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2016 Jordan Brand Classic Player Roster

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The Jordan Brand Classic is scheduled for April 15 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Here is the current roster of players with more players to be added before the end of the high school season.

PHOTOS: Jordan Brand Classic Roster

Name Pos. Ht./Wt. School College
Bam Adebayo PF 6-10/240 High Point Christian (High Point, NC) Kentucky
Udoka Azubuike C 6-11/270 Potters House Christian (Jacksonville, FL) Undecided
Marques Bolden C 6-9/250 DeSoto H.S. (Dallas, TX) Undecided
Tony Bradley C 6-10/235 Bartow H.S. (Bartow, FL) North Carolina
Miles Bridges SF 6-7/225 Huntington Prep (Huntington, WV) Michigan State
De’Aaron Fox PG 6-3/185 Cypress Lakes H.S. (Katy, TX) Kentucky
Markelle Fultz SG 6-4/190 DeMatha H.S. (Hyattsville, MD) Washington
Alterique Gilbert PG 6-1/170 Miller Grove H.S. (Lithonia, GA) Connecticut
Harry Giles PF 6-9/230 Forest Trail Academy (Kernersville, NC) Duke
Jonathan Isaac SF 6-9/200 IMG Academy (Naples, FL) FSU
Josh Jackson SF 6-7/195 Prolific Prep (Napa, CA) Undecided
Andrew Jones SG 6-4/196 MacArthur H.S. (Irving, TX) Texas
V.J. King SF 6-7/180 Paul VI H.S. (Fairfax, VA) Louisville
Malik Monk SG 6-3/185 Bentonville H.S. (Bentonville, AR) Kentucky
Omari Spellman PF 6-9/275 St. Thomas More (Oakdale, CT) Villanova
Jayson Tatum SF 6-9/200 Chaminade (St. Louis, Mo) Duke

 


Calif. girls soccer game ends in amazing blowout

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Somehow a high school girls soccer game in Southern California ended with a 21-0 score Thursday.

According to the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Bishop Amat (La Puente) posted a victory against St. Matthias (Downey), setting a CIF-Southern Section record for most goals in a game.

The previous record of 20 was reached twice — Bonita (La Verne) had 20 against Ganesha (Pomona) in the 1997-98 season and La Reina (Thousand Oaks) posted 20 against Carpenteria in 1996-97.

After the result was posted, reactions on Twitter ranged from amazement to accusations of poor sportsmanship.

VIDEO: Rashan Gary, defensive tackles lead final top Scout 100

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Five defensive tackles are ranked in the top 15 of the final Scout 100 released Friday.

Rashan Gary of Paramus Catholic in New Jersey, finishes as the No. 1 player overall in the Class of 2016. He has been the top player in the Scout rankings since July 2014.

Clemson defensive tackle commit Dexter Lawrence (Wake Forest, N.C.) is No. 3; Houston commit Ed Oliver (Westfield; Houston, Texas) is No. 6; uncommitted Derrick Brown (Lanier; Buford, Ga.) is No. 9; and Alabama commit Kendell Jones (Shoemaker; Killeen, Texas) is No. 14.

Ole Miss offensive tackle commit Greg Litttle (Allen, Texas) is ranked No. 2 overall, followed by Lawrence.

In the comparison between the two top quarterbacks, Ole Miss signee Shea Patterson (IMG Academy, Brandenton, Fla.) is ranked at No. 4 overall and Georgia signee Jacob Eason (Lake Stevens, Wash.) is No. 7 overall.

Ohio State defensive end commit Nick Bosa (St. Thomas Aquinas; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) is No. 5, followed by Oliver.

In terms of positions, there were some changes with Penn State commit Miles Sanders (Woodlands Hills; Pittsburgh) moving to the top of the list at running back. Florida State commit Levonta Taylor (Ocean Lakes; Virginia Beach, Va.) is the new top cornerback and is No. 12 overall. Uncommitted Jack Jones (Long Beach Poly) is the top athlete and uncommitted Tyler Vaughns is the top wide receiver at No. 31.

In all, Scout has 31 five-star players, with 14 uncommitted or considered soft verbals. Six defensive tackles and five defensive ends are among the five-stars. There are four athletes and three running backs.

