Memorial Day Classic: Day One Recap
Nashville, Tenn- Now that the first day of the Nike Memorial Day Classic is complete, Rivals.com is here to breakdown some of the action from today's event. It should come as no surprise that a number of players stood out and looked outstanding for most of the day. Additionally, a few players struggled in the early morning session.
Advertisement
Arkansas Wings 93, Tennessee Thunder 69:
James Anderson, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound small forward from Junction City (AR) High School didn't have the type of game that he originally expected this morning. The No. 64 ranked player in the class of 2007 managed to score just seven points.
However, there is no doubt that Anderson, a four-star prospect, is a high-major player. He moved well without the ball and did a nice job of getting his teammates involved in the game.
Anderson's shot clearly wasn't falling this morning and he was unable to finish around the basket, but he found others way to impact the game. He was very aggressive on the defensive end of the court and, more importantly, didn't try to force things on offense.
Anderson said that he has scholarship offers from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Baylor, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Ole Miss, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and others.
Athletes First 84, Murfreesboro Stars 57:
After scoring just two points in the first half, Xavier Henry, the 6-foot-6, 185-pound shooting guard/small forward from Putnam City High School in Oklahoma City, Okla., exploded for 18 second half points.
Henry, who just completed his freshman year of high school, was simply sensational. He had quick hands, great basketball instincts and scored from any location on the court.
There were times when Henry made the game look so easy. He had a sweet stroke from the outside, had a nice midrange game and penetrated to the basket.
Kansas, North Carolina, Duke and Michigan are the schools that Henry is most interested in at this time.
Cade Davis and Kyle Hardrick (2009), who have given commitments to the Oklahoma Sooners, were solid this morning. Davis hit from the outside a number of times and repeatedly beat his man off the bounce.
Hardlick, who scored 17 first half points, was a beast down low. He controlled the paint area and had his way with the Murfreesboro big men.
Portland Legends 56, All-Ohio 55:
Kyle Singler, the 6-foot-8, 210-pound small forward from South Medford (OR) High School was simply a man amongst boys. The No. 6 ranked player in the class of 2007 scored 24-points against All-Ohio, and did so in a variety of ways.
Singler, a five-star prospect, is the type of player that any coach would love to have on his roster. During his game today, he scored from behind the arc, attacked the basket, posted up small defenders, and connected on a number of fade away jumpers.
Singler, the No. 2 ranked small forward in the class, was equally impressive on the defensive end of the court. He fought for every rebound, scrapped for every ball and dove head first for every loose ball.
According to Singler, Duke, Arizona, Kansas, UCLA and Washington are the teams to beat in his recruitment. He will be taking an unofficial visit to Washington in a couple of weeks, and hopes to take some official visits in the fall.
School Lists:
Malcolm Delaney, the 6-foot-3, 170-pound point guard from Towson Catholic has a top four of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Maryland and Iowa State.
John Brandenburg, the 6-foot-10, 235-pound power forward/center from DeSmet Jesuit High School in St. Louis, Mo., has scholarship offers from St. Louis, Southern Illinois and Missouri-State.
North Carolina has recently call the big man's coach. Wake Forest and Florida are also involved.
George Goode, the No. 78 ranked player in the class of 2007, is a wanted man. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound small forward from Raytown (MO) South High School is receiving the most interest from the likes of Miami-FL, KU, Missouri, Connecticut, Marquette and a few others.
Goode plans to take all five official visits in the fall.
Matthew Bryan-Amaning, the No. 69 ranked player in the class of 2007, has a top three of Washington, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. The four-star prospect is also interested in Texas and Connecticut. He claims to have offers from all five programs.
Anthony Jones, the 6-foot-9, 180-pound combo forward from the class of 2008 had a very productive day. Jones, who is playing with Houston Hoops, indicated that his recruitment is growing. He has a top list of Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Florida. No offers have been extended at this time.
Brad Tinsley, the 6-foot-3, 180-pound combo guard from Oregon City (OR)High School, had a very good second game. According to Tinsley, he is still very high on Gonzaga, but has not received a scholarship offer. He is also being recruited by a number of Pac-10 programs.
Rivals.com National Basketball Analyst Jerry Meyer contributed to this report.