Tag Archives: Kaleb Tarczewski

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High School Hoops 2011 Edition No. 3

The holiday season is upon us and arriving with it are numerous high school basketball tournaments including the Iolani Classic in Hawaii, the City of Palms Classic in Florida, and the Chick fil A Classic in South Carolina. In this edition of High School Hoops, Blue Devil Nation keeps you updated on all the tournament action by providing links galore to game recaps, box scores and video clips. [private]

At the Iolani Classic, in Honolulu, Quinn Cook was named the tournament Most Valuable Player as Oak Hill won the tournament with a 4-0 record. He scored 22 points and dished out five assists as Oak Hill defeated Montverde 58-44 in the championship game. Here is a link to another championship game recap.

Cook led Oak Hill over Moanalua 108-33 with a 17 points 16 assists double-double performance in opening round action. Here is a video clip of the game action.

In the quarterfinals, Cook scored 31 points and dished out seven assists as Oak Hill defeated host Iolani Raiders 81-53. Oak Hill defeated Dr. Phillips, 81-51, in the semifinals.

The City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, Florida provided plenty of action for Duke commits and recruiting targets. Austin Rivers, Marshall Plumlee, Shabazz Muhammad, Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski were all in action at this tournament. Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Associate head Coach Chris Collins were present in Florida checking out the prospects.

Austin Rivers headed into this prestigious tournament looking to earn a championship as Winter Park’s previous best finish was 3rd Place. However, it wasn’t to be as Winter Park finished in 4th Place after losing to Milton, 63-62, in the semifinals, and to Mater Dei, 84-66, in the 3rd Place game.

Rivers was named to the All Tournament team after scoring 28, 42, 25 and 28 points in four games for an average of 30.75 points per game. Winter Park defeated Riverside Academy, 75-63, in the opening round and Dwyer, 76-64, in the quarterfinals.

Christ School won two games and lost two games in the tournament. Marshall Plumlee recorded 11 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks double-double in a 77-62 victory over Christ The King. In a 59-54 loss to Mater Dei, Plumlee scored nine points, while he scored five points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked six shots in a 73-61 win over Whitney Young. In their fourth tournament game, an 86-77 loss to Dwyer, Plumlee scored 12 points.

Plumlee also won the tournament dunk contest. Here is a video clip of his performance.

In games last week, Plumlee recorded two double-doubles with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and 11 points and 14 rebounds. Christ School won both games.

Shabazz Muhammad and Bishop Gorman HS played three games at the City of Palms winning once and losing twice. Muhammad scored 19 points as Bishop Gorman defeated North Port 62-48 in their opening game. Bishop Gorman lost to Dwyer, 72-63, and to Riverside Academy, 59-51. Muhammad scored 31 and 29 points, respectively, in those two losses.

St. Mark’s played two games in the Signature Series division of the City of Palms tournament. They dropped their first game, 65-41, to Academy of New Church. Kaleb Tarczewski scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Alex Murphy was held to four points. Murphy was whistled for four personal fouls so his playing time was limited to 22 minutes. In the second game, St. Mark’s defeated Westchester Country Day, 81-36. Murphy scored 18 points and Tarczewski added 13. St. Mark’s outscored Westchester 51-10 in the second half.

At the Chick fil A Classic in Blythewood, South Carolina, Benedictine struggled to a 4th Place finish in the Classic I Bracket. Benedictine went 1-2 at the tournament with Mike Gbinije scoring 18, 22 and 21 points in the three games.

In the opening round (quarterfinals), Benedictine defeated Charlotte Christian 53-41. In the semifinals, United Faith defeated Benedictine 71-61, and in the 3rd Place game, Benedictine lost to Norcross 54-43.

Moving on from the tournament action to some general links, here is a report from last week on St. Mark's teammates, and Duke recruiting targets, Alex Murphy and Kaleb Tarczewski. Scroll down to the middle of the article to find the germane verbiage.

Here is a nice article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Coach Krzyzewski's visit to observe Tony Parker, while the Las Vegas Sun has a similar article on Coach Roy Williams' watching Shabazz Muhammad.

