2011 College Basketball Recruiting Prospects: Who Is No. 1?

It seems like every year college basketball recruits take the game by storm. You have the game-changers, or as Dickie V would say "Diaper-Dandies" or "P.T.P'ers, Prime Time Players." 

It really doesn't matter what you call them, because they're still going to give your their all every-minute while on the court.

These are the players that college programs wish they could, or grateful to have. The 2011 recruiting class is jam-packed with a lot of talent. 

You have the up-and-coming players like a Luke Mergerson. He is a 6'7'' Power Forward that makes the opposition look invisible on the low block.

Then you have Quincy Miller, and Michael Gilchrist. These two are arguably the two best forwards in the recruiting class. But, who is the No. 1 overall recruit?

Here are four prospects, you choose:

Marquis Teague PG 6'2'' 

School: Kentucky

Marquis Teague is the best point guard in the upcoming recruiting class. He is 6'2'' and has the ability to create for others. 

He displays great vision and the ability to get into the gaps and make the right passes.

He is a smart player that knows a lot about the game. That works well on both offense and defense.

What makes him the best point guard in the recruiting class is his ability to be a big-time scorer. He can create for himself just like he can create for others.

He changes speed better than any player in the country. He looks like he will be more comfortable in an up-tempo offense but I think he would fit in any kind of offense. 

He has already committed to the Kentucky Wildcats for the 2011 season, and I think Coach Calipari will turn him into a lottery pick once he decides to leave as well.

Quincy Miller PF 6'10''

School: Undecided

Quincy Miller is a big time player. He has the winners’ mentality and cannot be stopped on the court.

He can be one of the greatest players in the class of 2011. In my opinion, he is the best!

He has the ability to score at will. When he gets around the painted area, he finishes strong around the rim, highlighted by a lot of dunks on defenders.

Not just that, he has the ability to control the rock at 6'10''. 

With his ball-handling skills come a lot of crossover dribbles that sends defenders to the floor and follow-up jumpers.

What makes Miller the best player in the recruiting class is his attack mode.

Once he is zoned in and he is looking to attack you all game. It's nothing pretty. He can put down 50 a night if he wanted to.

But while in his attack mode, he shares the ball, runs the offense, makes his team better and most importantly defends the ball.

He has the ability to be a weak-side shot blocker showing great lateral quickness and good jump on the ball.

Whichever team acquires Miller is looking forward to a big time player. Everybody wants him, but only one team can have him.

Michael Gilchrist SF 6'6''

School: Kentucky

To many college basketball scouts, Gilchrist is the best player in the upcoming 2011 recruiting class. 

He has good ball-handling skills that he incorporates well into his offense. He crosses defenders over, and beats them off the dribble. 

In transition, he can play the point guard role and push the ball. It's a lot of things Gilchrist can do well, but the most notable one is compete.

He is a joy to have on your team. He is always eager to get better, and compete with the best. He constantly is working on his game, what some would call a gym rat. Not to mention, he is an all-around team player.

He is a potent offensive player that can score in many ways. He can pull up with range to about 20 feet, and attack the lane better than any small forward in the country.

However, when he is on the court it isn't all about him. He can create for others as well. He can pass the ball efficiently setting up his teammates whenever he can.

He displays point guard like vision, at 6'6'' and the ability to pass the ball.

There has been word that Gilchrist may decommit from his verbal agreement with the University of Kentucky, so he may not be a lock.

It really doesn't matter what school he goes to, they're going to drool over his potential and skills.

Austin Rivers PG/SG 6'4''

School: Undecided

Austin Rivers is the son of current Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers. With that, you can understand that he has a high understanding of basketball.

Rivers is a very versatile guard. Many have him as a shooting guard, but he can also play point guard. While being present at the Elite Youth Basketball League, I noticed he took the more traditional role of playing point guard.

He hit three-point jumpers consistently and started getting his teammates involved with the offense. However, he came down with an ankle-sprain, which pulled him out of the game.

Along with his ability to stretch the floor is his aggressiveness. He likes to penetrate the lane. Most defenders like to play him close because of his deadly range, but that's when he penetrates and scores around the basket.

