As part of SNY’s extensive NCAA early signing period coverage, we will unveil over the next few days a five-part interview with nationally respected recruiting expert Tom Konchalski of the HSBI Report. In this piece that we filmed last week at the SNY studio in Manhattan, Tom gives his impressions of three of the top [...]

Paris Bennett, a 6-foot-5, 195-pound senior forward from St. Patrick of Elizabeth, has committed to George Mason University.
Bennett chose George Mason over Kent State, Siena, Iona and Rider.
“When I went down there for my unofficial, I liked the campus when there weren’t too many people there,” Bennett said. “Then when I went back down this [...]

Howard Garfinkel, founder of Five Star basketball camp, will host a basketball coaches’ clinic today (Friday) at Draddy Gymnasium on the campus of Manhattan College. The event will feature sessions instructed by Hall of Famer Hubie Brown (ESPN/ABC), John Calipari (University of Memphis), Billy Donovan (University of Florida), Rick Pitino (University of Louisville), Pete Gillen [...]

Karon Abraham, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound combo guard from Paterson (NJ) Eastside High, has verbally committed to Robert Morris after taking an official visit there this weekend.
“I verballed today,” Abraham, who averaged 18.5 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds last season, said by phone. “They were the ones who showed the most interest. They really [...]

A slew of college coaches will visit Bishop Maginn in Albany on Saturday for a coaches clinic. Of course it doesn’t hurt that that Maginn stars 6-foot-1 junior point guard Taran Buie, the No. 13 point guard in the Class of 2010.
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, Rutgers coach Freddie Hill, Maryland coach Gary Williams, Georgia Tech [...]

Givon Crump, 6-foot-6, 210-pound small forward from Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy ranked No. 26 among small forwards in the Class of 2009, has set his visits.
Crump will visit Oregon State (9/13), DePaul (9/20) and Baylor (10/4). South Florida, George Washington and Rutgers are also in the mix, but he has already visited Rutgers, GW and [...]

Donald Williams, who previously flirted with St. John’s and Marquette, has committed to Kentucky.
“Donald is definitely a Kentucky Wildcat,” said Tony Tate, Williams’ coach with the New Orleans Jazz AAU program. “They enrolled him (Wednesday). It’s just a blessing that every thing shook out the way it shook out. Coach Billy Gillespie has a proving track [...]

Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon hired former Rice High School assistant and Gauchos AAU assistant Rasheen Davis as the staff’s video coordinator….and one wonders how this might impact Rice senior Durand Scott (pictured) in his recruiting.
“Rasheen is an outstanding addition to our program,” Dixon said. “He brings with him an extensive background both in coaching [...]

Rivals released its Top 150 for the Class of 2010 and there are several local ties for the New York metropolitan area, although we were surprised not to see Fuquan Edwin of Paterson Catholic and Ashton Pankey of St. Anthony on this list.
**6-foot-8 Canadian native and Texas commit Tristan Thompson of St. Benedict’s Prep in [...]

NEW YORK - Some potentially good news for N.C. State hoops fans from the Boost Mobile Elite 24 event at Harlem’s Rucker Park.
April Ross, the mother of top five 2011 prospect LaQuinton Ross, wore a bright red N.C. State shirt to the scrimmage on Thursday.
When I asked the 6-foot-8, 195-pound Ross if N.C. State was a [...]