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Who is the best player you have ever played against? Why was this player so hard to guard or score against?

Marreese Speights because of his size and athleticism. I couldn’t get to the basket on him

Why did you choose Florida over the other schools that heavily recruited you?

It was my dream school plain and simple.

What player in the NBA do you compare yourself to?

Everywhere I go I get compared to Dwight Howard.

How was it like playing in the McDonald’s All American game?

It was hard man I had to go out there and get my points and rebounds because guards don’t like giving the ball up. However Ray McCallum was probably the best passer on my team though.

Who impressed you the most over the weekend there? Who do you think is the best player in your class?

That’s tough because I really only saw the East team play twice. I will give you my favorite though on the west and east. On the West was Terrance Jones and on the East was Kyrie Irving. The best player in the class I think should be out of Perry Jones and Corey Joseph.

Where do you think you should be ranked?

It’s all politics and rankings aren’t gonna help anyone in college, they don’t matter at all.

How do you workout during the school year?

I have two coaches and lift weights with my dad

What do you like better AAU or school basketball? What AAU team did you play on?

AAU because you don’t have to worry about school work and you can just focus on basketball. I played on the Jacksonville Bulls

What is your strongest characteristic in you being a great player?

My strongest characteristic would be that I’m so passionate and hustle and never take a play off.

Who is your biggest role model?

Jesus Christ.

What do you think you have to get better at in your game?

I think i need to improve my offensive game.

When did you get your first recruitment letter and from whom?

I got my first letter from Jacksonville University my sophomore year

What would you say to kids who want to play D-1 and beyond but can’t get any exposure?

Never give up on your dream because you never know who is out there watching you.

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Recently , I spoke with Saint Frances Academy’s Greg Lewis about his current college process and where he stands in it. I was able to do a short & sweet interview with him. Check it out below.

What is your current list of schools? Any Top 3?
My list:MD,Ohio st,Villanova,USF,Umass and Rutgers. I have no top 3 but will narrow them by the end of the summer

Any upcoming visits?
I plan to visit Villanova this week

How do you feel about Rutgers new coach. So far, Coach Rice has been doing well with his recruiting. Did the change in coaches and situation affect your decision with Rutgers?
The change in coaches with rutgers did not change the situation with them.

What are you looking for in a college and basketball program?
How well I can progress in the time while im there and also can I fit into the program

Nova had a hard time in March Madness this year. Do you believe things will be different for them next year and the following year?
I think they will have good team this year with several players coming back and a few underclassmen getting more minutes

Are you a one and done player or education is important to you?
Education is very important to me

Are you a fan of the Big East? if not what conference
I am a fan of the Big East

What do you like about Maryland?
Maryland is where im from so its very close to home also that it is in the acc conference

This is the first blog entry for boxofmess.com!

I thought about spicing up the site a bit and writing about events I attend, people I meet and more. Now, I hope many of you are watching the world cup. If so good! But let me tell you… most of the games have been so boring! Teams that are suppose to do well are horrible *cough Italy Cough* And it seems like ties are the new trend in soccer. As a soccer player I do enjoy the games but seriously what is going on?

Now, one game that had me on the edge was the US game the other day. Seriously, it was like getting kicked in the stomach for a good 86 minutes straight and then receiving an ice cream sundae and a million bucks at the end. Landon Donovan is the man and definitely got it done. That goal was a won or done and he definitely won that game for the US. Dempsey had so many chances and couldn’t get it in and I don’t even know what was up with Altidore.

The only teams who are keeping up with their usual “winning” habits are Germany, Brazil and Portugal… Brazil and Portugal more than Germany. Italy…. I don’t even want to talk about them, not worth it. Felt like I was watching 5 year olds kicking a ball around for fun, they did not have any creativity to create opportunities… What was up with that? England’s coach ” We can win the World Cup” umm…. no you can’t, especially if you get booed by your own fans during a game. Wayne Rooney is suppose to be the “England’s Golden Child” but he has not been performing well. Is it him getting older? The boots he has? Too much pressure? Whatever it is, he was not good. It’s like Rooney and Lionel Messi are struggling this year in the World Cup (props to Lionel Messi and Argentina, I think Messi is seriously one of the best players now but in national competition he doesn’t produce) Where are the many goals guys? Snazz it up a bit for all of us watching the game.

