Props 5Star

East meets West on April 14 (7 p.m. ET) at Time Warner Arena in Charlotte, N.C. game will be on the ESPN Network.

EAST TEAM (HOME)

Name School Position College

Kyle Anderson St. Anthony (Jersey City, N.J.) PG UCLA

Kris Dunn New London (New London, Conn.) PG Providence

Jerami Grant DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) PF Syracuse

Gary Harris Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.) SF Michigan State

Brice Johnson Edisto (Cordova, S.C.) PF North Carolina

Ricardo Ledo South Kent (South Kent, Conn.) SF Providence

Tony Parker Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) PF Undecided

Rodney Purvis Upper Room Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) SG N.C. State

Kaleb Tarczweski St. Mark’s (Southborough, Mass.) C Arizona

J.P. Tokoto Menomonee Falls (Menomonee, Wis.) SF North Carolina

WEST TEAM (AWAY)

Name School Position College

Brandon Ashley Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) PF Arizona

Isaiah Austin Grace Prep (Arlington, Texas) C Baylor

Anthony Bennett Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.) PF Undecided

Archie Goodwin Sylvan Hills (Little Rock, Ark.) SG Kentucky

Danuel House Hightower (Houston) SG Houston

Grant Jerrett La Verne Lutheran (La Verne, Calif.) PF Arizona

Shabazz Muhammad Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) SF Undecided

Marcus Paige Linn-Mar (Marion, Iowa) PG North Carolina

Alex Poythress Northeast (Clarksville, Tenn.) SF Kentucky

Rasheed Sulaimon Strake Jesuit (Houston) SG Duke

Check out the full schedule of the Nike events for this spring and summer.

April 7 NIKE Hoop Summit (Portland, OR)
April 14 Jordan Brand Classic (Charlotte, NC)
April 20-22 EYBL Session #1 (Minneapolis, MN)
April 27-29 EYBL Session #2 (Hampton, VA)
May 11-13 EYBL Session #3 (Dallas, TX)
May 25-28 EYBL Session #4 (Oakland, CA)
June 7-10 Elite 100 (St. Louis, MO)
June 21-23 Deron Williams Skills Academy (Chicago, IL)
June 21-23 Amar’e Stoudemire Skills Academy (Chicago, IL)
June 24-26 Kevin Durant Skills Academy (Chicago, IL)
July 6-9 LeBron James Skills Academy (Las Vegas, NV)
July 12-15 NIKE Global Challenge (Washington, DC)
July 11-15 NIKE Skills School (Washington, DC)
July 18-21 EYBL Finals at the Peach Jam (N. Augusta, SC)

Props Nikeeyb

Nerlens Noel the No.1 shot blocker in the country has re-classified back to 2012 from 2013. Espn.com was the first to report it.

According to most Kentucky, Syracuse, Providence, Florida and North Carolina are all in the mix to land Noel. He has already scheduled a visit to Syracuse and will most likely visit Kentucky sometime before making a decision.

Also be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Itunes at C2CrecruitingPodcast

C2Crecruiting.com Podcast: Episode 5

How would the 2012 basketball recruits fit in on the football field?

During the NBA lockout, public interest peaked for Lebron James to put on some pads and try out for the NFL. The lockout ended and LBJ is now back on the court playing like an MVP.

Wednesday is national signing day for the 2012 class on the gridiron. Its days like this when we wonder how would the 2012 basketball class look in football gear.

Here is the 2012 C2C football team:

Offense

QB Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State guard signee):  Smart is a great leader on the floor who has the physical tools to take the hits in the pocket. Just like on the hardwood,  Smart will pile up Ws for you.

RB Kris Dunn (Providence guard signee): Dunn’s speed and change of direction ability is unmatched for the 2012 hoops class. He would be tough to take down in the backfield.

WR Shabbazz Muhammad (uncommitted forward): Shabazz has a motor on the court that doesn’t stop going. This same motor and athletic ability would have him piling up yards and tds at WR.

WR Danuel House (Houston forward signee): House is one of the fastest wings to the rim in high school basketball. He would be a great route runner on the field.

TE Shaq Goodwin (Memphis forward signee): Goodwin wants to play TE for the Tigers, so this would be the perfect fit for our squad.

TE Brandon Ashley (Arizona forward signee): Taking after the Patriots, we are going with 2 elite tight ends. Ashley plays above the rim and at 6’8 defenses will have little hope defending him.