The Chicago Tribune weighs in with this article on 2013 prospect Jabari Parker. Parker had a nine points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals stat line as Simeon routed Lew Wallace 85-38 on Thursday night. [/private]

Duke Basketball Recruiting News

Adidas Nations Day One – Duke prospects looking good

Kaleb Tarczewski played well against Quincy Miller today. Read about it on BDN Premium. Photo BDN Phot, Rick Crank

Day one of our Adidas Nations coverage is underway where BDN's Andrew Slater is on the scene bringing constant updates as they happen to our premium members.  Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Chris Collins are in the house where they are watching several prospects.  One of those is Shabazz Muhammad who just dropped 32 points.  Alex Murphy?  He just dunked a ball to tie his team's game up at 74 all with three seconds left on the game clock. 

Find out who the Duke staff is watching and how Duke's hot  prospects are doing by becoming a subscriber to the most active Duke site on the AAU circuit, Blue Devil Nation Premium.  Andrew has already listed some of the measurements for key recruits at the LeBron Skills Academy in Akron as well.  And he will continue to cover both events as the week progresses.

He has already talked with Marshall Plumlee, Shabazz Muhammad, Kaleb Tarczewski and Troy Murphy, so interviews are coming.  So if you want to hear about the throng of the nation's finest coaches are watching or the circus atmosphere surrounding LeBron James, check out our trial offer which lasts just a few more days or join for the year which is the best bargain.  It's a great time to be a member of BDN Premium.

As soon as you are done, join our private message board where you can find updates like these as they happen -

Drew, Crean, Dixon, Huggins, Capel, Miller, Self, and plenty of assistants. NE Playaz won convincingly, 68-50. The only one who was consistently able to score for D-One was Deuce. Bello finished with 26. Quincy couldn't defend Tarczewski and Clifton kept telling their replacement coach to pull him off of him- Adding that it was Quincy and four midgets. Miller finished with 5points, which is, by far, the least I've ever seen with him. Murphy, displaying his high bb IQ and improved athleticism and strength, and Tarczewski really closed out well in the second half. Alex Murphy finished with 18 and Kaleb Tarczewski finished with a team-high 19. K and Collins are watching DC Assault take on Franchize All-Stars.

Follow us on twitter for updates from the events - BlueDevilNation or go to the sidebar on the main page

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One on One with 2012 Duke prospect Kaleb Tarczewski

Kaleb Tarczewski throws down a dunk at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp. Become a trial member and read this in depth interview with a rising prospect. Photo property of Rick Crank and Blue Devil Nation

CHARLOTTESVILLE - One of the big men garnering attention in the class of 2012 is St. Marks Kaleb Tarczewski who is looking like a true post player.  By that, I mean he is penciled in by most as a center.  Tarczewski first caught my eye in Orlando during last season AAU Nationals where he scored 28 point in a game where my intent was to watch Alex Murphy for the first time.  Since that time, it was clear to me that he had a great deal of potential and one thing for certain is that you cannot teach height.  I saw Tarczewski again during the Tournament of Champions and it was clear that he has a lot of potential if he continues to work hard.  Coming from a solid AAU program and having good high school coaching will certainly aid the process and it's no longer a secret that he is being sought after by the likes of Kansas and Duke.  Having talked with Tarczewski a couple of times prior to this past weekend, he is comfortable with me which is evident in the following in depth interview.

Kaleb, you're of course in the class of 2012 and play with another Duke prospect in Alex Murphy in AAU ball and at St. Marks as well.  We're here at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp and I'd like to know what it's like to play in a structured camp like this?

I was kind of nervous on the plane ride down here and this is one of the biggest events I've been to and it obviously has some of the best player in the country.  Being younger than everyone is kind of nerve racking but I've calmed down a little bit and just want to play some good basketball.

You just had a pretty good game and went up against Isaiah Austin and Tyler Adams.  What was it like playing against them?

I've played against Austin before in an AAU game so I knew how he would play.  You've just got to go out there and work harder than your opponent and you'll be fine.

Each time I've seen you progress is evident and I like that you don't back down inside.  Is that just inherit to you or your nature so to speak?

Yeah, I mean I love fighting on the block and that's what I do and I know that's what I need to do to be successful and I'm willing to do that.

The last time I saw you was at the Tournament of Champions Event.  What have you been doing since that time?

