Wichita State and Kansas State both offered 2012 forward Perry Ellis (pictured) today. Ellis is widely considered to be a top 5 prospect in the class. His list of suitors include a who's who of the NCAA's elite, including- Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona and Kentucky.
Bowling Green's (KY) Chane Behanan's current list of suitors are: Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma State Univ, West Virginia University, Western Kentucky and Cincinnati. Most of them will be coming in this month to see him and several are trying to get him on campus sometime this fall for an unofficial visit. No front runner at this time, he is just enjoying the process.
Greenup County (KY) forward Trey Williams has heard from VCU and Marshall, not sure how interested Marshall is but, VCU is becoming increasingly infatuated with the versatile Williams. The staff is expected to visit Williams sometime this month.
2011 guard Darius Clement is receiving interest from a couple of prestigious NAIA schools- Robert Morris College in Chicago and Auburn University at Montgomery.
Jordan Shanklin spent the majority of his summer rehabbing a chin fracture and watching from the sidelines. After being cleared by doctors in early July, Shanklin burst back onto the scene at the Hoop Fest followed by some stellar play in Vegas at the Adidas Super 64. Shanklin is a team first point guard that uses his speed and quickness to push the pace and to get his teammates involved. He is among the top 10 players in the state of Kentucky regardless of class.
Recently Full Court Preps writer David Money was able to catch up with Shanklin, touching on a number of topics.
Since the interviews Clemson, Butler, and VCU have become heavily involved in Shanklin's recruitment. Shanklin does have an offer from Western Kentucky as well. Below are some highlights of the superb guard in action.
George Fant is one of the most promising prospects in the state of Kentucky regardless of class. He is very bouncy and has a great motor. His long arms coupled with his athletic abilities lead easy baskets in transition and one on one situations. Overall Fant's game remains a bit on the raw side. If he continues to operate within his limits and improve, then he could develop into a top 100 player in the 2011 class.
Recently Full Court Preps writer David Money was able to catch up with the talented junior to be.
Chane Behanan the #19 ranked player in the 2011 class has decided to re-open his recruitment. After recently attending Western Kentucky's elite camp and taking time to think about the time that he has to make a decision, it was only logical for Chane to open things back up, a source told us on Monday afternoon. Western Kentucky was polite and just taught Behanan at the camp, however it did help Behanan to see that making an informed decision and taking his time is whats best for him. Cincinnati is still the leader for his services but he does want to at least listen to the (possibly) 10 major division one programs that would like the opportunity to recruit him. More to come on this developing story soon.
Scott County's Ge-Lawn Guyn is among the top handful of players in the state of Kentucky regardless of class and he recently Committed to UNC Charlotte. Coach Lutz's 49ers have picked up a combo guard with few very impressive ability's:
-He can take just about anyone off the dribble
-You can't give him too much room or he will knock down the three.
-He has a great feel for where his teammates are at all times.
"I play the one and two, I can shoot, I can pass, I can do it all. I try to get everyone involved." said Guyn
"I'm looking for a school that plays uptempo, because that's the way that I like to play. The academics, stuff like that, but I'm just being humble and taking everything as it comes."
Guyn is a very confident and talented young man. Look for him to be among our top 100 players in the class of 2010, when we expand our list later this summer.
Jaylen Beckham is a sophomore to be, that attends Lexington Catholic High in KY. This kid had his talent on display over the weekend at the 13th annual Derek Smith shootout in Louisville. In my opinion, Beckham is definitely one of the top 5 players in the state of Kentucky regardless of class.
One of the best games of the weekend pitted his team against Bowling Green high. Bowling Green's revamped roster now features one of the top forwards in the 2011 class in Chane Behanan (video of Behanan tomorrow). On a couple of possessions Beckham fearlessly drove the ball right into the chest of the phenomenal forward, finishing once and drawing the foul.
The most noticeable asset that this kid posses is his almost complete game. Beckham's defensive instincts are outstanding for a player his age. He demonstrated the ability to blow by defenders, almost at will. Think a young Rajon Rondo, granted this kid may never achieve the same elite status as Rondo, but the similarities are undeniable. Beckham is about 6'1 with long arms and a wiry frame. His unorthodox build coupled with his elite speed and quickness helps him to make difficult plays look relatively natural. He is always in the right position and wreaking havoc seems to be instinctive on both ends of the court. The one weakness in his game is his shooting, which is sure to improve over the next three plus years.
Overall this kid is set to be among the top 60 or 70 players in his class, however if he can improve his inconsistent jump shot then he could find himself firmly within the top 40.
With the class of 2009 basically in the books. It is time to add some 2012 prospects to the database. Scott County High in Kentucky is a good place to start. Tameron Manning is a 6'5 kid that can play the both the two guard and the wing position with relative consistency.
