Which schools won National Signing Day? Who are the top new players to watch? Campus Insiders’ Bonnie Bernstein and Pete Fiutak evaluate the winners and losers and recap how recruiting’s biggest day shook out.
RELATED: Who Signed Where?
VIDEO: Who won signing day, and who didn't?
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VIDEO: Who are the top football prospects in Class of 2017?
We are just 365 days away from National Signing Day 2017.
For the players in the class, though, the recruiting process began years ago. Recruiting never stops. Just ask SMU coach Chad Morris, who interrupted his press conference on the 2016 class to face time with a member of the 2017 class.
Our friends at Scout.com provide a breakdown of the top players in the Class of 2017 in the video below:
For much more insight and analysis, check out www.scout.com/membership.
For more coverage of National Signing Day 2016, click here
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VIDEO: Who were the winners and losers in the ACC on National Signing Day?
How do the recruiting classes shape up in the ACC? Who are the top new players to watch? Campus Insiders’ Ray Crawford and Pete Fiutak evaluate the winners, losers, and top talent heading to the conference.
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Consistency reigns in Super 25 Computer rankings for girls basketball
The teams at the top of the Super 25 Computer rankings in girls basketball have remained remarkably consistent.
Duncanville (Texas) is the No. 1 team followed by St. Mary’s (Stockton, Calif.). The teams are in the opposite order in the Super 25 Expert rankings.
RELATED: Find where your school ranks in state and nation
Miramonte (Orinda, Calif.) is third, followed by two programs from Washington state: Lynwood (Bothell) at No. 4 and Bellevue at No. 5.
Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) starts the second five at No. 6, followed by Centennial (Las Vegas). Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) is No. 8 with Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.) and Highlands Ranch (Colo.) rounding out the Top 10.
Three California teams are in the next five: No. 11 Chaminade (West Hills), No. 12 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) and No. 15 Clovis West (Fresno).
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VIDEO: Alabama lands top class again and more SEC recruiting class recaps
How do the recruiting classes shape up in the SEC? Who are the top new players to watch? Campus Insiders’ Shae Peppler and Pete Fiutak evaluate the winners, losers, and top talent heading to the conference.
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Oak Hill, Redondo Beach face Canadian foes in inaugural Jordan Brand Invitational
Oak Hill Academy forward Mario Kegler (Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports)
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) and Orangeville Prep (Ontario) will square off in the nightcap of the inaugural Jordan Brand Invitational on Feb. 11 in Toronto, a day before the release of the Air Jordan XXX.
Father Henry Carr (Ontario) will face Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.) in the first game at 6 p.m. ET. The games at the historic Mattamy Centre will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and are available via ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app in the United States.
Tickets for the event are free in Canada and available at www.Jordan.com/JBI.
Oak Hill is ranked No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY High School Sports’ Super 25 and is led by its star-studded group of Mississippi State signee Mario Kegler, Alabama signee Braxton Key and highly regarded juniors Matt Coleman, Ty-Shon Alexander and Lindell Wigginton.
Orangeville Prep is ranked No. 1 in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association. Jaelin Llewellyn and Ignas Brazdeikis are ranked as the No. 3 and No. 4 sophomores in Canada respectively. Jahvon Blair was the MVP of the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic Invitational and Kalif Young is Top 20 senior in Canada.
Redondo Beach is led by uncommitted seniors Leland Green and Morgan Means.
Father Henry Carr — the No. 1 team in the Toronto District Catholic Athletic Association — is paced by uncommitted senior Shamar Bailey, juniors Mychael Paulo and Shae Linton Brown and sophomore John Akende.
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VIDEO: Ohio State, Michigan land top 10 classes and more Big Ten recruiting recaps
How do the recruiting classes shape up in the Big Ten? Who are the top new players to watch? Campus Insiders’ Ray Crawford and Pete Fiutak evaluate the winners, losers, and top talent heading to the conference.
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Minnesota high school goalie makes 111 saves in six-overtime marathon
Now this is what you call playoff hockey.
As chronicled by our friends at For The Win, the girls hockey section playoff game in Minnesota between East Ridge and Apple Valley went 121 minutes, 58 seconds and six overtime periods. That is eight minutes longer than the previous record for a girls’ game in the state.