Among the Scout 100, 37 prospects are uncommitted or soft verbals and 27 of the 63 committed players have verbaled to Southeastern Conference schools.

 

 

VIDEO: Scout Recruiting Show: Latest news on Pac-12 and big visits weekend

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As part of our countdown to National Signing Day, USA TODAY High School Sports will be featuring video from Scout.com that takes a look at conferences, visits and top prospects.

Today, Greg Biggins joins the “Scout Recruiting Show” to break down the latest in Pac-12 recruiting, including the huge visit weekends on tap for the USC Trojans and Washington Huskies, who impressed at the Army All-America Game, who are the latest commitments and more.

For much more insight and analysis, check out www.scout.com/membership

Middle school basketball brawl in Kentucky leads to coach's resignation

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A middle school basketball game in Kentucky ended last week with a coach pulling his team off the court followed by an ugly brawl involving parents and the referee kicking the coach’s father in the head. And now the coach has resigned following a suspension.

According to the NBC affiliate in Lexington via Lex18.com, the incident began when the referee called a technical foul on the coach, Bobby Varney II, at Belfry Middle School toward the end of the second quarter. In response, the coach took his team to the locker room.

A parent then came from the stands and ran across the court to talk to the referee. The parent, Bobby Varney Sr., is the father of the coach and the volunteer assistant coach for Belfry. Varney Sr. is the Pike County Magistrate.

As more people came on the court, a parent then pushed the referee. From there, punches were thrown. The coach ran back on to the court and parents and staff joined the fray.

As Varney Sr. was being led off the floor, he was kicked by the referee.

“It is a very unfortunate incident and I can assure you our utmost concern is the safety of our kids. We regret that this happen, but it did the adults were obviously out of control and as a result there are gonna be some changes and sanctions,”Assistant Superintendent of Pike County schools Fred Bowling told LEX18.com.

Varney II was suspended from coaching after the incident but remained a teacher. The district has also banned seven people from taking part in district sporting events, including the two referees. That group included the volunteer assistant coach, Tommy Varney. One player also will face discipline from the school principal.

The elder Varney is not among those banned.

“There was some pushing and shoving between the (Belfry) coach and one of the referees, then somebody swung at somebody and some people fell in the floor and somebody kicked somebody and then here came some people out of the stands,” school board attorney Neil Smith told the Lexington Herald Leader. “Before you knew it, there were eight adults that had become involved in punching and kicking, throwing punches, kicking, very inappropriate behavior. It went on for two or three minutes.”

“We reviewed the videotape the very next morning,” Smith said. “This is the perfect seminar video for what not to do in situations like this. We had adults make very, very poor decisions, display no restraint. It led to consequences.”

Smith said the school superintendent was “appalled” by what the video showed.

Morgan Park-Simeon game postponed due to parents' boycott but sides working on solution

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Earlier this week, we told you that Saturday’s Chicago showdown between No. 14 Morgan Park and rival Simeon was in jeopardy because the Morgan Park parents were calling for a boycott after the scheduled game was moved to a different site.

The parents felt moving the game away from Morgan Park’s homecourt was an advantage being taken away from the team and would change the environment of the game.

So, here is where we stand:

The parents group said Friday that the game was off and Morgan Park would forfeit. About six hours later, according to The Chicago Tribune, the parents group said the game was postponed and not canceled, opening the possibility for it to be played at a later date.

Tiffany Burrell, the spokesperson for the parents group, said the group will meet with Morgan Park principal Carolyn Epps on Saturday. Morgan Park’s gym only holds about 250 people, and the end game here seems to be to find a way for the school to build a new, larger facility.

 

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to finally have our voices be heard in a responsible forum,” Burrell said in the statement, according to The Tribune. “We have no animosity towards Dr. Epps and we only want to work with her and other officials to address the serious needs for the Morgan Park High School community.”
In the statement, the group also said it was concerned about the Chicago Public Schools’ division of money from neutral site games and money the school and park districts are spending elsewhere.

 

 

Hoophall: Catholic Memorial (Mass.) wins on buzzer beater

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, Mass.) got a busy Saturday at the Hoophall Classic off to a dramatic start.

Stephen Azums scored the game-winner at the buzzer off an offensive rebound to lift Catholic to a dramatic 74-73 victory against St. Joseph (Westchester, Ill.).

