Elite 24 at the Rucker this year

Russ Smith

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http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/highschool/08/08/mobile.roster/index.html?eref=si_ncaab

The roster of players.

Al-Farouq Aminu, Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) -- An extremely versatile senior forward, the Wake Forest-bound Aminu is great in transition.

Luke Babbitt, Galena (Reno, Nev.) -- With his size (6-foot-9) and money 3-point stroke, this Nevada-bound senior is impossible to guard.

Kenny Boynton Jr., TBD -- Boynton, a rising junior guard who has yet to pick a high school for this fall, is one of the most explosive scorers in the country.

Ed Davis, Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) -- The North Carolina-bound Davis is one of the top senior forwards in the country. He uses his long arms to give his opponents fits at both ends of the court.

Demar DeRozan, Compton (Compton, Calif.) -- DeRozan is an explosive athlete who does it all at both ends of the court. The USC-bound senior has a vastly improved jump shot and a great basketball IQ.

Devin Ebanks, St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.) -- The ultra-talented Ebanks, a senior forward who's headed to Indiana, can do it all.

Tyreke Evans, American Christian (Aston, Pa.) -- One of the smoothest players around, this senior guard is a dynamic ballhandler and scorer.

Drew Gordon, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) -- UCLA has another great one coming in Gordon, a senior big man who can dominate a game defensively.

Xavier Henry, Putnam City (Warr Acres, Okla.) -- One of the top junior guards in the country, Henry can score from anywhere on the court.

Jrue Holiday, Campbell Hall (North Hollywood, Calif.) -- A UCLA-bound senior combo guard who's one of the best scorers in the country.

Brandon Jennings, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) -- This senior is a flashy, Arizona-bound playmaker who wowed the Elite 24 crowd at Rucker Park last year with his handle and no-look passes.

Noel Johnson, Fayette County (Fayetteville, Ga.) -- The junior guard can do it all at the offensive end, from scoring in the lane to hitting from the perimeter.

Sylven Landesberg, Holy Cross (Flushing, N.Y.) -- This sweet-shooting guard averaged 25.7 points per game last year as a junior.

BJ Mullens, Canal Winchester (Canal Winchester, Ohio) -- An Ohio State-bound senior center, Mullens is a vastly improved big man who averaged 26.4 points per game last year.

John Riek, Our Savior New American (Centereach, N.Y.) -- This 7-foot-1 native of Sudan with a gigantic wingspan changes a game at the defensive end.

Delvon Roe, St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) -- The Michigan State-bound Roe is an extremely exciting player in the open court who averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game last year as a junior.

LaQuinton Ross, Callaway (Jackson, Miss.) -- Youngest player in the game as the only freshman, Ross has the versatile game to play with the big boys.

Samardo Samuels, St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) -- A monster in the paint, the Louisville-bound senior is one of the strongest players around.

Renardo Sidney, Artesia (Lakewood, Calif.) -- Arguably the nation's best player in the Class of 2009 thanks to his combination of perimeter skills and low-post size at 6-foot-9, Sidney is the real deal.

Lance Stephenson, Lincoln (Brooklyn, N.Y.) -- Already a crowd favorite at Rucker, this junior guard led his high school team to a state title last year.

Dexter Strickland, St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.) -- Just a junior, Strickland ran the show for a state-title-winning team last year and is a prime scoring guard.

Trey Thompkins, Wesleyan (Norcross, Ga.) -- The Georgia recruit averaged 15 points per game last season as a junior on a loaded Oak Hill Academy squad.

Kemba Walker, Rice (New York, N.Y.) -- A hometown favorite, Walker is a dynamic senior guard who excels at both ends of the court.

Willie Warren, Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) -- Warren, a senior, is the total package on offense, an explosive player who can get to the rim and also has unlimited 3-point range.


Of that list Derozan(USC), Gordon(UCLA), Holiday(UCLA), Jennings (arizona) are all committed to Pac 10 schools and there are several others like Warren(UA), Stephenson(UCLA), Sidney(?) who all have Pac 10 schools very high on their lists.

John Riek is the kid I've mentioned on the NBA board, many people think he'll be in the next NBA draft, he's from Sudan and nobody is quite sure his real age or what year he should be. For now they're assuming he's a senior in HS, he's apparently very comparable to Mutombo at similar point in his career, he came out of nowhere this summer, nobody had heard of him and now he's the top rated "post grad" player (prepschool) in the country. Many think
he'd be the top rated player in his class if they knew what his actual class was.
 
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Russ Smith

Russ Smith

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It's very unlikely Warren ends up at Arizona.

And there's no way in hell Stephenson goes to UCLA, but currently both have them high on their lists.

Clark Francis was on radio a few days ago and he said UCLA leads for Stephenson, UCLA recruiting guys insist they're not even actually recruiting him.

Would love to see the event, IIRC Jennings is the only kid who also played in it last year?
 
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