He handles the ball very well and displays a lot of go-to-crossover moves. His most famous, jab step and shoot is the most effective, but he can also do other moves to send defenders to the floor.

Not to mention, he is a very explosive guard. He has major leaping ability and likes to throw it down when he can. He has countless dunks over defenders and that will continue the more he plays basketball.

He is a big-time player that can give you key minutes at any guard position. The Florida Gators seem to be his front-runners but Duke, KU, and Kentucky has also been added to the mix.

His recruiting process will be interesting to see.

So what do you think? Who is the best 2011 college basketball prospect, Miller, Rivers, Teague or Gilchrist?

Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Renardo Sidney a Mississippi State Bulldog For One-Year?

Mississippi State big man Jarvis Varnado was just drafted in the NBA Draft not too long ago. That left a hole in the Bulldogs frontcourt that they needed to fulfill.


The one answer to that problem was freshman Renardo Sidney. As a true freshman, Sidney wasn't allowed to play because he received improper benefits and lied to investigators when asked about it.


Well we are now starting to see just how much Twitter can tell us about a person. However, we are now starting to see how much it can keep us alert of the latest rumors.


Sidney sat out a year and is now going to play in the 2010-11' season with the Bulldogs. However, on his Twitter page (@Da_DiFFRENCE) he tweeted "NYC #2011 "Believe dat"."


This was post-marked on June 23rd the day before the 2010 NBA Draft.


So, with that said, how safe are you if you're a Mississippi State fan? Do you believe he will leave after one-year of college basketball and go to the pros?


More on this story will come later....Click here to see the actual tweet


Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Why Butler Will Keep Having National Success

Everyone remembers George Mason's Final Four run but does anyone besides their fans know where they are now?

With Brad Stevens at the helm, it's almost a sure fire bet that this will not happen to the Bulldogs.

I remember watching the Final Four game against Michigan State during a timeout when the announcers were talking about Stevens and the success he has had since taking over at Butler.

All I could think was that he'd be leaving when the season was over to go somewhere bigger.

Thank goodness for Butler he didn't.

"First and foremost, I'm loyal to Butler," Stevens said.

His 89-15 record is best for his first 100 games in Butler history.

Also, Butler is sure to be ranked in the preseason Top 25 with stars Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack returning to come in with a trio of solid recruits.

Khyle Marshall, the highest rated incoming recruit for the Bulldogs, stands at 6-6 and is known for

his play above the rim.

With that said, they obviously have enough talent to compete with the best in the country, not to mention their own conference.

Butler will always be atop the Horizon League. It seems as if they are a full step ahead of everyone else in the conference.

In Stevens' first three seasons, he is 49-5 in conference play.

It almost seems as if Butler is starting to compete with Memphis and Gonzaga as teams that dominate their conference every season. Well, they have to if they don't want to be the next George Mason.

It's obvious that Butler has the talent to keep having this national success that they enjoyed last season, they just have to keep living up to their potential.

It's going to be great to see if last season's Cinderella can fill the role again next season. It's not that farfetched of a prediction, either.

Written By Collin O'Connor

One-and-Done Players Becoming More Popular In College Basketball?

College Basketball has always been a very interesting sport to me. Some of the best young-talent has the chance to showcase just how good they are while still getting a college education.

However, there were some of those players that didn't need college and surpassed college and went straight to the NBA.

Well just five years ago David Stern, the NBA commissioner, changed the rule and said you had to be at least 19 years of age, or played one-year of college basketball.

That was most definitely great for the college game. Not only could we see some of the best talent, but we could possibly see it going to our favorite schools.

But five-years removed from the rule change I don't think anybody would have envisioned it to be this popular.

There has been a nucleus of one-and-done players over the last three years.

In fact, the last three out of four NBA drafts, a freshman was selected with the number one overall pick. 

2009 was the only year that the top-five picks in the NBA draft only included one freshman. 

In every other draft it was either all freshmen, or the majority of them.

So let's ask ourselves; does this rule really benefit college basketball like we thought?

Since the rule has been initiated, we have suffered hard from the one-and-done players. This year alone was about six-to-ten players of that caliber. 

There were four one-and-done players from Kentucky, but you also had Derrick Favors, Hassan Whiteside, Xavier Henry, Avery Bradley, Lance Stephenson and more.

