Jack Whitehead was named a director on the board of Hoops Care International (HCI). HCI’s charter is to provide opportunities for the youth of Ghana to develop leadership skills, healthy lifestyles, work ethics, commitment, honesty and integrity through sport, using basketball as the medium.

I have been fully committed to helping to uplift the great youth of Ghana as best I can by providing scholarship opportunites to those that ordinarily might not receive that chance. To date we have raised over $110,000 in scholarship funding. We are turning a new page in this book with the creation of HCI. At HCI we are establishing the foundation for the future through improvements in nutrition, education, commerce and athletics.

Please take time to visit us at  http://hoopscare.org/ . We are in need of many things such as computers, basketballs and sneakers. On our agenda for this year is a basketball clinic that we would like to be conducted by college coaches in the USA and also the creation of an internet cafe in our office in Cape Coast, Ghana.

Contact me if you would like to participate in either endeavour in any way possible. If your a coach all I can say is that we have some very good prospects in camp now and a trip to Ghana would really be worth your time. The internet cafe is going to be a vehicle that will enable us to become self reliant and generate much needed income in addition to teaching our kids entrepreneurship.

I can be reached at jwhitehead@runhouse.net or 215.432.4443

When word got out that Chicago area product Kashaune McKinney was still not signed and his mentor Philadelphia’s own Aggrey Sam was looking to place him we offered to assist. One call from Rasool Hajj and a video review later the kid was signed to Norfolk State. Other interest was there as well from Cal Bakersfield and Hampton.
McKinney is a 6′ 4″ shooter who put up hugh numbers in high school. The staff at Norfolk State is excited about landing this prize recruit. We are just glad that we were able to offer our assistance to Norfolk State and McKinney.

Sophmore Daniel Armah, A 6′ 7″ F for Lake Land Junior College finished out the regular season with a 17 point , 12 rebound winning effort against Rend Lake. This marked the second double double since his move from the power forward position to the small forward stop. Next up are regional playoffs for the Lake Land team.

Kilgore power forward and Oral Roberts signee Chris Angsomwine took time out of his busy schedule this week to answer a few questions for us.

Question: What has been your biggest adjustment on the court from playing in Ghana to playing in the USA?

Answer: My biggest adjustments on the court has been the intensity of the Game.. . Also there was a lot of learning to be done .. Gone are the days where i used to go to the court back home and just do my own thing. I would say the biggest adjustment has been the physical part of the game and also learning and playing the game the right way.

Question: What has been your biggest adjustment off the court from living in Ghana to living in the USA?

Answer: The biggest adjustment off the court has been combining studies with basketball.. You can not just concentrate on one, You have to concentrate on both and excel in both of them. Another adjustment off the court I would say it’s been your own man.. Gone are the days where I had my parents telling me what to do . Now I have to make my own decisions and any decision I take is solely on me. You have to be smart.

Question: How would you describe the level of play in Ghana?

Answer: The level of play in Ghana is nothing like that in the USA but i think its still growing. This can be attributed to the fact that we don’t have a lot of people playing the game back in Ghana but i think the level is coming along now because most of the kids are now willing to learn the game the right way. But for now I would say the  game is still developing in Ghana and the level will rise as the game develops.

Question: What players do you try to pattern yourself after?

Answer: I don’t really have a player which I pattern my self after. I kind of watch all the good players in college ball and in the NBA who play the same position that i do and try to learn from.them. I kind of learn from everybody, from my teammates, to other college players to the pros. But I would like to end by saying one guy whose play I have always liked is Kevin Garnett.

Question: Since the players on Claude Thompson’s Cape Coast Hoops team will read this what advice do you have for them?

Answer: Well the advice I would have for them is that playing college ball is not a right, it’s a privilege and a once in a life time opportunity. So when that opportunity comes their way, they should grab and make the very best out of it.  I would also like to say playing college ball comes with a lot of responsibilities and you can’t just do whatever you want because your part of a team and every team has rules. They should also allow themselves to be coachable because I know for a fact that players coming from Ghana still have a lot to learn about the game. They should come here with a mind set that they are here for business. Academics and basketball comes first .

Players,
Show colleges you have what it takes to play at the next level. If your an unsigned senior or rising junior then this showcase will be the place to be. Many college coaches at all levels (Div 1, Div 2 , Div 3, NAIA, Juco) will be in attendace or will view the video of the event.
The date will be determined soon and there will be limited spots available.
Last summers showcase saw 10 players get signed within a week. All it takes is one good performance.

