Tag Archives: J.P. Tokoto

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Duke set to entertain top prospects Alex Murphy and J.P. Tokoto

Murphy will take an unofficial visit to Duke tomorrow as will J.P. Tokoto. Action shot of Murphy by Rick Crank, property of Rick Crank Photos in conjunction with Blue Devil Nation

DURHAM, N.C. - The Duke Blue Devils Men's Basketball Coaches are set to entertain some of the nations top prospects for unofficial visits tomorrow.  Two of the names which stand out are Alex Murphy and J.P. Tokoto, both wing players in the class of 2012. Both Murphy and Tokoto's team played their last games just moments ago.  Tokoto's Wisconsin Playground Warriors lost in the semi finals while the New England Playaz won their game but they will forfeit moving to the final in that their team had to leave save Murphy.  The Playaz ended the tournament 5-1 while Wisconsin went 3-3.  BDN caught up to Murphy after the game and the rising senior said, "I'll be visiting Duke tomorrow morning with my family."  Murphy said that Duke had a firm place on his list and that they had yet to offer but that will in my opinion change tomorrow.   Murphy also mentioned that he has been hearing from North Carolina and that he would be open to their overtures.  When talking of his game, he mentioned former Duke player Michael Dunleavy.

Tokoto has family locally and they will take trips to both UNC and Duke tomorrow.  Tokoto is in the class of 2012 and he stated that he was a year away from making his final decision.  While Tokoto grew up a North Carolina fan, he is high on Duke but it's obvious he is waiting to see if and when they'll offer. For further details and interviews with both prospects and many more, join Blue Devil Nation Premium for full site access.  It's a good time to join with coverage from the TOC and this weekend Nike Session 4 event from California on the way.  BDN is the only Duke site which covered both events and we'd love for you to join the rest of our satisfied members to talk recruiting.

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Duke prospect J.P. Tokoto chats up the nation

Tokoto snares a rebound in the Dean Dome during Friday evenings TOC action - property BDN Photo and Rick Crank

Chapel Hill, N.C. - BDN took in J.P. Tokoto's first game at the TOC last evening as he scored 13 points to help his team to a close comeback win.  Tokoto is a nice athlete but needs work on his outside shot.  Prep Stars ranks Tokoto 5th in the class of 2010.  Here is the post game interview with [private] Tokoto.

More to come ... [/private]

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High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 9

Here is another edition of High School Hoops for Blue Devil Nation premium members. This edition takes a look at Duke’s three 2010 committed players: Kyrie Irving, Josh Hairston, and Tyler Thornton; as well as the other players Duke is looking at in the Class of 2010 and beyond. [private]

Kyrie Irving: St. Patrick has advanced to the Championship Game in the Union County Tournament in what could be their last game. Kyrie Irving scored 13 points as the Celtics defeated Union 64-47. St. Patrick will face Plainfield for the championship. Here is some video of the action.

St. Patrick has been banned from participating in the State Tournament due to Coach Kevin Boyle being present during open gym workouts prior to the official start of practice. St. Patrick has filed a civil lawsuit in federal court and a hearing will be held on Monday at 9 am.

Josh Hairston: Montrose Christian ended a losing streak with a 62-56 win over Fork Union. Hairston scored 20 points in the game. Hairston is averaging 17 points per game for the Mustangs and he is currently Second Team in the All-Met Watch.

Tyler Thornton: Thornton is averaging 15 points a game for the 22-6 Eagles. On Friday, February 26, O’Connell defeated Gonzaga 67-55. On Wednesday, February 24, Gonzaga defeated McNamara 62-58. Thornton scored 19 points in the victory.

Trey Zeigler: Zeigler fouled out in regulation but first he scored 27 points to go with 10 rebounds as Mt. Pleasant defeated Bay City Central 73-68 in overtime. The Oilers have now won 13 games in a row.

Marshall Plumlee: Christ School is 35-1 and will play Charlotte Christian for the NCISAA Championship on Saturday night. The Greenies defeated Wesleyan Christian Academy 81-40 in the Quarter-Finals and Forsyth Country Day 67-64 in the Semi-Finals.

Charlotte Christian defeated Ravenscroft to advance to the Championship Game.

Austin Rivers: Winter Park defeated Edgewater 70-59 in the Florida 6A Regional Semi-Finals. Edgewater employed a Box and 1 defense designed to stop Austin Rivers and held him to 11 points but it wasn’t enough to stop the Wildcats from advancing to the Regional Finals. Brett Comer stepped up and scored 23 points. Here is some game video.

In the Quarter-Finals, Rivers scored 41 points in front of a crowd of 1,200 fans including Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as Winter Park defeated Winter Springs 83-60.

