ABCD: School Lists, Vol. 1

Teaneck, N.J. - There are 229 players at the Reebok ABCD camp this season and there are nearly as many college coaches in the stands in Rothman Center at Farleigh Dickinson University. Each prospect, in their own right, has a nice collection of school interest, including class of 2005 prospect Charles Little.

Little, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound forward from Cleveland, Tenn., went off for 30 points, the highest point total yet at the camp. Auburn and Ole Miss both jumped into the picture recently and Dayton, who Little unofficially visited in the spring, round out his top three.

Think your life is complicated? Try being Marcus Johnson. The 6-foot-6, 190-pound athlete wing player has seen his list of suitors take verbal commitments over the last month, thus making his decision even harder to make. He said Louisville, Syracuse and UConn remain as his top three but isn’t sure what direction to take because of decisions by Terrence Williams (Louisville) and Eric Devendorf (Syracuse). But for now, those are the schools on the decision block.

Brandon Smith, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound shooting guard is one of those players you just have to love. He’s a crafty, strong-bodied, do-everything player that just wins, wins, wins. So it’s no surprise that he’s boasting 10 scholarship offers. Iowa State, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Marquette, Stanford, UCLA, Oklahoma, Purdue, Nebraska and Dayton have all tendered a free ride, he said.

Point guard Sean McCurdy said Maryland, Clemson, Memphis and St. Joseph’s while Miami (Fla.), Illinois and Stanford have “shown a lot of interest lately with phone calls.”

Even though college coaches can’t call the younger prospects, class of 2006 forward Richard Semrau has picked up his cell phone and dialed over to coaches at Wake Forest, Illinois and Purdue.

2007 prospect Marshall Moses has emerged as one of the top underclassmen at the camp. The Aiken, S.C., product also has a strong school list to warrant his play. UNC, Wake Forest, Clemson, Duke, South Carolina, Florida, Louisville and Georgia have all shown various amounts of interest, he said.

Wisconsin point guard Trevon Hughes is one of the top point guards in the class of 2006 so it’s no surprise that North Carolina, Iowa, Wake Forest, Illinois, Marquette, Wisconsin and Maryland round out his list.

Another cheese-state prospect, Wesley Matthews, Jr. has three schools on his plate: Georgia Tech, Marquette and Wisconsin. One school will win out on July 18 when he names his decision on a sports television show in Madison. He says each school is at 33.3% right now.

Chiseled California small forward D’Andre Bell mentioned Georgetown, Michigan State, Arizona, UCLA, Florida and Miami (Fla.) as his top schools at the moment.

Kiwan Smith, one of the day’s top performers, said Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Purdue and Iowa are his top four for the time being. He hasn’t taken the SAT yet, and won’t until the spring.

Derrick Caracter has been and will be an elite high-major until he turns the tassel on graduation day. And every school in the nation would love to have the big man from 2006. Any surprises regarding his favorites? “Actually, school that has been recruiting me the hardest is Stanford,” he said. “There is something everyday in the mailbox from them.” He listed Duke, North Carolina and Arizona, too.

He’s only in the class of 2008 but Canadian forward Olu Ashalou said his early favorites are LSU, Syracuse, UNC, Michigan State and Florida. Two words: big-timer.

Class of 2006 super prospect Lance Thomas rattled off a number of high majors including Duke, Arizona, North Carolina, Wake Forest, UConn and Georgia Tech.

Las Vegas point guard Marcus Lawrence is having himself quite a tournament. The rising junior is also beginning to make believers out of high majors. Cal, North Carolina, Arkansas, Oregon State, Oregon and UCLA are amongst those that have been in contact, he said, while San Diego State continues to hang in there with the big boys. The Aztecs were first in line, that is big-time for Lawrence.

College coaches, go see Florida guard Maxwell Dubious play. The 6-foot-3 scorer said only Tulane, Marquette and College of Charleston are interested but he’s a gamer that will give a program four solid years of production.

Kahiem Seawright is enjoying the time in front of friends and family here in the Northeast. College recruiters are, too. Georgia, Marquette, South Florida, Hofstra, Rhode Island, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, Virginia and UNLV top his current list.