I went to the [private] Kansas Elite Camp and I got to work with Danny Manning and that was really,  really good.  We went over work angles and working the post and that was a great experience and I've been working a lot at home with Coach Carrol as well.

Kansas is high on your list, right?

Yeah.

And they've been recruiting you the longest?

They kind of started this spring, so it hasn't been too long.

Are any other schools coming in?

Yeah, tons of schools.  I've gotten so many calls the past few days so it's really opening up.  I don't really have a list yet.  It's very early in the process.

When you do make a decision who will play a role in that?

I kind of have a lot of people.  My basketball family has gotten pretty big.  Alex's Dad, Mr. Murphy, he's really gotten into this so he's going to really be effecting my decision.  Mitchell Lubick, my high school coach at St. Mark's and my sponsor T.J. and my family too.

And you're really tight with Alex as well, right?

Yeah.  Me and Alex have become pretty good friends,  We've been playing AAU ball together for two and a half years now.  Right when I started out playing, he was always there and of course, we go to school together.

Have you been hearing from any ACC schools of late?

Yeah, Duke and Virginia.  I talked to Coach K and talked to Virginia.  I will be going to Boston College's Elite Camp.  When we were in Atlanta, Georgia Tech showed interest and I got to meet their coaches.

Do you think you'll take all five official visits?

Yeah, most likely.  I want to see as many schools as I can and traveling with AAU helps me do that.

Now, you told me last time you've only been watching college basketball for one year, is that right?

Yeah, just this past year.  It's kind of new to me so it's hard to make a decision until I become more familiar.

So, you'll take your time in the process?

Yeah.

Do you look at schools and how they develop kids for say they next level?

Yeah.  There are so many factors going into a decision.  One of the main factors that's important to me ... I'll go anywhere that I can get better and puts me in the best spot.  I mean, I really don't want to go too far from home but if I have to I will.  So, I'm looking for a place that makes me feel at home.

Is there an early leader?

No, not really.  Obviously, I go to huge school like Kansas and I'm blown away by it and obviously going to a Duke or North Carolina, it's like wow, it would be cool if I went there but you have to still just take a step back and see.

What do you do with your down time away from AAU ball?

[laughs]  I don't really have that much time, especially in the summer.  When I go home, I usually like to go to the beach or hang out with my girlfriend, mow the lawn. [smiling]

Yeah, it must be nice to go to the beach.  I'm out there about as much as you guys are and it's been hard to find time for one of my favorite places.

We're like the west part of New Hampshire, but we have a lake beside us and it's nice, so ...

Tell me something about you that nobody else knows?

Uh, I don't really know ...

Have you played sports other than basketball?

Well, I didn't start playing basketball until the sixth grade, but I didn't play in the seventh and my freshman year in high school, so I haven't really experienced basketball and in New Hampshire it's hard.  Every since I started play basketball I loved it and I stated out playing football with my stepbrother.  When I got taller, I knew basketball was something I could be good at and I really love the game.

You mentioned that you talked with Duke's Coach K earlier.  What did have to say?

It might have been the first day phones opened up [contact period] and he said we really like you and want to get you down here for a visit.

Did that sound good to you?

Oh yeah.  Plus they've got the Polish Coach, so .. [smiling]

Alex is taking a good long Duke as well.  He seems to be pretty high on them, is that what you see as well?

Yeah, Alex is really high on them. They're obviously not only a good basketball school but they are an good academic school as well.

You go to St, Mark's which prepared you well for college.  Is education important to you as well?

Very important.  I have a 4.0 [said with pride], so it's really important to me.  They can't take away your brain if you get injured or hurt, so you always have your brain to fall back on.

That's good thinking on your part.  Have you thought about what you might like to take in college?

Well, I have thought about engineering, but it's what ever the best fit for me is.

Now, Murphy's Dad played in the NBA.  Does he ever give you pointers and talk of what to expect?

Well, he gives me more like skills workouts and stuff like that and we try not to look too far into the future and stuff like that.  I'd never say I was going to for sure be in the NBA, so why bother with this or that.  To be honest, I have so much work to do before I get to that level I try not to think of it.

Well, you're doing a great job.

