]

    > JANUARY 24, 2001

  • The player profile is now up for junior prospect Missy Taylor. You can always look at the list of prospects and their profiles on the right sidebar of this page under "PROSPECTS FUTURE".

       MORE: Missy Taylor profile [MrHoops]

    > JANUARY 23, 2001

  • Purdue will be receiving an unofficial visit on 2/4 from one of the top players in the Indiana junior class. Missy Taylor, a 6'2 forward with guard skills, was originally going to be on campus for this Sunday's Wisconsin game, but due to a schedule conflict had to reschedule. Already receiving a ton of mail, email, and phone calls through her high school coach, Taylor is a hotly recruited player. Some of the schools in constant contact are Purdue, Stanford, Iowa State, Indiana and Georgia. This will be her second unofficial visit to Purdue. Her first was taken with her father in December. She has also visited unofficially two other schools -- Indiana and Notre Dame. Taylor has been invited to this summer's Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis (which we will again be scouting). Position may be a factor in her recruitment. Both Stanford and Indiana are recruiting her as a guard, while Purdue has indicated she would play at forward, most likely on the wing. Taylor is currently 18th in the state in scoring with a 22.3 average, and also averages close to 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals a game. Lots more coming later in her player profile, including a huge list of awards and accomplishments and her high school schedule in case fans wish to catch Connersville High in action.

    > JANUARY 22, 2001

  • Emily Heikes led Stagg (14-5, 6-0) with 21 points and 12 rebounds in a 50-48 win over Sandburg. This was the third meeting this season between Stagg and Sandburg, with Stagg winning both SICA West games and Sandburg bouncing Stagg in the Hillcrest Tournament. On a related note, Heikes was named honorable mention all-tournament for the recently completed Ameritech Shootout in Chicago.

    > JANUARY 19, 2001

  • After missing the first five games of the season, Brandon Jones is again making an assault on the state scoring leader chart. Jones finished as the state's No. 17 scorer last season with a 24.2 average. This season Jones is averaging 23.3 points, which should rank him in the top twenty when the new numbers are released next week. Tonight will be a big test for the high scoring Peru Tigers, who lead the area in team offense (71.7 ppg). Peru hosts Class 3A No. 2 Maconaquah. Jones is coming off a 29 point performance against Pioneer on Tuesday.

       MORE: Peru's Jones takes scoring lead [Kokomo Tribune]

  • In the latest IHSAA state scoring leader list, Brandon McKnight has moved into third place with his 27.7 average. Through 10 games, McKnight is just six points from being the state leader, and a 34 point output tonight would be enough to overtake the leader. Other scorers of interest... No. 2 Seth Colclasure (28.0), No. 6 Tyler Clevenger (25.1) and No. 9 Anthony Winchester (24.6).

  • Anne McLaren of the Exponent recently talked to assistant coach Kelly Curry about immediate recruiting concerns. A true center is high on the wish list, plus the program might sign backups at the forward or guard positions if available. The JUCO ranks are a strong possibility to fill these spots. Since the transfer of Cherrise Graham, it makes a lot of sense to bring in a junior college point guard to fill in behind Erika Valek for two years. That would allow the coaching staff to offer a current high school sophomore point guard playing time as a backup the first year, and the starting spot the second.

       MORE: Basketball team seeks players for next season [Exponent]


    Kristy Curry went to Chicago to catch Emily Heikes in the 11th annual Ameritech Shootout. Stagg defeated Maine West 46-36. Heikes ruled inside, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Chargers (13-5).

    > JANUARY 16, 2001

  • A few prospects were spotted at the Purdue blowout of Northwestern. Sophomore Katie Gearlds of Beech Grove HS (IN) was the one recognized right away. In today's J&C, Mike Carmin identified two more. Ann Strother, a 6'1 forward from Highland Ranch (CO), and Carol Duncan, a 6'2 center/forward from NorthWood (IN). I saw Strother, but never made the connection and hardly believed it was her when told. I've just seen the intense, sweaty, "Katie Douglas" type player on the court. In street clothes in the stands -- what a difference. Duncan is a new name, one we haven't been watching. Here's an update on Strother, with updates on Duncan and Gearlds coming in the next couple of days.

