NHR Top 100: #34 Maalik Wayns, PG, Villanova

PHOTO: VUHoops.com

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

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Number 34 – Maalik Wayns, PG, Jr., Villanova

Is anyone else surprised that Villanova isn’t being talked about as a top 25 team? Yes, they lost Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes – a combined 31 points a game from the backcourt. But remember when Scottie Reynolds, an All-American, graduated? Nova recovered nicely with Fisher.

NHR Top 100: #45 Jae Crowder, SF, Marquette

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

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Number 45 – Jae Crowder, SF, Sr., Marquette

I didn’t miss very often on high school prospects in the great state of Georgia. I especially didn’t miss on players that were physical specimens that had to go to junior college. I love those kinds of players. They are the true wild card.

Enter Crowder.

Here’s the Johnnies

Can the new faces at St. John's have the Johnnies above the 20-win line once again?

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

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St. John’s reeled in one of the best recruiting classes in 2011 and the Johnnies had a chance to roll out the new look on Tuesday night in an exhibition against C.W. Post.

What should we expect from Steve Lavin’s collection of talent? Well, the newbies played pretty well in a 110-80 win over the Division II school.

Mike Brey, the crowd surfer

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

I have yet to meet someone that didn’t rave about what a cool guy Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is. He’s a beyond likable guy.

Then there is this.

I’ll be darned if he isn’t the coolest basketball coach in America this week because of that. You can paint your chest all you’d like Bruce Pearl, but he ain’t jumping off a stage at full speed (for a 50-something) and plunge into a sea of undergrads.

Brey did. And we all win.

(H/T Searching for Billy Edelin)

Season highlights: Villanova

NHR Top 100: #50 Peyton Siva, PG, Louisville

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

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Number 50 – Peyton Siva, PG, Jr., Louisville

Can I coin a nickname? Big Game Siva. I think I just coined it. Right there. You saw it. There it is. Big Game Siva.

NHR Top 100: #53 Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Marquette

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

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Number 53 – Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Sr., Marquette

Admittedly, I love Buzz Williams teams. Why? Because they are fun to watch. They compete. They defend. They entertain.

The foundation piece to all of this is Johnson-Odom. Hide your kids, hide your momma, hide your husbands. Don’t sleep on DJO because he can fly with the eagles.

Best case/Worst case for St. John’s

By Bobby Bancroft
National Hoops Report

It’s been nothing but good times in Queens, N.Y. since Steve Lavin arrived last May.  On the court he led St. John’s to a surprising fifth place finish in the Big East which resulted in the Red Storm’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since way back in 2002 when Mike Jarvis was still in charge.  Off the court he signed nine players – seven freshmen, one sophomore, and one junior – that resulted in the third best recruiting class in the country according to Rivals.  After so many years in the college basketball wilderness, St. John’s is finally back in the spotlight.  The extra media attention continued this week but for all of the wrong reasons.

NHR Top 100: #64 Alex Oriakhi, C, UConn

By Justin Young
National Hoops Report

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Number 64 – Alex Oriakhi, C, Jr., UConn

In basketball, we love a good cliché. Oriakhi is a winner and a grinder. There, I feel better. Cliché is out of the way for the day.

Truth be told, Oriakhi is exactly the cliché used to describe him. He won in high school. He’s been sized up for a National Championship ring. Oriakhi has also been on teams that no one really gave much of a chance. His blue collar work (crap, there’s another cliché) is an anchoring point to that team’s success.

The Show Must Go On….To Shanghai

By Bobby Bancroft
National Hoops Report

Chances are that by now, whether you are a college basketball fan or not, you have seen the footage of Thursday’s exhibition ending brawl between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Bayi Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association.

With nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the scored tied at 64, a hard foul on Georgetown senior guard Jason Clark by Rockets forward Hu Ke quickly escalated into both benches emptying onto the floor while mayhem ensued for a little over two minutes.  Once order was finally restored, the game was abandoned.

Without an actual game broadcast, how the game got to that point will likely become another one of China’s mysteries, however it’s unlikely to make its way to “great” status.