I can’t wait for the semis, that is when things get intense. All the not so good teams are “weed’ed” out  and good soccer will be witnessed…..well hopefully.

What do you guys think about the World Cup?

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Hey what’s good yall, it’s Nigel! I just recently returned home from the Nike hoop Jamboree in St. Louis! It was an All-Star camp that hosted the top 125 incoming sophomores and Juniors in the country. It went really well, I was definitely glad I went. It was great to see all the talent and match up against the best in my class and the class above. My goal heading to the camp was to keep establishing myself as a leader and as a top PG in the country. Reflecting on my goals i feel satisfied with my results. I got great feed back on my leadership skills and ended up being one of the top scores in the camp. Going to Findlay Prep, really helped me prepare for a camp of this caliber. Playing against top competition everyday prepared me for success. Heading into my second year at Findlay Prep im excited to play a larger role with the team. Last year was a huge adjustment for me, learning the game at a high level and learning to be patient. Due to this I feel hungrier than ever to compete. I ended the year with a 4.0 GPA which was a great accomplishment given the challenging academics at our school. People ask me all the time why I chose to attend such an elite basketball program my freshman year, and it is truly because I know in order to stay on top I have to be challenged everyday. At Findlay I learned from the best, coaches and players. Another question I get a lot is about recruitment. As of June 21st I have 6 scholarship offers including; Washington, UNLV, Oregon, Oregon State and Hawaii. I have also been hearing from numerous other programs such as, UCONN, Arizona, West Virginia, Mississippi State and others. This process is new for me as I just ended my freshman year, but I am enjoying the relationships that I am building. My family and I will make the decision together whenever we feel the time is right and we are 100% sold in our decision. Im getting ready for a busy July, I will definately be keeping yall up to date with how everything goes. I will be playing with Pump N Run Elite 17u out of L.A. Should be a fun summer! For now, God bless.

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Basketball Fans Across The Globe,
School is out and I can’t be more excited. I had another successful basketball season at Nia Prep, averaging 18 points and 6 assists. I am pleased to say that I will be working on my game all summer to try and improve my overall IQ for the game, and statistics for next season. My main goal though, is to win that prep national title that I always wanted.
Outside of playing for my school, my AAU team, Long Island Lightning, did extremely well. We won the Bob Gibbons tournament in North Carolina, currently known as one of the biggest AAU tournaments going on during memorial weekend. Unfortunately, I was not selected to go the NBA camp i wanted to go to, but my teammate Shaquille Thomas was chose to go and represented NIA Prep. Myself, an Shaq Thomas will be attending Hoop Group Eastern Invitational July 5-8. Subsequently, I will be heading out to Miami the same weekend as the Peach Jam Tournament. Immediately after that I will be going to the Super Showcase and the AAU Nationals with the Long Island Lightning in Orlando, FL. Throughout the summer I will be honing my game, and going against some tough competition in the world famous Rucker Park Tournament, in Harlem, NY.
Over the next few weeks I will be focusing mainly on becoming a better basketball player in all aspects of my game, but also concentrating on becoming more mature as I prepare for my senior season, and serving as a role model to young ball players in my community, in Hillside, NJ. In my next entry I will have an update on my performances in the every event that I spoke about in this article. I will also, have an update on my performances in the Zoo Crew, in Newark, NJ.
Until then, stay safe and God Bless!!
P.S. Follow me on Twitter @KelvinAmayo. And you can check out my highlight tape from the Donoforio Challenge in Pennsylvania.

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I just finished finals. Glad to get that off my chest. I also just had my last summer league game with Jesuit. My friend Jack (Grodahl) was getting boards like usual. Most underrated player in the nation. No one can guard him one on one. Hope my big friend Jordan (Akwenuke) has a quick recovery. He had a nasty fall in the last session of EYBL in LA, and left with a concussion after he had a seizure. It was scary and we are all praying for him. We need him badly because he surveys the D so well and is a great shot blocker. He has been doing everything he can to come back. Yesterday, he told me he was doing pull-ups and sit ups all day. Along with numerous ball handling drills in the garage. Next year we are going for our third state championship in a row, which has never been completed at the 6A level in Oregon. After our first two championships, we got a lot of recognition at our school. For example, theirs a kid in my grade named Ryan Benson who is a huge fan of mine. He is always asking for pictures with me. I hope he reads this because I appreciate him being such a loyal fan and following my progress over the years. The fans are what make basketball so fun.

