by Alex Schwartz

This evening on ESPNU, the rosters for the 2009 Jordan Brand Classic All-American Game were announced, and there were the usual big-timers on the list, as well as some glaring omissions, though there were no extreme surprises. Leading the way amongst participants are uncommitted DeMarcus Cousins '09, Georgia Tech-commit Derrick Favors '09, Memphis-bound Xavier Henry '09, North Carolina-signee John Henson '09, uncommitted Renardo Sidney '09, and uncommitted John Wall '09, amongst others. The local flavor includes Villanova-pledge Dominic Cheek '09 of St. Anthony's (NJ), Miami-signee Durand Scott '09 of Rice (NY), and former PA/NY baller and Virginia Tech-bound Lamont "MoMo" Jones '09 of Oak Hill Academy (VA). Interestingly, North Carolina-signee Dexter Strickland '09 of St. Patrick's (NJ) and uncommitted Lance Stephenson '09 of Lincoln (NY) are not in the game, despite being arguably the top two players in the area around Madison Square Garden, where the game is play. I don't expect either of them to play in the Regional Game—the rosters aren't out—so they likely won't be showcased at this one. The International Game rosters aren't out yet either.

Speaking of big events, this weekend has a pair of them in the area that are nationally regarded. On Friday at Fordham University in the Bronx, the Nike Super Six will take place, with three games features six of the top squads in the nation. Rice (NY), arguably the best team in New York, and Paterson Catholic (NJ) will square off in the first game. New Jersey's best team, St. Patrick's (NJ), and Lincoln (NY) will meet in the second contest, which will be on ESPN2. Thomas Jefferson (NY) and Hopkins (MN) will meet in the nightcap. The squad from the North Star state is one of the best teams in America and is led by Jordan Brand Classic All-American Game selection Royce White '09, a future Minnesota Golden Gopher. Saturday and Sunday are the final two days of the Prime Time Shootout, and there will be 16 games held at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. There are five major games on Saturday: Rice (NY) vs. Rancocas Valley (NJ) at 3:00pm EST, St. Benedict's (NJ) vs. Mountain State Academy (WV) at 4:30pm EST, Lincoln (NY) vs. Westchester (CA) at 6:00pm, St. Anthony's (NJ) vs. Hotchkiss School (CT) at 7:30pm, and the main game of the event, St. Patrick's (NJ) vs. Oak Hill Academy (VA) at 9:00pm. The main four games on Sunday are in the afternoon: Elizabeth (NJ) vs. Christ the King (NY) at 12:00pm EST, Trenton Catholic (NJ) vs. Carmen Sol (PR) at 1:30pm EST, Oak Hill Academy vs. Linden (NJ) at 3:00pm EST, and Montrose Christian (MD) vs. Shabazz (NJ) at 4:30pm EST. Also, it appears that New Egypt (NJ) has replaced North Hunterdon (NJ) in the final game of the 2009 PTS on Sunday night.

Note- photo on the left is of Durand Scott and photo on the right is of Royce White; both are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/