TJ Clemmings- Loving AAU Hoops

TJ Clemmings of Paterson Catholic (NJ) is one of New Jersey's top sophomores. The 6'8 forward/center runs with the Playaz during the AAU season. His U-16 squad was playing up at the U-17 level this past weekend at the Playaz Spring Fling, and I caught up with the big man after his team suffered a tough loss to the Juice Allstars. Despite the defeat, Clemmings stood out as a quality baller.

NB: Being a sophomore, have you begun thinking about colleges yet?
TC: Not right now, I’m not thinking about any really right now. I’m just trying to work on my game and get ready for college.

NB: For next season at the high school level with Paterson Catholic, what [is the team] . . . expecting to accomplish, with [many of] you . . . coming back and being juniors?
TC: Well, we’re going have a better team next year, so . . . we [are] going to win counties again and try to win the state championship.

NB: How are you going to replace [graduating senior Jordan] Theodore?
TC: We got a freshman guard coming in, we got . . . two sophomore guards, so we have to use them and play big.

NB: Playing in these tournaments--you guys are playing up a year--what does that do for you . . . as a team?
TC: Well, it [is] just really showing us how mature we are, playing against older guys. They [are] going to be a little bigger and a little more physical, so just got to play [with] the same intensity with them.

NB: How would you compare playing against older kids at an AAU level, to playing against older kids on the high school level?
TC: [With] AAU, [the refs] let you play more, it’s more runs, and up-and-down, and it’s not really getting fouled. They let you play, they really let you play, so that’s good.

NB: What do you enjoy playing more, high school or AAU [basketball]?
TC: I like AAU more, we go more places really, so I guess that’s why I like it more.

NB: What’s your favorite tournament to be a part of?
TC: Las Vegas, Las Vegas tournaments.

Clemmings is a high caliber player, playing with a top-notch AAU squad. In fact, according to http://scouthoops.scout.com/, TJ's team won the U-17 championship at the Playaz Spring Fling, an impressive feat for any U-16 team, especially considering the numerous talented players involved in the event. Thus, it certainly makes sense that Clemmings is such a big fan of AAU ball. The super sophomore exhibited a nice shooting touch and a rebounding prowess. TJ does not only have great size, standing 6'8, but he has a well-chiseled build. The Paterson Catholic star is bound for success in the years to come.

Upcoming Interviews:

At the Playaz Spring Fling this past weekend, I spoke with junior Dominic Cheek, junior Maalik Wayns, senior Mike Rosario, sophomore TJ Clemmings, sophomore Doron Lamb, and junior Durand Scott. In addition, I caught up with one of America's top sixth grade ballers, Karl Towns, as well as his father, a former player at Monmouth University also named Karl Towns. Check back for these interviews, as I'll be getting them up over the next week or two.