Just went through customs on my way to Toronto. Crazy how much security they make you go through. I am on my way to the U18 Jr. Canadian National team tryouts. I got off the plane and it was straight to practice. I got there with 10 minutes left so I was able to watch. There was a lot of talent in the gym, which made me excited to start playing with them in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, I had to miss the first 3 days of tryouts before today because of my school’s finals. On the way back to the dorms, I walked with a kid named Sim Bhullar. He is the biggest person I have ever seen, standing at 7’ 4”. He would even make my dad feel small, who is 7 feet tall. At dinner, he filled his tray with two plates of food and finished it all. First day of training camp starts tomorrow.

The first couple of days of camp have been very tough. We have been doing two a days, which are tough on your body. I am getting through it because we have an amazing coaching staff. The trainers make us do warm-ups and cool downs/icing every practice. In between practices, I try to go back to the dorms to rest. However, the beds we have are like 6 feet long and my legs hang off the edge. I cannot imagine how Sim feels when he sleeps.

Today the coaches made the finals cuts and I am now officially part of the team. It is an honor to be part of this because we get to represent Canada. Although I was born in the U.S., I have dual citizenship because my dad is from Canada. The reason I chose to play for them was because my dad played for the national team and my sister, Jordan Adams, currently plays for the senior women’s national team. I look up to both of them, so I wanted to be just like them and represent my dad’s country. In addition, they were both successful and enjoyed the experience.

I just received an invitation to play in the Jordan Brand All-Canada classic game up here so I am looking forward to playing in that. It is going to be played in the Air Canada centre where the Toronto Raptors play at. We are on our way to a hotel right now, and glad to get out of the dorm beds. Game is tomorrow night.

Shout out to my boy Myck Kabongo, he is going crazy in the locker room right now. We are all excited for the game, over 6,000 people in the arena right now.

Game was crazy. The crowd was loud and our team came from behind. I played good and most importantly I got a key stop at the end and we ended up winning by 1. Tomorrow Myck and I are leaving for NBA camp at the University of Virginia.

NBA top 100 camp was a great experience. There were many NBA guys there so it taught us a lot on and off the court. Some pros that were there were Ime Udoka, Antonio Davis, Theo Ratliff, Maurice Evans, and my coach, Jerry Stackhouse. During the games, I was able to play against some of the top competition in the nation. Another thing I enjoy about these type of events, is we are able to meet a bunch of new people, that have the same dream of playing professionally some day. Tomorrow morning, we leave for Toronto for a couple more practices before San Antonio. There we are trying to qualify for the FIBA world championships next year.

I enjoy traveling and playing basketball, but I also miss home. I miss my little bro Sam, who is probably still on the driveway shooting like he was when I left or playing his PSP that he never lets leave his sight. He is going to be a great player some day because he loves the game already, constantly talking about the NBA. I also miss my sister, Ariana, who is an absolute beast in volleyball. She is going into the 8th grade next year and she is already 6’3”! I wish her the best of luck next weekend because she has a big tournament in Reno. I also miss my parents. I know if they could, they would be at everyone of my basketball events.

I have a busy summer ahead of me. After San Antonio, I have a couple days off. Then after that I am going to Lebron James Skills Academy. Straight from there, I am meeting up with my AAU team, the Oakland Soldiers, at the Peach Jam. Then we are going to Vegas and maybe LA after that. I am thankful to God for allowing me to play the game I love everyday. And I know I am going to work hard everyday to help me reach my potential. As far as recruiting, I’m staying open right now and hope to create a top 5 to 7 schools after the summer. Well I’m about to start packing for San Antonio, so thanks for reading everyone. Maybe I will see some of you at some of the events.

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When boxofmess.com started one of our first interviews was with Rider’s Ryan Thompson. And now we are proud to say that Ryan will be going to the draft! We are happy to present this interview with Ryan Thompson.

Hey Ryan, first off who do you credit with helping you become the player you are now?
My family, my highschool and college coaches and my AAU coach.

Growing up who introduced you to basketball?
My dad.