All that hockey meant plenty of shots — and we mean plenty.
Apple Valley goalie Taylor DeForrest faced 114 shots and made 111 saves in a 3-2 loss. Initial reports indicated 112 saves, but stats kept by East Ridge indicate 111, according to The Star Tribune. The previous record for saves in an overtime game is 59 by Cassie Alexander of Lakeville North in 2013. That game also went six overtimes. Oddly enough, the previous mark for saves in a regulation game is 118 by Taylor Baumhoefner of Worthington in 2007, according to the Minnesota State High School League record book.
That made DeForrest the center of attention on Thursday.
“It’s still pretty shocking,” she told USA TODAY High School Sports. “It doesn’t seem real at all. I don’t think it’s going to sink in for a while.”
DeForrest said she faced a good amount of shots in the first period, but didn’t have any sense of how many were coming her way as the game continued.
“I never really expected it to be that many or even felt like it was that many,” she said. “It seemed like a regular shot game to me. … When we were going to shake hands after the game they announced how many shots it was. It was a surreal moment to think that I had that many.”
It wasn’t like East Ridge goaltender Chloe Heiting has the night off. She made 38 saves, but DeForrest had nearly three times more.
Defenseman Sophia Leong scored both goals for the Eagles, including the equalizer in the third period. Amazingly, she played the final 95 minutes of the game without leaving the ice because another defender was injured.
“The puck was going back from end to end,” DeForrest said, “so it never felt like it would be that many shots.
“It’s pretty incredible to know our team never gave up on anything. … I knew once we tied it up we were going to keep fighting until a goal would go in, whether it was on us or on them.”
Senior forward Anya Hafiz eventually tallied the game winner and ended the incredible night. Despite the result, DeForrest said she is eager to watch the tape.
“To even think about it is pretty remarkable,” she said. “I definitely will be watching the full game over again. It will be a happy and bittersweet moment.”
In lauding her team, DeForrest also lauded the parents who made sure the players had plenty of food and water to keep going and going. Included was a raid of the concession stand — and the concession stand’s supply closet for Powerade and protein bars.
“It was nice to know how much they cared about our team,” she said. “They help kept us going and not to give up.”
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VIDEO: USC, UCLA land top classes in the Pac 12 and more conference recruiting recaps
How do the recruiting classes shape up in the Pac-12? Who are the top new players to watch? Campus Insiders’ Bonnie Bernstein and Pete Fiutak evaluate the winners, losers, and top talent heading to the conference.
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VIDEO: Watch Demaryius Thomas run away from defenses in high school
Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas busted out as a senior for West Laurens High in Dublin, Ga., in the fall of 2005 with 82 receptions, 1,234 yards and 10 touchdowns.
RELATED: Gallery of Denver Broncos when they were in high school
He was ranked as the No. 61 player in talent-rich Georgia and the No. 100 receiver in the nation by ESPN. He had offers from Duke, Georgia, Indiana and Louisville but chose Georgia Tech. With the Yellow Jackets, he has 2,339 career receiving yards with 120 catches and 14 touchdowns.
RELATED: Thomas looks to cap season of change with Super Bowl ring
He was selected in the first round of the 2010 draft — No. 23 overall — by the Broncos and hopes to win a Super Bowl championship Sunday.
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VIDEO: Texas makes headlines on National Signing Day and more Big 12 recruiting class recaps
How do the recruiting classes shape up in the Big 12? Who are the top new players to watch? Campus Insiders’ Bonnie Bernstein and Pete Fiutak evaluate the winners, losers, and top talent heading to the conference.
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Report: Police investigating alleged ritual hazing involving football team at suburban Philly school
Police in suburban Philadelphia are investigating allegations of “ritual hazing” mainly by members of the football team at Conestoga High School, according to a report from CBS3.
CBS3 said detectives have visited the school and are interviewing as many 70 students for an alleged assault that may have injured a student. The hazing occurred on the same day each week, a day that students told detectives they avoided the gym at certain times.
No charges have been filed and no students have been disciplined, according to the report.
A school district spokesperson referred comment to the to the Chester County District Attorney’s Office. That office declined to comment.
