NY2LA Sports – News & Notes - Dec 2007!
By Antonio Curro
December 6, 2007
The High School season is in full swing and a bunch of guys are already making a lot of noise...
6'5" SF Jake Barnett of Wauwatosa East has been sensational early on. His performance against Milwaukee Pius XI was big time and then he followed that up with a monster performance against Milwaukee Lutheran that included 5 three point baskets in the 2nd half alone. Barnett is making a case that he can play at the Division 1 college level and he could grab a low to mid major offer or two before it's all said and done!
5'11" G Chris McHenry of Bradley Tech has an offer on the table from UW-Parkside. The sharpshooting guard from Bradley Tech is one of the top Class of 2008 prospects in Wisconsin still available. He's not the only one worth looking at though as G Rashard Carrington is another player who can play at the collegiate level. Between Carrington and McHenry Bradley Tech has one of the top backcourts in the City Conference this year.
PG Korie Lucious of Milwaukee Pius XI did all he could against Tosa East in the 4th quarter. Anyone who thinks that there's a player in the Class of 2008 who is even close in terms of talent and ability wasn't at that game. Lucious is on another level and he has the ability to put a team on his back every night if he wants to.
Racine St. Catherine's PG Patrick Souter is done for the year so 09' SG Jake Thomas is going to have to step up a year early and take the lead if St. Cat's is going to make noise this year. Souter really had stepped up his game in recent months and unfortunately the loss of Souter is two sided because they lose his ability to create on the offensive end with Jake Thomas set to be one of the players who stood to really benefit from that. We wish Patrick a speedy recovery.
Flavien Davis has Wisconsin Lutheran off to a 2-0 start and he's already showing signs of taking his game to the next level as a player. January 5, 2008 he squares off against Rodney Williams and Robbinsdale Cooper, one of the top Class of 2008 prospects in the country. Should be an excellent measuring stick for Flavien and the Vikings. The game is part of the 2008 NY2LA Sports Extravaganza and set for 7:30 p.m. at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Jamil Wilson of Racine Horlick continues to impress and the range on his jump shot continues to improve as he really stroked the three well in the first half of their loss to Milwaukee King this past weekend at the Terry Porter Classic. Wilson seems to get better and better each time he goes out there. He's not expected to make a decision until after the spring/summer Grassroots season.
6'5" SF Raymond Cowles of Hopkins is pound for pound one of the best prospects available in the Midwest. The 2007 NY2LA Sports Next Level Invitational 16U Tournament M.V.P. has offers from Northern Iowa, Creighton, Loyola-Chicago, Western Michigan, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee and North Dakota State. Southern Illinois and George Mason have also shown interest lately as have Wichita State, Harvard, and Yale.
Remember the name Cedrick Martin. The athletic PG out of Minneapolis Washburn is another of the top Class of 2009 prospects in a very strong Minnesota Class.
We can't stop raving about 6'6" SF Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa. The long athletic and highly intelligent Barnes is one of the top Class of 2010 prospects in the country and he should expect to get some big time offers by the end of next summer. He said he is wide open in terms of recruiting and despite rumors to the contrary, he has not committed to attend Iowa State.
6'5" Forward Trashaun Carroll of Chicago, Illinois is one of the top Class of 2012 prospects in the country. The long athletic big put down a monster performance at the 2007 NY2LA Sports Generation Next All-Star Camp along with fellow 8th graders Siyani Chambers (MN) and Marcus Paige (IA). Carroll has all the makings of yet another high major elite national prospect out of Chicago. He competes with the Chicago Summit ("It's Summit Time!") on the travel circuit.
6'5" F Marquis Mason of Madison East is the truth. Not only is he physically mature but his athleticism is on another planet. The kid flat out explodes off the ground and is an excellent Class of 2010 prospect to put on your radar, if he already isn't. Expect Mason to grab a host of mid to high major offers by the end of next summer.
6'6" Class of 2011 F Darnell Harris of Milwaukee Bay View has been making huge waves already early in his career. The long athletic forward is one of the top Class of 2011 prospects in the country and currently regarded as the #1 Class of 2011 prospect in the Milwaukee Metro area.
6'0" Class of 2008 G Andrew Ferry of Milwaukee Lutheran is easily one of the top pure shooters in the state of Wisconsin. Ferry can flat out stroke the rock from anywhere on the court and his range extends well beyond the 3 point line with ease. The sharpshooting guard put on a clinic from the 3 point line in a loss to Wauwatosa East.
Class of 2010 PG Marcus Kirk of Rufus King is one of the best kept secrets in the Class of 2010. When it's all said and done Kirk is gonna be an excellent prospect. He's quick, can handle the ball, shoots it, and also sees the floor very well. While King may not have star power right now, they have depth, versatility, and they will play excellent team basketball game in and game out.
Marvin Fitzgerald of Milwaukee Vincent is back and putting it down in the City Conference. The 6'5" forward is fully recovered from off season shoulder surgery and set to make things happen this year. Easily one of the most unheralded Class of 2008 prospects in Wisconsin, Fitzgerald just knows how to play and will give it to you every night. He competed this past spring/summer with the Milwaukee Running Rebels 17U team.
The 2008 Swish & Dish Spring Warm-Up is already expected to surpass the 2007 event as calls and e-mails are coming in daily from programs committed to the event. Some new names of local note are already confirmed as the highly respected Hugh Roberts Randolph Boys Club are set to rock the 15u-17u levels. Mac Irvin Fire, All Iowa Attack, Net Gain Sports, etc. are just a few out of state teams already confirmed to have all their teams in attendance. The event is set for April 4-6, 2007 with games being played throughout the greater Milwaukee area. The event is again expected to be the premiere tournament to kick off the spring/summer Grassroots season. Mail and in-person registrations are currently being excepted with online registration opening up January 1, 2008. For more information please call 414.732.3245.
6'9" Class of 2010 F Kyle Kelm of Randolph H.S. (Wisconsin Swing) continues to collect offers as Bradley is the most recent school to extend an offer to the 09' forward. Iowa State, UW-Green Bay, and UW-Milwaukee have already offered Kelm. North Dakota State and a host of Big Ten schools including Wisconsin have also expressed interest in Kelm as well.
Speaking of Class of 2010 prospects, right now Josh Gasser of Port Washington could be the top PG in the Class of 2010. The 6'3" Gasser has nice size, a nice frame, and really knows how to play the game. He displayed that this past summer when he lead his Wisconsin Swing 15U team to the 2007 NY2LA Sports Invitational Championship with 3 big time 3 point baskets in an overtime victory over the Wisconsin Scholars led by Flavien Davis. Gasser is a very good all around player who should make for an excellent collegiate PG.
WBY Shootout is set for December 27-28, 2007 at the Al Maguire Center. Another strong field is set to take the court for two days in what promises to be another great event.