    Strother is rated as as the No. 2 player in the class of 2002 by Blue Star, behind 6'7 center Gillian Goring. We scouted her at last summer's Nike Camp, and had this impression... "Ann's play reminded me very much of Katie Douglas. She was slight in build with arms and legs the size of toothpicks, but was every where on the court. She got numerous steals and loose balls, rebounded very well, and could also knock down the 3. She is an excellent ball handler and crisp passer. Sometimes a little too hard with the passes. Her constant cutting and weaving makes her a load to defend because it is just a matter of time before she will get open. Sometimes has a little hop before she takes off, which will draw some travelling calls. With some time in the weight room she should be an impact player in college. Nasty looking knee brace on her left knee, but it didn't seem to slow her down a bit." That knee brace kept her out for most of her sophomore season, the result of an ACL tear. Strother is averaging 21.1 points per game for Colorado Class 5A No. 2 Highlands Ranch (9-1), and scored 20 in a 61-43 win Friday over Arapahoe. Highlands Ranch is currently rated No. 22 in the nation by USA Today, and possesses a second Division I prospect along side of Strother. Notre Dame-bound senior forward Katy Flecky will be an influence on her decision. Strother travelled Monday to see the Connecticut/Notre Dame game. Her sister has been accepted to Valparaiso. Strother was the MVP of the championship game at the US Junior Nationals in Washington DC this past July, where she led the Colorado Hoopsters to the title. The Street & Smith, WBCA and Blue Star all-american has a large list of schools, including Purdue, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Colorado, Stanford, and a host of others. (Note: We are going with a spelling of her last name as "Strother", as it is spelled in her hometown newspapers, her Nike Camp bio, and her high school roster. This is contrary to how USA Today and some other media outlets are spelling the name.)

    > JANUARY 15, 2001

  • Mike Pegram caught the SIAC final game featuring Evansville Mater Dei and prospect Matt Kiefer. Some scouting provided, plus some video footage.

       MORE: Southern Indiana has some Big Ten level talent [Peegs.com]
       MORE: VIDEO: Turnaround [Peegs.com]
       MORE: VIDEO: 3 point play [Peegs.com]
       MORE: VIDEO: Inside move [Peegs.com]

    > JANUARY 14, 2001

  • Brandon McKnight's 26 points were not enough as LaSalle (4-6, 1-2) lost to Penn 69-56. McKnight was 11-of-23 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line.

       MORE: Penn 'D' handcuffs LaSalle [South Bend Tribune]
       MORE: Four games, one city [South Bend Tribune]

  • Smoky Hill defeated 5A No. 3 Mullen on Thursday, moving their league record to 2-0 and overall record to 3-4. Smoky Hill is 3-1 against in-state teams. Carroll again suffered from foul trouble and finished with seven points before fouling out.

       MORE: Katz, Jegede take charge for Smoky Hill [Denver Post]
       MORE: Smoky Hill topples No. 3 Mullen [Rocky Mountain News]

  • USA Today has an article on Germantown Academy's 6'7 center Gillian Goring. Her entire family is huge, and maybe the men's program should start recruiting her brothers too.

       MORE: Trinidad native lifts Pa. academy [USA Today]

    > JANUARY 13, 2001

  • Evansville Mater Dei (9-0) advances to the finals of the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference tournament. Matt Kiefer, a 6'9 junior center, scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 73-67 victory over Reitz. Mater Dei plays for the title tonight.

  • With Gene Keady in the stands scouting, Central Catholic beat Benton Central on a Kristof Kendrick banked runner at the buzzer. Russell Trudeau, wearing an ankle brace after a severe ankle sprain in the third quarter, led CC with 18 points. Trudeau hit a game-tying three with 30 seconds remaining before Kendrick later won it at the buzzer.

       MORE: Central Catholic rallies from 4-point deficit [Journal and Courier]

    > JANUARY 11, 2001

  • Pike continued to adavnce in the Marion County Tournament by defeating Lawrence Central 93-47. Sophomore Parnell Smith scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds for Pike (12-0). Pike advances to the semis Friday night against 4A No. 7 Lawrence North.

       MORE: Red Devils rout Lawrence Central [Indy Star]

  • An article on No. 1 Evansville Mater Dei, a team more than just 6'9 Matt Kiefer.