St. Joseph led most of the game and led by five with 21 seconds remaining after Jabari Brown made a pair of free throws.

At the other end, Catholic — the reigning Massachusetts Division I champion — got to the free throw line off a drive and made the first but missed the second to cut it to four. The rebound attempt went out of bounds off St. Joseph with 11 seconds remaining.

Off the inbounds play, Matt Hanna hit a three-pointer that went high off the glass and then rattled home to cut the lead to one at 73-72.

After a timeout, Catholic fouled immediately sending Brown back to the free throw line, where he had been 4-for-4 on the day. He missed the front end and St. Joseph hustled the ball downcourt. After two misses, the ball came to Azums in the paint for the putback.

As the celebration began, the officials then discussed it to make sure the basket was good. St. Joseph said it had called timeout with time remaining after the make, but the official ruled the clock had expired.

Azums finished with a team-high 19 points and Brandon Twitty had 17.

Five-star point guard Kobi Simmons commits to Arizona

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Five-star point guard Kobi Simmons announced Saturday that is heading to Arizona.

Simmons, ranked as the No. 18 player in the Class of 2016, made his announcement on ESPN from the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass. Simmons’ team, St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.), defeated Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) 94-92 in a double overtime thriller earlier in the day at the event.

RELATED: Kobi Simmons, Frank Jackson put on a show at Hoophall

Simmons noted his relationship with the coaching staff over the last four years as the driving force for his commitment.

“I feel like that’s where home is,” he said.

Asked what Arizona fans can expect, Simmons said, “Playmaking ability, hopefully being one of the leaders and bringing whatever they need for the team.”

Earlier this week, Simmons had announced a top three of Arizona, Kentucky and Ohio State. UNLV had been in his top three but was removed, likely because of coach Dave Rice’s dismissal.

CBSSports reported Thursday that Ohio State was no longer pursuing Simmons, although a number of recruiting analysts projected Ohio State as the front-runner.

Arizona, which Simmons has not visited, seemingly sold Simmons on being part of a 1-2 wing punch with Allonzo Trier (assuming Trier sticks around), since Gabe York is leaving. The Wildcats also have projected 2017 first-round pick Lauri Markkanen coming in to join Dusan Ristic in the frontcourt next season.

Needless to say, Simmons seemed relieved the process was done.

“It’s been fun and sometimes stressful, but I’m ready go get this done and move on to the next level,” he said.


No. 9 St. Anthony beats No. 6 The Patrick School in Super 25 showdown in New Jersey

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It was a Super 25 Top 10 showdown between No. 6 The Patrick School (Elizabeth, N.J.) and No. 9 St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) at the Dan Finn Classic and it had the Hurley family all over it.

Bob Hurley Sr. is of course the legendary coach at St. Anthony, where he coached his sons, Danny and Bobby. Bobby is now the coach at Arizona State and Danny is now the coach at Rhode Island.

Among the top players on the court were Daniel Mading from St. Anthony, who is committed to Arizona State, and The Patrick School’s Cyril Langevine, who is committed to Rhode Island.

But the show stopper Saturday was Asante Gist, who had 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and shot 5-for-7 from three-point range to lead St. Anthony to a 60-56 victory.

Gist, who is heading to Eastern Kentucky, hit two free throws less than five minutes remaining to give St. Anthony a lead it would not relinquish. At one point, the lead had ballooned to seven with 3:08 left.

But that doesn’t mean The Patrick School went away.

Gist made one of two free throws to make it 58-53 with 25.8 seconds remaining. Jamir Harris answered with a three for The Patrick School to cut the lead to 58-56. R.J. Cole went to the line with four seconds left and made both free throws to set the final margin.

Harvard-bound Bryce Aiken had 20 points to lead The Patrick School and Jordan Walker added 10.

Fight involving players and fans halts girls basketball game in Indiana

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The high school girls basketball game between Pike and Ben Davis in Indianapolis was called with five minutes left in the fourth quarter on Saturday afternoon due to a fight that appeared to involve players and fans.

Video on social media showed both players and fans on the court at Ben Davis, though it’s unclear what instigated the incident. Pike was leading 57-41 at the time.