So how does this rule really affect college basketball? In my opinion, I think players have found a way around the blocked high school jump.

Most superstars like players don't really go to the programs like UNC, Kansas, or Duke because of the commitment. They're mostly all focused on John Calipari coached teams because he produced countless NBA superstars.

If you asked me I would say take down the rule. As a college basketball junkie, I dislike one-and-done players. I would rather see players that show commitment to the team they choose. 

If they're good enough to go into the league straight from high school, I believe you should allow them. But forcing high school players to college programs ends up two ways: Betrayal and violations.

So what do you think? Is college basketball worst now that they have one-and-done players? Or is this good that we at least get to see them on the court for that one year? Tell me what you think, hit me up at CollegiateHoops@gmail.com or simply reply below.

Written by DeAnte Mitchell

Why Is Everyone So Jealous Of John Calipari?

It seems like John Calipari is the talk of the globe now. 

Every since Coach Calipari joined the Kentucky Wildcats he has been faced with criticism. Heck, to some it dates back to the days at UMass.

But let's point out some key things that everybody seems to over-look. But there is also some funny things that make more sense than not. 

Here they are!

Marcus Camby Takes Money

Okay, let's say Camby does take the money but really whose fault is that? Did Coach Calipari literally give him the money? No! It was reported that an agent had given Camby the money--not Coach Cal.

Derrick Rose SAT Test and His Brother Traveling to the Games

Okay, let's say this is true. Derrick Rose did cheat on his SAT and his brother was allowed to go to the games for free.

First, the SAT test happened in High School. That is way out of the range of Coach Cal. He is a college coach, not a high school counselor. He does not have a say over who cheated on what test.

This was also never proven and their handwriting expert would only testify that she wasn't sure if he hadn't taken it or not.

Now the traveling games situation is very tricky. If you're Coach Cal, how do you not figure out how Rose's brother seems to make it to the games every time? That just seems a little funny to me and I believe he knew about this one. 

Coach Cal Hires Tyreke Evans Personal Strength Coach

Okay, now this is a really fishy situation. Coach Calipari recruited Tyreke Evans, the All-American MVP's Strength coach and promoted him as the administrative assistant.

Let's say he doesn't do that, do you believe Tyreke Evans stays with Coach Cal at Memphis?

Eric Bledsoe High School Transcript

Eric Bledsoe the 6-foot-1 guard that was drafted on June 24th by the Oklahoma City Thunder but was later traded to the Clippers.

He faced criticism for his high school transcript. He was reported to not even have the GPA to qualify for the Kentucky scholarship after his junior year in high school.

But somehow the grades "magically" appeared and he was able to be offered a scholarship. 

However, once again this happened in high school. Coach Cal has not say-so over what happened in high school.

Not to mention Bledsoe was thoroughly checked twice before entering his freshman season at Kentucky. 

Overall

So many people hate Coach Cal for some unknown reason. He has had some sticky situations in his past but most of the allegations facing him right now happened in high school. 

There is about only one I agree with and that's the Derrick Rose situation. 

Coach Cal couldn't help the fact that Derrick Rose supposedly cheated on his SAT but his brother Raymond traveling to all the games for free? Yes, because of that they lost eligibility and I believe that is a legitimate reason.

But the Rose, Camby and Bledsoe situations have all happened in high school. What I do not understand is how does the high school mistakes fall back on Coach Cal and the Universities.

It just all seems like fans are jealous because Coach Cal pulls in players that respective teams have worked hard to recruit. Yes, it has happened to a lot of our teams, including my favorite squad. 

That still doesn't give us a right to hate the man. He is a proven recruiter that happens to recruit guys that have troubles in high school. Is that his fault? Let's say somebody else got Eric Bledsoe and Derrick Rose. Do you still think Coach Cal would be facing these allegations?

I don't know. Some of the allegations are legit but some just come out of jealously.

Coach John Calipari; you either love him or hate him but you cannot call him a cheater.

What do you think? Do you agree with me when I say Coach Cal is an okay guy and doesn't deserve all the criticism facing him? Or are you anti-Calipari? Let me know what you think, hit me up on CollegiateHoops@gmail.com or simply reply below.

Written by DeAnte Mitchell