“We’re bonded by this event,” said Boston Celtics assistant coach Kevin Eastman. “This is not a clinic.”

These words echo a sentiment that is much bigger than basketball.

With the likes of current and former head coaches, such as Florida’s Billy Donovan, Indiana’s Tom Crean, Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, Stan Van Gundy, Fran Fraschilla and the aforementioned Eastman, some of the game’s sharpest minds and renowned clinicians were present last Friday at the Rutgers Athletic Center to teach the crowd of around 500 coaches as much as they could.

Regardless of program affiliation and coaching status, each speaker got up in front of the crowd and addressed a much greater cause.

In May 2011, Jim and Nathalie Carr lost their 2-and-a-half-year-old son, Brayden Carr.

You may not be totally familiar with Jim, who is currently an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island, but the turnout from the basketball community and the genuine words spoken by some of the premier coaches in the nation illustrate the impact that Jim and Nathalie are fighting to make as a result of their son’s tragic passing last spring.

“Out of horrific tragedy, in May 2011, the Carr family dedicated their lives to honoring their son’s indomitable spirit and infectious enthusiasm for life through positive endeavors,” states the website dedicated to Brayden. “By way of service projects and fundraising ventures, they hope to provide athletic, social, rehabilitative and academic opportunities to children with seizure conditions and their related physical needs, as well as provide humanitarian support/relief to their parents.”

Between shooting and conditioning drills from Donovan, detailed finishing drills from Crean, game strategy advice from Cronin, some of the best bullet points imaginable for young coaches from Eastman, sound defensive advice from Van Gundy and amazing offensive playbook building advice from Fran Fraschilla, there were subtle reminders that this wasn’t simply about basketball.

“I’ve admired them from afar and anybody who has had to endure what they’ve had to endure, they not only deserve our prayers and our thoughts—they deserve anything we can do for them,” Crean said. “I believe when they asked me to do this, I was the first one to say yes this year, and it didn’t take long at all. It really didn’t, and that was easy. I would do that for anyone, but the opportunity to come here and to do it in this area and looking at the attendance that they had last year, looking at the coaches that they had last year, just knowing that it’s going to be a high-level event, it was easy. And then the list of speakers came out and it was no question.”

As far as events go, this one ran as smoothly as it could have from start to finish. The crowd full of coaches, including the legendary St. Anthony’s (NJ) coach Bob Hurley, took notes from seemingly the whole time, as they attempted to soak up as much knowledge as possible from the talented speakers on hand.

Below are some of the notes I took last Friday. If you read them, you’re guaranteed to learn a few things about the game of basketball, as you’ll soak up information from some of the brightest basketball minds in the country.

Thank you, Jim and Nathalie Carr, for having SLAMonline at your event. We’re looking forward to attending again next year.

Billy Donovan

– Likes to double team and trap low post, so their post players don’t get to make post moves often.
– Individual workouts are like “time to be selfish”—work on your game and advance as a player.
– Chart everything in individual instruction, very competitive.
– Creates competition, awareness about what players need to work on.
– Competitive pressure, ball pressure when getting shots up. “Game type, game speed.”
– “So special about the NBA guys is that guys like Pierce, Wade… They can shot fake and then go right back up.”

Tom Crean

– Books: The Talent Code and 100 Things Everyone Needs to Know About People.
– Feet always staggered in basketball.
– Push ball out ahead into middle of the lane to create space. “Working on mindset of pushing the ball out, dropping shoulder, getting your eyes up on the rim. All about mindset.”
– Only way to develop feet and hands is to develop shoulders. How well do the shoulders drop when you’re driving through contact?
– Hesitation, inside-out, crossover… Moves IU works on that all their guys can do and get better at.
– Trying to see outside-in on drive situations. Heathcote: “See the man you can’t see.”
– Lost art: head fake.
– “Best thing we’ve done for Cody Zeller is make him do everything our guards do. He has NO idea how athletic he is. He’s already one of the best passers out of the post, but we want him to be doing the same thing on the perimeter.”

Kevin Eastman

– “With the pick-and-roll play, speed is last. Fast is not the best thing I can do. My body and eyes are most important.” — Nash
– “Players are taught by coaches. Players are made by themselves.”
– Time aones:
• Spare time
• Part-time
• Full-time
• All the time
– The best players at the NBA level never want to leave the floor
• “Kev, you gotta like, get out… Like, not be in the drill anymore,” Doc Rivers said to Kevin Garnett during the shell drill during a practice… So he starts doing the drill while he’s out of bounds—sliding, working on positioning, closing out, boxing out, running the floor.
– Chemistry
• Players liked and respected each other
• Players liked, respected and trusted the coaches
• Coaches liked, respected and trusted players
• Coaches liked, respected and trusted the fellow coaches
– Culture: Championship teams have a high level culture and you fight for it every single day. If breached, confront it—don’t just move on.

Stan Van Gundy

– Book: Mindset by Carroll Dweck
– Lamar Odom is as good as anyone he’s seen in 17 years as far as learning, being a teammate, etc.
– Need “basketball character”—do what is necessary to win games.
– Huge on getting back on defense… Concentrate on shot going up and getting your ass back—whole team.
– “Your big guy should never get a foul below the shoulders.”
– What can you teach?
• Don’t reach too far out of your knowledge base
– Jameer Nelson is NOT 6-feet tall. He’s much closer to 5-10.
– “This is the only coaching I get to do all year!”
– Green Bay, WI: “Don’t put that on your itinerary, unless you’re a Packers fan… It’s the worst place on earth.”

Fran Fraschilla

– Design your offense with the miss in mind—always have your power forward, center or both crashing the boards.
– Motion team can’t be a set team and a set team can’t be a motion time… Why? Not enough time to teach everything.
– Don’t run your best plays in November and December—save some of them for the middle and late portion of the season to throw other teams off.

The post Through Brayden’s Eyes appeared first on SLAM.

Travel basketball has garnered a large amount of headlines recently and a good amount of those headlines are not written in a positive tone. Many people speculate about the cheating, foul play, and behind-the-scenes that may or may not take place in the travel basketball game. As is the case in nearly every profession, you have your straight and narrow workers, and then you have the complete minority that ruin the reputation of the hard working individuals in their field.

However, events that promote academic excellence and strive to help the under-recruited players are the respectable side of the travel basketball coin. Thousands of kids go un-recruited every year simply due to the unawareness of coaches about players. Events like the Elite Academic Showcase help coaches connect with these players by cutting out a major variable: Every player must have good grades.

Held in the northwest suburbs of Chicago at the Lake Barrington Fieldhouse, the Elite Academic Showcase is a one-day showcase on July 11th that requires each participant to have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (or a 3.7 GPA on a 5.0 scale). College coaches from around the country attend the event to find high quality academic players to fill their rosters.

Colleges that must meet higher academic standards find events like the Elite Academic Showcase and themselves a match made in heaven. The coaches already know that the players have good grades, so any player who performs well at the event is immediately recruitable and is a potential signee. The event is individual-based and begins with a combine setting in the morning. Teams are then assigned during the lunch break, and each player will play three games in front of college coaches.

“Events like the Elite Academic Athletes Showcase give our guys a chance to play in front of schools that really cater to our needs as a program,” explained Robert Icart, director of the California based BTI AAU program. “We have sent a lot of kids to Ivy League schools, and this event allows our kids to be seen by nearly all of the high academic schools at once. It saves us a lot of time and money.”

An AAU tournament has thousands of kids at the event, and most coaches don’t know the skill level or GPA of 90% of the kids. Events like the Elite Academic Showcase help the smaller schools such as the Division II, NAIA, and Division III schools pinpoint talent quickly and easily. The smaller schools have much smaller recruiting budgets than the major Division I universities, so using recruiting resources becomes that more important.

Check out www.eliteacademicathletes.info for more information about the event, what schools will be present, and directions to the gym.

The post The Elite Academic Showcase appeared first on SLAM.

Competitive, hard-working and versatile players with high character.

The Oklahoma City Thunder LOVE these types of players, and with the 28th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, they will take somebody who fits this mold. They’ve been building a hard-working structure ever since General Manager Sam Presti took over on June 7, 2007—back when the franchise was still in its SuperSonic days (feels weird just writing that).

A half decade later, the Thunder have turned into one of the most competitive, well-rounded and high-character teams in the NBA. And there’s no sign of their strategy changing any time soon.

Despite losing in the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, the Thunder kept calm, cool and collected and took the loss(es) in stride. There’s no doubt that the invaluable experience from this lockout-shortened season will fuel them back to this point in the future. And hopefully for their sake, OKC will make it over the hump.

Considering the true versatility of their roster, OKC needs to take the player who be willing to scrap for loose minutes; to make an impact in any way he can; or at the very least, to spark intensity during practice while earning those sought-after minutes rookies yearn for.

With the 28th pick in the 2012 SLAMonline Mock Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder select…

Kevin Jones from West Virginia.

Though his scoring regressed slightly between his sophomore and junior seasons, Kevin Jones made his presence felt during his fourth and final season as a Mountaineer, averaging an impressive double-double of 19.9 ppg and 10.9 rpg.

Over his four years in Morgantown, Jones evolved from a simple, face-up shooter to a guy who efficiently utilized his high-energy motor, length and improved athleticism. These traits allowed Jones to score in the paint and make things easier for his team and himself. His free-throw attempts increased from 1.3 per game as a freshman to 4 per game as a senior.

If the Thunder draft him, he will force OKC’s big men to step out to the perimeter to guard him during practice. Though he only shot 26 percent from distance as a senior (surprisingly low for a guy who showed so much promise early in his career), Jones is considered a perimeter threat. Should he be surrounded by more talent, he should become a more efficient outside shooter.

Despite being called unathletic and too slow, Jones has skills that cannot be taught. He’s tough and hard-working—both of which aren’t guaranteed when you’re taking a player toward the end of the first round (or in general, for that matter).

These characteristics, along with being mature and caring about the team, are prerequisite traits that the Oklahoma City Thunder staff appreciate as much as any team in the NBA.

True to their philosophy, don’t be surprised to see Jones off the board to the Thunder at No. 28.

The post Kevin Jones, No. 28 (Mock) appeared first on SLAM.

“I want to be one of the greatest players of all time. I want to be remembered.” —Kevin Durant

Six minutes and 33 seconds remained in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The Thunder held a steady lead all game long to this point, but the Spurs were beginning to look as though they had the cojones to pull off a comeback on the road at Chesapeake Energy Arena during a decisive stretch of the series.

Then, in the blink of an eye, there was nothing a single player on the Spurs could do to stop No. 35 in white.

The script for the next five minutes and 19 seconds of game time (6:33 to 1:04) read a little something like this for KD:

– 17-foot jumper from the right elbow goes down
– Three dribble pull-up in the middle of the lane, as he carried to the left, plus the foul
– Perfectly executed two-dribble spin-move, followed by a 9-foot jimmy in the paint over a helpless Tony Parker
– Stephen Jackson overplays Durant (thinking he is going to cut up to the top of the key AKA his favorite spot to catch the ball on the floor) and Durant scores his easiest deuce of the night, assisted by the James Harden
– Free throw, then a 17-footer off of a curl, once again assisted by the bearded bandit
– James Harden 3-pointer, thanks, of course, to Kevin Durant probing the defense and finding the open man

After a quiet, four shot first half in which Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins dominated the game, Kevin Durant asserted himself to the tune of 16 points in a row, 18 of the Thunder’s final 23, and jaded any opportunity the Spurs had to make a comeback.

More importantly, however, Durant continued to display his evolution as a basketball player: Right before our eyes, a young superstar has given us moment after moment after moment of clutch shots in these playoffs.

Awe-inspiring, game-winning tear-drop/runner/jumper against Dallas in the opening game of the playoffs from 17-feet? No problem.

Pull-up trey in Metta World Peace’s face to seal Game 4 of the Western Conference Semis? Cold and calculated.

Take over during the most crucial stretch of OKC’s season thus far in the Western Conference Finals vs. the Larry O’Brien trophy favorite San Antonio Spurs? Durant made it look like a cakewalk.

As we take in these awe-inspiring, breath-stealing moments—as basketball fans—it’s important that we keep perspective on the players that we’re watching. Midway through his college season at the University of Texas, Durant proved that he had an offensive repertoire most NBA veterans could only dream of having. The long and lanky 19-year old perimeter scorer was garnering comparisons to some of the game’s most versatile big men. The ever-so-popular Dick Vitale often compared him to perennial NBA All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki, while using phrases like “most prolific offensive skilled perimeter” he’d ever seen.

“With a versatile player, there’s no spot on the court you can’t pass him the ball. You can do anything.” —Durant

Durant, though, has taken every moment of his career in stride: He has regularly downplayed his importance while uplifting his teammates. He’s learned from the failures he’s encountered—the 20-62 rookie year in Seattle (2007-08), the 23-59 record during the first season in OKC (2008-09), his team’s first round exit to the Lakers (2010-11), and last year’s heartbreaking loss in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual NBA Champ Dallas Mavericks—all while constantly improving his understanding and knowledge of the game, perpetually adding to his seemingly never-ending bag of diverse and versatile offensive moves, reading the defense with precision and with more and more and more consistency.

“I’ve learned what it feels like to lose, believe me. But I think, in the end, that is just going to make winning that much better.” —Durant

Most importantly, Durant has learned that he has to have the basketball in his hands when his team needs him most, and that is exactly what we saw take place once again Saturday night in Oklahoma City. Time and again, Durant made it a point that he and his young, giddy-up Thunder squad aren’t going down without having a chance of their own. Instead of shying away from the ball, failing to get open, failing to get shots off down the stretch of the game—such was the case as recently as Game 1 in this series—Durant wouldn’t, couldn’t, be denied.

The patience he exuded in this game was utterly phenomenal. The League’s three-time consecutive leading scorer had taken only four shots before intermission, knocking home his first bucket a few minutes before the break. Durant and his team’s willingness to utilize the (offensively underrated and outshined) Serge Ibaka to near perfection (11-11, 26 points) helped to carve the Spurs defense up to a T.

The Thunder went into halftime and made a few subtle wrinkles to their go-to play: The weak-side down-screen that encourages Durant to catch the ball near the top of the key. Once there with room to operate, Durant is in control. The beauty of the Thunder shines through, because KD gets to figure out what the right play is at the right time, and he’s smart and unselfish enough to try to do what’s best for the team. All of the experiences he’s been part of are playing their part in the success that he and his teammates are trying to build, down in the heartland.

OKC certainly isn’t out of the woods yet; they have to win two of the next three games, two of them on the road. If anything is certain, though, it’s that the Thunders’ star player is going to show up in a big way during these last games of the series. He’s probably going to read the defense with precision and make plays. Hopefully, he’s going to fight to get open when it matters most. He might even knock down another clutch shot…

Just don’t forget that the ultimate key to Kevin Durant’s development lies within: The lanky and gangly kid who couldn’t bench 185 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine just five years ago wants to do nothing but improve.

Kevin Durant just wants to be one of the greatest to ever play this game. And if the 23-year old’s learning curve continues, it’s safe to say that he will have made his dreams into an ever-lasting reality.

FLASHBACK: See the video below to remember the player KD was coming out of college.

The post The Future Has Arrived appeared first on SLAM.

Never a lock to become a professional basketball player at any level, Dave Boykin is somebody who younger players should aspire to be like. Boykin, a 6-3 combo guard from White Plains, NY, has taken the road less traveled on his journey from prep standout to pro.

The most important lesson people can learn from his stories is to keep believing in your abilities—to never give up and to always seek out your options.

If you don’t do yourself that justice, you’ll never know where your basketball talent (or any talent that you have) will take you…

SLAM: How are basketball and life different overseas?

Dave Boykin: Life as a whole is a bit different out here in Germany than it is back in New York. The culture itself is different, but it definitely has its similarities to the States. Some of the main differences are, of course, the food and the language. I also had to get used to every single store being closed by 9 p.m., and even worse, on Sundays, everything altogether is closed! This is a big difference coming from New York, where a lot of stores are 24 hours. As for the basketball aspect, the game over here is much more physical. The players over here aren’t as fast and athletic as the players back home, but they make up for it in being very smart and physical. Also, everybody can pretty much shoot the rock.

SLAM: What is the hardest part about playing professional ball overseas? On the court? Off the court?

DB: The hardest part about playing professional basketball overseas is the fact that you are so far away from your family and friends, and for such a long period of time. Once you conquer that part, it gets a lot easier. Also, the language barrier; depending on where you play, it can get very frustrating at times. For me, on the court, the hardest part of my season was dealing with losing! I’ve always won championships on every level of basketball that I played at, and in my first professional year, we had a difficult season. We only played one game a week, so I had to wait a whole week to redeem myself from the last game. That was definitely tough!

SLAM: You are the epitome of a player who never gave up on his dream and kept persevering to reach your goals. Discuss your journey from high school, to college, to another college, and then finally overseas!

DB: My journey from high school, to college and to the pro level, definitely had its ups and downs, and plenty of twists and turns. In my first two years at White Plains High School, I was being recruited by many DI schools all across the country. Then, in the summer after my junior year, I had surgery on my back, which caused many of these same college coaches who loved me just the year before, to back off and be reluctant to offer me scholarships. I literally had start from scratch in terms of getting my name back out there as a big-time recruit. I had to “re-prove” that I could play on the Division I level again.

This was one of the hardest times in my basketball career. I knew that I was still the same player as before my surgery, but many colleges didn’t want to take a risk on a player who just went through the surgery that I did. At the end of my senior year, I accepted a scholarship to Fordham University in the Atlantic 10 conference. I thought this was going to be a great opportunity to play in a big conference, and to be able to stay close to home. However, after a year and a half at Fordham, things weren’t going as I planned in terms of playing time, so I decided it was time for a change.

Being a Division I athlete, the last thing I wanted to do was transfer to a Division II school. I felt that I had worked so hard to get to the point that I was at, plus I felt I was simply better than that! After a few weeks of considering different options to transfer to, I came to the conclusion that I would attend the University of Bridgeport, a DII school in Connecticut. I took this option because this school gave me the chance to play right away, rather than sit out for entire year if I would’ve transferred to a DI school. This move ended up being one of the best decisions I could’ve made in my basketball career.

At the University of Bridgeport, I was able to shine and lead my team to a conference championship. In my two seasons there, I was able to score 1,000 points, appear in two championship games, receive two First-Team, All-Conference awards, and be named the scholar-athlete of the year. My coach, Mike Ruane, allowed me to play my game, and put us in the best situation to win games! My team’s success, along with my individual achievements, gave me the opportunity to receive a professional contract to play for the Willich WIldcats in Germany.

SLAM: What was this season like for you playing for the Willich Wildcats? What were some of your success stories—individual and team—and what were some of your roughest times on the court individually and collectively? Becoming a First-Team All-League Player and leading the league in scoring must have been excellent experiences…

DB: All in all, I feel that my first year playing pro basketball overseas was a success. I had the opportunity to experience a new country, and a new way of life. That itself was a big accomplishment. On the court, I was able to lead my league in scoring at 27 ppg, as well as in steals at 2.4 spg. My biggest accomplishment was to be named a First-Team All-League selection. I credit these accomplishments to my coach and my teammates for allowing it to happen.

The toughest part about my first season was our struggling record. This was the first time that I ever played on an under-.500 team. This was something that killed me all season! I also experienced one horrible game individually where I couldn’t buy a basket. Nights like this can be hard to shake off, but it’s just part of the game.

SLAM: How do you envision the rest of your career playing out? How much longer do you plan on playing in Europe (or wherever the next contract takes you)?

DB: I plan on playing this game of basketball for as long as I can still produce at a high level. As for playing overseas, I can see myself playing over here between 7-10 more years. Right now I’m just focusing on getting better and seeing where I end up next season.

SLAM: What kind of advice would you give to young players who are trying to play professional basketball overseas?

DB: My advice to young players that are seriously trying to play professional basketball is to simply keep working! Don’t stop your grind, whether or not things are going well or horribly. Don’t ever get discouraged and remain confident in your game. Also, it takes more than talent to get you to the professional level. There are millions of people who have the talent to play at the pro level, but you have to be a well-rounded person to give yourself the best opportunity to play professional sports.

The post Turning Belief Into Opportunity appeared first on SLAM.

I first met Kiefer Douse (Lee Academy, ME), a combo-guard who hails from Toronto, Canada, at the Hoop Group Jam Fest in Providence, RI. Though this story was initially supposed to drop on the Hoop Groups website, Douse was hyped about the possibility of having a story here on SLAMonline.

Can you blame him?

As many other notable Canadian players have done of late, the slippery scoring guard has been moving back and forth from Canada to America in an effort-filled attempt at playing college and, ultimately, professional basketball. Canadian players who are considering jumping their southern border should be interested to read of Douse’s adjustment to the American game, as well as all that is offered here as far as dreams on the hardwood are concerned.

SLAM: Growing up in Toronto, being from Canada, why didn’t you get into another sport—namely, hockey? What is it about basketball that intrigued you and made you step on the hardwood and keep playing?

Kiefer Douse: We are a basketball family! And yes, I think for most Canadian families the focus is on putting their child into hockey and hoping for the NHL. The NBA was always the goal for my brother Kris and I. He was the one who introduced me to the game of basketball and the love and passion he had for it rubbed off on me. Kris has taught me all I know in relation to the sport and will be a big part in any career-based decision I make going forward. I think there is a lot more athleticism and a lot more strategy and teamwork involved in basketball than say, hockey–it’s a physical sport that requires thought, much like football does. Besides, even though I am Canadian I am NOT a huge fan of snow and ice.

SLAM: Describe your hard work growing up to get to this point.

KD: I’ve never known a week to go by in our house where basketball didn’t come up at the dinner table or where either my brother or I weren’t in some way involved in the sport. I have been working my butt off to accomplish goals that I’ve set and I continue to push myself because until I am in the League, I remain far from satisfied. Having said that, I am blessed that a lot of good has come my way over this last year. I have been working out with my brother’s trainer out of Pittsburgh (Coach Pete Strobl) and after working out with him I have seen enormous improvement in my game. If that is not enough to get me into top shape, I have a full summer of workouts with the great John Lucas out in Houston TX. Being the underdog doesn’t mean you take a back seat, it only pushes me harder to one day have Canada recognize me as a premier player. The Americans have seen it and blessed me – I want the same recognition from the country from which I was born. As I said, the USA supports greatness—other nations could learn from their example.

SLAM: Could you describe the disadvantages of coming from Canada and having to adjust to the American game?

KD: There are a few major disadvantages for kids from Canada adjusting to the American style of play. One major one that I have noticed is the intensity the American kids bring to the court when they play. This is no accident either—it’s another example of Americans being about greatness and being the best. This intensity is taught and learned at a young age to the kids by their coaches. When I played my first tournament in the States I remember I was almost in shock because I had never seen kids play that hard [or that loudly], but by coming to the USA earlier in our high school careers we get a feel and have more time to adjust, we get the benefit of that American “be the best you can be” training. That’s why we see a lot of kids coming over from 8th and 9th grades now—to benefit from the American system and their style of play and their training techniques, which are both physical and mental.

SLAM: What are three things you like more about Canada than America? What about three things you like more about America than Canada?

KD: The three things I would have to say Canadians “got” over the Americans is the free health care our government provides–true, the wait lists can be long and its bureaucratic, but at least if you need it, it’s there. And, of course, to the Canadian ladies—the women over in Canada are more beautiful and of course, we have Toronto’s Caribana. This is the greatest party on earth where everyone gets together and celebrates on the streets of Toronto for the day. It’s a once in a lifetime experience and for those who have never been to Caribana should add it to their “Bucket List.”

The three greatest things in America to me are, of course, on the basketball side of things. There are endless opportunities to reach your dreams and if you don’t have dreams in your life, what do you live for? This is what the American Dream is based on–giving people hope and opportunity–not just to own a home and have a job–but to live out their dreams through hard work! The food is another big one. I have added 15 pounds this year alone just munching on all the greens and mac & cheese [laughs]. Another great plus in America is all the large cities it has. Canada only has a few major cities and all the jobs are monopolized in one spot. In the States there are 30+ places you can go and experience a different side of culture, while still being within the USA.

SLAM: What are your offers and interest looking like right now?

KD: As for offers and high interests, I have a few and it has picked up enormously over the past few months. The list is like this:

Texas Tech, South Carolina, Alabama, UCF, St. Bonaventure, St. Josephs, Oklahoma, TCU, SMU, Pitt, Lehigh, NC State, Vermont, Fairfield and Clemson are all involved [in no particular order].

SLAM: Are there any schools that pop off the list or that you have dreamed about playing for?

KD: Yes–two of them so far. Texas Tech and Clemson. My mom loves Texas! And, having been in Texas my freshman year, I always heard about the Red Raiders. Also, Clemson has been one of those teams I watched when I first started playing basketball because my brothers teammate attended Clemson. I’ve always liked Clemson’s style of play and how they played in the ACC, but the ultimate dream school for me would have to be Arizona or UCLA. I just love the tradition and the west coast. Hopefully, when my time comes, I can sign a LOI to one of these schools.

SLAM: Who do you model your game after and why? Who are your favorite players in the NBA?

KD: Kendall Marshall is the person after whom I model my game. He’s a big guard who can score, but loves to pass first and can find guys for easy buckets. We’re just efficient at our jobs and have the same winning attitudes. Chris Paul and Kobe are my favorite NBA players, if you`re looking for guys who can get it done on the floor whether its score, or find a teammate, those guys do it well.

SLAM: What are your goals with the game of basketball? How far do you want it to take you?

KD: My goals in terms of basketball are to be an NBA All-Star, If that doesn’t happen I just wish to play pro basketball and make a good living out of it. At the end of the day, the math is fairly simple: I just want to provide for my family and make sure they want for nothing. If I get the blessing to do this through a sport I love live and breathe, it would be beyond awesome.

SLAM: Tell me a few things that your audience might not know about you.

KD: A few things that y’all might not know about me are I love to fish. Fishing is my favorite hobby besides basketball. I enjoy how fishing relaxes my mind and I can enjoy the outdoors with a nice view. I came to love fishing and learn of its benefits from a Pastor in Texas–thank you! Also, I come from a family of four siblings, the eldest being Kris, then Kirk and the pretty princess Kastille. We are all fairly close in age. Also, I’m a dual citizen–Canada and England–so I will be playing for the British National team next summer before I attend college.

The post Douse of Knowledge appeared first on SLAM.

Last weekend at the Mary Kline Classic event at the Pennington School in central New Jersey, SLAM was able to catch up with one of the best 2012 lead guards in the nation.

Ryan Arcidiacono, a 6-3 guard from Langhorne, PA, has distance for weeks combined with an extremely unselfish attitude and willingness to get his teammates involved on the hardwood. Just try to get him to talk about himself, and the guard smoothly transitions to what he really cares about—getting his teammates involved and winning games.

“As a point guard, if you’re a pass-first point guard, that’s everything you can dream for as a big man,” explained fellow Nova 2012 recruit, forward Daniel Ochefu. “I know that if he passes the ball to me in the paint I can always kick it back out and he’s going to knock down the three, so that’s always a good look right there.”

From the moment “Arch” steps on campus—particularly on the hardwood—he’s going to be a popular guy; continuing the tradition of having excellent floor generals at the Philadelphia school shouldn’t be a problem, and if attitude is any indication of how the team will do during his four years under Jay Wright, the Wildcats faithful should be in for some more exciting basketball.

SLAM: What do you think of the event?

Ryan Arcidiacono: It’s all for a good cause. It’s a shame that his mother died from cancer, but having Jessica talk, seeing all the players coming from Boston and everywhere, it’s a great event and a fun game.

SLAM: Are you doing any recruiting for Villanova?

RA: Ahh, I mean I’m trying to talk to a few guys here. I was really hoping for Allerik Freeman to be here, but I don’t think he’s here. That’s who coach told me to recruit because he came on an official visit with me, so I was hoping to talk to him. I’m definitely going to talk to some of these younger kids just to get Nova in their head and to get them thinking about it.

SLAM: I’m sure Jay Wright wouldn’t be too upset with you talking to Wayne Selden or Jermaine Lawrence and trying to get them to come…

RA: Absolutely not—any of these kids, I’m sure he wouldn’t be too mad, for sure.

SLAM: Talk about this summer—you have the Team USA U18 Camp that you’re headed to.

RA: June 4-12 I’m trying out for the USA team and if I make it then I get to go to Brazil. If I get cut then I’ll head to school in June and if I make the team then I’ll head to school in July.

SLAM: As a player, you don’t plan on getting cut…

RA: Nah, nah. I’m planning on making the team, but if for some reason I do get cut at least I have a scholarship to go play at Villanova. It’s kind of a win-win situation but you’d always like to make the team.

SLAM: Who’s your main competition over there. Who are you competing with for a spot?

RA: I’m not really sure who’s going to be there. I think James Robinson (DeMatha, MD), the Harrison twins—Andrew and Aaron (Fort Bend Travis, TX), Nate Britt (Gonzaga College Prep, MD) and a couple of other kids, too.

SLAM: Who is the best point guard that you’ve seen? Who is your top competition?

RA: There are so many kids that are out there—I mean, I’ve played against so many top kids in the whole country. There’s a level that everyone’s at, but it’s just a matter of who gets to the top and that’s what I’m trying to do. Some of the kids are really good. There is going to be some tough competition at the USA tryout.

SLAM: What are your goals for when you arrive at Villanova and beyond? I’m sure you’re striving to play in the NBA eventually.

RA: I just have to get to school first and do whatever Coach Wright needs me to do—just help win games. I’m not really worried about my stats or anything like that. I honestly just want to win games and get to the NCAA Tournament because that’s where magic happens.

SLAM: Growing up watching guys like Mike Nardi, Curtis Sumpter, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry… The list goes on with Villanova guards from the past decade, which impacted you tremendously, I’m sure.

RA: Absolutely. Just the way they play their guards—I’m really excited for this upcoming year, I’m excited for everything. We have a ton of solid big men – not as many guards this year—but I’m just excited to get out there and play and represent Villanova in the right way.

SLAM: They had a losing year this past year, so you guys have a little pressure on you heading into the season.

RA: Yeah, a little pressure! Everyone’s doubting us a little bit saying we’re not the best team in Philly, but we just have to go out there and try to prove it to everyone and hopefully have a better record than last year. We just need to improve as a team on and off the court.

SLAM: As a shooter, what percentages do you expect to shoot from the 3-point line, the free throw line, etc.?

RA: Hopefully I shoot really well—38 percent, 40 percent from three and maybe in like the 80s at the free throw line. I’m just hoping to lead the team. Whether it’s Tyrone Johnson or me or anyone else bringing the ball up the court, hopefully I can just get my teammates involved. I’m not really worried about what I shoot—I’m just hoping to get everybody involved.

SLAM: You don’t mess with Twitter or Facebook too much. Talk about why you don’t really utilize the social networking sites in this day and age when so many other players are using this stuff left and right.

RA: It was just never really my thing. I never really got into it, I don’t really want to get into it. I pretty much want it to be out of sight, out of mind. I want to get to Villanova, concentrate on my academics, do well in school and do well on the court.

SLAM: What about Philly cheesesteaks? If you don’t hit up Geno’s, which one do you hit up?

RA: I’m honestly never down in the city. There are great cheesesteaks everywhere in Philly, so around my way, it’s easy to get a good cheesesteak.

The post Arch’s Arrival appeared first on SLAM.

Charity event: By basketball standards, the image that comes to mind is sloppy basketball combined with a ton of selfish play, including seeking the highlight reel dunk and going to get buckets in the hopes of winning an MVP trophy.

Saturday afternoon and evening at the Mary Kline Classic held at the Pennington School in central New Jersey couldn’t have possibly had a more different vibe.

The MKC, founded by the high school recruiting analyst and philanthropist Alex Kline as a result of losing his mother to a brain tumor at the age of 10, was founded on the principles of gathering friends together, having fun and driving donations and publicity for cancer research.

It’s safe to say that in its second year of development, the MKC lived up to its principles in a big way.

“The fact that 100 percent of this is going to cancer research—all $20,000—it just makes everything worthwhile,” stated Kline at the conclusion of his event as players came up to him to share their appreciations for having them. “It was a fun event—everyone enjoys it—but it’s not about playing time or MVP or who’s dunking on who. It’s about the money and the support. Basketball has become such a business these days, so the fact that you can take one night to make it fun is worthwhile.”

It might have been fun, but that all starts with Alex Kline, a 17-year-old kid who has built a following by relentlessly paying attention to the recruiting trail of teenage kids who are trying to earn scholarships to play basketball at the Division I level across the nation.

In case you haven’t heard of him, check out the story that The Wall Street Journal did on him. Or Sports Illustrated. Or The Today Show.

And, most recently, the New York Times, which revealed that Kline has joined Yahoo!’s Rivals.com network as a national recruiting analyst via his site, TheRecruitScoop.Rivals.com, which was formatted to fit Rivals platform on Monday.

How has Kline been capable of creating this much buzz surrounding himself and the cause to donate to the fight against cancer?

Primarily, the high school senior has utilized his keypad efficiently in this new digital era, which has allowed him to live a unique life while bringing people together—college coaches, high school players and die-hard fans—to help a good cause. Kline currently has 22,000+ followers on twitter thanks to his informative recruiting updates.

“I started around freshman or sophomore year,” Kline elaborated. “I thought it was a fun idea to write about basketball and get into players’ lives and see what they’re up to. I never imagined it would turn into this craziness, but the support has been amazing. I’m not a basketball player, nor have I ever been, but the support has been amazing even though I’m different.

“That’s the great thing about this business—you can be different but still fit in.”

Before the game started, Kline had a different idea about how to kick off the festivities. This past winter, the trio of Jessica, Mike and Kyle Ratner lost their father to cancer. Kline encouraged the family to speak at his event, which was highlighted by Jessica (junior in high school) giving an emotional speech (with 9-year-old, third grader Kyle by her side) that truly showed how difficult it is to lose a loved one to cancer.

“It’s people like Alex and people like you,” Jessica preached to the entire gym, tears streaming down her face, “Who donate their time and their money to cancer research, that are going to defeat this disease once and for all.”

With that, the whole gym stood up to give a standing ovation, and the underclassmen game was nearly underway with the rising seniors game following it.

The games weren’t nearly as MVP-driven as they usually are, clearly a product of the event’s budding reputation. 2013 NJ point guard Jaren Sina (Gil St. Bernard, NJ) made creative passes that dazzled the crowd, en route to 14 dimes and a team MVP award. The 6-9 Jermaine Lawrence (Pope John XXIII, NJ) stole the show in the underclassmen game to the tune of 27 points to go along with his teams victory and an MVP award. He was extremely impressive, scoring in every way imaginable, but the most impressive thing he did happened following the game.

With about a minute left in the game, 9-year-old Kyle Ratner checked in, LeBron James jersey on and all. The jersey wasn’t there for show, and Kyle scored two baskets—including one at the buzzer that caused all of the players to lift him over their heads as if he’d just made a game-winning bucket (the likes of which LBJ has been taunted for not delivering often enough).

With his MVP trophy in hand, Lawrence scooped Ratner up and accepted the award with Kyle in his arms, a truly unique moment at the Mary Kline Classic. “It was a great event,” said Lawrence, who has been on a tear of late and has been rising in scouting discussions often. “It was for a bigger cause—something way bigger than basketball.”

In between games, there was an exciting dunk contest (highlights and game highlights, below), featuring ultra-talented underclassmen Rondae Jefferson (Chester HS, PA) and Wayne Selden (Tilton School, NH), on display, along with a three-point contest.

“It was good to come out here to support the research of cancer and to just have fun,” explained Selden. “I’ve been talking to Alex since early last year about some recruiting stuff and we kind of connected and then he invited me so I couldn’t say no.”

Jared Terrell, another talented player from near Selden (New Hampton Prep, NH), had accepted an invitation to the event despite never having met Kline, once again proving that in this digital era, nothing is too crazy.

“With twitter, if you have the news then people will follow,” explained Kline. “Once people saw me as a reputable person, saw me interviewing future NBA guys, they thought that was really impressive at a young age. The Wall Street Journal caught on, a couple other outlets caught on, and I’ve just been fortunate enough ever since to be doing this.”

Kline is just wrapping up his senior year and is about to head to college at Syracuse University in the fall.

As for his future, he isn’t really sure which door he wants to use his undeniably shining keys to. All he wants to do is something with the game of basketball while impacting lives.

“I’m not exactly sure what my future holds, but I want to make an impact in the world of basketball that lasts a lifetime,” explained Kline. “With this event, high school players are able to give back to the basketball community by doing something they love for an amazing cause that will ultimately impact people’s lives in a positive way. To me, there is nothing more valuable than that.”

Choose wisely, Alex. The basketball world—through any means of media necessary—will be anxiously waiting to see the positive mark you leave on the game as time progresses.

The post Not Just Another Charity Event appeared first on SLAM.

Indiana: A state that is completely obsessed with basketball. Fundamentals, such as proper shooting form and help defense, are instilled in youngsters from the first time they pick up a basketball.

Hoosiers: A program that has been synonymous with winning throughout the years and has as loyal a following as any other college program in the nation, bar none.

Need an example?

How about the last three seasons: The Hoosiers compiled three straight losing records, with a grand total of 28 wins and 66 losses… but the fans kept filling up the 17,742 seats at Assembly Hall, kept cheering for their team and kept patiently waiting for the wins to pile up on their home floor.

As the old adage goes, “Good things come to those who wait,” and Indiana fans are currently reaping the benefits of their patience and devotion in the form of quality basketball presented to them on a much more consistent basis than they have had at any point in time during the past three years.

It all begins on the practice floor. Indiana’s head coach and leader, Tom Crean, who has supreme confidence from the university (he inked a lucrative, 10-year contract in the summer of ‘08) pushes his players to the limit. Even when they were losing game after game after game in those first three years, he and his staff were developing players like quality shooting, heady lead guards Verdell Jones and Jordan Hulls, versatile forward Christian Watford, wings Will Sheehey and Victor Oladipo, who are still honing their talents while learning how to maximize their athleticism, glue-guy forward Tom Pritchard and sharpshooter Matt Roth.

Flash back to November 7, 2011. The Hoosiers are going through one of their first official practices of the season. Having been on hand for practice as a manager for a few weeks during my sophomore year and following the team’s progress during my four years at Indiana (alumnus as of May 2011—unfortunately), I have had the opportunity to see Coach Crean’s prior teams first hand. Instantly, it’s clear: The scene at this practice is noticeably different. The leadership, charisma, enthusiasm and, most importantly, basketball talent were multiple levels above where they had previously been under Crean’s watch.

“The level of athleticism that we have,” Crean announced to his team at the heart of practice. “It’s on another level.”

That declaration—that belief—is something that Crean hasn’t been able to say about his teams in the past.

The addition of consensus five-star, McDonald’s All-American freshman recruit Cody Zeller—an agile 7-footer who runs the floor like a gazelle, has excellent touch around the hoop, solid athleticism and is an underrated passer—is one of the main reasons that their head man can confidently make his present assessment.

“He’s got a tremendous internal clock in the way that he plays,” says Crean of Zeller. “I don’t know what the proper psychological term would be, but that’s what he’s got. He never speeds up—even with the emotion of the game and all of the things going on around it.”

On November 11, 2010, Hoosier Nation received word that it landed Zeller over North Carolina and Butler. Indiana had previously earned commitments from center Peter Jurkin, combo-guard Ron Patterson and human highlight reel Hanner Perea for 2012 to go along with sniper Colin Hartman and slasher Devin Davis in 2013 and immensely talented forward Trey Lyles and point guard James Blackmon in 2014. In the period after Zeller’s commitment, IU reeled in McDonald’s All-American point guard Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell and do-it-all small forward Jeremy Hollowell.

The catch? Every one of them plays basketball in the state of Indiana (Jurkin plays high school ball in North Carolina but played AAU with Indiana Elite). Perhaps learning from the prior failures of Coach Mike Davis (2000-06), who didn’t land Sean May, Josh McRoberts, Greg Oden or Mike Conley, Coach Crean has made it a priority to lock down the borders of talent-laden Indiana and keep upper-echelon players flowing into Bloomington.

With two sentences, Cody Zeller seemed to echo the sentiment of every Hoosier commitment. “Being from Indiana and being able to play at IU is special. I felt very comfortable with Coach Crean, the University, the staff and the players here.”

As fantastic as the Hoosiers recruiting success has been, there is business to take care of this season.

The Hoosiers have arguably the most impressive two wins of the collegiate season—a breathtaking, buzzer beating three-pointer by versatile, 6-9 junior forward Christian Watford led to a 73-72 win against No. 1 ranked Kentucky and a poised win against No. 2 Ohio State. Combine those with a 19-6 record (7-6 in the grueling Big 10), and the Hoosiers have reason to believe that they can make legitimate noise during March Madness.

“I think there’s a lot of individual improvement going on with this team,” explained Crean. “I think you can look at different players and you can find certain aspects. I think the improvement is they’re collectively getting mentally tougher. We went through a little drought where we kind of forgot that edge that you got to have, especially after we beat Ohio State. I think anytime where you have success like that and you haven’t had as much a group, it’s real easy to fall off a little bit and I think we did. But, I think we got that back. I think these guys, their work ethics are fantastic.”

“Going through tough times makes you stronger,” rationalized Watford, reverberating the words of his coach. “We’ve been through a lot, but we are seeing results and this can be a very special season.”

To this day, it’s hard to believe all that the Hoosiers and their fans have been through. During the past three seasons following former coach Kelvin Sampson’s departure after being relieved of his duties, thanks to negligently making over 100 impermissible phone calls to prospects, the program had endured a bad press and a slew of transfers combined with an uphill recruiting battle.

It’s one thing for John Calipari to have his Final Four appearances from Massachusetts and Memphis vacated from the record books, but when a situation such as the Sampson debacle happens at an NCAA ‘blue blood’ school that has rarely had to worry about scandal, it hits the fan base the hardest.

Upon being hired, Coach Crean made it clear that he wanted to bring the storied, five-time NCAA Championship Hoosier program back to it’s winning ways, but he never forgot about the unwavering commitment to the Hoosiers fans, and that has made him a popular man on the breathtaking, Bloomington-based campus.

“Our fans and former players were key in helping us get through the tough times,” stated Coach Crean. “Their support never wavered.”

With their darkest days behind them, the Indiana Hoosiers and their faithful fans can finally begin to disregard the unfortunate events of the past as they attempt to seize the moment and look toward the future, their eyes staunchly set on Banner Number Six.

The post Hoosier Hysteria appeared first on SLAM.

Avoid it if you must, but there’s no questioning social media’s transformational impact on how we experience basketball—as fans, media, players or coaches.

Before a game even tips off, fans have already checked-in on Foursquare, uploaded a picture of their seated vantage point to Facebook and perhaps tweeted about the ever-increasing price of concessions.

The media are sharing anecdotes and sound bites from their courtside perches, and receiving immediate feedback on their post-game stories. Fans can quickly share these recaps, advance the dialogue or Stumble it to websurfers with similar interests.

Immediately following the final post-game exchange with a reporter, players take to Twitter to thank fans, talk about their performance or provide a glimpse of access into their transient and often-envied lives via Tout or other video tools.

Coaches can diagram plays or describe, demonstrate and drill on YouTube. They can network on LinkedIn or share a motivational quote on Google+. They may even remind a player what time practice is the next day via Instant Messenger or the team’s Ning site.

The options are endless, the reasons are plentiful and the landscape is changing every day. No matter which way you shake it, social media is enhancing how we watch, analyze and interact with the game of basketball.

But don’t take it from us. We canvassed a cadre of bloggers, media, coaches and players to hear exactly how social media’s impacted their experience:

Players/Coaches

Anthony Davis, @AntDavis23, Freshman Forward at the University of Kentucky: “It connects me with a lot of different people; whether it be former teammates or guys who are in the League now—guys who are at the level where I’ve dreamed of being at.”

Chris Mack, @CoachChrisMack, Head Coach of Xavier University: “I try not to take it too seriously. It’s a lighthearted thing for me. If I find something funny, I’ll tweet it.  I try to let people see my personality.”

Tristan Thompson, @RealTristan13, Rookie Forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers: “I don’t have a Facebook, but Twitter is a good way to stay connected to the fans and show them we appreciate them—without them, we are nothing.”

Iman Shumpert, @_IAM_Iman, Rookie Guard for the New York Knicks: “Social media has enhanced my basketball experience tremendously this summer by giving fans and critics insight on what I’m doing to stay prepared when the lockout is over. Building my brand was my goal this summer and I feel that I have done so by being able to give video and blog updates on Facebook, Twitter, and now updates in the NY Post!”

Jimmer Fredette, @JimmerFredette, Rookie Guard for the Sacramento Kings: “It really hasn’t changed my basketball on the court but off the court it has been good for building my brand and getting in touch with all of the college basketball fans. They’ve been great and social media has just enhanced it all.”

Austin Rivers, @AustinRivers25, Freshman Guard at Duke University: “It’s allowed me to interact with the fans more, especially with them being able to ask me questions. I enjoy the back and forth with our supporters.”

Ashton Gibbs, @AshtonGibbs12, Senior Guard at Pittsburgh University: “Twitter is easy communication with the world. Being an athlete, it’s good to have news on the go because we’re always moving. I think twitter is good as long as it’s positive news.”

Andre Barrett, @DreDay3Gs, Point Guard for Roanne, France: “If I had it when I was younger I think I would have definitely enjoyed it. I did the SLAM diary for one summer and everybody loved it because they got to know me as a person—but you had to go and buy the magazine.”

Perry Jones, @PerryJones3, Forward at Baylor University: “Just being able to communicate with other people that play basketball. If I don’t have their number or anything, I can hit them up on Twitter…also, other players who play high school basketball, college, and NBA—it has enhanced it and i can see how other people view basketball.”

Ramon Moore, @MoneMoore, Senior Guard at Temple University: “It helps you interact with your fans, friends, family and connects you to different people. Following professional athletes, you learn about the right things to say and if a fan says something you don’t agree then you carry yourself in mature way.”

Andre Dawkins, @dre_day20, Junior Guard at Duke University: “It helps us to interact with the fans. A lot of the fans follow us on Twitter, and they get a look into our lives and know what we do on a daily basis so they get a better appreciation for what we do.”

Sean Kilpatrick, @SK23_ESPN, Red-shirt Sophomore Guard at University of Cincinnati: “When you watch me on TV, that’s just the regular Sean you see—the basketball Sean. Not everyone gets to know the other side of Sean, so that’s the reason why I have it.”

Seth Curry, @sdotcurry, Junior Guard at Duke University: “The biggest thing social media has done is let me connect with the fans on a daily basis. They get to see what we’re like off the court, our sense of humor, and it’s a better way for us to interact with them.”

Aaron Brown, @2ABeezy2, Sophomore Shooting Guard at Temple University: “It’s good to stay in touch with friends, family, and fans. It’s also a good way to stay in touch with my favorite athletes and is just a great networking opportunity overall.”

Danny Jennings, @Mr_Jennings30, Red-shirt Junior at Long Beach State: “The media just shows you as a basketball player, but I just want people to follow me to see what type of person I am. The more people that know about it, the more people that don’t just know Danny the basketball player, but Danny the person.”

Durand Scott, @DScott_1, Junior Combo Guard at the University of Miami: “A lot. Twitter users are the ones who publicize me and it gives people who haven’t watched my games a glimpse of what I’m doing. I guess without them there wouldn’t be as much publicity as you would like there to be.”

Tyler Harris, @TylerHarris34, Freshman SG/SF at NC State: “Social media has given me the chance to learn about other players in the basketball world and for them to learn about at me. It’s always good to know who you are competing against.”

Media

Ben Osborne, @Bosborne17, Editor-in-Chief of SLAM Magazine (@SLAMOnline): “Personally, Twitter has made it possible to feel like I’m watching a big game with friends even if I’m alone at a bar or at home. And business-wise, it has been an incredible tool for SLAM to reach our readers with links, contests, etc.”

Bomani Jones, @Bomani_Jones, BomaniJones.com: “The thing is that most of us are stuck at our houses watching basketball games. With Twitter, all of a sudden it puts you inside of a bar—except you can hear yourself think.”

Andy Glockner, @AndyGlockner, Writer for SI.com: “I think the biggest thing is if you cultivate a smart group of followers, you realize their collective wisdom is unbelievable. Whenever I watch a game, there’s not a play or scenario that can’t be discussed, debated and analyzed in amazing fashion. You always end up with clarification or an answer you didn’t know or better perspective as a fan and as a writer.”

Ian Begley, @IanBegley, Sportswriter for @ESPNNewYork: “Great to follow some of the top basketball writers in the country on twitter and get a sampling of their viewpoints in real time.”

Nate Jones, @JonesOnTheNBA, Digital Marketing and Pro Athlete Marketing @GoodwinSports: “Social media has enhanced my basketball experience by bringing smart fans from all over the globe together to comment on hoops real-time.”

Tas Melas, @TasMelas, The Score/The Basketball Jones: “Only medium that can make a Bobcats-Raptors Blowout bearable. Jokes. Insights. Brilliant ideas from both the famous and just plain old fans.”

J.E. Skeets, @JESkeets, The Score/The Basketball Jones: “Pre-Twitter, watching some meaningless late-night Pacers-Kings game made me feel sad and lonely. Now, it’s an orgy of NBA awesomeness.”

Chad Babel, @ChadBabel, Director @TheHoopGroup: “The biggest thing that social media has done has been to decentralize peoples opinions. You know what people are thinking right when they tweet it, which makes their opinion more genuine and gives you a look into their thought process.”

Jeff Borzello, @JeffBorzello, Writer for CBSSports.com: “First, prob wouldn’t have my job w/o it. My news comes from it, I’ve met BBall people and it’s a great audience. Plus, I’m verified, so…”

Matt Norlander, @MattNorlander, Writer for CBSSports.com: “The entire process of watching—or, sometimes in my case, attending—games has been drastically altered because of Twitter. You get widespread, immediate reaction, and Twitter’s the absolute best during big games. I’ve heard someone say Twitter’s the best sports bar ever, and it really is. There’s this communal, instant reaction, and it’s great.”

Jonathan Givony, @DraftExpress, Founder/Owner of DraftExpress.com: “It’s fun. I think a lot of times when your watching a game—the NCAA Tournament, the NBA Playoffs, or whatever it may be—it’s a lot more entertaining to see what people have to say on Twitter instead of listening to the broadcasters on TV.”

Peter Robert Casey is the community manager for fivestarbasketball.com, former social media specialist for the New York Knicks and first media-credentialed microblogger in college basketball history. Email: Peter@PeterRobertCasey.com.

Jeremy Bauman is the associate community manager for fivestarbasketball.com, an IU Alum and basketball aficionado who blogs about everything basketball at SLAMonline.com. If you have any inquiry at all, he can be reached by email at jsbauman13@gmail.com.

The post Social Savviness appeared first on SLAM.

by Jeremy Bauman / @JBauman13

“I was writing a business plan at Full Sail University—I was thinking about when I played basketball, what it was like for me.” —Jon Solomon

Part One

From a young age, Jonathan Solomon knew that he would dedicate his life to the game of basketball. It began when he was 10 years old, before any remote thought of a business plan had come close to entering into his mind.

According to Jon, it happened when he would shoot around and work on his game by himself—this is when most basketball aficionados truly realize they adore the game. It was also a time where he felt that the only way he would truly fit in was through committing himself to the hardwood and all it had to offer.

Jon walked me through those passionate days in the gym/park, the long hours that would help him to recognize what hard work looked like later on in his life.

“I remember I would go to the gym a lot by myself to work out and get better,” explained Solomon. “The thing is that when I was at a younger age, I didn’t have the guidance or the direction to become better at basketball and I think a lot of kids at a younger age don’t have the guidance or the direction to play basketball.

