Arizona Cactus Classic Preview: Pool D
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.
Arizona Stars
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Schedule:
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Houston Elite, Friday 7:10pm – McKale Court 2
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Pump N'Run Elite, Saturday 11:20am – Bear Down Court 2
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Belmont Shore, Saturday 2:50pm – Bear Down Court 1
Notes:
Nick Markovich is a 6-foot-4 point guard from Basha that is receiving some early recruiting interest. He's one of the state's best young guard prospects and a 2009 player to watch.
Belmont Shore
Schedule:
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Pump N'Run Elite, Friday 8:20pm – McKale Court 3
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Houston Elite, Saturday 11:20am – Bear Down Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Arizona Stars, Saturday 2:50pm – Bear Down Court 1
Notes:
Oklahoma State commitment Troy Gillenwater is ranked 78th in the country by Rivals.com. The 6-foot-8 power forward plays much bigger than his size and will be one of the premier big men at the Cactus Classic.
Demar DeRozan committed to USC last month. He's one of the nation's most athletic guards and his Rivals.com recently moved him up to the 17th ranked player in the country.
2009 Santa Barbara guard Roberto Nelson is coming off of a performance at the Las Vegas Spring Showcase in which he led his California Hoops AAU team to the tournament title. He's one of the West Coast's top underclassmen.
The nation's 61st ranked player in 2008, Renaldo Woolridge, might not be able to make it this weekend due to schoolwork.
Belmont Shore once featured ex-Wildcat and current New Jersey Net Hassan Adams.
Houston Elite
Schedule:
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Arizona Stars, Friday 7:10pm – McKale Court 2
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Belmont Shore, Saturday 11:20am – Bear Down Court 1
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Pump N'Run Elite, Saturday 2:50pm – McKale Court 2
Notes:
2009 point guard Stevie Rogers from Houston Strake Jesuit is one of the best young prospects in the state of Texas. He's hearing from schools like Florida, Florida State, Indiana, Michigan and Texas.
Pump N'Run Elite
Schedule:
POOL PLAY GAME 1: Belmont Shore, Friday 8:20pm – McKale Court 3
POOL PLAY GAME 2: Arizona Stars, Saturday 11:20am – Bear Down Court 2
POOL PLAY GAME 3: Houston Elite, Saturday 2:50pm – McKale Court 2
Notes:
Pump N'Run Elite is considered one of the top AAU programs in the country. They are the defending Arizona Cactus Classic champions and are favorites to win again heading into the weekend.
Jrue Holiday, ranked 2nd in the 2008 class by Rivals.com, headlines a team filled with stars. However, a stress fracture could keep Holiday out of this tournament. He's narrowed down his list of schools to UCLA and Washington.
Larry Drew is Rivals.com's 85th ranked player in the country, but is widely considered to be one of the nation's top point guards. He will likely choose between Arizona, North Carolina and UCLA.
UCLA commit Jerime Anderson is another highly ranked prospect, and is ranked 55th in the country by Rivals.com. He shares point guard duties with Drew.
Victor Davila is a 6-foot-9 2008 forward ranked 94th in the country by Rivals.com. He has offers from schools such as Memphis, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
2009 twins David Wear and Travis Wear were both offered by Arizona and UCLA as freshmen. They have those two schools and North Carolina in their top three. Rivals.com ranks Travis 22nd and David 23rd.
Reeves Nelson is arguably one of the top five players in the 2009 class. He's 6-foot-7, still growing and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who plays harder than he does this weekend in Tucson.
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