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Markelle Fultz's rise continues to McDonald's All American Game and beyond
DeMatha Catholic’s Markelle Fultz in action against Chaminade during a high school basketball game in the Hoophall Classic (Photo: Gregory Payan, Associated Press)
Basketball has taken DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) star Markelle Fultz many places over the last few years. Just this season, the Stags have played in Chicago, Portland, Ore.; Wheeling, W.Va; and Springfield, Mass., beyond their Washington Catholic Athletic Conference schedule.
Basketball will take Fultz to the McDonald’s All American Game in Chicago in late March, and Friday he received his honorary jersey at the McDonald’s All American Game Hometown Heroes presented by American Family Insurance.
He hopes his next destination after the McDonald’s game is a spot for DeMatha in the DICK’S Sporting Goods National Championship in New York.
“Our first goal is to win the WCAC championship and the second goal is to get the national championship,” he said. “We’re on the right path.”
Fultz’s path will take him from Washington, D.C., to Washington state. He committed to the Huskies last summer.
RELATED: More Hometown Heroes coverage
“I’m not really worried abut (the distance),” said Fultz. “If I’m fortunate to make to the NBA, you have to travel around. I’ve been traveling for AAU. My mom understands and I understand what I have to do to be the best player I can be and go all the way to Washington.
“The school is a great fit with the way they play, the players they have there. The coaching staff are like mentors to me. They worry about academics and they show good support. It’s just the best fit for me.”
RELATED: From JV to Must-See — Fultz continues rise
Fultz could be a huge part of a star backcourt of the future as Washington has a verbal commit from 2017 four-star shooting guard Daejon Davis from Lakeside (Seattle). Fultz is keeping a close eye on this year’s Huskies to be ready for his arrival.
“I’m watching all the games that I get my eyes on,” he said. “I’m watching the highlights for the ones I can’t. It’s great to see them doing so good. I hope they win the Pac-12 and so when I get there we can do it two times in a row.”
Fultz’s journey from playing on the JV as a sophomore to being ranked as the No. 10 player in the Class of 2016 has been well-chronicled. He said he was thrilled that he was able to share his selection to the McDonald’s game with his support system.
“There were a lot of people who came out who have been supporting me since I was little,” he said. “My coaches and teammates were here. It was a gret honor. … ”
“Being selected means you’re one of the best in the country. This is one of the steps I had toward the goal of making to the NBA. This is a chance to showcase my talent against the best of the best and it’s for a good cause.”
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VIDEO: North Dakota's Tanner Davidson sinks shot from three-quarter court
The result was decided, but that doesn’t take away from this three-quarter court bucket from Tanner Davidson of Dickinson High in North Dakota.
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Top 10 point guard Tyasha Harris outscores opposing team in Indiana sectional semifinal
Tyasha Harris moves for a shot in second half action at the IHSAA Girls Class 2A girls basketball state finals game in March
(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson, The Indianapolis Star)
Tyasha Harris from Heritage Christian School in Indiana has had plenty of big nights on the basketball court.
After all, she is ranked as the No. 8 point guard and the No. 27 player overall in the Class of 2016 by espnW’s HoopGurlz and is being pursued by top programs such as South Carolina, Rutgers, Kentucky, Iowa and Purdue. She had 54 college scholarship offers and began the process of cutting the list over the summer.
Last week, she became the school’s career leading scorer.
Friday night, she had the unique distinction of outscoring the opponent by herself. Harris had 40 points in a 74-37 victory in the Class 3A section tournament. Heritage Christian (20-4) will play Tipton on Saturday in the sectional final.
Heritage Christian has won six state titles in the last 10 years, including four straight from 2006-2009 and back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015. Harris averaged 17.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game during last year’s title run.
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Virginia's Drew Hunter sets national high school indoor record for the mile
Drew Hunter celebrates his American record in the indoor mile. (Photo; John Nepolitan)
Drew Hunter from Loudoun Valley High in Virginia set the American indoor record for the mile Saturday with a time of 3:58.25 during the Armory Track Invitational at The Armory in New York.
His time bests the 15-year-old mark by Alan Webb, who ran 3:59.86 at the New Balance Games at The Armory in January 2001. That was the first sub-four-minute mile by a U.S. high schooler.