MORE: Coach resigns following brawl at middle school game

“It’s unfortunate,” said Pike principal Troy Inman, who was at Southport on Saturday night because the Pike boys team was playing Lawrence North in the Marion County tournament championship . “You never want to see that happen. Sportsmanship should always be the top priority.”

Inman said administrators from both schools are scheduled to meet with the Indiana High School Athletic Association on Monday after the video of the incident is reviewed.

Ben Davis issued a statement.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TheSportsGuy13/status/688504932832522243

The IHSAA came down hard on Griffith and Hammond following a fight in a boys game last season, suspending both teams for the season. A civil court judge issued a temporary restraining order, allowing both teams to play in the tournament. Griffith made it to the Class 3A state championship game.

IHSAA commissioner Bobby Cox could not be immediately reached for comment.

Pike was 14-4 entering the game and ranked No. 10 in Class 4A. Jason Hohlt is in his first year as coach. Ben Davis, coached by veteran Joe Lentz, was 13-5 going into the game.

USA TODAY High School Sports contributed to this report

VIDEO: Roman Catholic's Lamar Stevens on Hoophall Classic, Penn State and more

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Roman Catholic (Philadelphia) small forward Lamar Stevens talked to Prep Circuit’s Alec Kinsky about his team’s losst to Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass.

MORE: For more interviews and coverage, visit PrepCircuit.com

He also touched on the bond between he and Roman teammates Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick have as they all prepare to head to Penn State in the fall and his advice for players set to join Team Final on the Nike EYBL Circuit.

RELATED: Montverde’s depth is too much for Roman Catholic

Follow PrepCircuit on Twitter: @PrepCircuit

Aaron Rodgers says Wisconsin ban on HS chants is an airball

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Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers (Photo: Dan Powers, USA TODAY Sports)

Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (Photo: Dan Powers, USA TODAY Sports)

The most prominent pro athlete in Wisconsin — Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers — has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the sportsmanship policy of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Activities Association.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Rodgers said he led the chants at his high school in Chico, Calif., when he wasn’t playing. Rodgers played basketball for a time before concentrating solely on football.

While Rodgers said last week that there is no place for racist or homophobic language, but decried the abolition of chants such as “scoreboard,” “air ball” and “fundamentals.” He then proceeded to clap out “fun-da-men-tals” in front of his locker, according to ESPN.com’s Jason Wilde.

RELATED: Jay Bilas trolls Wisconsin decision on chants

“I think we’re, as a society, dying a little bit each day if we’re not only dumbing down our masses but we’re also limiting the things that we can say,” Rodgers said in the interview. ” ‘Air ball’ and ‘scoreboard,’ from a chant standpoint, in 2001 when I was in the stands watching my high school basketball team, that’s like the ground floor of stuff we would say. …

“I don’t think that [high school competition] warrants censorship. What are we telling our kids, that freedom of speech doesn’t exist? And any type of negative comment, you’re going to get somebody in trouble for? I just don’t agree with that.”

MORE: Wisconsin students creatively protest athletic association’s ban on chants

Meanwhile, the WIAA says that it has not implemented any new sportsmanship policies.

In an email sent late last week to the superintendents, principals and athletic directors of member schools, the association apologized for any “distress or dissatisfaction” from the email sent by Todd Clark on Dec. 22. The association said the intent has been “misunderstood.”

The WIAA said it was just a reminder of the rules that have been on the books since 2005 in advance of the many holiday basketball tournaments around the region.

MORE: Wisc. athlete suspended for tweet about state athletic association

The state’s sponsorship committee is scheduled to meet in April 8 and the group asked members to provide input to help determine whether new policies are needed.

Wade Labecki, the deputy director of the WIAA, told NPR that, “We’re going to revisit whether ‘Air ball’ is real negative. It’s probably not as bad as long as you don’t do it every time the kid touches the ball.”

VIDEO: Oak Hill wins Bass Pro T of C on three-pointer at buzzer

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Oak Hill Academy is leaving Springfield, Mo., with another Bass Pro Tournament of Champions title.

The second-ranked Warriors (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) led the title game against No. 7 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) once all night — and that was at the final buzzer after Ty-shon Alexander’s baseline three-pointer.

The final was 49-48.

