The second annual Arizona Cactus Classic tips off on Friday, May 18, and the tournament pools have been released. Throughout the week, we'll break down all the pools and teams, giving a comprehensive look at what to expect at this year's tournament.
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Arizona Magic
Schedule:
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Seattle Rotary Select, Friday 6:00pm – McKale Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Bay Area Hoosiers, Saturday 9:00am – Bear Down Court 2
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Houston Hoops, Saturday 1:40PM – McKale Court 2
Notes:
The Arizona Magic feature future U of A shooting guard Brendon Lavender, a 6-foot-4 athlete from Mesa Mountain View. Lavender committed to Arizona earlier this month over offers from schools such as Kansas, Connecticut, USC, Washington and Oklahoma.
One of the state's best youngsters is 6-foot-3 guard Jordan McClelland of the 2010 recruiting class. McClelland is a good shooter and a nice prospect to look out for in the future.
Two others to watch on the Magic are 6-foot-4 shooting guard Shayar Lee and 6-foot-9 center John Underwood. Good summers could help both 2008 prospects earn respectable offers.
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Houston Hoops, Friday 9:30pm – McKale Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Arizona Magic, Saturday 9:00am – Bear Down Court 2
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Seattle Rotary Select, Saturday 1:40pm – McKale Court 3
Notes:
2009 point guard prospect Jared Cunningham could be the best prospect of the Bay Area Hoosiers. The 6-foot-3 rising junior has a good basketball IQ and is one of the West Coast players to watch in his class.
2008 wings Marvin Broadu and Quentin Dailey have both received recruiting interest.
Houston Hoops
Schedule:
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Bay Area Hoosiers, Friday 9:30pm – McKale Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Seattle Rotary Select, Saturday 10:10am – Bear Down Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Arizona Magic, Saturday 1:40pm – McKale Court 2
Notes:
2009 point guard Elijah Johnson is considered one of the best point guards in his class. The Las Vegas Chayenne star headlines this year's Houston Hoops, one of the nation's premier AAU programs.
2008 shooting guard Jeremy Green is rated four-stars by Rivals.com and holds offers from schools such as Stanford, Virginia and Baylor. He's ranked 68th in his class.
2009 point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin committed to LSU a year ago. The 5-foot-10 guard was one of the first players in his class to make a college decision.
6-foot-6 2008 wing Corbin Ray made a recent decision, committing to Texas Tech. He also had offers from Texas A&M, Baylor and Rice.
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Arizona Magic, Friday 6:00pm – McKale Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Houston Hoops, Saturday 10:10am – Bear Down Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Bay Area Hoosiers, Saturday 1:40pm – McKale Court 3
Notes:
2009 point guard Peyton Siva is the best of the group. The 6-foot-0 Franklin High School product already holds an offer from Washington and is also hearing from Arizona and Oregon State.
2009 guard/wing Aaron Dotson is hearing from Washington and Washington State, among others. He comes from Garfield High School in Seattle, which produced Portland Trailblazer Brandon Roy.
2008 guard Reggie Moore and wing Mark McLaughlin are both college prospects that should earn some good offers by the end of the summer.