What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten from someone that you will always remember?
Keep working hard and dont let anyone tell you that you cant do something.

When coming out of high school, why did you finally decide to attend Rider?
It was close to home, I got to play with my brother and I liked the school, coaches and the team alot.

Going into your senior season at Rider, what were some of your goals you had set for that year?
To be a leader and help that team get to the NCAA tournment.

How has your brother, Jason helped you in this process?
Yeah he is always giving me advice on this whole process and what things I need to do.

Talk about the process of selecting an agent and what difficulties you may have come across?
It was not a hard decision for me I knew from the beginning I was going to sign with Leon Rose with CAA.

What were some of the type of questions you were asked by NBA teams when they interviewed you?
-what is your family like?
-what do you do outside basketball?
-what positiion I would play in the NBA?

Do you have a funny story from the Draft process?
No, not really

Who’s the jokester in the 2010 NBA Draft?
Tyren Johnson

What teams did you workout for?
Spurs (twice), Kings, Rockets, Timberwolves, Bobcats, Heat, Nets(twice), TrailBlazers, Jazz, Pistons, Suns, Mavericks

Who impressed you the most while working out with them?
I like Paul George’s game.

What player in the draft class with you this year is the most underrated in your eyes?
Underratted-Patrick Christopher

What position do you see yourself playing in the NBA?
Shooting guard

How do you feel you match up against the other guards in the League?
I can match up good, I have good size and length.

How are you going to prepare guarding the superstars of the league?
I have to work on my foot speed and get better everyday.

What player are you dreading having to guard in the NBA?
Kobe or LeBron.

What type of coach is your kind?
A strict coach.

If you were an NBA GM with the same situation, where would you draft yourself?
Late first, early second

What are your draft night plans?
watch it at my house with my family then go to a place where all my friends will be afterwards.

Who do you train with in the off season?
My brother with Jerry Powel in New York.

What type of training regiment are you plugged into when getting ready for the up-coming season?
Get up early and workout everyday and earn a spot.

Once you get NBA money, what are you going to do to save up, and what will be your first big purchase?
Car and a place to live and that will be bascailly it for a while.

How are you going to use your new fame and money to make an impact on the world and on your community?
Help out with camps and things around where I live.

Did you have a favorite team growing up? Favorite player(s)?
I likes the sixers growing up but my favorite player was Penny Hardaway.

If you were offered a shoe sponsorship, what brand would you like to get sponsored by?
I would take any.

If you weren’t a basketball player what profession would you have?
Sports commentator.

Are you a big fan of NBA video games? How is it going to be playing as yourself in games?
Yeah I play the games sometimes and it would be cool to play as myself.

If you could choose any team to play for in the NBA what team would it be?
At this point I would play for any team.

If you could spend one month training with one player in NBA history teaching you the game, dead or alive, in their prime, who would it be and
why?
Michael Jordan because I feel he is the best player that played this game.

Who was the toughest player to guard that you matched up with in your career, high school or college? Who did the best job of guarding you?
Toughest matchup was probally Tyreke Evans.

What player do you compare your own game to?
Courtney Lee

What do you feel you have to improve in your game for the professional level?
Consistent 3 point shooting.

When you were coming out of high school and not considered one of the elite prospects in America, did you believe you would be in the position you are today?
I felt as if I kept putting hard work in that the sky was the limit for me.

What are your goals for next season?
Get on a team and play as much as possible.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Still playing in the NBA.

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It appears that Pat Martin enjoyed his visit at South Carolina. South Carolina is currently tied with the other schools he mentioned (check out below) and so far those are the top schools in a battle over Pat Martin. He will be making another visit to a school this weekend. Currently there are 5 schools that are tied for him for the “Top Schools”. Question is Which school will win him over? So far, I haven’t heard about any other school in the mix so it is just between those schools unless a “surprise” comes into the race for Pat Martin. Below is a brief convo I had with Pat Martin that will pretty sum up his visit at South Carolina.

Me
How was your visit to South Carolina?

Pat
Good

Me
Are they a running top contender or maybe?

Pat
Still tied

Me
What schools are tied?

Pat
UNC,South Car,LSU,UCLA,Tennesee

Me
Those schools are the top ones for you?

Pat
Yes

Me
What did you do on your visit? Talked to the coach?