Coming out of a timeout, Oak Hill inbounded with 3.2 seconds remaining. Alexander got the ball off the pass and fired a three from the corner for the last of his team-high 15 points.

Khadim Sky and Braxton Key added 10 points each for Oak Hill, now 25-1.

Cody Riley had 18 points and 15 rebounds for Sierra Canyon, which lost for the first time since its season opener and is 14-2.

Both schools are heading to Springfield, Mass., to take part in the Hoophall Classic on Monday.

 

 

VIDEO: Watch Udoka Azubuike nearly tear the rim down on this dunk

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Udoka Azubuike is a big and powerful man.

And he clearly doesn’t like rims, based on the video below from Sunday’s game at the Hoophall Classic.

Azubuike, 6-11 and 285 pounds, is ranked as the No. 3 center in the Class of 2016 and the No. 3 player overall from the state of Florida by the 247Sports Composite rankings.

The star from Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville) was expected to announce his college decision this weekend, possibly after Sunday’s game against Westtown (West Chester, Pa.).

He did not speak to reporters after the game Sunday but could possibly make his announcement Monday during the ESPN broadcasts from Springfield, Mass.

USA TODAY High School Sports was told Sunday that Azubuike is down to North Carolina and Kansas. Tar Heels coach Roy Williams was among the coaches at the Hoophall Classic on Sunday.

McDonald's All American Game: Girls Roster

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Here is the roster for the 15th annual McDonald’s All American Game for girls basketball is scheduled for March 30 in the United Center in Chicago. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

EAST TEAM

Name Pos. Ht. School College
Erin Boley F 6-2 Elizabethtown (Ky.) Notre Dame
Kaila Charles W 5-11 Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Md.) Maryland
Natalie Chou G 6-1 Plano West (Plano, Texas) Baylor
Lindsey Corsaro G 6-0 Roncalli (Indianapolis) Kentucky
Crystal Dangerfield PG 5-6 Blackman (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) Connecticut
Joyner Holmes F 6-3 Cedar Hill (Texas) Texas
Ciera Johnson C 6-4 Duncanville (Texas) Louisville
Nancy Mulkey C 6-9 Cypress Woods (Cypress, TX) Oklahoma
Amber Ramirez PG 5-8 Wagner (San Antonio) TCU
Alecia Sutton PG 5-8 Parkway North (St. Louis) Texas
Blair Watson W 6-0 Nutley (N.J.) Maryland
Aaliyah Wilson G 5-9 Muskogee (Okla.) Undecided

Head Coach: Marcia Pinder, Dillard High School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.)

WEST TEAM

Name Pos. Ht. School College
Jeannie Boehm F 6-3 New Trier  (Winnetka, IL) Harvard
DiJonai Carrington G 6-0 Horizon Christian Academy (San Diego) Stanford
Chassity Carter W 5-11 Dickson County  (Dickson, Tenn.) Vanderbilt
Lauren Cox F 6-4 Flower Mound  (Texas) Baylor
Nadia Fingall C 6-2 Choctawhatchee  (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) Stanford
Sabrina Ionescu G 5-10 Miramonte  (Orinda, Calif.) Undecided
Tori McCoy F 6-4 The  of Saint Thomas More (Champaign, Ill.) Ohio State
Leaonna Odom W 6-1 Chaminade College Prepatory School (West Hills, Calif.) Duke
Kylee Shook C 5-7 Mesa Ridge  (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Louisville
Destiny Slocum PG 5-7 Mountain View  (Meridian, Idaho) Maryland
Anna Wilson PG 5-7 Bellevue  (Bellevue, Wass) Stanford
Jackie Young G 5-11 Princeton Community  (Princeton, Ind.) Notre Dame

Head Coach: Jesse Nelson, Olpe (Emporia, Kan.)


