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From high school ALL-USA to NFL Draft: Adoree' Jackson, USC

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As the NFL draft nears, USA TODAY High School Sports will look back at the high school careers and draft prospects for former American Family Insurance ALL-USA selections. Today’s installment features USC cornerback and return specialist Adoree’ Jackson.

PLAYER PROFILE:

Position: Cornerback, return specialist

High school: JSerra (Gardena, Calif.)

ALL-USA history: Named ALL-USA First Team in 2013 as a senior.

College: Southern California

Height, weight: 5-11, 185

Junipero Serra’s Adoree Jackson on National Signing Day in 2014 (Photo: Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports)

By the numbers:  Had five interceptions last fall as a junior and a career-high 55 tackles, including 46 solo. He also served as the primary kick and punt returner. For his USC career, he averaged 27.1 yards per kickoff return with four TDs and 12.6 yards per punt return with two TDs.

Draft projection: Round 2/3

Draft positives: Top-shelf athlete when it comes to speed, burst, and agility.  Can play at a high level in different coverage roles.  Shows an effective jab at the point of attack whole holding his footwork in position to turn and dart downfield.  Easy stop and go movement.  Fluid hips and feet.  Plays the ball in the air like a receiver.  Aggressive and savvy.  High points the ball.  Trusts his backpedal, won’t bail too early.

Cons: Small frame and lacks a physical presence.  Often an ankle diver when tackling.  Over aggressive underneath and can easily be fooled on double routes.

What he says, on his value to a team via the Los Angeles Daily News: “A lot of us can cover well, we can tackle. For me, it just puts the icing on the cake,” Jackson said of returning. “You have me out there on three downs. On fourth down, just move me back there. I feel like you’re getting a bargain with me, getting two birds with one stone.”

Draft analysis by Dan Shonka, Ourlads.com


2016-17 ALL-USA Wrestling: Third Team

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The American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestling Team for the 2016-17 season was selected based on performance and level of competition.

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Gable Steveson, Apple Valley (Minn.)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Gross, Hilton Central (Hilton, N.Y.)

MORE: FIRST TEAM | SECOND TEAM

Click the gallery below to meet the wrestlers on the third team.

LOOKBACK: 2016-17 ALL-USA Preseason Team

ONE YEAR AGO: 2015-16 ALL-USA Wrestling Team

2016-17 ALL-USA Wrestling: Second Team

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The American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestling Team for the 2016-17 season was selected based on performance and level of competition.

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Gable Steveson, Apple Valley (Minn.)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Gross, Hilton Central (Hilton, N.Y.)

MORE: FIRST TEAM | THIRD TEAM

Click the gallery below to meet the wrestlers on the second team.

LOOKBACK: 2016-17 ALL-USA Preseason Team

ONE YEAR AGO: 2015-16 ALL-USA Wrestling Team

2016-17 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestling Teams

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The 2016-17 American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestling Teams were selected by USA TODAY High School Sports based on performance and level of competition.

Pennsylvania dominates the team with 11 selections, including Nazareth Area High teammates Sammy Sasso and Travis Stefanik.

California and New Jersey are next with four picks each, followed by Colorado, Minnesota — with ALL-USA Wrestler of the Year Gable Steveson—New York and Ohio, which all boast a trio of honorees. Illinois and Oregon both have two apiece, while Arizona, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Virginia and West Virginia have a single selection.

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Gable Steveson, Apple Valley (Minn.)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Gross, Hilton Central (Hilton, N.Y.)

FIRST TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA First Team

SECOND TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA Second Team

THIRD TEAM: Meet the ALL-USA Third Team

LOOKBACK: 2016-17 ALL-USA Preseason Team

ONE YEAR AGO: 2015-16 ALL-USA Wrestling Team

2016-17 ALL-USA Wrestling: First Team

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The American Family Insurance ALL-USA Wrestling Team for the 2016-17 season was selected based on performance and level of competition.

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Gable Steveson, Apple Valley (Minn.)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Craig Gross, Hilton Central (Hilton, N.Y.)

MORE: SECOND TEAM | THIRD TEAM

Click the gallery below to meet the wrestlers on the first team.

