By ALAN AVITAL

NEW YORK — Drexel recruit Damion Lee entered Sunday’s championship game of the iS8/Nike Spring Classic brimming with self confidence. He was playing alongside some of the nation’s top high school players and showing that he belonged.

“This was my first time playing at iS8,” said Lee, 6-foot-3 shooting guard out of Owings Mill, Md., who attends St. Thomas More (Conn.). “And I really loved it. Hopefully, based on my performance here, I have a new fan base.”

Lee, who committed to the Philadelphia-based school just last month, scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half to lead the Sean Bell All-Stars to a 71-60 victory over Real Scout in front of a raucous crowd. (more…)

The NCAA contact period began Wednesday and runs through Oct. 5, meaning college basketball coaches are on the move all over the nation courting some of the country’s top ballers. Here are some snippets and highlights of what’s going on:

**First off, Frantz Massenat, a 2010 guard from Trenton Catholic, committed to Drexel on Wednesday. Jerian Grant, a 6-4 shooting guard from DeMatha (Md.), committed to Notre Dame.

**Kansas head coach Bill Self and his staff met with Baltimore (Md.) Lake Clifton point guard Josh Selby (pictured) and his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, on Wednesday. Selby decommitted from Tennessee and probably won’t sign until the spring. (more…)

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. — Sterling Gibbs is only a rising junior, but the Seton Hall Prep point guard may make the call on college this summer.

After scoring 16 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in the New York Panthers 59-58 semifinal loss to Team NJABC at the Joe Brown Memorial Tournament, Gibbs said he plans to take unofficial visits this summer to Oklahoma, Indiana, Villanova, Kentucky and Duke.

His father, Temple Gibbs, said his son could decide later this summer.

“We want to make a commitment by the end of the summer. I just want to get him set,” Temple said. (more…)

Drexel freshman and former Rice High star Chris Fouch has torn his ACL and MCL and will redshirt the season.

The news was first reported by Alex Schwartz of Northstar Basketball.

“He’ll be out for the season,” associate coach MIke Connors said. “He’ll redshirt. It’s a tough blow because the kid worked hard. He was expected to play. He hurt it in practice. It was a typical pickup game and he came down wrong.”

The 6-foot Fouch is expected to be out 6-8 months.

“I’m kind of down, but I got to [take] the time to get it stronger and get my game stronger,” Fouch told Schwartz. “Hopefully I can heal fast.”