J.P. Tokoto: Menomonee Falls completed the regular season 14-0 in the Greater Metro Conference with an 80-64 defeat of Brookfield Central on Thursday February 25. J.P. Tokoto scored 23 points.

Menomonee Falls defeated Wauwatosa East 67-46 as Tokoto scored a game-high 18 points. The win clinched the Greater Metro Conference title and earned the Indians’ a first round bye in the upcoming state tournament. Menomonee Falls is the #2 seed in Sectional #5.

On Monday, February 22, Tokoto scored 27 points as Menomonee Falls defeated Homestead 74-71.

Finally, here is an article from the Raleigh News & Observer on Kendall Marshall that I’m including in this update in the spirit of the great Chinese Philosopher Sun Tzu whose sage advice was to keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Taking into account all the Larry Drew II rumors about a possible transfer, Marshall could be given the keys to Roy Williams’ broken down jalopy as a freshman.

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High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 6

Hairston-300x286A plethora of high school basketball action has taken place this past week. Holiday tournaments are in full swing this weekend with future Blue Devils and recruiting targets participating in tournaments such as the Iolani Classic (Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston) in Honolulu, the Chick-fil-A Classic (Marshall Plumlee) in Columbia, the City of Palms Classic (Austin Rivers) in Fort Myers, and the Kreul Classic (Quincy Miller) in Miami. [private]

This edition of High School Hoops 2010 was scheduled to start off with a look at future Duke guard Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, St. Patrick’s first two games, on Friday night and Saturday, were cancelled. For an in depth look at Irving and St. Patrick’s, go to the NJ.com website as they have a New Jersey basketball season preview posted along with a quick blurb on each of the state’s top 50 players and the state’s best teams.

Turning to the Holiday Tournaments, in the Iolani Classic in Honolulu, Josh Hairston scored 20 points on Thursday as Montrose Christian destroyed Kahuku 70 – 27. On Friday, Tyler Thornton scored 14 points as Gonzaga rolled over Moanalua 84 – 56.

On Saturday, both Hairston and Thornton were in action. Hairston scored 22 points with 12 rebounds as Montrose Christian defeated Iolani 71 – 49. Thornton scored 18 points but Gonzaga fell to Columbia (GA) 55 – 53.

This article at ESPN includes some very nice verbiage on Hairston. Reggie Rankin states, “Hairston will be a good fit in the intense Duke man-to-man defense…” This ESPN RISE Magazine article is complimentary toward both Hairston and Thornton with statements such as: “Tyler Thornton was born to lead” and “Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston couldn’t be stopped.” The buzz surrounding these two players has been relatively subdued, possibly due to their early commitment, however, Duke fans should be ecstatic about these two players arrival next season.

In the Chick-fil-A Classic, on Saturday, Christ School defeated Norfolk Christian 78 - 60. Marshall Plumlee’s line was 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots in 18 minutes. Carolina commit James McAdoo scored 19 points for Norfolk Christian. The State has a tournament preview article, which highlights 10 players to watch.

At the City of Palms Classic, on Saturday night, Winter Park faced Findlay Prep. Austin Rivers scored 22 points and dished out five assists but it wasn’t enough as Findlay Prep prevailed 86 – 75.

Linking to ESPN RISE Magazine once again, here is a detailed article on Austin Rivers and his desire to improve as a defensive player.

Quincy Miller scored 32 points including a 16-17 performance at the free throw line, as Quality Education Academy defeated Central Carolina Sports Academy 90 – 85 on Tuesday December 15. QEA is participating in the Kreul Classic this weekend and on Friday night Miller scored 17 points in a 70 – 60 victory over North Miami Beach.

In action earlier in the week, J.P. Tokoto scored 21 points in leading Menomonee Falls to a 65 – 46 win over Sussex Hamilton.

That’s a wrap for this week’s edition of High School Hoops 2010. Blue Devil Nation’s coverage will continue next week so be sure and stay tuned in order to gather in the scoop on all high school players currently committed to Duke or being recruited by Duke. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 5

Tyler Thornton 3This edition of our running feature on high school basketball action starts off in our nation's capital with coverage of the D.C. Classic. The Gonzaga Eagles featuring future Blue Devil Tyler Thornton are hosting the tournament. Also participating is perennial California powerhouse Mater Dei the alma mater of current Villanova and ex-Blue Devil Taylor King and Carolina's Travis and David Wear. [private]

This week’s coverage begins with links to a tournament preview and quarterfinal game results. The preview has information on all eight teams. In the quarterfinals, Tyler Thornton scored 18 points in Gonzaga’s 83 – 69 victory over Jesuit (Dallas) TX. Gonzaga utilized pressure defense to spark their running game and opened the game up in the third quarter.

In the semifinals, Gonzaga faced Calvert Hall (Baltimore) and came away with a 66 – 51 victory. Tyler Thornton scored 16 points and Gonzaga once again used a blistering defense to lead from start to finish.