“I would be out there all day working out. It was pretty much an escape for me because I didn’t have a lot of friends and it was something that I could do. I wanted to get good at it but I didn’t know how. All those videos, they didn’t help me much.

“That was around seventh or eighth grade. And to be honest with you, at that time I was pretty bad at basketball.”

The first person who Jonathan says impacted his life in a positive way (besides his immediate family) was the legendary Sam Rines, Kobe Bryant and Rich Hamilton’s former trainer in their high school days.

“Jon came to me and he was very green and naive about basketball,” explains Rines in a recommendation for Solomon.

Solomon grew to respect and adore Rines’ intense training sessions so much that when he was in high school, he worked two busboy jobs (at Perkins and Talamore respectively) for $8 an hour. The time he put in clearing food paid off in the form on knowledge from one of the best basketball priests around, and Solomon took Rines’ wealth of knowledge in as if it were gospel at a church.

“Basketball is everything to me. I wanted an opportunity to learn the game and I was willing to do whatever it took,” explained Solomon. “Whatever he told me—I listened to whatever he said. I was like a sponge, trying to learn everything.”

Still in high school, Jon was not only learning from the best about the dedication it took to become a better basketball player; rather, he was also learning about the types of motivational techniques and other nuances of working at the basketball that helped to take players to that next level.

Coach Rines shed some light on the benefits of Jon’s mental awareness level in the gym.

“Through his hard-work, diligence and paying attention to detail, he not only made himself a good player—he can teach other players to become good,” states the 63-year-old Philly trainer. “He exemplifies what it takes to become a good player. He works hard teaching you the basic, fundamental skills of basketball.”

Solomon was never the man on his team; conversely, despite the diligence he put into the game, Jon barely played in high school. “It was at the point in high school where I scored my first points at the end of the game and they carried me off and interviewed me,” Solomon says.

After high school, Jon continued to pursue his basketball career and found a way on to Division III Arcadia University’s basketball team.

“I went to Arcadia University and I had a coach who pretty much stereotyped me,” explained Solomon. “He said, ‘Oh, you didn’t play so much in high school so you must not be that good.’”

And it didn’t help that on senior night in college, Jon barely got off the bench.

“It was senior night—this is my chance to play—and my coach put me in for 30 seconds at the end of the game and I just thought, You don’t know what it feels like to go to practice for four straight years and then get in the game for 30 seconds.’”

Part Two

“I first started dribbling a basketball as a kid in the park where my parents used to hang out. There was no basket, so the first thing I shot on was a crate. And I could always shoot, so when I got to a real basket it was just…a lot easier [laughs].” —Jason Hall

No matter how normal he seems, Jason Hall isn’t normal. No matter what he says, Jason is different. He’s special and it’s just amazing what he has done so far in his life; overcoming odds and crafting skills on the court that, quite frankly, haven’t been seen at Hall’s caliber very much—if at all, ever.

You see, Jason wasn’t born with ideal hands for the sport of basketball—but he made them work in a manner as though there’s nothing different about him at all.

“I was born with three fingers on each hand,” explained Hall. “I have two fingers and a thumb on each hand. I can play the game just like I had five fingers—I’m coordinated at a very high level.”

One needs to look no further for evidence of this coordination by hearing about the time that his mother tried to collect a check for disability on her son and Hall botched the situation: The test for disability was for Hall to catch tennis balls when he was 3 years old, a task that he accomplished with great ease by catching everything thrown his way.

Then, he found basketball.

“I started playing ball at a young age when I grew up in the projects at 51st Street and Summer Street in West Philadelphia,” he continued. “It was hard there. I never really wanted to talk about it, but I had a hard time in an environment with other kids teasing me and I wasn’t the type of kid to go home and tell my mom because I didn’t want her to feel bad.”

Feeling ashamed and sorry wasn’t how Jason was going to live his life. Instead of hiding, Jason began working on his game before class even started at school.

“I had already spent three hours at that court before the first kid got there, so when he wanted to run one-on-one, of course I dominated him because I was there every day,” said Hall.

Along with help from his uncle Howard Evans—who starred at Temple and got cut from the Philadelphia 76ers, Jason found also found another mentor in his life.

“I met Jon Solomon through my brother because he was my older brother Tyrone’s teammate. He told Jon about me and said ‘Yea, my brother’s trying to get into college’ and stuff like that.

“Then Jon started telling me about how he loved basketball and he couldn’t get off the bench because the coach won’t give him a shot, and he used to always want to do drills and I was like ‘Alright, Jon. I’ll do drills with you!” The drills turned into pick-up games and that turned into us hanging out every day because we both loved basketball, so we got really close.”

The post For the Love of the Game appeared first on SLAM.

Then, out of nowhere, tragedy strikes and the dreams that you’ve been working for are on the verge of being taken away.

Waking up is tough at times. Walking becomes an every day challenge. Attempting to participate in and advance yourself in the sports arena is a bleak proposition at this point…unless you never give up on your dream.

It takes a distinct type of person with strong character to get through anything resembling this situation, but that is exactly what the author of this passage did—does—day after day.

As Scott Odom writes below, “Never give up on your dreams and don’t let anyone stop you from reaching them. Our motto is ‘Stand up.’ Yes we play stand up to basketball… but we are standing up for what we believe in, what we know we can do, and standing up for ourselves.”

Everyone has something to learn and gain from Odom’s insight below. His remarkable journey is on the way up—and there is no sign of it slowing down anytime soon.—Jeremy Bauman / @JBauman13

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by Scott Odom

Growing up I dreamed about becoming a professional athlete. I played sports constantly as a kid, whether it be pee wee sports or just pick up games in the neighborhood.

At the age of 10, I began to experience knee pain in my right knee.

My mom took me to the family doctor and I was told that I was too active for a kid my age. Months go by, and my knee pain is still there. For years to follow I visited numerous doctors who all told me I was too active for a young kid; I pulled ligaments, growing pains, or just basically needed to take a break from being active.

At the age of 14, I saw the family doctor again, a month before high school was starting, due to my knee pain being at its absolute worst. This time I had bad swelling in around my kneecap. I was in the room no more than a couple of minutes and the doctor pressed on my knee and moved it around then stated I would be fine. He gave me some pain medication and told me to take it easy for the next month and I should be good to go to start freshman football. A month later my pain was still getting worse, and I went to go see the team doctor.

This was the first time anyone had taken an X-Ray of my knee. An MRI then followed. On the first day of high school, I was taken out of school by my mom who took me to see the knee specialist due to the fact my results came back quicker than expected.

On this day, the first day of high school, the doctor told me that I had Osteosarcoma—bone cancer. She said by looking at the MRI I have probably had the cancer in my knee for at least two years. I was devastated and felt like I was lied to. I immediately had to undergo chemotherapy. I had to have a double port put into my chest to receive the chemo. I was now living at the hospital. Some chemos would last a week while others lasted three or four days, all requiring me to stay at the hospital. I was throwing up at least three times a day.

Two months into my chemo, my doctor left me with the difficult decision that would change my life forever. I had to have surgery to remove the tumor: I could have a reconstruction surgery, where they would basically take out all the bones in my leg along with the tumor and replace them with metal rods which would then limit me on how active I could be for the rest of my life. The second option was that I could have an amputation, which would be losing my leg below the knee. The upside to this side of things is it would be up to me on how active I wanted to be.

At the age of 14, I chose to have my leg amputated. Before my surgery, I was given the news that there were two more spots of cancer up high on my hip. This was devastating because there now was no choice of surgery; the only choice of survival was taking my whole leg at the hip. Right before the major surgery, they wanted to do a biopsy to make sure it was cancer.

When I woke up from the biopsy, my mom was over me crying. I was told that the doctors had the MRI results upside down…they were looking at the same two spots that were already on my knee—and there was nothing on my hip. I came very close to losing my whole leg when I didn’t have to. I was just blessed they caught their mistake.

The post Constant Adversity appeared first on SLAM.

“Not hold anything back and just go as hard as I can, pretty much,” burst Durand Scott’s voice through the phone. “That’s my objective, that’s my goal. That’s something that everybody is expecting out of me, so that’s something I definitely want to do.”

Since the age of 14, Durand Scott has been living with this moniker in mind. When his father, Duke W. Scott, passed away abruptly following a heart attack, Scott was at the tail end of eighth grade and entering a crucial stretch for any teenager.

Rather than let the emotions of this tragic experience overtake him, Scott took the tougher and more mature angle to the situation.

“Pretty much after he passed, I just wanted to take everything I do in life more seriously,” explained Scott. “I just wanted to make sure that, since I play basketball, I take it as seriously as I can for him.”

Though the times were rough for Scott, he was fortunate to have a bevy of close friends and family by his side then and for as long as he can remember.  Chris Fouch, a lethal scoring guard for the Drexel Dragons, and Scott have been best friends since they were eight years old. They grew up playing together with the famed New York Gauchos AAU team in the South Bronx, and over time formed a strong, familial bond with their teammates on the AAU circuit. Among the group is current Charlotte Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker, WVU point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant, Marist small forward Dorvell Carter, and Seton Hall point guard Jordan Theodore—all of whom have added “F4L” to their body in some form or fashion to remind them of their “Family 4 Life” bond.

***

A superb outlook on life is one thing, but killer instinct on the court simply cannot be taught.

One thing is certain: For as far back as anybody can remember, Durand Scott has possessed an assassin’s edge when he laces up his sneakers and hits the pine.

As a witness to his cold-blooded nature, I can remember when Durand Scott was playing up for the first time on my 16U level Gauchos team (yes, I was a member) at the annual Gym Rat Challenge in Albany, NY. After a grueling Sunday consisting of about seven games without much rest, we were down by two in the final minute of a game against the New Jersey Shore Shots.

Who stepped up and confidently knocked home the tournament-clinching triple from the corner in the waning seconds? None other than Durand.

In talking with his former assistant with the New York Gauchos and current Hoop Group Director Chad Babel, it’s easy to see why Scott has been able to excel thus far in his collegiate career.

“My thing with Durand is that it was easy to tell he was a special kid at an early age,” explained Mr. Babel. “His willingness to compete and desire to win stood out from the rest of the players.

“I guess the example that personifies that competitiveness was the 2008 Memorial Day Classic. Durand played with a broken hand and was literally carrying us all weekend. He averaged 28-30 points per game, all the way to through the championship game.”

But Scott wasn’t just an offensive player, and this next story helps to give the reader even more of a peak into the type of player and person he is.

According to Babel, Scott was a versatile defender on the court—he was routinely assigned to the other team’s most dynamic offensive weapon, regardless of position—and was always up for a new challenge. It’s not that this is the only time that an occurrence like this happened, but Mr. Babel pointed to this particular episode to help quantify the heart that Scott has on and away from the hardwood.

“There was one time where there was a 6-9, 300-pound kid named Marcus Good from the Carolina Ravens, who was doing work in the post all game,” elaborated Babel. “He was a load, and Durand came into the huddle and said ‘Coach, I want him!’ We all looked at Durand and told him to do what he does. He fronted the post the first time and they couldn’t get it in. He fronted him again, and stole the ball. The third time he fronted him and forced a rushed shot.”

Continued Babel, “His willingness to take adversity head on, not just in basketball but in life, that has to be his most unique trait.”

During those formative AAU years with his close friends, the Gauchos put together one of the most memorable and improbable stretches in recent memory. The team won four straight tournaments—the Cactus Classic, Nike Main Event, Pittsburgh Jam Fest, and Peach Jam—against national competition.

“Having fun,” recalls Scott of his team’s glory. “Everybody was just happy. It didn’t matter how we won because we were so close. Those were probably some of the best times.”

***

The post Mr. Right Now appeared first on SLAM.

This is the second and final installment of Deron Cherry (@DeronCherryJr) and his journey through tough times.

Sometimes people like Mr. Cherry are overlooked because they aren’t in the NBA (they aren’t famous, so who cares?). More people should care, because Deron has overcome obstacles that most NBA players certainly don’t endure.

Mr. Cherry falls down seven times, but gets up eight.

The beauty of this game that we love is that each player has their own journey at every level, and this journey helps shape them as a person. Everybody has their own stories about how they made this team, how they won that championship, or hitting that game-winning shot.

Cherry’s inspiring story is certainly worth a read.

*****

by Deron Cherry

I had a unique opportunity to volunteer at Deion Sanders’s Prime Time Achievers summer camp as a youth basketball coach. My father, Deron Cherry, played in the NFL for 11 seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, and I’ve known Deion since I was 5 years old. On the other side of things, basketball has enabled me to meet so many people who I would otherwise not have had the pleasure of meeting. Nancy Lieberman, Larry Drew and Bob Hill are just a few of those people. The passion I have for basketball, and the heart I have for the youth led me to volunteer. I’ve always enjoyed working and mentoring the youth, because I realize the importance of kids having good role models to follow as they grow and mature. I had several of these mentors and role models growing up, and I really enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community and to invest in young kids’ lives. I know that basketball gives us a platform to reach so many people. It gives us the level field to communicate with the youth based upon our common interest and love in the game.

I want to start my own charity centered around mentoring and helping the youth through coaching the game of basketball. I’ve always had a heart for this since I was young traveling around with my Dad in his charitable ventures. I am pursuing basketball as my career and to provide for myself and, for my family in the future, but I also realize that to whom much is given much is expected. Hall of Famer and friend Deion Sanders explained it best when he said, “If your dream isn’t bigger than yourself, then something is wrong with your dream.”

I’ve always set goals for myself, and I set them high—that way I have to work as hard, or harder than I think I’m capable of, to reach them. I have to stretch myself out, and the measure of my heart is revealed for myself and the rest of the world to see.

Sometimes success in this life truly comes down to how badly you want it.

I’ve endured different injuries throughout my basketball career. I’ve had to fight for every minute of playing time that I received in college, and I had to grind out the tryout process for the D-League before I landed a spot on the practice squad. I’m a firm believer in hard work, and in an intense focus on the preparation aspect of the game. It’s through preparation and hard work that I gain my confidence to go out and perform at my best each and every day I step foot on the basketball court. I know the pressure of expectation because I endured that during my senior season at Park after my successful end to my junior season. I also know the other side of the equation where you have to show up every day and fight to see the court.

I believe that my spectrum of experience has helped me appreciate the game more, but also has given me the hunger to continue on my quest to play professionally and make a living from this game that I love. I’ve had some trying times, but I’ve always been confident in myself and believed that when I get the opportunity to display my talents that I will not disappoint those who put faith in me, but also not disappoint myself. I will put far higher expectation and pressure on myself than anyone else will be able to impress upon me. In the trying times, and the disappointments along the road I’ve always garnered strength from my loved ones, friends and more importantly, my faith.

So at this time I’m focusing on working on my game and making sure I stay in shape, anxiously anticipating that opportunity to display my talents for a team. I was fortunate enough to meet an ex-NBA and European Basketball Professional player by the name of Michael McDonald, who offered to help me get in contact with an agent who has been working on my behalf over the past month or so. I’ve stayed persistent and have prayed up regarding my pursuit of this game. God has blessed me in so many ways through the incredible people I’ve been surrounded by these past few years.

I hope that the perseverance and truly giving myself to the never giving up on your dreams can be an inspiration not only to kids growing up, but to those in my same shoes looking to continue playing this great game that we love that has given us so much in return for the respect and honor we give it.

I know so many people who give up when they get so close to their goals and if I am able to exemplify that hard work and belief can get you to your goals when the odds are against you then I will be extremely satisfied. I came out of a small NAIA school, and I didn’t play basketball in high school. I started playing this game in college and felt that talent, hard work and character still mean something in this world, and in this business.

Height, weight, speed, strength, and leaping ability all have a unit of measure, but the one thing that is immeasurable is a person’s heart.

So I play and fight to begin my career playing basketball not solely for myself, but for those who share my battle, that have gone through the pain, frustration, and put in the work necessary to achieve their dreams—because I understand that we can’t do anything alone in this life. We all have to rely and draw motivation from each other.

I’m drawn so much from those around me. Keep positive influences in your life, and cut out all the negative influences that would hinder you from getting where you desire and dream to be. No matter what life throws your way, never lose confidence—and always believe in yourself.

**Deron will keep updating SLAMonline throughout his journey over the months and years to come. We wish him well along the way and appreciate the hard work that he has put into the game. There are teams interested in his services, but there have not been any formal offers from any teams in America or overseas. As he has proven in the past, he will put the necessary work in to reap the benefits in the future.

The post Preparation Meets Opportunity II appeared first on SLAM.

Right now, the average basketball fan is pissed off. Players and owners are fighting over millions and millions of dollars and there are people who would kill to be in their positions…by now, you know the deal.

This particular story is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum—it’s about hard work, perseverance, dedication and self belief.

I met Deron Cherry by chance at Deion Sanders Hall of Fame Enshrinement at the dinner table this summer. We briefly ran through the fact that he played basketball for the practice squad of the D-League’s Texas Legends and I said that I would consider writing a story about him.

Little did I know, but my job would be simple. Mr. Cherry wrote an entry that extended five pages on Microsoft Word—each page more inspiring than the next.

Every day, people look up to NBA players and professional athletes—they are at the pinnacle of their respective sports and, as such, are held to high standards. Fans are supposed to appreciate athlete’s lifestyles.

Sometimes people like Mr. Cherry are overlooked because they aren’t in the NBA (they aren’t famous, so who cares?). More people should care, because Deron has overcome obstacles that most NBA players certainly don’t endure.

Mr. Cherry falls down seven times, but gets up eight.

The beauty of this game that we love is that each player has their own journey at every level, and this journey helps shape them as a person. Everybody has their own stories about how they made this team, how they won that championship, or hitting that game-winning shot.

Mr. Cherry’s inspiring story is certainly worth a read.

This is the first of a two-part installment, with the second post coming Thursday.

*****

“Height, weight, speed, strength and leaping ability all have a unit of measure, but the one thing that is immeasurable is a person’s heart.”—Deron Cherry

I grew up playing numerous sports. I played soccer, basketball, baseball and golf competitively. Recreationally I played football, tennis and volleyball. Once I reached high school, I focused my efforts on golf. I played the first two years of high school on the junior varsity team. I was the number one player on JV after my sophomore year. My high school was well known for its golf team due to its several state championship teams that it had produced over the years. I suffered an injury to one of my ribs that kept me out of golf and away from sports for the final two years of high school. I recovered from this injury after I graduated from high school.

Upon recovering I started playing basketball recreationally again while at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), NCAA DI. Every day that I played my passion for the game increased. I then put golf aside and decided to focus all of my attention on the game of basketball.

This is where my dream to play college basketball began.

I put long hours in the gym working on my game, lifting weights and studying the game. I hadn’t played organized basketball since eighth grade at that point. I walked on and tried to make the team at UMKC my freshman and sophomore year but did not make the team even with the support of many players.

This was devastating at the time, but a friend of the family suggested that I try to venture around to some of the NAIA schools to receive an opportunity to play. I settled on Park University—an NAIA DI school located in Parkville, MO. My desire to play the game that I had fallen in love with was ignited as I transferred schools and prepared to battle to gain a spot on the team as a walk-on.

I walked on and earned a spot on the team my junior year at Park University. I worked hard to learn the offense and defensive principles because I wanted to get on the court as soon as possible. I began to excel in practice, and I consistently outplayed the guards who were ahead of me in the rotation. My coach still resisted—he didn’t play me in our only exhibition game of the year, and I didn’t play any meaningful minutes the entire first semester and a quarter of the second semester.

It got to the point where my teammates were coming up to me telling me that I should be starting and playing their positions.

I just kept working hard and prepared for whenever my number was called. My first meaningful minutes came against NCAA DII Rockhurst University. I came off the bench in the late part of the first half and finally began living my dream. I played strongly ending the first half and then came off the bench again in the second half and helped lead our team to a two-point victory, finishing the game with 19 points.

I continued playing the next three games as the first man off the bench and averaged 16 points a game. I started the rest of the year and ended the year second in scoring on our team and made the First Team Independent Conference All-American Team. I ended the regular season at home by scoring 31 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. My coach let me know my senior year would consist of me being our leading scorer and leading our team, but it turned out to be another year where I found myself on and off the bench without an explanation. The two years of being doubted by my coach made me so strong within myself about my game. I realized so much about myself over those two years, and most importantly I learned that I had what it took to play at a high level both in practice and in the games.

I finished my senior year and made the Second Team Independent Conference All-American Team. I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.9 GPA, and received my Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration: Management. My senior year brought about the yearning to continue playing basketball and to make a career out of playing the game I had fallen in love with.

I didn’t have an agent, nor did I know exactly where to start, so I participated in a few tryouts throughout the nation.

I tried out for a PBL team called the Lawton Fort-Sill Cavalry, and I was invited to training camp, but I was cut after two days of the week-long camp.

I kept my head up high and then went to try out for the NBA D-League Utah Flash. I had a good tryout and got a lot of good feedback from the coaches, but I did not receive an invite to training camp. I did not fulfill my dream of playing professionally that year in ’09, so I went back to KC and worked while I continued to stay in shape and improve my game.

I moved down to Dallas, TX in May 2010 to workout and focus on trying out for the inaugural season of the NBA D-League Texas Legends. I didn’t make the roster but I was invited to join the practice squad and I accepted.

The opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world was a great experience for me. The chance to have professional experience and to learn how to be a pro was invaluable to me this past year. Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman was the head coach, and former NBA guard David Wesley was one of the assistant coaches.

There was a wealth of information to absorb between these two alone. I enjoyed competing against some of the best players the D-League had to offer daily. The coaching and teaching has helped me to improve as a player over the past year in preparation for making a roster professionally—whether here in the D-League or professionally in another country. In between practice days, I hit the gym hard and worked on my game to stay sharp with this upcoming year at the forefront of my mind. I went to practice with the mindset that it’s another day for me to improve my own game in preparation for landing a job this upcoming season.

**Remember to check back tomorrow at the same time for Part II of Deron’s journey. You can follow him on Twitter @DeronCherryJr.

The post Preparation Meets Opportunity appeared first on SLAM.

Once upon a time, scouts questioned whether a certain 5-9 guard out of Rockland County, New York had what it took to become a Division I play-maker. As is the case with most small guards, until they prove that they are well-polished players, it can be tough to win over the decision makers within the industry.

That is, unless they have the rare ability to posterize defenders and simultaneously run the show for their team.

Enter Tavon Sledge.

“When I showed scouts that I can get above the rim and finish over bigger people, that grew a lot of interest in my game,” explains Sledge.

Being able to pounce over or through defenders with monstrous ferocity is something that can’t be taught. Along those same lines, neither is toughness—and Sledge has never been one to lack in that department, either.

“Just being the toughest person on the court, and also being the best on-ball defender,” says Sledge. “I also showed my will to win big games and how I can step up in big moments of the game.”

Now a freshman at Iowa State University, Sledge has already noticed small nuances of the game that will help him to reach his goal of becoming an elite lead guard in the Big XII.

“Being a smarter point guard, making the right decisions. College is a lot different from high school. There were a lot of passes that I would make in high school that would get through, so I’ve been working on making the simpler plays to take care of the ball.”

And every small guard must be equipped with a jimmy to keep the defense honest.

“It’s getting a lot better,” says the diminutive floor leader. “Every day I get up to the gun and get up 1,000 jump shots. I just keep shooting every day to add confidence in it.”

Working hard is what Sledge does, and he sees no reason as to why it won’t pay off—and soon.

“If I keep working hard every day and doing what my coach wants, I don’t see a reason why I shouldn’t be on the court playing and contributing to the team.”

A diligent work ethic, passion to improve, and out-of-this world hops help to describe Sledge.

Add optimism to the list.

Sure, the Cyclones graduated four of their top five leading scorers from last season. But they also boast high-profile transfers Royce White (Minnesota) and Korie Lucious (Michigan State), in addition to the return of 6-3 senior sharp-shooter Scott Christopherson (13.7  PPG, 44% from beyond the arc).

“I’m very excited,” describes an elated Sledge when describing his premier campaign in Ames. “We have a lot of big-time players who are gonna be able to play this year that weren’t able to play last year, so it should be a big step up for the school. With the talent we have, we should definitely make the tournament—easy. It just comes down to getting ready to play hard all the time.

“And in practice, no days off.”

Doesn’t that sound like the tone an elite college point guard should have?

The post NY to Iowa State appeared first on SLAM.

Photos courtesy of Ramon De Los Santos

Saturday night, while many of us were going about our regular summer lives in cities and suburbs across the country, a solid group of NBAers—including Kevin Durant, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Brandon Jennings, James Harden and others—gathered for a streetball game in front of a packed gym at Trinity University in Washington, DC. The squad representing the Goodman League (featuring KD, JWall and Cousins) defeated that of the Drew League (repped by Jennings, Harden, DeMar DeRozan, JaVale McGee) by a score of 135-134. Durant was given the MVP award after leading the way with 44 points. We’ve already brought you a video recap and the top 10 plays, but check out the exclusive photo gallery above for a bunch of great shots of the action.

UPDATE: Full recap added below.

by Jeremy Bauman / @JBauman13

Stop for a second. Breathe in, breathe out.

Imagine yourself inside Trinity University, a small women’s Division III gym that is tucked away in the center of campus in Washington, DC.

John Wall is signing autographs for thrilled local fans and Kevin Durant is talking about how much this particular game means to him for a camera crew during lay-up lines.

Alas, the ease of the moment when on-court basketball is the only concept that people are obligated to worry about—for the moment.

In between labor talks (or lack thereof), during this excruciatingly painful NBA lockout, Saturday’s exhibition game between the Drew League and the Goodman League, two of the most heralded Pro-Am League’s in the country, provided many with a chance to reconnect with the sport and some of the players that they loved, if only for a few hours.

“It’s huge,” stated Dino Smiley, the Drew League’s commissioner. “People are thirsty for basketball right now. It’s unfortunate that the NBA is going through this, but as we said before: This is the purest, purest form of basketball that we have. These guys are playing, they flew out on their own, got rooms on their own, and it shows that they’ll play hard and that they’re playing for something.”

Indeed, the NBA superstars who flocked to DC’s Trinity University, put on a show that will probably become something of an urban legend for years to come. Perceived as somewhat of a too-good-to-be-true fantasy that had been talked about on every basketball website in the universe for the past few months, it’s possible that, from the basketball fanatic’s vantage point, this game went as well as it possibly could have.

In the early going, it became clear that this wasn’t just another streetball game with an entertain-the-crowd objective. James Harden (29 points) and Brandon Jennings (34 points) came out aggressively for Drew, setting the tone for the West Coast early in the affair. Meanwhile, the NBA’s leading scorer, Kevin Durant (game-high 44 points), and Wizards point guard John Wall (34 points) displayed their chemistry on multiple occasions in the first quarter with alley-oop feeds on the break.

At the end of the first period, the score was 40-34, and it already seemed as though each team would push 125+ points as the match-up went on.

Durant kept the fire hot in the second, as his previously errant three-ball found bottoms twice in a row and pushed the hometown squad’s lead up to 52-43. Especially entertaining were consecutive post possession spin-move slams from Goodman’s DeMarcus Cousins (18 points), who isolated and operated against JaVale McGee (24 points) on the left side.

The 4:17 mark in the second is where the keen observer could see that there was a significant amount of interest put into this game by the players. After Cousins was fouled on a put-back attempt near the rim, the whole Drew bench erupted and James Harden nearly tossed the ball up in the air while protesting the referees decision.

Later with 1:30 left in the first half, Durant blew by his man, finished with ease at the rim, landed, and immediately started clapping in the face of Brandon Jennings, who instantaneously called for the ball to clap back at his DC counterparts.

Still, Drew went into the half down 76-65 and would have to make up serious ground on the road against Goodman.

According to Smiley, halftime is where things turned around for the Drew League. Whereas Goodman stayed on the court and hung out at their bench nonchalantly, the Drew went into the locker room and was ripped into with passion by one of their bench players. “Marcus Banks, you gotta take your hat off to him—he lit into everybody,” he explained. “Inside that locker room we decided to put the ball in Brandon’s hands and let him go to work.”

Work Jennings did, appearing as a man on a mission to go home with a W. In the third quarter, he flat out took over of the game both as a scorer and a play-maker, all the while setting a nice tempo and rhythm for his team. The southpaw dominated, dropping 18 points in the period, mostly via forays to the rim and free throws. It was as if Jennings’ aggressiveness shouted to the whole gym, ‘Just because we’re in DC and you have the favored team, don’t expect us to back away.’

“Our team was down and they was talkin crap and the crowd was out there screaming and yelling,” Jennings explained on the way out of the gym. “So I think it was just important for us to come out there and show that we can hang.”

In the process of Jennings going to work, the 11-point deficit the Drew faced at halftime had slowly evaporated. Clearly better on the run as opposed to the half-court in this game, Goodman’s struggles were omnipresent in the third—even KD clanked a wide open dunk with 1:35 left in the quarter.

Drew appeared to be in control, taking a 110-103 lead with them into the fourth quarter.

An early 8-0 run sparked by Durant and Cousins swung the lead back in favor of Goodman, and the game was hanging in the balance with the home stretch in sight.

Utilizing his speed, body control, and finishing ability, John Wall’s play electrified the Goodman team in the middle of the fourth. Wall scored 12/16 of his teams final points from the 6:00 minute mark until the end of the game, but true to form, Drew wouldn’t go down without swinging.

A clutch James Harden trey-bomb with 60 seconds left tied the score at 133 up and a free throw on the next possession gave them a 1-point advantage with less than 30 seconds to play.

Goodman went to mega-star Durant on the other end, and came away with a whistle and two made free throws, making the score 135-134 with under 10 seconds left.

With one final opportunity the Drew League was right where they wanted to be, but came up just short of an upset that certainly would have caused a stir in the gym.

“We were right where we wanted to be,” Smiley explained. “We figured we’d get the ball in our best player’s hands. Most of the time you shoot the ball with some time on the clock so that you can get a rebound, but we just felt coming out of that timeout that we would take that shot at the buzzer and we’d get out of here with that shot. Win or lose, we were gonna have it in our hands.”

If the game was played in LA, Brandon Jennings feels the outcome might have been significantly different.

“If it’s in LA we win by 20, for sure,” said a calm and cool Jennings. “We came back and we did a great job. At the end of the day, it came down to a last second shot.”

For now, there has been a tentative date set up for a rematch in LA, but nothing is confirmed yet. “It’s supposed to be September 10th,” stated Smiley. I think with this kind of showing, we could find some sponsors—because we struggled to get out here.”

But with that final clank from the front rim on Jennings’ attempted game-winner, basketball fans, media, and players headed back to their every day lives; the daily uncertainties of the coming NBA season multiplying by the day.

Washington Wizards MC Big Tigger might have said it best: “This was basketball when there is no basketball.”

The post Photos: Goodman-Drew Game appeared first on SLAM.

Aaron Brown, Temple’s 6-4 rising sophomore shooting guard, understands the work that he must put in during the summer time to be successful. A native of the Virgin Islands, Brown participated in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation this year.

“The tournament took place in Nassau, Bahamas,” explained Brown. “It was for the Caribbean championship—to qualify for the Centro Basket tournament next year. The competition was real good. There were a few college players, but mostly overseas and NBA players.”

Among others, some of the notable players who Brown recalled from the tournament were Walter Hodge (Florida ‘07), Julius Hodge (NC State ’05) Patrick Ewing Jr (GTown ’08), Philip Jones (Charlotte ‘11), Greg Washington (Hofstra ‘11), and Ivan Aska (Murray State ’11)—all of whom will be playing professionally overseas in some regard next season.

After years of playing for the Virgin Island’s younger teams, Brown earned his spot on this year’s VI squad after years of dedication to his island in the summer.

“It started three years ago when I played with the 17U team in Mexico, and was a major part of winning a bronze medal,” explained Brown. “From then on, I earned my spot every summer to be apart of the Men’s Senior Team.”

Making the team and sitting on the bench is one thing. Brown—a 19-year-old—didn’t go to the Bahamas to ride the bench. “As a person I would say that I learned to be more. Being the youngest in the tournament, coming off the bench, and still being the second leading scorer for the championship team is pretty impressive.”

And while playing (28 mpg), scoring (17 ppg) and, ultimately, winning were a valuable part of the experience, the on-court learning process never stopped for Brown on this memorable trip to the Caribbean.

“Well every summer I go to play I learn something new,” said Brown. “As a player, this year I learned a lot about the pace of the game, and knowing when to ‘attack’ and when to run some offense.”

The learning didn’t stop there, though. After being up by 20 in the championship game against the Bahamas, the VI clearly had a Thunder-esque episode of complacency—although they (barely) pulled off the win, 91-89. Brown will always remember that game.

“Being up 20 practically the whole game and only winning by two—that tells you that you can never get complacent. That will help me out a lot for school to keep my mindset in the right perspective, so that I’m able to my best work this year on the court.”

Other than that, Brown is appreciative for the opportunity to be featured here at SLAMonline and has a few shout out’s he’d like to distribute.

“I just want to say thanks for this opportunity again. I want to thank all the members of the team for bringing back a championship to the VI. Big shout out to my big brother, Jareem Dowling at Morehead State now, who recently placed third in the 17U games in Puerto Rico last week. Last but not least be on the lookout for Temple this season and follow my journey @2ABEEZY2!”

Be sure to check back in with Aaron Brown in October for a pre-season discussion about his upcoming season at Temple and the Owl’s outlook/expectations for the ‘11-12 season.

The post Summer Session appeared first on SLAM.

I need to start off by apologizing to Steve Burtt Jr, who did everything he could to make this story happen in April while he was overseas. In the midst of graduating from college, internships, and the (ongoing) job search, I put his responses deep on the back burner and unfortunately forgot about them somewhere along the way. Thank you, Steve, for the incredible insight that came through in your interview.

Now onto the fun part—Steve Burtt Jr graduated from Iona College in 2007 with his degree in Marketing and a minor in causing headaches for opponents all over the court. A 6-1 lefty scoring guard, Burtt Jr mixed and matched quick explosive combination moves with comfort, a steady jumpshot from the midrange and three-point line, while also showing an increased ability to get his teammates involved as he transitioned from a freshman to a senior. The crafty scoring guard was the leader of an Iona Gaels team that made the NCAA Tournament during his senior year, when Burtt Jr happened to be averaging a cool 25.2 per contest.

Call it a twist of fate, but with the ongoing lockout and (possible) player migration across the Atlantic, Burtt Jr reflects an excellent narrative, which serves as an explicit reminder that life overseas is not the same game—neither on nor off the court—in Europe, Asia, Australia or South America… because its just not.

SLAM: Your father, Steve Burtt Sr, was such a good player, and I assume he was an excellent role model as well. Talk about some of the ways he impacted you—both on and off the court. How did having a father who KNEW what it took to play in the League help you to become a successful player and person?

Steve Burtt Jr: My father had a great impact on me growing up, both on and of the court. From being the best ball player I could be to being the best man I could, I couldn’t have asked for a better role model, or blueprint to follow. From the simplest things like doing chores to make me responsible, to not letting me go out to parties and making me work on my game when others weren’t, or taking me to live in Italy with him while he played, to show me there was another world out there than the streets, everything my father did had a lesson in it.

Having a father who played ball and was successful at it was definitely an upper hand in learning the game and in learning things outside of the game as well. For instance the business side of things—my father played both in the NBA and overseas—which are two very different worlds business-wise, socially, and culturally. Having his knowledge prior to going in definitely saved a lot of potential headaches being a 22-year-old in a new world.

His knowledge also helped me in working on game. Having someone who knows you, and your game better than anyone else, and can analyze it for you before any coach can, it definitely can be a bit of an edge. And he was always critiquing, always pushing; I admit it was hard going through it, because he would never let me be satisfied with where I was at, but looking back I wouldn’t have had it any other way because the values he instilled in me, as far as my drive for excellence in all I do, are priceless.

SLAM: What are some of your fondest basketball memories from when you were in middle school and high school? What were those times like for you—I.e. recruiting, class, living in NYC, playing streetball—and how did they help turn you into the person you are today?

SB: Well of course the winning [laughs]! Being on one of the best school-teams in NY in both junior high school (Mt. Carmel Holy Rosary) and high school (Rice High School), I did a lot of winning. But my fondest memories were winning state titles—especially my state championship in high school. I only played two years of varsity, and I lost in the 1st round of the playoffs my junior year. From the workouts with my dad in the summer, to working out with my friends/teammates in preseason, it was an unforgettable experience because we were all on the same page, all had the same goal, the same drive and fire about us. We took no prisoners and accomplished the goals we set out to.

Those were probably some of the best years in my life. To play ball where I lived, around my friends and family. Having my best friends as classmates and teammates. It was a great experience. Being around people who care about you beyond basketball is great because win or lose, you’re surrounded by people care about you.

The summers were the best since we all stayed together and played together, so that kinda gave us an edge during the season too! Streetball in NYC with your best friends as your teammates? It was great! We were playing way above our age bracket, and winning too. Those were definitely the beginning times of some of us building the names we did for ourselves throughout the years.

SLAM: You had a ton of success when you played for Coach Jeff Ruland at Iona College and also had teammates who I know you were very close with and won a lot of games with. What was college like for you on and off the court and how did your game mature in your four years at school?

SB: College was great! I doubt there are a lot of kids who would say college was a drag [laughs]! It was good for me: I got a great education there, and was fortunate enough to have success there—both team-wise and personally. It was close to home (about 25 minutes outside of Harlem, NY) so my friends and family could see me play. The small campus provided a very social atmosphere there, so I knew everybody and everybody knew me. It wasn’t like being away at all. A second home, if you will.

SLAM: Your numbers got better every single year at school, so how, exactly, did your development take shape?

SB: Well for one, as I said before, having a father who played the game, knew the game, and loved the game, definitely played an intricate part in my development as a player every year, even every game! I watched films with the team, and with my dad, just pinpointed the spots in my game where I had to improve. Its one thing to work with your coaches at school, and they were great. But they have 14 other guys to worry out and improve, so to be able to have that 1-on-1 with my father, really helped me to truly see the things I had to get better at.

Aside from that I was just never satisfied. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I was never one to rest on my laurels: I wanted to be the best at everything I did no matter if it was on the play ground, college, NBA or Europe. So I was always willing to work, and work, and then work some more.

The post The Whole Enchilada appeared first on SLAM.

The Drew League was just coming about when Dino Smiley was a 13-year-old eighth grader who went to school just up the street from Leon H. Washington Park at Drew Middle School. Back in the day (beginning in 1973, to be exact), Smiley kept score at the Drew League using a ladder and some chalk, while using an air horn for substitutions and breaks in play.

Currently Smiley runs Drew, as he has for the last 27 years since he was 23. Over the years there has always been top-notch competition at Washington Park—that much has never been questioned. There was even a time where, among others, the Lakers Magic Johnson and Michael Cooper played at the Drew.

But of late, things have jumped to a whole new level at the basketball oasis located in South Central. There aren’t one, or two, or even three NBAer’s showing up—they are coming out to Washington Park in droves.

“I think the lockout has definitely had an effect on it,” stated Smiley. “But last year, we were starting to get quite a few NBA guys to come out because what a lot of people don’t realize is this era of NBA players in the L.A./Compton area—we have like a dozen players and they’re all in the age group of 20-25 years old. James Harden, Brandon Jennings, Nick Young, JaVale McGee—they grew up together.

“These guys say to their teammates, ‘Where do you play? Oh, I heard about that league’ and some people are flying out to come and play.”

Along with the aforementioned Harden, Young, and McGee, NBAers Tyreke Evans, Dorell Wright, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Austin Daye, Terrence Williams, Pooh Jeter, and recently drafted Derrick Williams and Jeremy Tyler all made appearances this past weekend.

Even NBA mega-star Kevin Durant made an appearance a couple weeks ago—and enjoyed it so much that he began to organize a feature match-up that will pit some of the top players from the Drew against players from the similarly talented Washington Goodman League (another summer Pro-Am where KD, John Wall and Michael Beasley grew up playing) later this summer.

Why, you might ask, do all of these NBA guys bother with a summer league in South Central? During an offseason jam-packed with ongoing and oh-so-depressing lockout talk, the reasons are certainly plentiful.

The redundancy of drills and working out, a desire to compete at a high level, staying in shape, the uncertain future of the NBA, and peer pressure are all partially responsible for the steady influx.

The best answer, however, probably lies within the “Never back down” mantra within the gymnasium. The guys in the NBA are “just another player” when they step on the hardwood at the Drew—in actuality the overseas professionals and street ballers far outnumber the amount of NBA players who participate at the event. They are, in most ways, the tournament’s lifeblood. The drive and competitive nature provided by these players is in abundance and the logic is quite simple—everybody wants to prove himself worthy against the best competition, and playing against guys who have made it to the highest level is the best way to do it. Furthermore, it’s not every day where players have access to this opportunity, causing an extra level of excitement to flow through their body.

Perhaps nobody puts the Drew League into words better than Golden State Warriors shooting guard Dorell Wright, who has competed at the Drew for nine years—two as a high school kid and seven while in the NBA.

“Everybody out here are competitors,” explained Wright. “I’ve been playing out here for nine years and I used to beat plenty of NBA guys. Just because somebody plays in the NBA on a different team doesn’t mean nothing here. There’s no holds barred so everyone’s gonna come at you here, and it is what it is.”

Detroit Pistons small forward Austin Daye echoed Wright’s statement. “Everybody does,” snapped Daye when asked whether or not he had a target on his back. “NBA players don’t want to be shown up by the other guys who are around here and the other guys don’t want to get shown up by the NBA guys. There’s a respect amongst us.”

That being said, however, the NBA players clearly have a reputation to uphold—they are held to a higher standard and are liable to be heckled just as the bum at the end of the bench might be.

At one point, Terrence Williams was jacking up shot after shot—and missing—in the first half of his first game on Sunday. “Pass the ball,” and “You can’t shoot,” were two of the many complaints by the local observers, who shouted their remedies on to the court.

The Game and GO HAM

“I’ve been trying to play in this league every year, man,” stated The Game as he scarfed down a slider in a nearby locker room after his matinee affair with his usual NBA-laden squad.

You see Game is from Compton—just not this side of town. Heavily involved in the gang-banging lifestyle that comes with growing up in South Central, The Game is a Blood, and he wasn’t exactly welcome in this section of town when he was growing up—it is heavily populated with the rival Crips gang. He continues.

“They just don’t let me in. But now we’re in it, and we’re in it to win it. We bring a lot of NBA players down to the GO HAM team.”

Indeed, they have brought their fair share of NBA guys to the Drew. Kevin Durant played for him when he was here, and this week Derrick and Terrence Williams, DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis all played for GO HAM… and lost at the buzzer to an unheralded Nova Stars team who played their guts out.

“We done lost the last three games—we started out 5-0—but lost cause we not playing defense and we’re trying to find our chemistry, man. But we’re gonna make a cold playoff run, and gonna take the league.”

GO HAM was down 71-68 before an Ed Davis and one brought the crowd to its feet with 8.2 seconds left. After completing the three-point play, Nova put the ball in point guard Mark Peters’ hands, and he dropped in a mid-range bucket from the top of the key for a two-point victory just before the buzzer.

Fans stormed the court. DeRozan walked toward the exit in the corner, peeled his jersey off, and peeked back to check on the ongoing celebration. Terrence Williams followed, shaking his head as he exited the gym, and headed to the locker room.

“If I was on the other team I’d think it was cool to see that they’re not ‘Mr. Incredible’s,’” added The Game about his team’s unfortunate L, which seemed to make everybody’s day.

Affecting the Community

Perhaps the most thrilling aspect of the Drew League for the spectators from South Central is that watching the high-flying action takes nothing more than some dedication—other than that, it’s a free treat provided by Smiley and co.

“Even if it’s a dunk or a three, all the fans are out here to see that so they’re excited,” explained Derrick Williams, who happened to be making his first appearance at the Drew. “They can’t afford to go pay for Lakers games, Clipper games, and all of that but they can come out here and it’s free. All you have to do is be able to watch and get a good seat, and I think that’s the best part.”

Oklahoma City Thunder playmaker James Harden couldn’t agree more. “All the kids that don’t get a chance to watch NBA players in a real game get to come out here for free, so its definitely a blessing and I’m just out here having fun.”

Heck, even The Game, who “wasn’t allowed” to come to these games when he was a child has enough sense to comprehend that this type of atmosphere can be tremendously inspiring to kids in the area.

“I think this is big for the community, and that’s why I find the joy in it,” the rapper explained. “All these people get to come out and see players that they see on TV—not wearing their NBA uniforms, but wearing their GO HAM uniforms. It’s big for the kids—it’s a family environment, they got food, and everybody’s out here to have fun.”

The post A Breath of Fresh Air appeared first on SLAM.

It’s that time of the year—NBA Draft sites are in full blossom and rumors about picks and trades are flying around like mosquitoes near the beach. Instead of trying to predict where these players are going to end up getting drafted, I’m focusing on making one bold prediction about 30 of them. Of course, these are educated guesses based on looking at their statistics, reading about, and watching each of these players development to the best of my ability.

As we get underway with these, here’s one prediction that isn’t so bold: Some of these will be wrong.

Kyrie Irving | 6-3 | PG | Freshman | Duke

As DraftExpress.com recently showed, Irving got to the line an NCAA best 8.9 attempts per game during his injury-plagued freshman season. With the combination of being shifty/having amazing body control/being quick and fast in the open court, Kyrie should thrive in an up-tempo system in much the same way he did during his freshman year at Duke, where he read the D and reacted. Expect Irving to rival Derrick Rose (8.4), Russell Westbrook (8.4), and Chris Paul in attempts taken at the charity stripe in the next few seasons.

Derrick Williams | 6-8, F | Sophomore | Arizona

Williams will be an All-Star candidate by his second season in the League. Thought to be a “tweener” by some, there simply aren’t many players with his footwork in the lane, athleticism, and capability to play the pick-and-pop game on the perimeter (57 percent from the college three). And Williams has progressed in every area since he entered college and was the most efficient player in the nation as a sophomore.

Enes Kanter | 6-10 | PF/C | Freshman | Kentucky

Kanter will muscle his way into the top 10 in the NBA in the rebounding department within his first few years of “eligibility” in the United States. Andrew Bynum was 10th in the L in boards this year at 9.6 per contest and by all accounts, Kanter is an animal on the glass.

Brandon Knight | 6-4 | PG | Freshman | Kentucky

Knight will be reliant on his jump shot from the get-go and with the faster pace, stronger bodies, and quicker defenders than at the college level, I believe he will struggle as a result. Nearly half of Knight’s 513 FG attempts at Kentucky were three-pointers and he shot 37 percent. In this writer’s opinion, Knight will have to make major adjustments to his game to have success in the NBA.

Kemba Walker | 6-1 | PG | Junior | Connecticut

After hearing about how Kemba Walker led his NY Gauchos AAU team to four straight AAU tournament titles as a rising junior in high school, to explaining to people about how much heart he played with as a freshman and sophomore, to his National Championship junior year, Kemba Walker has handled himself as a winner thus far. So with these things in mind, I am making the bold prediction that K-Walk will be part of an NBA Championship team at some point in his career. Odds stacked against him? Bring it on.

Chris Singleton | 6-9, SF/PF | Junior | Florida State

One of the best defenders in college basketball and an athletic specimen, don’t be surprised to see Singleton make an All-NBA Defensive team (at least one) at some point in his career. If he can make the mental transition to the next level, along with his athleticism and feel at the defensive end, he will be counted on to effectively guard top-tier wing talent at the next level.

Kawhi Leonard | 6-7 | SF | Sophomore | San Diego State

Pound-for-pound, one of the best rebounders in college basketball last season, Leonard has the mitts (4XL hands), length and instincts to be a problem at the NBA level. During his sophomore year he averaged 3 offensive boards per game—I expect him to average 2+ per game for his entire career.

Jimmer Fredette | 6-2 | PG | Senior | BYU

On his way to becoming a college basketball legend, Jimmer Fredette has defied the odds at almost every turn. Now as he’s about to be drafted, he’s being doubted some more, and that’s perfectly normal for a somewhat athletically challenged 6-2 guard—who relies on his shooting prowess—to go through. But there aren’t many better shooters (even in the NBA), and I suspect Fredette will make his mark. Shouldering the load at BYU, Fredette shot, on average, 3.4-8.5 (39.6 percent) from distance. With less attempts at the next level and a higher concentration on each shot, I think the Jimmer has an opportunity to increase his percentage to 45 percent in his first season.

Jordan Hamilton | 6-9 | 230 | SG/SF | Sophomore | Texas

Jordan Hamilton will suffer from Paul Pierce syndrome—the now celebrated Celtic became enraged after nine teams passed him up, and we all know how that worked out. Hamilton will probably hop off the board and on to the stage at the Prudential Center in the teens or early 20s and will be doing his best Truth imitation for the rest of his career as a result of his dropoff. Hamilton is a skilled wing who could blossom with the spacing of the NBA combined with his sweet jumper and slashing ability.

Justin Harper | 6-9 | PF | Senior | Richmond

Harper was one of, if not the, premier range-shooting forward in the NCAA’s this past season. He has an effortless stroke which is why he attempted 4.6 threes per game and knocked home 45 percent of them. With NBA-range well within his grasp, I expect Harper to be the new-age Channing Frye, except with more muscle. I think that Harper, not Klay Thompson, will end up being the best shooter in this draft. Bold, but that’s what this is about—and I believe in him.

Jan Vesely | 6-11 | SF/PF | KK Partizan Belgrade

Is he the next coming of Omri Casspi? I watched him once when I was in Barcelona last year and he definitely has the potential to be a better player; he’s more athletic, is a better shooter, and has a great feel for the game. There will be many keys for Vesely, but none bigger than being on a team that allows him to run the floor, make hustle plays , and to work on the other aspects of his game as he gains experience and confidence. The bold prediction here? Vesely will remind many of Casspi, but how about a combination between he and a (taller) Shawn Marion (with a smoother jumper)?

Alec Burks | 6-6 | SG | Sophomore | Colorado

Versatile, smooth/quick with the ball, and a deadly finisher in the paint. In the isolation game of the NBA, Burks could be a solid pick from the beginning. What can’t Burks do (yet)? Shoot the ball with range. Once in the NBA, his shooting mechanics (which aren’t terrible, just need refining) will improve from the 29 percent he shot from distance in college. The 82 percent he shot from the line this season is reason to believe.

The post 30 Bold Predictions appeared first on SLAM.

Following an impressive showing in the 2011 NBA Playoffs, the Indiana Pacers head into the offseason with the young core of their team in place and a chance to better themselves through free-agent acquisitions, omissions, and, of course, the NBA Draft. Living in Bloomington, Indiana, I covered the Pacers this past season for SLAMonline.com and had the chance to gain a feel for where the organization is headed…

When Frank Vogel took over the reins for Jim O’Brien in Indiana, things changed quickly. Winning seven out of their first eight games under Vogel, it was clear that the fire, intensity, passion, and hustle that the team lacked were kicked up ten-fold. They finally believed in themselves more than they had during the first three months of the NBA season and rallied to nab the eight-seed in the East, going 20-18 under their new (and hopefully re-signed) leader at he helm. Written off by many to be an easy out before their match-up with the top-seeded Bulls, it’s safe to say that, although they lost in five games, their young nucleus would not go down without swinging.

Paul George swarmed Derrick Rose with his height, length, and foot speed on the defensive end, forcing the League MVP into uncomfortable situations whenever possible. Danny Granger knocked down clutch jumpers and asserted himself at both ends. Tyler Hansbrough hustled and hustled and hustled some more and continued to prove his worth at the NBA level. And even though Roy Hibbert and Darren Collison struggled with their match-ups with Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose respectively, both players are capable of learning and bettering their games during the offseason.