If you have an interest in playing then contact Jack Whitehead at jwhitehead@runhouse.net

Runhouse will be fielding a team in the Philadelphia Positive Image League. The league starts in April and will run through June. If you are a high school age player and have interest in playing for our team then contact me at jwhitehead@runhouse.net

Please include your name, school , position and height.

Jack Whitehead

Runhouse Recruiting

Runhouse has landed another 6′ 8″+ recruit coming into camp in Cape Coast, Ghana. This kid can handle, shoot, and defend from 3 positions. A must have recruit with mid major potential. Don’t sleep on this one. Contact Jack Whitehead, jwhitehead@runhouse.net, for details

The Runhouse-Hoops Project landed another prize recruit today when the big fella arrived via bus. This kid is very athletic and blocks shots by the dozens. In the first workouts and scrimmages he has also displayed a nice assortment of post moves. We will be looking to place him for this summer or fall semester.

For more details contact Jack Whitehead, jwhitehead@runhouse.net, 215.432.4443

Excitement was in the air this weekend at our camp in Cape Coast, Ghana when our latest two prospects arrived for play. Both are 15 years old and are 6′ 7′ and 6′ 10″.  Both players are very excited to play against top level competition which can only be achieved in the USA or in Europe.

We are currently working with a school in the USA for placement.

Coaches, don’t miss out on these two developing big men.

For more details contact Jack Whitehead, Director of International Recruiting, at jwhitehead@runhouse.net

(Pictured also is Coach Claude Thompson.)

Malcom Ingram took time out to talk to his former AAU coach Marvin DeBose and answered some questions for us. He is certainly making the most of his opportunity to play college ball.
As a Junior
Named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II East All-Region 2nd Team…ECAC 2nd Team All-Star…Earned CACC All-Tournament Team honors, along with CACC
1st Team All-Conference…Named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Player of the Week for his 1,000th point breaking 20 point performance vs. Post (1/31/09)…Named CACC Honorable Mention for his performance during the week of 11/24/08, 12/8/08, 2/9/09
.. Also was the “Star of the Report” in the D2 East weekly report… Named to CACC Winter ‘All-Academic Team’… Averaged team second-bests of 15.6ppg/8.4 rpg for the season…Started in all 31 games…Added 43 assists and 23 steals for the year

1.  How did you get into playing basketball growing up? Who were your role models?
Surprisingly enough I was originally a competitive swimmer growing up. During this time I always played basketball for fun with my friends growing up. My role models growing up were my brother Jordan Ingram (Archbishop John Carroll) and Troy Roundtree (Northeast High School).

2.  What area of Philly did you grow-up in? Where did you play High School and college basketball?
I grew up in the Wynnefield section of Philadelphia. I began my high school at Central High School, before transferring after my junior year to the Solebury School where I graduated. At the moment I am currently a senior at Philadelphia University.

3. What NBA or College player do you look up to.
I look up to successful undersized power forwards such as Bernard King, Leon Powe, Jason Maxiel, Paul Milsap, and Brandon Bass

4.  Explain why you choose to go to Philly U? What other school were recruiting you out of high school? Were there any D1 recruiting you?

I chose to go to PhillyU because I felt it was the best fit for me. PhillyU had/has a legendary coach (Herb Magee), great history (1970 championship), and great staff. I envisioned myself coming here and thriving. So it was more or less an easy decision. Rider, Boston U, and University of New Hampshire recruited me off and on during my junior year, but did not get really serious with me until halfway through my senior year.
No, I am not really surprised with how much success my team and I have had over the years. We pride ourselves on hard work. Hard work is basically what has allowed us to experience so much success during my time here.

6.  Do you have a daily workout routine during the off season?
Yes, during the summer I generally wake up and run from 8-9, followed by lifting from 10-11:30. After this I eat and then go do basketball workouts from 12-2. Depending on how I’m feeling, I sometimes return again at 5 and do basketball workouts from 5-6:30.

7.  What are your plans for the future
Going forward I plan to have a great senior season. Following graduation I plan to begin preparing for the LSAT’s and applying to law schools. At the moment I am applying for the Fulbright Scholarship to do research in Argentina for one year. I feel very confident about my proposal for this scholarship, so hopefully I win.

8.Who is the toughest player or players that you’ve played against in High School or on the AAU circuit?
The toughest players I feel that I played against in high school and on the AAU circuit are Tyreke Evans and Nasir Robinson. While at Solebury we played American Christian both my junior and senior years, and lost both games. I was matched up with Nasir, and it was pretty tough. He was really strong, quick, and athletic. Tyreke on the other hand basically did whatever he wanted, the whole game. 

9. What was the last book you read?
The last book I read was “Campus CEO” by Randall Pinkett