LOOKBACK: 2016-17 ALL-USA Preseason Team

ONE YEAR AGO: 2015-16 ALL-USA Wrestling Team

VIDEO: Central Conn. signee Talek Williams soars to win Iverson Classic dunk contest

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Talek Williams, from William Allen High (Allentown, Pa.), was the winner of the dunk contest Thursday night at the inaugural Allen Iverson Roundball Classic, held at Iverson’s former school, Bethel (Hampton, Va.).

As you can see in the video below, Williams — a 6-2 Central Connecticut signee — had no problem getting up and getting creative. That included a pass from the top row of the bleachers that he corralled and dunked.

He earned a perfect score of 50, a 48 and then another 50 from the panel of five judges that included Iverson’s mom, Ann.

Norco (Calif.) solidifies hold on No. 1 in Super 25 softball rankings

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Norco (Calif.) remained undefeated and continued to solidify its spot as the No. 1 team in the USA TODAY Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Super 25.

MORE: See the full Super 25 rankings

Norco (23-0) has outscored its last 10 opponents by a total of 51-8 and won 34 of its last 35 games overall. The lone loss during that stretch was a 1-0 defeat to Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the CIF Southern Section playoffs to close the 2016 season.

Every team in the top six went undefeated last week and remained in the same order. La Cueva (N.M.), which won twice to move to 19-0, moved up to No. 7. Woodinville (Wash.) moved up to two spots to No. 8, Bentonville (Ark.) was up two to No. 9 and Stockdale (Calif.) was up a position to round out the top 10.

Along with Woodinville and Bentonville, South Granville (N.C.) and Hendrickson (Texas) each moved up two spots. South Granville is now No. 11; Hendrickson is now No. 23.

Unbeaten No. 12 Lakewood (11-0), No. 15 Oak Park-River Forest (9-0) and No. 24 Penn (9-0), plus one-loss No. 25 North Augusta (18-1-1) lead six newcomers to the rankings. Two-loss Florida schools No. 16 Oakleaf (22-2) and No. 17 West Orange (20-2) are the others.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the Super 25.

Michael Porter Jr. is unanimous No. 1 in recruiting rankings, but who should be No. 2?

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The four major recruiting sites have released their final Class of 2017 basketball player rankings and all agree on one thing: Michael Porter Jr. is No. 1.

RELATED: UPDATED Composite Player Recruiting rankings

Porter, the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Player of the Year, is a unanimous choice from Top247, ESPN, Scout and Rivals. A 6-9 forward, Porter has signed a financial aid agreement with Missouri after being released from Washington following the firing of coach Lorenzo Romar.

After Porter, though, agreement is hard to come by in some cases.

Mohammed Bamba, the 6-11 uncommitted forward from Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.), comes in at No. 2, according to Top 247, Scout and Rivals. ESPN goes with Hillcrest Prep 7-footer DeAndre Ayton, who is heading to Arizona. ESPN has Bamba at No. 3.

Collin Sexton goes up for a dunk on the way to winning the Powerade Jam Fest (Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski, USA TODAY Sports)

Scout and Rivals have Ayton at No. 3, while Top247 has jumped Collin Sexton, the Alabama signee from Pebblebrook (Mabelton, Ga.), into that spot. Sexton moved up three places in the final Top 247 after his performances at the McDonald’s All America Game and Jordan Brand Classic.

No. 4 also sees a mix of opinions: ESPN and Scout go with Duke signee Wendell Carter, from Pace Academy (Atlanta). Top 247 has Ayton sliding to No. 4. Rivals goes with uncommitted IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) point guard Trevon Duval.

To round out the Top 5, ESPN has Duval and Rivals has Carter. Top 247 ranks Western Kentucky signee Mitchell Robinson, a 7-footer from Chalmette (La.), in that spot and Scout opts for Michigan State signee Jaren Jackson Jr., a 6-10 power forward from Super 25 champion La Lumiere (La Porte, Ind.).


USA TODAY Sports' 2017 Composite Boys Basketball Player Recruiting rankings

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USA TODAY Sports has compiled its final composite basketball rankings for the Class of 2017.