So after brilliantly drafting Psycho-T with the 13th pick in 2009 and Paul George with the tenth pick last year, I’m assuming the Pacers will use the 15th selection as wisely as possible–they are in ideal position to have a very talented player slip out of the Lottery and into their hands in the midwest. With that being said…

With the 15th pick in the SLAMOnline NBA Mock Draft, the Indiana Pacers select…

Tristan Thompson from the University of Texas.

If he’s is still on the board when the Pacers are on the clock, it would be tough to pass on the skill level, athleticism, and upside of Tristan Thompson. The southpaw from Canada played 30.9 minutes per game at Texas and averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds as a freshman. Along the way, he impressed scouts with his athleticism, motor, shot selection (55 percent from the field), and length.

While flattering onlookers during his lone season in the Lonestar state, the most crucial aspect to be taken into account when evaluating this particular combo-forward became clear: upside is the key. Operating mostly in the post–his move of choice being a powerful drop-step, and a finish with the left hand over his right shoulder (or a powerful dunk)–Thompson proved that he could produce efficiently despite being quite limited in regards to the post-moves that were in his arsenal. At the next level he will have ample time and resources to further enhance his skill-set. With repetitions on the low block and working on his face-up game (he should be able to take slower 4’s off the bounce with regularity), this 20 year old prospect has a chance to burst onto the scene in the right situation.

A fluid and smooth athlete in the open floor, Thompson is also a good decision maker when out-letting the ball to guards to start the break and runs his lane with legit effort. One of his best assets is his willingness to go after the ball on the offensive glass, as his 3.8 offensive boards per contest and ridiculous athleticism suggests. But as is the case with every prospect, however, there are some areas of his game that need to be worked on more than others. Take, for instance, his horrid 48.7 percent (127-261) from the free-throw line. A significant portion of Thompson’s individual time should be dedicated to form shooting in order to raise his free-throw percentage and so that he can expand his game to the mid-range as he moves forward.

Though I’m not the biggest believer in drafting a player based on upside, this pick seems like a glove that fits the hand too well to take off. The Indiana Pacers nearly traded Josh McRoberts (who was in the last deal of his rookie contract) to Memphis for OJ Mayo at the trade deadline. If they re-up his contract, it would have come as somewhat of a surprise. If Jeff Foster and Solomon Jones are brought back (their contracts have expired as well), they will be viewed as insurance policies for the Pacers. With Brandon Rush under contract for another two years and Lance Stephenson still trying to figure out the NBA game (and lifestyle) in the backcourt, Larry Bird should take a shot in the frontcourt here and believe that it’s going to pan out, just as his recent draftees have done.

The bottom line is this: with a youthful core, youthful coach, and opportunistic draft location, Indiana is in prime position to take a talented player with both skill and upside. Tristan Thompson is their man.

The post Mock: Tristan Thompson, No. 15 appeared first on SLAM.

Between shattering his ankle during the AAU season after his junior year and not qualifying for college academically Darmetreis Kilgore could have taken the beaten path that is so often chosen by high school kids who don’t meet their goals. He could have given up on his dreams of playing college—and professional—basketball.

But he didn’t give up.

He kept on working and earned every last ounce of the scholarship that he received to one Big Ten school. A “smooth and tough” player by his account, Kilgore got the most out of his abilities and is now giving back to the youth of the future.

Enough of our narrative: Here’s his story.

SLAM: After listening to your old AAU coach with the SYF Players talking about the story that changed you, it was inspiring. Can you explain that story in full detail?

Darmetreis Kilgore: Having a late start to my basketball career and going through the heartache of not having my father in my life, I was apprehensive toward new faces. Don’t get me wrong, Coach Brumm presented himself well, but it took me a while to see his intentions. Coach and I didn’t bump heads in a disrespectful manner; I just had other individuals in my ear telling me that I wasn’t getting a chance to showcase my talent and coach was playing favorites. Prior to my ankle injury I had great success with my teammates, but since I didn’t fully trust coach, I put myself in a situation where I had to evaluate the team goals and the expectations I had for my career. So upon my return, I bought into everything Coach Brumm wanted to expedite in my lost time. I was a 16-, 17-year-old kid who started playing basketball in the eighth grade and when all the attention and success started to come, so did the growth of my ego. Honestly, I don’t remember taking a week to get my mind together, but I may be wrong.

It was the first game in the 1998 AAU State tournament and I started the game with 12 points in the first two minutes of the first quarter. My 12th point was a one-handed dunk off the vertical on an opposing player and as I was descending there were players underneath me and my left foot came down on someone’s foot. This was the most pain I have ever felt in my life and I knew my basketball career was going to be put on hold for a while. I truly believe with all my heart that the main reason that situation happened was due to me forgetting who gave me this gift, GOD! Before my success, I was a praying individual that knew none of my achievements would have been possible without my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God had to bring me to a place where I had to depend on him and get back to seeking his face again.

SLAM: What exactly happened to your ankle and how did that affect your recruitment? I know big-name schools were involved before it happened and things changed quickly.

DK: Before the end of the summer, I made a full recovery and returned to my faith in God and acknowledging him in everything I do. My ankle didn’t affect my recruitment at all; it was my grades. I didn’t work as hard in the classroom as I did on the basketball court and it cost me looks from Kentucky, Purdue, USC, Cincinnati and Florida.

SLAM: Going through all of that because of AAU, and with all of the games kids play these days, what are your feelings about the circuit? Is it worth it for some of the top-tier kids to play in all of the games, tournaments and events that they do? As an AAU coach, what are your honest feelings?

DK: There are a lot of games being played in the AAU circuit and my theory is these players should not play back-to-back games and they should spread them out in a day. These kids should only be allowed to play twice a day with a few hours between games, just because the game of basketball has a lot of wear and tear on your body and you want to give the players the best opportunity to optimize their exposure to a college or university.

SLAM: Despite your grades, you still ended up going to community college. Talk about that experience and what it did for your psyche going forward.

DK: Attending Tyler Junior College in Tyler, TX was a great move. I didn’t have an offer on the table from anyone after my senior campaign at South Bend Washington High School. I received a phone call from Chris Crutchfield, who was the assistant coach at the time and he stated that they had heard a lot about me and wanted to bring me on an official visit and subsequently, I committed. I knew it was going to be far from home, but it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

My freshman year I made the All-Region team. I averaged 20 points per game and was recognized as one of the top Junior College players in the nation. Prior to my sophomore year I was a pre-season first team All-American and was not only being recruited by several big name universities, but also the Vancouver Grizzlies (who now have relocated to Memphis). I averaged 23 points per game, 5 rebounds, and at least on high flying dunk per contest. Going through the Junior College experience did wonders for my psyche: I was blessed to build a name for myself and have the opportunity to fulfill my dream of making it to the NBA.

The post Intermittent Dominance appeared first on SLAM.

Throughout the college basketball landscape, with the one-and-done rule, each and every year there are players that go to school, captivate the nation for a year with their remarkable skills, and turn pro. On the other hand, there are players like Temple’s Aaron Brown—a New Jersey kid who attended high school at the famed St. Benedicts—who will do go through their college basketball days in a more conventional process.

As a freshman for an NCAA Tournament team at Temple, Brown racked up valuable minutes off the bench for the Owls and gained knowledge, experience and a feel for the game that will help him to blossom in the future. I caught up with Brown about a month ago to discuss everything basketball (sorry it took so long to post!) and Aaron turned in a very informative interview.

Remember, not every player will leave their mark after a year. Brown will likely be a poster-child for the four-year plan at the college level—both as a player and as a person.

SLAM: So first off, tell some of the people out there what your game is like. What are your strengths at both ends and what do you need to work on?

Aaron Brown: My strengths are shooting the ball, driving to the hole, and a really good defender.

SLAM: I witnessed you work out with Paul Suber in the Gauchos gym a few years ago, and I remember how hard you worked that summer. What will your off-season be like after your first season at Temple?

AB: My postseason workouts will be tough, both in the weight room and on the court as well—after the season is when you get better!

SLAM: What was this season at Temple like? In what ways did you grow as a player on the court and a person off the court?

AB: It was an up and down season for me. Early on I didn’t get a lot of playing time, but after many practices of putting in solid contribution I got my chance to play.

SLAM: For the most part, you didn’t get consistent minutes this year, but at the end of the year coach really went to you in crucial situations. How did you improve as the season went on? What, exactly, did you learn as the season went on?

AB: As the season went on I just had to stay focused and not worry about the past. Extra shooting, extra conditioning, extra preparation is what kept me on point. I learned that you never know when your names going to be called, and when it’s called you have to be ready to go.

SLAM: How is college different from high school?

AB: Well for me it’s not really that much of a difference on the court and in the classroom. I would say that for that most part the biggest difference is you freedom.

SLAM: You picked Temple over some pretty good schools, academically speaking. Why did you go to Temple over schools like Harvard?

AB: I felt that I wouldn’t be challenged on the court if I had went to a more academically based school.  Don’t get me wrong, academics are huge, but at the same time I want to be challenged at my craft on the court to get me to the highest level.

SLAM: What will your team be like next season—how will you be similar/different from this year’s team?

AB: First of we will lose Lavoy Allen, one of the greats in the history of Temple but we will be able to make changes.  We have a lot of guards that we will be able to contribute next year.  We probably will have to change up our style of play a little, but nevertheless still be able to fight and compete like every past team at Temple.

SLAM: What are your goals as a player at Temple?

AB: My goal is to be the best player that I can be on and off the court. I work hard at this game and want it to be something I do for a while after I leave school (NBA). I plan to make the tournament every year that I’m here and to make some noise.

SLAM: What is your major and how will you apply it to what you want to do after you graduate from college (if you have any idea want to do when you graduate from Temple)?

AB: I’m in the process of switching my major, but I plan to do something in the business world when my playing days are done.

SLAM: Where do you see your playing career going after college? The NBA is every player’s dream, but how does Europe sound?

AB: Yea that’s my dream as well. Europe could be a great experience also.  Some of my friends play over there and they love it, so i would have no problem playing over there.

SLAM: When did you start playing basketball seriously? Who do you model your game after and why?

AB: I started playing seriously in the 7th grade. My favorite player is Kobe Bryant, but I would say my game models after Carmelo.

SLAM: What is something interesting that people don’t know about Aaron Brown?

AB: I’m really into fashion and music, so I guess you could say that basketball sort of motivates me to work hard so that one day I can have the finer things in life that I would enjoy.

SLAM: What do you do in your spare time?

AB: In my spare time I like to spend time with my family, go to church when I get a chance, shop, and I love to sleep.

SLAM: Anything else you’d like to add?

AB: Yea just want to give a few shout outs to some people, first off God, my family who travels with me everywhere, my brothers for life Tristan & Myck, and last but not least my teammates here at Temple.

The post Owl Learning to Fly appeared first on SLAM.

When combo guard Kelvin Amayo committed to Towson University on May 9, recently appointed head coach Pat Skerry secured his first commitment since he took over struggling Tigers basketball program. Just a year removed from a 4-26 (2-12 in CAA play) season, the Tigers appear to, at the very least, be showing a pulse on the recruiting trail with this commitment.

This past season at NIA Prep, Amayo averaged 20 points, 6 boards, 5 assists and 2 steals per contest while leading his squad to a No. 6 national ranking among prep schools. Though Amayo had interest from larger programs and other mid-majors around the country, he decided to accept the challenge of building a basketball tradition at Towson and being the face of the program.

SLAM: What triggered your commitment? Why did you commit to Towson?

Kelvin Amayo: After I came back from College of Charleston and I had a brief conversation with Alif Muhammad, who runs NIA Prep and he told me it’s about that time to make a decision and I thought to myself, Towson would be the best fit for me because I’ll be the face of the program and I’ll come here and surprise everybody. It doesn’t matter what school you go to if you’re a pro. They’re gonna find you and that’s why I choose Towson University.

SLAM: What did you go through to get this point? How did your previous experiences help you to get to this point?

KA: Help on and off the court and being around good players just made me have to stay on point. If it wasn’t for a couple people in my life, I wouldn’t be doing this interview and I really appreciate them.

I went through a lot to get to get this point. People don’t understand I came from nowhere to be somebody in this game—and I still have along way to go—but I’m still thriving to be the best I can be. I had to deal with people making stories about me that weren’t true that tried to make me look bad. They don’t know I woke up for three months straight at 5:30 a.m. because somebody told me I wouldn’t amount to nothing and it made me work the hardest I could. To this day when I get to the gym I think about him.

SLAM: What do you think will be different from high school to college?

KA: High school if you didn’t have good people behind you, then you didn’t do certain things. In college I’m gonna have to earn everything that is given to me. In high school there are a few really good players that have names but in college everybody is a good player and you cant just go through the motions like you do in high school.

SLAM: Towson is a place that not many people know about in terms of basketball… How are you going to turn ball into a powerhouse while your there?

KA: I’ve already tuned people into the program because I’m going there. I just have to help everybody on my team have a different mindset because I always came from winning programs. If they see me working hard and then they have no excuse to just go through the motions. Coming to the program will give the school a different aura, and before I leave Towson we’re gonna be a powerhouse. You can mark my words.

SLAM: What aspects of your game do you have to work on to kill it at the next level?

KA: I can shoot now but if I can become more consistent, nobody in college basketball will be able to “D” me. I’m gonna be ahead of a lot of freshman coming in because I’m already battle tested and playing in prep school for two years helped me a lot. I create for others, I can score in a variety of ways, and I just play my game.

SLAM: People probably don’t think a kid from Towson can make it to the L. What do you have to say to them in advance?

KA: If they think that, then they are just hypocrites because if you are a pro it doesn’t matter where you go because they’re gonna find you. If people don’t realize that then they don’t know this game.

The post Amayo a Tiger appeared first on SLAM.

I think we can all agree that when athletes try to rap, they fail miserably almost 100% of the time. Look at Shaq, Ron Artest, Tony Parker, Allen Iverson, and the other countless number of athletes trying to pursue a dream in music as well. They learned the hard way that musicians are unbelievable at making their craft look so easy. Not many athletes truly possess the drive to excel in both music and sports, so they drop music and hit the gym. However, we may have found the first true athlete/rapper succeeding in both.

Hosting his own free concert tonight in Knoxville called “Relay For Life”, Tennessee Volunteer hooper Renaldo Woolridge raps under the name “Swiperboy” and owns his own record label “Swiperboy Entertainment”. Songs such as Eric Berry for Heisman, Orange White, and his latest mixtape “Swiperboy IV” have all become massive hits on the internet. Swiperboy IV reached a top 8 spot on datpiff.com in the first 48 hours of release, and his youtube channel has over a million views. “The main goal of my mixtape was to show my versatility as an artist. Everything from a hype song to a slow jam is on my mixtape. I think there’s a song for everyone in there.”

Son of former NBA star Orlando Woolridge, Renaldo is currently in his junior season at Tennessee, Woolridge hopes to take on a leadership role this season with a team that will surely be searching for an identity. Woolridge likes everything about Cuonzo Martin so far, and is dedicated to make a big time impact on the hardwood this season.

Renaldo makes it very clear that basketball comes first and works on his music during the little free time that he has throughout the year. He hopes his two passions help fuel each other and demonstrate his effortless work on the hardwood and in the studio. “I really want to take on a leadership role with the team this season,” said Woolridge. “I want to prove to everyone that I can have great success in music and basketball. I want this season to be the one that really opens the public’s eyes to what I can bring to the table.”

“Relay For Life” will take place at The University of Tennessee’s TREC from 11:00pm-12:30am. Renaldo has had great success in past events, such as his opening act for the Ying Yang Twins back in October, and tonight should be no different. If you’re in the Knoxville area tonight, I’d suggest going to take a look at the multi-talented superstar. Only time will tell what Woolridge’s future has in store, but count me in as a fan of “Swiperboy” in the studio, Renaldo on the court, and even more so of the Renaldo off the court.

The post Renaldo ‘Swiperboy’ Woolridge Finds A Perfect Balance appeared first on SLAM.

First Quarter

—The Pacers open their final regular season home game of the 2010-2011 season against the Knicks with a starting lineup of Daren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, Tyler Hansbrough, and Roy Hibbert. Chauncey Billups, Shawne Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Landry Fields, and Sheldon Williams all receive the nod from D’Antoni. Amar’e Stoudemire will not play tonight.

—Hansbrough strikes first blood with a wide open mid-range jumper.

—Granger drains a three in ‘Melo’s face only to have ‘Melo return the favor next time down. This game should shape up to be a NASCAR type game.

—The Pacers are really trying to establish Hansbrough early on, and Hansbrough definitely likes that role. He has six of their first nine points and is out hustling everyone right now.

—Paul George with two quick fouls early and gets taken out of the game. I wonder how the Pacers’ defensive plans will change with George on the bench…

—”Your wifes better!” is chanted by Pacer fans at Sheldon Williams during a free throw. Can you imagine how good his and Candace Parker’s kid is going to be? Scary…

—On a side note, I grew up a town north (Wheaton, Illinois) of Candace Parker’s home town (Naperville, Illinois). She reffed one of my league games in sixth grade, and she signed an autograph for everyone playing the game. None of us really had much to sign, so she signed everyone’s shoes who played in the game. I then turned around the next day and pulled off my own personal Sandlot impression by using the shoes outside and ruined the signature. My friends still make fun of me about it to this day. Anyway, back to the game.

—Hibbert dashes out in transition and gets great position inside on Sheldon Williams. Hibbert creates a completely different dimension to their team when he can beat his man down the floor consistantly.

—Forgot how uptempo the Knicks play until I’ve had to type what I’m seeing. My fingers are going to get a big time workout.

—Knicks doing a great job of drawing fouls tonight. Pacers already have four fouls with 7:43 left.

—Landry Fields impresses me every time I see him. He made a fantastic move by driving through three Pacer defenders and euro-stepped around the last one en route to a smooth looking layup.

—This game turned into a track meet already, 21-19 with 4:50 left.

—Tony Douglas just made an incredibly athletic play that might never be talked about again. He fell down and lost the ball, found it and dribbled his way back up and made a great bounce pass to ‘Melo. That might have been the first time I’ve ever seen Hansbrough outhustled in my life.

—Timeout taken with 2:51 left. I think the officials are even getting tired right now trying to keep up with this games’ pace. 26-22 New York.

—Dunleavy enters the game and within minutes makes a great pass to a slashing Josh McRoberts for a two handed slam, nails a mid range jumper on the next possession, and cuts backdoor for a layup on the following possession.

—Carmelo, however, refuses to be outdone and nails two threes in three possessions to tie the game at 33 to end the quarter. The Pacers need to find a way to stop ‘Melo or they may be in for a long night.

Second Quarter

—I’ve said it all year long: teams find themselves in a lot of trouble when Granger decides to attack the rim with concentration. He just powered his way into a layup and a nice assist in two straight possessions.

—Then what does Granger do? Weakly drive to the rim and get his shot blocked. You wonder why coaches don’t have a lot of hair…

—Bad airball by Bill Walker. And when I say bad, I mean REALLY bad. Like the kid who got picked last on the playground and chucked up an eyes closed airball bad. He took that shot from the elbow and it literally looked like a dead duck flying through the air. Knicks are struggling big time with ‘Melo on the bench.

—TJ Ford enters the game at the 9:55 mark and receives a big time cheer from the crowd. Nice to see the Pacer faithful back up Ford after a rough situation this season.

—Ronny Turiaf just rejected Danny Granger’s shot with authority. Granger got the ball back and nailed a three in the same possession. Great play by Turiaf and great recovery by Granger.

—Chauncey Billups showed his top notch awareness by taking the ball right out of Granger’s hands after Billups missed a layup. He then dishes the rock to Eric Brown who flushes down a nice dunk. Dunleavey fires right back with a layup that puts the score at 46-41 Pacers.

—’Melo rejects Dunleavey’s transition layup right into the hands of a hustling Granger who puts in a layup. Great job of running the floor and following up in transition by Granger. 48-43 Pacers with 5:44 left.

—Phenomenal pick and roll action at the top of the key by Dunleavey and McRoberts. Dunleavey drew both defenders and found a cutting McRoberts at the right time. McRoberts’ pump fake drew two defenders in the air and ducked under both of them to grab a bucket and the foul.

—Paul George enters the game at the 4:47 mark and grabs his third foul moments later at the 4:07 mark. The promising rookie just can’t catch a break tonight. Three fouls in three minutes means he needs to get in the film room and figure out the right angles to take on his defensive approach.

—Shawne Williams just darted from across the lane and pounded Darren Collison’s layup attempt off the glass. Extremely athletic play for Williams.

—On a side note, the NBA needs to make a rule that makes players with too similar of names illegal. I mean come on, Shawne Williams and Sheldon Williams? One of them needs a nickname to make things easier…

—56-51 Pacers with 2:53 left in the second.

—Key to this quarter: The Pacers have kept ‘Melo a complete non-factor this quarter. He has 1 point in 11 minutes. Guess the Pacers saw my previous post and decided to listen to me.

—And of course ‘Melo then sees my last comment and nails a triple. I swear he looked me in the eye after he shot it…

—Billups nails a trey of his own to up his three-ball count to four this half. A mishandled pass by Hibbert leading to an off the mark three by ‘Melo ends the half. 67-61 Pacers. I get my much needed rest from typing.

Third Quarter

—Anthony to Fields for the first basket after recess. Knicks didn’t lose a beat…

—Darren Collison just made a highlight play by going behind his back and between his legs, knifing through the defense and lays in a nice shot while avoiding the Knick defenders. That’s a move only found in NBA Live.

—Roy Hibbert spins off his defender and slams one home on the opposite side of the rim? Did I see that right?

—Chauncey Billups showing a little flair with a between the legs bounce pass to Sheldon Williams, and Williams misses the contested layup. Great way to say thanks Williams…

—The Pacers have put on a nice display on how to get out in transition the past few possessions. Darren Collison jumped out ahead and put in a layup while Danny Granger connected with Paul George on the ensuing possession.

—Carmelo Anthony has the entire Knick team on his back right now. Without him, the Knicks are down 20.

—Two Roy Hibbert free throws give the Pacers a 73-72 lead with 6:29 left to play.

—Paul George shows his enormous upside with a very bright and athletic play. George faked a shot, dished the ball into Hibbert in the post, faught for position with his defender and blew backdoor for a thunderous jam.

—Carmelo flat out puts the ball in the hoop. His pull up jumper, rom mid range or from three, simply leaves opposing defenders in shock. 78-77 Pacers with 4:06 left in the third.

—I think the Pacers might be a better fit for D’Antoni’s offense than the Knicks. Collison, George, and Granger have thrived in transition all night long. Collison just threw a quick lob to George who did what he does best: send the ball soaring through the hoop and hang on the rim.

—Carmelo Anthony is the definition of a run-killer. He tosses in a bucket every time the Pacers make a crowd pleasing play.

—Absolutely phenomenal help defense by Paul George. He saw his team mess up their defensive assignments and came from across the lane to help out and take a charge on Ronny Turiaf. Great way to make up for lost time in the first half by George. He may be the key to their series against the Chicago Roses (Sorry, I mean the Chicago Bulls).

—Dunleavey with a picture perfect pump fake to get his defender in the air and go right around him for a mid range jumper. Dunleavey provides the Pacers with a MUCH needed scorer off the bench. When he’s hot, the Pacers can compete with a lot of teams.

—Toney Douglass nailed a triple with 26 seconds left that every coach in America would cringe at during the shot and wipe his brow in relief after it goes it.

—Pacers are really rolling right now. Roy Hibbert throws in a nice hook shot with four seconds left to extend the lead to 93-87. Dunleavey shows he plays a little defense too with a steal at halfcourt and dishes out an assist to A.J Price at the buzzer. Pacers lead 96-87 heading into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter

—Dunleavey and Anthony Carter trade baskets to open up the final period. My fingers are moving around like jello right now; I’m running on fumes. I need to prepare myself better for these games. I should do some scouting reports on each team’s pace before I head into the arena and mentally prepare myself. If I had the Knicks every game, I’d have carpal tunnel syndrome without a doubt.

—A Shawne Williams layup extends a 6-0 Knick run to cut the lead to 98-95 with 9:37 left.

—Danny Granger ends the run with a triple to push the Pacers over the century mark. How does Toney Douglas respond? An airball that rivaled Bill Walker’s in the second half. Come on fellas…

—Chauncey Billups visibly shows his frustration on a non-foul call by shoving Daren Collison in transition. That simply cannot happen if the Knicks want a shot at wining this game. 103-97 Pacers with 6:07 left.

—The fourth quarter just has not been very kind to Billups. He played teriffic in the first three but has not shown up at the end. He just had his fadeaway jumper blocked by Collison and his three point attempt blocked by McRoberts in the same possession. Knicks need him to step his game up to make their final push.

—Carmelo. Anthony. Enough said. 105-103 Pacers.

—The Pacers must have forgotten about my previous comments. I guess I’m going to have to state them again. You’d think After his 29th point of the contest the Pacers would figure out that under NO circumstances should anyone leave ‘Melo. Don’t know how much simpler I can be.

—Paul George stepped up to the plate and contested a ‘Melo three that bricks off the side of the iron. What a difference a close out makes…

—Do the Knicks have enough juice left to make a comeback with 1:51 left? 109-105 Pacers.

—Melo just ended up on the wrong end of a rejection from Roy Hibbert. Pacers fail to capitalize on the other end, however, and Chauncey Billups hit one of his two free throws.

—Darren Collison makes a crucial turnover that leads to a Billups-to-Fields dunk. Collison lost the ball behind his back and never saw it again. Lesson: be efficient, not fancy. 109-108 Pacers with 36 seconds left.

—Bad clock management by the Pacers. A Collison fadeaway jumper off one foot cannot be your best option. EVER.

—Carmelo has ice cold veins. He just stared Granger down and nailed a 20 footer in his grill with 4.9 seconds left and pranced off the court with a grin. Not much Granger could do on that one, he was up in his kitchen that whole possession.

—Dunleavey calls a timeout before initially throwing the ball in. ‘Melo then tips Granger’s mid range attempt and Collison proves off the mark on his desperation heave.

—I guess the Knicks did have enough left in the tank to complete the comeback.

—Final score Knicks 110 Pacers 109. Carmelo leads all scorers with 34 points. Granger leads the Pacers with 20 points.

Postgame

Carmelo Anthony on the impact of this game on their upcoming playoff games: “It was a big game for us, confidence wise, coming down the stretch and finishing the regular season with some big momentum.” Carmelo further noted,”We want to prove it to ourselves that we can be a great defensive team, and these last couple games we’ve been doing that.”

The Knicks extended their winning streak to seven with the win and will be tested at home against the Bulls on Tuesday. The Pacers fly south to Orlando on Wednesday night for their regular season finale.

The post Game Notes: Knicks at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

As everybody knows, free throws play a critical part during and down the stretch of any game at any level. If you’re ahead 65-57 with 3:00 to go in the fourth, if you knock your freebees down when you get to the line, your team will increase its odds of winning the game. If you are behind and you struggle from the stripe in a 65-62 game with 3:00 remaining, the odds of notching a win sway towards the other team. That’s not science; it’s basketball.

Everywhere you look in the past, there are reminders that free throws are essential—during NCAA Tournament games the 15-foot free shot makes and crushes dreams. One particular instance, the 2008 NCAA Title Game between the Kansas Jayhawks (14-15) and Memphis Tigers (12-19), sticks out like a sore thumb. Memphis held a 62-57 lead with 1:10 left, a title within their reach. They went to the line five times in the final 1:10 but only made one of them, leaving the door open for Kansas to make a colossal comeback (which they did).

In this year’s tournament, there have also been reminders that the free throw can win you or lose you a ball game.

In terms of volume, UCLA had the most spectacular performance. In their first round game against Michigan State they got to the line an astounding 47 times. Though they only capitalized on 30 of them, they put themselves into the second round (where they got to the line another 25 times, converting just 16) and coincidentally lost to Florida 73-65 in a game that was close heading down the stretch.

In their second round match-up against Syracuse, Marquette was cold-blooded at the charity stripe. They sunk 19-23 free throws in a tight contest (outscoring the Orange by 14), which helped to keep them in the game in more ways than one. A pressing team, Marquette was able to set up their pressure defense as a result of their makes.

During their first round tilt against Memphis (17-24), Arizona hit 26-31 at the line and won the game by two in a game that went down to the wire.

Perhaps the most memorable game that was decided at the line in this year’s tournament was Butler’s (11-14) match-up with Pitt (12-18) in the second round. Gilbert Brown was sent to the line with the game in the balance, down 70-69 following an Andrew Smith layup on the other end. Brown calmly sank the first one, but missed the second. Chaos ensued when Nasir Robinson fouled Matt Howard in the act of shooting 90 feet away from the hoop. Howard sank 1-2 on the other end and Butler moved into the next round.

So when you’re glancing around the bracket and looking at free throw percentages this year, it’s no surprise that the Connecticut Huskies (UConn: 68-84, or 80.9 percent) have advanced all the way to the National Championship game on Monday. Amongst the  teams that have shot over 50 free throws in this year’s tournament (there’s a total of 15), the Huskies have shot the 2nd best percentage. Only Mountain West Conference BYU, who was ousted in the Sweet 16, shot a better percentage than UConn, (47-55; 85.5 percent).

Connecticut has over-achieved from the line (76.1 percent for the season) and during its close games in the NCAA Tournament against San Diego State, Arizona and Kentucky their high percentage has been consistent enough to help them maneuver their way to the next round.

Two other Final Four teams, Butler and VCU, relied on free throws in their own way: Through sheer volume. The Bulldogs (75-104 or 72.1 percent) have gotten to the line an average of 20.8 times in their five games thus far, and put forth their most accurate effort yet with a 20-26 performance yesterday against VCU. The Rams (85-122 or 69.7 percent) shot an average of 20.3 free throws per game during their memorable six-game run to Houston.

Kentucky, who was just ousted by UConn in a 56-55 thriller a few nights ago, shot a miserable 4-12 from the stripe. John Calipari-coached teams are notoriously bad free throw shooting teams, and this one was no different than its recent predecessors. They shot 71 percent for the year and managed to shoot just 49-77 (63.6 percent) during their five-game run. Freshman Terrence Jones, who was 0-5 at the line, surely wishes that he could realign for a few of those gimmes.

So, do teams at the college level spend enough time and effort at the line in practice? I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that I have a definitive answer, but if I had a one-and-one to guess, my answer would be no.

The post No Such Thing As Free appeared first on SLAM.

Heading into this match-up, the last 11 games for the Celtics and Pacers have certainly been forgettable, as 5-6 stretches for each ball club has each team limping down the stretch in their own regard.

Although there have been reports that the Celtics are more concerned about their health than their Playoff seeding, it is tough to imagine that they wouldn’t want to finish ahead of the Miami Heat to avoid visiting Dwyane and LeBron in South Beach until Game 3 in the Eastern Conference semis. (Note: If Miami wins out, which includes a game against Boston, they would own the tie-breaker for the 2-slot.)

On the other side we have the Pacers, who gave away two games to the bottom-feeder Pistons and Kings over the weekend by shooting poorly and turning the ball over. They are currently one game up (two games in the win column) on Milwaukee for the final Playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.

The point is this: Coming into this Monday night match-up, both teams needed this game in order to feel better about themselves as they headed toward the final wind sprint of the season.

Early on the Celtics offense did as it pleased while the Pacers defense looked resigned to letting the green team walk all over them. The first five minutes of the game proved to be the “Rajon Rondo Layup Clinic” and to some extent, the “Easy Basket Clinic” for the Celtics. Rondo has five uncontested layups, Nenad Krstic (7 points, 5 rebounds) has a dunk and a free throw to his name, and Paul Pierce (23 points, 6 boards) hit an uncontested triple from the top of the key. Darren Collison (17 points, 4 boards, 3 assists) is supposed to be fast, but Rondo made him look akin to a sloth in the early going. The Cs took an early 16-10 lead.

Then something happened that would change the complexion of the rest of the game. Kevin Garnett (6 points, 6 boards) picked up an unnecessary reach-in foul on Collison in the back court in the first few minutes and picked up another when he fouled Tyler Hansbrough while in the act at the 5:00 mark. Garnett was relegated to the bench for the remainder of the first quarter. The Cs held on to their six-point advantage by the score of 33-27 heading into the second, but Roy Hibbert (26 points, 4 rebounds) scored 13 points in the quarter and helped to keep the Pacers in the game.

The Celtics began the second quarter off with sloppy play; Delonte West turned the ball over a few times, the Cs’ bigs couldn’t finish anything around the cup, and the Pacers took advantage both in transition and in the half-court. With Garnett on the bench the Pacers got the ball inside, where they either finished or swung the ball out to the open man on the perimeter and knocked down the jumper (4-9 from deep in the period).

Doc Rivers brought Garnett back into the game at the 8:00-minute mark in the second, but that backfired horrifically when Garnett picked up his third foul (and most bogus foul thus far, as he was simply tangled with the Pacers’ Jeff Foster while boxing out at the defensive end) with 5:51 left in the half. After a subsequent timeout was called, Rivers gave the death stare to the officials for about 70 percent of the timeout and then decided to coach the team for the remaining 30 percent. He couldn’t believe that the official called a foul on that play, and you can’t blame him.

Just when things couldn’t get any worse on the interior, Krstic picked up his third foul of the half at the 3:31 mark in the quarter and as a result, Boston decided to play small ball with a lineup of Rondo, Allen, Pierce, Green and Davis, which resulted in the Celtics having difficulty establishing any type of rhythm. They resorted mostly to pick-and-pops and transition baskets to keep them in the game, and at the half they were down by the score of 57-49.

Nine seconds into the third quarter, Krstic picked up his fourth foul even though he was nowhere near the ball and was forced to the bench immediately. The Pacers held on to their advantage for half the quarter, but the guys in green stormed back as a team in a big way. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce got involved from the outside, Rajon Rondo’s (22 points, 8 assists) clinic hadn’t closed yet, free throws were falling, and the team’s defense tightened up considerably from the first half. They allowed less penetration into the paint, which in turn led to more contested jumpers and more difficult shots overall for Indiana. Unbelievably, Krstic collected another off-ball foul (this one while boxing out during a free-throw attempt) with under a minute to go and was sent to the bench with his fifth foul. They were outscored 36-24 in the third, but the game was still within arms length for Indiana heading into the fourth, down just 85-81.

The post Game Notes: Celtics at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

With the March Madness Brackets having been unveiled and the Michigan Fab-Five Documentary debuting last night, there is no question that the eyes of the basketball world are predominantly on the upcoming NCAA Tournament, which is how things should be at this time of the year.

All of the kids work their tails off to be in a position to showcase their skills on national television and, ultimately, to compete for that elusive National Championship. For many seniors, it will be the last time that they play high level competitive basketball, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But then there’s a rare breed—the player who discovers his true talents when his collegiate career is over—and that is precisely the way Norristown, Pennsylvania native Corey Rich channeled his abilities. Though he didn’t participate in March Madness, Corey’s basketball journey had just gotten underway when his eligibility came to an end.

You see, this isn’t your average basketball story that ends with Corey playing professionally and making a lot of money. This is a story about how one man believed in himself more than anybody else could ever believe in him—about how heart, determination, and self-will has propelled “C-Rich” into arena’s and schools all over the country to show off his renowned dribbling prowess.

“Ever since I was a kid my dream was to play in the NBA,” stated Corey, who earned the nickname because of his dribbling skills. “I was at Kennedy Kenrick Catholic High School, I went from school to school in college, and after college was over—even though I did play at those small colleges—it was tough to get noticed because the NBA scouts and the overseas scouts underestimate you. So that’s when I decided ‘I’m gonna go to the gym and I’m gonna stay in the gym as long as I can until I make my dream a reality.’ So I went to the gym and specifically worked on ball-handling because I’m only 6-0 or 6-1, and in professional basketball that’s small.”

Corey played professionally in the Eastern Basketball Alliance (EBA) and since he was the smallest player on the court at his size, he worked on his ball-handling abilities for an astonishing amount of time each and every day.

“I started to work on my ball-handling for about 6 hours every single day and to speed up the progression, instead of handling just one I would handle two and you know, I just wanted to getbetter and as fast as I could,” explained C-Rich, recently over the phone.  “So that’s when I just added three, and then I added four for hand quickness and I just wanted to keep challenging myself so I started handling five basketballs and six basketballs. It’s all about challenging yourself every time you go to the gym and I just love making the drills very, very tough and it’s something that I never get tired of doing.”

Ever since he began honing his craft, Corey has parlayed his unique blend of ball-handling skills and a never-give-up attitude into opportunities left and right. After playing in the EBA, Corey played for a team called the Court Jesters—a team that is a few notches below, but akin to the Harlem Globetrotters—in 2009, and he made an impression so quickly that  his head coach was willing to contact his friend, who happened to be the lead scout for the famed Globetrotters. Corey was invited to a tryout, impressed his onlookers, and played part time in the 2009-10 season (about 15 games). “It was a great opportunity to travel and see places I’ve never seen before,” said Corey, reflecting on this once unthinkable experience.

Later during the summer of 2010, Corey was the guest speaker at every Sixers camp, and also performed on the Sixers Hoops Tour, where Executive Director Sonny Elia proclaimed, “I have seen hundreds of clinicians in my 30 years of directing camps and Corey is right there with the best.”

And make no mistake about it: The reason that Corey has made this type of impression on people is because he is one of the hardest workers around and he has the passion to match his input.

According to close friend and current publicist Jon Solomon, “Corey’s determination is most comparable to that of a Kobe Bryant. He is the true definition of a person with the right attitude and determination to be successful in life.”

C-Rich would have it no other way. Sure, he would he love to get a crack at playing at the highest level in the world someday. If that doesn’t happen, though, he’ll just keep using his passion and dedication to reach goals through the game of basketball. The agency with which he recently inked a contract counts a number of current NBAer’s among its clientele and also has numerous ties overseas. This upcoming summer, C-Rich will be training these clients with regards to ball-handling—an experience that will help him to grow as a trainer and begin to build a name for himself at the highest level.

Right now, though, there is no doubt as to what his motivation is. Corey is currently in the middle of a hectic schedule of visiting 91 elementary schools from February through June—an opportunity that he uses to touch the lives of young children in any way possible.

“My purpose is to inspire the kids and I definitely love helping to make players better,” he said. “As a basketball trainer that’s what you love to do is making guys better and helping other players achieve their dreams. When I was younger I didn’t have anybody I could look to [to help me with my game]. I had to learn everything on my own. So with that being said, when I see a kid at the gym I like to go up to him and give him a few pointers or different workouts that he could use to improve his game because I know I never had that.

“I just look to give back and you know, myself, being from a smaller town, those kids never really get a chance to see somebody who’s made it or anything like that. So my goal is just to give back and help those kids achieve their dreams, whatever they may be—lawyer, doctor, dentist, teacher—to just keep going at it and to never give up.”

And just because he doesn’t have a clear-cut path to his next goal, let’s just say he has an idea of where he wants to go and he fully understands the hard work that it takes to continue to reach his goals, time after time.

“My future goals with basketball are optional,” said C-Rich. “Along with working with NBA players on their ball handling skills I plan on taking my ball handling skills overseas to different countries and giving them ball-handling shows as well as teaching them the art of ball handling.  Although I can dribble 6 basketballs, my ball handling skills are authentic, and I can compete with anybody.  If the opportunity comes to get a chance to play in the NBA, I would still entertain that idea.  I still work on my overall game, but right now my focus is reaching the kids and giving them a positive role model.”

Keep dribbling, Corey. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that the world needs more people with your mentality.

**Corey’s website is CoreyRichBasketball.com and his video’s can be located at www.youtube.com/crichthedribbler.

C-Rich was thoroughly appreciative of his chance to be featured on SLAMonline.com: “SLAM Magazine is the greatest basketball magazine ever invented. I’ve been reading that magazine since Larry Johnson was on the cover and that was a while ago [laughs]. I love it because they give a lot of props to a lot of guys who normally wouldn’t get a lot of exposure. It’s like they find guys who are about to blow up and things like that and then years down that guy will blow up and SLAM already knew about it years ago.”

The post The Story of Corey ‘C-Rich’ Rich appeared first on SLAM.

Picture this: You just got off the phone with your agent. You found out you need to pack your belongings, say goodbye to your family and friends, meet your new co-workers, get acquainted with your new city, and start working.

The catch: complete the listed tasks all in the next 24 hours.

With the NBA trade deadline furiously coming and going this past Thursday, the previous scenario became a reality for players all around the League. Teams shipped guys from Boston to Oklahoma City, Boston to Sacramento, Sacramento to New Orleans, Charlotte to Portland, Boston to Cleveland, Cleveland to Los Angeles, Washington to Atlanta, Denver to New York…you get the point.

Headlined by Carmelo Anthony leaving Denver in the dust for his dream situation in the Big Apple, the 2011 NBA trade deadline became a day of intense dealing down to the wire. Teams executed over 14 trades in 24 hours with players going across the country on an hourly basis. Although ‘Melo fits in with the Knicks on the court—the situation he so desperately wanted to be in—not every player embraces his new home like ‘Melo does. Deron Williams told the papers the trade blindsided him. Kendrick Perkins cried after he heard about his relocation. Baron Davis became the newest member of the worst team in the NBA with a coach he openly feuded with in the past. Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, and Ray Felton were just beginning to display a high level of camaraderie together in New York. And finally, Chauncey Billups accompanied Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks to make the trade worthwhile for both sides.

Billups stormed out of practice in angst about his recent move out of Denver, yet didn’t make a fuss about the basketball aspect of the trade. Unlike Carmelo Anthony, Billups cherished his situation in Denver and shot a career high 44 percent from deep. He was executing his childhood dream team in the exact situation he wanted to be for the 14th year of his NBA journey.

“That right there was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life,” Billups told the Denver Post. “That’s tough, man. That right there was the toughest thing for me—the family aspect of it. Basketball is basketball, I’ve been doing that all my life, that won’t change, wherever I’m at. But it’s the family aspect that people don’t understand. I got to go home and face my three daughters, I have to face my wife, and tell them that daddy’s leaving. And daddy doesn’t have a choice, daddy doesn’t have an option. And that I have to go in 24 hours.”

Billups brings to light how most players consider the uncertainty tomorrow brings as the most aggravating and disrespectful part of an NBA trade. Aside from the on-court philosophies, players have to adapt to all the behind the scenes changes in the blink of the eye.

Vince Carter deals with trade talk reality at every stop of his NBA career. Critics and fans constantly scrutinize Carter as an expendable asset, yet he continues to produce in spite of the hectic changes that occur during trades.

“I think the toughest thing about it is having to move your family—if you have family members living with you—finding a place, getting settled, learning the plays, learning new teammates and them learning you,” Carter recently stated. “It’s tough, but once you’ve been through it once or twice, you know what to expect and know what to ask.”

Six-year NBA veteran Channing Frye went through the trade process and echoes Carter’s sentiments. He sees the fresh faces come and go through the locker room, sees newly traded players enter into his locker room with a state of nervousness, and understands the harsh reality of switching lifestyles. “Imagine picking up your family and moving somewhere you’ve never been before. You have to assimilate yourself to the environment—the place, the people—but that’s part of the job.”

Aaron Brooks just became the most recent player added to Frye’s locker room. The Houston Rockets traded Brooks during his third season with their ballclub. The Rockets blindsided Brooks with the news of his departure, leaving Brooks with completely mixed emotions.

Sadly, however, Brooks’ situation is the rule and not the exception.

“It’s just an awkward feeling,” stated Brooks. “I’ve been in one city for four years. It’s just awkward being around new guys. Everyone here (in Phoenix) is nice and luckily I’m in a good situation.”

“I had to fly to Phoenix, do my physicals, didn’t practice, then come out here and pretend I know the plays,” Brooks continued, laughing.

Unlike Brooks, seven-year veteran Devin Harris knew that he would wear a different jersey at some point this year. Harris heard, like everyone else, the trade rumors circling the Nets camp ever since the grand entrance of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. Although Harris figured he would be dealt at some point, thinking about his future suitors meant less concentration on the task at hand—turning around a bottom feeding Nets team. Devin also realizes that until he actually knows where he will end up finishing the year, wasting time on the off-court issues only hinders his current on-court performance. “I mean obviously moving cities—I was prepared for the move—but just joining the team out there on the road, trying to get a practice in last night [before Utah played at Indiana], and trying to fit as much stuff in as little time as we had,” explained Harris about some of the behind the scenes actions that take place.

In every one of the aforementioned scenarios, the player found a new team and tried to settle in by getting used to their new environment/team. But what happens when a team tries to execute a trade, both parties agree on the trade in principle, but the teams send in the trade after the deadline passed? Ask Pacers forward Josh McRoberts.

McRoberts played part in one of the most unusual scenarios in all of trading: both teams agree on the trade, but cannot legally complete the trade. Multiple reports confirmed the news that Josh McRoberts had been traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in a three-team deal involving O.J Mayo, Brandon Rush, and first round picks from either the Pacers, Grizzlies, Hornets, or a combination of the three.

“To me, I was alright,” McRoberts said. “I understand it’s part of the business, but my grandma was ready to kill somebody.”

After such a bizarre development takes place, how does McRoberts see his coach, owner, or general manager in the same light ever again? Can someone say, “awkward?”

“It’s tough, you know,” he continued. “You try to make it just a business, but you’ve got to come back and work for the people who just tried to get rid of you.”

Basketball creates a friendly and safe environment for fans to enjoy a competitive atmosphere. Every kid that picks up a basketball dreams at some point in his/her life to play professional basketball. The attention, fame, glory, wealth, and even sometimes power seem unbelievably attractive to the normal person. Don’t be fooled, however, because basketball is a business just like any other business. The “surreal” or “glorified” perception of NBA players defects the fact that the basketball business toys with players, fans, and management’s emotions. Everyone involved in the game becomes emotionally attached somewhere. Just like any other successful business, however, production trumps all. At the end of the day, a general manager tries to put out the most productive product possible, represented by possibly the most hectic trade deadline in NBA history.

“It was one of the most active ones that I’ve seen in a while,” said Utah Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin about the trade deadline. “So you know, you just have to…” and he paused to think. Like any normal human being, coach Corbin needed to gather his thoughts about how to cope with such a drastic change in such a short amount of time. The emotional toll sets in after some point, and quite frankly, like it rightly should. He gathered his thoughts and continued, “…deal with it man. Some years it’s more active than others. This is the most active I’ve seen in a while, but what can you do about it? You have to move on.”

The post On The Move appeared first on SLAM.

FIRST QUARTER

– The Utah Jazz started Earl Watson at the point guard, leaving Devin Harris (14 points, 7 rebounds) as a reserve… which makes perfect sense considering that he has barely practiced with his new team. “[Laughs] They came in here yesterday and we had a 6:30 practice so we had about an hour on the floor and then we had shootaround this morning where we walked through some things. So not a lot of time but they did a good job adjusting and we simplified some things,” said Utah Head Coach Tyrone Corbin in the post game.

– Andrei Kirilenko (14 points, 6 boards, 2 steals) with a great cut through the middle of the lane, where he caught the ball in rhythm, turned, and finished on the other side of the rim plus the foul. When he got up from the floor he was greeted with chants of “Justin Bieber” from Area 55–the Roy Hibbert themed cheering section. Not only does Andrei Kirilenko not watch television, but he only listens to Russian gypsy music. If Justin Bieber is smart, he would marry a woman with the same ideals that Kirilenko’s wife has…

– Both teams have been out of sync in the early going. Utah up 12-9 at t he 6-minute mark.

– Al Jefferson (30 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 steals) finished a dunk off of a nice baseline drive-and-dish by forward Paul Millsap.

-Roy Hibbert (14 points, 8 boards, 2 swats) with a nice drop-step and hook shot from the right block for his eighth point on 3-6 shooting in the early going.

– Devin Harris blows right by Darren Collison and two other Pacers defenders en route to an acrobatic layup. Guess he didn’t get jet lag from his journey across the country.

– Jefferson ran the floor and received an in rhythm pass from Harris and proceeded to pull-up after one dribble. Very nice body control from the big man.

– Gordon Hayward enters the game in Indiana for the first and only time all year to a very appreciative round of applause.

– Utah 24, Indiana 13 after one. As you might imagine, the Pacers field goal percentage is low–21% on 5-24 shooting. Ice Ice baby.

SECOND QUARTER

– Derrick Favors (6 points, 3 rebounds) scored on his first possession on the court as a member of the Jazz on a dunk that was created on by setting a good screen, rolling to the rim, and a fresh pass by CJ Miles.

– YEAAAA!!!! Gordon Hayward is off that altitude and back in his home state, alright. He just dribbled down the left side and YAMMED it in Paul George’s grill with the left.

– The Pacers look a little more N-Sync with their offense but are having trouble putting the peach in the basket. 32-21, Jazz lead at the 8 minute mark.

– Harris (27), Miles (23), Hayward(20), Favors(19), and Jefferson (26) on the court for Utah–young core for the Jazz.

– Brandon Rush with a mid-range jumper from the right side, Danny Granger free throws, an almost-traded Josh McRoberts slam and an acrobatic finish by AJ Price cuts the lead to 34-32. Jazz timeout.

– Josh McRoberts with an emphatic 360 slam as the result of a pretty give-and-go with Roy Hibbert in the left side. He’s playing like a guy who wants to be in his home state for a while.

– Duplication of that same give-and-go, except with a lay-in, knots the score up at 38 a piece. Hard cuts by McRoberts and timely passes by Hibbert are nice to see out of these young guys.

– Utah leads a slowly paced, low-scoring first half by the count of 43-38. Maybe Lance Stephenson sees some time in the second half?

THIRD QUARTER

– Hibbert established deep position in the post on Jefferson and made him pay with a smooth dunk, but Jefferson promptly answered him on the other end with a hook shot.

– Granger (16 points) with a hard drive to the rim and a step-back jumper, helping to cut the Jazz lead to 49-46.

– Al Jefferson is much more skilled than most people care to take note of. He posts up hard, pump-fakes defenders to death, and passes well in high-low situations. The problem with him in Utah (and the reason for his inconsistencies) lies in the fact that he is not a center and needs to be playing the power forward position regularly to be at the peak of his game.

– Danny Granger, AJ Price, and Lance Stephenson were previously recorded singing and dancing to MC Hammer’s “Can’t Touch This” and it played on the Jumbotron. Hope that’s not the best air-time Lance gets all year…

– After AJ Price tied the game at 63, Devin Harris knifed his way to the rim with a decisive crossover and put the Nets, I mean Jazz, ahead 65-63 heading into the fourth.

FOURTH QUARTER

– For the first three minutes of the fourth quarter we both got completely sidetracked from the game as we were debating whether Kobe and MJ both rip their teammates in a similar manner. Dave (from Chicago) believes that Kobe uses his team as an excuse more than Jordan while I believe that Jordan similarly ripped teammates to get them going more than Dave cares to admit? Thoughts, anybody?

– Jeff Foster either forgot that Gordon Hayward was in the middle of his homecoming, flat out didn’t care, or was looking to aid in Paul George’s recovery. Foster just violently rejected Hayward’s dunk attempt off the glass with authority. Welcome home, Gordon!

– Devin Harris just executed a filthy double behind-the-back move move, losing two defenders at the free throw line extended, and proceeded to knock down the shot.

– Jefferson with a smooth 20-footer from the left wing, Harris with a lob pass to Jefferson for an easy deuce, and Harris with a coast-to-coast lay-in, extending the Jazz lead to a commanding 81-71 advantage–their largest lead of the half–with 5:37 left.

-Danny Granger nails a big time three to cut the Jazz lead to 5, only to be negated by back to back buckets by Al Jefferson for his 28th and 30th points of the contest.

– Too much Al Jeff down the stretch propelled Utah to a 95-84 victory. Indiana drops to 26-31 while Utah climbs to 32-27 with the win. With young talent on both sides, each of these teams should be in the thick of things for the final spot in the playoffs in their respective conferences, so it’s worthwhile to keep tabs on them as they move forward.

