Mail Day with JJ, 11.18
Words. Jason Jordan
Jared Sullinger
Louisville’s first 2010 recruit? Harrison Barnes hating? Who’s the Player of the Year? Jason Jordan has fielded all of your e-mails and tackles each of these questions and more in this installment of “Mail Day with JJ.”
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Russell Smith’s signing eliminates Marquis Teague for Louisville?
I won’t lie; I’m not happy about Russell Smith (South Kent School, Conn.) signing with us … There, I said it! OK, but the only reason is because I feel like that will hurt our chances of landing Marquis Teague (Pike High, Ind.) since they’re both point guards.
Tell me I’m wrong.
-Thomas Kendrick, Kentucky
Thomas, man, you’re cold! No red carpet for Russell? No confetti? Even though he’s the first guy you’ve landed in this class?
No, I understand where you’re coming from, but first let me reassure you that Russell is a viable option at the point. I saw him run with the New York Gauchos during the AAU season and I was impressed. Quick, tight handle, decent jumper, good decision maker, solid defender — and just think, you didn’t even have to hire Russell’s high school coach to land him.
That said, Marquis is a future pro and will start from Day One wherever he ends up. The good news is that there’s a good chance, even with Russell, that Teague could be starting for your Cards. You probably know that, at one time, Marquis was set to commit to Louisville, but his dad wanted him to hold off and look at everything.
At this point, I’d bank on either you guys or your rivals, Kentucky, landing Marquis. Now if you don’t land him, where does that leave Shabaka Lands, Marquis’ former high school coach who was hired by Louisville as Rick Pitino’s personal assistant?
In the immortal words of Avon Barksdale: “It’s all in the game.”
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Venting about Barnes from a Duke fan
Is Harrison Barnes (Ames, Iowa) a lying politician or what? I was at the game when he came to Cameron and he was wearing Duke stuff, waving and having fun! I KNOW for a fact that he had the Duke staff believing he was coming there!
This kid freakin’ sucks! The lowest of the low, right there! What’s next for my Devils?
- Kyle Thomas, New York
Kyle, my friend, I just hope you’re not around any sharp objects right now.
I want you to remember that he’s a 17-year-old kid. Just grasp that fact and let it marinate for a hot second… They make up their minds and change them and then change 10 more times. And that’s OK.
Harrison definitely left the impression that Duke was a major player and they were. I even thought he was going to Duke, but I think he liked the social aspect that North Carolina offered a lot more. That’s my guess. When you have two dream schools, you have to factor in things like that. I truly think that’s what won out. He talked about how much he liked hanging out on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill during his visit, and having partaken of both school’s social scenes in my day, I would tend to agree that UNC wins there.
OK, let’s talk about what’s next for your beloved Dukies. It’s Roscoe Smith (Oak Hill Academy, Va.), a 6-6 wing who isn’t Harrison, but is one heck of a consolation prize. From what I hear, Duke has made contact with Roscoe and is trying to set up a visit. Right now, Connecticut is thought to have a slight lead over Georgetown with Smith, but I also know that Smith purposely didn’t sign during the early period because he wanted to have the Duke option if Harrison didn’t choose Duke.
The question is: Will he be able to get past the fact that he’s the consolation prize?
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High school P.O.Y. predictions
Now that football season is over (it’s over in my mind when basketball season tips off), who do you think has the best chance of winning national HS player of the year? I hope you guys are not like the other sites that choose guys because of the school they pick! That’s so dumb!
-Danny D., Washington D.C.
Dannyboy (Can I call you Dannyboy?), you’re a man after my own heart. As soon as the NBA’s preseason games were on TNT, I stopped watching football for the most part. It’s easier since my Panthers are gawdawful!
And by now you should know that we’re not like other sites at all. I do know what you mean, though, but I say a baller is a baller, whether he’s going to Kansas or Prairie View. Also, unlike others, we pick our POY regardless of class, like our rankings.
There are a handful of players that have a legitimate chance to win the High School Player of the Year honor. Harrison Barnes, Mike Gilchrist (St. Patrick, N.J.), Brandon Knight (Pine Crest, Fla.), Jared Sullinger (Northland, Ohio), Austin Rivers (Winter Park, Fla.), Kyrie Irving (St. Patrick, N.J.) … we’re going to be following these guys and a few others during their high school seasons and make a determination based off of what they’re able to accomplish and how they do with their marquee matchups at special tournaments throughout that year.
No one has it locked up at this point, I can tell you that. The competition is thick! Take it light.
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Jennings better than Wall?
I know this is a HS site, but I can’t let you off the hook, my dude. Earlier this summer you said that you would take John Wall over Brandon Jennings. I’m just wondering if you caught the game the other night when my boy B-Jenn lit up Golden State for 55. Still taking Wall, or care to admit you were wrong?
-Stepps, VA
Uh … your name is Stepps. I just checked my “Know-It-All” handbook and section 1.3 clearly states that I can’t admit being wrong to a guy named Stepps. I mean that’s just wrooong. What are you, a bookie?
Anyway, let’s look back at what I wrote:
“Both have great vision, both break down the defense with their handles and quickness. Both have freakish leaping ability. Both play with a necessary cockiness to warrant this debate and both seem faster than Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. OK. Too far … but both are really fast. You get the idea.”
I basically said that they’re so similar that you have to factor in intangibles, and since John has a few inches on Brandon I’d take John. The last sentence of what I wrote read this way: “But Jennings is a monster!”
You’re right, I should’ve written “monster” in all caps. Here it is, just for you: “But Jennings is a MONSTER!”
… And, oh wait, right on queue, my guy John hits the game-winning shot in his collegiate debut against Miami-Ohio. Brandon wasn’t balling like this a year removed from high school. I’m just sayin…
Got a burning question for Jason? Email him: JasonJ@DimeMag.com
Have you all seen the new Josh Selby diary? Its dope!! http://tinyurl.com/yh73sum
Just saw that UConn picked up a 6-8 Forward today. Does this mean that R. Smith is down to GTown and Duke?
No, that won’t affect Roscoe.
I asked him that very question last night, even though the kid headed to UConn is more of a post guy, and he said it “won’t affect his decision at all.”
He’s still down to three (Georgetown, Connecticut and Duke).
Look for the story on Roscoe in a few days.