Thomas "Mack" Darrow, a versatile 6'8" senior from Barrington High School in the Chicago suburbs, has committed to Princeton. Darrow is the third publicly-announced member of coach Sydney Johnson's second recruiting class, joining Gus Gabel and Jimmy Sherburne.
I had a chance to speak with Darrow's high school coach Marty Dello last night and Dello's impressions of the newest Tiger, plus links about Darrow, can all be found after the jump.
Reporters were invited to the first practices of the season at Northwestern and Oregon State. Some interesting observations of both schools' coaches in these two articles.
Princeton recruit Jimmy Sherburne tells the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel why he decided to play basketball for the Tigers.
Georgetown recruit Nate Lubick is profiled by the Milford Daily News.
Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette explains how hard it was to initially get Princeton's coaches to teach him about their offense.
Happy 79th birthday, Harvey Yavener!
We've finished up 2008-09 calendars for each of the "Carril Cradle" teams. You can download any or all of the following to sync with your computer/PDA. Each basketball schedule will be updated whenever a tip time changes or new TV information is revealed. These links will work best with iCal, so your mileage may vary.
I received an email from Lincoln Gunn, who asked me to pass the following statement along to readers of this site. Hopefully it will answer all of the questions I've fielded on Gunn's whereabouts.
"It has been a privilege to represent Princeton University as a student athlete on the Men's Basketball team over the past two years. I am proud of my contributions to the team as a player and teammate. I have made the decision to retire from Princeton Basketball as it is now time for me to pursue the other wonderful opportunities Princeton University offers outside of athletics, including studying abroad, which I experienced this past summer." - Lincoln Gunn, October 2008
Jimmy Sherburne, a 6'3", 185 lb senior guard, has been a four year varsity player and a three year starter for Whitefish Bay, a Division II high school located just north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Last season Sherburne was named Second Team All-North Shore Conference and Honorable Mention All-Suburban Boys Basketball as he led the Blue Dukes in scoring (16.5 ppg) and assists.
In the days since word broke about his commitment to Princeton, I had a chance to speak to Sherburne's high school coach and his AAU coach about this new member of Princeton's 2009 recruiting class. Exclusive quotes and links to player evaluations can be found after the jump.
01 - Max Huc - G - 6-2/195 - Fr - Rosemont, Pa. (Brewster Academy N.H.)
02 - Jason Briggs - G - 6-2/200 - Sr - Olympia, Wash. (Olympia)
11 - Bobby Foley - G - 6-4/195 - So - Richmond, VA. (Godwin)
14 - Nick Lake - G - 6-5/195 - Jr - Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (The Bishop's School)
15 - John Comfort - G - 6-6/175 - Fr - La Grange, Ill. (Fenwick)
20 - Doug Davis - G - 5-11/155 - Fr - Philadelphia, Pa. (Hun School))
21 - Marcus Schroeder - G - 6-3/180 - Jr - Concord, Calif. (De La Salle)
22 - Patrick Saunders - G/F - 6-7/185 - Fr - Gilford, N.H. (New Hampton)
23 - Kareem Maddox - F - 6-8/225 - So - Oak Park, Calif. (Oak Park)
24 - Zane Ma - F - 6-7/225 - Fr - Los Angeles, Calif. (Harvard-Westlake)
30 - Zach Finley - C - 6-9/235 - Jr - Rapid City, S.D. (St. Thomas More)
33 - Dan Marvraides - G - 6-3/200 - So - San Mateo, CA (Phillips Exeter)
34 - Michael Strittmatter - F/C - 6-8/210 - Sr - Phoenix, Ariz. (Brophy Prep)
55 - Pawel Buczak - C - 6-9/230 - Jr - Moorestown, N.J. (Moorestown)
NY2LA has more about the 6'3" Wisconsin guard who committed to Princeton, including quotes.
Want to learn more about the Jadwin Jungle? Let the heads of the group tell you what they do and why they do it.
Oregon State coach Craig Robinson is campaigning both for his brother-in-law and his basketball team. A good article, with quotes from Northwestern coach Bill Carmody.
More from Georgetown's media day: The Washington Times profiles sophomore guard Chris Wright. The Georgetown Voice and The Hoya have quotes from Coach Thompson and select players.
Looking for something to do in DC this weekend? The JTIII Foundation Community Fest is Saturday afternoon in Oxon Run Park.
The Rocky Mountain News previews this year's Denver squad.
Steve Goodrich to Gabe Lewullis makes ESPN's Top 30 Plays Of The Last 30 Seasons.
Scout and WSN both report that a top Wisconsin high school quarterback has decided to head east and play basketball at Princeton. We'll have more on this 6'3" guard tonight.
Yesterday was Media Day at Georgetown. The Washington Post and the Associated Press file their reports.
The Daily Herald spoke to Northwestern head man Bill Carmody and The Oregonian chatted with Craig Robinson as we inch closer to most schools holding their first official practices of the year this weekend.
It no longer appears that former Providence guard Dwain Williams will be transferring to Oregon State.
Read about a local guard who picked Navy over interest from Princeton and Cornell.
Links to profiles and news on Coach Sydney Johnson's second recruiting class.
Mack Darrow - 6'8" - Barrington
Gus Gabel - 6'7" - Scottsdale Chaparral
Ian Hummer - 6'7" : 225 lbs - Gonzaga
Jimmy Sherburne - 6'3" : 185 lbs - Whitefish Bay
Brendan Connolly - 6'9" : 240 lbs - Father Ryan
Will Barrett - 6'8" : 210 lbs - Central Bucks South
Search our archives for more on each player.
Remember the 6'7" Arizona senior who was quoted in June saying that the unofficial visit he took to Princeton was "mostly for [his] parents"? Well something must have clicked, as tonight that same young man committed to play basketball for the Tigers.
I hope to have more details later today, but you can watch video of the first publicly announced member of Coach Johnson's second recruiting class here.