POSTGAME

– Tyrone Corbin’s thoughts on his first victory as coach of the Jazz after taking over on February 10th and going 0-4: “It feels great. The guys did a great job. It’s a great effort. They stayed in for the entire 48 minutes tonight. Can’t ask for anything more than that.”

– Paul Millsap talks about the pressure of getting a win after legendary Coach Jerry Sloan resigned: “A lot. I don’t want to say it’s unbearable because we fought through it, you know. Guys came out with a positive attitude and when you do that things like this happen. You win games and hopefully we can keep this up.”

– The Jazz are the first team to outrebound the Pacers (56-46) in 13 games since Frank Vogel was named interim head coach.

– Utah tied its season high with 13 blocked shots.

– With their 84 point output, the Pacers broke their streak of 11 games of scoring 100+ points tonight.

The post Game Notes: Jazz at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

The Indiana Pacers have been playing with some serious confidence ever since Jim O’Brien was fired and, even if their newly appointed, youthful head coach Frank Vogel doesn’t want to take any credit, there is no denying that he has certainly given the Pacers a new lease on life this season, injecting energy into the locker room.

“A lot of the things that we’ve done to our offense simplifies things and makes the spacing more consistent,” stated Vogel during the pregame. “Because of that, we are becoming a much better passing team and a much more patient team. We attack the basket and when an option is taken away we simply make the extra pass and work it until we get a great shot.”

Nobody was more aware of this fact heading into Tuesday’s collision with the Indiana Pacers than Miami Heat head coach Eric Spoelstra.

“They’re playing with tremendous confidence and that happens sometimes with change,” said Spoelstra. “They’re playing extremely fast—they were doing that before—the ball is moving, everybody is involved. It makes it tough when they play at that pace and we have to be ready for it.

“It was high octane the other night in our building and it’ll be turned up two or three notches in this building and that’s the thing we have to be ready for right from the get go. We are a running team, but we have to dictate the tempo. It has to be absolutely on our terms.”

With this attitude in mind, the Miami Heat stormed out to an early lead behind Dwyane Wade’s (41 points, 12 rebounds) intensely efficient 9-13 shooting from the floor and 4-4 from the line, which led to a total of 22 points. At times, he had the Conseco Fieldhouse crowd in awe of the utter control of the game that he displayed—whether sinking a dream-shake, sky-high turnaround from the baseline or throwing a full-court, Aaron Rodgers-esque money pass to receiver LeBron James (who later insisted that it was comparable to a Rodgers-to-Greg Jennings completion) for an alley-oop, Wade had it working.

“I never knew how Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Jay Cutler and them guys felt but I did on that one,” Wade, who tied a franchise record with 31 points in a half, said during the postgame. “On that one I felt it was a perfect pass and you gotta have a good receiver on the end of it, so ‘Bron made it look good.”

Indiana was down by the score of 41-19 after one, Wade had outscored them by three, and things looked bleak. The Pacers could have done the easy thing and laid down for the Heat, who were playing some pretty good basketball (eight wins in a row) before their demise in Boston on Sunday afternoon.

But they didn’t. They fought hard and clawed their way back into the game in the second quarter behind the inspired play of their bench, which led to a 35-17 effort in the second quarter. The Pacers keyed in on Wade more and subtly forced other players to get involved, which Miami had trouble adjusting to at this point in the affair.

Perhaps no play summed up the Pacers inspired effort more than Tyler Hansbrough’s (16 points) stare down with Chris Bosh (22 points). After he was fouled early in the quarter on a baseline drive, Hansbrough gave Bosh a “Get off me” look that summed up the Pacers attitude during this contest.

“I told them, ‘This is your Playoff experience right now,’” said Vogel. “There’s going to be a sellout crowd against one of the best teams—obviously their star power is unprecedented. They are treating this like their first Playoff experience.”

And indeed they did.

During one sequence of disarray for the Heat, Paul George (14 points) knocked down a triple, Danny Granger (14 points) stole the ball on the subsequent inbounds pass, and then knocked in a triple of his own to tie the game at 64. Indiana proceeded to take a 73-68 lead at the 5:33 mark and Tyler Hansbrough knocked in a 19-footer at the buzzer to take an 83-82 lead into the fourth quarter with the home crowd on their side.

The game stayed close until almost the midway point, but then it was LeBron James (27 points, 5 helpers, 6 boards) turn to take over.

After driving to the left elbow, pump-faking and losing his defender, James had a clear avenue to the rim, but since he had already used his dribble, he decided to pull a Tracy McGrady, tossing the ball off the backboard to himself and then slamming it home to give the Heat a 93-91 lead that they built upon down the stretch thanks to another eight points by James and timely free-throw shooting, as Miami earned every ounce of their 110-103 victory.

Different situations provide unique perspectives to each team:

Though the Heat worked hard to get the W, Coach Spoelstra is aware of his team’s constant struggle to bring a consistent effort for the entire length of the game.

“We need to push for a championship level consistency and whatever quarter that may be—second quarter or third quarter—is to bring it to a consistent level all 48 minutes.”

And while the Heat continue to search for a consistently high effort level, Coach Vogel and the Pacers believe in theirs.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Vogel said. “This is what I’m talking about when I talk about smash mouth basketball. Blood and guts, never quitting.”

The post Game Notes: Heat at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

FIRST QUARTER

– After two offensive rebounds Mike Dunleavy began his first quarter assault on the Minnesota Timberwolves with a trey from the right side of the arc. He converted his first four attempts from the field (including three triples), good for 14 out of his team’s first 16 points and helping the Pacers to a quick 7-point cushion early, 16-9.

– Minnesota’s shot selection to start the game has been poor. Their lack of clock usage on the offensive end doesn’t help their cause on the defensive end and is a major reason that they are last in the NBA in points allowed per game.

– Lance Stephenson strolls out onto the court to congratulate his teammates at their first timeout of the half. When will we get to see him finally in action on the court.

– Kevin Love Double-double tracker, 8:00 mark: 0 points, 2 rebounds.

– Love converted after he slithered between defenders on his way from the left wing into the painted area. A soft, in rhythm floater was the weapon of choice to score his first points of the evening and keep the T-Wolves in the game. 18-11, Pacers with6:24 left.

– Love with a baseline jumper, which was promptly answered by an elbow jumper by Danny Granger at the other end. 24-16 Pacers.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, 4:00 minute mark: 4 points, 3 rebounds.

– Darren Collison bails out his team’s lack of motion on offense during this particular possession with a tough lefty floater around a few defenders in the lane.

– After a few Sebastian Telfair free throws re-extended the T-Wolves lead to three, Paul George knocked down a three-pointer as he fell out of bounds on the left side at the buzzer. Nice feed from Josh McRoberts, who had a quiet yet effective first quarter (+11 with him on the court).

– Kevin Love Double-double tracker, end of first quarter: 4 points, 3 rebounds.

SECOND QUARTER

– Paul George continues to show his expanding confidence and offensive repertoire, this time with a well executed pump-fake and jumper from the free-throw line.

– Tyler Hansbrough with three straight buckets. Indiana and Minnesota are wrestling for the lead in this high scoring affair, which is now tilted 40-39 in Minnesota’s favor with 8:20 to go in the period.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, 8:00 minute mark: 6 points, 3 rebounds.

– Lazar Hayward with a nice cut to the basket off of a screen for an easy deuce, his ninth point on 3-5 shooting in the game thus far.

– Kevin Love with an unreal hustle play on the offensive glass. He caught the ball in mid-air, turned, and threw it off the leg of an Indiana player to retain possession. That’s why he’s a double-double machine and is leading the L in rebounding.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, 4:00 minute mark: 6 points, 5 rebounds.

– Danny Granger with a tap-in off of an errant Collison floater gives the home team a 50-46 lead. Indiana lacks a presence on the offensive glass and Granger should be there more.

– Hayward with a strong baseline drive, finish, and-1 on the right side, cutting the Pacers lead in half.

– First Hayward made a good read on a Granger post move, then Granger blocked a free-throw line pull-up by Johnny Flynn from behind at the other end and converted after running the floor hard at the other end.

– After corralling an off-the-mark Collison pass Josh McRoberts gathered himself and finished on the other side. The T-Wolves head into halftime with a two-point advantage, 58-56.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, halftime: 8 points, 8 rebounds.

THIRD QUARTER

– At the 8:42 mark Kevin Love is on the receiving end of a cross-court bounce pass from half court by Johnny Flynn. He got to the line for two, but this play showed that despite his presence on the boards, he still isn’t a high flyer.

Kevin Love double-double tracker, 8:00 mark: 12 points, 9 rebounds.

– Johnny Flynn irresponsibly bobbled the ball as he brought it up court, leading to a Collison steal at mid-court. He then tossed the ball to George in the left corner, who hit a streaking Josh McRoberts for a dunk. Winning play right there.

– Paul George blew by three defenders and finished a hanging/falling lefty layup while getting fouled (though the refs missed it). Another tough play by the promising young rookie. 69-65, T-Wolves advantage.

-In the following two possessions, George threw another no look pass to McRoberts for a nice two handed slam then drove through the entire T-Wolves team again for another bucket. Now we’re really starting see why Larry Bird claimed he needed to see George on the floor more…

– A Kevin Love rebound at the 6:41 mark gives him his 39th consecutive double-double this season…Yea, we think he has a magnet attached to his hands and to the ball, too.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, 4:00 minute mark: 14 points, 11 rebounds.

– A Danny Granger and-1 is answered by a Kevin Love triple. The T-Wolves continue to hold onto a narrow margin, 78-74.

– Kosta Koufos is playing with poise in the paint tonight for Minnesota. He just backed Hibbert down and converted a nice jump hook in the middle of the paint.

– After a Jeff Foster tap-in and Hansbrough jumper brought the deficit to two points, Wayne Ellington and Anthony Tolliver knocked down a deep two and a three from similar locations to keep the lead in ‘Sota in control 90-83 heading into the fourth.

-Pacers aren’t playing much defense tonight. They’ve let up 90 points or less in 12 games this season, yet they’ve let up 90 points in the first three quarters already.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, end of the third quarter: 18 points, 12 rebounds.

FOURTH QUARTER

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, 8:00 minute mark: 19 points, 12 rebounds.

– AJ Price and Dahntay Jones are taking over early in the period. Price has and Jones have 8 points in the first five minutes of the period. Talk about a necessary burst of life by two unexpected guys… Pacers have the lead now 101-98.

– Jones hit a free throw, had a nice lay-in through traffic, and then knocked an in-rhythm trey from the left corner, boosting the lead to 107-103. All 14 of his points have come in this 8 minute window in the fourth.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, 4:00 minute mark: 22 points, 14 rebounds.

– Josh McRoberts told Kevin Love “This is my house!” with a powerful rejection. Not exactly Dikembe Mutumbo, but powerful nonetheless.

– The Dahntay Jones Show keeps rolling with yet another triple. What an impressive, takeover effort for a guy who had barely gotten any playing time before former Coach Jim O’Brien got the axe. 110-103, Pacers in firm control with 2:25 to go.

– Kevin Love double-double tracker, end of game: 22 points, 15 rebounds.

– Game over, Pacers 116, Timberwolves 105.

POSTGAME

– Kevin Love discusses Dahntay Jones’ fourth quarter eruption: “Anybody can go off in this League at any certain time and he had the hot hand tonight. We did some different things–we put Lazar Hayward and Corey Brewer on him but he just kept knocking down shots and he played out of his mind.”

– Kevin Love on the double-double streak: “As far as the streak goes, just gotta keep on grinding and grinding out wins and good things will happen…Its not something I think about. If I thought about it I think it would affect my game. I’d be looking, asking what the stats were. So I just let the game play out and go from there.”

– Dahntay Jones explains his mindset during his fourth quarter eruption: “In the fourth AJ Price gave us a boost with a few buckets and a lot of energy. We had a break down in the post and he wanted me to get down there and I made the bucket so he wanted me to go back to the post, so I went there and we got rolling from an inside-out attack and we just started making the right pass to people who were open.”

The post Game Notes: Minnesota at Indiana appeared first on SLAM.

Thanks to their Big Three, the Miami Heat are back as one of the major forces in the NBA. But it wasn’t so long ago that Tim Hardaway was the leader of Miami’s offense. Utilizing his famous UTEP Two-step crossover, Hardaway made a habit out of leaving defenders in the dust before scoring a basket.

These days Hardaway is living in Iowa, broadcasts and watches games regularly and enjoys watching his son play for Michigan.

SLAM: What exactly are you doing here in Bloomington, Indiana?
Tim Hardaway: I’m doing Compass Media’s Game of the Week. I called the Iowa vs. Indiana game.

SLAM: Do you enjoy calling the games?
TH: Oh yea, just doing color commentary—making people feel like they are really at the game. I enjoy calling the game, looking at the young fellas play, watching the games, seeing if they got what it takes to get to the next level.

SLAM: So who’s the best guy you’ve seen in college this year?
TH: It’s hard to say. You’ve got a lot of guys out there with a lot of potential but if I wanna say an all around game, Melsahn Basabe for Iowa. I think today he played an all around good game. Rebounding on both ends, offensively scoring, and playing well.

SLAM: So you think he has what it takes to get to the next level maybe not now but in a few years?
TH: Well you know, yea. In a few years if he gets stronger, learns how to handle the ball and gets a nice jump shot then yes.

SLAM: Who else do you think about this year?
TH: Well, I watch a lot of games on TV. Kemba Walker, of course. Jared Sullinger—well, first of all the guys who play on Ohio State have a great team right now. They’re moving the ball and getting people involved and they understand the game.

SLAM: With Kemba Walker being a sub 6-foot guard like you, what does it take for him to get to that level—since you were one of those guys?
TH: It takes a whole lot. You gotta have confidence in yourself. Your teammates have to have confidence in you. You have to go out there, make big plays, make big shots, and at his position you gotta be a point guard and be able to control your team.

SLAM: And do you think he does that now?
TH: Right now he needs to give something else to that team, and that’s scoring. That takes away from the other aspects of his game but at the next level he will be able to control the game.

SLAM: And what did you think about Jordan Hulls today? Does he have what it takes?
TH: I think he has what it takes to control the team and play at the next level, but it takes a lot of work and he still has a long way to go. He’s just a sophomore.

SLAM: Even despite his height?
TH: It doesn’t matter about your height. I think he has nice athleticism and if he gets with the right team then you never know.

SLAM: For sure. Discuss the NBA a little bit—the Heat in particular. What do you see with them?
TH: The Heat are a great team, we put together a great team down there. We just gotta get the supporting cast and I think your starting to see the supporting cast work very well with the Big 3. That’s what it takes—everybody needs to do their job. The Big 3 is gonna do their job but everybody else has to do their job.

SLAM: Are they the biggest threat to dethrone the Lakers this year?
TH: No I think the biggest threat to dethrone the Lakers this year is the Boston Celtics. You know the experience that they have and their depth makes them the biggest threat, so we’ll see.

SLAM: And the Collective Bargaining Agreement
TH: Now hopefully it doesn’t get that far. Hopefully it’ll work itself out and we won’t have to worry about it.

SLAM: Hopefully, I agree. At halftime you were checking out golf in the media room. What are you doing in your spare time these days? 
TH: I watch my son Tim Hardaway Jr. play—he plays for the University of Michigan. I call games and I got two other girls at home and my wife.

SLAM: And what do you see in your sons game?
TH: I see a lot. He”s got a long way to go but I see a lot of growth in him. His expectations have exceeded mine already. I thought he was going to get about 20 minutes a ball game but he’s getting 30-35 minutes a game. I didn’t play that many minutes a ball game so I’m happy for him.

The post Q+A With Tim Hardaway appeared first on SLAM.

“Who’s going to guard the Minnesota big men?” a few friends of mine and I pondered as we walked into Assembly Hall on this ridiculously brisk Thursday evening.

We all knew that Indiana didn’t have the height, athleticism, or depth to run a consistent man-to-man defense for a whole game against the skyscraping front line of Minnesota.

So how, exactly would Coach Tom Crean decide to go about guarding them?

“They were playing a lot of triangle in two, box in one and we got a little antsy, so what happened was that we rushed some shots,” said Golden Gophers head man Tubby Smith. “It was a good strategy.”

Coach Crean conceded to playing the aforementioned gimmick defenses — and why not use them? When a team plays these types of defenses there is often a reason. Coach Crean knows this truth better than anybody.

“We had to mix our defenses,” he said. “There was no way we were going to be able to play this team straight man-to-man. This wasn’t a team that we matched up with well in man defense and we probably don’t match up well with the rest of the remaining teams on our schedules so we have to mix the defenses up.”

So Coach Tubby Smith and his No. 20-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers came into Bloomington, IN and bombed away from the perimeter for more than three quarters of the game before deciding to finally wake up and smell the coffee. Against an IU team that doesn’t have a ton of girth inside, Minnesota did everything in its power to give the Hoosier post players as much confidence as possible.

Of course, some of the troubles that the Gophers were having were the result of senior shooter Blake Hoffarber running the point guard position with their normal starter, Al Nolen, out nursing an injured foot.

“Blake is adjusting to the quickness of opposing guards and I think they’re being tougher and more physical with him,” Coach Smith would later say.

But most of it had to do with the reluctant Minnesota big men and the lack of aggression on the wings.

Rodney Williams was content settling for the outside shot. Power forward Ralph Sampson III repeatedly settled for the deep ball, which included, but certainly was not limited to his 0-2 display from deep. Even Colton Iverson took a few uncontested looks, but it wasn’t to be from the outside.

Minnesota shot a chilly 27 percent in the first half, wasn’t much better from deep (2-7), and had their best luck at the line, going a meager 5-10.

On the other hand, Indiana pounced on the vulnerable Gophers early and often. Seven players had tallies in the scoring column at the 7:32 mark in the first half and Indiana took a 24-10 lead. Behind resurgent junior power forward Tom Pritchard’s perfect half — he shot 4-4 from the field for 8 points and had this ridiculous dunk, which was No. 1 on SportsCenter’s daily Top 10, Indiana went on to shoot 14-32 (43 percent) from the field in the first half and were up 12 at the break, 33-21.

Indiana continued to shoot well to start the second half, pushing their lead as far as 50-34 as the crowd continued to roar, rivaling its peak volume of the Illinois win last week. Chants of “Sit down Tubby” and “Tom Pritchard” rained down historic Assembly Hall.

Minnesota finally made a late push, going on a 14-5 run from the 7:36 mark until the 3:05 mark, sprinting to the finish line — and by no coincidence at all, it was ignited by a few easy baskets around the rim, some foul shots, and a Blake Hoffarber three-pointer.

Indiana’s 16-point lead was whittled down to 55-54 after Austin Hollins split a pair from the line with 3:05 left, but that was the closest the Golden Gophers would come down the stretch despite their valiant push.

Though Minnesota did have a chance to tie the game with the miracle man Blake Hoffarber, Indiana closed the game on a 5-0 run by Verdell Jones III to take the victory at home 60-57.

The Hoosiers not only battled and tested another top-20 team, they also took one down for the second time in a row, and that is a great sign for the Hoosier faithful.

On the grand scale, hopefully these two victories are the beginning of the upward swing that everybody is waiting for.

At least the Hoosiers are starting to gain the attention, and respect, back from the rest of the Big Ten as a team that is going to come out and give you a fight.

The post Game Notes: Minnesota at Indiana appeared first on SLAM.

Heading into its game against Illinois, the struggling Indiana Hoosiers (10-10, 1-6 in Big Ten play) knew they would have to bring their best effort against a bigger, stronger, more athletic, and, quite simply, more talented Illini team.

But hey, what else is new for the Hoosiers lately?

Nearly every single game that they play in the Big Ten Conference, the Hoosiers are undermanned for one reason or another. Lately the Hoosiers have caught the injury bug. Verdell Jones is out indefinitely and Maurice Creek is out for the year, again—both to knee injuries suffered against Wisconsin and Michigan, respectively.

As a senior who has been at this school from the beginning of the promising Eric Gordon days through the Kelvin Sampson debacle, I have seen the lowest of lows for this Indiana Hoosiers basketball program.

I’m not going to lie: The fan in me has had a tough time remaining positive about the situation here. It’s tough to cheer when you know that there ain’t much talent to cheer for—and that has absolutely been the case in my four years here.

The roster has been depleted numerous times—if I was to go through every instance that occurred, it would make your head spin, for sure.

But on Thursday night as the game was about to tip off, it finally felt as if I was in the same Assembly Hall that I was at during my freshman year when there was something to get really excited about, when we believed that we were supposed to win each and every game.

“By far the most important thing tonight, and I attempted to slap everybody’s hands that were in the building—I think I got half of them—were the fans,” said Coach Tom Crean after notching his first win over a ranked opponent at IU. “There is no other place in the country that would support a program that’s gone through what Indiana has gone through like Indiana has been supported.

“It was absolute bedlam in there from the beginning. It was really something and it just got better and better throughout the game, and if there was ever a time where you could give a game ball, or personally thank not only everybody heretonight but everybody who has been supporting this program for as long as they have…Tonight to get it like this says a lot and I’m really proud of the way our fans have stayed behind us and the way that they support us and the way that they were here tonight.”

The place was rocking again and along with stellar defensive effort, ball movement, and patience, IU had a chance to upend the #21 Illini heading into the second half in Bloomington.

Jordan Hulls (6-9 , 18 points) was knocking down triples, Christian Watford (5-14, 16 points) was clicking on all cylinders, and in turn the crowd gave the Hoosiers a much needed injection of life—one that they (OK, we) have been waiting to give our squad the whole season (or the last three).

Indiana, although down two at the break, had the lead for the majority of the first half and undoubtedly played its best all-around half of the year. They kept star point guard Demetri McCamey’s (2-11, 6 points) penetration at a minimum, and as a result he wasn’t able to create offense like he has been known to and was forced to shoot more outside shots than Illinois Coach Bruce Weber would have liked. Jeremie Richmond (4-8 for 9 points and 11 rebounds) on the other hand, was a major problem for the Hoosiers throughout the game because of his extreme versatility (on a side note, this kid has all the tools to be a great pro, including a great frame of mind). He had 8 first half points and helped keep the Illini afloat with his much improved ball-handling.

After a 32-30 first half, the pace slowed back down to the normal Big Ten speed. Chippy fouls were called on both ends and as a result both teams had difficulty finding any kind of rhythm. Points were unheard of until the 14:34 mark when Illinois forward Mike Davis scored the first basket of the half, extending the Illini lead to 34-30.

Midway through the second half the score was 39-36 Illinois. After a timeout, Jeremiah Rivers used a tricky ball-fake under the rim and maneuvered his way for a tricky deuce. After a few scoreless possessions by both teams, Jordan Hulls came down on the fast break and pulled up on the right side for three to give the Hoosiers their first lead of the second half with 7:15 to play and furthering the belief of an upset.

The Illini tried repeatedly to flex their muscles on the interior, but 7-footer Mike Tisdale struggled to hit his normally potent fall-away hook shot and in turn they lost most of their momentum.

When Jordan Hulls canned another trey from the top of the key with 5 minutes to go, the crowd erupted—the Hoosiers were up 4 but not out of the woods yet.

Illinois Mike Davis hit a hook shot in the lane to bring U of I back within two and Brandon Paul knocked down two free throws, tying the game up with 3:30 to play.

Paul then fired up a triple giving Illinois a three point lead, but the Hoosiers would not go away. Watford got to the line and converted a pair of free throws, cutting the deficit to 49-48. After a Paul miss, the Hoosiers ran the shot clock down and called TO with ten seconds left but the designed play for a Matt Roth triple was disrupted by solid defense.

A pick-and-roll between McCamey and Tisdale was executed perfectly at the other end, but Tisdale made the fatal error of bringing the ball down when he caught it in the lane, allowing the Hoosiers to shake the ball out of his hands and take a shot for the lead down the stretch.

The most unlikely candidate to score for Indiana was junior forward Tom Pritchard, who had scored just 31 points all year long coming into this game (despite being a starter), yet he managed to tap home a third-chance opportunity, giving the Hoosiers a 50-49 lead with 35.1 seconds to go.

That tap by Pritchard was indicative of the whole night for the Hoosiers, and, frankly, their whole season. The only way that this team can stay in the game against more talented opponents is by outworking them in hustle areas and never taking a play off. This isn’t the most talented Hoosier team,

Tisdale got the ball in the post with around 20 seconds to go, started his move, and then tried passing the ball to a cutting Jeremie Richmond, but the ball sailed out of bounds. The Hoosiers intense defense had officially rattled him to his breaking point.

DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul both got the shots that they wanted in the waning second, but it wasn’t to be.

It wasn’t exactly a flashback to freshman year, but these days anything positive is worth getting excited for. This game was full of effort, which is primarily why the fans responded so well.

After the (admittedly preposterous) court storming celebration—we’re Indiana, for god’s sake—I received a text from one of the biggest IU supporters I know, friend and fellow senior Andrew Gurmann:

“Yo Jeremy tonight is what brought me to Indiana. The pure feeling you get when you win in Assembly Hall. These kids rushed the court, but I just stood there in appreciation. Its Indiana basketball…Been that way for 100 years.”

I couldn’t have said it any better.

The post Indiana Upends Illinois appeared first on SLAM.

PREGAME

Coming into this game, the Indiana Pacers and the Orlando Magic have a few things in common right off the bat.

First, both teams are still in the process of finding their identity. The Pacers have messed around with the idea of up-tempo small ball for about the last month — not to say that this idea has worked — as they came into this game fresh off of a five-game losing streak that started at home against Chicago and dragged through their (not so difficult) west coast road trip.

Early in the season the Pacers looked like they were turning things around with Roy Hibbert playing consistent ball in the middle. But since that point in time where the Pacers beat the Lakers and Heat on the road, they have turned back into that same old mediocre team (which they have been for quite some time now) that is in dire need of an identity–which they need to find soon if they do not want another one-way ticket to the Draft Lottery.

On the other hand you have the Orlando Magic, who blew their roster a week before Christmas, lost a few games immediately following the trade, streaked nine W’s in a row with their retooled roster (including impressive wins over Boston and San Antonio), and have been in and out of rhythm ever since. Adding Hedo Turkoglu’s playmaking, and Gilbert Arenas’ and Jason Richardson’s scoring abilities, in this writer’s opinion, should prove to drastically help Orlando’s chances in the postseason, as they can spread the floor better and have more options on the perimeter to go along with that guy they call Superman in the middle.

But right now the Magic still have a ton of games to play, a lot to prove, and many areas to improve upon as the season develops.

The other area where both Indiana and Orlando are similar is in their approach — they both like to spread the floor, swing the ball, and take (seemingly) as many open three-pointers as they can. Orlando takes the most threes per game at 25.2, while Indiana currently is in the 4-spot, attempting 22.6 per contest.

So coming into the game, we have an idea of how this one is gonna play out: It’ll probably be a three-point bonanza for both sides combined with a good amount of Dwight Howard in the middle, as the Pacers front line has proven itself incapable of hanging with even the thinnest of front lines.

FIRST QUARTER

– Roy Hibbert might as well be a 7-foot tall stuffed animal that is being flat out abused by Dwight Howard in the early going. Howard is off to a 4-5 start with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in the first seven minutes.

– Ryan Anderson hits the first three-pointer of the game for either side at the four-minute mark. 17-10, Magic.

– Jeff Foster plays inspiring defense on Dwight Howard, forcing a kick-out to JJ Redick in the corner, where he misses an open three. Foster proceeds to run the floor hard and finishes strong at the other end, igniting the crowd in the process.

– Orlando catches a quick turnover bug while Paul George capitalizes at the other end, as he was fouled on a drive at the rim and knocked in both free throws. 19-18, Magic.

– Pacers show patience and poise, working the ball from side to side until AJ Price hit a trey from the right side to give Indiana its first lead of the game…until Dwight answered three seconds later with a hook in the lane and Gilbert Arenas knocked home a three-pointer with 1.2 left in the period to give Orlando a 24-21 lead after one.

SECOND QUARTER

– Danny Granger triple from the left corner is promptly answered by Ryan Anderson three seconds into the shot clock. Transition defense? What’s that?

– Gilbert Arenas with another triple after some nice movement. Orlando stretches the lead for the first time tonight, 32-24.

– Paul George with a nifty pull-up in the paint.

– Jason Richardson hit a triple from the right side of the arc, Ryan Anderson canned his third of the game from practically the same spot, Brandon Bass received an alley-oop on the break, and then Anderson hit his fourth. All of this scoring happened in 1:24 time and left the Pacers in a 47-30 hole with 7:35 still to play in the first half.

– Danny Granger got an impossible off-balance banker from the free throw line to go, Psycho-T caught a dunk on the break, and Darren Collison hit a pull-up from the right side forcing Coach Ron Jeremy, I mean Van Gundy, to call a TO at the 6:13 mark. (Does that one ever get old?)

– The Pacers continue to let Ryan Anderson look like an All-Star, as he cuts through the lane without being touched and converts an easy layup on the Arenas dime.

– Jeff Foster with some more solid defense on Howard. This time he eats the charge the second Superman lowers his shoulder.

– The majority of the Pacers huddle is looking up at the jumbotron during a timeout as some of the players come on the screen for a comical game called “Name that movie tune.” Down 54-38, should probably have your head in the huddle.

– Granger doing something you’d really love to see him do more of– taking a smaller defender down to the block to make a move in the post.

– A James Posey triple from sraightaway, followed by a Gilbert Arenas traveling violation, and Darren Collison jumper from the free-throw line keeps Indy (somewhat) in the game after two, 62-48.

Three-Point Numbers at the Half:

Orlando: 9-16

Indiana: 3-10

The post Game Notes: Magic at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

A point guard who plays the game about as smoothly as possible, LJ Rose from Houston, Texas is the highest point guard available on the board according to most scouting services and is also the top lead guard in the SLAMonline 2012 Fresh 50–not to say that any of that matters, and it certainly doesn’t matter to LJ. Blessed with a close family that has helped to keep him grounded as he has grown up, Rose has maintained a steady head on his shoulders despite all of the rankings and hype that have come his way.

Having a father that has played in the NBA and knows what it takes helps, but make no mistake about it: the hype that this high school junior receives is well deserved. Rose sees the floor and makes passes that are simply ahead of the curve–he reads plays and makes well informed decisions that most other guards his age don’t even know are possible. His jump shot is picture perfect and has range past the NBA three-point line.

And all of this isn’t a coincidence: Rose works on his game constantly.

Here’s his take on all things basketball thus far in his young career.

SLAM: So what does that first name of yours stand for and when did people start calling you LJ?

LJ Rose: LJ stands for Lynden Jr. I’m named after my father. People have been calling me that ever since I can remember either that or just “L.”

SLAM: Your game is smooth in many ways. You have range that reaches past the NBA line and you pass the ball with relative ease. What else do you want people to know about your game at both ends of the floor?

LJR: I think I’m more athletic and I’m a better defender then most people think. I am a leader and that’s something I need to continue to show.

SLAM: What players have you modeled your game after over the years and why?

LJR: I’ve tried to model game after Magic Johnson. He’s a close family friend and I’ve always looked up to him as a player/person. Also Steph Curry and Deron Williams because during my high school season I usually have to score more, but I still get my teammates involved and I also have some size. Both of those guys do a great job with that. (Note: Magic is a close family friend because LJ’s father, Lynden Rose, was drafted by the Lakers and became very good friends with him.)

SLAM: You recently told Scout.com “I think it set me back more with my conditioning more than anything else. I haven’t played since July and that part has been hard for me.” What did you do to learn about the game in this time?

LJR: I watched a lot of games with my dad. I’ve always been a student of the game but this really helped me take my knowledge to a new level.

SLAM: You have a lot of time, but what do you need to improve upon the most before you get to the college level?

LJR: Mainly my quickness and strength but that is starting to come.

SLAM: What is your attitude like when in the pre-game? What do you do to get your mind right?

LJR: Before the game I’m always loose. Cracking jokes and different stuff like that. In my opinion it helps my teammates just relax and have fun out there.

SLAM: What are you like in the practice setting?

LJR: In the practice setting I’m always trying new things or looking for ways I can better my game because that’s the only place mistakes are somewhat acceptable

SLAM: Aside from playing with your high school and AAU team-Second Baptist and Houston Hoops respectively–what else do you do to better your game?

LJR: I’m always in the gym with my dad. He really pushes me to be the best I can be. He often drops a few words of knowledge, helping me not make the same mistakes twice. I’m blessed to have a lot of great people around me who want the best for me and being mediocre isn’t an option.

SLAM: Your high school coach Roger Kollmansberger said in the same Scout.com story “I think he’s the best passer in high school basketball. I don’t even think it’s close to be honest with you. He makes our guys look real good. Not only can he pass to the open man, but he passes to the guys where they are comfortable making shots.” How have your passing abilities developed over the years? What measures have you taken to keep improving these skills while also reading defenses?

LJR: Growing up I used to watch a lot of Pistol Pete videos on his passing and from then on I started to pick up different things. Also my vision helps me see things that sometimes many of teammates don’t even see [laughs].

SLAM: Marcus Paige, a point guard from Iowa recently committed to North Carolina. You were offered by them but with that commitment I’m sure they take somewhat of a hit in recruiting you…

LJR: I honestly think its a good commit for them. Paige is a good kid and he can play. I wish nothing but the best for him and Coach Williams.

SLAM: Along the same lines, Rodney Purvis is committed to Louisville, Yogi Ferrell to Indiana. You are the highest rated point guard left on the board in most rankings and the recruiting intensity is sure to heat up. What are you anticipating and how do you plan on handling it?

LJR: It was already crazy but I am just going to keep on working and everything else will take care of itself!

SLAM: Besides UNC, you have offers from Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, Kansas, Wake Forest, Illinois, Virginia, Florida State, Miami and LSU. Who am I missing and what, exactly, will you be looking for in your school of choice?

LJR: Pretty much all the schools that are recruiting me have offered at this point except for Duke. I’m just looking at playing style, relationship with coach, and wherever I feel is the best situation for me.

SLAM: When will you make your decision and why?

LJR: I’ll make decision whenever my family and I feel the time is right and I feel comfortable about it

SLAM: Are you more comfortable in the half-court or in the open court and why?

LJR: Either one is fine for me. In the half court it is all about concepts and reads I think that’s what I’m becoming pretty good at.

SLAM: Who is the toughest opponent you have ever played against? Toughest to contain defensively?

LJR: My toughest opponent I’ve ever played against is probably Rajon Rondo and hardest to guard is Tommy Mason-Griffin.

SLAM: What do you do in your spare time for fun?

LJR: In my spare time I’m usually hanging with friends or in the gym. I also spend a lot of time with my family.

The post LJ Rose Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

The one thought that continued to run through my mind during the first half of this Big Ten battle was “Is this the same Michigan team that took Kansas to overtime last week?”

I have never been a person of moral victories, but Michigan took two of the top three teams in the country down to the wire in the past week — Kansas fans sat on pins and needles the whole game and Ohio State had to put up a fight to walk away undefeated.

You might expect a hungry and battle-tested Wolverine team to charge into Assembly hall with a chip on their shoulder. Instead, the Wolverines let Indiana impose their will for basically all 40 minutes. From the moment the ball went up in the air until the final buzzer sounded, Assembly Hall in Bloomington was  rocking all night long. The Hoosier faithful sent a barrage of cheers and jeers out for all 40 minutes, making the Michigan players feel about as wanted as Donovan McNabb at Mike Shanahan’s birthday party.

The Wolverines shot an abysmal 23.8 percent from the field in the first half and visibly showed their frustration after missed shots, turnovers, and blown defensive assignments. Simply put, the Hoosiers manhandled Michigan in every aspect of the game. Stud freshmen Tim Hardaway Jr. picked up two early fouls, which largely contributed to his lack of offensive production, and All Big Ten selection Darius Morris did most of his damage when the game was already out of reach.

On the other end, Indiana played arguably their best ball of the season. Verdell Jones shot a near perfect 9-10 from the field en route to a game high 24 points. Christian Watford added 17 points, and Jordan Hulls hit three big time threes down the stretch as part of his 13 points outing.

“They came at a great time… Jordan played the most minutes of anyone on the team. That’s the kind of Jordan hulls, quick trigger, get it up…that’s exactly what we need and that’s exactly what his teammates expect from him,” added Crean on Jordan’s clutch baskets.

The Hoosiers only missed 14 shots all game, severely limiting the Wolverines’ rebounding numbers. The energy, focus, determination, and hunger were visible the entire game. It was almost as if the Hoosiers let out six games worth of frustration all in one night. A win like this could be the building block for a struggling Hoosier team.

Will the Hoosiers look to build on their momentum against a hostile Wisconsin Badger crowd on Thursday? Only time will tell, but I do believe one thing: the Hoosiers are sick of being pushed around, and they won’t go down without a fight.

The post Role Reversal appeared first on SLAM.

PREGAME

– We have never seen the stadium this electrified before a game this season in Conseco Fieldhouse. People could still fill a good amount of the seats in here, but this game is a step in the right direction for the Pacers organization.

– We cannot emphasize enough the incredible amount of concentration the Bulls displayed in the locker room and during warmups. Every player in the locker room was either watching film of the Pacers or getting stretched out to go shoot. Most players had a pair of stylish Beats By Dre headphones in, canceling out any outside noise and focusing strictly on the task at hand. These guys are NOT just here for the ride.

– Danny Granger addresses the crowd about Martin Luther King Jr. right before tip off.

FIRST QUARTER

– Roy Hibbert hit an early jumper to get the Pacers started and then got the hockey assist on a Mike Dunleavy trey from the right side. The center looks confident with the ball, is taking his time, and is making the correct read.

– Two quick, meaningless fouls in the first two minutes for Keith Bogans as Bulls fans sit here thinking, “Where is Ben Gordon when we need him?” Kidding, kidding…but seriously, the Bulls still have time to make a deal before the trade deadline.

– Very smart play by Ronnie Brewer (7 points, 5 boards, 5 assists). Instead of forcing up a bad shot over Roy Hibbert, Brewer dribbled back out to the three-point line to set up the offense and proceeded to use a nice hesitation dribble and pump-fake to get around the big man.

– Pacers clicking early on in this one—15 points in the first 6+ but the way they are moving the ball from side to side and penetrating into the gaps, especially the normally perimeter-bound Danny Granger (22 points, 6 boards), of Chicago’s defense has been desirable.

– Derrick Rose (29 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists) with his first acrobatic lay-in of the evening, but certainly not his last.

– After a brief timeout, Rose with a 12-footer in the lane off the bounce in Hibbert’s grill. Next time down he penetrated the lane on the left side and kicked the ball out to Ronnie Brewer, who swung to Luol Deng (17 points, 5 helpers) for three at the top of the key. Could have pulled up in the paint but made the even smarter play this time and trusted his teammates.

– Brewer has done all the little things for the Bulls—rebounding, making great ball reversals, and playing tough defense—in his extended minutes, thanks to Bogans.

– On cue, Brewer plays tough off the ball defense that leads to a steal when Jeff Foster tries to force a pass.

– Brandon Rush slithers along the baseline past three defenders. Thought he’d have to pass his way out of it but the D froze up. 28-24 at the end of one.

SECOND QUARTER

– TJ Ford, HOW DID YOU MISS PAUL GEORGE ON THE WING?! He was WIDE open for about 5 seconds on the break. George ends up at the free throw line anyway. Whatever, I guess.

– Omer Asik finishes with a stuff plus the foul on the nice windmill pass from Bulls backup point guard CJ Watson after he got up in the air. Not exactly fundamental, but worked nonetheless.

– After the ref called a loose ball foul on Taj Gibson for pushing off on Mike Dunleavy, Luol Deng decided to take matters into his own hands and gets T’d up for his words with the referee.

– Even though the ball got stripped out of bounds, Paul George ran the floor beautifully and filled his lane exactly as he was supposed to. If he doesn’t do that, then he doesn’t receive the ball.

– CJ Watson gave the Bulls six excellent bench minutes in relief of Mr. Rose to start the period.

– George with his first bucket of the game on a tough pull-up from the top of the key.

– The

HALFTIME

– The way Kurt Thomas (4 points, 18 rebounds) boxed out–and rebounded–in the first half was incredible. An extremely wide, below the rim player, it’s impressive to watch the 38-year-old move his opponent out of the way with relative ease on both ends. Not only does he create space for himself to get rebounds, but moving players out of the way (especially on the offensive end) provides more space for his teammates to crash the boards and retrieve errant shots. It really makes you wonder about how good this team could be like on the glass if they can stay healthy when Joakim Noah returns. After the game, Thomas would say “I just try to be competitive, just try to keep working out there. I try to keep my body on the opponents body and be relentless nonstop.”

The post Game Notes: Bulls at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

PREGAME

With Dirk calmly riding the bike in the locker room (and complaining about its relatively small size) Rick Carlisle was visibly agitated with the first (and last) Dirk question of the pregame, where he promptly stated that the All-Star forward wouldn’t be in the lineup tonight. He proceeded to make this statement during the pre-game media gathering: “We’ve got a lot of guys who have played and played effectively in stretches and there’s a lot of opportunity here. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the guys that we have available so right now we have to get it all together and find a way to win a game because after you drop a couple, it gets tough.”

In addition, the three broad areas where Carlisle sees as problematic for this team at this point in the season are “defense, rebounding, and taking care of the ball.”

On the Indiana Pacers front, Coach Jim O’Brien discussed the Pacers recent adventure into small ball — which forces Soloman Jones, Josh McRoberts and Jeff Foster to rotate games on the inactive list: “In Danny and Darren‘s case when you put three-point shooters around them, their productivity is going to increase. In the period of time that we’ve been running the small lineup we’ve been getting very, very fine productivity and we need to make sure that whatever lineup we put on the court is productive.”

FIRST QUARTER

– Mavs get the ball to their high percentage man Tyson Chandler early for an 18-footer from the right side and a nifty inside move to start the game with five quick ones.

– Roy Hibbert picks up a personal foul on the inside move by Chandler — his first bad foul.

– DeShawn Stevenson, who started, hits a three. Without Dirk Nowitzki in the starting lineup, and sorely in need of a scorer, why wouldn’t Rick Carlisle start Jason Terry and bring Stevenson off the bench — even though Terry is used to coming off the bench, as everybody knows.

– Hibbert collects his second unnecessary personal foul, this time following a rebound on the offensive end after throwing up a (soft) driving floater off the dribble from the left side. If the Pacers want to play small ball, number 55 gave them their wish.

– For the first 6+ minutes Indiana struggled to obtain any offensive rhythm at all, but Darren Collison knocked down three straight mid-range jumpers to jump-start his team.

– Brandon Rush with a triple to bring the Pacers within two, 15-13.

– Brian Cardinal with a three from the left corner. Mr. Nowitzki’s shootaround jumpers looked slightly prettier.

SECOND QUARTER

– Soloman Jones misses an uncontested layup. Suit up McRoberts next time?

– TJ Ford fall-away in the corner off an inbounds followed by a JJ Barea lay-in at the other end and then a Ford floater, all within 15 seconds of each other. Attack of the little guys.

– Mavs run their offense through Brian Cardinal at the high post. Rick Carlisle and Mark Cuban simultaneously turn the other way.

– Paul George with a steal and lay-in off of a bad cross-court pass early in the Mavs offense, prompting Cuban to call timeout from his spot behind the bench. Carlisle obliged.

– Paul George catches on the left side, turns, faces, and knocks in a jumper. Rook looks like he belongs tonight. Pacers up 41-39.

– Shawn Marion takes (another) outside jumper and misses (again). It pains us to watch him shoot the basketball outside of five feet.

– A barely-stable Jason Kidd—feet moving all over— with a three on a Jason Terry drive and dish. Mavs tie it up at 43.

– After a 4-0 run by the Pacers, Hibbert with his third foul of the game with 1:50 left in the half…

– Paul George with another jumper from the left side, this time off the dribble. 4-4 from the field and yet another shot that shows he’s getting more and more comfortable at this level of competition.

– Tyson Chandler with four free throws in a row (6-7 in the half).

– Pacers fans scream “2 for 1,” alluding to the fact that there are 36 seconds in the half. Up by three, the team gratifies the crowds wish and gets a Mike Dunleavy missed three.

– Jason Kidd posts up and kicks the ball out to Stevenson on the right wing for three. 52-up at the half.

Halftime show included two contestants who had to listen to a song and guess the TV show that it played in. Halfway through the game, you could hear the Seinfeld theme song blaring throughout the whole stadium. About 10 seconds later, however, a barrage of boos and jeers filled the arena. Neither contestant recognized the Seinfeld theme song. We are embarrassed to be in the same stadium as anybody who does not know the famous Seinfeld jingle by heart.

THIRD QUARTER

– Hibbert with a nice fall-away from the left side after getting physically tested by Chandler in the post.

– With Hibbert guarding Kidd near the top of the key, there is sure to be a mismatch somewhere. But, upon receiving a cross-court pass from Kidd, Stevenson jacks up a three immediately. Cannot be satisfied with that…

– Collison picks up where he left off in the first half with a floater while hanging in the air, going from right to left.

– Marion follows a Kidd triple with his second nice post bucket of the game.

– After having trouble finding his stroke in the first half, Tyler Hansbrough hits two quick mid-range buckets, bringing the Pacers lead to 67-62 at the six minute mark.

– With his excellent hands and instincts, Kidd single-handedly halts a Danny Granger fastbreak opportunity and outlets the ball up the floor to a streaking teammate for a deuce.

– Granger getting it going from the outside and extending the lead to 74-66, the biggest of the game for the Pacers.

– Kidd with his third steal of the quarter—although he didn’t finish the lefty lay-in on the break. Pacers makin’ the old man look young again.

– After missing two shots in a row, Jason Terry buries a three from the right corner to keep the suddenly cold Mavs within striking distance at 75-68 with two left in the third.

– Brian Cardinal with… the one-dribble leaner from the top of the key. Not sure that’s the shot you want, ever.

– Pacers up 77-69 heading into the fourth.

FOURTH QUARTER

– Paul George keeps his hot shooting going with two confident trey-bombs from the right side, extending the Pacers lead to 12, 83-71.

– After shooting 35 percent in the third quarter, Dallas is still struggling to get anything going three-plus minutes into the fourth.

– Terry gets a shooters roll and Kidd hits a three, cutting the lead to a seven yet again.

– Brandon Rush buries two mid-range jumpers, pushing it back to 91-80. Mavs can’t keep Pace at either end. Pun intended.

– Kidd triple on pass from Terry makes it 93-87 with 3:30 to play and is the closest Dallas has been all quarter.

– Pacers offensive rebound and Collison jumper in the face of Chandler all but seals it with two to play.

– Pacers 102, Mavs 89.

POSTGAME

Jason Kidd on closing the gap: “We couldn’t hit shots when we needed it and the other side to that is we couldn’t get stops. They were the better team tonight.”

Kidd on Dirk’s absence: “We’re all professionals–we’re a veteran ball club–so there’s no one panicking. We just need to play until he gets back. But the bigger picture is that when he does get back, it will make us a better team because we get a lot of shots that are contested and when he’s on the floor he gets a lot of attention that we get wide open looks. It’s funny to say but his offense helps our defense because when he puts the ball in the basket it gives us time to set up our defense, and we aren’t making as many shots as we do when he’s on the floor.”

Coach Rick Carlisle’s reaction to the first question of the post-game media session, which naturally centered around how much the tall German would have helped the Mavs tonight: “I’m not answering any Dirk questions, OK? We don’t have Dirk so it’s not a topic that’s worth discussing. We need to win with the guys that we have.”

Carlisle on the barrage of shots that the Pacers wings made: “They played well. George and Rush were the two guys that really hurt us. You’ve gotta give them credit for their shot-making but your defense can always be better. Right now I think the key word for us is precise. We have to be so precise with the things that we do. For instance, we only had 12 turnovers but it leads to 14 points and that’s a huge number.”

The post Game Notes: Mavs at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

The Mesa High School basketball team had just flown across the country from Tempe, AZ to Philadelphia, PA. Problem was, however, that they were due in Binghamton, NY and not Philadelphia. With some help from the staff at the Binghamton STOP DWI Basketball Holiday Classic, Mesa made their way to the tournament after a rough travel experience. And it was a treat to watch them, thanks in large part to their 5-11 Arizona State bound lead guard Jahii Carson.

One of the most electrifying high school players in the country, Jahii provided a much needed positive charge to the sparse crowd in upstate New York on his way to 35 points (a loss to Thomas Jefferson from Brooklyn) and 38 points (a win over Davidson Day from NC) in the two days that SLAM got to check him out. Despite the cold weather, Jahii warmed up fast to the competition.

SLAM: So, first off, do you read SLAM?

Jahii Carson: Oh yeah, yeah. SLAM Magazine is big in Arizona. I remember, when I was growing up, Jerryd Bayless used to be in it all the time.

SLAM: Do you have a favorite article or anything?

JC: I don’t really have a favorite article but I just love the way the photos and the backgrounds are great. The articles give a little biography — not too much — about the players.

SLAM: Talk a little bit about what you do on the court. You’re a pretty dynamic player–who do you model your game after and why?

JC: I get out there and I try to push the tempo, you know. I’m a little guy, I got some speed on me and my team’s not really that big so I try to push the tempo. I try to get up on defense and make the opposing point guard uncomfortable. I try to model my game after Aaron Brooks a little bit because we’re the same type of player. I’m a little bit more explosive…

SLAM: A little bit…

JC: [Laughs] When it comes down to that type of player that I like to try to model my game after. When it comes down to a scoring guard, I model my game after Nate Robinson. He’s a little dude who can shoot the ball and dunk, of course. So Aaron Brooks and Nate Robinson are who I model my game after.

SLAM: Nate was more of a 2 guard until the NBA. So would you say maybe you’re a little ahead of where he was?

JC: Well I’m a little bigger but I’ve been playing the point guard position for probably my whole life. I think Nate was more of a football guy until he started getting more into high school, so I might have the edge there. I’ve been playing the position for pretty much my whole life so I have a pretty good feel for it.

SLAM: Talk about your athleticism. When did you realize that you could actually do all these dunks and that this could potentially be part of your game?

JC: When I was in about in the seventh grade — going into eighth grade, the summer — I had my first dunk. And it was hard for me to dunk at first and my dad told me, ‘You know what? You should just start bouncing because it’s easier for you to jump without the ball than with the ball.’ So I started bouncing the ball, and I couldn’t quite get it, but eventually I started dunking like that. So I said if I could ever get that down, it could be a huge part of my game because people aren’t used to seeing little people dunk too much. But I also don’t want people to think that my game is just dunking, so I stopped dunking a little bit in warm ups. I still keep it in my repertoire.

SLAM: Yeah, it’s a good thing to have, for sure. What’s your favorite dunk?

JC: My favorite dunk is when I throw it up and try to put it around my back — that’s the latest dunk that I try to do. But, of course, between the legs, I love to do that one. The newest dunk I started trying was the 360 windmill. I like that one too but behind the back is probably my favorite dunk.

SLAM: You’re a dynamic scorer but you also get your teammates involved. I assume at the next level your gonna try to get your teammates involved more?

JC: Yeah I’ma try to get my teammates involved more often. Right now I try to score so that they really cheat on my teammates. When I start scoring they gotta play me straight up — they can’t double team me or they can’t deny me on the wings. So I try to score first to make them be honest and then they help on me and my teammates are wide open so I start kicking it. When I get to the next level, it’s not gonna be as easy for me to get to the basket and score as much so I’m gonna get my teammates involved and when I get the opening to score I’m gonna take the opening and knock open shots down.

SLAM: And what do you expect to do at Arizona State where they’re kinda rebuilding now?