RELATED: Michael Porter Jr. is unanimous No. 1 in recruiting rankings

The composite represents the average rankings of the four major recruiting services – 247Sports, ESPN, Rivals and Scout. The lower the average the better. For players who are not ranked by a particular service, the player receives a maximum number based on the way players are ranked for each site beyond the last player (248 for 247, 101 for ESPN and Scout, and 151 for Rivals).

Washington signee Michael Porter Jr., a 6-10 forward from Nathan Hale (Seattle), is the unanimous No. 1. After that, opinions vary.

UPDATED: 4/20/17

Rank Player Pos. Ht School State College 247 ESPN Scout Rivals Avg.
1 Michael Porter Jr. SF 6-10 Nathan Hale WA Missouri 1 1 1 1 1.00
2 Mohamed Bamba C 6-11 Westtown School PA Uncommitted 2 3 2 2 2.25
3 DeAndre Ayton C 7-0 Hillcrest Academy AZ Arizona 4 2 3 3 3.00
T4 Wendell Carter Jr. PF 6-10 Pace Academy GA Duke 9 4 4 5 5.50
T4 Trevon Duval PG 6-3 IMG Academy FL Uncommitted 6 5 7 4 5.50
T4 Collin Sexton SG 6-2 Pebblebrook GA Alabama 3 6 6 7 5.50
7 Jaren Jackson PF 6-10 La Lumiere IN Michigan St. 7 8 5 6 6.50
8 Mitchell Robinson C 7-0 Chalmette LA W. Kentucky 5 10 8 8 7.75
9 Kevin Knox SF 6-8 Tampa Catholic FL Uncommitted 17 9 9 9 11.00
10 Troy Brown Jr. SF 6-7 Centennial NV Oregon 11 14 13 12 12.50
11 Jarred Vanderbilt PF 6-8 Victory Prep TX Kentucky 8 18 11 13 12.50
12 Brandon McCoy C 6-10 Cathedral Catholic CA Uncommitted 15 15 12 11 13.25
13 P.J. Washington PF 6-8 Findlay Prep NV Kentucky 18 11 14 14 14.25
14 Lonnie Walker SF 6-5 Reading PA Miami 13 12 15 18 14.50
15 Gary Trent Jr. SG 6-5 Prolific Prep CA Duke 16 7 19 17 14.75
16 Nick Richards C 6-11 Patrick School NJ Kentucky 14 16 16 16 15.50
17 Brian Bowen SF 6-7 La Lumiere IN Uncommitted 12 13 18 20 15.75
18 Billy Preston PF 6-10 Oak Hill VA Kansas 21 17 21 10 17.25
19 Kris Wilkes SF 6-8 North Central IN UCLA 22 24 17 19 20.50
20 Jaylen Hands PG 6-0 Foothills Christian CA UCLA 20 19 25 22 21.50
21 Trae Young PG 6-2 Norman North OK Uncommitted 27 22 23 15 21.75
22 Quade Green PG 6-1 Neumann-Goretti PA Kentucky 30 23 22 21 24.00
23 Malik Williams PF 7-0 Snider IN Louisville 28 27 20 27 25.50
24 M.J. Walker SG 6-5 Jonesboro GA Uncommitted 32 25 28 24 27.25
25 Nick Weatherspoon PG 6-2 Jackson Magnet MS Mississippi St. 23 34 24 32 28.25
26 Jalek Felton SG 6-2 Gray Collegiate SC North Carolina 35 26 27 26 28.50
T27 John Petty SG 6-5 Jemison AL Alabama 31 21 45 25 30.50
T27 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG 6-5 Hamilton Heights TN Kentucky 19 33 39 31 30.50
29 Paul Scruggs PG 6-4 Prolific Prep CA Xavier 29 30 29 36 31.00