McDonald's All American Game: Boys Roster

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Here is the roster for the 39th annual McDonald’s All American Game for boys basketball. The game is scheduled for March 30 in the United Center in Chicago at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

EAST TEAM

Name Pos. Ht./Wt. School College
Bam Adebayo PF 6-10/240 High Point Christian (High Point, N.C.) Kentucky
Udoka Azubuike C 6-11/270 Potter’s House Christian (Jacksonville, FL) Undecided
Tony Bradley C 6-10/235 Bartow (Fla.) North Carolina
Miles Bridges SF 6-7/225 Huntington Prep (Huntington, WVa.) Michigan State
Terrance Ferguson SG 6-5/190 Advanced Prep International (Dallas) Alabama
De’Aaron Fox PG 6-3/185 Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) Kentucky
Markelle Fultz SG 6-4/190 DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) Washington
Andrew Jones SG 6-4/196 MacArthur (Irving, Texas) Texas
Sacha Killeya-Jones PF 6-11/190 Virginia Episcopal School (Lynchburg, Va.) Kentucky
V.J. King SF 6-7/180 Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) Louisville
Kobi Simmons PG 6-5/170 St. Francis (Alpharetta, Ga.) Undecided
Jayson Tatum SF 6-9/200 Chaminade (St. Louis) Duke

Head Coach: Jack Doss, J.O. Johnson High School (Huntsville, Ala.)

WEST TEAM

Name Pos. Ht./Wt. School College
Jarrett Allen C 6-10/235 St. Stephens Episcopal School (Austin, Texas) Undecided
Lonzo Ball PG 6-6/185 Chino Hills (Calif.) UCLA
Marques Bolden C 6-9/250 DeSoto (Dallas) Undecided
Zach Collins C 6-9/220 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) Gonzaga
Alterique Gilbert PG 6-1/170 Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) Connecticut
Kyle Guy SG 6-2/170 Lawrence Central (Indianapolis) Virginia
Dewan Huell PF 6-9/230 Miami Norland Senior (Miami) Miami
Frank Jackson PG 6-4/195 Lone Peak (Highland, Utah) Duke
Josh Jackson SF 6-7/195 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.) Undecided
Josh Langford SG 6-5/215 Madison Academy (Madison, Ala.) Michigan St.
T.J. Leaf PF 6-9/220 Foothills Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) UCLA
Malik Monk SG 6-3/185 Bentonville (Ark.) Kentucky

Head Coach: Dale Mabrey, Pleasure Ridge Park High School (Louisville, Ky.)

'White Chocolate Jr.' leads team to 100-point win with dad as the coach

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The son of former NBA star Jason Williams, Jaxon Williams is 14 and is already busting out some of his father’s best moves.

While we have shown you a number of videos before, including drills and summer tournaments, this one is a little different: In a freshman game for Windermere Prep School in Florida last week, Jaxon — aka White Chocolate Jr. — was the star of a 104-4 victory with dad coaching from the bench.

At one point, Windermere was up 50-0. Yes, Jaxon Williams is a phenom and his skills certainly gave every indication of a big future, but you have to wonder about the need to beat another team by triple digits.

Allen (Texas) to face Evangel (La.) as part of tough opening schedule

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Allen won their 50th consecutive game Friday night, defeating Hebron 45-13. (Photo: Twitter)

Allen won their 50th consecutive game Friday night, defeating Hebron 45-13. (Photo: Twitter)

Allen (Texas) football doesn’t have a coach following Tom Westerberg’s departure, but whomever is on the sidelines likely will be faced with some tests early in his tenure.

Allen and Hoover (Ala.) had signed a contract two years ago to play in the 2016 Tom Landry Classic. That game is scheduled for Aug. 26 in Allen’s massive stadium.

Last week, The Dallas Morning News reported that Super 25 champion Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) was looking to play its second game of the season against Allen.

Meanwhile, Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, La.) has announced it will open its season at Allen. Teams in Louisiana are not allowed to play their first game until the weekend of Sept. 3-5. How that would impact a potential matchup with Gorman is unclear.

“Nobody wanted to play them and no one wanted to play us, so it was a perfect marriage,” coach Byron Dawson told Gannett partner The Shreveport Times. “They reached out to us and we agreed to play. We have the utmost respect in their tradition and prestige.”

A loss to Westlake in the 6A semifinals last December snapped Allen’s 57-game win streak that included three straight state titles in the state’s largest classification. Allen spent the majority of last season toward the top of the Super 25 rankings before finishing No. 20.

Evangel won 13 state championships from 1993 to 2010, including four in 5A. It voluntarily moved back up from 2A to 5A last season under Louisiana’s new rules and shared the 1-5A district title before letting a 21-0 lead slip away in the semifinals to eventual Division I select champion Catholic High School.