       MORE: Mater Dei stacks up No. 1 in area rankings [Evansville Courier]

    > JANUARY 10, 2001

  • South Bend LaSalle held on to beat St. Joseph's 70-65. McKnight scored 26 points, was a perfect 8-of-8 from the line, and added eight rebounds. Through LaSalle's nine games, McKnight is averaging 27.8 points per game. That ranks him tied for third in the state of Indiana among scoring leaders, just 0.2 points off the leaders. The state is currently lead by Ty Crone (1A Eminence) and Brandon Gabbard (3A South Dearborn), both tied at the top with a 28.0 average. Tied with Mcknight for third is junior shooter Seth Colclasure (3A Bellmont). Other players of interest among the top 20 scorers as of January 6th...Chris Thomas (5th, 4A Pike, 26.2), Anthony Winchester (8th, 2A Austin, 25.2), and Tyler Clevenger (11th, 2A Winchester, 24.6).

  • Indianapolis Pike rolled over defending Marion County Tournament champ Warren Central, 84-66, in the opening round of this year's tournament. It's scary to think how much better this team could be if they only had some size in the post. Parnell Smith, at 6'5, starts in the post for the Red Devils, and was undersized by four inches against Will Caudle of Warren Central. Smith's role on his high school team illustrates what value summer basketball can be to a college-bound player. While necessity puts him with his back to the basket in high school, summer basketball with Pat Mullin's Spiece squad allows him to work more as a forward. Like summer basketball or not, there isn't much value in college for a 6'5 center. Unless you are 252-pounds and named Charles Barkley.

       MORE: Defense powers No. 1 Pike [Indy Star]

    > JANUARY 8, 2001

  • The Tyler JC Apaches (6-9) won their second straight game Saturday, led by Darmetreis Kilgore's 20 points. Kilgore hit 2-of-3 free throws, but it was a team collective effort from the stripe that helped build a comfortable lead through the second half. Tyler was down 13 points at one point in the first half, then went on a 14-3 run at the end of the half to come within two points of Lee College. Full court defensive pressure and a lack of depth took a severe toll on Lee College. Tyler defeated Lee 90-75, hitting 18-of-21 free throws as a team. Darmetreis Kilgore is now averaging 21 points and seven rebounds per game this season for the Apaches.

  • A 20-point effort from Emily Heikes helped Stagg (11-4, 4-0) defeat Andrew 50-45 in overtime. Heikes got two quick fouls early in the third quarter and sat until late in the fourth. She fouled out of the game with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.

    > JANUARY 6, 2001

  • Brandon McKnight surpasses the 1,000 point career mark on Friday! McKnight helped LaSalle (3-5, 1-1 NIC) snap a five-game losing streak on Friday. LaSalle defeated South Bend Adams 69-58. LaSalle spent a lot of time over the Christmas break working on three things...rebounding, enthusiam and ball handling. LaSalle ended up with one more turnover than Adams, and one more rebound. But the enthusiam was the largest improvement, especially with the play of 6'2 Adam Schwelnus. McKnight scored 26 points, all from within the three-point line, and now has a career scoring mark of 1,012 points. LaSalle also got 14 points from Schwelnus and a 10 rebound performance from Brandon Dixon. McKnight now has an average of 28.1 points per game on the season.

  • Tyler JC returns to the floor tonight against Lee (Baytown) College (TX) outside Houston. There will be a live webcast of the game, including a pre-game, at the following link. The pre-game begins at 8:15pm (Indiana time).

    NOTE: There has been a change in the game coordinates. The signal is now broadcast on the link below, which has been corrected.

       MORE: 8:15PM: Tyler vs Lee LIVE [Texas Sports Radio Network]

    > JANUARY 5, 2001

  • This past week was rough on Indiana high school teams ranked No.1 in their respective class team rankings. The only team to hang on to its No.1 rank was 4A Indianapolis Pike, featuring prospect Parnell Smith. In Class 3A, No.1 Maconaquah lost two games last week and fell out of first. They were replaced by Evansville Mater Dei, featuring prospect Matt Kiefer. Mater Dei is now 5-0 after an 84-67 victory over South Spencer on Tuesday. Kiefer led Mater Dei with 18 points. This is the first time Mater Dei has received a No.1 ranking. Two other teams featuring Purdue prospects dropped games, and subsequently out of their No.1 spots. Class 2A Winchesterdropped to No.2 after a Saturday loss to Richmond, and Class 1A Central Catholic also dropped to second following a loss last week to Carroll (Allen).