JC: Yeah, they’re kinda rebuilding now. They had a nice recruiting class last year. I just wanna come in and make an impact early. I don’t wanna go too much above my role — I just want to play my role and get my teammates involved because, right now, they’re having trouble at the point guard position and that’s a great opportunity for me to come in, get some good minutes, and get my teammates some open shots.

SLAM: Where do you see yourself in four or five years? What are your interests besides basketball, and what do you want to do if it doesn’t all work out?

JC: I see myself in five years — I’m actually trying to major in fashion design at ASU — and I like fashion design and I wanna try to have my own clothing line, my own business one day. And in four or five years I see myself graduating from college and if I’m not going to the NBA I can see myself going overseas and having the business also because that’s always been a dream of mine.

SLAM: So overseas is a viable option for you. Hypothetically would you ever consider going overseas instead of going to ASU?

JC: No because my grandmother, my mother, my aunt, and my father have high expectations of me getting my degree. I would be the first person in my family with my parents having a kid to get a degree so I just want to be the first one to do that. If the opportunity for the NBA comes then I’m gonna take it, but I’m also gonna finish my degree even if I go.

The post Jahii Carson Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

Being Jewish on Christmas, the best parts of the day have customarily revolved around watching basketball, eating Chinese food, and maybe catching a movie. It’s the ultimate “do nothing” day for a variety of reasons and over the years I’ve gotten terribly used to this occasion that takes place.

Until now.

In a change of pace, this year I was lucky enough to score a media pass to the Bulls–Knicks game at MSG. I didn’t have to sit at home all day and I can honestly say that this was the most exciting Christmas that I’ve ever had—there was  something important/fun to wake up for and be absolutely thrilled about, as I haven’t been to the Garden for a meaningful game since… well… it’s been a while.

As I heard a few other reporters bickering about covering the game (very understandable), I thought about how fortunate  I was to be able to take in a competitive game on Christmas—especially between such storied rivals as the Knicks and Bulls, who’s history in the 90’s was heated, despite the Bulls normally walking away with a W.

Entering the game at 17-12, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the Knicks franchise is playing their most inspiring basketball in a decade. It was at this point in the 2000-01 season—the last time that there was a real sense that New York could potentially be a threat in postseason play—that a run of seven straight (the longest winning streak of that season) began and propelled the Knicks to a 48-34 record.

Now I’m not saying that the Knicks are definitely headed for that type of season; it’s simply too early to judge that and the team still has areas that can be improved upon.

The passion exhibited at the Garden on Christmas Day gave Knicks fans yet another reason to believe in their team this season.

The crowd congregated on this spirited day—highlighted by the Knicks festive green jerseys—to see if the team could deliver a victory that signified a real reason to hope. The past two weeks have been a see-saw of emotion for New York, as they followed up their nine-game win streak against lukewarm competition with three straight losses, two of which came at the hands of upper echelon Eastern Conference foes Boston and Miami—whom everybody in the East is currently chasing.

This game certainly wasn’t a must-win—very few games this early in the season stake such a high claim. But to Raymond Felton, this game certainly meant something.

“We beat a good team today,” said Felton, who contributed 20 points, 12 assists. “They are a very good team, one of the best teams in the East. They have a great team, are well-coached… it was a big win for us.”

After the losses, this game against the Bulls was the perfect barometer test to see just how far the Knicks have come this year. They certainly didn’t have their way with the Bulls, but NY showed plenty of cajones in mustering up a win against the current third seed in the East—even if Joakim Noah was on the sidelines.

“You have to beat these teams, especially at home,” Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni said. “It’s good to bounce back after the three we lost in a row, that it wasn’t a fluke that we had won a few in a row.

It was a feel good game for sure.”

So as the Knicks set out to conquer territories that have been uncharted in recent campaigns, they figure to do so with a stream of steady confidence and swagger combined with a willingness to keep working and getting better. As it stands right now, they are in the sixth spot in the conference.

With continued growth, they look as if they may be poised to make a run towards the top half of the conference.

Game Notes:

Good News:

–      Today the Knicks took a page out of the 90’s and made a concerted effort on the defensive end of the floor, where they coaxed 20 turnovers out of a Chicago team that is in dire need of a second ball-handler, and held the Bulls scoreless during a crucial 8+ minute stretch in the fourth quarter, from the 10:10 mark until there were just under 2 minutes to go. The Knicks emphasis were on getting back in transition, making Carlos Boozer (26 points, 19 rebounds, 7 turnovers) work with difficult angles and multiple bodies in the post, funneling Derrick Rose (25 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds) into help defense, and  keenly maneuvering to keep an eye on Luol Deng and Kyle Korver coming off of pin-down screens. With these strategies in mind, they held the Bulls to 44 percent from the field, had 10 blocks (Amar’e had 6) and applied pressure to Derrick Rose in all the right spots, forcing him into 7 turnovers—most of which were a result of insufficient motion in the Bulls offense.

– The hustle plays that the Knicks made were highly impressive at times. From Landry Fields fantastic follow-up–where he rushed into the lane on a Ronny Turiaf missed free throw, contorted to the other side of the rim, scored the basket, and got fouled– to the excellent rotations shown during the 8+ minute stop-session, the Knicks are proving that they understand what it takes to win a ball game and are willing to carry out their game plan on the court, which is a fundamental step towards building a successful franchise.

– They were on fire from three and beat the Bulls with a full team effort. Toney Douglas, Shawne Williams, Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields, and Raymond Felton each hit at least two triples and propelled the Knicks to a 12-22 afternoon from deep, a better clip than the Bulls 11-20 night at the charity stripe. And sure, Amar’e did his part scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. It is important for the Knicks to continue to win without relying on their multidimensional power forward too heavily. The high percentages that resulted from making the extra pass led to a balanced offensive attack—an essential ingredient for this team to be successful.

The Bad:

– The Knicks got outworked on the boards at the offensive end, which resulted in being out-rebounded by the count of 17-6, and the second chance opportunities added up quickly for the Bulls. The main reason that Chicago led by the slim margin of 54-52 at the half was primarily the result of a 13 shot advantage (52-39) and a 12-2 offensive rebound differential. So despite shooting just 44 percent from the field, Chicago was able to stay afloat with second chance points around the rim. For NY to emerge this season they will have to close defensive possessions out with a rebound (they have had trouble with this all season) with the same fervor with which they are knocking down their threes, as it is vital for starting the fast break and saving much needed energy.

–       I don’t want to say the ball movement was ugly for the Knicks, because at times it was fantastic. Landry Fields made some great drive-and-kick plays, Felton and Amar’e worked the pick-and-roll to perfection at times, Wilson swung the ball quickly, and there seemed to be a rather unselfish, all for the team attitude on display. The Knicks passing and ball-handling was both disrupted by a Bulls defense that emphasized “Not only covering the line, but taking care of the pick-and-roll—the ball, the paint—and then closing out hard to the line,” which was emphasized as being an especially difficult task by Coach Tom Thibodeau because the Knicks space the floor with their shooters and play “unselfishly” and were simply the result of too much rushing, which proves at times to be the one of the more dangerous aspects of mind frame the Knicks play with. Even with the aforementioned unselfish roots, the Knicks still struggled to make correct decisions, both in transition and in the half court. Stoudemire had 7 turnovers while Felton and Gallo gave away a nickel each (though Felton somewhat cancelled his portion out with his 5 steals).

-Landry Fields on his amazing putback: “This year a couple of times, I ran in there, but the person shooting made the free throw,” Fields said. “Before this one, I turned to Toney Douglas and said, ‘Toney, I’m going to get this one.’

“It happened to come off perfect and went right into my hands. The rest is history. I was sprinting in and nobody was going to box me out. I got a full run to the rim. Hopefully, I get a little luck with the bounce, and I did.”

The post Knicks Reassure Fans appeared first on SLAM.

Every year, fans across the country constantly debate the NBA’s ‘One and Done’ rule. Many fans believe that players should be able to leave high school and go straight to the NBA; others believe that a year in college will help the physical and emotional growth of young teenage athletes. So much energy and talk is focused around this topic that people tend to forget about players beyond their freshmen year. Many sophomores have tremendous years overshadowed by the talk of the ‘One and Done’ rule. Therefore, I thought it would be prevalent to make a list of the top 10 sophomores who decided to stay another year in school and improve their academics while hoping to improve their stock in this summer’s NBA Draft. (This list is in alphabetical order and not in the order of my personal rankings of the ten players.)

1. Kenny Boynton | 6-2 | Florida

When a good player doesn’t score a single point in one of his games, most people view that as a major hiccup. Boynton disputed that theory in the Gator’s 67-48 win against American. Known primarily as a scorer, Boynton went scoreless against American but dished out 7 assists and locked up on defense. He possesses the ability to command a team, make tough shots, and find the open man when needed. Defensively, he gets right up in his opponents face and doesn’t leave the entire game. I wouldn’t bet that Boynton goes scoreless any time soon. If he does, count me in as a believer that this kid can still find a way to win the game.

2. Jordan Hamilton | 6-7 | Texas

Last year, I watched Hamilton play multiple times and thought that he was not as polished as I expected. I thought that he needed to refine his offensive skills and even double-check his attitude. This season, however, Hamilton has been nothing less than a scoring machine, pouring in just under 20 points per game so far this season. His 25 points was a huge reason why the Longhorns upset Illinois in New York, and he kept his team alive with a season high 28 points in a 68-66 loss to Pittsburgh. His versatility and rebounding ability make him one big match up problem. If Hamilton can keep a consistent attitude, he will make his case for one of the premier talents in the Big 12.

3. John Henson | 6-10 | North Carolina

NBA scouts have raved about Henson’s potential since he was in high school, but most scouts knew that Henson would take longer to develop than most guys in his class. He entered high school a skinny 6’10 power forward oozing with potential, yet he just could not compete physically at the level that people wanted him to right away. However, a year in the weight room has made a big difference for a leader on a young Tar Heel team. Henson is still far from a finished product at this point in his career, but he has shown great strides in his post game and his court vision this year. Only time will tell how much of his potential will be tapped, but Henson proved this off season that he is dedicated to becoming the next star for the Tar Heels.

4. Tyler Honeycutt | 6-8 | UCLA

UCLA started the season off on a sour note, but credit west coast phenom Tyler Honeycutt for their current three game win streak. He dropped a game high 33 points in a controversial loss to Kansas earlier in the season and was a rebound away from a double double that day. Honeycutt can make his claim for one of the top scorers in the country, and he may be the best prospect on the west coast right now. His length helps him get tough shots off over smaller opponents, and he handles the ball extremely well for his position. He also has a knack for the ball, dominating the glass with games of 15, 13, and 12 rebounds already this season. Honeycutt has all of the tools to be a great pro and should be a hot commodity come June.

5. John Jenkins | 6-4 | Vanderbilt

One thing every coach can have more of is a sniper from beyond the arc, and not many shoot it better than this 6-4 guard. Jenkins gives Kevin Stallings an extra dimension on the court with his ability to extend the defense every time he walks onto the floor. He demands an enormous amount of attention on defense, and he creates huge driving lanes when defenses guard him so tight. SEC opponents need to beware of this three point specialist come conference play because he has the potential to break any game open in the blink of an eye.

6. Kawhi Leonard | 6-7 | San Diego St.

Any time you have a player that carries a team like San Diego State into the top 25, you know you are talking about a special kid. Ink Kawhi Leonard into that category. Averaging nearly a double-double with 16 points and a hair under 10 rebounds per game, Leonard has propelled his team into the top 25 amongst some of college basketballs best teams. His 12-0 Aztec team is one of the only undefeated left in all of college basketball. In their big games, Leonard has gone on an absolute tear. 18 points against WCC powerhouse Gonzaga, 16 points against MVC favorite Wichita State, 20 points in an upset at Caifornia, and 13 points against a talented San Diego squad. The bottom line is that Leonard is a natural born leader who wills his team to victory. Leonard should keep producing at a high level, so don’t be surprised to see this kid playing at the next level in the near future.

7. Mason Plumlee | 6-10 | Duke

If this list was based off of pro potential, Plumlee would be at the 1 or 2 spot. An incredible athlete for his size, Plumlee rebounds the basketball and guards opposing big men as well as anyone in the country. He brings a sense of toughness and leadership to the Blue Devils that every team needs in order to make it far come March. He seems to be much stronger than he was last year, pushing opponents off the block and making it tougher for his opponents to catch post entry passes. Plumlee also makes good decisions on the court; he knows when to shoot and when it’s his time to dish the rock. He needs to work on his jump shot range, but he has just as much potential as almost any big his size in the country right now.

8.  Christian Watford | 6-8 | Indiana

Everyone who follows basketball knows that Tom Crean’s first two years at Indiana have not been a walk in the park. However, those who follow basketball also see the signs of improvement on the court as well. The main sign so far this season has been the rise of talented Hoosier sophomore forward Christian Watford. A natural scorer, Watford can knock down shots from almost anywhere on the court. He can post up with the big men and hit mid range jumpers like the guards. Watford kept Indiana in the game in their loss to Kentucky earlier in the month with a 19 point effort, and he did a tremendous job of keeping freshmen superstar Terrance Jones off the scoreboard as much as possible. Watford has a little ways to go before he can make the big jump, but his progression this year has been better than almost anyone outside of the Indiana program expected.

9. Maalik Wayns | 6-1 | Villanova

You would be hard pressed to find a point guard with more composure and poise this season than Villanova’s sophomore stud Maalik Wayns. Wayns is part 1 of Villanova’s 3 headed monster in the backcourt, accompanied by Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes. Wayns is a complete blur with the basketball and uses his quickness to get in the lane all game. He does a tremendous job of breaking his man down off the dribble and getting to the second tier of the defense, forcing opponents to either leave their man or let Wayns display his smooth mid range jumper. Wayns has all the tools to be the next great guard to come out of a long list of Villanova backcourt phenoms.

10. Derrick Williams | 6-8 | Arizona

Sean Miller has not had the smooth transition into Tucson that many believed he would have. He snagged a few top level recruits (Josiah Turner, Nick Johnson, and Sidiki Johnson) for the 2011 class that will help bring the swagger back to the Arizona program. At the moment, however, Derrick Williams has been the heart and soul of a Wildcat team searching for an identity under their second year head coach. Averaging over 19 ppg, Williams flat out puts the ball in the hole. His size enables him to create a mismatch every time he steps onto the court, and he overpowers his defenders on his way to the rim like its his job. Williams has put himself in position to be a top 15 pick, and his stock seems to only be on the rise.

The post Top 10 ‘Super Sophs’ appeared first on SLAM.

With revenge on their mind, the Los Angeles Lakers turned the Indiana Pacers into the JV equivalent last night. Whatever magic the Pacers happened to find last month when they beat the Lakers vanished last night when the motivated Lakers did as they pleased for four quarters.

“You know, they had a real issue about it,” Head Coach Phil Jackson said about the possibility of getting swept by the Pacers. “I think the Pacers came back and celebrated in the halls at Staples and these guys came back tonight and said, ‘Let’s get after them.’”

So you’re on the varsity team and the coach says that, toward the end of practice, you’re going to scrimmage the JV team. At first your team shows reluctance — “Why do we have to scrimmage them” — but as the practice wears on it’s finally time to show the boys who the men are. Business is taken care of and the JV team learns a lesson: Everybody on the team still has room to grow and the team still has to grow together, even through the shellackings.

Both sides of this analogy were on full display as the Lakers came into Indianapolis to take care of business in the second game of a back-to-back. The Lakers starters jumped out to an early advantage by moving the ball brilliantly in the first quarter. They finished with 10 assists and 2 turnovers while shooting 14-19 (73.7 percent) from the field and jumping out to a 24-8 lead in the first 6 minutes before the Pacers could even blink an eye. They preserved a 36-22 lead after one.

The epitome of the Lakers’ outstanding passing came when Kobe (just 1-2 with 3 assists in the first quarter) slithered by Brandon Rush on the right side of the paint, which had an opening, but threw a behind-the-back pass to Pau Gasol (28 points, 8 rebounds), who swung it to Lamar Odom (13 points, 17 rebounds) for an easy conversion on the left side.

In the second quarter, the Lakers just kept pouring it on as the starters took turns resting. When the starters come out and do their job in this type of scrimmage, then on a mature team that constantly improves, the reserves come in and they take care of business in much the same way the starters did; with purpose. And in the second quarter that’s exactly what the Lakers did. Steve Blake played the point for all 12 minutes in the period while Shannon Brown, Luke Walton, Andrew Bynum and Matt Barnes all contributed solid minutes. Kobe finished the half with just 5 points on 2-4 shooting from the field, yet the Lakers were up by a commanding 22 points, 59-37.

On the other side of this rout, the Pacers had almost no answers. They fought hard for loose balls at both ends and showed effort, but couldn’t come up with much to show for it. The first quarter display that Los Angeles had shown continued into the second quarter, third quarter and fourth quarter. When Kobe finally decided to get started on the offensive end in the third quarter (8-13 for 18 points) all Indiana could do was play through the Lakers blitz with effort and attempt to whether the storm.

Like that JV team, they just couldn’t come close to cracking the Lakers’ code. From the 7:52 mark in the second quarter until the end of the game the Pacers cut the lead under 20 points for a total of just 9:33 and the closest they came at any point after the first quarter was the final score of 109-94. Getting the lead to single digits last evening wasn’t even close to a reality.

“They were clearly a superior group to our players tonight,” O’Brien said. “They jumped on us and never really gave us a chance to get back in the game. They were obviously going to bring it, and we didn’t match their intensity in the first half.”

When the Lakers took their time and swung the ball they got the shots that they wanted on the offensive end. Defensively the Lakers didn’t do anything differently than they normally do; the Pacers simply helped them out by rushing shots as they tried to climb back to relevancy in this contest.

The promising aspect of this game for the Pacers is that although this game got out of control quickly, and could have been much uglier, they fought through it and didn’t give up even though the Lakers continually kept taking their small rays of hope away.

The Pacers seem to have taken a few steps back from when they beat L.A. just three weeks ago, however. An aspiring playoff team (currently in the seventh position with an 11-13 record) the Pacers biggest concern is their lack of consistency from night to night. Since the big W out west their record is just 3-6.

The post Game Notes: Lakers at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

Year after year, people can always count on the Big Ten/ACC Challenge to provide viewers with dramatic, exciting, and quality games. This year is no exception, as one of the best early season match-ups thus far pits Coach Izzo against Coach K on Wednesday night in Durham. As Virginia showed against Minnesota last night, anything can happen in this “tournament” that pits conference pride on the line with every showdown.

Besides the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, there are also a handful of other games that are more than worthy of keeping an eye on for the avid college basketball fan. Here’s your guide of what to watch for from Tuesday through Thursday this week.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Ole Miss Rebels (3-1) @ Miami Hurricanes (4-2) 7 p.m.: This match-up of SEC and the ACC teams will display two teams with quick and dominant guard play in the backcourt. Miami is led by junior Malcolm Grant, who is lightning in a bottle with the basketball but has a tendency to take ill-advised shots all too often (though he is a tough shot maker at times). 6-4 sophomore Durand Scott, who does most of the ball-handling for the Hurricanes, is more than capable of scoring his own points. His ability to create quality looks for his teammates will be crucial against the Ole Miss backcourt. Ole Miss has shown a deep and balanced scoring attack from guards Chris Warren (lighting quick scoring point guard), Nick Williams (powerful scoring guard), Trevor Gaskins (shooter), and Zach Graham (do-it-all guard). Importantly for them, even when Chris Warren struggled (10 points, 5 assists, 6 turnovers against Murray State), the other guards lifted the team to a 77-61 win. The key to this game, though, should be on the interior where the Hurricanes 6-10 Reggie Johnson should be able to take advantage of his massive size and abilities. His 10.5 rebounds per game average are nearly double that of any player on Ole Miss (highest average is 5.5 rpg for any player). The guard play will be crucial, but in the end it might come down to post play in this one.

Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) @ Florida State Seminoles (5-1), Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 7:30 p.m.: Early this summer, I was talking to a high-major division one assistant, and he made the claim that Jared Sullinger has a good chance of winning Big Ten Player of the Year. At first, the claim seemed a little too much for me, but that day I realized that this coach was right. Sullinger has played well so far, netting over 15 points and grabbing over 8 rebounds per game. Sharpshooters Jon Diebler and all-purpose guard David Lighty add the necessary perimeter game for the Buckeyes, and fellow freshmen Deshaun Thomas continues to keep his “man amongst boys” status rolling. If anyone has a say in the Buckeyes dominance in Tallahassee, it will need to come from Florida State’s Mr. Everything: Chris Singleton. Sporting almost a double-double so far this year (9.8 rebounds/game), Singleton has the ability to single handedly keep the Seminoles in this game. The X-factor for the Seminoles might end up being 3-point specialist Michael Snaer. If Snaer can toss in a few triples and break up the Buckeye’s momentum, the Seminoles can stick around for a while. Also, look for William Buford to raise his intensity level a notch this game. Buford has all the tools to take over this game and causes a match-up problem on the court. If Buford plays to his potential the Buckeyes can be scary good this season.

Georgetown Hoyas (6-0) vs. Missouri Tigers (5-0) (Kansas City), 9 p.m.: Big East vs. Big 12. Slow-it-down vs. speed-it-up. Both the Hoyas and the Tigers have gotten off to phenomenal starts this year after narrowly surviving their season opener’s against supposedly unthreatening schools. Through Feast Week it has been smooth sailing, but one of these teams will have to go home with an L. Georgetown plays their trademark disciplined, pick-you-apart offense coupled with stingy half-court man defense, which has held their opponents to just 62 ppg. Chris Wright provides the Hoyas with a dose of creativity at the point guard position, while Austin Freeman has simply been on fire, scoring 20.2 ppg this year. Missouri, on the other hand, looks to speed the tempo up with their vaunted pressure that, just a few seasons ago, almost landed them in the Final Four. Their rotation of ten players with at least 10 mpg so far this year ensures that all five players on the court are always fresh and ready to run at a breakneck tempo. All of the Tigers have played proficiently this year, but junior transfer power forward Ricardo Ratliffe (ironically from DC), junior power Laurence Bowers have been especially consistent on the interior while upperclassmen guards Marcus Denmon and Kim English have provided a scoring punch from the backcourt. The key to this game is likely to come in the turnover department. If Georgetown can win this battle, they have a chance. If not, the Tigers should prove too much to handle.

North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2) @ Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1), Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 9:30 p.m.: A senior-heavy starting Illinois lineup will give the Fighting Illini the much needed experience and toughness that many experts claim they have been lacking since Deron Williams and company left a few years ago. Demetri McCamey, learning from some of last year’s blunders, should bring a new sense of leadership to the table. McCamey has been the lifeblood of the Figting Illini for the past two seasons. When he plays well, they can compete with anyone in the country. Coming to his aid will be super sophomores DJ Richardson and Brandon Paul, plus senior forward Mike Davis. But, unlike a few other freshmen around the nation, Harrison Barnes has yet to have his coming out party. Considered by almost every media outlet to be the top freshmen in the country, Barnes is capable of breaking out at any minute. Throw improving big man John Henson and scoring-machine Reggie Bullock into the mix and you have a dangerous Tar Heel team. One major match-up that fans need to pay attention to lies in the hands of 7-1 Mike Tisdale. If Tisdale can control Tyler Zeller in the paint, the Illini’s battle to protect Assembly Hall just got a lot easier.

The post Big Ten/ACC Challenge Preview appeared first on SLAM.

During Feast Week there were more than a few noteworthy performances, which is why I decided to track some of the most striking ones right here. There are so many college games every week and just as other spots give you their take, SLAMonline wants to give you ours. This first part is a tribute to the players who gave it their all this past week—because it showed.

Kemba Walker | Point Guard | Junior | Connecticut Huskies

Alex Oriakhi | Power Forward | Sophomore | Connecticut Huskies

He averaged 30 points, 4 assists per game this week against excellent competition. The biggest difference between this year’s K-Walk and last year’s is his improved jumper, which was on full display as he tore apart Wichita State, Michigan State, and Kentucky and literally willed his team to the Maui Invitational Championship. According to the “experts” Connecticut wasn’t even supposed to be in the picture in the top half of the Big East this season. Try telling that to Kemba “EZ-Pass” Walker now…

Everything that Walker was on the perimeter, the 6-9 Oriakhi was on the interior for the Huskies this week. Oriakhi earned high praise from NBA scouts this week for his relentless motor on both ends of the floor and his ability to finish through traffic in the paint (18-29 from the floor). He averaged 15 points, 11.6 rebounds (5 offensive per game), and 1.6 blocks per contest. If Oriakhi continues to be a force on the interior, watch out for UConn.

Derrick Williams | Small Forward | Sophomore | Arizona Wildcats

The best player that you haven’t seen play, Williams averaged 22.7 points on 20-37 shooting in three contests this week. A prototypical NBA small forward, Williams can get it done in a variety of ways and is extremely efficient in every area. This quote sums up Williams 27 point performance against Kansas on Saturday night: “I don’t think anyone would argue Williams was the best player on the court,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

Kyrie Irving | Point Guard | Freshman | Duke Blue Devils

Sure, Irving averaged 14.6 ppg (15-32 from the field), 5 apg, 3.3 rpg, and 2.3 spg against Marquette, Kansas State and Oregon this week. But with Irving, numbers simply don’t give his court presence its due justice. The manner in which he sets the tempo, makes the right pass, spaces the floor, hustles for loose balls and breaks the defense down time after time are more important than his statistics, and that’s why he’s been a starter since Day One in Durham.

Marcus Morris | Power Forward | Junior | Kansas Jayhawks

In three wins over Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Ohio and Arizona this week Morris averaged 18 points and 7.3 rips per contest while shooting a terrific 20-32 (62.5%, which is actually less than his 67.7% average for the season so far) from the field. Morris has looked much more comfortable with the ball on the wing this season and his overall feel for the game has clearly reached a new level in his junior year.

Ravern Johnson | Small Forward | Senior | Mississippi State Bulldogs

The 6-7 wing has always been a capable scorer, but it seems that he has taken his game to new heights this season. For the season he is shooting over 56% from three-point range through four games, and in his two games against Detroit and Troy this week he shot 10-17 from beyond the arc while averaging 29 points per game. He hasn’t played against top notch competition yet, so it should be interesting to track him as he moves forward.

Terrence Jones | Power Forward | Freshman | Kentucky Wildcats

Jones plays the game with a distinct flair at the power forward position for Coach Cal, and in his first week of real work against Oklahoma, Washington and UConn he averaged 23 points (on just over 50% shooting), 11.3 boards and 3.3 blocks per. A lefty, Jones is extremely powerful around the rim, drives with purpose from the perimeter, and has excellent timing blocking shots both in the paint and on the perimeter.

Draymond Green | Small Forward | Junior | Michigan State Spartans

10.8 ppg, 9.25 rpg, 4 apg, 1.5 spg, and 1 blk per contest are how his statistics read, but anybody who watched Michigan State play during its four games this week saw the versatile 6-6 Draymond Green impact the game beyond the stat sheet. Jay Bilas called him “the best teammate in America,” and that doesn’t seem like a reach. Why does Green do anything that Coach Izzo asks of him? Easy—because he can.

Kevin Anderson | Point Guard | Senior | Richmond Spiders

The speedy point guard helped his team to three victories this week, the most important coming on Saturday evening in the Chicago Invitational Championship over eighth ranked Purdue. Anderson scored 21 points in the second half and had 28 points overall to lead the Spiders to a huge non-conference victory that should help on Selection Sunday. KA averaged 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists this week.

Scotty Hopson | Shooting Guard | Junior | Tennessee Volunteers

As Hopson goes, so do the Tennessee Volunteers, and it showed during the Dicks Sporting Goods Preseason NIT Invitational this week. In two high quality wins against VCU and Villanova, Hopson averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds while shooting just below 50% from the field.

Diante Garrett | Point Guard | Senior | Iowa State Cyclones

Garrett has been the model of consistency for Iowa State, and it has helped translate into notches in the W column for the Cyclones. Last week Garrett played just two games but averaged 15.5 points, 5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 2 steals, and just 1.5 turnovers in easy wins over Kennesaw State and Montana State.

Tim Abromaitis | Small Forward | Senior | Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Carleton Scott | Power Forward | Senior | Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Nobody expected Notre Dame to sweep through the field at the Old Spice Classic without a loss, but in large part to these two players the Irish are 7-0 and are forcing everyone to glance their way. Abromaitis provided shooting (although he had consistency issues in the semis against California and the finals against Wisconsin) to the tune of 17 points per game this week to go along with a solid rebounding effort of 7.3 per. Meanwhile, the wiry and springy movement of Carleton Scott around the rim led to open shots within ten feet of the hoop, which he knocked in with consistency to the tune of 12.5 ppg. Scott also averaged 7.5 boards and 2 blocks per contest.

Honorable Mention:

Jordan Hamilton, Small Forward, Sophomore, Texas Longhorns

Brian Oliver, Small Forward, Sophomore, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Jon Leuer, Power Forward, Senior, Wisconsin Badgers

E’Twaun Moore, Shooting Guard, Senior, Purdue Boilermakers

Tu Holloway, Point Guard, Junior, Xavier Musketeers

Kris Joseph, Small Forward, Junior, Syracuse Orange

Dion Dixon, Shooting Guard, Senior, Cincinnati Bearcats

Tobias Harris, Small Forward, Freshman, Tennessee Volunteers

The post Feast Week Top Performers appeared first on SLAM.

“Every coach loves a kid who can do more than one thing,” AAU Coach Derrick Bobbitt said to 6-4 combo-guard Kelvin Amayo from Hillside, New Jersey.

Those words sunk in, and since then Kelvin Amayo’s game has gotten to this point as a response to those words.

The stocky scorer/playmaker set out to prove people wrong since he picked up a basketball in the sixth grade, after making the transition from an entirely different sport.

“I started playing basketball when I was in the 6th grade,” said Amayo. “Before that I played soccer for the Hillside Traveling Team. I used to watch my friends play [basketball] and I tried to play but at first I wasn’t so good. This guy named Victor Wells helped me a lot by taking me to the park and the gym, working on ball handling skills, and the rest my game like shooting, speed, teaching me things about the game. First it was for fun but then I got serious and Victor started taking me to the gym to work out and from there I never looked back.”

Amayo isn’t one to look back at his past. He has scholarship offers from Seton Hall, St. Johns, Colorado, Iowa State, USF, Western Kentucky, and Rutgers, but he’s still trying to push for more schools (especially elite schools) to take notice of him. He is not satisfied with just being noticed—he wants to be somebody that is sought after when the spring 2011 signing period rolls around in March.

It’s noteworthy that Amayo’s favorite player is Dwyane Wade, who was an under-recruited combo-guard coming out of high school but landed at Marquette, where he had academic struggles before launching his career into the spotlight by thrusting the Golden Eagles into the Final Four in 2003.

“He’s my favorite player because he came out of high school under the radar, turned his situation around in college, and became one of the premier NBA players today.”

Amayo has switched schools three times during his high school career; he started off at Hillside High School his freshman year, transferred to St. Benedicts for his sophomore year “to play against better competition,” and finally landed at NIA Prep in his hometown of Newark, NJ for his junior and senior seasons.

When he got to NIA is when he began to take his game to the next level. Playing for Head Coach Rudy King and Assistant Coach Canty, and alongside Shaquille Thomas (a 2011 Cincinnati Bearcat recruit), Amayo strongly feels that NIA has helped him to transition into the player he is today, and the player that he will become at the next level.

“I think it’s going to enhance my game a lot coming from prep to college because it’s a different experience [from high school]. It should give me a chance to be an impact player right away because I’m gonna be ready for the college game mentally and physically.”

And just because the scouting services haven’t taken full notice of Amayo (periodically he’s mentioned for his potential) doesn’t mean that he isn’t worthy of being looked at as a prospect that can and will shine at the next level—his combination of power and agility on the offensive end makes him an absolute terror in the open court while his jump-shooting ability is something he is fully aware he needs work on. Defensively Amayo the power, quickness, and mind (he is a willing listener) to become an elite level defender at either guard slot in college.

“I feel that sometimes the flaws in my game over shadow the good things that I do on the court,” says Amayo. “My belief is that I should be in the upper range of the rankings because I’ve always shown up for games when put up against the better players and competition in my class.”

Amayo might be creative with the basketball in his hands on the court, but when it comes to Twitter, the dominant-but-soft-spoken guard is one of the most active basketball players under the sun.

“I just tweet what I feel that day or if I read something or somebody say something really good I like to post it on twitter and everybody who follows me always tell me they love my tweets.”

Keep tweeting, Kel. Something tells me that you’ll have a lot more followers in the future than you have now—as long as you keep working hard on your game and doing your own thing.

The post Better and Better appeared first on SLAM.

Thanksgiving has passed, but this weekend there are still preseason tournaments that have to be finished (Dicks Preseason NIT, Legends Classic, Old Spice Classic, and the Chicago Challenge) along with a few other intriguing match-ups around the world of college basketball. Not all of the games that we chose to write about involve ranked teams because there is a lot of talent off the radar that deserves some attention. There is more than enough college basketball headed your way this weekend; this should help to serve as a guide for what, exactly, you should tune into and pay attention to in the upcoming days.

Friday, November 26th

Villanova (5-0) vs. Tennessee (4-0), Dicks Preseason NIT Tip-Off, 5:00 PM:

You would be hard pressed to find a three-guard tandem as lethal as Corey Fisher, Maalik Wayns, and Corey Stokes in all of college basketball. Scoring 61 of their 82 points in a win verse UCLA earlier in the week, they absolutely ran through Bruins defense in every which way. These three guards have proven that they are out to seek revenge after last year’s second round flop to St. Mary’s, and they will not back down to any challenge. However, Tennessee guards Melvin Goins, Trae Golden, and Scotty Hopson can make some noise on the offensive end as well. Hopson proved to be the key factor in the Vol’s 77-73 win over VCU earlier in the week, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 boards. Villanova might have a hard time finding someone who can match Hopson’s athleticism, but they counter back with an offensive system that averages a shade over 80 points per game this season. The battle of frontcourts will also be pretty heated, with Mouphtaou Yarou and Antonio Pena suiting up for ‘Nova and Tobias Harris and Brian Williams dressing for the Vols. A major key to this game may rely on how well each team rebounds. Villanova seems to be the favorite at this point. However, if the Wildcats let Tennessee stick around for too long, Harris and Williams may be too much to handle in the post at the end of the game.

Notre Dame (5-0) vs. California (3-0), Old Spice Classic, 5:00 PM:

The Irish showed their offensive power as they narrowly pulled out an 89-83 2OT victory over Georgia in the first round of the Old Spice Classic. Tim Abromaitis scored a game high 25 points, hybrid wing/big Tyrone Nash poured in 18, Ben Hansbrough had 13, and Carleton Scott had 11 as four Irish players scored in double digits (freshmen Eric Atkins was a point away from being the fifth). California might have a tough time slowing down Notre Dame’s shooters, but they did not seem to have much trouble stopping #20 Temple in their first round matchup. Harper Kemp continues to patrol the paint for the Golden Bears, and Jorge Gutierrez made clutch plays all night. Mark Montgomery does a good job of keeping his players to play inside his system and not start doing things that are out of their element. They only scored 57 in their win against Temple, but they went on a 16-1 run late in the second half that proved their focus has been on stopping opposing team’s offensive weapons. The Golden Bears will need an even better effort against a dangerous Irish offense, but they have taken steps in the right direction to prove that they can make some noise in the depleted Pac-10.

Syracuse (4-0) vs. Michigan (3-0), Legends Classic, 7:30 PM:

Syracuse, a team that was ranked in the Top 10 to start the season and was praised as Final Four-worthy, has realized that they will have to earn their admiration from here on out. After handling their first two opponents easily, Syracuse escaped scares by Detroit and William & Mary in back to back affairs, causing Head Coach Jim Boeheim to question his team’s placement in the rankings. Syracuse has an equally balanced attack—the backcourt of Brandon Triche and Scoop Jardine combines to form a threatening duo while the frontcourt of Rick Jackson and Kris Joseph can be tantalizing at times. A few issues that Syracuse faces are whether or not they can play consistently on the defensive end and whether or not they can gain increased production from their role players. On the other side of the court, the Michigan Wolverines will look to claw the Orangemen apart with different types of zone and man defenses—Head Coach John Beilein loves confusing his opponents. Michigan is a very young team but they have gotten off to a nice start, albeit against lesser competition. 6-4 sophomore guard Darius Morris, 6-5 freshmen guard Tim Hardaway Jr, and 6-8 freshmen post Jordan Morgan have led the way thus far for Beilein, and they are complimented by sharpshooters Stu Douglass and Zac Novak to lead the Wolverine attack. In order for Michigan to have success against Cuse tonight they will have to crash the boards with reckless abandon and hit their outside shots against the 2-3 zone that they will face.

Wright State (4-1) vs. Richmond (3-1), Chicago Invitational Challenge, 6:00 PM:

Wright State and Richmond are both competitive teams that expect to become contenders in their respective conferences this year. Wright State is a well-coached team that moves the ball from side to side with the pass consistently and forces the defense to become uncomfortable as a result. 6-3 senior Vaughn Duggins is their go-to player, but besides him Wright State does lack a scoring punch on the offensive end and they struggle to guard more athletic teams (see: Indiana), which is why I believe they will have a problem tonight against Richmond. Richmond is led by 6-1 do-it-all point guard Kevin Anderson, who captured the Atlantic 10 player of the year as a sophomore, tested the NBA waters last year, and returned for his senior season. Besides Anderson, the Spiders have a big, strong player up front in 6-10 senior center Justin Harper and 6-9 senior Dan Geriot, while 6-1 freshmen guard Cedrick Lindsay has provided some necessary scoring. Wright State will really have to slow the ball down and rebound well to stay in this one, but I think Richmond will have a little too much firepower and athleticism for the Raiders.

Georgia Tech (3-1) vs. UTEP (3-1), Legends Classic, 6:00 PM:

Georgia Tech junior g/f Iman Shumpert has been searching and searching for a true identity ever since he showed up in Atlanta just over two years ago. Being a McDonald’s All American put a lot of pressure and expectations on this Illinois native, but this should be the year that Shumpert throws his breakout party. He combines a unique blend of elite level athleticism, good floor vision, and a lengthy frame all with his ability to get to the rim. His backcourt partners Glen Rice Jr. and Mfon Udofia will both need to continue to play at a high level when the Yellow Jackets take the floor against UTEP. Fresh off a win against New Mexico State, UTEP has had this potential matchup circled on their calendar for a while. Led by guards Randy Culpepper and Christian Polk, the Miners have enough talent in their backcourt to stick around with Georgia Tech. They will need to contain sophomore forward Brian Oliver if they want to really make a push against the Yellow Jackets, a task that is easier said than done. Oliver has averaged a solid 12 points and over 5 rebounds per game so far and seems to be somewhat of a matchup problem every time he steps on the floor. Look for this game to be a tremendous backcourt battle all night long.

Saturday November 27th

Dayton (5-0) at Cincinnati (4-0), 7:00 PM:

Although Dayton lost a few players from last year’s unbelievably athletic squad (every starter had a 40” vertical or above), this year’s team hopes to keep the defensive intensity alive and build off last year’s NIT championship win. This in state bragging rights game has the potential to be a fireworks show for one simple reason: Chris “Top Flight” Wright. Wright seems to be bringing the rim down every time he goes up for a dunk and is easily one of the best athletes in the country. His football-type frame allows him to guard multiple positions on the court, making himself a matchup nightmare for anyone who has the unlucky privilege to be guarded by him. Junior forward Yancy Gates will probably be that privileged individual. Look for him to lead Mick Cronin’s squad in their post-Lance Stevenson era. They will need huge efforts from Cashmere Wright and Chicago native Dion Dixon if they want to take down the Flyers. Sean Kilpatrick may be the x-factor for the Bearcats. If he pours in double digit numbers off the bench like he has done in most games this season, the Bearcats will have a chance to hold onto their share of the Ohio bragging rights.

Davidson (2-2) at Rhode Island (4-2), 2:00 PM:

In a battle that involves two coaches that have been around the block before, Davidson and Rhode Island could both desperately use this out of conference victory. Davidson is led by Head Coach Bob McKillop’s son, senior guard 6-1 Brendan Mckillop (who played alongside Stephen Curry), who averages 13.5 points per game but is also a reliable distributor. Sophomore center 6-10 Jake Cohen is relied upon to anchor the middle for Davidson, while 6-7 freshman swingman De’Mon Brooks has proved to be an immediate contributor for the Wildcats, averaging 11.8 points (on 60% shooting) and 5.5 boards. The Rhode Island Rams are also led by a senior, but theirs is a dominant 6-7 swing forward named Delroy James, who has started the year off hot by averaging 21.3 points on 50% shooting to go along with 6.2 boards per contest. Nikola Malesevic is the Rams 6-7 Serbian swing player who is more than capable of knocking down the long range shot but is still getting used to rebounding the ball every night, as his average of 2.8 boards per game shows. The x-factor for Davidson this season so far has been the play of 6-1 sophomore Akeem Richmond, who comes off the bench with a sniper in his back pocket that he is willing to use, yet needs more control with. The key to this game will probably come down to three point percentage (Davidson is 27% on the year while URI is 37%) and free throw percentage (Davidson is 65% while URI is a little better at 73%). The home court advantage will also obviously help URI.

Arizona (4-0) at Kansas (4-0), Las Vegas Invitational, 10:30 PM:

These two historic college basketball teams are 4-0, but one of them has to gain a notch in the L column after this game and I don’t think it’s going to be the Jayhawks, who are playing fantastic basketball out of the gate. Arizona has improved from last season, and will continue to do so under second year Head Coach Sean Miller. Their young nucleus of impact players includes dominant 6-8 small forward Derrick Williams, 6-3 guard Kyle Fogg (who leads the team with 5.5 apg), their much improved center Kyril Natyazhko, 6-6 sophomore forward Solomon Hill, 6-1 scoring lead guard Lamont Jones, and their 6-7 senior leader Jamelle Horne. Unfortunately for this growing team, they will face a mature Kansas team that has been playing awesome basketball so far this year behind junior forward Marcus Morris, who has looked much more mature with the basketball in his hands at all times for the Jayhawks. And even though Marcus has averaged 5.3 boards per game, his twin brother Markieff has more than atoned for this with an 11 rpg average so far. Adding to this versatile collage of big men is sophomore Thomas Robinson, who has looked like a new player in his second year under Head Coach Bill Self. Their backcourt isn’t too shabby either, with Tyshawn Taylor, Elijah Johnson, Mario Little, Tyrell Reed, and Brady Morningstar all doing their fair share to win ball games. Kansas might be tested early by a hungry Arizona team, but in the end I think that their superior talent and experience will overwhelm the Wildcats in Las Vegas.

Sunday November 28th

Florida (4-1) at Florida State (5-0), 7:30 PM:

If you want to see a matchup of athletes on the interior, you had better find a way to watch this game on Sunday evening that features the top two schools in the state of Florida. Florida State is led by 6-9 junior forward Chris Singleton, who returned to college to prove that he can turn his potential into production—so far it has worked, as he has averages of 17.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2 assists, and an astounding 3.4 steals, and 3 blocks per game. After playing with the team USA practice squad this summer, Singleton seems to be putting it all together in his third (and probably last) season with the Seminoles. 6-11 junior Xavier Gibson might be raw, but he provides FSU with a big body inside to bang against Florida’s giants. Senior guard Derwin Kitchen should matchup with Kenny Boynton and could cause problems for the sophomore with his size, athleticism, and length on the perimeter. Florida will have to use their full court pressure wisely in this one, as well as swinging the ball and being patient on offense. Erving Walker will have to be precise with his decision making in this one, and the Florida bigs will have to be extremely stingy on the interior. The x-factor in this one is Chandler Parsons. If he finds a way to stay involved rather than fade into the shadows, I think Florida walks away with a win. If not, the potential “upset” could occur.

Creighton (3-1) at Northwestern (3-0), 8:30 PM:

Forget about the “Is this finally the year” talk for Northwestern. Forget about the fact that stud Kevin Coble elected to forego his senior year with the Wildcats. Forget about the fact that Northwestern is 328th in the country in rebounds per game (29.3). Forget about all of that, and think about this: John Shurna is the best player that no one seems to talk a lot about, and Drew Crawford can make his case for being one of the most underappreciated players in the country. Shurna flat out produces for the Wildcats and should make a strong push for Big-10 First Team. This Wildcat team is flat out dangerous with weapons at almost every position. Michael “Juice” Thompson takes the title of floor general and provides the necessary toughness and leadership that every team desires. Creighton head coach Greg McDermott hopes his squad bounces back after a heartbreaking loss 91-88 to Iowa State, the team he coached for the past four seasons. Junior guard Antoine Young and McDermott’s son, Doug McDermott, have to crank up the intensity on Sunday or they will get run over by a hungry Northwestern team. Look for those two players to take on a bulk of the challenge for the Bluejays, along with seniors Kenny Lawson Jr, Darryl Ashford, and Kaleb Korver. Make no mistake about it; Northwestern is a team on a mission. As good as Young and co. can be this year, Northwestern should be too much for the Bluejays to handle.

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Final Score: Indiana 107, Los Angeles 80

The Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Clippers are more similar than you think. They are just in different stages. An easy testament to this is the starting lineups that hit the hardwood last night. With Chris Kaman and Baron Davis out, the Clippers youth struggled while the Pacers are proving that they have come a long way from their rookie seasons.

Eric Bledsoe, Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan for the Clippers.

T.J. Ford, Brandon Rush, Danny Granger, Josh McRoberts, and Roy Hibbert for the Pacers.

On one side you have players that need game experience, that have to go through trial and error so that they can learn how to play basketball and succeed at the highest level. On the other hand you haveplayers who have been through all of the losing, been through many of the learning processes that take place at the NBA level. In many ways the Pacers are what the Clippers hope to become—a franchise that nurtures its players and attains success through successful drafting, being patient while they marinate in the system, and picking up veterans that can help their team along the way.

Eric Gordon‘s return to Indiana last night, which was filled with highs (this dunk and some very nice early jumpers) and lows (5-17 from the field, Brandon Rush knocking in trey after trey on him) was overshadowed by his teams literal non-stop struggles from game to game this season. Two nights ago Michael Beasley lit the team up for 33, including the game winning jumper with under a second to play.

In the locker room before the game I overheard Willie Warren and Eric Bledsoe discussing how it seems that somebody is scoring 30+ points on them every night (Actually just 5/12 times this season). But when you lose 12 out of 13 games to start the year, I guess that’s just how you feel.

On the other hand, the Pacers are 5-5. This win put them right back at .500, a hurdle that the team hopes to clear and stay over. They are second behind Chicago in the Central division, and their role players are coming together around their star player Danny Granger.

“We wanted to do it on the defensive end. We accomplished that goal, shot the ball well, and we knew that after losing that game the other night that we wanted to get back to .500 and we took care of business,” said the All-Star small forward who dropped 22 points, and also made things very difficult for Eric Gordon on the other end.

For the Pacers, the matured mindset is beginning to show itself in the form of more consistent play night-in, night-out and more victories.

Unfortunately for the Clippers, the victories are a long ways away. Maybe their head coach put it best: “It’s always a battle but we have good guys,” said Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro. “We’ve had a tough go of it early on in the season with the injuries and the young guys getting valuable experience. We just got to stick together, keep working, and hopefully we’ll get some guys back so that we can start playing better on both ends—especially the defensive end.”

The post Game Notes: Clippers at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

The college basketball season is here, which means so is the season of constant evaluations of these players about their potential for the future. When I do these evaluations, the goal isn’t just to talk about how these players can dominate the NBA in the future. No. The goal of these evaluations (which will be posted more and more often in my first full season with SLAMonline) is to discuss what makes these players unique and why they will even be in the conversation when all the “draft guru’s” begin discussing them. It is important not to judge a player by one game, but there are certain things that you can pull out of each particular performance. The following evaluations took place from midnight on Monday night until about 1 am on Wednesday morning. Needless to say, the action was jam-packed.

Perry Jones, Freshman, Baylor University: Mid-range jumpers from the elbow, skillful catches in transition for easy lay-ins (after running the floor hard), and timely blocks on the defensive end are some of the ways he effects the game. Most of it doesn’t even come in the box score yet, but in time it should come in much larger quantities than the 12-point, 11-rebound, 4-block double-double. The things that impressed me the most about watching the immensely gifted, 6-11 Jones in just his second game were the pride and focus that he played with, in just his second game. I liked his body language throughout the contest and the fact that he didn’t force his offense, even though he shot 6-14. The makes, boards, and blocks will come—right now he just needs to focus on getting to the right spots on the floor at the right times. The rest should follow suit for Jones.

Shelvin Mack, Junior, Butler University: He is a 6-1 point guard that flat out makes his team better by doing everything on the court. He is more than capable of setting up his teammates, but for this Butler team he will be relied upon to carry the scoring load against better teams more so than he did in previous years. He set his teammates up for success early on, but his teammates weren’t knocking down shots. In the first half Mack scored 17 points on 5-11 shooting with 5 rebounds and an assist, which accounted for all but 4 of Butler’s 23 first half points. He finished with 25 points on 8-17 shooting, and his Butler team was overmatched in its first test of the season.

Kenny Boynton, Sophomore, University of Florida: A 6-2 guard with a score-first mentality, Boynton can fill it up with a diverse combination of mid-range shots, getting to the rim, and a newly improved three-point shot. His freshly enhanced jumper would be greatly aided by increased consistency shooting the ball and an upgraded ability to make plays for his teammates, as far as the NBA is concerned, but Boynton is a special scorer who is more than worth tracking for NBA GM’s.

Chandler Parsons, Junior, University of Florida: With excellent size and the ability to handle the basketball with a steady ease, Parsons can make things on the floor happen in a (much talked about) Kyle Singler-esque way, without as consistent of a jumper—both mid-range and from three (a BIG difference). His maturity is nice to see—he doesn’t press the issue and swings the ball at the right time, but can score enough to keep the defense honest to his diverse scoring arsenal and passing abilities. Still, though, Florida could have used a more aggressive Parsons last night against Ohio State.

Scoop Jardine, Sophomore, Syracuse University: In a game that many didn’t expect to be as tight as it was, Scoop simply took the game over from start to finish for his team, and it needed him to do so badly. In some cases the numbers don’t tell the story, but this masterpiece by the versatile and maturing guard captures the show quite well: 27 points on 11-18 shooting (4 treys), 8 assists, 5 steals, 1 block and 3 turnovers. Jardine didn’t have the most consistent year last year, but look for him to take matters into his hands a bit more this season for an Orange team in need of a leader.

Jared Sullinger, Freshman, Ohio State University: The big-bodied power forward has amazing hands and will give you bruises when going up for the basketball on a rebound or a loose ball. When he gets the ball in the post he is composed with the basketball, extremely steady/balanced, can put the ball up over both shoulders, and is decisive—in the sense he that reads the defense and reacts to the situation accordingly. Sullinger is the biggest reason that Ohio State will be a factor to win a championship this season because he gives them a go-to option on the inside and an extremely solid defender on the inside. I was always impressed whenever I watched him in high school, and watching him last night against the senior laden Florida squad that has National Championship aspirations. Talk about convincing the scouts early… (Note: Sullinger had 6 dunks and a few other lay-ins.)

The post College Player Notes appeared first on SLAM.

Over the last few years on the AAU scene, almost nobody improved at a more rapid pace than Kadeem Jack. Jack is a power forward with amazing footwork, awesome length, added mass, and a versatile game, which is why he models his game after players such as Scottie Pippen (favorite player), Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom and Carmelo Anthony.

With the ability to step out and hit the mid-range jumper with increasing consistency, excellent timing when blocking shots, and soft hands around the hoop, Jack has all the tools to make an immediate impact on the next level, and beyond. Kadeem knows that it might sound cliché, but he “wants to take basketball as far as any one man can take it,” something that he understands will take tons of hard work and sacrifice to achieve.