Pat
Tour the campus, the locker rooms

Me
Was there anything you were iffy about there or no?

Pat
Naw everything was okay

Me
Could you see yourself playing there? and possibly going to the NFL from there

Pat
Yes they produce great DB’s

Me
What was one thing you really liked while you where there?

Pat
How the coaches are always smiling and happy

Me
haha that’s always good, even when it’s extremely hot and humid down there

Pat
Heck yeah, I’m going to Tennesee this weekend

Let’s see how things go for Pat during his visit to Tennessee this weekend, will they still be tied after?

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For Basketball LaQuinton Ross liked RU and for Football Savon Huggins likes Rutgers. This Jersey native has interest from all colleges all over but no matter what, he still has RU on his list. Saint Peter’s High School Savon Huggins is considered one of the top players in his position and his age group. This is what ESPNU Evaluation has to say about him: Huggins grows on you the more you watch and see his every-down running back potential at the next level. He has a good sized frame with the room to add significant bulk through his hip-base and lower-body. Attacks the hole and gets North-South quickly. Doesn’t waste a lot of time finding the cutback, planting and accelerating downhill with very good burst through the second level. Reaches top-speed quickly for a bigger back but has the great feet and natural vision to still jump-cut, sidestep and simply juke defenders through the hole. Runs hard with good determination and downhill strength. Finishes the run, spins and bounces off a lot first contact. The type of back who looks to get stronger with carries. Has good top-end and long speed in the second level and can pull away with his impressive stride. Our main concern would be his upright running style at times. Would like to see him run more behind his pads for increased power and to enhance durability in a high carry role at the next level. More effective in downhill power-running schemes than as an outside zone runner or perimeter back. . Flashes great feet and agility to make defenders miss through the hole but does show he can gear down at times when trying to cut at full speed. Will need to continue adding bulk and lower-body power to remain productive in that type of role in college but he appears to be a feisty competitor who will put forth the effort in the weight room. Hands and blocking skills could improve as well but there are few back as well-rounded and consistent as Huggins in this class. No wonder schools are out for this kid. I was able to do a brief interview with Savon, mostly about RU, but still…it appeared that whenever he narrows his list…. RU will still be on it.

When will you commit?
Probably on signing day

Does RU have a slight advantage?
yea RU is in it but I didn’t narrow it down with the other schools yet

When you mean RU is in it but didn’t narrow down the other schools what do you mean?
RU is in my top 10 but I’m not sure about the other 9

Any upcoming visits?
Norte Dame, Wisconsin and Florida

How many offers do you have?
Everyone pretty much besides Texas and Oklahoma

What is your favorite conference and why?
In terms of watching sec because its so competitive

What kind of coach are you looking for?
I’m looking for coach with a lot of experience knows how to win who has he coached where have they gone. What separates him from others the connections he has and the conference change has a little affect but not that much

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What’s up world,

I graduated from high school three weeks ago, and now I’m just getting ready to head down to DC to go to school. I took some time off after graduation so now I am getting back after it pretty hard, but its going well so far. I am lifting about four times a week, and doing basketball stuff either playing or just working on my game every day. Without aau in the spring it feels good to play as much pickup as possible. I am getting a lot stronger, and stuff like that so hopefully I will be all ready to go when I head down to school in July. I have been doing a lot of work in the pool too, which at first I thought was some soft stuff, but if you do it the right way can be a solid workout and it makes the body feel pretty good after.

That’s about it though. Finding time to spend with family and friends while also sticking to workout stuff has been hard but I think I have done a decent job managing it. I will miss a lot of people when I am at school but especially my mom. Talking to guys on the team, and the coaches, everyone is doubting us a bit with big Greg leaving so hopefully everyone is motivated by that and we prove some people wrong…

Nice to see some kids from the high school team getting some recognition. Alex Murphy and Kaleb tarczewski are both killing it right now on the aau circuit, would be nice to see them in Hoya uniforms. Little brother Eli is doing well, working hard and expanding his game each day. Melsahn Basabe is doing his thing at Iowa, and Dave Johnson and Erik Murphy are home from school so hopefully we will all be able to workout soon.

Catch you all next month, Go Celtics, and follow me on twitter @natelubick

Peace, NATE