  • Lincoln Way's (IL) 6'9 forward James Augustine continues to advance his game. In the Round Table Holiday Tournament, where Lincoln Way (11-1) took the championship, Augustine averaged 15.3 points over the four-game tournament. He hit for nine points, nine rebounds and five blocks in the championship game.

    > JANUARY 4, 2001

  • What a night for Kenneth Lowe to lead Purdue with 19 points in their 20 point win over Michigan. Sitting behind the bench and having a good time were Lowe's high school teammates Chris Hunter and Brandon Cameron. Also behind the bench was Indianapolis Pike's 6'5 sophomore forward Parnell Smith.

  • On the subject of unofficial visits, 6'3 junior guard Anthony Winchester of Austin HS (IN) visited for the UCLA game. Winchester is another high scorer, currently ranking as the 13th best scorers in the state with a 25.4 average. As a sophomore, Winchester averaged 27.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He is showing interest in Purdue, Ball State, Indiana State, Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky. Weber State has offered Winchester a scholarship. Winchester was named to the underclassman all-state team by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association as a sophomore, and was also named a preseason honorable mention all-state by USA Today.

    > JANUARY 3, 2001

  • Central Catholic defeated Rossville 65-51 in Hinkle Fieldhouse in the fifth place game of the Super Hoops Tournament. Despite committing 28 turnovers, CC rode Trudeau's 19 points and Best's 13 points and 11 rebounds. Now 10-1 on the season, CC takes a little over a week off before playing again on the 12th against Benton Central.

       MORE: Super Hoops Tournament: Final Day [Journal & Courier]

  • Junior combo guard Tyler Clevenger is still getting some mail from Purdue, as recently as Christmas. The 6'4 175-pound shooter from Winchester High (IN) is considering Purdue along with Ohio State, Iowa, Iowa state, Butler and Valparaiso. Clevenger is averaging 28.4 points per game through seven games, and is currently tied with Brandon McKnight as the sixth-best scorer in the state of Indiana. An unofficial visit to Purdue is in the works. Winchester was the IHSAA Class 2A tournament runner-up last year, with the help of Clevenger's 17 point and eight rebound average per game.

    > JANUARY 2, 2001

  • A few articles from the Journal and Courier on Central Catholic, who lost their first game of the season during the Super Hoops Tournament. The first link talks about the two opening games of the tournament, where CC defeated Mishawaka Marian then lost to Carroll to snap their 21-game winning streak. Tyler Best had 24 points and 11 rebounds in game one, and 17 points and nine rebounds in game two. Russell Trudeau lead all scorers in game two with 25. On Friday, CC defeated Jennings County 77-64. The big news was the 1,000 point milestone reached by Russell Trudeau. He ended the day with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and a career scoring total of 1,005 points. How does a 6'4ish shooter with little hops get 10 rebounds? It wasn't a fluke. He's been doing it all year, and is one of the best rebounding guards in the state.

       MORE: Super Hoops Tournament: Day 1 [Journal & Courier]
       MORE: Super Hoops Tournament: Day 2 [Journal & Courier]

    > JANUARY 1, 2001

  • A new year, and a new prospect to keep an eye on. We don't think it is a coincidence we have been hearing about more Illinois players popping up on the recruiting lists of the Purdue staff. Sources confirm the staff has been more aggressive and the confidence is running high. The newest name we are hearing is 6'6 180-pound forward Brian Randle of Peoria Notre Dame (IL). A member of the class of 2003 but already getting interest from Purdue, Illinois, Duke and North Carolina. He is averaging 15 points and over seven rebounds per game, plus exhibits good hands on defense in both steals and blocking shots. He averaged 10.5 points and five boards as a freshman. He's versatile enough to play any position facing the basket in high school, but will be a prospect at the wing in college. Scouts are saying his main weaknesses are only age and experience. Randle is ranked anywhere from a top ten to a top 50 player in his class, and is a priority recruit for some programs already as a sophomore.



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