He has only been playing basketball since the age of 14, but one thing is certain: Jack has shown that he has the sheer determination of a winner.

SLAM: How old were you and what was the adjustment like when you first moved here from Jamaica? Why and how did you move here to begin with?

KJ: I was born in Jamaica, Queens and moved to Trinidad when I was 3 because my mother was too young and couldn’t take care of me so I stayed there until I was 12 and moved back up here to Lefrak City with my mom as soon as her life kinda got stable enough to take care of me. The adjustments for me would have to be the food and the fast lifestyle. I was kinda going crazy on how everything was right there and the freedom kids at my age had.

SLAM: What was your learning curve like with regards to first, life here in the States? What were some of the things that you immediately took a liking to and what took some time to become acquainted with?

KJ: I didn’t really have a huge learning curve because I had been up here to the states on previous occasions so it wasn’t that hard. I did take a liking to pizza and the first month or two it was all I ate. It took me some time to get acquainted with the attitudes of New Yorkers [laughs].

SLAM: It is well documented that before you moved here you paid much more attention to the game of soccer than you did to basketball. Why was this the case and what was your original impression of basketball?

KJ: I played soccer because it is the main sport in Trinidad and it was fun. At the time basketball seemed boring and pointless.

SLAM: You played for one of the best high school coaches in the country in Maurice Hicks at Rice High School. I know that he enhanced your development in numerous ways. What areas did he impact the most and how?

KJ: Coach Hicks deeply impacted my concentration to defense he made it fun to the point where it helped me set the tone of the whole game. He also brought me around great players such as Kemba Walker and Durand Scott and it definitely gave me the work ethic and the attitude I have on the hardwood.

SLAM: When you were going into your sophomore year is about the time when I met you at the Gauchos gym. I saw the fluidity that you had for the game of basketball and was impressed, but was even more impressed with your work ethic and willingness to take criticism. How did you develop such a willingness to listen to the people around you?

KJ: It was easy to want to learn because I saw what all these top players around me was getting and I understood my potential so I knew if I just kept my mouth shut and ears open and worked hard I could one day gain the recognition of the players I saw in front of me.

SLAM: Also at this time, your game was beginning to be noticed by all the scouting services. You struggled at times; you still had a lot of room for improvement, and you knew it. What areas did you know that you had to improve upon and how did you do so?

KJ: I knew all areas of my game needed to be improved because I felt disappointment when I wasn’t playing but when I did I couldn’t produce in the way I wanted to. So defense was the first area I focused on and everything came after.

SLAM: You started to show strides in your junior season. What was it like playing against such high caliber competition in NYC and other areas of the country as your game was still developing?

KJ: It was all great in molding me into the player I am today because much of my season was up and down. It’d seem like I turned the corner one game and the next game it’d seem like I was back in the funk and it helped that Coach Hicks put that pressure on me showing no compassion for how long I had been playing the sport for he made me step up a lot. Then playing guys all across the country, that basically made me feel like I didn’t belong on the court with them and just helped my drive to become better

SLAM: During AAU season after your junior year is when even more schools took notice. What was this period like for you and how did it feel that your hard work was paying dividends?

KJ: When I finally started getting some of the recognition that craved it felt great but it wasn’t even close to what I truly wanted so it motivated me even more because I got that taste of what hard work does. Then when I had summer school when AAU season started I tried to find the positive in all that and I did I stayed home and worked out at least 2 times a day, ran the track in my neighborhood, got up a lot of shots, and just waited for my senior season to start.

SLAM: Next up is your senior season. You were being recruited by a lot of high major schools but then schools like Kentucky and UNC jumped on the bandwagon and things really heated up to a different degree. Rumors were everywhere about you committing and everybody wanted to know what was going on. What was that like for you?

KJ: My senior season I started getting recognition for what I did during the summer but I went into the season planning to do a prep year… but then I just started doing things even I didn’t know I could do. Things started becoming second nature and I was finally playing up to the level I wanted and almost every school came knocking but I still had prep school in mind because I was playing off of athleticism and less skill so I felt like one more year would give me that extra part of my game. But then UNC and Kentucky came in and it showed me I was truly ready to play on any level I chose to and it made my drive even stronger because I knew with one more year to get more acquainted with basketball I could be going into college ready for anything.

SLAM: On September 3^rd you committed to Rutgers University and Coach Mike Rice. What do you see in the future of this program and why did you commit there?

KJ: I committed to Rutgers and coach Mike Rice sold me on what he was trying to do which was turn the program around and he felt I was the kind of player to be a centerpiece to what he was trying to do and I decided that I wanted to be a part of that plan.

SLAM: How do you see yourself contributing at Rutgers and do you see yourself as an impact player right off the bat?

KJ: I can only go to Rutgers to work hard and try to get better every day I’m there and when the games start me and my teammates go out and leave everything on the floor. As far as my impact I think if I keep on the track that I am I can make a huge impact with this team right away.

SLAM: You recently left South Kent. You told me on the phone that you were having trouble adjusting up there. It’s not for everybody and it clearly wasn’t for you. What are your plans for the rest of this year?

KJ: I decided to enroll at Rutgers in January then red shirt and prepare for the year me and the freshman coming in have ahead of us.

The post Kadeem Jack Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

The Nuggets came out of the gate looking sluggish, just as most teams do on the second end of a back-to-back. But from the opening tip, the Pacers seemed to get whatever shot they wanted at the basket.

Indiana missed some of these attempts early, but still rode their excellent ball movement. The Nuggets’ lack of enthusiasm on the defensive end led to a 59-49 lead at the half. The Pacers were just getting started, though.

The third quarter of this game was one of the most entertaining quarters of basketball that we have ever seen. They shot 20-21 (yes, 95 percent) from the floor. When you compare their three-point shooting (8-9, 89 percent) and their free-throw shooting (6-9, 67 percent) you can see just how rare of a feat they produced.

In one of the most entertaining blowouts we’ve ever seen, Indiana put up 144 points and the game was a technical knockout midway through the third quarter.

PREGAME

– We get off to a weird start at the stadium — the sound for the Pacers’ intro takes a minute to start working, the internet wouldn’t connect, twitter isn’t tweeting, and we have a mini TV as our commentator. What’s going on?

FIRST QUARTER

– And Roy Hibbert is down in the corner. He went down to the floor after he fouled a Nugget and was grabbing his face but got right back up.

– Mike Dunleavy, you need to hit wide-open threes. You’ve missed three amazing looks already with 7:30 left in the first.

– Danny Granger and Darren Collison are hot early. The small forward has 8 points and the point guard has 6, which account for all of the Pacers points halfway through the first quarter as they lead 14-13.

– Roy Hibbert having tons of trouble early between a travel after trailing the break, going down, and another travel in the post.

– Josh McRoberts is shoots a three without hesitation (Note: Not for the last time tonight).

– Al Harrington “We don’t miss you” chant. Makes you reminisce to Reggie’s days. Wow.

– Collison still going strong. 10 already.

– Britney Spears “Hit me Baby One More Time” during a timeout, enough said.

– 20-19 Pacers with the Nuggets still pretty much going through the motions.

– Good ball-movement by Nuggets leads to a Gary Forbes three in the corner. Speaking of Forbes, he’s one of the feel good stories of the League after playing in Europe for a few years after college.

– Everything Darren Collison does is working for Indy. Just knocked down a corner trey and finishes as the leading scorer with 13 points through one, propelling the Pacers to a 27-25 first quarter.

SECOND QUARTER

– McRoberts just banged one inside like he was still playing for Duke to start the second.

– Brandon Rush with a leaning jumper toward the rim. He followed the friendly carom and slammed it home.

– Rush with a 17-foot jumper from the left side and another jumper at the top of the key after pulling up on JR Smith. TJ Ford off to the races and Indiana has their biggest lead at 9 points, 39-30.

– Almost no defense by the Nuggets thus far on their second game of a back-to-back. Rotations are slow, especially collapsing when the ball gets into the paint leading to open threes and uncontested layups.

– Dunleavy 0-4 on threes, another short shot.

– Shooters keep shooting, though, and now he’s 1-5. Pacers 44-32.

– I wish every young basketball fan could have seen what Tyler Hansbrough just did on that possession. He was being boxed out by Nene and Al Harrington and willed his way to the ball and got two-straight offensive rebounds. He had to rip one from Nene’s hands, and he fell out of bounds saving the other one. After the possession was over, he got a standing ovation for his hustle. That, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly how basketball should be played.

– Melo shows why he’s so special on the offensive end, knocking down a tough fade-away jumper for the Nuggets from 20.

– Pacers open up biggest lead of the night on a Darren Collison lay-up. No contention at all from the Nuggets front court. 57-44 with 2:40 left.

– Melo with a mail-it-in jumper from short corner with a hand in his face.

– Halftime the Nuggets found themselves down 59-49, still with a chance to climb back into this game despite getting killed on the boards (28-17).

HALFTIME

– Gary Forbes was the first player out of the locker room and was shooting threes the whole time. He was very focused (Note: He said during the postgame that he is always the first one out of the locker room because that’s what players like him must do to prove themselves — constantly work hard).

THIRD QUARTER

– Pacers continue to do what as they please on offensive end to start the quarter, to say the least…

– This third quarter turned out to be the highest scoring quarter in franchise history for the Pacers. They literally didn’t miss until the final buzzer, pouring in 54 points on 20-21 shots (the only other misses were the the potential 36-38th points of this streak at the free-throw line) in the whole third quarter. This is the most accurate display of shooting you could ever imagine. Nobody in the stadium can believe their eyes. The Nuggets obviously cannot keep up with this scoring barrage and it would actually be impossible for the Pacers to be playing less defense than the Nuggets. 113-76 after this weird display of accuracy. WTF just happened. Did the Mayans screw the calendar up? Is the world ending tonight?

– At least Gary Forbes is playing consistently, right Denver fans?

– MIKE DUNLEAVY could not feel his face right during this quarter. AT ALL. HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS.

– The “He’s on fire” chant from the Pacers fans is the biggest understatement possible. He’s hotter than the Earth’s core. 7-7 from the floor, 5-5 from three for 24 points in the quarter. Whatever we said earlier about his missing open shots must have circulated around the stadium and gotten back to him because he just defied every force in this world this quarter.

– After our pre-game debacle and what has been going on this quarter, we stand by our first statement. Is this the twilight zone?

FOURTH QUARTER

– We are informed that the Indiana Pacers just scored the fourth-most points ever in a quarter. The record is 58 points.

– I think I just saw Carmelo walk off the bench to the locker room. No but seriously, let’s just say that Melo probably wants to get out of Denver slightly more after tonight.

– How badly will Denver lose? 119-84 with 10 to go.

– 128-96 after a Brandon Rush pull-up trey. 5:40 left.

– 131-100 after a Paul George triple.

– Hansbrough jumper makes it 135-102. Three minutes to go.

– Did you know that there is a Hibby shake? “Do the Hibby-Hibby shake” has an unprecedented two-minute music video (See below–Ed.). We have seen it all tonight.

– 144-113 final. WTF.

In case you were wondering, here is the list of shots the Pacers made, in order, during their record breaking streak:

– Granger 20-foot jump shot
– Hibbert seven-foot running jump shot
– Dunleavy three-point jump shot
– Granger two-foot layup
– Dunleavy three-point jump shot
– Collison three-point jump shot
– Granger three-point jump shot
– Collison two-foot layup
– Hibbert eight-foot jump shot
– Collison 15-foot Jump shot
– Granger layup alley-oop
– Dunleavy goes 2-3 from the free throw line
– Dunleavy three-point jump shot
– Dunleavy three-point jump shot
– Dunleavy goes 3-3 from the free-throw line
– Dunleavy three-point jump shot
– Dunleavy 19-foot jump shot
– Rush three-point jump shot

The post Game Notes: Nuggets at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

Standing at 6-1, 175 pounds, Brett Harvey was one of the most overlooked point guards in college basketball the last four years. A very cerebral player, Harvey worked extremely hard over the course of his career at Loyola University and by the time he was done was the unquestioned face of the program.

Although he neither had eye-popping statistics nor led his team to the NCAA Tournament, Harvey had several clutch games and, most importantly, played the game with passion, pride, and commitment toward being the best he could possibly be.

SLAM: You started off at Clarkstown North outside of NYC. What AAU teams did you play for when you were growing up and how did you figure out that basketball was something you wanted to pursue with your life?

Brett Harvey: I played for Metro Hawks, NYC Rise Panthers and the Rockland Rockets. I had been playing basketball my entire life, and playing in college was always my goal. Once I got to college my college coach told me from my freshman year that I will be able to play professionally once I graduate.

SLAM: I know you played in the Empire State Games. What was that experience like for you?

BH: The Empire State Games was a fun experience. I played two years for the Hudson valley team. It was fun playing on a team with guys who played on rival teams in my college league.

SLAM: What were your options for college when you were a senior in high school? What made you choose Loyola?

BH: A few of the schools I was recruited by was Manhattan College, UMass, GW, Quinnipiac and James Madison. I originally committed to Manhattan but Coach Bobby Gonzalez went to Seton Hall, I had to re-open my recruiting and chose Loyola. I chose Loyola cause they were an up and coming team and really liked the coaching staff.

SLAM: Your college career was pretty steady. It seems as if you took on a little bit more of a scoring role as your career went on. Discuss your mindset throughout your time at Loyola.

BH: My first year I was mainly the point guard. My job was to get the scorers the ball where they can do something with it. As a sophomore I played the one and the two. I was able to look for my shot more and be more aggressive. Then my last two years I was asked to score more and be the leader of the team.

SLAM: What are some of your most memorable times at Loyola?

BH: Some of my most memorable times at Loyola were beating Siena and Niagara in Overtime which were both overtime wins, a buzzer beater I hit against Marist to send the game into overtime and when we beat Indiana on their home floor. (Note: Glad I missed this game thanks to Winter break– JB)

SLAM: How did you initially realize that you could pursue a professional career in Israel? What was the experience of going through a tryout overseas like?

BH: My coach Jimmy Patsos told me for four years that I will play in Israel once I’m done at Loyola. I am an Israeli citizen so that made it easier also. I had a try out in Miami with 40 other players. I was nervous before it started but once we started playing ball I felt comfortable and got the job.

SLAM: What is your Macabi Haifa team like (playing style, other players, personal expectations/experiences) thus far?

BH: We have a very good team this year. We can play many styles, we can run and get easy baskets or we can slow it down cause of our strong inside game. We are one of the toughest teams in Israel so a championship is our goal. We are also in Euro Challenge which we will have us traveling all year and add on a bunch of games.

SLAM: What was it like to play against the New Jersey Nets in New Jersey, probably in front of your family and friends?

BH: It was great playing the Nets. It’s something I will never forget

SLAM: What do you like about Israel so far, off the court?

BH: It’s a real easy transition for me cause everyone here speaks English. They are all big basketball fans so they are very nice to us and help us out if we need anything. It’s nice also that we live at the beach.

The post Brett Harvey Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

FIRST QUARTER

– Baseline view, Drew Gooden lent his go-tee to John Salmons for tonight (just kidding).

– Indiana Pacers intro video is interesting… to say the least. They pass the ball around on the streets of Indy while chasing a metal creature. Don’t worry, though. They finally kill it with a Roy Hibbert chest pass and start their introductions.

– Brandon Jennings with a nice hesitation move early. His ball handling skills are so far beyond his years. Looks like a kid with a yoyo.

– John Salmons with his first touch at the 8:43 mark. He needs to be more involved if they want to be a factor in this game.

– Pacers using a lot of flex type movements along the baseline. The high post player isn’t trying to force the pass, but sometimes is missing the open man.

– The atmosphere here is like a high school/European game with the small but rowdy Bucks fans holding up big flags during the break and chanting with the Pacers section back and forth. “You can’t do that!” “What’s a Pacer?” “Sit down Shut up!”- aimed at Drew Gooden when he got his technical at the 4:53 mark in the second quarter, “You got traded!” and “Brandon is better!”- both aimed at Darren Collison while he was at the free throw line with around 1 minute to go, are all chanted back and forth between teams. The Milwaukee Bucks brought down a nice sized crowd that is really into the game. Hibbert blows them a kiss after they chant “Bogut’s Better!”

– Pacers on top 20-18 after one. The Bucks are hanging around despite shooting 6-24 (25 percent).

– For all of you Darren Collison fans: He likes books over magazines, Pac-man over Donkey Kong, apples over bananas, retro over new school, and hates rain and snow. Interesting.

SECOND QUARTER

– Corey Magettee with the play of the game, no doubt. He dunked right over 6-10 Solomon Jones and made it look easy. We’ve come to the conclusion that he is quite a strong guy for a 6-5 shooting guard.

– The Pacers do human hamster racing during a timeout with their mascot called Boomer sliding across the floor in front of them. Pretty entertaining.

– Keyon Dooling keeps it going with his third triple in as many attempts while Danny Granger hit two straight shots (8 points) to get on track as well.

– Jennings makes some plays that are Iverson-esque. His ability to elude contact and turn his body multiple times in the air makes him look like he is in a video game.

– Collison hit a 33-foot buzzer beater while fading to his left to push the Pacer lead to a game-high 8 points, 60-52.

THIRD QUARTER

– Jennings triple ignited the Bucks after trading baskets and turnovers for the first few five minutes of the third quarter. After a Pacers turnover the Bucks pulled to within two, 66-64 after a Salmons triple on the right side.

– Another Salmons triple from the same spot cuts the lead to one, 68-67.

– I’ve caught myself staring at the Bucks bench about 13 times already thinking “what if Kelvin Sampson was still coaching at IU?” Well, I would have had very exciting basketball to watch the last three years, that’s what.

– A personal 8-0 run consisting of a Euro-step, lefty finish combo, corner trey ball, and wing trey by rookie Paul George pushed the lead back to 76-67 with under a minute to go in the period.

– A Maggette jumper and a free throw by Luc Mbah a Moute made the deficit more manageable heading into the fourth, 76-70 in favor of the Pacers.

FOURTH QUARTER

– Milwaukee goes on a 6-0 run to start the quarter and take their first lead of the half before James Posey knocked down a triple of his own. After a Maggette jumper the score is 79-79.

– The Bucks have relied on John Salmons to create buckets in the middle portion of the fourth. He’s producing buckets and getting to the line.

– Did Mike Dunleavy and Roy Hibbert just run a basketball version of Iniesta and Messi’s give-and-go ability in futbol? I think they did.

– After an Ersan Ilyasova triple and a Jennings steal and lay-in, the Bucks are in control with a 90-85 lead with 3:27 to go.

– Who do the Pacers go to in crunch time? Granger misfires on two consecutive possessions—a contested jumper after driving right and a three on the left wing.

– Great drive and dish by Salmons to Mbah a Moute puts Bucks ahead 92-86. Looks bleak for Indiana faithful’s.

– Darren Collison taking matters into his own hands. After sinking two free throws he stole the ball on the Bucks ensuing possession and finished at the rim. 92-90 Bucks with 1:00 to play.

– Granger misses a one dribble pull-up from the wing with 26 seconds to go.

Salmons fouled at the rim with five seconds to play. He hits them both and Bucks escape with a hard fought 94-90 W on the road after being down most of the game.

POSTGAME

Paul George on if he’s gaining a better feel for the NBA game:

“I’m just trying to be more assertive and more aggressive when I get the ball. It’s a lot easier for people to guard you when you’re passive. I don’t want to be the guy who defenders want to guard.”

George on the main difference from college ball to pro ball:

“The players. These guys are the most athletic, the biggest, the fastest, and the smartest players in the world. That’s a huge difference between the low-mid major level teams I went up against every game last year.”

Corey Maggette on the dunk:

“I didn’t even know I made it. I felt something crunch in my mouth, so I thought my tooth got knocked out. Then I stepped up to the line and the ref said, ‘One shot!’ and I was shocked. I missed the free-throw though, so I was too pissed about that to really know what happened.”

The post Game Notes: Bucks at Pacers appeared first on SLAM.

Shane Larkin, a 5-11 senior point guard from Orlando, FL, plays the game of basketball with a true lead guard’s mentality. Although he might be a little undersized compared to some of the taller point guards who have rapidly been flying through the pipelines, he damn sure doesn’t care; he makes up for his lack of size with an unbelievable basketball IQ, relentless heart, more than adequate long-range shooting ability, and the ability to change speeds at will—especially under pressure.

The son of former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, Shane shares the same humbleness and determination as his father. Shane committed to college on October 19, and he is more than ready to help a program that is in much need of a boost.

SLAM: First off, congratulations on your recent commitment to DePaul University. How was the recruitment and what stood out about DePaul?

Shane Larkin: Coach Purnell was recruiting me ever since he was at Clemson and he told me he thought I would be great in there style of play. Recruiting was always a good feeling when you have several coaches calling you telling you that you are there guy and they want to make you the face of the program. The thing that stood out about DePaul was that they just kept it real. There was no guard or player that they recruited behind my back and they told me even if they were recruiting another player the same position as me. Also the city of Chicago is a sports city so WHEN we get it going at DePaul we will fill up All State Arena with the 17,500 that it fits. Another good thing was that Chicago is only four hours away from a lot of my family that stay in Cincinnati, Ohio.

SLAM: What other schools were recruiting you and what was different about their recruiting tactics?

SL: A lot of schools recruited me but it came down to Colorado, USF, UCF, Boston College and George Mason. They all did a good job about recruiting me but all of the other schools had things to say about each other. Especially DePaul. I heard DePaul is going to be the toughest to win at blah, blah, blah… The thing is that those schools thought they were effectively recruiting for themselves but they were actually helping DePaul. I am a competitor so telling me that something cannot be done is just going to make me want it even more.

SLAM: Coach Oliver Purnell ran a devastating press at Clemson. From your point of view, how do you see DePaul using that press and playing in general?

SL: I think it will have the same effect as it does in the Big East than it did in the ACC. Louisville is always a successful program and they are the only team that presses in the Big East. So I think DePaul’s press can also have that kind of impact and turn it around just as quick..

SLAM: From watching you this summer I saw that you were a steady floor general with long range, a nice floater and are adept as a playmaker. What did Coach Purnell say your role would be when he recruited you?

SL: Coach told me that I would come in and do just that. He says the thing that sets me apart from other guards in my class is my ability to shoot. He says whenever somebody on the team has an open shot he wants it to go up if you are capable of making it. But he also told me that i can play fast in his system but still have the composure to make the tight decision. So he says I’m just a perfect fit for his system and DePaul University.

SLAM: What player(s) would you compare your game to and why?

SL: I would compare my game to Chris Paul. The reason being is because I am a guard who can do it all. If I have to score big for my team to win I can do that. If I need to drop 15 assists and score three points I’ll do it. And that’s what Chris Paul does.

SLAM: Who were some of the mentors who helped you get where you are today and how did they help you?

SL: My Dad and my Uncle are probably the people that had the biggest impact on me. My dad went through the recruiting process and played professionally so he teaches me how to be towards situations and my uncle played basketball and he took the same route as me going to a program that isn’t as successful right now and turning it into something so he can just speak to me about the bball part of things.

SLAM: What are some of your favorite game time memories that you have from all of your experiences over the years?

SL: Some of my favorite game memories are scoring 55 and 44 points this summer and also in my high school season playing for a state title. Another good memory is when I almost had a triple double my sophomore year.

SLAM: Did you ever play any other sports competitively?

SL: I played football until my sophomore year of high school. When I played I led my pop warner team to the Super Bowl as the quarterback where we lost. And I broke my ankle freshmen year playing wide receiver which caused me to quit with basketball being too important.

SLAM: What do you like to do with your free time? What video games do you play?

SL: I just like chilling with my friends and having a good time. As far as video games I’m the man. [Laughs] Any sports game I’m good at and modern warfare.

SLAM: What’s your favorite subject in school and what do you plan on majoring in?

SL: My favorite subject is math. I’ll probably major in communications.

The post Shane Larkin Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

1. Can the New York Knicks keep up with the Celtics? The Knicks played hard last night the whole way through. They were down by 6-10 points for most of the game but they showed lots of heart on the road and didn’t let the game fully slip away from them — a very good sign. The main reasons that the Knicks lost was because they got absolutely pounded on the boards (54-38) and were 33 percent (9-27) from three-point range. Rajon Rondo continued the assist clinic that he’s been putting on that he’s been putting on through three games (17 assists per) by finding players all over in transition while the Knicks D scrambled to find their man.

2. Will DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors walk away with bragging rights after the Kings face the Nets tonight? Neither one of the big men shined, so for this one we are going to go with the player who won the game and that was Derrick Favors. Cousins had 12 points and 4 boards, but he fouled out in 21 minutes of action and the Kings definitely could have used his presence down the stretch. Favors had 10 points and 7 boards in 20 minutes of action and his team came away with the W so he seems a tad more worthy of the bragging rights.

3. How will the Heat/Magic game play out (referring to yesterdays points of interest)? (a) When Dwight put the ball on the floor the Heat helped out, but other than that they didn’t double as much as I assumed they would, but rather just as much as they had to in order to be effective. Speaking of effective, in the first half Howard showed that his post and mid-range games are truly coming along, but (d) Miami did an impeccable job of being extremely active and closing out on Orlando’s shooters (4-24 from three) while holding them to just 70 points the whole game. (c) LeBron looked much more comfortable with the basketball as well; he didn’t rush so much and he made the correct decisions most of the time scoring when necessary (15 points) and hitting the open man whenever it made the most sense (7 assists, 3 turnovers). (b) They held the Magic to just 8 offensive rebounds while collecting 14 themselves and won the total battle 37-32. Playing at home, Miami looked like a completely different team than they had during the first two games of the year on the road. Nobody has even come close to scoring 100 points on them thus far, and it should be interesting to see how long they can keep their impressive team defense at the level that it’s been at so far. Through three games they have held their opponents to 81.7 ppg while playing two of the best teams in the East. If they continue to buy into the defensive end, the results could be frightening for the rest of the NBA. Here is a great article by ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz that breaks down some of the principles the Heat are playing with on the defensive end of the floor.

TODAY’S THREE POINTS

1. Can the Pistons continue to make things interesting? Thus far, the Pistons have fought hard in their opening two games. They lost 101-98 in New Jersey and had a late lead at home against the Thunder last night before Jeff Green hit a go-ahead lay-up to seal the game 105-104. Tonight they match-up with the Bulls, a team that should be in the upper-echelon of the Eastern Conference when it’s all said and done. Can they play them close today and squeak out a W on the road or will the Bulls pummel them after a disappointing loss to OKC on the road?

2. Which winless playoff team will get back on track: the Bucks or Bobcats? In a tight one between two teams that have to get a win, I’m going to take the Bucks at home. They played their first two games on the road and will get back on track at home against a Charlotte team that handed the game away after being up late against the Pacers at home. The Bucks were 28-13 at home last year and I think they will be fired up to get a win tonight against a team that they will be competing with for a playoff spot all season long.

3. Who will have the scariest performance of the night? On the eve of Halloween, this appears to be a two team race between Philadelphia and Washington. The 76ers have been very sporadic in their first two games, falling behind early and coming back late while the Wizards flat out looked horrible against the Magic the on Thursday night. The 76ers are playing a mediocre Pacers team in Indy while the Wizards go on the road to play an Atlanta Hawks team that has been clicking on all cylinders thus far and are playing in their home opener. I think that Washington turns in a dud and loses by a frightening amount to the Hawks tonight. The aforementioned Pistons are the dark horse in this one in Chicago.

The post Three Points: Two Teams Needing A Win appeared first on SLAM.

Now we’re getting into the swing of things, and the season is starting to heat up, and fast. There are 12 games on the docket for tonight, including intriguing match-ups like Memphis at Dallas, the Clippers at the Warriors, Lakers at Suns, and the Nuggets at the Hornets. But today’s Three Points come from a few of the other games on the schedule…

1. Can John Wall top Blake Griffin’s stunning performance last night? No. Blake Griffin’s 20-point and 9-offensive rebound night really was something else. After seeing the way that he skied for the ball on Wednesday, Wall had a lot of ground to catch up on in the ROY race before his season even started. But this award is about the whole season, not one game, and John Wall showed flashes of excellence even though he appeared to be playing with teammates who didn’t understand what a good shot is (no, JaVale McGee skying across the lane like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 6 on the shot clock is not acceptable, nor is Andray Blatche launching 20-footers after one pass). Wall finished the game with 16 points and 9 assists to go along with 3 steals and 3 turnovers, equal to the amount I challenged him to stay under in yesterday’s blog. His shot selection was good, but, as Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith stated at half time, if Wall is given room to pull-up on his man (which he was and will be because of his speed) then he has to get as close to the basket as he can and elevate over the top of the defender, instead of sitting back and shooting a set-shot from 18-20 feet. Wall is much too athletic and talented to not have a real jumper (he didn’t appear to have one last night) so that is something that he should be working on relentlessly.

2. What new offensive weapons, if any, will we see from Dwight Howard? To be fair, Dwight Howard didn’t really need to showcase anything new against a putrid Washington Wizards team defense that couldn’t keep the Magic out of the paint at all. Dwight was his usual self, dunking and powering through the chests of Javale McGee and Andray Blatche whenever he pleased to the tune of 23 points and 10 boards. At the line, Howard shot 9-19 while looking as shaky as ever. We will have to keep tracking Dwight against higher quality opponents to see if he has improved his offensive repertoire, but if his FT% doesn’t improve how can the Magic go to him late in games consistently?

3. How will Steve Nash adjust from his 9-turnover first game outing? Steve Nash isn’t going to adjust. He is going to keep lobbing passes toward Hakim Warrick around the rim and looking ahead to Jason Richardson on the wings. Nash had 18 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and 5 turnovers. A big factor in how Phoenix’s season plays out is the consistency of Hakim Warrick, who had 10 points and 2 boards in the first game of the season and rebounded yesterday for an 18-point, 11-board night that included a poster over a few Jazz players. In short, it wasn’t necessarily about Nash adjusting or rebounding — I admit when I use the wrong wording — but rather learning about his new teammates strengths and weaknesses while they learn about where he expects them to be on the floor.

TODAY’S THREE POINTS

1. Can the New York Knicks keep up with the Celtics? After a summer of change in New York fans are embracing their new-look Knicks team. Nothing would help the Knicks mojo more than putting up a fight against competitive teams early in the season. New York grinded out a win on the road to open the season against Toronto but tonight they face a far superior opponent in the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have already beaten the anointed Eastern Conference favorite Miami Heat on their home floor before losing on the road to a sub-par Cleveland team, proving that they are more than capable of being beat. The Celtics have as stingy a defense as there is, so the Knicks need to use Coach D’Antoni’s break neck up-and-down pace to wear the Celtics down by constantly penetrating and dishing to open shooters and hitting Amar’e Stoudemire in the middle regularly. Raymond Felton needs to do his best to keep Rajon Rondo out of the paint, which is no easy task, and the Knicks need to crash the defensive boards hard because the Celtics have a ton of big bodies underneath. This game is a huge early season affair for the Knickerbockers and their fans.

2. Will DeMarcus Cousins or Derrick Favors walk away with bragging rights after the Kings face the Nets tonight? Ever since Derrick Favors got chosen with the second pick in the Draft this year, Cousins has voiced his alternate view on what the Nets should have done. Meanwhile, Derrick Favors seems to be shying away from highlighting their match-up. From my point of view, I understand both player’s perspectives and attitudes toward the match-up. Cousins is more of a chip-on-my-shoulder, remember everything, prove the haters wrong type of player while Derrick Favors is just trying to go out and do his job against no matter who he is playing against. These two rookies are so immensely talented and both have portions of their games that they need to improve. Cousins is an awesome passer, shoots the ball well consistently in the mid-range, and has a developing post game near the rim. He needs to work on running the floor harder and learning how to play defense without fouling, both of which should come with experience. Favors, while not as skilled as Cousins on the offensive end, is more of a hustle player at this point with the ability to pass out of the high post, make quick moves around the rim, and occasionally knock down a 15-footer. Tonight is going to be the first of many interesting match-ups between two young posts with contrasting personalities, attitudes, and games.

3. How will the Heat/Magic game play out? On the second night of a back-to-back for the Magic, they definitely have their work cut out for them on the road in the Miami Heat’s home opener in South Beach. The Magic starters won’t be tired, however, because they got enough rest on the bench last night after running up the score against the Wizards. There are a few main points that we will concentrate on within this match-up:

a) How will Miami defend Dwight Howard in the post? I think Miami will use their quickness and speed to double Dwight in the post whenever it is plausible to do so, while communicating and rotating around the perimeter in order to close out on Orlando’s shooters.

b) Will Miami be able to keep up with Orlando on the boards? The battle of the boards will be a huge factor in this game. The Heat had a tough time keeping Boston off the glass at times and is facing the most dominant rebounder in the League. Orlando also has other big bodies off the bench who might pose a problem to Miami.

c) How will LeBron adjust from his early season turnover bug? With each game LBJ is going to have a better feel for where his teammates are going to be. After two lackluster performances running the show for Miami, I expect him to begin to turn it around today.

d) Who will win the three-point battle? Miami and Orlando both aren’t shy about shooting the ball from the outside. Whoever gets hot and stays hot will gain the advantages of increased spacing and driving lanes.

Have any suggestions? Comment below or email me at JSBauman13@gmail.com.

The post Three Points: Two Rookies appeared first on SLAM.

After declaring for the NBA Draft last year as a junior but deciding to return to school for his senior year, Kevin Anderson is in prime position to lead the Richmond Spiders to March Madness.

An under control lead guard blessed with the ability to score from almost all angles, Anderson has a level-headed approach to the game. In each of his first three seasons at Richmond, Anderson has improved his scoring numbers while improving his leadership abilities.

Coach Jamal Brunt approached me about doing this story in Orlando while he was recruiting — he said that Anderson was at a small school and had earned and deserved more attention from members of the media. Thanks for the heads up, Coach Brunt, and you seem to be damn right.

If you haven’t seen KA play, then check the videos that we have below (special thanks to Mark Kwolek who made these happen).

SLAM: Coming out of high school what was recruiting like? How and why did you end up at Richmond and why did all of the bigger schools pass up on you, in your opinion?

Kevin Anderson: Recruiting out of high school was very slow. I didn’t get any interest from any school until my junior summer (being a rising senior). That is when I got my first scholarship offer to Appalachian State. Throughout my senior year in high school I received offers from UNCG, Furman, Wofford, and received interest from UGA, UCF, and Tulane. I ended up at Richmond because it was the best of both worlds; academically and basketball wise. I knew Richmond had a top tier business program that I was interested in and I knew they played in the Atlantic-10 Conference where a lot of great NBA players have played. My size and my high school is why I feel bigger schools passed up on me. I was only 5-11 and weighed 150 pounds and at a small private school for the first three years of high school. I transferred to a 5A public school my senior year and that’s when offers and interests changed for the better.

SLAM: In high school were you anywhere near the same player that you have been since your freshman year at Richmond? Did getting on campus get you into a serious frame of mind and make you realize that you have the skills to be a very impressive player.

KA: In high school I was more of a passive player. My overall game was still the same; I had all the same moves, shots, athleticism and knowledge of the game. However, once I got to college I did not want to be the same type of player I was in high-school. I wanted to be the most aggressive person on the court, so I worked on doing that and I feel that is the biggest change in my game from high-school to college.

SLAM: Each year your scoring has improved at the college level. How have you improved year in and year out? What, in particular, did you work on in between your freshman and sophomore years? What about in between your sophomore and junior years? What about this summer?

KA: Improving my scoring each year has come from the knowledge of the offense that we run. Knowledge played a big factor during my freshman and sophomores years, because as a freshman in college I didn’t know how to attack within our offense. I didn’t know how to incorporate the things I can do that helps me to score within our offense. However, my sophomore year I got the hang of it and was able to increase my scoring. Within my sophomore and junior year, it was all the freedom that the coaches gave me to try and score. They let me take chances on the court and play my game. This summer I have been working on my outside shot, court vision, speed, quickness, and my explosiveness. I believe these things will help me be more productive within our offense and effective in the open court.

SLAM: You started off your career at 3 assists per contest and that number had dropped a little the past few seasons. To play in the NBA, people are going to say that you aren’t that skilled of a passer because of your assist numbers. What do you have to say to these people?

KA: The criticism will only make me work harder on improving other aspects of my game. I have worked on my game throughout the summer and will continue working on my game this year. My game will do the talking for me.

SLAM: You seem to use a lot of hop steps and jump stops in the lane and around the rim. You use crafty floaters that a lot of players simply cannot make. How have you become so consistent with these moves? Have they always been your bread and butter in the paint or have you learned that that’s how you have to score over big men?

KA: These moves have always been my bread and butter in the paint. At times growing up that was the only way I could get my shot off in games because the big men were so much bigger than me and I was not as strong as I am now. Now instead of just going in the paint going to my bread and butter I read the defenders and let them dictate the way I will try and score on them.

SLAM: You also seem to hit a ton of tough shots-pull-ups, step-backs, long range, etc… What is your philosophy on shot selection and why do you think you are able to hit such difficult shots?

KA: I let the defenders dictate my shot selection. If they back off of me, then I will shoot the ball, If they are too close and I feel I can get by them I will drive the lane.

SLAM: Another thing that you seem to do well is push the ball up court quickly. Do you prefer an up-tempo system or do you like to play in the half court just as much?

KA: I like both styles; an up-tempo system and a half-court system as well. To be a good point guard I feel you have to be effective at both. Neither of these systems work 100% of the time so I really do not have a preference.

SLAM: On defense what are some of your strong points? Where do you thrive on this end of the court?

KA: My strong points on defense are my quickness and knowledge for the game. With my quickness I can pressure my man and make it hard for him to get to the basket, with my knowledge for the game I am able to read plays and what players want or looking for and I am able to get into passing lanes.

SLAM: What are your goals for the upcoming season both individually and team wise?

KA: Team wise I want us to win the Conference Title, Conference Tournament, get to the NCAA Tournament and get as far as possible. Individually I just want to work as hard as possible on and off the court and max out on all my potential.

SLAM: Looking past this college season, where do you see yourself? What about in five years from now?

KA: If all goes well and I work as hard as possible on and off the court maxing out on all my potential I see myself being successful. Not just successful in basketball, but in whatever I chose to do. My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA. Hopefully that opportunity will be afforded and I will make the most out of it.

SLAM: What is your major and why did you choose it?

KA: I major in Marketing; I chose marketing because of Richmond’s top tier business program and my love for money.

The post Kevin Anderson Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

The real opening night certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s time to recap the night’s events through the lens of the three points I made yesterday. Once again, I am trying to make this a daily column and will do my best to keep it up all throughout the year.

1. Who will come out of the gate ready to prove that they belong?

Teams that came out of the gate with a resounding confidence: The Golden State Warriors beat the Houston Rockets 132-128 behind Monta Ellis’ unconscious 18-24 shooting and 46 point effort along with Stephen Curry’s smooth 25 points and 11 dimes. Anybody that thought the Warriors would score less now that Don Nelson is out should think again. The Portland Trail Blazers weathered the Blake Griffin storm (20 points, 14 boards, 9 of which were on the offensive glass) on the road with balanced scoring from their starting lineup (everybody in double figures). Cleveland came out strong with a 95-87 victory behind JJ Hickson’s 21 points and 6 boards at home. Boston will surely struggle on the second night of back-to-backs this season because of their lack of youth. Atlanta looked sharp running their new offense with more movement and kept the Grizzlies, who must be disappointed with their effort, at bay for most of the contest and ran away comfortably with a 119-104 win. Despite the Pistons having seven players in double figures, the Nets proved that it is indeed a new year as they won their first game of the season 101-98 behind Brook Lopez 25 points and 9 rebounds and Devin Harris’ 22 points and 9 assists. Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki combined for 50 points on 21-26 shooting while Jason Kidd finished with 18 assists and Dallas was just too strong for the Bobcats, walking away with a 101-86 win. After a perfect preseason, the Jazz started off with a blemish to the Nuggets, who looked strong behind six players in double figures. Carmelo Anthony had 23, Arron Afflalo had 22, and Shelden Williams had 16 rebounds for Denver and they held the Jazz to 36% from the floor.

Teams that squeaked by: The Knicks got the 98-93 W but they certainly let Toronto hang around for the whole game, as Leandro Barbosa had a chance to tie the score at 96 with 3 seconds to play. New Orleans won a tight one at home with the Bucks by the score of 96-91. Chris Paul finished with 17 points and 16 assists while Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut both had double-doubles of their own for the Bucks. Sacramento pulled out a 117-116 victory on the road against the Wolves in a battle of two teams who are trying desperately to improve. Francisco Garcia and Carl Landry both had 22 points in the win while Luke Ridnour dropped 20 in the loss. San Antonio won by 13, 122-109, but for most of the game Indiana was fully engaged in the affair. Tim Duncan scored 23 and scooped 12 boards while Manu Ginobili had 22 and Tony Parker dropped 20.

2. How will the Heat bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Miami Heat looked better against the 76ers but they are still light-years away of where I expect them to be in a few weeks. Their offense hasn’t been as potent as it will be but their defense has only given up 88 and 87 points respectively on 44% and should continue to improve with reps. Dwyane Wade finally got going, scoring 30 points and LeBron James scored 14 points, had 7 assists and 6 rebounds, but he also had 9 turnovers. Through two games James has 17 turnovers, a number that he normally has over a stretch of about 4-5 games. This signals to me a few things; that he isn’t sure where all of his teammates are cutting without the basketball and that he is trying a little too hard to make things happen. As I stated yesterday, I believe the Heat will rely on their fast break and secondary break to facilitate easy points whenever possible, and I expect ‘whenever possible’ to be quite often due to their ability to create turnovers and push the ball because they have multiple players that can push the ball and make solid decisions/plays. Their half-court offense is based on Wade and LBJ’s ability to get into the lane and make plays for themselves or for others and Chris Bosh’s versatility and presence in the high post the Heat could prove to be quite unconventional this year because they do not have a true low post scorer-Bosh is not this type of player. The Heat might rely on Wade, LBJ and Bosh to get into the paint and score easy points instead of actually having a true post presence.

3. Who will win the Thunder/Bulls matchup?

I called this one pretty well. The Bulls looked great for most of the game but just didn’t have enough in the tank in the fourth quarter on the road against a Thunder team that I expect to fully dominate the competition at home this year. Kevin Durant had 15 first quarter points, slowed down a little bit in after that, and finished with 30 in the game. Russell Westbrook was dominant in every area of the game, finishing with a full stat line of 28 points (8-15 shooting), 10 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals. Derrick Rose (28 points, 6 assists, 4 boards) looked solid as well, flipping passes to cutting teammates all over the place, finishing tough reverse layups regularly, and knocking down jumpers off the dribble consistently although he did seem to press at times (not necessarily a bad thing). When the Bulls get Carlos Boozer back they are going to pose a major threat to any team in the East but until then they are going to have to fight to stay in games with other top flight teams that they face, especially on the road.

Tonight’s three points:

1. Can John Wall top Blake Griffin’s stunning performance last night? As I mentioned earlier, Griffin commanded the glass like he was a veteran yet it was only his first regular season game in the NBA. The way he rebounded and scored off of second chance opportunities in the first quarter was nothing short of breathtaking. He continued to battle for every offensive rebound throughout the rest of the game and the way in which he competes is something special. Furthermore, Griffin proved that he was more than comfortable leading the break off of a defensive rebound. In the third quarter he threaded the needle with a one-handed bounce pass on the break and looked poised bringing the ball up quickly other times. Tonight against the Magic, Wall will have some highlight reel plays scoring and assisting the basketball as usual, but the key will be how he manages the game-can he finish the game with three or less turnovers in his first outing running the show for Washington? We shall see soon enough.

2. What, if anything, kinds of new offensive weapons will we see from Dwight Howard? For comparison’s sake, at this point in his career Shaquille O’Neal had already averaged 23 points during his rookie season, 29 points twice, 26 points twice, and 28 points per game. This was all before his seventh season in the League. Dwight Howard is one hell of a force on the boards and blocking shots on the defensive end, but for him to really and truly take the next step in his game he has to develop the ability to become a go-to player at all times in the game. Will he start to knock that 15-foot banker down with more consistency or will he use hook shots across the lane more frequently? Whatever he chooses, Superman needs to continue to make strides on the offensive end because as his career average of 17.5 ppg shows, there is certainly room for development.

3. How will Steve Nash adjust from his 9 turnover first game outing? I didn’t watch the Suns first game, but by the looks of things Steve Nash got off to a somewhat shaky start in the first game of the regular season. Passes that he would normally be zipping to Amar’e Stoudemire in the middle are now going to players like Hakeem Warrick and Robin Lopez. In order for Nash to excel this season he will have to bring his teammates along slowly by teaching them about how he expects them to move without the ball while running the floor. Nash is going to throw those nifty lead passes; his teammates have to be ready for them as well.

Have any suggestions? Comment below or email me at JSBauman13@gmail.com.

The post Three Points: Can Wall Top Griffin? appeared first on SLAM.

As my first season as a member of the SLAM Fam watching and writing about all things NBA/NCAA/High School basketball kicked off last night, I got to thinking: What is one of the best ways that a college student—between projects, job searching, and everything else that consumes my life—can contribute to this website to help keep fans on the lookout for what to watch/pay attention to on the court each and every day. With my blog titled “JB For 3” I figured that the best way for me to do this would be to come up with three points to look out for during each night of basketball action. Although I won’t be able to watch every single game that I talk about, I promise to have a sound report about the points that I bring up.

The way that this will work is as follows:

– – I will come up with three points about tonight’s games before they take place.

— I will watch/read about the games, see how my points played out, and recap them.

– – The report from the previous day will debut the next day, along with three more points for that night.

– – The cycle will continue on and on and on until somebody ends up with the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the season.

I figure it’s a nice way for all of the readers to get to know me and what I am looking for each and every night. I have always yearned for this type of opportunity and look forward to making the most out of it.

And with that introduction behind me, I can get started with my first three points of the season:

1. Who will come out of the gate ready to prove that they belong? As we all know, the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. But coming out strong and showing that you are ready for the challenges of a new season is always encouraging and stumbling with a 20+ point blowout is just as discouraging (well, actually more so). Even though one game at the end of October isn’t the end-all/be-all, it certainly makes opening night that much sweeter to go home with a W while it can also be the beginning of a long season if you start on the wrong end.

2. How will the Heat bounce back against the Philadelphia 76ers? Yes, the Miami Heat lost their first game of the season against the Boston Celtics in Boston. With so many people outside of their organization discussing this loss as if it is the end of the world, LBJ, Wade, and Coach Eric Spoelstra seemed to grasp the idea that taking the whole League by storm is NOT as easy as everybody seems to think. Because Wade was out in the preseason and this group has not played in meaningful competition together, they simply do not have the rhythm or feel that is necessary for them to storm out of the gate on fire. Rather, it is games like tonight, when they are playing an inferior opponent, where they have to instill the principles that will help them make a push towards the top of the Eastern Conference in the long run. In case you didn’t catch it, the Heat struggled mightily with their fast break and secondary offenses last night. This is due to the fact that not everybody on the court is comfortable with each other yet nor do they really have a feel for the game as a unit yet. With time and repetitions you can expect these areas of the game to turn into key strengths for Miami as the season carries on, and it begins tonight against Philadelphia.

3. Who will win the Thunder/Bulls matchup? Even though they are not at full strength and they play on the road in a hostile OKC environment, the Bulls still have enough to compete in this game. Even though I think the Thunder will pull through and come away with the game in the second half, the Bulls should prove to be a worthy opponent and make the Thunder work for this one on their home floor.

Hope you all are looking forward to tonight as much as I am and see you back here tomorrow for the analysis of these three points and another set of points to watch for. Let the season begin!

The post Three Points appeared first on SLAM.

A 6-9 power forward from Cleveland, MS, Johnny O’Bryant was on the recruiting radar for quite some time before he committed to Louisiana State University on October 7. Any coach who recruited O’Bryant knew what they were getting: a hard nosed, blue collar post player who has a developing post repertoire and mid-range jumper that will make him even tougher for opponents to handle in the future.

As most coaches will tell you, finding a post player who works hard all the time and has a high-level “motor” are important keys to their development in the future. I recently caught up with O’Bryant via email to talk all things basketball and his recent commitment to the Tigers.

SLAM: Recently, you decided to take your game to Coach Trent Johnson’s program at LSU. How did they recruit you and what factors helped you to make your decision?

Johnny O’Bryant: Their recruitment was kind of laid back not too annoying and I really liked that.. The whole coaching staff are very good people and the fact that I felt comfortable on campus and around the players and coaches was my deciding factors.

SLAM: What other schools were in the running for you?

JO: Ole Miss and Maryland where programs I took a very hard look at also, both Coach Kennedy and Coach Williams are great coaches and have great programs and they kinda just came hard and strong and made a good push.

SLAM: When did you start to play basketball and how did you develop a relationship with the game when you were younger? Every player is different — what’s your story?

JO: I enjoyed football when I was younger playing with the older kids on the block but my mom always sign me up for any sport she could basketball, baseball, football. I started playing basketball around 7 just too have something to do, but as I got older and started to grow I was put in the position to play basketball a lot so I just took a liking to it and stuck with me.

SLAM: Who was your favorite player growing up? Do you model your game after anybody in particular?

JO: I wasn’t a big basketball fan growing up but I watched a lot of football and Randy Moss was my idol growing up playing football. My favorite player now is Carmelo Anthony because of his ability to post and dribble and shoot the ball so well. I don’t really model my game after any particular player. I just try to be the best I can be.

SLAM: Who were some of your mentors growing up and how have they helped you get to the point that you are at today?

JO: My biggest mentor so far has been my high school coach, Leroy Cotton. He believed in me from a very young age and tries hard as he can to keep me level headed and on task as player and person.

SLAM: Being a big kid and growing up in Mississippi were there ever pressures on you to play football? Why did you gravitate towards basketball?

JO: No not really I was always a big kid so people always wanted me to participate in some kind of sport and basketball was a sport that I just fell in love as I continued to play it.

SLAM: You’re the kind of player that brings a lot of energy to the table. How did you learn to play with such passion and intensity each and every time you took the floor?

JO: Playing with bigger kids as you grow up you learn to either play hard when they pick you or not get picked all.

SLAM: Along with immense energy what are some of your other strengths?

JO: Some people list me as a center but I can do a lot of skill stuff as far as shooting and dribbling and passing also. But my biggest strength is rebounding. I’m capable of rebounding at a very high level.

SLAM: What do you need to work on to become an elite level player at LSU?

JO: The college game is bigger stronger and faster so I would say just getting my body physically ready for that type of play.

SLAM: What do you like to do with your free time—have you played NBA 2k11 yet?

JO: I play a lot of video games with my family and friends. Yes, I played 2k11 my favorite part about it is all the Jordan sneakers you can unlock!

SLAM: What will you major in and why? Where do you see yourself after college?

JO: I don’t really know my college major as of now but probably something that deals with helping kids. After college I wanna hopefully be doing something that can support my family for the rest of our lives no matter if its basketball, coaching or just having a regular job.

The post Johnny O’Bryant Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

Down at the AAU Nationals this summer in Orlando, FL there was an array of big-name talent that had already been considered as being near the top of their respective class for years. But each and every year, with some scouting services ranking seemingly every kid possible, there are always players who sneak up and catch the basketball world by surprise.

Maybe it’s because Archie Goodwin is from Little Rock, AR. Maybe it’s because he wasn’t always as tall as he stands currently. Maybe it’s the quiet, yet distinct confidence that he carries himself with. But there’s something more to Archie Goodwin, and it’s time for people to take appropriate notice.

