The July recruiting period will wind down with a one-day event known as the Summer Classic on Saturday at Fordham University.
Among the featured teams expected are: New Heights, NJ Playaz, Long Island Lightning, Metro Hawks, Expressions, NY Panthers, Team NJABC and Juice All-Stars.
Some of the top players on hand will be Maurice Harkless, Jermaine Sanders, Sidiki Johnson (Arizona), Myles Mack, Myles Davis, Desmond Hubert, Derrick Randall, Nkereuwem Okoro and Daniel Dingle.
“We love traveling, but we also wanted to create an event that brought the experience home,” New Heights AD Kimani Young said. “We feel like New York is the center of the basketball universe and, as such, we thought there should be a tournament that capitalizes on that energy. Our goal is to produce a high quality NYC summer basketball event for the top prospects, coaches and programs in the Tri-State area. That means quality basketball, quality facilities, quality officiating, quality competition and high quality NCAA academic workshops. Last year’s event was a tremendous success, with 32 teams participating and more than 100 college coaches in attendance. This year’s event promises to be even bigger and better.”
ANDERSON PILING UP OFFERS
One player who won’t make the Summer Classic is St. Anthony junior guard Kyle Anderson of the Playaz Basketball Club.
The 6-8 Anderson is battling tendonitis and will see a specialist on Friday, his father said. He will shut it down until the adidas Nations event in Chicago Aug. 6.
Still, he played brilliantly on the summer circuit and now boasts offers from Louisville, Kentucky, Arizona, Georgia Tech, DePaul, UMass, Wake Forest, Maryland, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Miami, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Georgetown, Xavier and interest from North Carolina, Indiana, Baylor, Virginia, Oklahoma State, Kansas and Memphis.
For more on Anderson, read my recent feature here.
YOUNG LEADING SELECT TEAM TO TURKEY
As part of the World Basketball Festival next month in New York, Nike will feature the Battle of the Boroughs on Aug. 13-14 at Rucker Park.
Four teams representing Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx will square off. The four teams will also hold practices leading up to the event.
A 10-man All-Star team will then be selected from the games that will compete in Turkey Aug. 22-27 in connection with the FIBA World Championships.
Among the New York players who could make the All-Star game are uncommitted Jermaine Sanders of Rice, uncommitted Kadeem Jack of South Kent (pictured) and Arizona-bound Sidiki Johnson of Oak Hill.
“We’re going to be selecting 10 players from the 40 players that will be participating in the Battle of the Boroughs,” said head coach Kimani Young, who will coach the All-Star team along with Bernard Bowen and Dennis Kazimir.
“We’ll play a game against the Turkey U18 National Team as well as scrimmage against some of the other 18U National Teams.”
Team USA, featuring Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo and Chauncey Billups, faces Croatia Aug. 26 in Istanbul.
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