Update on . . . Bob Hurley, Sr. & Tyshawn Taylor

Yesterday I spoke separately to both St. Anthony's (NJ) head coach Bob Hurley, Sr. and one of the Friars' star seniors, 6'4 guard Tyshawn Taylor. My discussions with the two came within 24 hours of Marquette naming Brent "Buzz" Williams its new head basketball coach, replacing the departed Tom Crean. Taylor--who has signed a Letter of Intent to play ball for the Golden Eagles--and his coach both expressed their views on the Marquette situation. "He's going to come in Friday," said Hurley, adding that the pair need to talk about what the differences between Brent Williams as a head coach and an assistant coach will be. Williams is the coach that did Taylor's recruiting, causing Tyshawn to tell me that he feels as if he is "in a better position, . . . because he was talking about what Coach Crean was going to do, but now he's in that position, but at the same time, I asked for my release, and a lot of schools are calling Coach Hurley about me." As of now, he has not been officially let out of his LOI, though he did say that he did "expect to be released," also adding "at the same time, I might end up back at Marquette." Taylor informed me that the schools he is considering are "Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Kansas, Florida, . . . and Marquette, of course." Tyshawn, though, has not "really been talking to [the schools] a lot [because he] can't talk to them [until] he [is granted his] release." For those of you who have followed Taylor's recruitment, you may notice one school that is surprisingly not on his list: Virginia Tech. "Coach Hurley has talked to them a bit, . . . but their name hasn't popped up a lot [in conversations of who is calling]," said Taylor of the Hokies. Another school absent from his list is North Carolina, which Taylor had previously told me was one of his finalists prior to choosing Marquette. Of the Roy Williams' program, Tyshawn had this to say: "Before I had committed to Marquette, they had contacted me, . . . [but] not since asking for my release." The two wild cards on the list are Tennessee and Florida, SEC programs that Taylor had not previously mentioned as finalists for his services, yet they are now on his list because they are "just a couple new schools that called Coach Hurley." I asked the him where he would sign if he had to pick a school right then and there: "I don't know, I think if I had to choose right now, I don't know. It's tough because I like Marquette, but a lot of other teams have been [involved the process since Tom Crean left]. . . . I don't know." Clearly, Taylor is up in the air about where he plans to go, even telling me he is "going to wait as long as possible [to sign because he wants] . . . to make sure [that he makes] the right decision." Going back to what Coach Hurley was saying about Taylor and his recruitment, the living legend in the hoops world said that he has "only met the [new] head coach [Buzz Williams] one time," and informing me upon my inquiry about the subject that Taylor won't be following Crean to Indiana due to the possible "NCAA sanctions" that the Hoosiers could be handed. "I think that as soon as a coach leaves [a school], the kid [who has committed there] should be able to open up [his] recruitment again," said Hurley of his views on coaches walking out of contracts. He also added that Tyshawn "wouldn't be going to Milwaukee [where Marquette is located] to play for just anybody," regarding the player's feeling for Tom Crean. "Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech" are the two other schools that Taylor visited prior to choosing Marquette, and "he's got two visits" left now. I asked Coach Hurley what his role in the recruitment process of a player generally is: "We want everything to go [smoothly] since most of the families are only going to do this once. . . . I'll keep a tab on the schools that are reaching out [to a player]," adding "you got to see that people are coming to practice, coming to games [to see the recruit]." In addition, Hurley mentioned that he'll meet with a player to chop the player's list to around six schools and then "bring the remaining schools in for school visits and home visits, and then make the [campus] visits." It's evident that Bob Hurley is invested in his players and their future.
Let's move on to some other points regarding Hurley, his school, and his players. "It was . . . what everyone shot for. It was a great feeling. . . . Saying it's your goal and doing it can be two different things," said Coach Hurley of his squad's national title. The Friars were ranked number one in just about every ranking out there, including the USA Today Super 25, ESPN High Elite 25, rivals.com Fab 50, and MaxPreps. USA Today, EPSN, and rivals.com all had St. Benedict's (NJ) at number two on the list, a squad that is coached by Bob Hurley's son, Danny Hurley. About the impressive family one-two finish, Bob Hurley said "it's not going to happen again," also mentioning that "Danny [will] complain about the bad foul shooting in the one game they lost, . . . and I'll remind him about the [long layoff they had between games, and tell him that] . . . he should have scheduled a game in the middle." I inquired as to whether or not the two national powerhouses might ever play each other, to which the elder Hurley said "you got a better chance of games being played on the moon." On going undefeated, Hurley remarked that "it can only happen. Your goal is to get better all year. . . . You just got to go out and play the games." The coach mentioned that there is a time in every season with a stretch of tough games, and for the Friars this season "it was Paterson Catholic [in New Jersey] on a Monday and St. Patrick's [in New Jersey] on a Wednesday." The Friars are losing a lot of talent to graduation this year, with nine seniors departing, including Fordham-bound Jio Fontan, Rutgers-commit Mike Rosario, future Pitt Panther Travon Woodall, and Tyshawn Taylor. Hurley said that players will "move up from the freshman [and] JV [teams]," saying that the team will "have to build around Dominic [Cheek]," and also mentioning that "Jamee Jackson" may be a key part of the squad in 2008-2009. I also questioned Coach Hurley about the recruitment Dominic Cheek, a 6'6 junior guard: "We really haven't made a list," also saying that "the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, and even the SEC," are the primary conferences that Cheek is getting interest from. Coach Hurley even went as far as to say that "he's on just about everybody's wish list." Make sure to check back soon for an interview with Dominic Cheek that I got at the Playaz Spring Fling this past weekend.
There is a lot going on with the St. Anthony's Friars right now, and I'll try to fill you in on happenings with the players, including Taylor and Cheek.