“We strongly believe as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another,” Dawson said. “Playing great competition like Allen only makes you better and builds a strong team character.”

LSU commit poses with national title trophy during Alabama official visit

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IMG Academy four-star receiver Drake Davis committed to LSU during the Under Armour All-American Game in Orlando two weeks ago.

But as is often the case, that didn’t stop him from taking an official visit to another school, given that verbal commitments are non-binding. That school just happened to be Alabama.

Davis told Scout.com that he’s still “pretty solid” with LSU after the visit but he came away impressed with what he saw and heard.

“They’re just saying, ‘If you want to win a national championship, come here.‘ That’s a pretty solid message,” he told Scout.com. “It’s a big deal because I’m a winner. I like to win.”

RELATED: Nick Saban plays pop-a-shot with another top recruit

And to prove that it wins, the Crimson Tide showed Davis — and other recruits — that national championship trophy. Here is Davis in an Alabama jersey with the big prize:

Rashan Gary finishes No. 1, nine new five-stars in final Rivals 100 for 2016 class

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Rashan Gary , defensive lineman at Paramus Catholic, was the American Family Insurance ALL-USA TODAY Defensive Player of Year (Photo: Adam Hunger, USA TODAY Sports)

Rashan Gary, defensive tackle at Paramus Catholic, was the American Family Insurance ALL-USA TODAY Defensive Player of Year (Photo: Adam Hunger, USA TODAY Sports)

A defensive tackle with finish the rankings as the Rivals.com No. 1 player overall for the first time.

To no surprise, that player is Rashan Gary from Paramus Catholic (N.J.).

“We found our guy,” Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell said. “Gary was No. 1 in our last ranking and he held onto it through all-star season despite some fierce competition. … Gary’s performance was as dominant as I’ve ever seen from a defensive tackle who played mostly outside and was still too fast and athletic for everyone. Gary becomes our first defensive tackle to finish No. 1 and it is well deserved.”

RELATED: Rivals 100 rankings

The top four players are the same as they were in the most recent rankings. Clemson commit Dexter Lawrence (Wake Forest, N.C.) remains No. 2, meaning defensive tackles finish 1-2. Ole Miss early enrollee quarterback Shea Patterson (IMG Academy, Bradenton, Fla.) is No. 3 followed by future Ole Miss teammate Greg Allen, an offensive tackle from Allen, Texas.  Uncommitted linebacker Ben Davis (Gordo, Ala.) rounds out the top five.

Patterson ends up as the top-ranked quarterback as Georgia early enrollee Jacob Eason (Lake Stevens, Wash.) finished at No. 7.

Three positions have new No. 1 players: B.J. Emmons at running back, Landon Dickerson at offensive guard and Lamar Jackson at safety. Emmons from Freedom (Morganton, N.C.) moved up 81 spots to No. 33 overall.

Other big movers included wide receiver Cornell Powell (Rose; Greenville, N.C.) to 36 — up 62 spots; defensive tackle Benito Jones (Wayne County; Waynesboro, Miss.); to 44 — up 73 spots; and wide receiver A.J. Brown (Starkville, Miss.) to 53 — up 85 spots.

In a bit of a surprise, Rivals finished with 31 five-star players with nine players adding a fifth star in the final rankings.

“Nine is a lot for a final ranking but I think we were pretty conservative in August and December, wanting to see a bit more from some of these guys in many cases,” Farrell said.

The nine new five-stars:

  • Derrick Brown, defensive tackle, Lanier (Buford, Ga.), uncommitted
  • Antonneous Clayton, defensive end, Dooly County (Vienna, Ga.)
  • Erick Fowler, linebacker, Manor (Texas)
  • Jack Jones, cornerback, Long Beach (Calif.) Poly, uncommitted
  • Tre Lamar, linebacker, Roswell (Ga.)
  • Ed Oliver, defensive tackle, Westfield (Houston, Texas), Houston
  • Jeffery Simmons, defensive end, Noxubee County (Macon, Miss.)
  • Tyler Vaughns, wide receiver, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.)
  • Landon Young, offensive tackle, Lafayette (Lexington, Ky.), Kentucky

Wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers from Tampa Catholic was the lone player to lose the fifth star designation in the final rankings.

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