30 Lindell Wigginton SG 6-1 Oak Hill VA Iowa State 43 37 32 23 33.75
31 Chaundee Brown SG 6-5 First Academy FL Wake Forest 36 31 37 35 34.75
32 N. Alexander-Walker SG 6-5 Hamilton Heights TN Virginia Tech 34 20 57 29 35.00
T33 Dan Gafford C 6-9 El Dorado AR Arkansas 41 44 30 28 35.75
T33 Brandon Randolph SG 6-6 Westtown School PA Arizona 25 35 34 49 35.75
T33 Ethan Thompson SG 6-4 Bishop Montgomery CA Oregon State 24 39 47 33 35.75
36 Makai Ashton-Langford PG 6-1 Brewster Academy NH Providence 40 36 33 44 38.25
37 Kezie Okpala SF 6-6 Esperanza CA Stanford 59 41 26 30 39.00
T38 Jeremiah Tilmon C 6-10.5 East St. Louis IL Uncommitted 39 43 35 42 39.75
T38 Tremont Waters PG 5-11 West Haven CT Uncommitted 50 32 40 37 39.75
40 Charles O’Bannon Jr. SF 6-5 Bishop Gorman NV USC 26 28 69 40 40.75
41 Jermaine Samuels SF 6-6 Rivers School MA Villanova 37 49 42 45 43.25
42 Cody Riley PF 6-7 Sierra Canyon CA UCLA 67 42 31 41 45.25
43 Chuma Okeke PF 6-7 Westlake GA Auburn 56 47 41 39 45.75
44 D.J. Harvey SF 6-6 DeMatha MD Notre Dame 46 50 43 48 46.75
45 Rayshaun Hammonds SF 6-7 Norcross GA Georgia 53 38 52 50 48.25
46 Matt Coleman PG 6-1 Oak Hill VA Texas 62 29 60 43 48.50
47 Daejon Davis SG 6-3 Garfield WA Stanford 54 57 38 47 49.00
48 Jericho Sims C 6-8 Cristo Rey Jesuit MN Texas 32 64 49 56 50.25
49 Jordan Goodwin SG 6-3 Althoff Catholic IL Saint Louis 42 52 53 58 51.25
50 Marcus Garrett PG 6-5 Skyline TX Kansas 47 61 67 38 53.25
51 Kimani Lawrence SF 6-7 New Hampton NH Arizona State 57 54 55 51 54.25
52 Savion Flagg SF 6-6 Alvin TX Texas A&M 49 78 56 34 54.25
53 Naji Marshall SF 6-6 Hargrave Military MD Xavier 71 67 36 46 55.00
54 Davion Mitchell PG 6-1 Liberty County GA Auburn 68 60 44 60 58.00
55 Ira Lee PF 6-8 Crossroads CA Arizona 38 66 79 57 60.00
56 Josh Anderson SF 6-4 Madison Prep LA W. Kentucky 64 77 54 53 62.00
57 Isaiah Washington PG 6-0 St. Raymond NY Minnesota 60 65 68 59 63.00
58 Jordan Tucker SF 6-7 Marietta GA Uncommitted 51 40 101 68 65.00
59 Bruno Fernando C 6-10 IMG Academy FL Maryland 65 101 50 54 67.50
60 Chris Lykes PG 5-7 Gonzaga College DC Miami 61 45 93 74 68.25
T61 Jalen Hill C 6-8 Centennial CA UCLA 66 46 96 65 68.25
T61 Ikey Obiagu C 7-0 Greenforest Christian GA Florida State 76 80 48 70 68.50
63 Jaylen Nowell SG 6-4 Garfield WA Washington 69 56 86 71 70.50
64 Nate Reuvers PF 6-9 Lakeville MN Wisconsin 52 83 70 79 71.00
65 Jordan Nwora PF 6-8 Vermont Academy VT Louisville 45 53 101 90 72.25
66 Alex O’Connell SG 6-5 Milton GA Duke 92 84 65 55 74.00
67 Wabissa Bede PG 6-1 Cushing Academy MA Virginia Tech 87 70 71 69 74.25
68 Darius Perry PG 6-2 Wheeler GA Louisville 72 51 82 94 74.75
