Wayne Selden, Photo by Andrew Slater/BDN

Blessed with a preternatural ability to score, Wayne Selden is a strapping 6’5″ power guard from the Tilton School of New Hampshire.  Although he’s been playing varsity basketball since he was a seventh grader in his native Roxbury, Massachusetts, he announced his arrival as a reclassified freshman last season when he scored twenty-six points and knocked down six three-pointers in his opening game for Tilton at the National Prep Showcase.

The 2014 prospect went on to earn second-team All-NEPSAC Class AA in the best high school conference in the country. Last March, at Endicott College, Wayne Selden capped off his freshman season by scoring twenty-two points for the Rams of Tilton in a 72-56 Class AA Title game win against St. Mark’s, which featured Arizona commitment Kaleb Tarczewski, Michigan commitment Nik Stauskas, and Duke redshirt freshman Alex Murphy.

The winning ways didn’t end there as Selden, blessed with a 6’10″ wingspan, helped multiple Boston Amateur Basketball Clubs (BABC) achieve success throughout the AAU season. His 17-U team went 80-4 over the spring and summer, notably winning Nike’s EYBL Peach Jam, while his 16-U team was named number one overall by Five Star Basketball after capturing the AAU National Title in Orlando. He’s become quite close to BABC staff member and former BC guard Steve Hailey.

Following the AAU season, Wayne was diagnosed with Compartment Syndrome and had to have surgery to alleviate the pain associated with the malady. If, after sitting out Tilton’s first few weeks of pre-season training, there were any concerns about his ability to maintain his explosiveness, Selden answered them quickly last month as the sophomore scored thirty-four points against the best prep school team in the country, Brewster Academy, in a tough 84-76 loss. In a rematch against Brewster, Selden scored sixteen points on six of ten shooting in a packed house at Springfield College in another tough loss, 57-53.

Afterwards, Wayne Selden gave a quick update about, amongst other things, the latest in his recruiting, Duke’s interest, and what he’ll be looking for in his future college program.

With the recent decision by Terrell Jackson to re-open his recruitment, the Blue Devils find themselves looking to bulk up their defensive line in the class of 2012. With that in mind, Duke hosted Valor Christian DE Michael Mann on an official visit over the weekend. Originally committed to Arizona State, Mann opted to re-open his own recruitment after the coaching staff change in Tempe. A teammate and close friend of Duke WR commit Max McCaffrey, the Blue Devils have had Mann on their radar for awhile. The 6’4” 220 pound DE prospect is coming off his third straight Colorado HS Championship and spoke with BDN shortly after his visit to Durham.

Mallard Creek RB Jela Duncan is Duke's top remaining priority in the class of 2012

It’s no secret that Jela Duncan has been the Duke coaching staff’s top priority in the class of 2012 for the past several months. The Mallard Creek star RB is viewed as the type of elite athlete that will help the Blue Devils’ program get to the next level. As signing day approaches, Duncan is making his final visits and has narrowed his choices to Duke, ECU, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. Coach Cutcliffe has developed a strong relationship with the elite prospect throughout his recruitment and welcomed him to Durham on an official visit this weekend. Duncan checked in with BDN shortly after returning home from his Duke official visit.

Stanley Johnson, Photo by Andrew Slater of BDN

Stanley Johnson, a 6’6″ wing from Mater Dei, has experienced  quite a bit in the past year. As a freshman, the Fullerton native helped the Monarchs of Mater Dei win their eighth state title, grabbing fifteen rebounds in the state title game against De La Salle. Johnson was named a MaxPreps Freshman All-American.

Last June, Stanley was expected to give a defensive presence to the USA U-16 team as they competed for the FIBA Americas U-16 Championship in Mexico. Although Johnson was the youngest member of the USA U-16 team, he wound up starting the first two games in Cancun, against Brazil and Argentina, respectively, before suffering a fracture-dislocation of his left index finger at 4:03 of the first quarter of the second game, which eliminated his ability to play for the remainder of the tournament. Despite the injury, the 2014 prospect enjoyed representing his country, his time with his eleven teammates, including roommate and friend Tyus Jones,  and scored fourteen points in the opening game against Brazil.

The youngest of five, Johnson gets some of his pedigree and tutelage from his mother, Karen Taylor, who was able to play both forward positions at Jackson State and professionally in France. He wears the number 41 in honor of her, believing that four plus one means grace.

Last month, Stanley, a sophomore, was tasked by Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight with guarding Duke 2012 recruit, Shabazz Muhammad, at the City of Palms in Ft. Myers, FL. Johnson held arguably the most explosive scorer in the 2012 class to two first-half points by forcing him to use his right hand. This Monday at the HoopHall Classic at Springfield College, he overcame  a sub-par shooting night (3/10 FG) to contribute a team-high fifteen rebounds and nine points, while utilizing his athleticism and physical play to employ solid defense on Christ The King. The night before he won the 2012 Hoop Hall Slam Dunk Contest with an explosive dunk off of a pass out of the bleachers from his senior teammate Katin Reinhardt.

Stanley Johnson spoke afterwards with Blue Devil Nation about a variety of issues, including his experience with USA Basketball, his mother’s influence, Duke’s recent interest, defending Austin Rivers, and being labeled a team player.

Talk about the game today. 

It was a really good win for the team. We had a lot of guys get into the game, which is always good. We played really hard and I think it was one of the best games we played this season… and it showed on the scoreboard. I think if we keep playing like we did today,  we’ll be pretty good.

Well, you guys play a pretty competitive schedule.

Playing a competitive schedule makes you play harder because you have the ability to lose at any time. Our coach says that he’s going to schedule us in these competitive games because we play harder in these harder games and he wants to challenge us.

At 6’7″ and blessed with enough athleticism, skill, and quality grades that he can legitimately be recruited by any college in the nation, Jefferson has been on Duke’s radar for several years. Before his sophomore year at Friends’ Central, a Quaker school in Wynnewood, PA, Amile was one of two rising sophomores who attended Duke’s Elite Camp. In the autumn of his junior year, Amile watched Duke unveil its fourth National Championship banner at the Countdown to Craziness. Recently, Blue Devils Coaches Krzyzewski and Collins have heated up their recruiting level from a courtship to a passionate pursuit, flying up to watch him play in person this past week.

After a tough triple-overtime loss to the Westtown School, Amile tried to lead his undersized Friends’ Central team to a victory over Saint Mark’s, a Massachusetts boarding school featuring 7′ Kaleb Tarczewski, an Arizona commitment, and 6’5″ wing Nik Stauskas, a Michigan signee. The normally efficient Jefferson was effected by getting routinely double and triple-teamed as soon as he caught the ball, primarily by the help defense of Tarczewski. Amile finished 6 of 14 from the field for fourteen points, grabbed five defensive rebounds, and had two assists in the 67-57 defeat at the hands of St. Mark’s.

Following the game, amongst other things, Amile talked about how the team will look to rebound for its playoff run as he seeks his fourth consecutive state title, his imminent decision of college matriculation, the word “potential,” the Blue Devils’ pursuit, and the commonality between Friends and Duke University.

What are most schools recruiting you as? A pure four or one that can play both the four and the three?

I think most schools are recruiting me for my versatility of being able to play the three and the four. I don’t mind banging inside, but, at the same time, I feel like I have the skill set to be able to step out and either hit that mid-range jump shot or take a player off of the dribble.

How (in depth one on one interview with Amile ahead for members!  Join BDN Premium today and be in the know.)