Basketball Report: 2010 100 to Watch Notebook

As noted, the MaxPreps Class of 2010 Top 100 will be released in August. Plenty can happen over the summer and after taking a composite look at high school production, AAU production, honors and awards, stats and to a lesser degree, “potential” at the next level, we will rank 1 through 100.

Again, a lot can and will change between now and the end of the summer, but here is a quick peak at a group of 10 we will be keeping an especially close eye on in the battle to be crowned the nation’s top senior;

* Keith Appling, Pershing, (Detroit, Mich.): A first team All-State selection and Detroit Metro Player of the Year, Appling dropped 49 points in Michigan’s Class A championship game. Appling is committed to Michigan State.

* Harrison Barnes, Ames (Ames, Iowa): An electrifying wing player, Barnes earned Gatorade POY honors for Iowa after averaging 19.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game while leading Ames High School to a 26-0 record and state title.

* Will Barton, Lake Clifton-Eastern (Baltimore, Md.): A slender and versatile guard-wing, Barton was the catalyst for one of the nation’s surprise teams at Lake Clifton-Eastern. The Lakers went 28-0 and captured Maryland’s 3A state title thanks in large part to Barton’s 18 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game.

* Reggie Bullock, Kinston (Kinston, N.C.): A North Carolina commitment since his sophomore year, Bullock was the top vote-getter on the Charlotte Observer’s All-State team. The 6-7 wing averaged 23 points per game in leading Kinston to a 27-4 record.

* Joe Jackson, White Station (Memphis, Tenn.): Jackson burst on the Memphis scene as a freshman and has been a star in the Volunteer State since. A Class AAA All-State selection, Jackson averaged 26.2 points per game to lead White Station to a state title.

* Brandon Knight, Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.): Knight joined LeBron James and Greg Oden as the only junior recipients of Gatorade’s National Player of the Year after posting 31.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. The 6-3 guard led Pine Crest to its second consecutive Class 3A state title.

* Josh Smith, Kentwood (Covington, Wash.): The big-bodied post man earned first team All-State honors after putting up 24.3 points per game while hauling down over 14 rebounds per contest. Smith posted back-to-back 40-point, 20-rebound games in January.

* Jared Sullinger, Northland (Columbus, Ohio): The 6-9, 280-pound hulk earned Mr. Basketball honors in Ohio after leading Northland of Columbus to a 27-1 record and a Division I state title. Sullinger is committed to Ohio State.

* DeShaun Thomas, Bishop Luers (Fort Wayne, Ind.): Thomas will team with Sullinger at Ohio State (more on that below). The 6-7 forward has been dominant since he stepped on the floor as a freshman at Bishop Luers, averaging 30.1 points and 15.1 rebounds per game to lead the Knights to a state title this winter.

* Tristan Thompson, Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.): Thompson, a native of Canada, had a checkered junior season but should erase any lingering questions with his incredible raw talent and athleticism this summer and next season. The 6-9 forward started the season with New Jersey power St. Benedict’s, fell out with head coach Danny Hurley and ended up at Findlay Prep where he helped the Pilots win the National High School Invitational.

MATTA’S MOJO

In 2006, Ohio State head coach Thad Matta landed a top-rated recruiting class that included Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., Daequan Cook, David Lighty and junior college transfer Othello Hunter. The quintet was known as the “Thad Five” and helped the Buckeyes reach the Final Four in 2007.

Matta’s recruiting mojo could rival Thad Five levels again this year if he can hold onto current commitments Jared Sullinger, DeShaun Thomas, Jordan Sibert and Lenzelle Smith.

All four players are included in MaxPreps’ 2010 100 to Watch, and Sullinger and Thomas, profiled above, are easily among the nation’s top dozen or so prospects.

Sibert helped lead Cincinnati’s Princeton High School to a Division I state championship match-up with Sullinger’s Northland squad.

Smith earned second team All-State (3A/4A) honors in Illinois and will be among the Land of Lincoln’s top prospects in the class of 2010.

MULTIPLES

Ohio State isn’t the only school that appears on its way to signing multiple Top 100 players should current commitments stand (and it is nearly a guarantee that not all will). Of note among the list of 14 schools is five from the Big 10 – Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin.

Ohio State (4): Jordan Sibert, Lenzelle Smith, Jared Sullinger, DeShaun Thomas
Illinois (3): Crandall Head, Meyers Leonard, Jereme Richmond
Duke (3): Andre Dawkins, Joshua Hairston, Tyler Thornton
Florida State (2): Ian Miller, Okaro White
Georgetown (2): Nate Lubick, Markel Starks
Louisville (2): Joshua Langford, Justin Martin
Maryland (2): Terrence Ross, Terrell Stoglin
Michigan State (2): Keith Appling, Russell Byrd
North Carolina (2): Reggie Bullock, Kendall Marshall
Purdue (2): Travis Carroll, Terone Johnson
Tennessee (2): Aaron Craft, Josh Selby
Texas (2): Daniel Bejarano, Tristan Thompson
UCLA (2): Tyler Lamb, Kendall Williams
Wake Forest (2): Tony Chennault, J.T. Terrell
Wisconsin (2): Evan Anderson, Vander Blue

In all, 44 of the 100 players recognized have made their college intentions known.

INJURED RESERVE

Dozens of players that missed significant portions or all of their junior seasons due to injury will be on our radar this summer and into the 2009-2010 season. For the time being we’ve stayed away from making any type of judgment or evaluation on these players as they just don’t have enough of a resume to go on at this point.

Carl “C.J.” Fair of City College (Baltimore, Md.) and Patrick Simon of Ephrata (Wash.) are two of the more prominent 2010 seniors that missed the 2008-2009 campaign.

Fair, a 6-7 wing-forward already committed to Syracuse, averaged 20.6 points per game for City College as a sophomore.

Simon, another 6-7 wing-forward prospect, led Ephrata to a 25-2 record and Washington’s 2A state title as a sophomore along with brother Daniel.