Thank you very much. [/private]

Duke Basketball

NBAPA Top 100 Camp Day Two – Gbinije is the camps 6th leading scorer

Duke verbal Tyler Adams (blue) goes for a rebound at the NBAPA Camp. For all the skinny on prospects join Blue Devil Nation Premium.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - One of the coaches and mentors at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp is former Blue Devil Chris Duhon.  We chatted with Duhon and you'll hear what he had to say early next week.  If you think he was taking it easy on the kids in drills think again.  He stuffed one camper as he went up for a jump shot to challenge the free agent.

Soon to be Blue Devil Tyler Adams again challenged all comers on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds in one of the days games.  Adams was sporting a wrist support by tonight's game and he told BDN he sprained the wrist during the morning session.  The injury happened earlier this AAU season.  Adams intimidated [private] a couple of players into turnovers, but he needs work on his help defense.  One thing I loved was that it was Adams, the man in the middle talking to his teammates directing them to men on the defensive end.  In short, he knew where to be on the court.  Bottom line is that the Celtics only consistent player is Adams who went for 11 and 15 points on Friday.

Will the real Rodney Hood please stand up!  If you are a member of BDN Premium you may remember that Duke was once looking at the Mississippi native.  Hood seemingly regressed dropping in the rankings, but if his play during the NBAPA Camp is something he can repeat on a regular basis, then he is back and once again moving up in the rankings.  Hood told BDN that his list of schools were firm at around nine, but he said if the right team came in he'd open the door.  For what it's worth, Hood's dream school growing up was, you got it, Duke.

We checked out Rodney Purvis and secured an interview and I must say the 2013 prospect is as advertised.

And then there is Deuce Bello.  Wow!  This guy is good.  The first year I saw him he was but an athlete but he is know turning into a smarter basketball player that has a really solid handle and blow by speed.  Easily one of the tournaments best and most consistent players.  Bello is averaging 12.0 ppg.

A big guy that was calling for the ball today was named Marshall Plumlee.  The Duke prospect was more aggressive today and he once again drew several fouls.  Unlike last evening, he nailed his free throws today.  As we noted Plumlee will visit Virginia after the event where he will meet with Coach Bennett.  However, a good meeting took place with Coach K and Wojo recently and considering his brothers are at Duke, I kind of think he will opt that way in due time.  Plumlees scoring numbers from today were  6 and 2.

After a great start in the event, Amile Jefferson's game tailed off significantly on the offense in the early game

Man was I happy to see J.P. Tokoto get a few points in.  Tokoto started the game with two air balls and they were some kind of ugly ten to fifteen foot shots.  He finally got an easy one and then nailed one from the outside.  That means he is averaging a whopping 1.0 ppg good for 103rd in scoring.  He's a good player for sure but needs serious work on the offensive end of the court, especially with his outside game.  I really think he needs to play for his AAU teams 17 U team to get better.  Despite the rumors of a Carolina lean which may be true for him, his stepfather will not let him rush into a decision and this one will go on for a bit.

Then there is Kaleb Tarczewskiwho seems warm when talking of Duke.  Coach K gave him a call not long ago and Chris Collins started the ball rolling.  This 2012 kid is going to be a good center in college and he is not afraid to mix it up.  He blocked Cody Zellers shot so hard that he hit the floor.  He threw down two moster slams as well, but Zeller had his best game of the tournament scoring 20.  It was Tarczewski's teams first loss.

Then there was Michael Gbinije, the silent assassin who tossed in 16 and 15 points making him the camps 6th leading scorer. [/private]

BDN Premium Articles

Recruiting spotlight on 2012 big man Kaleb Tarczewski

Photo property of Rick Crank and BDN

While watching  Alex Murphy of the New England Playaz during last season's AAU Nationals, a kid named Kaleb Tarczewski stood out by dominating the glass while scoring 26 points.  Tarczewski is listed at 7-0 but he is probably an inch or so away from that height but considering he's just a rising junior at St. Mark's [MA], he may very well continue to grow.  Tarczewski has been quietly on the Duke radar for evaluation since last summer and he showed flashes which could bring more attention his way.  The kid is very active around the glass, backs down from nobody, and has unusually good coordination for a prospect his size and age.  We'll talk more of Tarczewski on our premium message board but for now, here is our interview with the center [private] prospect. [Additional Q and A coming with Tarczewski]

Just press play -

More to come on BDN Premium [/private]