Kingwood Classic delivers on Saturday

New Hampshire standout focused on five schools

Blessed IJN small forward Chad Millard had one of the more impressive offensive performances Saturday with 31 point effort against Memphis YOMCA in a losing effort.

Millard, 6-foot-8, 210-pounds, was outstanding from the field while hitting the majority of his shots with a defender in his face. His outside shot is deep and he likes to put the ball on the floor, take two dribbles and clear for an open mid-range jumper. Although thin, Millard attacks the basket with reckless abandonment and twice finished with nice dunks off the break.

With over 10 offers on the table Millard has focused his interest on five schools with the possibility of others becoming involved.

“NC State, Louisville, Missouri, Kansas and Providence are my five favorites,” Millard said. “However, that list isn’t written in stone just yet. It’s possible that it could change some.

“I’m going to visit Louisville next month although I haven’t set the exact date.”

Last week Millard was visited by the NC State staff with Missouri and Kansas due in next week.

Nation’s 5th best 2005 prospect has leader

Atlanta Celtic small forward Brandon Rush has been on the minds of recruiting fans since his freshman year. With plenty options in front of him Rush, 6-foot-7, 190-pounds, has begin to narrow down his list of favorites with one school standing above the rest.

“Louisville is my favorite because I love Coach (Rick) Pitino style’s of play,” Rush said. “He knows how to get the most out of his players and he also knows how to get his players into the league.

“Oklahoma, Indiana, UConn and Arkansas are schools I like as well.”

Alabama power forward makes summer circuit debut

Joey Cameron made his debut Saturday with his new traveling team the Tennessee Travelers and pulled down 11 rebounds. Cameron, 6-foot-7, was missing for much of last summer’s action with injury and only recently recovered from a back sprain. However, the Leeds (Ala.) High School star looked healthy and proved to be a bull in the paint and enforcer on the boards.

Earlier this year Cameron gave a verbal commitment to Clemson but since that time he has opened up his recruitment.

“Tennessee is probably recruiting me the hardest and they are near the top of my list,” Cameron said. “Florida, UConn, Georgia Tech and UAB are also up there. Those are basically the schools I’m focused on now.

“But it’s probably going to be after the summer before I commit again. I rushed into a decision before and this time I want to make take my time and make sure.”

Quick, fast and in a hurry

Billy Donovan and Mark Gottfried were front and center for Keith Brumbaugh’s early match up. However, the rumor sweeping the stands was that Deland (Fla.) High School standout was already planning to make the jump to the NBA.

Lighthouse All-star shooting guard Courtney Fells picked up where he left off with a 21 point performance in Saturday’s opening game. When he outside shot failed to connect early Fells decided to drive to the basket and finish at the rim. He still connected on four 3-pointers with Rick Stansbury, Pete Gillen, Rod Barnes and Herb Sendek sitting courtside.

2005 Houston Select guard Henry Dugat continues to show an improved handle to compliment his nice jumper and smothering on ball defense. In Saturday action Dugat dropped 16 points on the Houston Lynx squad. Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M are in good shape.

Texas Bluechip shooting guard Harvey Hale is trying to make his case for national top 50 consideration. Hale is a strong, physical guard who is comfortable from the outside but prefers driving to the basket. Kansas, Florida, Texas, Marquette, Stanford, Baylor, and Arizona State lead for the 2005 New Mexico standout.

2006 Memphis YOMCA power forward Wayne Chism continued his impressive summer run with 15 points against Blessed IJN. He is quickly earning the reputation as one of the top underclaenman big men in the South.

Although scoreless in the first half, Memphis YOMCA power forward Pierre Niles came alive after halftime to scorer all 16 of his points on a variety of strong low post moves. Niles, a member of the 2006 class, is considered to be one of the top in-state players in his class.

2006 Texas Bluechip small forward Damien James is one of the top players in his class and his versatility and consistent play have his stock climbing rapidly. It’s still early but he has a long list of favorites which includes Arizona, Florida, Florida State, Kansas, Arizona State, Texas, Texas A&M, UCLA and Baylor.

Although Chad Millard carried the bulk of the offensive load for Blessed IJN, 2006 point guard Marques Johnson scored 18 points with most coming on his ability to use his nice size and quickness to simply drive to the basket and finish.

Atlanta Celtic power forward Tracy Smith will be one of the top big men in the 2006 class. His early afternoon effort was nice. Duke, North Carolina, Louisville and Georgia Tech are his early favorites.

Wisconsin Playground Warriors point guard Jerry Smith was missing in action Saturday night due to a pulled groin muscle that has hampered him early in the summer season. Smith, who is easily one of the most impressive players in his class, was seen helping his team scout for their next contest.