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'11 PA C Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse Verbal)

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Buckskin86

Buckskin86

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RAKEEMCHRISTMAS12_10200.JPG


Center
Philadelphia (PA) Northeast Catholic

Ht: 6-foot-8
Wt: 200 lbs
Class: 2011 (High School)

Rivals.com
Scout.com

U of L, UK and IU in on '11 top player

Philadelphia junior Rakeem Christmas, who has been called the "best defensive player in the Class of 2011" by several recruiting analysts, has caught the eye of all three local college coaches.

The 6-9 Christmas said at the King City Classic that he had "no favorites" but he listed schools some of the best schools in the country.

Ohio State, Georgetown, Villanova, Kentucky, Louisville and Indiana were among the schools that Christmas, a native of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, mentioned.

Christmas also said he talks to the coaches but is "just playing" and letting his aunt - Amira Hamid - handle much of the recruiting process.

"I will worry about it next year," he said. "I just play."
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courier-journal.com | Jody Demling - Recruiting blog | The Courier-Journal
 
wadc45;1496332; said:
That's not funny...stick with the schtick.
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My bad.

6'11", eh? He's a real tree of a young man. Very gifted player.

Link for the previous post.....

Friday's (6/19) INKlings | Kentucky Ink Forums

Yes, Rakeem is Dionte's little brother. They moved to Philly from the Virgin Islands, IIRC with a stop over in Jersey in between... Just think, you'd have known that almost 3 months ago if you were a premium subscriber
wink.png
. Christmas is someone I said expect to blow up at the begining of March when I said Christmas, Gilchrist and Jahii Carson (2 out of 3 aint bad lol... Wish he was still available) would be names to look out for.
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Posted on Tue, Aug. 11, 2009
'Nova in running for top recruit
By Keith Pompey
Inquirer Staff Writer

Villanova is in the running to get an oral commitment from one of the nation's elite high school basketball players in the Class of 2011.

Academy of the New Church junior-to-be Rakeem Christmas lists 'Nova among his eight college choices. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward said yesterday that Georgetown, Florida, Texas, Indiana, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Baylor are the other schools he's considering.

Christmas, who transferred from North Catholic in June, hasn't decided when he'll make his decision. He can't sign a national letter of intent until November 2010.

"I appreciate the interest that many coaches have in me," said the 17-year-old, who isn't related to former Temple player Dionte Christmas. "But these are the schools that my family and I think would be a good fit for me."
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'Nova in running for top recruit | Philadelphia Inquirer | 08/11/2009
2011 PF Rakeem Christmas, 6-9, 220 pounds
(Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic)

Christmas wowed everyone in attendance as one of the top prospects at the event with his control of the lane and his play above the rim. This kid's star continues to rise as he develops his overall game. He was a monster on the offensive glass with some vicious put-back dunks off of missed shots. He gives great effort beating his opponent running the floor and gets rewarded with some easy conversions in transition. His skill level in the post is still in its developmental stage, but with his work ethic and attitude he should turn out to be a very quick study. He dominated the paint against the older classifications with his shot blocking ability in leading the 2011 adidas US National Team to a 4-0 record in pool play. He is a quick jumper with excellent lateral quickness and timing. He's deceptively strong and defensively rebounds against bigger, stronger opponents. He has two more seasons of high school basketball before he gets the chance to impact a college program. He is going to be special, so let the recruiting wars begin.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/basketball/mens/news/story?id=4388549
 
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Rakeem Christmas, No. 1 center in 2011 class, has IU on short list
By Sean Morrison | IDS
Sep. 21, 2009

Rakeem Christmas, the No. 4 recruit in the nation for the class of 2011 ?wants more for himself,? his coach, Kevin Givens, said.

?One of the things we?re blessed with is to have a kid ranked this high come to an institution like ourselves,? said Givens, the coach at Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pa., a Philadelphia suburb. ?It says a lot about him, his character and his aunt?s character.?

Christmas is beginning his first season at the private school after playing at Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia.

The Academy has a solid basketball history and was No. 22 in the nation, according to rankings from USA Today, during the 2007-08 season.

However, it is also a highly-rated school academically, called ?one of the top educational values available for families? by Private School Review.

?They want something different,? Givens said of Christmas? aunt and legal guardian, Amira Hamid. ?They want the academic piece for this kid.?

Christmas is 6 feet 9 inches and 230 pounds of athleticism, Givens said.

?He?s solid,? Givens said. ?Pure muscle.?

He also has a long reach, with an 88.5-inch wingspan. Givens said that reach gives Christmas a decided advantage, along with his overall athletic ability.

?He can do a little bit of everything,? Givens said. ?He?s very aggressive to the basket in terms of slam-dunking and that sort of thing, and he has a nice touch from the 15- to 19-foot range, and also he can take the average 6-foot-9 guy off the dribble and score inside. He?s got a lot of things that he can do. For us, we?re going to put him in situations where he can do it all.?

For Givens, ?doing it all? entails putting up about 20 points per game and grabbing 10 to 12 rebounds for his team, something Christmas is rather accustomed to as a big man.

Givens called Christmas ?demonstrative,? meaning his abilities are distinguished from other players in his class.

With Christmas being the No. 1 center in the class of 2011, that is obvious to Givens.

What isn?t obvious to Christmas? coach is his status on recruitment thus far. They haven?t spoken about it at all yet, mainly because that is currently not their priority.

?One thing I want him to focus on is getting himself acclimated to the school,? Givens said. ?We?re one of the top schools in the country academically, so that?s my first concern.?

Givens said Christmas has taken the school switch in stride.

?He?s been doing great academically, which we were sort of surprised at,? Givens said. ?He?s making the transition. We?re also a religious-based school too, in terms of Christianity, so he has to make that transition, as well. We do realize that some of this stuff may be a culture shock, but so far, so good.?
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idsnews.com | Indiana Daily Student |
 
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Chris (Philadelphia, PA)
Hey Reggie. You mentioned Rakeem Christmas earlier, any favorites for him? I know he was at Georgetown for their Midnight Madness and they have certainly had a lot of success with big guys in the past. Has anyone separated from the pack with him?

Reggie Rankin
hey Chris, I think GTown is a major player for Christmas along with Villanova, Ohio State, Indiana, Texas and Florida. GTown's success with post players and great tradition in the past will certainly help.
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Chat: Scouts Inc.'s hoops recruiting chat - SportsNation - ESPN
 
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Scout.com: Nike Skills Recap (free)

Rakeem Christmas, C - The athleticism that Christmas has showed through in a big way during the Amar'e session. Gliding up the floor with ease, Rakeem looked great in a full court transition drill, where on an NBA-sized floor he was able to show his speed even more. Besides the athleticism, he also showed a nice mid-range jumper at the elbow, knocking down many of them with ease in a drill that got the big men moving and taking shots off a pick and pop.
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