***

When I first met Archie in Orlando I was shuffling back and forth between his 16U Arkansas Wings teams’ second-round game against the Southern Kings and another game that was being played on the court next to it. In between the shuffling, I saw Goodwin slither by his man on the baseline, rise up, and hammer home a two-handed dunk with ease. I decided to take a seat and watch the rest of the contest, my eyes firmly fixed on No. 10.

Time and again, Goodwin shook the defense with an effortless feel and either threw it down, got fouled, or made the right pass. His team won the heated affair 58-49 and I approached him after the game to see how he was feeling about the contest. I met a ton of players in Florida but in those first few moments Goodwin struck me as different to some extent. He didn’t carry himself with an ounce of cockiness—rather he was interested in discussing the game that he just played, his favorite players (Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Rajon Rondo), and when I could get another look at him.

The ease with which he carried himself on the court and the politeness he acted with each time I approached him during the tournament were in a league of their own. I made a commitment to visit him in Arkansas during my upcoming semester to help him with his jumper and he said he’d be thrilled for me to visit, so I mapped out the trip.

***

Every player has a different basketball story. Archie “A-One” Goodwin’s began when he was 5 years old.

“I remember back me and my wife, we was just sittin’ down and I remember he ran in the house crying because he lost this game to this girl,” said Datron “D” Humphrey, Goodwin’s stepdad. “I said ‘What’s wrong?’ but he didn’t wanna tell me that he lost to her. Before that, I never introduced him to basketball, never did anything with it. So I asked him, Do you want to learn how to play the game of basketball?”

From that day forward, Goodwin was on a on a mission to become the best basketball player he could be. “I remember telling him that I could teach him the game of basketball but that it was gonna be hard work and he said he wanted to learn,” continued Humphrey. “Man, when I say we hit it, we hit it, and we hit it hard. He stayed with it and it’s been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work.”

As Archie grew up, D started to realize that the hard work was paying off and that there was something special inside of Archie. “It was sixth grade and he got a rebound and there was two guys right here,” explained D, using his fingers to further detail that the players were side by side near about the free throw line. “And I’m sitting there thinking, What’s he gonna do? What the hell’s he gonna do with this basketball? And he takes it and throws it between his legs to split them. He went in and used the left to take the shot — he missed the shot — but the only way he could get away with that was if he threw it between his legs and split them. He went to the free-throw line, and I remember thinking, Wow, this kid is special.”

Between people such as Datron, his father, Archie Goodwin Sr, his brother Soloman “Solo” Bozeman, Dominc Ghant a.k.a. “MV,” Mike Charles and Sammy Clark there has always been a group of solid people around Goodwin, almost like a family, to help him make good decisions and to keep him on task to reach his goals with the game of basketball.

So when he wasn’t ranked in the Top-150 players by Rivals, Scout, ESPN, or any other major scouting service heading into AAU season as a sophomore in high school, nobody around him saw the need to hit the panic button. You see, Goodwin had the size of a point guard most of his life (seventh grade: 5-9, eighth and ninth grade: 6-0, start of 10th grade: 6-2, presently: 6-5, 190 pounds, and growing) combined with his freaky athleticism, a scorer’s mentality, and constantly improving playmaker skills.

A-One was already known within his state, but with his skills and confidence steadily improving and the AAU season approaching quickly it was finally time for him to make his mark at the national level. Playing with the renowned Arkansas Wings, he started to take flight. Perhaps D said it best: “He’s starting to realize that he can score at any given point on anybody. Now he knows that he can score but he can also shut this guy down also. He’s maturing.”

Those same scouting services that hadn’t had him ranked placed him within their top 20. Colleges started to call from all around the country. With a “who’s who” of hoops powerhouses recruiting him, Goodwin is savoring the moment—but he’s still working hard to reach his ultimate goal—the one that he has had his eyes on for quite some time now. “I would like to go to the top level, which is the NBA,” Goodwin stated in a confident but unsatisfied tone. “Not just being there, but making an impact and being a superstar at that level. I just have a lot of confidence—no cockiness about me but I just have a lot of confidence in knowing that I have the ability to get that far. If I keep working hard and getting stronger every day and every year I could ultimately get to that point.”

There are so many players in the country that say these same things. But how many of them actually work hard enough to achieve their words? Very few.

The post Archie ‘A-One’ Goodwin Has Arrived appeared first on SLAM.

“21 questions,” I thought to myself.

After all, for my 21st birthday, what could possibly be better than having a feature column on SLAMonline dedicated to the upcoming NBA season.

Just a few months ago, as I returned from Barcelona, Spain (where I spent more time studying Ricky Rubio’s game than actually studying abroad), I hardly thought that I would have been a featured author in SLAM Magazine and a blogger for SLAMonline. I was just trying to keep myself involved in basketball—just as I’ve been doing since my senior season at New Rochelle High School (NY) came to an abrupt end. The best way for me to stay involved in basketball at the present moment is through discussing it on this amazing website. I am majoring in Sports Marketing and Management at Indiana University and have profoundly connected with the ability to keep my mind sharp by talking, playing, watching, discussing and writing about the game of basketball at almost every turn in my life. Anybody who knows me knows one thing: I love basketball first and foremost—before anything—and for many, many reasons.

So as I thought about writing 21 questions about the NBA season over the days leading up to my most meaningful birthday yet, I thought of an even better idea: Why not come up with 21 reasons about why I love the game of basketball? I mean, if I can’t come up with 21 reasons as to why I love the game of basketball, there is just something out of kilter—I have been breathing the game since I was a youngster, and, although my competitive playing days are over, the game continues to deeply impact my life. It has helped to define me at each stage of my development.

Thanks, SLAM—everybody that has made this magazine into what it is today—for allowing me the opportunity to share such a special day with so many people that appreciate the game of basketball just as I do. This is a toast to my 21st, but much more importantly a toast to why we all watch, love and live the game of basketball each and every day.

Competitive Edge: Who doesn’t like to compete? Back in high school there was nothing like playing in an actual game. A part of me resents that I didn’t get to play college ball because of the competitive nature involved in the game. Playing in pick-up games on a regular basis is one way that I have been able to keep my competitive fire burning throughout college.

The Open Runs: Whether it be biking to a pick-up game in Belize as a sixth grader, the times at Lincoln Park or Iona College in New Rochelle, games at the HPER at Indiana University, or on the playground in Barcelona, Spain—playing with a diverse array of people and learning as much about the game and the way different people play has always fascinated me. It always will.

Working Out: Staying in shape has always been a priority of mine and my favorite way to stay in shape is by playin’ ball. Basketball and running have become much higher priorities on my to-do list lately, and I am sure a lot of people out there feel the same way.

Traveling: When I played AAU traveling was a big part of it—it almost made you feel like you were out on the road to get business done. Playing with teams such as the New York Gauchos, Westchester Hawks, and New York Ravens (note: I moved around a bit during AAU) coming back with anything short of a 1st place finish was always disappointing, but there was still an upside.

Going to tournaments like the AAU Nationals and Boo Williams, amongst others, helped me to get a head start on scouting. I didn’t write about their games like I have learned to, but just meeting, watching and paying attention to so many players helped me learn about the game in an invaluable way and I am thankful that I participated for so long. I always talk about how the traveling and playing in AAU is much too demanding (it is), but at the same time it is great that so many kids get to see so many different parts of the country and the world because they ball. It can help to prepare for experiences that happen later in life, like flying and communicating with their peers.

Great Coaches: Not everybody is fortunate enough to have great coaching. In my time playing competitive basketball I had enough great coaching and mentoring to impact my life in amazing ways, and I will forever be thankful for it. Don’t know where I’d be without it. When a coach really cares, it can have a profound impact on a kid for the rest of their life, no matter what level it is on.

Playing Against Great Players: Every baller loves to hate their greatest competition. As a normal, unranked kid, getting ready to suit up against “superstar” kids from around the country and trying to prove myself as a worthy opponent, there was always a sense of urgency in my mind to compete at the highest level against the best competition. In some ways it was no different than somebody like undrafted Wes Matthews, playing—and more than holding his own—against top shooting guards in the League. At every level, there are people at the top and people fighting to get there. Showcasing yourself against the best players consistently is the only way to do it.

Playing Against Inferior Players: It is tough as hell to prove yourself against great players. So you gotta enjoy it when you’re playing against weaker competition and capitalize on it. You can also benefit from it by working on things to get better at the same time. That is one of the most rudimentary, yet effective ways to deal with lesser competition at any level of the game.

Love to watch NBA Basketball: The pinnacle of all basketball; where everybody yearns to end up but in actuality only the upper echelon of ballers actually make it. The NBA is such a skilled performance of basketball on the grandest scale. Back in the day as a Stockton and Malone fan I rooted against Jordan and there was nothing like it. Even as an 8-year old, there was something in the back of my head that told me Jordan would come out on top, maybe it was just that the Mailman couldn’t make free throws or deliver fully on Sundays. But that’s where I got my start and I haven’t looked back since. The NBA hasn’t been the same since those days—everybody knows it—but with all of the young talent in the L right now and the moves that have been happening, things appear to be getting better and better. Slowly but surely.

Love to watch College Basketball: All those high school rankings are thrown out the window and here’s where you really have to make a name for yourself if you want to make it to the League in any capacity or to prove yourself worthy of a career on the other side of the Atlantic. As a student at Indiana University, I have seen a prestigious basketball school get knocked down (hard), however the fan base is still very supportive and eager to bring the program back. It’s that pride—both within and outside of the college programs—that make these games so enjoyable to watch, along with Dick Vitale screaming into the microphone on ESPN.

Love to watch High School Basketball: My favorite. There’s nothing like watching kids in their clash for respect on the court. This is where it all begins. This is where one game can make or break your reputation, impact your college recruitment and your future (What up, Lenny Cooke). It’s the purest form of basketball (competition wise, not business) because kids are playing to prove themselves in every game they play.

Developing my own mind—on and off the court: Through all of the time being around the game of basketball—time that I have chosen to spend around the game—I have learned a lot about myself, but nothing more important than to just play my game no matter who’s around. Just like each player has his own style, I have developed into my own person on and off the court.

Mentoring Kids: Ever since the summer of my freshman year in college I have helped kids that try to reach their goals through the game of basketball. I have trained players (mostly with shooting) and tried to give them good advice with regards to life and school. Just as coaches used to do with me, I have tried to do for them. In the future I hope to coach my own team.

Watching Players Develop: As a sophomore in high school, my coach asked me to help another kid with shooting in the months leading up to the season. I worked with him almost every day, teaching him things I had been doing my whole life. His jumper improved dramatically and watching him start that entire season made me feel amazing. There really is nothing like helping somebody get where they desire to be, both on and away from the court.

Looking for that Defining Play: When watching a high school, college, or pro game I love looking for plays that define players on the court. For instance, when Erving Walker was in middle school and high school he just flat out hated to lose and, along with being incredibly skilled, did whatever it took to walk away with a W. Walker sensed when it was crunch time and made plays. He knew exactly when he had to assert himself—and made it look easy. While watching a kid do that, sometimes you know that they have the guts to be special and I love looking for these types of players.

Making That Extra Pass: Is there any better feeling than making that extra pass to somebody even though your open and watching them knock down the jumper? Having that trust in between players is what this game is all about and even at the highest level, making that extra pass makes everybody look good. Just check out John Paxson’s NBA Title clinching shot in the 1993 Finals.

Basketball Bond: When you lace ‘em up and know that the person on the other end is somebody you love to compete with, but also have respect for as a person, there is a sense of comfort that exists in few other forms. It’s nice to share something in common with another person and amazing to care about basketball just as somebody else does.

Networking: Since a young age I learned the true value and importance of networking. As so many of my professors in college have told me, you simply need to know people to advance in life. From a young age I always loved introducing myself to others in the basketball world—not because I had to but rather because I wanted to. The diverse collection of people that I have met and gotten to know throughout the years has been one of my favorite things that the game has brought me and I cannot display my affection for every single one of these people enough. Networking has been a crucial factor just in getting to the point in my life that I’m at now—there is still hopefully a lot to be done from here on out.

Sinking that game-winning jumper: Ain’t nothin’ like it. Whether it’s an intramural playoff game in college, an AAU game, a game in March Madness, or the shot that Jordan hit to seal the 1998 NBA Finals, there’s nothing like it. Untouchable, if only for a moment, is how you feel and you want to feel that way again and again. I’ve hit a few in my day—it’s the only way to understand.

Shooting free-throws: Over and over again. I used to wake up at 6 AM as a sixth grader, as I was attempting to beat the school record of 14 consecutive made free throws. I trumped it, making 32 in a row but that was just the beginning of the addiction. In high school I set out to make a hundred in a row and made 107 later that night. I still haven’t eclipsed it. When I step to the line I can make at least 90-100 consistently.

Parental Support: Even when I hated it most, my mother would come up and take pictures of my teammates and I in the huddles during the games. It was embarrassing, but looking back that’s just a mother trying to support her child. My father, an endocrinologist at the Bronx VA, didn’t even know there was a Sports section in the New York Times before I came along. Without his relentless support, I never would have beaten that free throw record. He drove me to the gym every single morning that I wanted to and rebounded for me. I’m very lucky and thankful to have such good parents who supported me while growing up.

One For Good Luck: JRAD—Today is for you. Did everything in my power to do it as you would tonight. Love you. RIP.

The post 21 appeared first on SLAM.

If you’ve already copped issue number 142 of SLAM, you know how I feel about Rudy Gay. In this year’s version of SLAMonline’s Top 50, Gay has climbed 16 spots, placing him near the middle of these rankings. And although his statistics didn’t increase at a substantial rate this year, they displayed the consistency that the small forward has shown since his second year in the NBA.

Consistency is something that employers in every field of work yearn for, and Rudy proved that he could be a consistent force despite playing under unstable and inconsistent surroundings.

After spending time with him and writing the story for the mag on him, one thing that really opened my eyes was that the instability in Memphis would have caused other superstars around the League to throw a hissy fit, yet the situation that Rudy has been plagued with over his first five seasons was barely publicized (by Gay himself) and he took all of the tough days on and off the court in stride, something that other players have a tough time doing at such a young age.

Kobe Bryant won titles early in his career, for instance, and still wasn’t happy out in LA.

Carmelo has been to the playoffs every single year he’s been in the NBA, but he wants out of Denver.

Rudy, on the other hand, just signed a maximum deal to continue playing for the small-market Memphis Grizzlies even though they haven’t made the playoffs yet during his tenure with the team.

My point is this: Rudy is a humble guy who desperately wants to prove that the maximum contract that he just inked this summer is indicative of the type of player that he is on the court, and not just an extension that provides financial security. He wants to win in this League and show that his skills will translate into team success, something that he began to show this summer playing for the United States in the FIBA World Basketball Championships.

With his smooth mid-range game, strength going to the rim, understanding of what the team was trying to accomplish, awareness of his role, and the versatility that he brings to both ends of the basketball court, Gay proved to be a perfect compliment for Team USA off the bench. No, he didn’t dominate the games like Kevin Durant (who can), but he showed that he understood his role and that the most important thing is winning. His averages of 7 points, 3 assists and .8 assists in just over 13 minutes per game will hardly knock the socks off you, but the patience and understanding of the higher team goal showed that it was all about the team for Rudy.

With regards to his role in the NBA, however, things are going to be a little different than they were with Team USA. After inking that fresh $80 million contract, Rudy has officially become “The Man” for the Grizzlies. After a 40-42 season last year the long time bottom-dwelling Grizzlies have a young core that remains intact and has become a legitimate threat to make the playoffs. But the guy that has to get them over the hump and into that stage is the guy whom they just laid the money out on the table for.

Rudy Gay has all of the tools to deliver for the fledgling yet potentially upstart Memphis franchise. He knows that he has to figure out how to put them together, how he become the reliable force that Jerry West originally saw when he traded for him on Draft Day in ’06. In reference to what Jerry West originally saw in him, Rudy stated “I don’t know. I think that’s probably one of the problems. Once I realize that and am able to dominate, I’ll be exactly what he wants me to be.”

If Rudy Gay, one of the most athletic, versatile and skilled wings in the League puts it all together on both ends of the floor, he could ultimately move himself into the upper echelon of this list at some point in his career.

But potential is scary—there are athletic and versatile wings that don’t ever “figure it out.” And that is why Rudy is ranked No. 28 and not No. 8, for example, at this point in his career. He has proven that he has the upside to be a special player in the L, now he has to prove that he has what it takes to keep improving year after year while being the face of the franchise in Memphis.

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: Rudy Gay, no. 28 appeared first on SLAM.

Point guard Dylan Ennis is a leader in every aspect of the word. The 6-2 senior point guard from Lake Forest Academy in Chicago has been playing ball since a youngster and has decided to share his college decision with SLAMonline first, along with a glimpse into the mind that makes him a special player on the court and a special person off of it.

SLAM: What has your journey been like since you started playing basketball and what have some of your best memories been? When did you begin to love to play and where did you see it taking you?
Dylan Ennis: From the age of 4 I fell in love with the game. When my father put the basketball in my hand I knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. He used to push me until I couldn’t go anymore. And then when he would say “that’s good for now”, I would tell him “no, that’s not enough.” I would dedicate myself to the game of basketball before anything I did. I would be playing basketball whenever I should be doing something else whether it would be homework, eating dinner, anything you could think of. People knew me for being the “guy who put basketball first.” One of my favorite memories I will never forget is when I was playing in Las Vegas, I was about 14, and I had a real bad game to advance to the championship playoffs after a missed buzzer beater. My father was my coach and he was real upset with my performance so he let me have it after the game. So I just walked into the parking lot so angry. But my mother came out there and told me everything will be ok. I told her how I didn’t think I will because I was so small and skinny and no school would ever take a chance on a player like me. She then started crying, grabbed me and said “Dylan, as your mother I know you will make it. With my faith in God I know you will achieve your dreams no matter what… do you trust me?” I hesitated but responded “Yes I do.” When I got back to the hotel my father told me how much faith he also had in me and how he knew that I will make something great out of this game of basketball. From that day on I knew if I had my families support behind me, and I dedicated all my time toward eating, drinking, and breathing basketball, I could make it anywhere.

SLAM: Pretty inspiring if you ask me. You’re originally from Canada. When and why did you decide to cross the border to further your dreams?
DE: From a young age I wanted to always play with the best so I would always play 2 years older than my age. So when I was 14 my uncle (Paul Ruddock) came up to Canada to run a practice. He was a NYC star point guard in Queens back in the day. I tried to impress him so much I played terrible at the practice. But then he told my father “I know Dylan is good, I can see it in his eyes.” So then when I was around the age of 14, he and my father decided I should take my game across the border and live with my uncle. He knew he would mold me into the great point guard he was. So I then moved in with him to start the 9th grade. He was living in the Bronx but had to move to Long Island so I moved with him. I had to take the bus/ subway for three hours every day to and from school. Even though I had to wake up at 5 a.m. everyday and would get back at 11 p.m., it was what I was willing to do to be great. When playing at Wings under Coach Billy Turnage I learned to be tough and play hard every possession. He didn’t give me any breaks; he pushed me to be the best player I could be. Playing 2 years in the Bronx gave me that killer instinct I needed to go with my high basketball IQ. I will never forget playing in the crowded, loud, ghetto gyms; they were always my favorite games. Then coming to Lake Forest helped me mold my talent to take it to college. With the help of Coach Matt Vaughn and Kyle Kouncz, I know I will be ready when I step onto the college floor for opening night.

SLAM: Three hours is a long commute to school every day… Where are you taking your talents to and why? What do you see in the Rice program that enticed you to join the team? What kinds of factors affected your decision?
DE: I will be taking my talents to Rice University in Houston, Texas. What I saw in Rice that enticed me was the players and coaches. Each and every one of them are great people on and off the court. They are definitely having the whole family atmosphere that I have been looking for in a college. And when it comes to basketball, I like Conference USA; it has some very tough teams in it. And also Rice’s outer conference schedule is great. That was a big thing, they are not afraid to play anybody; my exact personality. I believe when I put on a Rice uniform and step out onto that court with my player and the coaching staff, we will be a team you are going to have to fear. Losing doesn’t cross my mind. I play for what’s on the front of my jersey with pride.

SLAM: How did Coach Braun impact your decision?
DE: Coach Braun was a big impact on my decision. The day he met me I just knew I had that player/point guard connection with him. He knows the game from his many years experience and I just want to soak all of his knowledge up like a sponge. I feel that he can teach me so much more to the game that will make me a superior player. He knows what it takes to win and to compete and that’s what I was looking for in a coach. He also told me that he can turn me into a coach when I decided to hang my sneakers up. That’s been a dream of mine since I was a young kid. I use to draw up plays on the back of my homework and show it to my father and ask him if he thinks it would work in the game. I know that Coach Braun can help me in so many ways, not just as a basketball player, but as a young kid, aspiring to be a complete mature man.

SLAM: Best of luck to you over there! Where will your strengths lie when you start to play college basketball next season? What do you feel you need to work on so that when you get to campus you will be competing for a starting slot?
DE: My biggest three strengths are my basketball IQ/intangibles, leadership, and court vision. When it comes to knowing the game I feel I have such a grip on it. Although I could learn a whole lot more, I have a great feel for the little things the average player won’t recognize. Whether that reading an opposing player or knowing what your own player is going to do before he does it. I just do the little things that nobody else does. Also, my leadership is what makes me unique. No matter who I am playing with I take over when it comes to controlling the floor, getting everyone involved, and just keeping everybody happy. I take a lot of pride in leading my team to victory. Every loss I’ve ever had I always believe it’s my fault no matter how good I play because I sit back and say “What if I did this or that differently?” I am very hard on myself when it comes to losing and that is why I lead and don’t follow. My uncle always told me “If you want the praise, you have to take the pain too,” so when my team wins it’s a team effort, but when we lose I put it upon myself, nobody else. Last but not least, my court vision. As a young kid I was very small so I couldn’t shoot from far or make lay ups over the bigger guys. So my father told me “If you can learn how to get you teammates open shots they can make you look good.” So from there on I would take so much pride in getting my teammates in great opportunities to score or make a play. And as I grew to be 6-2 it made the game so much easier because I could score when I wanted, but I could also create a great play for my teammates. Yet, before going to college I have to work on being that lock down defender. I can play good defense with my speed and long arms (6-7 wingspan), but I want to be able to lock down any guard I play against whether he is bigger, stronger, or faster than me. I want to be able out out-think him so much that I know what he’s going to do before he does it. If I can do that then they will be so frustrated, that I can have my way with him on the offensive side of the ball.

SLAM: You were originally committed to Akron. When did you realize that it wasn’t the right fit for you? What caused you to change your mind and open the process back up?
DE: The University of Akron is a great school in every way. From school to players to coaching staff; I just felt I rush into making an early decision to commit. They were the first school to offer me a scholarship, I was so excited. I just felt I didn’t give myself a fair opportunity to evaluate other schools. So I decommitted and wanted to see other schools. I wanted know 100% if Akron was the right fit or me, or if I would fit in better somewhere else. I just wanted to be comfortable with this decision, so I took my time and decided Rice was the best fit for me to play college basketball.

SLAM: Watching you play this summer I got the feeling that you could potentially play at a major university, yet mostly mid-major schools were recruiting you. Do you feel that a mid-major situation would suit your game better anyway or do you feel you would be just as comfortable at the high major level?
DE: I feel that I can play basketball on any level. I flew under the radar until my junior year. I know my abilities, as well as the schools that were recruiting me. I have no problems in taking my game to Rice because I know all the schools that didn’t recruit me (whether mid or high) will be wondering where they went wrong. Coach Braun was able to snag me, I now I will return the favor and make him a happy coach playing under him.

SLAM: Where do you see yourself playing in the future? What are your goals with the game of basketball and with school? What will you major in?
DE: In the future I see myself playing in March Madness with my Rice uniform on at the free throw line looking into the crowd and seeing my parents cheering me on. But after that is done, I plan to play professional basketball in the NBA or overseas. I set out to play basketball for money one day and that’s what I will do. And in the end when I am to get up and down the court, I will be coaching the game. Hopefully giving a young man a chance to make his dreams come true like coach Braun did for me. And as far as school, I hope to get my degree from the prestigious Rice University and possibly majoring in sports management. But we can’t tell the future, we can only have faith in God. And that’s the reason I am where I am today.

SLAM: Thanks Dylan, best of luck to you!
DE: Thanks a lot!

The post Dylan Ennis Commitment Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

“With the 30th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks select David Lee,” NBA Commissioner David Stern stated before handing the microphone off to Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver to announce the second round.

After peaking his senior year in college at Florida with averages of 13.6 points and 9 rebounds per game, almost every NBA General Manager saw Lee as any team’s average hustle player who would outwork opponents on the glass and score on the interior. From the day Lee was drafted there was some uncertainty amongst fans as to whether the Knicks took the best player they could—but boy did that uncertainty fade quickly.

The player Isaiah Thomas (probably his best move as a GM) drafted in the summer of ’05 was a modest fellow who was expected to come into the League and be a solid role player off the bench by playing tough basketball. He certainly wasn’t expected to blossom into a consistent offensive threat or one of the League’s most steady power forwards, yet that is exactly what Lee has done since coming into the NBA five seasons ago.

His path to stardom hasn’t been the most conventional, but it has been an effective one. His first season in New York under head coach Larry Brown’s notoriously hard-on-rookies attitude combined with a team that featured chemistry-killers Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis were troubling times in NY and it was tough for Lee to find playing time, averaging just 17 minutes per game but showing flashes of being the type of player fans want on their team—he always hustled and never seemed to let up on any play, something NY Knicks fans were especially hungry for at the time and endeared themselves to.

The next chapter of Lee’s career was the breakout, or the “we believe,” era of his career. He played more minutes in these seasons and averaged 10.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in his much increased 29 minutes per game under coach Isaiah Thomas. During this period, Lee began to show flashes on the offensive end, hitting 15-footers (still looked somewhat awkward doing so), taking the ball strong to the rim, and still always playing with that constant night-in, night-out effort each time he stepped on the floor. During this time, David Lee was coming off the bench and at this point Knicks fans were practically begging for him to see even more PT.

The ‘08-09 and ‘09-10 seasons have been something else for the power forward, as he undeniably picked up an edge to his game while playing under the bright lights at MSG every night. He started to look much more comfortable and each time people expected his production to slow down, it simply got better.

Sure, he was playing in Mike D’Antoni’s signature system that doesn’t exactly concentrate on the defensive end. But dude has done exactly what was asked of him in the situation that he was placed in and there’s nothing more you can ask of somebody. The past few seasons Lee has noticeably improved his back to the basket game, pick-and-roll game and has become a more than reliable threat from as far out as 20 feet, especially near the top of the key.

While playing an average 36 minutes a night for the past two seasons Lee has averaged 18 points and 11.7 boards, in the process helping to keep the Knicks from slipping all the way to the cellar of the Eastern Conference, but most importantly giving Knicks fans somebody that they could count on showing up every single day.

Seemingly pushing a “Trade David Lee” button (thanks, Juice) the Knicks shipped David Lee to the Golden State Warriors immediately after they realized that LeBron had Punk’d them. The Warriors offered Lee the money he had earned over the course of his uphill career, a six-year maximum contract worth $80 million.

Heading out west, Lee will have a very similar role—trying to bring a bottom-dwelling franchise back into the thick of things while bringing the same energy and intangibles that he has been bringing for years.

But there is one difference: playing with the Warriors, Lee will have a rising star at the point guard position in Stephen Curry and another experienced guard in Monta Ellis, both of whom have a lot to prove in their own right. While Curry seeks to prove that he can lead a successful NBA team from the lead guard position and Ellis tries to shed his label of being a selfish scorer, David Lee could be the guy to bring it all together out in the sunshine state for the Warriors.

The production is going to be there. He’s going to do the dirty work and score some points, but the real question is whether he can impact a team enough to get to that next level and become a winning franchise. After all, shouldn’t that be why the Warriors just laid out $80 million on the table for him?

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: David Lee, no. 34 appeared first on SLAM.

“I think that’s an area where he’s ready to evolve, is that mental aspect of taking his game to another level… I really believe that me coming here — and we’re gonna get three straight weeks of work in, five days a week, in the middle of the summer … which I think says a lot. That commitment, and especially the work that we are doing, this is grueling, taxing work,” explained Portland Assistant Coach Bill Bayno over the summer.

This summer, the 6-11, 240 (wait, apparently he’s upped his weight to 260 pounds) multi-skilled forward spent his summer in Dallas, TX training his ass off and we here at SLAMonline think it will pay great dividends.

There aren’t too many players who have the size and skill-set LA has, but out in Portland, OR the Trail Blazers have about as versatile a player at the power forward position that you could ask for. With a back to the basket game that seems to be improving year-in-and-year out, a solid mid-range game, and a great touch around the rim with either hand, Aldridge is in prime position to take his game to the next level.

After attending the University of Texas and proving that he had the necessary skills and ceiling that was worthy of being selected as the second overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft (by Chicago traded for Tyrus Thomas), Aldridge is now entering his fifth season in the League. While LA has shown flashes of dominance and has been expected to up his game constantly, he just turned 25 years old and should be entering the prime portion of his career. As a generally accepted rule of thumb, big men tend to advance/hone their repertoires at a slower rate than the way that guards advance their skills. Aldridge is a guy who is extremely skilled but the hardest part is putting it all together—figuring out how to show up with a consistent effort on both ends night in and night out, which brings me to my next point.

Back in 2008 Portland was an upstart team that was chosen by many to challenge the Lakers for Western Conference supremacy in the years to come. Sure, the phenomenal play of Brandon Roy played a big role in the media’s decision to anoint Portland as a future contender, but the emergence of the Aldridge sure had a hell of a lot to do with it as well. Sure, Brandon Roy might be the leader and unquestioned go-to guy for the Trail Blazers, but in Aldridge they have a potential second dominant scorer and post presence if he can package all of the skills that he has worked so hard on together on the offensive end, and becomes hungrier on the defensive end—especially on the boards.

Although it is tempting to expect LA to have been in double figures in the rebounding department by now, remember that he is a young player who is still learning the ins and outs of NBA basketball, that he might have been slightly under weight for his position, and that he seems to be on the right track in terms of off-season work. Considering all of the above, don’t be shocked if his rebounding numbers increase by 2-3 per game in the 2010 season. If Aldridge is really up to 260 he should be an absolute force on the block on both ends. He already averaged 2.7 offensive boards for his career so it’s mainly defensive rebounding that he has been lacking—something that comes with work on positioning, strength, heart, and determination.

For purposes of comparison to other stalwart players with similar frames and games, let’s take a look at some statistics that a few other eventual HOF caliber power forwards, Dirk Nowitski and Kevin Garnett, attained after four years in the League and see how LA stacks up to the competition:

Dirk: 17.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2 APG, 45.4% FG%

KG: 16.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.6 APG, 48.5 FG%

LA: 16 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 1.6 APG, 48.9 FG%

Although he might be a bit behind these players from a productions standpoint at this point in his career, the table is certainly set for Aldridge to rise above his current competition and become one of the elite at his position in the NBA today while also elevating his Portland Trail Blazer squad from unlikely success stories just a few years back to expected contenders for years to come in the Western Conference.

So then why, you may ask, is LA ranked at No. 42 on this year’s version of the SLAMonline Top 50? Well in case you haven’t noticed, the NBA as a whole is on the rise. The speculation that I have discussed about Aldridge’s somewhat expected advancement on both ends is just an expectation. Until he actually increases his nightly production and becomes even more consistent, there are too many talented players ahead of him to simply rank him on expected upside. Hopefully next year we can look back on this and say that Aldridge has turned himself into a consensus top-20 player.

Notes
• Rankings are based solely on projected ’10-11 performance.
• Contributors to this list include: Jeremy Bauman, Maurice Bobb, Erildas Budraitis, Sean Ceglinsky, Ben Collins, Bryan Crawford, Sandy Dover, Adam Figman, Manny Maduakolam, Eddie Maisonet, Ryne Nelson, Doobie Okon, Ben Osborne, Charles Peach, Branden Peters, Quinn Peterson, David Schnur, Todd Spehr, Kyle Stack, Adam Sweeney, Dennis Tarwood, Tracy Weissenberg, Lang Whitaker, Eric Woodyard, and Nima Zarrabi.
• Want more of the SLAMonline Top 50? Check out the archive.

The post Top 50: LaMarcus Aldridge, no. 42 appeared first on SLAM.

Over the past half decade, Villanova head coach Jay Wright has built a program that thrives off the steady play of his guards. With a pressure-until-they-crumble philosophy on defense and a penetrate-and-kick offense (simplified, of course) the Wildcats have elevated their program to new levels of success and seemingly upped their expectations year-in and year-out.

From Kyle Lowry to Scottie Reynolds, Curtis Sumpter to Corey Stokes, Mike Nardi to Corey Stokes, Randy Foye to Dominic Cheek, Reggie Redding to Malik Wayns, Villanova has done a remarkable job bringing in exactly the kind of player it wants to. Smart, quick, clever, athletic and able to score the rock are the common denominators between all of these players who have helped Villanova to reach its most consistent success rate in the program’s history.

Well, the staff has definitely looked to keep the trend rolling. You know the old adage: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” right? Well that seems to be the motto that Wright & Co. are using to lure their recruits to Villanova. With a steady flow of talented guards and an up and down pace, Villanova can sell its program to recruits based on proof.

One of their three incoming recruits is 6-4 senior scoring guard Ashraf Yacoubou from Long Island Lutheran in New York. Right from the get go, Yacoubou sensed that Villanova was the fit for him thanks to the aforementioned style of play and commitment to developing its guards. Yacoubou is a very talented player who made his way on to the national recruiting radar as a freshman in high school with his stellar crossover, ability to attack the rim with strength, and knockdown jumper from deep.

SLAM: What are your goals for the upcoming season?
Ashraf Yacoubou: My goal for this season is to be the best player I can be and win another state championship.

SLAM:You committed to college early in your junior season. What exactly did you see in Villanova and why did you decide to take your game there so early?
AY: I chose Nova because I like the business school and I like coach Wright and how he get guards ready.

SLAM: What other options did you have? Why did you rule them out so early?
AY: My top three was UConn, Kentucky and Nova and had about 20-something offers a lot of Big East and ACC but I chose Nova because I felt real comfortable there.

SLAM: How did the influence that successful guards seem to come out of Villanova every year in that four-guard attack helped to lure you to the program?
AY: Because I see how coach Wright gets tough guards ready, and I’m a tough guard so I want to be next on that list.

SLAM: You live in Long Island. Who do you live with? Who are some of the role models in your life right now and who have you looked up to until this point?
AY: I stay out here in LI with a family friend but I really live in the Bronx, and I look up to my guardian coach Harper, but I call him my father. But, when I grow up, I would like to be a person like him be cause he’s the definition of a real man.

SLAM: Not too many star players come out of Long Island. Have you thought about transferring to play against better competition on a more regular basis?
AY: My freshman year I played in American Christian with Tyreke Evans, so I been playing comp all my life and the school that I’m in now we play comp. A lot of PSAL (NYC Public School) teams, out of state teams and St. Anthony’s in Jersey City. We really don’t play Long Island schools.

SLAM: What players have you tried to model your game after, both pro and in the circuit, and why?
AY: I really don’t try to model anyone I just be myself and I learned in AAU ball that you have to come to play every game because it’s good players almost every game.

SLAM: What are your strengths on the court? What do you need to work on?
AY: My strengths is my shooting and the will to win and my toughness. I need to work on my ball handling cause I can handle, but [I need to] get it more of like a point guard.

SLAM: You have been committed for some time. How do you expect to impact your team at the college level immediately?
AY: By my toughness, will, lock-down defense and shooting.

The post Ashraf Yacoubou Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

The elimination rounds have begun in the FIBA World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey and the competition is really starting to heat up. What makes this competition so great is that in a first round game like Greece vs. Spain that took place today, either one of those teams is capable of making a run in this tournament but one of them had to pack its things and go home. Below is a recap of the day’s events in Turkey.

Serbia and Croatia faced off in the first game of the elimination round and what a game it was. In a very competitive match-up each team saw great contributions from its starters and bench players alike. Serbian Nenad Kristic (16 points, 3 rebounds) got off to a quick start in the lane with dunks and spin moves for easy points while his teammate Nemanja Bjelica (3 points) got it going from outside with a three (he was quiet the rest of the game). For the Croatians the young prospect Bojan Bogdanovic (9 points, 3 boards) got going with a three early and a few nice takes to the rim. Ante Tomic (6 points, 8 boards, 5 turnovers) had a tough time scoring the ball against Kristic inside but Croatia held a steady lead of 6-8 points for most of the first half thanks to their forceful rebounding on the offensive end (13-7 edge in this department for the game) by Marko Thomas (6 points, 6 boards) and the entire team’s ability to convert after rebounding. For Serbia, Kosta Perovic (10 points, 3 boards) was huge off the bench in the pick-and-roll which led to easy opportunities for Serbia in the lane, helping to keep them in the game. They went into the locker room with a 36-34 lead, which they couldn’t have been happy with considering how well they had played.

In the second half Serbia took the lead early on a three-pointer by Aleksander Rasic (15 points, 3 assists, 2 steals). Kristic battled inside on offense in the third which led to Croatia’s prized big Ante Tomic picking up 2 quick fouls early in the second half (3 overall) forcing him to sit down. The Serbs crashed the boards harder and took advantage of Tomic being out of the game but Kresimir Loncar (9 points, 2 boards) did his best to keep the Croatians in the game the whole third quarter by battling inside, hustling on both ends and knocking down a midrange shot or two. Tomic came back in for the final few minutes of the third but Serbia’s Milos Teodosic (3 points, 4 steals, 4 turnovers) hit a three and Milan Macvan (8 points) scored a bucket inside in transition to extend their lead to 4 going into the 4th.

It was neck and neck the first four minutes of the fourth quarter until the Serbs got it going offensively with an and one to extend the lead to 7 points with 6 minutes to play but the sharpshooting sparkplug Marko Popovic (21 points, 5 assists, 5 boards, 2 steals) answered with a 3 to keep his team in the contest at the other end. A moment later Milan Macvan hit a three to extend the lead back to 7 (after Croatia missed several easy opportunities inside) but Popovic kept his team in the game with yet another three after a 2-minute scoring drought to bring the Croatians within 4 again at 64-60. The Serbians missed some free throw opportunities which helped to keep Croatia in the game and after a beautiful drive-and-dish by point guard Roko Ukic (11 points, 4 assists, 4 boards) to Marko Banic brought Croatia within two. Kristic hit 1-2 free throws on other end to extend lead to three but the relentless Popovic drove, got fouled and hit both shots at line to make it 68-67 Serbia with 21 seconds left. Rasic hit 2 FTs to extend the lead to 70-67. Popovic created yet another foul and hit another two FTs. Croatia pressured Serbia and Marko Tomas came up with a steal, passed to Popovic who got fouled again. Missed the first, made the second to tie the game.

Out of a timeout Serbia ran a perfect inbounds play from midcourt that started in a diamond. After a simple screen at midcourt one player was wide open and streaking to the hoop for an all too easy layup for the two point advantage. The Croatians were undone with this play but inexplicably fouled on their possession at midcourt with 5.9 seconds left. Popovic knocked down his FTs again (8-10 at the line) but on the ensuing possession Croatia was whistled for a very questionable foul with 1 second remaining on a drive to the basket by Aleksander Rasic, who went to the line, knocked down the first calmly and missed the second on purpose to all but secure the win in a very dramatic knockout round affair.

The post WBC Elimination Round, Day 1 appeared first on SLAM.

Since the days when I played with Ashton Gibbs at a Metro Showcase at Rutgers University in Piscataway, NJ, I have been an admirer of the way Ash plays the game of basketball. Back then, Gibbs had the size and scoring abilities of a shooting guard yet he also had a great feel for the game when he handled the ball. Playing alongside him was a great experience, and, since those days, I’ve enjoyed following the point guard in his young career.

After a freshman season in which he sat behind one of the best floor leaders, Levance Fields, the 6-2, 190 pound Gibbs didn’t waste any time making a name for himself last season. After a season in which he mostly specialized in shooting threes off the bench, Ash proved that he could handle the rock and lead his team to a winning record (finished the season 25-9 with a second round exit in the NCAA Tournament) while also leading his team in scoring at 15.7 points per contest. He dropped 20+ points on 11 separate occasions including an upset win at Syracuse when the Orange were ranked No. 1 in the country.

It’s safe to that Ashton Gibbs should be a name you commit to memory for the upcoming Big East season.

SLAM: Last year you had a very young Pittsburgh team, yet you guys still had a great year. In the eyes of many, you guys were overachievers because, as you know, the Big East is considered one of the best conferences in the country from top to bottom. How did you guys come together to beat some very talented teams and make the NCAA Tournament?
Ashton Gibbs: We all knew each other’s ability to play. We just stayed confident and stayed close as a team on and off the court and that really helped our chemistry. Only us in that locker knew how good we were and we wanted to prove that.

SLAM: Particularly, how did you almost quadruple your scoring average and look like such a natural leader out there? What did you learn by playing behind Levance Fields a few seasons ago?
AG: Levance taught me to be a floor leader by being vocal in different situations and making right decisions. He was a great player and I’m glad I got to learn from him. With scoring, I just stayed confident in my shot and overall scoring ability and showed everyone. I wanted to improve my conditioning and my overall game, and I am just trying to get better and better.

SLAM: How was your summer as far as training? What are some of the strengths of your game? What are some of the things that you have to work on?
AG: My summer was really good. Went to Ireland with my Pitt team and went 6-0 and played well out there. We look good as a unit. My strengths are shooting and creating for teammates but I think every aspect of my game can get better in its own way.

SLAM: A lot of people don’t know so much about you. I know that you are a willing passer, are very talented as a scorer and that you help your team in lots of other ways from playing with you–you helped me make that All-Star team at that camp, and I know your dimes had a lot to do with it. What else should people know about you on the court?
AG: They should know that I play hard every time I am on the court, and I cannot stand losing at anything I do. I’m very competitive at everything and I think that helps me in a lot of ways.

SLAM: What about off the court? What do you like to do to get you’re mind off the game and just relax?
AG: Off the court I like to just listen to music and hang out with my teammates. We’re all like brothers so were always around each other and that helps us on the court as well.

SLAM: What kind of expectations do you have for the upcoming season, both personally and team wise? How do you think you guys stack up against some of the other teams in the Big East and who do you think is your greatest competition?
AG: I think this is going to be a great year for us and we have the talent to beat anyone. If we play as a team on offense and defense then we will be fine. The individual awards will come if the team does well. I think there isn’t one team that would be our greatest competition because we are in the best conference, the Big East. You have to come to play every day.

SLAM: You can’t stay in college forever, unfortunately. What are your goals for the future? Where do you see yourself in five years?
AG: Hopefully, I can be in the NBA with a lot going for myself. NBA isn’t forever so I would like to get into the coaching field or become a broadcaster/analyst.

SLAM: How was Ireland a couple weeks ago?
AG: Ireland was good. It really gave our freshmen to learn a lot about our system, and we got the chance to bond even more as a team. On and off the court it was a really great experience.

The post Ashton Gibbs Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

On my first day of classes at Indiana University to start my senior year, I ended the day at 12:15, got some lunch and came back for an afternoon special of USA basketball against Brazil. I love college, and here are my thoughts on the matchup that took place today.

– In an up and down, fastbreaking first quarter both teams got out to a quick start but Brazil couldn’t miss. They got out on the break, worked the ball into Tiago Splitter (13 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists) in the post and also used him in the pick-and-roll consistently. Splitter made smart decisions, had a few nice passes out of double teams and made some nifty moves in the paint. Leandro Barbosa (14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) came alive with a few minutes to go in the first and was unconscious from deep, swishing three long range bombs from the left side (although he went cold after this point). The United States had a ton of trouble guarding Brazil, who shot about 75% in the first quarter, had 16 points in the paint and went on an 8-0 run to finish the quarter up 28-22.

– Splitter and Barbosa might be the two players whom people are most familiar with on Brazil, but the main reason Brazil was clicking on all cylinders in the first half was because of their steady lead guard Marcelo Huertas (8 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds). Even though he was guarded by more athletic players like Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Chauncey Billups, Huertas ran the Brazilian pick and roll offense to near perfection. His highlight of the half was when he had a great behind-the-back bounce pass to Splitter for an easy dunk with about 30 seconds left.

– Kevin Durant (27 points, 10 boards), Chauncey Billups (15 points and 3 assists) and Derrick Rose (11 points, 5 boards, 2 assists, 4 steals) were the guys who seemed in rhythm early on offense. Durant buried a few triples, had an and-1 and scored seemingly every time he touched the ball while Billups found easy opportunities around the rim off the pick-and-roll or by moving off the ball and Rose created his own offense from the defensive end and by attacking the rim relentlessly.

– Twice in the first half the USA gave away points because they failed to outlet the ball to one of their own teammates. First Andre Igoudala threw the ball across the middle of the floor to an open Brazilian player for an easy layup and then Lamar Odom tossed the ball from under the basket to near half court. Brazil proceeded to hit a three.

– USA defense was much better nearly in the 3rd quarter as Coach K decided that the best option would be to switch on all ball screens because the Team USA length and athleticism helped to disrupt the Brazilians on the perimeter. In the fourth quarter there were a couple of times where the USA bailed itself out with great defensive rotations after over-committing to guarding the pick and roll and got the job done.

– Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups and Derrick Rose kept on chugging in the third quarter for Team USA. Durant kept his hot hand going from deep and cut to the basket for an easy score, Billups was effective penetrating whenever he felt like it and took the ball strongly to the hole. Rose hit an amazing floater over Splitter to give the USA their first lead in a while at 52-50.

– Both Tiago Splitter and Marcelo Huertas picked up their fourth fouls in the third quarter but Brazil kept themselves in the game by hitting outside shots, most of which were hit by forward Marcus Vinicius (16 points, 4-5 from deep). The USA had a chance to take a commanding lead going into the fourth quarter but Brazil kept it managable at 61-59 going into the fourth.

– Lamar Odom rebounded well today on the defensive end but he couldn’t get it going on the offensive end at all. He even missed a wide open layup that would have given the USA a 6 point lead with about 1:30 remaining.

– This was a good test for Team USA. While they are obviously relying on their ability to get out on the fastbreak with their speed for the most part, this was a chance for them to see what aspects of their halfcourt offense need work (nearly everything). These talented players haven’t been playing together for that long and they don’t have the chemistry that they would have if they were playing together on a more consistent basis but if they just pass the ball around and play with a few seconds more of patience it could help drastically in future contests.

– I didn’t like Chauncey Billups shot selection in the second half. It wasn’t that he pulled up for three too many times but rather because of the time and score that he launched the shots under. On the US final possession up two with a difference of about 10 seconds between the shot and game clock (you never really know for sure because the clock is NEVER up) he launched a three from the top of the key instead of trying to get into the lane where he was at his best today. Team USA was very fortunate to walk away with a big victory after Marcelo Huertas missed a layup but was fouled, missed the first free throw, missed the second on purpose, got his own rebound, gave the ball to Barbosa under the rim and… he missed a layup that could have tied the game. A win is a win but if USA wants to win this thing they will have to keep improving. For now they go out on top 70-68 and improve to a 3-0 record and are in dominant position to close out Pool B on top.

– Going forward the USA will have to do a much better job of helping and recovering on perimeter players. If they end up playing Greece (very possible Quarterfinal matchup) they will be surprised at how willing the Greeks are to pull the trigger from deep without hesitating.

The post Notes: USA Sneaks by Brazil appeared first on SLAM.

Day Two of the World Basketball Championship saw the USA beat down on Slovenia, but unfortunately for me I missed that part of the day. I did, however, catch four games in the afternoon and here are some of the noteworthy aspects of the games that I got a chance to see on the phenomenal ESPN3.com.

– Greece vs Puerto Rico was an excellent matchup even without the injured Carlos Arroyo. Greece shot a ton of three pointers in the first half and was more than content doing so. They moved the ball well but had trouble dribble penetrating because they weren’t as quick as PR.

– For Greece, veterans Vasileos Spanoulis and Dimitris Diamantidis controlled the game. Spanoulis hit timely three pointers, squiggled into the lane and finished tough shots and knocked down 8-9 at the line to finish with 28 hard earned points on the day. Diamantidis hit tough shots in the lane and made brilliant passes all day.

– Puerto Rico really picked up the slack in the absence of their star Carlos Arroyo. Jose Juan Barea (20 points, 5 assists, 4 boards and 4 TO’s) was fantastic creating instant offense and penetrating Greece defense seemingly at will although he did force the issue at times. 7-4 big man Pete Ramos played huge in the lane against a depleted (suspended) Greece frontline. He altered and blocked shots on defense, passed well out of the paint and used both his nimbleness and power on the inside to the tune of 16 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Small forward Nathan Peavy had easily the play of the game when he drove baseline on the left side and threw it down with both hands over two Greek defenders.

– Puerto Rico ended up edging Greece in the end but the shaky refereeing came into play and somewhat decided the outcome. After driving baseline late in the fourth quarter and losing the ball Peavy got in a scrum under the with center Ioannis Bourousis, who decided to throw his arm around Peavy’s head and hault his motion. No foul was called and a second later the Puerto Rican coach got T’d up (I can’t blame him) and Greece extended their lead to 4 and had control of the game with a few minutes to play. There was excellent effort by both teams but the refs really missed one today.

– In the first five minutes and eight seconds of action in Turkey vs Russia the only thing that either team did was jack up three pointers. It was working though as the score was tied at nine a piece in this time frame. Ersan Ilyasova (10 points) knocked down some threes, had chances around the rim and even brought the ball up at times for his team. Former Kansas center Sasha Kaun played well for his Russian squad, scoring efficiently (5-7 for 13 points) by running the floor with great effort, playing strongly and steadily around the rim and using upfakes to deceive defenders before finishing in traffic.

A coast to coast drive by Kerem Tunceri (5 points, 4 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals) put Turkey up 48-37 heading into the 4th quarter. From there on, Hedo Turkoglu (14 points, 3 assists) put on a show to close out the Russians with superb hustle and his range from deep to give his team a 65-56 victory and improve to 2-0 in pool play.

– Argentina’s Luis Scola (31 points and 9 boards) got T’d up rather quickly after he attempted to take a charge near the hoop and got called for a foul against Australia. After the tech, Scola injected life into his team by going on a mini run of his own, making the game competitive at 53-49 after a mini run. They stayed within 4 at 56-52 heading into the 4th and then came Ingles, pushing the lead back to 7 on a 3-pointer. Argentina wouldn’t go away, though as they fought back to take the lead for the first time in the second half with an 8-0 run to make the game 60-59. They didn’t stop there, as they pushed to take their largest lead to 65-59 after a Carlos Delfino turnaround and a Leonardo Gutierrez (17 points ) trey from the wing with 4 minutes left.

Sensing the moment, Australia stepped their game up again and went on their own 6-0 run to tie the game with two minutes to go. Argentina took a three point lead at 69-66 with one minute to go and then Patty Mills (21 points and five assists) tied it up with a trey of his own. Point guard Pablo Prigioni (9 points and 5 assists) on Argentina knocked in the go-ahead three for Argentina which turned out to be the difference in this hotly contested affair. Thanks to a terrible inbounds play by Argentina with 3.5 seconds remaining though, Australia had a final chance down 74-72 but they missed a great opportunity to steal the game as their last second three pointer from the corner rimmed out at the buzzer.

– If the USA has built their team around Kevin Durant then Argentina built theirs around their own star, Luis Scola. The power forward is a pleasure to watch during these games because he is featured on this team and shows off his full abilities more consistently. He runs the floor amazingly, passes out of the high post to the right players, knocks down mid-range shots, crashes the boards and shows the kind of passion for winning that these games are all about.

–  Joe Ingles (22 points, 4 boards) led his team and made big play after big play. He provided timely outside shooting as well as intensity on defense and grittiness around the hoop.