First of all Manning's long arms and suburb coordination help him to shine like a top tier player at times. Some of the passes that this kid deliverers in transition are phenomenal. Manning is also heady and makes finishing around the basket look effortless. This kid runs the court like a gazelle and has the range to consistently shoot from about 15 feet.
However in spurts Manning blends in; which is OK. After all Manning is a sophomore to be and defiantly concedes seniority to some other high profile players in their own right. Manning is highly aware of the team philosophy's at all times and certainly seems to "buy in" to the lessons on the idiosyncrasy's of the game, offered up by his coaches.
Overall this kid has all of the physical tools needed to succeed at the high school level and beyond. If Manning can stay this focused for another three years then the sky is the limit. As of now Manning projects as a top 100 player in his class. We will keep you posted on his progress throughout his career.
Chad Jackson is 6'4 combo guard that does it all. Jackson will not "wow" you with any particular skill, however he has the ability to shoot consistently, to rebound, to handle the basketball, and to score in a variety of ways. Jackson is about 6'4 with long arms that help him to sky over opponents for rebounds and lay-ups. Jackson is also a team first player, always seeming to opt for the right basketball play, over scoring or being to caught up in his individual numbers.
Defensively, Jackson could still use some work on his lateral quickness. Jackson does play nice "help." defense and I have seen him come from the weak side to block numerous shots. This kid is a hard worker and should bloom during his senior campaign.
Ge-Lawn Guyn is a really impressive player with a multi-dimensional skill set. Guyn has the talent to create havoc at either guard position. This kid can penetrate and finish with the best players in the class. Guyn's quickness often forces opposing teams to double team or trap him, however he has the ability and vision to pass out of the chaos, for easy buckets. Guyn's athleticism and work ethic could help him develop into a lock down defender as well.
Overall, this kid stands out. He plays for a loaded Scott County team that features no less than five future division one players. This kid has an extremely high ceiling and should have no problem attending any number of high major programs.
We also have some nice highlights of Mr. Guyn in action and we should have those ready soon.
Tonight is the Indiana Senior/Junior scrimage at New Albany high. Please check back for the full story.
The talent gap between the top tier conferences and the mid-major programs is growing ever more close to being even. Granted it could be a decade or so away but momentum is growing for small schools across the country, especially in the nations heartland.
The 2009 class might be the most impressive collection of talent for mid-major programs to date. Look at some of these numbers:
Rivals: This is where the overall impact can be seen at its most profound level, because the nice folks at Rivals take their rankings a little deeper than the average site does. According to the Rivals rankings 16 out of the top 150 players for the class of 2009 are committed to mid major programs. That is 10.5 percent of their top players for the class. Georgia State even managed to snag a top 60 player in Rashanti Harris, who snubbed offers from Memphis, Ole Miss and Mississippi State to be a Panther, or the Panther. Pounce the Panther is more ferocious than a Bulldog, Tiger or a Rebel, just ask Harris.
In addition to the 10.5 percent of the top 150, mid-majors also snagged multiple skilled three star players. Many solid kids turned down power conference affiliation for mid-majors. A good example of just one of these young men is Sherrod Wright, who committed to George Mason. This kid had offers on the table from Cincinnati, Marquette, Kansas State, South Carolina and Providence. Instead of opting for a BCS school, the Mount Vernon, NY native took his game to the Colonial conference.
ESPN: 5 of the top 100 prospects are committed to mid majors: Aaric Murray (LaSalle) Terrrell Vinson (UMASS),Zeke Marshall (Akron), Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State), Anthony Marshall (UNLV). Five percent of the ESPN top 100 chose mid majors. Overall Mid Major schools acquired 7-8 percent of impact players according to ESPN.com rankings.
Scout: Here is another good example of this trend gaining momentum. As 7 of the top 100 prospects of the 2009 are committed to mid major programs. Including two players that are un-ranked according to the other two rankings. Keith Clanton (UCF) and Arsalan Kazemi (Rice). Mid Majors have devoured a full 7 percent of the talent from Scouts top tier of athletes.
Granted UNLV and Gonzaga do have more tradition than your average non "BCS" and power conference team for that matter, but the overall talent here is amazing. Aaric Murray could have attended any number of national contenders but instead opted for LaSalle. Zeke Marshall left offers on the table to attend Pittsburgh, Virgina and Virgina Tech to attend Akron. Western Kentucky has built on the programs recent success with the signing of two of the Rivals 150 in Terrance Boyd (#64) and Jordan Swing (#141). The mid major band wagon is up and running and next season more top players are sure to jump aboard.
This coming weekend we will be at the Stimulus Tournament in Louisville Ky. Please check back for plenty of updates, interviews, etc.