Defense

DE Ricardo Gathers (Uncommitted forward): Gathers is built like an ox. He also has mobility. I wouldn’t want to see Gathers rushing off the edge.

DE Cameron Ridley (Texas center commit): Ridley is a center that can move great for 6’10.  Ridley plays angry and he would be a huge asset on defense.

DT Dejuan Coleman (Syracuse forward signee): Coleman is a big man to clog the middle of the line. The Syracuse big man has the footwork to be able to make the jump to the defensive line.

LB Ricardo Ledo (Providence guard signee): Ledo is a physical scorer on the court.  I imagine Ledo would bring that same intensity at LB and would just make plays.

LB D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown guard signee): DSR is a bigger guard that uses his body to get where he needs to be on the floor.  He would use his physical tools and his leadership on defense.

CB Rodney Purvis (NC State guard signee): Purvis is quick on his feet and is a great slasher. Just the guy needed to cover people on the field.

CB Rasheed Sulaimon (Duke guard signee): Rasheed has a knack for defense. He is a smart player and can see the play develop. He wold be a lock down corner.

S Gabe York (Arizona guard signee): Who plays in adult leagues when they aren’t cleared yet for high school ball? Gabe York. In our secondary, we need someone that will step up and be physical when we need toughness. Gabe is this guy in our secondary.

S Katin Reinhardt (UNLV guard signee): Katin is known for his flashy plays that change a game. Basically we found our Ed Reed.

Look out Alabama.

Fairfax High School hosted a full day of games for the Fairfax State Preview Classic. The following universities were in attendance: UCLA, California, Utah, Oregon St., Portland, Princeton and Pepperdine

Marqueze Coleman, 6’4, Alemany (2012) – The Nevada Wolf Pack got an absolute steal in Marqueze Coleman by closing the deal in the early signing period. The senior had a game high 36 points, including seven three pointers, in a 80-69 Alemany victory over Santa Monica. Coleman looks like he has put on some muscle since summer that is paying off in a big way. The senior demonstrates high athletic ability that he showed off in a pair of dunks. He has demonstrated before that he can be a lockdown defender, nothing was different against Santa Monica. If he can improve his half court offense inside of the arc he’s going to be a monster in the MWC for the next four years.

Bear Henderson, 6’5, Alemany (2014) – Henderson at 6’5 seems to project to be an undersized big at the next level.  His strengths are his motor as he never gives up on a play which equates to why he’s such a relentless rebounder, as well as he has the ability to step out to about 20 feet and hit the open jumper at a high rate. He does lack the lateral and close out quickness to be able to guard anyone on the perimeter or get past any guards offensively, giving me a lot doubt of him possibly playing a wing. He is only sophomore so his body still has a lot of time to go through physical changes. Henderson told me he holds offers from Colorado & Nevada, and is hearing from most of the PAC-12

Zena Edosomwan, 6’8, Harvard-Westlake (2012) - Edosomwan always had the motor, will and work ethic to become a force to be reckoned with on the low block, that time has finally come. He is relentless on the boards and fighting for post position, gets wide with his strong base with hands up to give his guards a target down low. At times Torrey Pines had all five guys on defense in the paint, just daring Harvard-Westlake to beat them with the outside shot. As a defender he will make you work, in pick and roll defense he does a great job at hedging the screen then staying step for step with guards forcing them farther away from the basket giving them no passing angles. He will only will continue to get better, you can see the improvement every week, and his work ethic proves that. His effort will be felt the first day he steps on campus. Out of his top six schools of Cal, Harvard, Texas, USC, UCLA and Washington one is starting to grow on him, to find out check here: (http://californiapreps.rivals.com/barrier_noentry.asp?ReturnTo=&sid=&script=content.asp&cid=1320183&fid=&tid=&mid=&rid=)

Garrett Galvin, 6’4, Torrey Pines (2012) – Torrey Pines, without Joe Rahon who was out with a head injury, almost pulled off the upset over Harvard-Westlake. Galvin had a game high of 33 points as he continues to be a scoring machine. He might not do anything flashy but he knows how to play basketball and plays it at 110%. The kid has a high basketball IQ, he’s fundamentally sound and has a craftiness that gets him to the basket and the free throw line at will. He does need work on his left hand but has shown flashes he has the ability to use it. The unsigned senior told me he currently has zero D-1 offers but is hearing from UC Davis, Columbia, Cornell and Denver.

