Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight went for a combined 50 points to lead Team Breakdown over D-One Sports in the final of the Rbk Summer Championships in Las Vegas. The 6-2, 185-pound Boynton, Rivals No. 3 shooting guard in the Class of 2009, says he’s considering Florida, Memphis, Texas, Duke and Georgia Tech. Knight, the No. 2 junior point guard, has a long list including many major programs.
**John Wall tallied 20 points in the final for D-One Sports and scored 30 points in two other games on the week. The No. 1 player in the Class of 2009 according to Rivals is rumored to be close to committing to Oklahama state but his coach says otherwise.
“John has not decided where he will attend college, nor when he will decide to make a decision,” Brian Clifton wrote in an email.
His list includes Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Oregon, Kansas, Baylor, Memphis, Oklahoma and N.C. State, according to Jody Demling.
**Ryan Kelly, a 6-9, 205-pound PF from Raleigh (NC) Ravenscroft School, converted just 4-of- 13 from the field for 12 points while grabbing two rebounds for D-One Sports. Still, Kelly’s stock has improved this summer, especially after he played on the U.S. U18 National Team that reached the finals of the FIBA Americas U18 Championship in Argentina. Kelly is a top student, with offers from many elite academic programs, including Georgetown, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Stanford, Virginia, Vanderbilt and Davidson. Demling also reports that Louisville has become involved.
**Ro Russell’s Grassroots Canada squad won the adidas Super 64 event, 88-79, over the Compton Magic behind Marquette commit Junior Cadougan and Texas-bound junior Tristan Thompson of St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. Thompson, who will be counted on big-time this year by Dan Hurley now that Samardo Samuels (Louisville) and Greg Echenique (Rutgers) are off to college, went 15 of 22 from the stripe in the final.
**Justin Young of Rivals showed some love for Rutgers recruit Dane Miller, who committed for 2009:
“Dane Miller should be a fine player at Rutgers because of his versatility and ability to be plugged into interchangeable positions. In a thirty second stretch against Houston Elite, the Rivasl150 prospect grabbed a rebound, started the break, made the assist, got back on defense, blocked a shot and started a break again. That, in a nutshell, is his game. He’s not going to score bunches of points with the best of them but he’s a high-major glue guy that will be a valuable player for Fred Hill.”
**The DC Assault 16s beat the Playaz of New Jersey in the semis and New Heights of New York in the final to win the adidas Super 64. Isaiah Epps of the Playaz and Plainfield High had 23 points in a 78-74 semifinal loss. Epps holds offers from Maryland, Pitt, Rutgers and Seton Hall and is an elite guard in the Class of 2010. JayVaughn Pinkston of Bishop Loughlin continued to play well for New Heights, pouring in 29 points in one game, according to NYCHoops.net.
**Lance Stephenson had an uneven week, according to various reports, but Norm Roberts of St. John’s, Bill Self of Kansas, Tim Floyd of USC and Ben Howland of UCLA all watched him at various times. That is consistent with the list of schools Lance and his father say they are considering, although Lance was quoted as saying he wouldn’t pick a college until April.
Next up for Stephenson is the adidas Basketball Experience in Dallas Aug. 7-12, where he will be joined by Derrick Favors, Dexter Strickland of St. Patrick of Elizabeth and Dominic Cheek of St. Anthony, among others. After that, New York City fans can watch Stephenson and the 24 top players in the class in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event Aug. 22 at Rucker Park in Harlem.
**Speaking of Cheek, he went for 50 points in a summer league game Wednesday night, but has not yet begun to cut down his list of schools. Cheek previously told me Villanova was “showing him the most love.”
**Incoming Rutgers women’s guard Nikki Speed , one of five McDonald’s All-Americans for legendary coach C. Vivian Stringer, was part of the U18 National Team that routed Argentina, 81-37, to win the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women.
(Photos courtesy Rivals, Washington Post, USA Basketball)