69 Nojel Eastern SG 6-6 Evanston IL Purdue 55 81 91 73 75.00
70 D’Shawn Schwartz SF 6-5 Sand Creek CO Colorado 82 68 84 67 75.25
71 Jemarl Baker SG 6-2 Roosevelt CA Kentucky 83 63 85 78 77.25
72 Kellan Grady PG 6-4 Northfield Mount Hermon MA Davidson 63 101 88 62 78.50
73 Kaleb Wesson C 6-9 Westerville South OH Ohio State 88 69 78 83 79.50
74 Darryl Morsell CG 6-4 Mount St. Joseph MD Maryland 97 99 61 64 80.25
75 Alex Reese PF 6-9 Pelham AL Alabama 74 101 59 95 82.25
T76 Jase Febres SG 6-5 Westfield TX Texas 117 101 46 66 82.50
T76 JaMarko Pickett PF 42893 Massanutten DC Ole Miss 110 92 51 77 82.50
T78 Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree PF 6-8 Neumann-Goretti PA Villanova 80 101 72 80 83.25
T78 Xavier Tillman PF 6-8 Grand Rapids Christian MI Michigan St. 79 71 101 82 83.25
80 Derek Culver PF 6-8 Harding OH West Virginia 70 101 81 85 84.25
81 Jacob Epperson C 6-11 La Lumiere IN Creighton 103 101 62 75 85.25
T82 Ty-Shon Alexander SG 6-4 Oak Hill VA Creighton 86 75 101 81 85.75
T82 Mitchell Ballock SG 6-5 Eudora KS Creighton 118 101 63 61 85.75
83 Jordan Poole SG 6-4 La Lumiere IN Michigan 93 48 101 102 86.00
93 Myles Cale SG 6-4 Appoquinimink DE Seton Hall 100 74 101 72 86.75
94 Nate Watson C 6-8 Bishop O’Connell MD Providence 106 101 66 84 89.25
T95 Branden Carlson C 6-9 Bingham UT Utah 144 101 58 63 91.50
T95 Mark Smith SG 6-4 Edwardsville IL Uncommitted 137 101 76 52 91.50
97 Justin Smith SF 6-7 Stevenson IL Indiana 73 88 92 115 92.00
98 Jamal Cain SF 6-7 Academy for Bus. MI Marquette 91 101 101 76 92.25
99 Aamir Simms SF 6-8 Blur Ridge VA Clemson 85 101 101 89 94.00
100 Lavar Batts PG 6-2 Robinson NC NC State 98 94 101 92 96.25
101 Saben Lee PG 6-1 Corona Del Sol AZ Vanderbilt 101 101 77 108 96.75
102 Tristan Clark PF 6-9 Judson TX Baylor 107 100 80 103 97.50
103 Herb Jones SG 6-7 Hale Co. AL Alabama 105 101 101 86 98.25
104 Terrence Lewis SF 6-6 Riverside WI Iowa State 124 58 101 112 98.75
105 Kyle Young SF 6-6 Jackson OH Butler 119 85 87 105 99.00
106 Luka Garza C 6-11 Maret School DC Iowa 96 98 101 107 100.50
107 DeAundrae Ballard SG 6-6 SW Atlanta Christian GA Florida 108 62 101 133 101.00
108 Brandon Rachal G 6-6 Natchitoches LA LSU 77 101 101 126 101.25
109 Brad Davison PG 6-3 Maple Grove MN Wisconsin 120 101 94 93 102.00
110 Alex Barcello SG 6-2 Corona Del Sol AZ Arizona 115 93 89 114 102.75
T111 Trent Frazier PG 6-2 Wellington FL Illinois 139 101 83 91 103.50
T111 Remy Martin PG 5-11 Sierra Canyon CA Arizona State 133 82 74 125 103.50
113 Corey Kispert SF 6-6 King’s WA Gonzaga 155 101 73 88 104.25
114 Isaiah Stokes C 6-8 IMG Academy FL Florida 121 59 101 139 105.00