Hunter, who is heading to the University of Oregon, competed the men’s mile won by 2012 NCAA champion Chris O’Hare. The winning time was 3:54.59.
“Being in such a historic building where everyone appreciates running is amazing,” Hunter said in a news release. “If there is one place to break an indoor sub-4 it is here at The Armory knowing all the amazing races that have been run here.”
The connection between Hunter and Webb goes deeper than the record. Hunter’s parents, Marc and Joan, were in their final year as coaches at South Lakes High in Reston, Va., where Webb attended high school before his collegiate career at Michigan.
“It’s a testament to Drew’s maturity and the way he’s been brought up,” Webb said in the news release. “In a family where the measure of you isn’t the results of what you run but it’s based on how you conduct yourself. I’m proud of him for doing it the right way. There’s a certain purity to running at the high school level. It sparks the imagination and makes you think what could be and what’s possible. This is the beginning of the story for Drew. We’re going to witness him develop into being one of the next big stars.”
The record comes a week after Hunter became the first high schooler to run 3,000 meters in less than eight minutes with s time of 7 minutes, 59.33 seconds at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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VIDEO: Watch Oak Hill's Lindell Wigginton win dunk contest with bounce pass windmill jam
No. 3 Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) beat Hamilton Heights (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 64-47 during the inaugural McCallie Dr Pepper 10 Classic Saturday in Tennessee.
But beyond the game was the event’s dunk contest won by Oak Hill’s Lindell Wigginton with this windmill dunk off a bounce pass over a person. Wow.
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Super Bowl pregame to feature Tenn. football player who died while shielding three girls in drive-by
Zaevion Dobson, a 15-year-old Fulton High School football player, was killed in a drive-by shooting in December.
(Photo: Fulton High School)
Heroes will be a hot topic Sunday during the hours of television broadcasting leading up to Super Bowl 50.
Analysts will talk seemingly nonstop about who will likely emerge as the heroes in the game between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos.
Before that, however, a story will be told about another kind of hero, one who played high school football in Tennessee.
New York Jets wide receiver and CBS/Showtime contributor Brandon Marshall will tell Dobson’s gut-wrenching story in a segment produced by sports Emmy Award-winner Pete Radovich as part of the CBS pregame programming.
Marshall, a six-time Pro Bowl player, was moved by the story and came up with the idea to do the mini-documentary.
In January, Marshall spent time in Knoxville visiting Dobson’s older brother and Fulton High teammate Zack, who had a scholarship offer to play football at Austin Peay.
“I’m honored to know that the world cares about what happened on 12/17/15,” Zack told ESPN. “It shocked me Obama talked about Zae like that. I would love to meet him and thank him one day.”
The tragic story is close to Marshall’s heart since he grew up in neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and Florida he has described as “volatile.”
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Bam Adebayo honored for selection on Jordan Brand Classic Senior Night Tour
Bam Adebayo receives a Jordan Brand Classic banner for his school to mark his selection (Photo: Jordan Brand Classic)
Before Bam Adebayo joins the vaunted recruiting class of 2016 at Kentucky, he will be among the nation’s top high school players to take part in the Jordan Brand Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 15.
Adebayo, from High Point Christian in N.C., was honored during the Jordan Brand Classic Senior Night Tour presented by American Family Insurance with a banner for his school. Adebayo was joined by family and the other seniors on his team, who also were honored.
He is ranked as the No. 4 player in the class by ESPN.com and at 6-9, 230, he has the ability to outmuscle his opponents. Adebayo’s greatest — and perhaps most surprising — asset is how well he runs the floor for a man his size.
Thus far, 16 players have been selected for the Jordan Brand Classic and each will be honored on his respective school senior night with more players to be selected before the season ends.
RELATED: Kentucky fans have a lot to look forward to with recruiting class
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VIDEO: Miles Bridges redefining the term 'highlight reel' for Huntington Prep
Michigan State signee Miles Bridges is among the most explosive players in the country. The star for Huntington Prep (W.Va.) makes highlight reel plays all the time — and sometimes he takes the term “highlight reel” to another level.
Here is a video from NextUpRecruits.com that shows Bridges on full display at the recent Flyin’ to the Hoop event in Ohio.
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