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Recruits star at the adidas ABCD Camp

July 9, 1999
By Charlie McCarthy
SportsLine Staff Writer

HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Eddie Griffin, a 6-foot-8 forward considered by some people to be the top recruiting prize in the 1999-2000 recruiting season, insists rumors of him going to North Carolina are premature.

Griffin, speaking Thursday at the adidas ABCD Camp in New Jersey, says word that he's a future Tar Heel probably started because "I have some ACC teams on my list."

 
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"I definitely want to go to college, probably for two years," said Griffin, from Philadelphia. "I want a school that has a good point guard and a good starting center who will be there. That way I can play the 4 (power forward) and also move to the 3."

Griffin said his list consists of 10 schools: Cincinnati, Connecticut, Duke, Maryland, Massachusetts, Miami, North Carolina, Seton Hall, Syracuse and Temple.

Through three games at the ABCD Camp, Griffin averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds and 3.3 blocks.

Free throws

The player who stood out the most Thursday -- that's what happens when a person is 7-foot-6 -- was Neil Fingleton, a center attending high school at Holy Name in Worchester, Mass. Fingleton is a Durham, England native who started playing basketball three years ago. "I've improved a lot the last two years," Fingleton said. "I really enjoy playing the game." Wake Forest, Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Southern California, Ohio State and North Carolina all have expressed interest in Fingleton, who averaged 8.7 points and 1.7 rebounds through three ABCD games. ...

Marcus Toney-El, a 6-7 senior-to-be at Seton Hall Prep, announced he had orally committed to Seton Hall. ... Two of three highly touted New York City point guards are at the camp. Andre Barrett, of Rice HS, and Taliek Brown, of St. John's Prep, were among the players drawing the most interest. Barrett averaged 10.7 points, 10.3 assists and 1.7 turnovers through three games; Brown averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 assists and 2 turnovers. Omar Cook, from Christ the King HS, is at the Nike Camp in Indianapolis. ....

College coaches can't talk to recruits directly yet, but that hasn't stopped them from scouting. Among the faces in Thursday's crowd were Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Utah's Rick Majerus and Georgia Tech's Bobby Cremins. ... Recent NBA draft pick Jonathan Bender, who chose to turn pro instead of attending Mississippi State, also was at Fairleigh Dickinson's Rothman Center. ... Some ABCD games were played Tuesday and Wednesday, but the camp began in earnest Thursday and runs through Saturday.