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10 things I learned in July

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Jeff Goodman

Jeff Goodman is a senior college basketball writer for FOXSports.com. Check out his Yardbarker blog. MORE>>
 
Updated Aug 3, 2009 4:22 PM ET
     
 
Usually, I put together a list of 10 Things I've Learned after my trips to four college games in five days. However, I figured that I'd come up with something after spending 14 days on the road watching kids, schmoozing with coaches and, yes, even hitting a few casinos in Las Vegas. 1. There isn't a clear-cut No. 1 player in the country. You can certainly make a valid case for Harrison Barnes, but big man Jared Sullinger has to be in the discussion. The consensus top guard, Brandon Knight, barely played in the summer before suffering a foot injury. 2. If I start a summer basketball program anytime soon, I can assure you that I won't be hiring Reggie Rose as my coach. The older brother of NBA point guard Derrick Rose pulled his team off the floor down 30 points with more than 10 minutes left in the game shortly after a profanity-laced tirade with a referee. Classless and not exactly the type of lesson you want to teach kids. 3. In the Class of 2010, there aren't a ton of guys that blow you away with pro potential. The guy who will have NBA execs fawning all over him is Baylor commit Perry Jones — a 6-foot-10 long and versatile forward who has a ridiculous upside. 4. Mel Gibson didn't look quite so religious one night, appearing as though he had a few too many drinks, with a cigarette in hand and his shirt basically unbuttoned in a casino in the wee hours of the morning in Vegas. 5. Nike, and in particular senior director of basketball development Lynn Merritt, needs some public relations lessons. First, the guy confiscated a couple videotapes after a run-of-the-mill, ho-hum dunk by Jordan Crawford over LeBron James. Then, Merritt wouldn't allow the King to talk to reporters the following night — after LeBron had already agreed to do so. 6. There's a reason why Ohio State coach Thad Matta had a smile on his face most of July. The Buckeyes locked up two of the nation's top big men in Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas and also have three other legitimate top 100 kids — guards Jordan Sibert, Lenzelle Smith and Aaron Craft. 7. I'm as patriotic as the next guy, but no one really cares about the U.S. teams that go overseas in July except the coaches, players and families of the coaches and players. 8. Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl truly does have some self control. The Vols coach was sitting in the same gym as Kentucky coach John Calipari after a lengthy flight to Las Vegas from Israel and didn't say a word despite the fact that he and the Vols believe that Calipari and his friend, William Wesley (aka Worldwide Wes) had something to do with elite point guard Josh Selby de-committing from Tennessee. 9. Isiah Thomas will make Florida International relevant. I was one of the few that wrote it when he took the job, but now I truly believe it after watching him sitting in gyms throughout the July period. He wasn't on the road every day, but he was plenty visible — and his connections over the years will help him land players such as point guard Phil Taylor, ones that FIU couldn't get involved with prior to his arrival. 10. Remember the name Andre Drummond. I first laid eyes on him about a year ago at the New England Top 75 Showcase in Boston, and the 6-foot-9 Connecticut native has made major strides in the past 12 months. It's early, but he'll have three years under one of the best prep coaches in the country, St. Thomas More's Jere Quinn, so Drummond is a guy who could wind up being the No. 1 player in the Class of 2012. Think a cross between Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire.
Tagged: Tennessee, Connecticut, Xavier, Florida International, Baylor, Memphis, Ohio State, Howard

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