Archive for April, 2012

Illinois lands Drake transfer Rayvonte Rice

Published by Source on April 26th, 2012

Rayvonte Rice was perhaps the best player for the Drake Bulldogs as a sophomore last year: he led the team in scoring (16.8 ppg) and was second in rebounding (5.8 rpg). He was a 2nd team All-Missouri Valley selection and previously was named to the conference’s All-Freshman team – he averaged 13.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in his first year.

But, after the Bulldogs finished 18-16 overall and just 9-9 in Valley play, Rice decided that it was time to look for a more high-profile team. Meanwhile, back in his hometown of Champaign, Illinois, the Fighting Illini replaced the coach that failed to recruit Rice out of high school. With new head coach John Groce at the helm at Illinois, the path was cleared for Rice to return home for his final two years of eligibility. (more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Illinois
Tags: , , , ,

Nebraska gets JUCO point guard

Published by Source on April 17th, 2012

New head coach Tim Miles has landed his first Nebraska commitment since taking over the position back in March. Steward County CC (KS) point guard Deverell Biggs made his verbal pledge to the Huskers Sunday, choosing them over Oklahoma State, Southern Miss and Utah State.

Biggs is a Nebraska-native that played his prep ball at Omaha Central. He returns to his home state as a junior ready to make an immediate impact on the new look Cornhuskers.

Miles’ 2012 class is now three men deep, as Biggs joins Kansas City high school prospects Shavon Shields and Benny Parker. Before previous head coach Doc Sadler was fired, he had signed three other JUCO prospects. All three of those players have been released from their commitments to the University.

Getting the first commitment is crucial for any new head coach. It will be interesting to see if any of Miles’ recruits from Colorado State will make the switch over to Nebraska, as he still has several available scholarships. CSU has signed letters from Texas SG Jordan Mason and Chicago PG Jermaine Morgan (Whitney Young). According to HuskerOnline.com, Morgan wants out of his letter to CSU and has expressed interest in following Miles to Lincoln.

1 Comment »
Posted in Chicago HS Prospects, Nebraska
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

B1G Transfers and Returns

Published by Source on April 16th, 2012

Several B1G players have announced that they are leaving or returning to their respected programs in the last 24 hours. Below you can find a list of the most recent moves:

* Ohio State sophomore J.D. Weatherspoon will be leaving the Buckeye program. The forward is a Columbus-native and played high school ball with OSU teammate Jared Sullinger. Weatherspoon played just 6 minutes per game this season and averaged 3.0 points and 1.1 rebounds.

* Purdue junior John Hart announced that he will use his final season of eligibility at another school. Hart will graduate at the end of this season and will be immediately eligible to play at any out of conference school if his graduate program of choice is not offered at Purdue. The guard has seen his minutes decline in each of his seasons with the Boilers and he averaged just 1.6 ppg in 5.3 mpg as a junior.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue
Tags: , , , ,

Zeller and Watford returning to Indiana

Published by Source on April 10th, 2012

Two key pieces to Indiana’s success this past season will be back again next year to help the Hoosiers make a run at the National Title. Freshman big man Cody Zeller and junior wing Christian Watford announced Tuesday that they will both be back for the 2012-13 season to play for Tom Crean and the Hoosiers.

Zeller, the B1G co-Freshman of the Year and honorable mention AP All-American, had a brilliant season in which his post presence changed the entire complexion of the team on both sides of the court. The star forward averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds on a team that went to its first Sweet 16 since 2002. Zeller was the cornerstone of the team’s turn-around and will continue to have a major impact on their success moving forward. Many NBA experts projected Cody as a lottery pick, many placing him in the top-10.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in featured, Indiana
Tags: , , , , , ,

Indiana All-Stars Roster announced

Published by Source on April 9th, 2012

The annual Indiana/Kentucky All-Star games will be held this year on June 8th (Louisville, KY) and 9th (Indianapolis, IN) and the Indiana team is loaded with Division-1 talent. The 13-man roster will play two exhibition games on June 4th (Seymour) and 6th (Pendleton Heights) against the Junior All-Stars before taking on the Kentucky seniors. Below this the roster, complete with college selections for each player:

INDIANA ALL-STARS:

* Gary Harris (SG, Hamilton Southeastern) – 6’4″ / 208 lbs / Michigan State

* Yogi Ferrell (PG, Park Tudor) – 5’11″ / 165 lbs / Indiana

* Kellen Dunham (SG, Pendleton Heights) – 6’5″ / 180 lbs / Butler

* Ron Patterson (SG, Broad Ripple) – 6’3″ / 195 lbs / Indiana

* Jeremy Hollowell (SF, Lawrence Central) – 6’8″ / 210 lbs / Indiana

* Ronnie Johnson (PG, North Central) – 6’0″ / 160 lbs / Purdue

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in DePaul, featured, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Mid Major, Notre Dame, Purdue
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trey Burke returning to Michigan

Published by Source on April 9th, 2012

After an incredible freshman season, Michigan point guard Trey Burke declared for the NBA. While he did not immediately hire an agent, it was reported last week that the young guard had made the decision to move to the next level. Trey’s father disputed these claims, saying that his son had not made a decision and was still enrolled at the Ann Arbor campus.

Monday, the University announced that their starting point guard will in fact be returning to school next year for his sophomore season. This is incredible news for John Beilein and Michigan basketball, as losing Burke would have severely hampered their chances at another B1G title. With their star point guard back and an incredible recruiting class coming in, the Wolverines should open the season as one of the favorites in the conference and perhaps a top-15 or even top-10 team nationally.

 

No Comments »
Posted in Michigan
Tags: ,

Michigan lands late 2012 PG commitment

Published by Source on April 7th, 2012

With the news that Michigan starting point guard Trey Burke may be gone to the NBA, head coach John Beilein went in search of a new point guard to bring in next season. It appears he has found that player in Spike Albrecht, a point guard currently finishing a prep season at Northfield Mount Vernon (MA). Albrecht, who is originally from Crown Point, Indiana just over of the IL/IN border, becomes the fourth member of a Wolverine 2012 class that includes Rivals150 players Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III and Nick Stauskas.

The NCAA spring signing period starts on Wednesday, so Albrecht will be able to sign with his new team as early as next week. The commitment came during a visit to Ann Arbor on Friday night on which Beilein offered the point guard a scholarship. Beilein has landed a number of players from “The Region” of NW Indiana, including seniors Stu Douglass and Zack Novak, as well as 2012 commits McGary and Robinson, both of whom come from the same AAU program (SYF Players) as Albrecht.

There are conflicting reports as to whether or not Burke will be back to the Wolverines next season and there is no doubt that his departure will be a tough loss for the program. Burke emerged as one of the top point guards in the conference and shared B1G Freshman of the Year honors with Indiana’s Cody Zeller. The NBA stock is high for Burke now, but he may decide that another year in college would improve his position and NBA-readiness. Albrecht would also benefit from playing with such a talented point guard for a season or two, but will have to be ready to go right away if Burke is in fact off to the pros.

No Comments »
Posted in Michigan
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Meyers Leonard leaving Illinois for NBA

Published by Source on April 2nd, 2012

Illinois sophomore big man Meyers Leonard will forgo his final two years of eligibility and remain in the 2012 NBA Draft field, he announced on Monday.

Leonard is an incredibly skilled big man and has an NBA-ready body. His maturity has come into question numerous times in his tenure at Illinois, but that really seems to be his only knock at this point. Most draft experts project Leonard as a late lottery-pick, somewhere in the 10-15 region.

(more…)

No Comments »
Posted in Illinois
Tags: ,