T115 Lance Thomas PF 6-10 Norcross GA Louisville 78 101 101 142 105.50
T115 Blake Harris PG 6-3 Word of God NC Missouri 94 96 101 131 105.50
T115 Chase Johnson PF 6-8 Huntington Prep WV Florida 152 95 75 100 105.50
118 Victor Bailey Jr. SG 6-3 McNeil TX Oregon 143 86 98 96 105.75
119 Thomas Allen SG 6-0 Brewster Academy NH Uncommitted 126 100 99 99 106.00
120 Kevin Samuel C 6-10 St. Thomas Episcopal TX TCU 112 101 101 111 106.25
T121 L.J. Figueroa SG 6-5 West Oaks Christian FL New Mexico St. 75 101 101 151 107.00
T121 Keith Williams SG 6-5 Bishop Loughlin NY Cincinnati 102 101 101 124 107.00
T123 Jay Jay Chandler SG 6-4 Cinco Ranch TX Texas A&M 90 101 101 137 107.25
T123 Zack Dawson PG 6-4 South Miami FL Oklahoma St. 146 73 101 109 107.25
125 Kenny Wooten PF 6-8 Trinity International NV Uncommitted 89 101 101 140 107.75
126 Jordan Usher SF 6-5 Wheeler GA USC 125 97 101 110 108.25
T127 Tyler Bey PF 6-8 Middlebrooks CA Colorado 109 101 101 123 108.50
T127 Bourama Sidibe PF 6-9 St. Benedict’s NJ Syracuse 81 101 101 151 108.50
T129 Chris Smith SF 6-8 Huntington Prep WV UCLA 135 101 101 98 108.75
T129 Deng Gak PF 6-11 Blair Academy NJ Miami 142 91 101 101 108.75
131 Brandon Huffman C 6-9 Word of God NC North Carolina 84 101 101 151 109.25
T132 Devontae Shuler SG 6-3 Oak Hill VA Ole Miss 122 101 97 118 109.50
T132 Hasahn French PF 6-7 Commonwealth Acad MA Saint Louis 99 87 101 151 109.50
134 David Beatty CG 6-3 Imhotep PA South Carolina 95 101 101 144 110.25
T135 Galen Alexander SF 6-6 Lafayette Christian LA LSU 114 76 101 151 110.50
T135 R.J. Nembhard SG 6-4 Keller TX TCU 153 101 101 87 110.50
137 RaiQuan Gray PF 6-8 Dillard FL Florida State 131 101 101 119 113.00
138 Marcus Carr SG 6-2 Montverde Academy FL Pitt 157 101 101 97 114.00
T139 Jamal Johnson CG 6-4 Spain Park AL Memphis 149 101 101 106 114.25
T139 Sandro Mamukelashvili PF 6-11 Montverde Academy FL Uncommitted 104 101 101 151 114.25
140 Garrison Brooks PF 6-9 Auburn LA Uncommitted 136 101 101 120 114.50
141 Mayan Kiir PF 6-9 Victory Rock FL LSU 111 101 101 151 116.00
142 Jack Nunge PF 6-9 Castle IN Iowa 116 101 101 147 116.25
143 Kobe King SG 6-3 Central WI Wisconsin 113 101 101 151 116.50
T144 Clifton Moore PF 6-10 Hatboro-Horsham PA Indiana 138 101 100 130 117.25
T144 Ejike Obinna C 6-9 Virginia Academy VA Vanderbilt 132 101 101 135 117.25
146 Isaiah Livers PF 6-8 Kalamazoo MI Michigan 165 72 101 132 117.50
147 Elias Harden SG 6-4 Pebblebrook GA Xavier 141 101 101 129 118.00
T148 Khalil Garland SF 6-6 Parkview AR Arkansas 169 55 101 151 119.00
T148 Theo John PF 6-8 Champlin Park MN Marquette 123 101 101 151 119.00
150 Royce Hamm PF 6-8 Aldine TX Texas 191 79 90 117 119.25