Update on . . . Tony Bergeron, Tyreke Evans, & Lamont Jones

Tony Bergeron, the head coach of American Christian Academy (PA) has had his name tossed around regarding a job at Seton Hall, by media outlets including Hoop Scoop. Bergeron, who I spoke with earlier today, says that there is "no truth to any of that," adding that "there's not even an open job at Seton Hall." Even if an offer does come around to head to SHU, Bergeron's history says he may turn it down, as he told me "I had a chance to go [to the college level] three times already, and haven't yet." The coach's reasoning: "Each year I have a new kid that I [don't want to leave]." Coach Bergeron said that it would need to be an "unbelievable situation for [him] to leave," even mentioning that he hasn't "updated [his] resume in eight years," pointing to the fact that he has no plans of leaving ACA. "Any time there is an opening with Bobby Gonzalez, my name is going to come up because of my relationship with him," said Bergeron. This led me to asking whether it was this relationship that got The Hall involved with ACA superstar senior Tyreke Evans: "He got involved with Tyreke because of my relationship with him, but they have done a good job recruting [Evans]." The coach told me that Evans will "announce [his decision] April 16th on ESPN." According to Bergeron, Evans is considering heading to either Memphis, Seton Hall, Texas, Villanova, or UConn. The Huskies may be a longshot though, as I have heard from sources that UConn is Evans' last option. The only school that stands out as missing from Tyreke's list is Louisville, a school that he had previously been seriously considering. "He's not going there," said Bergeron of Louisville, adding that "they have backed off," and "Louisville is officially off by both sides," meaning that the two sides have agreed to no longer stayed involved with each other in the recruiting process. So, Tyreke Evans will NOT be a Louisville Tiger. Meanwhile, Bergeron informed me that Lamont "MoMo" Jones is "wide open," and that the two "won't make a list [of schools] . . . until September." It appears we will have to wait a while to see where the former Louisville-commit will be headed.
"I had a great group of kids. . . . I loved my team. . . . You never had to motivated them. . . . The national title [was the] . . . only part that was missing [from the team's season]," said Bergeron of his squad this year. The coach told me that the school's recent change to being a prep school had "nothing to do with athletics, " and that now the school's official name is "American Christian Academy and Prep School, . . . ACAPS." Coach Bergeron informed me that his team will "be like St. Benedict's," in the fact that the team will be playing high schools but can also "play prep schools," adding that he "won't be recruiting fifth year players for [the] team," yet these kids can still go to ACAPS. I asked Coach Bergeron how not having many young players on this year's team will affect the squad for next year, to which he said" "We had . . . a small amount of underclassmen [this season]," adding "Lamont Jones and Ashraf Yacoubou." Bergeron raved about Yacoubou, saying that "the only thing that held him back [this season] was that Tyreke Evans played the same position." By the way, that is the correctly spelling of his name, as this is how Bergeron told me it's spelled: Ashcraf Yacoubou.
People, just eight days until we find out where Tyreke Evans will take his game for college, and assuming my sources are right, it will not be Connecticut. Do not expect to see Tony Bergeron anywhere other than American Christian next year. He and his team will continue to compete at a high level. I'll try to keep you posted on news involving Evans, Bergeron, or Jones.

Update on . . . Tamir Jackson

For those of you who do not already know, St. Benedict's (NJ) 6'2 junior guard Tamir "Pop" Jackson recently pledged to the UAB Blazers. I spoke with Tamir a few hours ago, and he let me know that he committed "last night." Jackson, a member of Playaz Gold for AAU, told me that he "had liked the school . . . [and] already knew that [he] wanted to go there. . . . [He] just wanted to get [rid of] added pressure, so [he] could go out there and play." I inquired as to whether "Pop" knew of any other juniors considering UAB, and he informed me that "Lance Brown from Paterson Catholic [in New Jersey]," is thinking about the school, adding, "if they offer him [a scholarship], he will consider it." Brown is a 6'3 swingman, about whom Tamir will "talk to [UAB Head] Coach [Mike] Davis." Jackson hadn't specifically planned on committing now, but "the timing felt right," so he pulled the trigger. The commitment has made the star junior feel "like a weight [has been] . . . lifted off [him]." I questioned Tamir about his reasoning for choosing the Blazers over some of the bigger name schools that were after him: "Playing time and the coach/player relationship that I have with Coach Davis, but the main factor was really playing time." Tamir "Pop" Jackson will certainly get to play quite a bit at UAB, as will junior phenom DeMarcus Cousins, and the two could make for an imposing tandem in the C-USA.

