Mason Plumlee announces he will be a Duke Blue Devil

Junior big man Mason Plumlee announced this week that he will be headed to Duke. The Class of 2009 power forward went to Durham for an unofficial visit almost two weeks ago and was greeted by the Cameron Crazies, who chanted his name.

“It was just pretty awesome,” Plumlee told the Asheville Citizen (Coach Mike Krzyzewski) told me to expect it, but I still wasn’t sure they would do it. It was a great feeling and one of the highlights of the trip. It was a really good visit.”

Plumlee, who attend the Christ School in Arden, N.C., is the first player to commit to the Blue Devils in the class of 2009. Other Duke targets include American Heritage (FL) guard Kenny Boynton and Washington (Va.) power forward Deshawn Painter. Plumlee, who is originally from Indiana, was accompanied by his parents when announcing the decision.

"Just getting to meet and talk with Coach (Mike Krzyzewski) was the biggest thing for myself and my family," Plumlee said. "The whole staff is great and I love the campus. I'm really looking forward to everything about Duke."

Plumlee’s older brother, Christ School (N.C.) senior forward Miles Plumlee, committed to Stanford in June.

- Campbell Hall (Ca.) senior Jrue Holiday was a beast in his squads playoff win over La Canada High. The UCLA-bound Holiday tallied 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists for the Vikings.
"Honestly, it's games like the one tonight that separate Jrue from the rest of the top players in the country,'' Campbell Hall Coach Terry Kelly told the Los Angeles Times. "I've never been around a more unselfish player. He makes everyone around him better, always has.''

- Oklahoma-bound senior Willie Warren scored 25 points for Fort Worth’s North Crowley High as the Panthers topped El Paso Americas Tuesday night. The win by the Panthers (34-1) sets up a monster match-up with Duncanville (35-1) in the Texas state semifinals. Duncanville is the number 4 team in the country according SI.com

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McDonald's All-American Team is Named: Mike Rosario is a surprise pick

The McDonald’s All-American teams were announced this week, and there were a few surprises.

As expected, American Christian guard Tyreke Evans and St. Benedict’s forward Samardo Samuels will headline the East team in Milwaukee. But the biggest surprise on the team had to be St. Anthony’s guard Mike Rosario. This is a major coup for Rutgers, who signed the 6-0 guard, as Fred Hill, who was hired to replace the departed Gary Watters based on his skill as a recruiter, can now say that he has brought a McDonald’s All-American to Piscataway. But Rosario’s inclusion, despite the fact that he has played extraordinarily well this season, is somewhat odd being that he isn’t even the best player on his team. That distinction belongs to junior forward Dominic Cheek, who will be a prime candidate for next year’s squad. St. Anthony’s will take on Evans and American Christian tonight at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City.

- As for the West squad, it looks like Brandon Jennings and Willie Warren will finally get a chance to team up in the backcourt. Warren, of North Crowley High in Fort Worth, was supposed to be Jennings’ backcourt mate at Oak Hill Academy this year. But Warren, an Oklahoma signee transferred back to North Crowley this fall, where he has led the Panthers to a 31-1 mark. Jennings exploded for 63 points last week in a win over Bonner. What a duo they would have made.

- In a blockbuster playoff match-up in Florida, sophomore wunderkind Brandon Knight led Pine Crest to a 90-76 win over Kenny Boynton and American Heritage in the state regional semifinals. “Knight is a special player,” American Heritage coach Danny Herz said. “We haven’t had a player like that around these parts for quite some time."

- American Christian junior guard Lamont Jones, who was included on TAKKLE’s first-team All-PrimeTime Shootout squad after his blistering performances against Rancocas Valley and South Kent, told the New York Daily News that he is decomitting from Louisville and that his recruitment is once again open. Jones, who transferred to ACS from Rice High in Manhattan, should be a hot commodity on the summer circuit.

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