Gauchos acting like a bunch of outlaws
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- If you want to gather information about the top recruits in the country, there are plenty of places on the web that will tell you where a kid is going and when he might publicly commit. So go to those places, if you must. Because though I'm at the Nike Peach Jam Invitational, I'm not really interested in providing a list of schools for the 32nd-ranked junior in the nation.
I'd rather just tell you about the New York Gauchos.
Those punks.
Between you and me, I can't tell Team Final from Team Melo because most of the teams seem pretty much the same, particularly after 12 consecutive hours of summer basketball. But one thing for certain is that I always know a New York Gaucho when I see one, mostly because every time I see one he's either in a fight or damn close to starting one.
It began Thursday night, when, according to several sources, the Gauchos got into a fight with each other at a local McDonald's. Three players were subsequently sent home. Then late Saturday night I saw three more Gauchos trying to start a fight with a player from the Georgia Stars, and when a high-major coach stepped in to break it up the Gauchos started talking trash to him in a way that was both sad and sickening.
The college coach just shook his head.
Then DeMarcus Cousins came over and hung out.
DeMarcus Cousins is from Alabama, one of the top prospects in the Class of 2009. He began his Saturday by throwing a punch toward the end of a game, and ended it hanging in the lobby with the New York Gauchos, the same ones who were minutes earlier trying to start a fight.
Birds of a feather and all that, I guess.
Anyway, here are some other random notes:
• The New York Gauchos and Georgia Stars both made the 17-and-under semifinals. They could meet in Sunday night's final. That would be interesting, for sure.
• The 16-and-under games here at the Peach Jam haven't been quite as packed with coaches, but one player who drew a crowd Saturday was Phil Pressey. The son of NBA veteran Paul Pressey, Phil is only entering his sophomore year at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, and he's as tiny as could be. But he walks and looks and directs just like a point guard, and he's already very, very good.
The best young kid I saw?
That's Jeremy Tyler, a 6-foot-9 center from the Class of 2010. By the end of Saturday night there weren't many college head coaches left in the building, but one of them was Southern California's Tim Floyd, and I can understand why. Floyd sat courtside watching Tyler, and what he saw was a future star. The San Diego native dunked and dominated and played with the edge a post player should possess. So while I don't know anything about Class of 2010 rankings, I can't imagine there are many, if any, better rising sophomores in the country.
• It was reported recently that Class of 2008 star DeAndre Liggins will leave the Chicago Public League to finish his high school career at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire, but those plans have apparently changed. Liggins is still moving, but multiple sources told CBS SportsLine.com he will actually enroll at Findlay Prep in Nevada with a plan to improve his academics enough to be eligible to play at Kentucky in the 2008-09 season. A 6-6 wing, Liggins is Scout.com's 26th-best prospect in the Class of 2008. He committed to Kentucky last month.
{More at www.sportsline.com ]
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