Parker Jackson-Cartwright, 5’11, Loyola (2014) – Jackson-Cartwright has the feel and skill to become the top point guard in 2014. His court vision is uncanny, both in the open and half court, as he is a facilitator but can be a scorer by using his craftiness, deadly hesitation move, to create his shot. His passes are extremely crisp as he leads shooters into their shots.  He also has a knack for being around the ball whenever a steal, a tip or an offensive rebound occurs. Jackson-Cartwright is continuing to grow as he now stands at 5’11 and will only get better when he is able to add some muscle. After his 15 point performance in the win I asked what do you consider a good game for yourself he said, “Did I find everybody well. How many assists did I have. How many turnovers. Did I manage the game well. Did I play a balanced game: scoring, assists and rebounding.” He sounds, acts and plays like a team first point guard as he tries to mimic his game after Steve Nash. While he considers his leadership as his largest weakness, I’ve only seen him demonstrate senior like leadership qualities that are extremely rare to see in a sophomore.The young point guard already holds offers from UCLA, USC, Washington, Arizona St., UNLV, and Marquette. Georgetown and Florida St. are the latest schools to offer him.

Payton Banks, 6’6, Orange Lutheran (2013) – During the summer Banks had a terrible case of blinders but for the past month or so he has started to put all the pieces together. At 6’6 he’s a wing who moves very well for his size that can put it on floor, attack, pull up with a deadly midrange game or finish at the rim. He constantly moves without the ball on offense, looking to get the ball in space where he can attack to score or dump it to an open teammate when the double team comes. Banks finished with 18 points in the high scoring affair against Loyola including one windmill dunk that i didn’t know he had in his arsenal. Banks has elevated his game to the next level and I wouldn’t be surprised if he begins to receive PAC-12 interest.

Quick Shots

-Utah signee Josh Hearlihy of Harvard-Westlake played in his first game since being out from a pair of knee injuries. In limited action he was clearly hesitant as he never put the ball on the floor and was mainly a jump shooter, ended up with three made threes.

-Unsigned Loyola senior Jacob Hazzard had 23 points, including five triples, in the win over Orange Lutheran. Hazzard could possibly be the best spot up shooter on the west coast. The knock on him is that he doesn’t put the ball on floor and at only 6’1 is that jumper along with the ability to guard point guards enough to earn him a D-1 scholarship.

-6’7 Darien Williams of Orange Lutheran (2013) continued his terrific play since the start of league play with 22 points in the loss. He was a force down low but didn’t get enough post feeds as he deserved, Loyola had no answer for him.

Other Games

-Price was too long and athletic for the grind it out style Windward team in a 65-41 shellacking. Chance Murray, who holds offers from most of the PAC-12, lead Price with 14 points.

-Serra had a impressive win over Fairfax, tournament host, 50-40. Unsigned senior Kajon Mack lead the way with 16. Brendyn Taylor had many eyes on him, including UCLA and Cal, but was kept under wraps for the most part.

Nike Continues Foamposite Spree, “Varsity Red” Foam One to drop on 2/4

This Saturday February 4^th, 2012 Nike will be releasing a red Foamposite for the first time in 11 years. We’re not talking about one with red accents like the “Cough Drops”, we’re talking about a predominately red Foam, the likes of which we haven’t seen since 2001 when these Red/Black Pros released.

With this being the first drop of 2012 in the Foamposite line, we are greeted with Nike’s new price increase. Claiming that the materials used to produce shoes are becoming more expensive, Nike has raised retail prices on many of its signature releases. Foam Ones, which used to retail at $200, will now retail for $220 starting with these beauties you see below.

These Ones will have a Metallic Red finish (although listed as “Varsity Red” on the box, they are rather shiny) to go along with the clear sole and black nubuck upper. The shoe community loves Foamposites more than ever these days, add to that a solid black and red combination and this release will definitely be a popular one. No one is a fan of the price increase, but most will be willing to pay it (for these at least). Whether or not consumers will be willing to pay $220 for less desirable colorways in the future remains to be seen, however.

In the coming weeks we’ll be sure to see these on the feet of college basketball and NBA stars alike. You can get yours Saturday morning at most of your local spots, or Friday at midnight on sites like Footlocker, Eastbay and Nike.com.