UPDATED: 4/20/17

UCLA starts Class of 2018 with four-star guard David Singleton

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Coming off the No. 2 recruiting class in the Class of 2017, UCLA landed its first commitment for the Class of 2018 in shooting guard David Singleton, he announced.

Singleton, a 6-4 four-star prospect, is ranked among the top 10 players at his position in the class.

He helped lead Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) to a CIF Open Division championship and a No. 6 final rankings in the Super 25.

Singelton chose UCLA over Gonzaga, UNLV, Arizona among others. His Twitter feed indicated an in-home visit from Gonzaga on Monday night.

Calif. hitter Steven Rivas has 11 RBI in game

Duke signee Gary Trent Jr. named Iverson National Player of the Year

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Duke signee Gary Trent Jr. was named the Allen Iverson National Player of the Year on Thursday night at an award banquet in conjunction with the inaugural Iverson Roundball Classic in Virginia.

Trent, originally from Apple Valley, Minn., played his senior season at Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.). He is ranked as the No. 7 player in the class by ESPN.com and No. 15 overall in the final USA TODAY Sports Composite rankings.

Trent is among many of the nation’s top players scheduled to play Friday night in the showcase game.

 

Kobe Bryant forms Mamba League to improve youth basketball

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A persistent critic of AAU basketball, Kobe Bryant has formed his own basketball league — the Mamba League — to help teach fundamentals to kids ages 8-10 in the Los Angeles area.

The 40-team team youth division went for eight weeks from February through April, according to The Vertical, and was a partnership with Nike and the Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club. Teams played on 9-foot hoops instead of 10 and on the courts are smaller to help encourage experimentation and fundamentals.

Girls made up 45 percent of the 228 players in the league.

The league’s slogan was “Play, Learn, Grow.”

“Through playing the game of basketball, I learned – not just about the game – but about myself and about others,” Bryant said. “Through that process, you grow as an athlete and as a person.”

Bryant has previously called AAU basketball, “horrible,” “terrible” and “stupid.”

Bryant talks more about the league in the video below.

Will Muschamp won't sign players who won't camp with program

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In an interesting glimpse into how significant camps are to college coaches, South Carolina’s Will Muschamp said this this week that he would not sign players who did not come to work at his camp.

Muschamp said 22 of the Gamecocks’ 24 signees had gone to the camps. He said he came to that view over “years of experience of making mistakes with guys that didn’t want to come work.”

He is what he told SportsTalk with Bo Mattingly, as reported by CoachingSearch.com:

“To me, I like to know each student-athlete we have, that I’ve got a really good idea when they get on campus, about their ability and their work capacity. Meaning, what kind of work ethic do they have? That’s a talent, too. Just because you’re not a 4- or 5-star recruit — which I could care less; I’ve never recruited based on a star ranking — because I’ve coached way too many players that didn’t have a bunch of stars and ended up good football players. That’s how I look at it, and how you fit on our board.

“There’s a bunch of really good players we don’t recruit because I don’t think they work very hard. If they don’t work hard in high school, most of them aren’t going to start working hard in college.

“That’s part of the evaluation. When they get on campus, you have to do a great job in the weight room, but you have to have a guy that’s willing to work, a guy that’s serious about his business.”

Muschamp also joined the chorus of college coaches who have issues with the new recruiting rules, most notably the restriction on high school coaches. Muschamp’s brother is a high school coach. You can read his take on that issue by clicking here.

Allen Iverson cautions all-star players about trappings of fame

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Hall of Famer Allen Iverson has gotten significant positive media coverage for bringing the inaugural Iverson Roundball Classic to his home area of Hampton Roads, Va.

Iverson has been interacting with the players during the week and was surrounded by them as he offered advice at an awards banquet Thursday night.

Iverson cautioned the players about the trappings of success and fame and to be careful about whom they surrounded themselves with.

“Everything is not going to be what you think it is,” Iverson told the players, according to The Daily Press. “Every person is not going to be who you think they are. I just want to be one of the guys who can tell them to put their guard up and tell them everything is not what it seems to be.”

He also asked all the players for their phone numbers and urged them to stay in contact with him.

“I want y’all to know you can count on me forever, until I’m in the dirt,” Iverson said. “I’m with you dudes. Y’all are always going to be a part of my life.”

As for the quality of players that the inaugural event attracted, Iverson said during a media session:

“I mean no disrespect to any of the guys I played against in high school, but this is on another level. You can see how these kids’ games are elevated so much.”

 


From high school ALL-USA to NFL Draft: Deshaun Watson, Clemson

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As the NFL draft nears, USA TODAY High School Sports will look back at the high school careers and draft prospects for former American Family Insurance ALL-USA selections. Today’s installment features Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. 