The Championship Game featured Gonzaga versus Mater Dei. Tyler Thornton scored 18 points and earned MVP honors as Gonzaga used an 11 – 0 run in the fourth quarter to come from behind and win the championship 62 – 59. Thornton turned a critical steal into a coast to coast basket to improve Gonzaga’s lead to 61 - 57.

Josh Hairston scored 10 points and Montrose Christian cruised to a 74 – 25 victory over Liberty. On Saturday, Hairston scored 17 points as Montrose defeated St. Mary’s Ryken 74 – 59.

Quincy Miller scored 25 points in the opening game of the Best of the Midwest Shootout to lead Quality Education Academy to an 87 – 82 victory over Brehm Prep.

Roscoe Smith recorded a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds as Oak Hill Academy defeated Carolina Forest 100 – 52. Coach Krzyzewski was in attendance.

Winter Park High School is ranked # 3 in the Orlando Sentinel's Super 16. The Orlando Sentinel has another Austin Rivers feature article posted. On Saturday, Rivers led all scorers with 18 points as Winter Park defeated Montverde Academy 55 -52 in the Hoops with a Heart Classic. Monteverde was ranked # 1 in the Super 16.

Christ School trounced Asheville HS 70 – 35. Marshall Plumlee scored seven points for the Greenies.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a Greater Metro Conference preview article posted. This is the conference which includes J.P. Tokoto and Menomonee Falls HS. In Friday night action, Tokoto scored 14 points as Menomonee Falls defeated West Allis Hale 72 – 47.

Trey Zeigler scored 21 points and pulled in eight rebounds, but Mt Pleasant was routed, 65 – 38, by Saginaw Arthur Hill.

Looking at the week ahead, Gonzaga and Montrose Christian will be in Honolulu for the Iolani Classic starting on Thursday. On Friday, Christ School will be participating in the Chick-fil-A Classic and Winter Park will be at the City of Palms. [/private]

Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting News

High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 4

Austin RiversBlue Devil Nation continues its season long coverage of high school basketball with updates on Austin Rivers, Josh Hairston, Tyler Thornton, J.P. Tokoto, Trey Zeigler, and Marshall Plumlee. The High School Hoops articles will be a weekly feature at Blue Devil Nation as they were the past two years; Edition No. 4 is being posted just four days after Edition No. 3 due to a significant volume of activity taking place on the hardwood these past few nights. Blue Devil Nation encourages everyone to check back late Sunday evening for High School Hoops 2010 Edition No. 5. [private]

Austin Rivers earned MVP honors at the Rotary Tip-Off Classic as Winter Park HS won the championship. Rivers scored 20 points, in the championship game, as Winter Park defeated Winter Springs 59 – 32. In the semi-finals, Winter Park defeated Oak Ridge 71 – 57. The Orlando Sentinel has a video recap posted. Rivers scored 28 points and drained seven 3-point shots in a 70 – 43 opening round victory over Lake Brantley.

In his next game, on Tuesday (Dec 8), Rivers scored 21 points in a 75 – 34 victory over Colonial.

Josh Hairston played his debut game at Montrose Christian in the Caron Butler Invitational in Washington D.C. Hairston scored 26 points as Montrose defeated Theodore Roosevelt HS 63 – 47. Theodore Roosevelt was 2 – 0 coming into the game. Montrose Christian and Hairston’s next game is on Friday night.

Tyler Thornton drew an offensive foul with 28 seconds remaining to seal Gonzaga's 64 - 59 victory over Carroll High. Thornton scored 16 points, including going 6-6 from the charity stripe, and delivered four assists in the game. He is shooting 90.9 percent from the free throw line through three games. Gonzaga and Thornton will be back in action on Thursday evening.

J.P. Tokoto scored 19 points as Menomonee Falls defeated Milwaukee Marquette 56 – 36. Menomonee Falls and Tokoto will be back in action on Friday night.

Trey Zeigler was the leader in scoring and rebounding with 30 and 13 as Mt Pleasant defeated Midland 69 – 46. He also dished out seven assists. In this article, from The Morning Sun, Mt Pleasant Coach Sam Taylor states, “Trey was solid. But it won’t be his best game of the season I can tell you that.” Duke University representatives attended the game to scout Zeigler (I heard through the grapevine it was Nate James, but I cannot confirm who was in attendance). Here is another recap of the action.

Marshall Plumlee grabbed nine rebounds to go along with four points as Christ School opened conference play with an 80 – 67 win over Rabun Gap. Plumlee is averaging 7.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game through the first nine games of his junior season.

In case any of our faithful readers have not already seen this article with two embedded videos, here is a Kyrie Irving preview from MassLive.com. [/private]