Playaz Spring Fling: New York Gauchos vs. Team Phenom

After watching the Playaz/Juice Allstars game, I moved over to another court to watch the highly-regarded New York Gauchos in action. This was another U-17 contest, in which the Gauchos were squaring off against Team Phenom. The Gauchos' roster included Doron Lamb, a sophomore, as well as Durand Scott. Team Phenom had freshman Joey Gripper and Aaron Brown, and was playing up two years, as the squad is of the U-15 age. The Gauchos started off on fire, leading 17-4 after just under six minutes of play. Doron Lamb, one of America's premiere sophomores started off strong, displaying a quick release on his jumper, though he did appear a bit lanky and somewhat awkward. Lamb quickly cooled off and was not much of a factor in the game. Durand Scott had a terrific performance, though. The Rice (NY) star had nice moves to get to the rack, a good handle, and some quickness. In addition, he was solid passing the rock, though he did hurt his hand somewhat late in the first half. Joey Gripper was quiet for Team Phenom and really did not show anything special, possible because he was playing against mostly juniors. The Gauchos were solid from top to bottom, and were too much for Team Phenom to handle, leading 29-9 at the half. I was unable to watch much more of the game, but I saw enough to know that this is a quality team, and realize that Durand Scott is a high-caliber player.

Playaz Spring Fling: Juice Allstars vs. Playaz Red

James, This past weekend, I attended the Playaz Spring Fling. The event featured some of the top talent from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The games were for the U-13, U-15, and U-17 age levels. Saturday morning, I got to the RAC at Rutgers in time to catch a premiere U-16 squad, Playaz Red, playing up a level against the Juice Allstars, sans Lance Stephenson. The Playaz team featured numerous high-caliber players, including Jayon James, TJ Clemmings, Shaquille Thomas, and Fuquan Edwin of Paterson Catholic (NJ), as well as Cameron Ayers and Isaiah Epps. Juice, coached by Dwayne "Tiny" Morton of Lincoln (NY) boasted a top-notch freshman on its U-17 squad, 5'9 Isaiah Morton of St. Augustine (NJ). The Playaz seemed heavily overmatched at first, falling behind 15-2. Jayon James appeared lazy and sloppy at the beginning of the contest, though he did shoot the ball quite bit, yet not much seem to fall, as his range didn't seem to extend out beyond about 17 or 18 feet. Juice's big man was just that, big, and although he didn't move around that much, he was solid on the glass with eight-foot range. In addition, he hustled back to play D. The big's last name was Jospeh, though I'm not positive of his first name, as rosters were not handed out. Isaiah Morton was spectacular for his team in the first 15 minutes of play. He was not afraid to shoot, displayed impressive quickness, and good passing skills. Morton was a bit flashy at time, and is on the small side, but he certainly talented. Juice was taking lots of threes, and they were hitting quite a few. The Playaz' standout in the first half was easily TJ Clemmings. The big man is extremely muscular, with nice rebounding ability, and a solid jumper. The younger Playaz were able to cut the deficit to eight at the half, as they trailed 28-20. In the second 15 minutes of play, Cameron Ayers showcased his stellar jump-shot. Shaquille Thomas' play was inconsistent, yet he clearly has talent. Fuquan Edwin had a nice second half, displaying athleticism, a good basketball IQ, and evident talent. Clemmings continued to play well in the second half, using nice post moves on the blocks. In addition, he continued to grab boards and shoot well, and also showed that he is physical and strong. TJ Clemmings is the real deal. Jayon James, who struggled all throughout the game, was getting easily frustrated. Isaiah Morton kept it up in the second half. The lightning-quick guard is a heads-up player with great speed. When it was all said and done, the Juice Allstars came away with the W, by a final score of 62-58. After the loss, I talked with TJ Clemmings. I'll post that interview shortly.