PLAYER PROFILE:

Position: Quarterback

High school: Gainesville (Ga.)

ALL-USA history: Named ALL-USA Second Team in 2013 as a senior.

College: Clemson

Height, weight: 6-2, 221

By the numbers:  Reached triple digits in tackles in the last two seasons with 119 as a sophomore and 102 as a junior. Finished with six career sacks. Named a second-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten as a junior as a key member of a Buckeyes defense that was ranked sixth nationally.

Draft projection: Round 1

Draft positives: Intellect and ability to take in information is off the chart. Bright, intelligent, hard worker that loves the game. Ultra-athletic frame that shows speed, power, and strength. A true two way threat. Stays balanced and upright as a passer. Excellent touch on passes all over the field. Has a feel for how much air to put under the ball when needed. Back shoulder passes are top tier. A true competitor.

Draft negatives: Incredibly inaccurate on simple throws. Was bailed out by his receivers on several occasions. Was almost expected to see them have to dive, leap, change their direction when going after his balls. Doesn’t have a feel in the pocket.

What he says: “The biggest question that I’ve heard from different coaches was if I can change a protection, run the offense and recognize defensive coverages. Every team I went to asked me those questions. I handled it well, answered the questions, and they were very impressed. They know that I’m not just some other quarterback that’s running a spread offense. That [I’m a] guy that can operate, make good decisions and recognize what the defense is doing and be successful doing it.”

Draft analysis by Dan Shonka, Ourlads.com

Patrick Ewing lands first commitment at Georgetown

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Georgetown has the first commitment of the Patrick Ewing Era in Jahvon Blair, a 2017 point guard from Athlete Institute (Orangeville, Ontario).

Blair averaged 23.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists this season for Athlete Institute. He picked the Hoyas over Georgia Tech among others.

The 6-3 Blair also fills a need after Jordan Brand Classic selection Tremont Waters asked for and was granted his release.

VIDEO: Top 10 plays from Under Armour Association, Day 1

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Courtesy of ItsOvertime.com, here are the top 10 plays from Day 1 of the Under Armour Association in New York:

Cassius Stanley, Earl Watson Elite

Naz Reid, Sports U

Scottie Lewis, Team Rio

Jahvon Quinerly, Sports U

Jordan McCabe, Wisconsin Playground Warriors

Moses Brown, New Heights

Sid Wilson, New Heights

Jonathan Harrar, Philly Pride

Jahvon Quinerly, Sports U

Kion Hunter, KC Run GMC

California pitcher Ashwin Chona throws fourth no-hitter in five outings

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Sage Hill sophomore Ashwin Chona (Photo: Sage Hill baseball)

So giving up a hit is actually just a minor blip for Ashwin Chona from Sage High (Newport Coast, Calif.).

The sophomore left-hander had thrown three consecutive no-hitter earlier this season and then had the streak broken. So he threw his fourth no-hitter Friday in a 12-0 victory against Animo Leadership.

He struck out 12 and walked over seven innings to improve to 6-0 on the season.

“It’s getting ridiculous,” coach Dominic Campeau told The Orange County Register. “We’re at the point where, starting in the fifth inning, we’re shaking our heads wondering if it’s going to happen again.”

According to The Register, the CIF Southern Section record for no-hitters in a season is five set in 1957 and the career record is six, tied most recently in 1984.

 

Miami adds four-star Will Mallory to its Tight End U distinction

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Already with the top-ranked recruiting class in 2018, Miami solidified its reputation as Tight End U with a second highly touted tight end commitment in less than a week.

Following the commitment of Brevin Jordan from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), the Hurricanes got a pledge from Will Mallory, a 6-5, 210-pound pass catcher from Providence High (Jacksonville).

Mallory is ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 11 tight end by 247Sports.

Miami coach Mark Richt responded to the commitment with this.

And former Miami tight end and Carolina Panthers veteran Greg Olsen responded with this:

Jordan took to Twitter after Mallory’s commitment to announce that they could become the next version of David Njoku and Christopher Herndon, whom Miami used to great success in its two tight end, one running back set.

 

 

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