– Leandro Barbosa (21 points, 6 boards, 4 steals) and Tiago Splitter (16 points, 4 boards) helped to show why Brazil shouldn’t be taken lightly, albeit against inferior Tunisia. Barbosa did his usual knife-through the defense driving and knocking down treys while Splitter used his length and touch with both hands around the rim to score with ease. This was the closest game in Group B thus far and it finished 80-65 in Brazil’s favor.

The post World Basketball Championship Day Two Notes appeared first on SLAM.

Saturday marked the first day of the World Basketball Championship, and it couldn’t have come soon enough. These are the days where it is tough to find a basketball game to watch so the WBC gives fans around the world a chance to tune in for a few weeks.

Particularly, American basketball fans have something to watch and learn about, as the International game is much different than the traditional game. Try to take these games for what they are and enjoy watching players whom you don’t know about as much. A lot of these guys will be around for a long time to come.

Here is a quick rundown of a few of the games I caught on Day One.

– The French National team had the most impressive showing of the day. They were down by close to 10 points in the first and second halves against a heavily favored Spanish team, yet they kept fighting defensively and moved the ball amazingly on offense against the Spanish zone. This was in large thanks to the incredible drive-and-kick ability of point guard Yannick Bokolo. He kept the defense off balance with his vision and deft passes to big men near the hoop. The end result was an impressive win for the French team and a very disappointing loss for the Spaniards.

– Derrick Rose floater/short-range game is proving to be almost impossible to guard. This area of his game has been a major strength for him since the start of his second season in the NBA but it appears to be headed towards new heights. Rose also pushed the ball incredibly well up the floor and made the correct plays on practically every possession.

– Frenchman and Portland Trailblazer Nicolas Batum displayed his athleticism time and again. First he chased down Marc Gasol on the break and blocked him, then he had a nasty right-handed throwdown on the left side of the lane and then he ran down another Spanish player on the break and pinned his layup attempt on the glass. He was saddled with fouls early but that play brought his team to life with his athletic prowess. Spain held a comfortable lead for much of the first half but France came back to make it a 28-27 game at the half behind the inside-out play of swingman Mickael Gelabale, who drained threes and muscled points on to the scoreboard inside.

– Ricky Rubio controlled his Spanish team well but did not pass the ball as well as he normally does today. He tried to force some cross-court passes that were deflected/stolen and his drop-off passes down low were rather inaccurate. Apparently his neck was hurting but I don’t want to make any excuses for the highly regarded Spanish point guard.

– Marc Gasol was great inside in the few minutes he played in the first quarter, rebounding with efficiency and using jump hooks around the rim. Foul trouble forced him to sit for much of the first half which helped France to stay in the game and he struggled to work back into rhythm.

– Sergio Llull is an effective spark plug off the bench for Spain. He uses his quick first step and fights his way to the basket through contact. Once he got some open space he hit tough shots or dimed teammates around the rim.

– Eric Gordon’s game is perfectly suited for International Basketball. The shorter line aids his long distance range, he’s playing with teammates who are looking for him to shoot when he is in the game and he clearly has the confidence to take shots upon checking into the game. With so many other weapons on the floor EJ has consistently gotten good looks since joining this team and could prove to be a major factor in this tournament against better competition.

– Kevin Durant’s personality looks like it has become a defining factor on this team. He passed the ball well, made plays and shot the ball whenever he was in position to take the best shot for the team. Sure enough, the rest of the team seems to be making the extra pass and looking for the best possible shot for the team on each possession. When you’re best player is as unselfish as Durant, it helps to peer pressure everybody else into doing the same thing.

– The refereeing was, just as expected, shaky at best. Even though the USA blew out Croatia there were still an abundance of bad calls against the so-called B Team. Eric Gordon was called for a foul when simply boxing his man out defensively and a moment later when he tried going over a screen. Westbrook had a horrible charge call on him in the second quarter at the top of the key. A Spanish player battled innocently for defensive position in the paint early on and was whistled for a foul immediately. Croatia forward Luka Zoric took about 6 steps near the basket in the third quarter and there was no call. The International refereeing is shaky, at best, and if you watch closely you can pick out lots of differences in the way they do their job in FIBA ball. As the competition heats up later on look for the referees to call the games very intensely.

– Ante Tomic is a very talented low post player. He has go-to moves over both shoulders, can knock down the 15-footer, is confident putting the ball on the floor and establishes great position in the post. The major knock on him, though, is his lack of strength. If he can put some weight on the Utah Jazz could have a solid player coming over soon.

– Give credit to Coach K. In his month with this team he has been able to whittle the group down into a squad that has excellent chemistry, amazing quickness and very capable shooters from beyond the arc. As a result, the USA won its first game by 28 points and the product placed on the floor was one that showed excellent teamwork, something USA fans have to be proud of thus far and can look forward to for the rest of the tournament.

The post World Basketball Championship Day 1 Notes appeared first on SLAM.

With the NBA season just about two and a half months away from now I decided to take a look at all of the rookies coming into the League this year and analyze each situation independently. As you should be aware, it is possible that a rookie should be playing more than he actually is; sometimes veteran coaches simply like to do things their way and treat their rookies harshly even though they have the talent to be playing (I don’t understand it a lot of the time, but that’s OK).

The following list of players runs through exactly half of the players selected in this years Draft. There is no criteria for evaluation; just a good old fashioned list of players and personal expectations for the year from each one according to their skill set and the situation that they have been placed in.

——

John Wall | 6-4 | Point Guard| Washington Wizards

The top pick in the Draft is the runaway favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award once the season starts; Wall will run the show night-in and night-out in the nations capital. His blinding speed, out-of-this-world athleticism and instincts at the point guard position are unique. In transition Wall will be one of the most dangerous players in the League from the first time he steps on the floor. He changes directions so quickly and with no drop-off in speed that it is almost impossible to guard. During Summer League, Wall averaged 23.5 points and 7.8 assists, both of which were good enough to lead the rest of the field. Look for Wall to run away with this year’s ROY honors because he will be in control of his team from start to finish.

DeMarcus Cousins | 6-11 | Power Forward/Center| Sacramento Kings

According to the Kings, in his Pre-Draft workouts Cousins was sinking 80+ shots out of 100 consistently while shooting perimeter shots. The point here is that Cousins has the size and skill level to be a dominant player in this league for many years to come. But he needs to stay in shape, stay humble and stay hungry in order for him to reach his potential. For his size, there isn’t much that Cousins cannot do—he is a great passer out of the post or from the perimeter to go along with his developing post and midrange game. Maturing and learning to play night in and night out without getting frustrated will be the keys to DeMarcus’ improvement. Expect him to be in the Top 3 for Rookie of the Year balloting when it’s all said and done.

Evan Turner | 6-7 | Point Guard/Shooting Guard/Small Forward| Philadelphia 76ers

An extremely talented playmaker who can play positions 1-3, Turner will start from Day One and have the ball in his hands a ton of the time. He had a bad Summer League, where he struggled to score and had a higher turnover rate than assists. No worries, though, as Turner has the skills to be successful in this League and should have a solid year at worst and should be in the running for Rookie of the Year honors for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Derrick Favors | 6-10 | Power Forward| New Jersey Nets

The Nets are rebuilding and will be starting their new power forward out of Georgia Tech from Day one. Favors should complement Brook Lopez nicely (way better than Josh Boone, shall we say) with his inside-out game, great length, ability to rebound and finish in traffic and his underrated passing ability out of the high post on the offensive end. From the first game of the season until the last, look for Favors to have a more than ample opportunity to fight for Rookie of the Year Honors.

Wesley Johnson | 6-7 | Small Forward| Minnesota Timberwolves

Competition for playing time should be fierce, as the rookie will go head to head with Corey Brewer and Martell Webster. To his credit, Johnson should prove to be the better all-around player than both Brewer and Webster because he is a great rebounder, has the tools to become a great defender, has a smooth pull-up game, is not shy to pull the trigger from deep and is very athletic around the rim. Johnson will earn playing time from the start of the season and don’t be surprised to see him starting by the All-Star break.

Larry Sanders | 6-11 | Power Forward| Milwaukee Bucks

The 15th pick out of VCU is raw yet very, very talented. He had an excellent Summer League averaging 13.3 points, 9.3 boards, 1.8 steals and 3.2 blocks per game. Sanders has great bounce to his game on both ends; he has awesome timing when leaving his feet to block shots on defense and offensively he is very active inside and capable of shooting with range out to 20 feet. With a pretty thin frontcourt consisting of Drew Gooden, Luc Mbah a Moute and Andrew Bogut (who should take time to regain his form), expect Sanders to make his presence felt early in the season for the Bucks.

Quincy Pondexter | 6-6 | Small Forward| New Orleans Hornets

After averaging 15.2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.4 steals per game in the Summer League, Pondexter appears poised to make a nice transition from college to the pros. A prototypical small forward, Pondexter’s game grew on me while watching him in college because he is such a versatile player who takes what the defense gives him on offense and is an excellent defender on defense both on the wing and in the post, using his length and quickness to bother offensive players. With just Julian Wright and James Posey ahead of him on the depth chart, watch for Pondexter to climb his way into the rotation and help New Orleans in any way that he can.

Patrick Patterson | 6-9 | Power Forward| Houston Rockets

On a team that desires versatile players who are capable of playing both inside and out, Patterson will be a welcome addition. Luis Scola is the starting power forward but bench minutes should be up in the air as Chuck Hayes, Jordan Hill and Patterson should all be fighting for minutes daily in practice. One advantage that Patterson has is the ability to take slower defenders off the bounce to the rim with power, agility and speed. His range and pull-up jump shots were improving while at Kentucky and should help him at the NBA level. Defensively Patterson is strong, tough and willing inside and also has quick feet to guard stretch 4 men.

Paul George | 6-8 | Shooting Guard/Small Forward| Indiana Pacers

Playing in the Hoosier state Danny Granger will have mentors at his position as Danny Granger, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Brandon Rush all play a similar brand of basketball to the tenth pick out of Fresno State. George is a very athletic swingman who, although he still must hone and polish his skills on the offensive end, could prove too talented to just sit near the end of the bench. Expect George to start out the season playing spot minutes for Granger but don’t be surprised to see him starting next to Granger at seasons end.

Al Farouq-Aminu | 6-8 | Small Forward/Power Forward| Los Angeles Clippers

The Lottery selection out of Wake Forest has a ton of upside because he is so raw offensively and has a great natural feel for rebounding the basketball on both ends. Aminu’s versatility on both ends will be valuable to a Clippers team that desperately needs help at the small forward position. The question for Aminu will be whether he can figure out his bread and butter on the offensive end. If he can add some go-to moves on this end of the floor his value sky rockets, as they already know they are getting a player who is going to hustle, come up with loose balls and score some garbage points around the basket.

Cole Aldrich | 6-11 | Center| Oklahoma City Thunder

On a young team that has slowly added some much-needed girth to their frontline, Aldrich will have to earn his playing time. With veterans Nenad Kristic and Nick Collison providing a steady tandem and youngins BJ Mullens and Serge Ibaka improving daily, Aldrich has his work cut out for him this year but his skill in the post and ability to hit the 15-footer could come in handy for this ball club.

Xavier Henry | 6-6 | Shooting Guard| Memphis Grizzlies

With OJ Mayo attempting to turn into a lead guard, Memphis does not have a player who automatically sticks out at the shooting guard spot which means Xavier Henry will definitely have the opportunity to earn minutes with his ability to bomb it from deep and his natural ability to make things happen off the ball. Henry might not be the most athletic player but he certainly is polished and knows his strengths and weaknesses on the basketball court. He never really presses to get his and should have a solid yet unspectacular year for the Grizzlies.

Luke Babbitt | 6-8 | Point Guard| Portland Trailblazers

Babbitt averaged 14.2 points per game for the Blazers in Summer League but did so on a high volume of shots taken from the field. Nonetheless, Babbitt showed why he was taken with the 16th pick in the Draft as he proved he could score from all three levels. For the Blazers this season expect Babbitt to have a chance at major playing time behind Nicolas Batum, as they are alarmingly thin at the small forward position.

The post Rookie Outlook appeared first on SLAM.

As a high school and AAU player back in the middle of this decade I remember yearning to go to Nationals year in and year out with whichever AAU team that I was playing for at the time. I loved the traveling, environment and competition but as a perpetual junkie of following players throughout their careers (trust me, I realized this early) I loved the Nationals because it brought a lot of the best players in the country to one spot and I had the chance to play against/watch them compete.

With teams out in the dessert in Vegas, both the 15U and 16U Super Showcases within days of the Nationals and the calendar nearing the end of the most busy recruiting month of the year it was easy for some evaluators and coaches to say that the field of competition was watered down. There was an abundance of talent on hand to take a look at not just in the 2011 class but also in the 2012 and 2013 classes too.

The one issue that I did agree with others on regarded the quality of play that was on hand—not as a result of a lack of talent level or effort but rather because it was the tail end of the AAU season and players were tired as hell. And it showed in the form of missed layups, short jumpers and facial expressions that screamed “GET ME HOME! NOW!”

Overall, though, the Nationals were a great chance to see top talent and evaluate it while comparing and contrasting opinions with coaches and other evaluators.

Now lets get to the meat and potatoes section. Aggrey Sam already told you about the Showcase and how Each 1 Teach 1 took the 17U chip. Clearly content with his AAU play and his recruitment at this point, Austin Rivers decided to sit out the Nationals which caused E1T1 to drown early in pool play before even having a shot at the Championship Bracket.

So it makes sense that two teams that didn’t compete in the Super Showcase were fresher and made the 17U Final. The Arkansas Wings–a team that played on the Nike EYBL but did not qualify for the Peach Jam–took home the title over the athletic, sharpshooting Carolina Ravens, a team that was just as underrated heading into the tournament. Spearheaded by a big three of Kye Madden, Darion Griswold and Aaron Ross that could get it done inside and out, the Wings took full advantage of their versatility to muscle baskets from the interior, hit tough and contested midrange shots and also hit the occasional deep jumper to keep their opponents off balance all tournament long.

In a game where the Wings had a lead that hovered around 7-10 points for much of the first three quarters, the Ravens showed heart by never giving up and coming back to finally tie the score on a Demarcus Harrison three pointer with 20 seconds to play. From there the Wings put star player and tournament MVP Kye Madden the ball to create and after a crossover dribble he was fouled in the lane. Madden calmly sank both free throw attempts in a one and one situation with 4.7 seconds left on the clock. With three fouls to give at hand for the Wings, the Ravens didn’t even get a shot at tying the game and the Arkansas Wings were crowned National Champions.

In the 16U division the Finals turned out to be a rematch of one of the semi-finals of the Super Showcase. The dominant All-Ohio Red squad squared up against a BABC team a week and a day earlier with All-Ohio Red coming out on top by five, 47-42.

This championship was an all out battle. In the first half both teams struggled to get going at first but the pace started to pick up in the second quarter. All-Ohio looked to be in firm control behind the steady play of guard Myles Hamilton until BABC point guard Jaylen Brantley knocked down two threes in a row to keep his team in the game going into the half. The third quarter was the Georges Niang show on offense as the undersized power forward simply could not be stopped as he used an array of moves and finished with both hands around the rim consistently. All-Ohio wouldn’t go away, as small forward and match-up nightmare Teddy Hawkins hit a three to keep the game close at 43-38 going into the fourth. BABC star big man Nerlens Noel was saddled with foul trouble the whole game and was quiet until the end where he made his presence felt in the fourth quarter by incredibly blocking four shots in a row without fouling out to ice the game, 56-53.

Those are the National Championship recaps and here are the players who impressed me most, as Aggrey Sam would say:

The post National Awareness appeared first on SLAM.

So did you know that in 1989 there were just nine teams in the NBA Draft Lottery? That’s right, because the expansion Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves came to fruition in 1990, thus creating an 11-team lottery until 1996 when the Vancouver Grizzlies and Toronto Raptors came in to the League and pushed the lottery up to 13 teams. Finally, when the Charlotte Bobcats came about in 2005 we entered the modern day lottery system that we now watch on TNT every year during the Playoffs.

What’s the point? Each and every year teams draft in the lottery and miss out on players who become formidable in the League for years to come. Going back to 1989, what I have decided to do is rank the players who have been drafted outside of the lottery—whether it was outside of the top nine in 1989 or outside the top 14 in 2005.

There is no single way to accurately rank these players, so what I decided to do was take a look at statistics and combine those with the individual players’ overall career. For example, Derek Fisher might not have the best numbers on this list but the way he plays the game and the championships he has been a part of helped drive him up this list in to the top.

One other thing I’d like to mention is that it is tough to weigh the potential of current players against the lengthy careers of some of the guys on this list. With that being said, I did the best job I could of placing the younger guys where I thought they deserved to be on this list based on their production to this point and their potential for the future.

30. Rodney Stuckey | Drafted by Detroit Pistons | 2007 Draft | 15th Overall
It’s fitting that a player taken just outside the modern lottery is the guy who will start this list off. The Detroit Pistons made Stuckey their man with the 15th overall pick in the 2007 Draft. In his sophomore season at Eastern Washington, Stuckey averaged 24.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.4 steals per contest, proving that he was a capable scorer and leader in the process even though he was at a mid-major school. Since the Pistons shipped Chauncey Billups out west to Denver, the team has been his to run, where he has averaged 13 points and 4.3 assists per game while trying to help his squad return to the Playoffs. Stuckey has lots of skill and could definitely move up this list in time.

29. Andrei Kirilenko | Drafted by Utah Jazz | 1999 Draft | 24th Overall
AK-47 isn’t great in one particular area and that is exactly what makes him special. The Russian small forward was selected 24th by the Utah Jazz in the 1999 Draft and has proven his worth since, although he has been marred by inconsistency at times, especially at the offensive end where he has a career average of 12.4 points. But the reason he is valuable isn’t because of his offense but rather his defensive prowess—he has averaged 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for his career and is very versatile. Kirilenko makes winning plays and hustles constantly and for that, he just barely makes this list.

28. Josh Howard | Drafted by Dallas Mavericks | 2003 Draft | 29th Overall
Howard attended Wake Forest for all four years of school, increased his scoring every year until he had a career high of 19.5 points per game his senior year and shot 48.3 percent from the field overall. I remember watching him a few times when he was in college (and I was young) and saying that I thought he was a very good player who could do a little bit of everything out there. Still, Howard went 29th overall to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2003 Draft. Off the court he has had his fair share of issues but on the court he has been pretty consistent as a role player, averaging 15.3 points, 6 rebounds a game while also guarding the other team’s most potent scorer most of the time.

27. Zydrunas Ilgauskas | Drafted by Cleveland Cavaliers | 1996 Draft | 20th Overall
Z was drafted 20th in the 1996 Draft by the Cavaliers. He has averaged double figures in 11 out of 12 seasons and all of them have come in Cleveland for the Cavaliers, so consistency is definitely the key word for Ilgauskas. A native of Lithuania, Big Z might not be as athletic as other big men but he is certainly more consistent in pick-and-pop situations than your average center. Next season will be different for Ilgauskas—he has decided to follow his former teammate LeBron James to South Beach in the hopes of winning a title. If he stays consistent for the Heat he will be a major help from the outside.

26. Hedo Turkoglu | Drafted by Sacramento Kings | 2000 Draft | 16th Overall
The product of Turkey was drafted 16th overall in 2000 by the Sacramento Kings where he played alongside fellow list mate and European import Peja Stojakovic. He played well in Sacramento given his role and playing time but really started to come on once he reached the Magic in 2004. He played an integral part in helping them to reach the Finals in 2009 abilities to perform in isolation situations and clutch shooting on display. He sought a bigger contract and took on a much tougher role in Toronto last season where he struggled but is on the verge of being traded to Phoenix, where he should thrive in their up-tempo offense.

The post Top 30 Post-Lottery First Round Draft Picks appeared first on SLAM.

“This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown ‘chosen one’ sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And ‘who’ we would want them to grow-up and become.”

Dan Gilbert, Majority Owner

Cleveland Cavaliers

—

Well Mr. Gilbert, since you have probably been busy with your business at Quicken Loans Inc. and Rock Financial, let me be the one to tell you that for you to make this inconceivable statement about LeBron James leaving the Cavaliers, you need to be familiar with how grassroots basketball works these days in America.

You see Mr. Gilbert, AAU organizations and prep schools all over the country recruit and pluck talent from both the area that they are based in and anywhere else that they can get the best possible players to join them for a tournament, a season, or a high school career. This works for both parties involved: the kid gets seen by potential suitors, and the team gets the added talent that they might not be able to find in the region they are based in. Also, if it is a prep school situation, the kid could be shifting his whole life to a place that could give him the best shot at success.

One tournament that I know of—IS8 in Queens, New York—has seen players fly in from all over the country to participate in maybe just one or two games on a single weekend. Furthermore, they might even be playing with teammates that they have never played with before. The goal is to put the best talent on the floor to create an entertaining brand of basketball and to hopefully win the game.

And where does this concept tie into the astonishing comment—the only comment that I will dissect in this particular piece—made by the man who had been making great money off of Ohio’s former King?

In AAU these days it is possible for the best players to end up together to win on the summer circuit or in prep school, which is something that isn’t so different than what LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade just pulled on the rest of the NBA. They just happened to do it at the highest level imaginable. And it could turn out to be a genius move for all we know—all of them (including the maestro Pat Riley) could turn this into something special that we have never seen before.

And, Mr. Gilbert, it’s not something that we want our children to do? Please! Kids are fed into systems that require top tier talent to compete at a young age! Some of the prep schools that I speak of have the talent to beat some lower level Division I teams because they scour the entire country to come away with the best talent possible. Kids should be learning at younger and younger ages that they need to have talent around them to be successful. In the NBA you need to have the best talent around you to be successful in a place that you are comfortable doing so. Mr. Gilbert, LBJ was totally at liberty to his opinion that winning and comfort will happen in South Beach for the Miami Heat.

The manner that he announced “The Decision” was not the most professional or appropriate, I will agree with you there. But it was his choice to either stay or go—and he will live with the weight of his choice for the rest of his life.

Give credit to LeBron, who learned at a young age that to get noticed, you have to win—exactly what happened when he began playing with the cross-country Oakland Soldiers after his freshman year in high school and subsequently ended up ranked as the number one player in the country.

LeBron leaving wasn’t a “shocking act of disloyalty” but rather could be attributed to a lesson that he may have learned at a young age. It happened by chance that he even got to play in his hometown for seven fun-filled years and I’m sure that he truly did not want to pack his things up and leave. I respect him for making the choice to leave; it takes balls to make that kind of decision knowing that you might be the most hated man in your hometown since Art Modell.

‘Bron has shown amazing vision on the court in his short but electrifying career thus far. I think he sees something that many other people refuse to see. He sees that he will be able to show off the natural intangibles—blocking shots from the weak side more, making the extra pass more, leading the break and finding teammates more—because he won’t have to worry about shouldering the scoring load each and every night. As Chris Deaton stated in his recent article, LBJ can now use his “unique skills to the max.” LeBron knows that he wouldn’t have been capable of running through the Bulls and Heat year after year had he stayed put in Cleveland. He knows that he will be better off creating plays for other fantastic players who will make life easier on him and potentially allow him to win ring after ring in a spot where he can live his own dream.

If you’re still not soaked in your tears of anger, isn’t that what this game called life is about Mr. Gilbert?

***Note: As I finished this article up at midnight while watching the NBA Summer League last night, I heard Kevin McHale say “I don’t know if it’s the AAU influence or not but maybe players are realizing that they can’t win on their own and they need to be around other great players to win,” when talking about the Miami Heat scenario.

The post Think Before You Speak appeared first on SLAM.

Taking the advice of Chris Paul, LeBron James finally created a twitter account called @KingJames this week. In this digital era that we live in, LBJ previously didn’t make a twitter because he didn’t want to give the public too much of a hint in to his world. In less than a week, and just five tweets later, LBJ already has 386,000 followers.

The way in which he went about his business over the past week has caused his fans, sportswriters and even his former owner against him—simply put, LeBron James didn’t just tease his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, but also fan bases in New York and Chicago while people all over the country are disenchanted because they would rather see a superstar build a franchise from scratch rather than “take the easy way out.”

LeBron James has gone from one of the most loved and celebrated athletes in North America and has headed in to a new era of people second guessing his abilities to win and be a true leader.

Never in the history of the NBA has the process of a free agent signing generated this much buzz, but that is exactly what the King’s camp wanted all along. If you watched the hour long special last night, you saw LeBron’s Vitamin Water commercials running left and right, you saw LeBron receive scholarship donations for five kids to his charity from the University of Phoenix, and you saw a decision that will shape the way for how we view LeBron James for years to come.

There is no question that, as much as everybody wanted to see LBJ’s decision, LeBron’s team created substantial marketing opportunities out of the situation. That’s just the nature of the game these days — where marketing plays that big of a role in the way things are done at all times. Why not make The Decision in to an hour long special, right?

But with all this talk about LBJ and his decision, it has gone incredibly under the radar that the super scorer Kevin Durant is on his own path to becoming the anti-King.

Durant announced via twitter this week that he would be back with the Oklahoma City Thunder for years to come: “Exstension [sic] for 5 more years wit the #thunder….God Is Great, me and my family came a long way…I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!”

Durant, who played for a Seattle Sonics team that went 20-62 his first season, is handling his business in a manner that has proved to become the polar opposite of the flashy way in which James has gone about his. Sure, Kevin Durant could have waited to become a free agent next year and left for a big market. But the thing with KD is that you know he doesn’t give a crap about whether he is in a big market, big city, or whether he gets any attention at all.

In fact, it couldn’t be more of the opposite. After receiving compliments about the way he handled his extension, here is what he had to say on twitter: “I really don’t deserve this praise for handling my deal the way I did…plenty of guys did it the way I did…”

And what did Durant do this morning and the rest of the week while LeBron’s whole media fiasco took place? He watched his “OKC bros” in their Orlando Summer League action (sometimes live, sometimes on TV) because he cares that much about the new guys who are coming in to his organization. All the guy wants to do is win and it shows.

While I don’t necessarily disagree with LeBron’s final decision or his logic behind it—he wants and needs rings (lots of them, and soon) more than anything else to cement his spot in history—after watching The Decision, listening to others opinions and thinking it through on my own, I keep coming back to the thought that if I had my choice, I would rather take a Kevin Durant on my team than a LeBron James. In Durant, you know you are going to get somebody who is interested in building a franchise from scratch and leaving his own unique mark on the game. There is something to be said for the hard work and perseverance that it takes to get to the top of the mountain versus just taking a helicopter there, as the public feels the King is doing. One of the reasons that Michael Jordan is such an icon is because he never would have joined forces with players of Wade and Bosh’s caliber to win a title—he wanted to prove that he could do it in his own unique way, and look where it got him…

As fans and analysts of the game, we can only wait to see what kind of legacy James will leave behind, but one thing is certain: James will be remembered for July 18 by a lot of people for a long time. His legacy will end up being completely different than anybody else to have played the game because he is the first one to blaze this kind of path. It will be interesting to see where he can go with this, both as a player and a business man.

For the moment, James may have approximately 175,000 more followers than Kevin Durant, but I expect to see a gradual increase in KDthunderup’s follower list as he gets older. Unlike James’ account that took off and hasn’t stopped rising, KD’s should have a more steady increase in followers over time—pretty reminiscent of the way he is seeing his Thunder achieve success together.

Both LeBron and Durant have a long way to go to cement their places in the history books. But even with most of the world hyping this super team that Riley has created in South Beach, I’ll stick right by my man KD and believe in him in the same manner that he believes in his Thunder organization—with fierce loyalty—regardless of what else is going on in the League.

The post The King Made ‘The Decision’ appeared first on SLAM.

Here we go, ready to count down the top 25 players in the mid-range area, the part of the game that is a so called “lost art.” Before we jump straight in to the rankings, though, the criteria for this list has to be examined in advance.

Before creating this list, I went through all of the active players on NBA.com and wrote down the guys who I expected would be top 25 mid-range players in today’s game. Additionally, by checking out hoopdata.com, I glimpsed the mid-range — 16-23 feet — depth shooting numbers to put some fact behind my opinion. A lot of the obvious players initially were good to stay, but a further look at a few players (I.e. Paul Pierce and his surprising 38 percent on just 2.4 attempts) took them out of competition.

Another stat I took in to account was the amount of shots converted off of assists in that range. This area has added importance because if a player makes a decent amount of his shots off the catch, in rhythm, it shows that the team is willing to run plays through this player because he is talented there. On the reverse side of this is the point guards, like Chris Paul and Steve Nash, who create almost all of their attempts in this region and deserve some credit for their shot creation and selection abilities.

But this list isn’t all about numbers, and that will show. One player is near the top of the list because his numbers are good enough and he has such a ridiculous repertoire that he uses to make his shots in this area. In the end, some of the calls were judgment calls but one thing is certain: The guys on this list all have talented mid-range games that help their team win. This forte makes them much more difficult to guard in the grand scheme of things.

25. OJ Mayo | Memphis Grizzlies | 1.6 makes/game | 53.8% assisted
Mayo has always had an advanced pull up game, as he combines his good size with a quick and skilled dribble to get his shots up. Mayo is a very good isolation player who is capable of taking a shot over almost any defender, but the key for his mid-range game is figuring out which shots are his best ones to take during games. Mayo, like other stars, has the ability to hit tough shots from the perimeter but he could move up this list in a big way if he learns the value of shot selection a bit more, which would help him to improve upon his 40 percent shooting and 1.6 makes per game.

24. Ray Allen | Boston Celtics | 1.2 makes/game | 78.9% assisted
Ray Allen also has a side of mid-range to go along with the main dish of 3-pointers that he serves up every night. This season Ray-Ray hit 45 percent from mid-range and made 1.2 shots per game while converting assists on nearly 80 percent of his makes—a sign that he played within the offense and took shots as they came to him.

23. LaMarcus Aldridge | Portland Trail Blazers | 2.1 makes/game | 74.5% assisted
A great spot up shooter from the mid-range, Aldridge converted assists on 75 percent of his spot up makes from the 16-23 foot range last year while making 2.1 per game. Believe it or not, that 75 percent is actually a four-year low for the power forward from Texas on his jumpers, meaning that he might be comfortable putting the ball on the floor, taking a dribble or two and then shooting the jumper. Either way, Aldridge seems to be a mainstay on this list for years to come with his improving jump shooting ability.

22. Chris Kaman | L.A. Clippers | 1.7 makes/game | 90.2% assisted
Kaman spends a lot of time playing the pick-and-roll in the Clippers offense and that is one of the main reasons that he is open to take just over 4 shots from the mid-range area per game. The other reason is that he is good at spacing the floor on drives and is an above adequate shooter from the baseline. Although he doesn’t have a fancy repertoire, Kaman gets the job done from the mid-range by knocking down 1.7 shots per game, a clip of 42 percent.

21. Kevin Durant | OKC Thunder | 2.2 makes/game | 54.2% assisted
He can punish you in so many different ways. One way that is still coming along is his mid-range. He might still be refining his game (he’s 21, for god’s sake) but when he catches the ball after coming off a screen and curls to face the basket, just book it. Durant moves around like a taller Reggie Miller on the floor and wiggles his way to openings without the ball. The small forward shoots 37 percent from the mid-range and averages just over 2 makes per game, both of which are bound to improve in the coming years.

20. Joe Johnson | Atlanta Hawks | 1.9 makes/game | 31.3% assisted
A sharp shooter from just about anywhere, Johnson is adept at using jabs initially to create space and then taking advantage of that space by pulling up on his man. He is an amazing rhythm shooter and he takes advantage of this by easing in to his jump shot at his natural pace very well. He has the ability to step back on his man and shoot tough fading jumpers from all angles (he better for the money he just signed for) with a fluid shot, which explains why he shot 40 percent with 1.8 makes per contest.

The post Top 25 Mid-Range Shooters appeared first on SLAM.

While attending Pro Player Video’s camp for players attempting to play overseas I met a player by the name of Gerrit Brigitha. His name might not be so familiar but this guy killed it during his senior season at Central Michigan and has gone on to have one hell of a career overseas. At that camp he was clearly one of the most polished players in the gym and was excited when speaking to players who were still attempting to make some dough overseas through their ability to hoop.

Brigitha is a player whom everyone can learn from because he was patient and kept working hard during his college career. For his first three seasons he ended up having to split playing time with a future NBA first rounder but he never lost sight of his own personal dream. He is a reminder that not everyone can make it to the NBA; there is still life after the League if you are willing to explore and get out of your comfort zone.

At 28 years old, Brigitha has has played for teams in Spain, Holland, Italy, Hungary, Finland and Switzerland over the course of his long career overseas. He is a long, wiry power forward with nice bounce, a great touch in the paint and solid range out to about 20 feet–a perfect repertoire for a player who has been cashing checks abroad for years now.

SLAM: You played college ball at Central Michigan and your numbers didn’t really stand out until your senior season. How did you make such a big leap from your junior to your senior season?
Gerrit Brigitha: When I came to Central Michigan as a freshman, I was in the same recruiting class as Chris Kaman. We played the same position and pretty much split time at the center position my freshman and sophomore years. Then my junior season Kaman really came in to his own and was probably the most dominant center in college that year. So needless to say, my minutes went down significantly. But Kaman entered the Draft after our junior season and was a lottery pick, so this opened the door for me to come in and produce after banging around with a future NBA all star for three years.

SLAM: When did you originally start getting contact from agents about overseas opportunities?
GB: I started to get contacted by agents as soon as my senior season came to a close. I had a great season averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds a game, and this gave me some attention from agents from the USA and Europe.

SLAM: What was your reaction when you figured out that you could play ball overseas and make a living over there for doing something that you love to do?
GB: I was excited when I signed with my agent and starting getting offers for jobs in Europe. To be able to play basketball and make a living was always a dream of mine. After these offers came in, I knew that it would soon be a reality.

SLAM: Did you second guess leaving America to play overseas? How did you decide that you wanted to go over there?
GB: I never felt hesitant about going to Europe to play basketball. I like to explore and try new things and after being in college for four years, I was ready for a new adventure.

SLAM: Once you decided to go over there how was the basketball different than that which is played here in America?
GB: The basketball really isn’t too different in Europe for the most part. Some of the things I had to adapt to though was the travel rule, a 24 second shot clock, and communicating with teammates in a different language. Practices in Europe are pretty much the same as college, but with a lot more shooting drills. The mentality is also a little different. Once you get paid to play, the team has a certain expectation of you as a player. You are an investment that the team makes in hopes to win a championship. So they expect the best and keep the pressure on you to perform at your highest level at all times.

SLAM: Discuss some of your lowest experiences overseas.
GB: My worst experience overseas has been breaking my foot on a tryout in Italy. I was asked to come and tryout for a club and if they liked me they would sign me for the season. After my first week with the team, my foot started to become painful anytime I ran, jumped, or put any pressure on it. I tried to fight through the pain, and it eventually became unbearable. I ended up having to leave the tryout and the team flew me home where I had to take care of my foot surgery on my own dime. Since I wasn’t under contract, the team had no financial obligation to take care of my medical bills. I pretty much lost a year’s salary and had to pay for my medical bills.

SLAM: Discuss some of your highest experiences overseas.
GB: My best experience in Europe has been playing in the Netherlands for two years. I was on a great club that took care of me as well as my wife. The team always had high aspirations and the city was behind us 100 percent. My second season there I made the All-Star team and had a great year personally. I also loved playing for the Netherlands National Team. I am a US/Dutch citizen so I was able to be a member of the National Team and we had a great run in pool play the year I was on the team.

SLAM: Discuss anything else about your experience overseas.
GB: One of my favorite things to do in Europe is travel. My wife and I take advantage of any time we have off and use it to travel and see as much as we can. It’s great to see new things and learn about different cultures while being in Europe. Some of our favorite travel destinations have been Rome, Paris, London, Budapest, Amsterdam, and an end of the season trip to Dubai.

SLAM: What did you do in your free time abroad?
GB: When I have free time I usually find myself on the computer. The computer and internet is my lifeline when I am overseas. I make phone calls, write emails, check up on family and friends, and stay up to date on what’s happening back home. I also get to watch plenty of movies while overseas.

SLAM: Where will you be spending the upcoming season?
GB: Hopefully I will find out soon where I will be heading next season. I am up for any place that sounds like it will be a good situation. Whether it is Europe, Asia, or South America, my wife and I will have a blast and get to experience a whole new journey together.

The post Gerrit Brigitha Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

by Jeremy Bauman / @gothamhoops13

Since I am from New York and scout the area whenever I can for up and coming high school ballers, I figured it would be a good idea to check out the other side of the country to gain more awareness of who is on the come-up from the west coast.

After a delay (or two) on my way to San Diego via Washington DC, I finally arrived, fully ready for the action to unfold in camp. I didn’t just go to scout; I coached in the camp as well.

My team was decent; we started off 0-3 but we finished 3-3 and I had some nice talent on the squad. We could have won the first three games just as easily as we lost those first three games but such is life in a summer basketball camp where the teammates barely know each other.

But the best part of the camp was that I got to watch talented rising freshmen and sophomore players compete against each other in drills and games. It provided valuable insight in to talent on the west coast (and really all over the country) that will be heard from in the next few years.

Besides for being held in sunny, temperate San Diego, the camp was a great place for all of these kids to prepare themselves for the future, as they got a chance to compete with top-notch competition from their respective age groups while coaches assembled from all levels to advance their games.

“We decided to do this event at the grassroots level as a development to the high school level,” said Joe Keller, President of Phenom basketball. “What we did is we got the top 8th and 9th grade kids and have them for the future of Adidas. Our philosophies in our division are to prepare them for college. You can get national exposure and experience against the top players. Our level with where we’re going with it is Adidas Nation. We feel that we get a lot more out of it as far as our interaction with the kids. So we feel we do it in a way that we feel we can be more hands on at our six different camps.”

There is also a component to the camp that involved listening and learning about how to get to college, both on the court an off the court. In between games players went to classroom sessions where they learned about the sliding scale involving their SATs and GPAs to help them in the classroom. During breaks in camp play, there was also the voice of reason that Administrator Dave Taylor provided. The former Division I assistant coach and AAU coach preached to the kids about previous experiences that he hopes the kids will learn from.

“We also feel that the vision that Dave Taylor speaks about at our camp about life skills for the future will lead these kids a long way,” continued Keller.

Overall the trip to San Diego was worthwhile to say the least. While we might have a highlight video in the coming days, for now we have a list of the top players in the camp and what they proved about their games over the course of the weekend:

RISING 10TH GRADE DIVISION

Chris Thomas | 6-4 | Denver, CO
Thomas makes everything look easy on the court by using his natural offensive abilities. At this point his game consists of getting to the basket to finish ridiculous dunks and shooting threes but the hope is that his game will gain some polish in the coming years. He needs a ton of work on the fundamentals on both ends but his high talent level and raw ability go unquestioned. He dropped 27 points in the All-Star game to earn a share of the MVP.

Tyree Robinson | 6-3 | San Diego, CA
He has a polished game and a mans body to go along with it, which he uses to muscle in to the lane on offense and to keep defenders out of the lane and rebound on defense. He has a nice pull-up game and drew fouls on hopeless defenders for much of the weekend.

Tyrell Robinson | 6-3 | San Diego, CA
At this point, the difference between Tyrell and his twin brother is that Tyree is a bit more polished on the offensive end. Some spectators attributed this to the fact that Tyrell concentrates more on football, which makes sense. Still, Tyrell scored 28 points and showed his capability en route to Co-MVP honors in the All-Star game on Sunday.

Jordan Swopshire | 6-6 | O’Fallon, MO
The brother of Jared Swopshire (Louisville) shouldn’t have a tough time stepping in to the national spotlight. Swopshire has skills for his age that project to a multiskilled 3 or 4 when he gets to college. His shooting touch looks great and at one point when I was watching warmups he made 12 deep threes in a row. He is also a load to handle in the paint. This kid has a very, very bright future.

Trayvond Collins | 6-2 | Midland, TX
Collins lit up the All-Star game with five three-pointers. While other players seemed to be taking it a little easier after a long weekend, Collins really stepped up and showed he’s a no nonsense kind of guy. Look for this strongbody, lefty combo guard to keep raining 3s for a while.

Semilore Ojeleye | 6-5 | Ottawa, KS
He is a very big kid for his age, not just height-wise, but girth-wise too and he uses it to his advantage. Ojeleye is a big man who establishes position using his body in the post well and has a nice touch in the paint. At this stage he is capable of shooting the 3-ball but is better suited to stay in the mid-range area.

RISING 9TH GRADE DIVISION

Alex Robinson | 6-2 | Arlington, TX
Robinson is a southpaw with excellent size, ball-handling ability and the ability to score the ball with ease from almost anywhere. He plays very aggressively and knows how to get teammates involved as well. He displayed his versatility by playing the scoring guard role during regular team play and switching over to the point guard position for the All-Star game with ease.

Aaron Bushner | 5-10 | Akron, OH
Bushner, who was on my team throughout the camp, displayed an incredible nose for the ball all weekend long both on the boards and on defense. He scored seemingly at will but what really stood out was his natural playmaking ability; he put his teammates in a excellent positions to score throughout the weekend. I was told that he is an even better quarterback than he is a basketball player, which makes sense because his vision and overall coachability were great for a kid his age.

Ta-Ron Ayres | 5-10 | Beckley, WV
Ayres is a quick point guard who combines an excellent feel for the position with a quick and consistent jump shot from deep. He used his speed dribble to blow by defenders at will, where he created for others without forcing the issue. In the All-Star game Ayres got the rebound and drove the length of the court to win the game in a sudden death triple overtime affair.

Diontae Jones | 6-2 | Las Vegas, NV
Jones, a lefty wing forward, is a very aggressive prospect who attacks the rim with advanced moves and ferocity for his age. He has an excellent frame that should fill-in as he gets older. He had one of the highest potentials out of anybody in the camp.

Adonys Henriquez | 6-2 | Orlando, FL
Henriquez showed glimpses of his extremely high potential during the All-Star Game, where he got to the tin with ease. Sometimes he finished and sometimes he didn’t, but he has solid dribbling abilities for a guy his size. He must learn how to use his body better to bang in the post on both ends in order to reach his full potential.

The post 2010 adidas Phenom Camp appeared first on SLAM.

Its a funny thing how rankings work these days. A few years ago when John Wall was a sophomore in high school, even with all of the recruiting services around, Wall was hardly noticed. Last week, Wall was the top player selected in the NBA Draft.

My point is this: Even with all of the rankings that have shaped the basketball world for the past decade, players still fall through the cracks. With the way the game works these days, its probably for the best.

One of the latest players to be uncovered and find himself in a similar frenzy is west coast star Norman Powell, a 6-3 combo guard who combines rare athletic ability with a feel for getting to the tin. Schools have hopped onto Powell’s bandwagon from all over the country and he’s open going into the live period.

I got a chance to sit down and talk all things basketball with Norm this past Saturday June 26th as he took in the action at the Adidas Phenom Camp in San Diego.

SLAM: Alright, Norman Powell from Lincoln High School in San Diego is here with SLAM and you’re one of the fastest rising seniors in the country. How did it feel to go unnoticed for so long.
Norman Powell: Shoot, I don’t know. Its crazy, like from where I was an where I’m at right now. It feels good because this is what I wanted but I still feel that like, I’m not rated where I want to be and so it makes me want to work harder to get up there more.

SLAM: Why do you think you were so unnoticed before, what changed in that time period that helped you go from unnoticed to, now you’re noticed?
NP: I think really that people all around, people were saying I was good, that I should be able to go to any school I want. But the steps to like, getting out on the circuit they didn’t take, it was more talk. Then I came to Lincoln with Coach Jeff and Coach Glen and Coach Jason and they all helped together to get me on an AAU basketball team and from there I just, you know, started exploding.

SLAM: And what AAU team do you play with?
NP: Dream Vision.

SLAM: Was that your first AAU team?
NP: First I started playing with the San Diego All Stars and then last spring I started playing with Dream Vision.

SLAM: Cool. So how does it feel to finally get the attention that you deserve? You’ve been the same player?
NP: Yea.

SLAM: So you didn’t just change overnight…
NP: You know, I’ve had to humble myself because a lot of people, when they get to your head because they think your all that but its really humbling. I know how to humble myself and take care of it because when it gets to your head that’s where the problem starts.

SLAM: What are you doing in the gym to get to the level that you’re at?
NP: We go in there and well, first I get my music on to get pumped up and all that. Gotta get my mind right. In order to be good you have to have your mind right and ready to practice so basically then I get some shots up, work on defense [defensive slides], probably get up about a 1000 shots probably about three times every week.

SLAM: Definitely working on that shot. Are there any players or teams that you want to play against next year in San Diego, like a rival?
NP: Yea its Lincoln and Morris. We beat them this year but they’re still talking.

SLAM: Who normally wins?
NP: Linoln. We won by one this year but we was up by 35.

SLAM: Wow how’d that play out?
NP: First three quarters they couldn’t handle us, we had fresh legs that we were rotatin’. Then the fourth quarter rolled around and we stopped rotating and they started chipping away and coming back. They had the ball last shot but it didn’t matter.

SLAM: Shows you can’t get humble for a minute…
NP: Yea!

SLAM: What about nationally, are there any players you want to play against on the circuit?
NP: Yea I wanna play against Deuce Bello, Jahii Carson, PJ Hairston, CJ Gurerro. Pretty much people from the NBA Camp I wanna play against them more because those are people I haven’t really seen and so if I play against them more and I do what I’ve been doing, my ranking should go up.

SLAM: How was the NBA Camp?
NP: It was great I liked it, I learned a lot. There was a lot of skill development and NBA players, active and retired ones.

SLAM: Who was your favorite player from the camp?
NP: Jerry Stackhouse.

SLAM: Who is your favorite NBA player now?
NP: Now its Kobe Bryant.

SLAM: Gotcha. So how’s the recruiting going, who’s on you?
NP: Good, colleges are coming from everywhere so I’m liking it. Got offers from UCLA, USC, San Diego State, USD, Arizona, Arizona State, UTEP and Cal.

SLAM: And you just started playing AAU this year?
NP: No last year. I played in July last year and that’s when my name wasn’t out there, but it was like ‘Oh let me look at him, he’s athletic.’ But really my name came out at the last tournament in July. I was playing against Mater Dei and Tyler Lamb. I dunked on Tyler Lamb and that’s when it all kindof happened. ESPN was there and ranked me an 88. Right now I’m a 96. I’m ranked 33rd in the country though.

SLAM: And you’re gonna try to improve that…
NP: Yea I’m gonna try my best.

SLAM: So do you have any favorites?
NP: I mean, like the west coast is good but traveling makes all the other places look great. I would say my favorites right now are San Diego State because Coach has been on me before all this stuff happened, from Day 1. UCLA Coach Scott Garson, he’s funny I like him. Arizona Coach Archie Miller I don’t know if we ever stop emailing each other. James Harden got me interested in Arizona State. Coach Laflour from UConn always has me laughing too.

SLAM: What about back east?
NP: Back east we got UConn.

SLAM: A lot of guard tradition there.
NP: Yea and also Kansas, they were number one so I’m definitely interested in them but I gotta see who’s ahead of me there.

SLAM: You got Josh Selby there right now. What’s gonna factor into your decision, playing time?
NP: Yea exactly. I wanna come in and I wanna play right away. Like not be a John Wall but be in a similar circumstance.

SLAM: John Wall was in a similar circumstance to you. He wasn’t really so known and then he was the number one player. It kindof helped him. You see yourself in that kind of mold?
NP: Yea, hopefully. He’s nasty all around; left hand, right hand, give it to you with the shot, he’ll give it to you going to the bucket in transition, he’ll set up other players so he’s just nice all around and so obviously I hope my skills can come around with dedication to get like his.

SLAM: So you’re hops compare to his?
NP: Just a little bit, he has a little more bounce than me.

SLAM: So who would you compare yourself to in the NBA?
NP: In the NBA? That’s hard! Russell Westbrook, from Cali. He dunked on Lamar Odom and he didn’t dunk until his senior year of high school and look where he is now!

SLAM: Exactly. Do you have a favorite video game?
NP: For X-Box 360 NBA 2K10, Modern Warfare, Grand Theft Auto, I’m on it! I don’t play it that much because I have to balance everything. This summer I’ll take my X-Box 360 on the road though.

SLAM: Aright have fun, great interview thanks a lot.
NP: No problem.

The post Norman Powell Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

by On the eve of the NBA Draft last Wednesday we were able to catch up with Kenny “The Jet” Smith, a two-time NBA Champion with the Houston Rockets as a point guard. These days Kenny is playing a different kind of lead guard position; his voice has oftentimes been a voice of reason on the Emmy Award winning Inside The NBA on TNT alongside Charles Barkley.

We had the chance to interview Kenny as he was touring on behalf of Taco Bell, petitioning the Federal Reserve to begin re-issuing $2 bills in response to the public’s hunger for the new three items for $2 meal deal. Who better to speak to three items than the guy who held the NBA Finals record for most threes in a game (up until Ray Allen broke it last week, that is).

We chatted about the NBA Draft (which took place the next day), his expectations for John Wall, the aforementioned three-point record that he used to hold and a few things that the casual Inside the NBA fan might not know about the show.

SLAM: With the NBA Draft coming up tomorrow who are some guys who you expect to come in and really contribute off the bat?
Kenny Smith: I mean there’s a lot of obvious stuff, you know, the guys that go in the Top 5–Evan Turner, DeMarcus Cousins–you know, the expectation level is extremely high. Now, if they can meet their expectation levels is yet to be seen but what’s fun about it is that these draft picks are going to be coupled with a lot of the free agents with those same teams.

SLAM: And do you see any of those playing a factor?
KS: I think that’s gonna play a big factor because a lot of these teams are building themselves for free agency and gearing their draft picks around that as well. So this is the most unique–this has never really happened–in the history of the game with so many teams. Normally its like one or two teams that do this but you probably have about ten teams that are doing this same thing.

SLAM: You used to play point guard. What exactly do you see John Wall doing in the NBA, do you see him changing the point guard position? What do you see?
KS: No one, the only one that changed the point guard position’s name was Magic Johnson. But I think what he is able to do is first I think he has a great enthusiasm for the game, which is really infectious. I think his enthusiasm makes him an infectious player. I think the one thing that’s difficult that he’s going to have to learn is the fact that he’s a 19-year-old guy telling a 32- or 33-year-old man, who’s done it before, “No, you’re not getting the ball. This is when I’m gonna give it to you and this is what we gotta do.” Talking to men instead of his peers.

SLAM:And speaking of Kentucky, how about Rajon Rondo? How has he turned in to one of the League’s best point guards?
KS: Well, he’s put himself in an elite status because of his decision making. The difference between the average player and a good player, a good player to a great player isn’t the fact that who shoots better, who can dribble faster, who’s smarter, its all about who makes good decisions at that level and when do you make them

SLAM: A few weeks ago you still held the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single NBA Finals game. How does it feel to pass the torch to one of the best shooters to ever play the game?
KS: I didn’t want to pass it, you know I didn’t want to give it to him. Its a record that nobody talks about until you know, somebody got hot in the Finals. No one walks around saying they have the record for 3-pointers made in an NBA Finals game, you know they don’t talk about it like that. Its fun to have that kind of record and its fun when somebody approaches it and I wish he would have tied it instead of broken it [laughs].

SLAM: Of course!
KS: Especially when he goes 0-18 the next night. It happens that way though, basketball is about adjustments and changing things up.

SLAM: So me personally, I know that I’m a big fan of Inside the NBA. Its a great show, its Emmy Award winning for lots of reasons. You have great chemistry when your discussing basketball, you look like just another group of guys talking about the game, you know?
KS: I think the one thing that we look at it as is that we’re just three guys talking sports. We’re not trying to play up to any camera or you talk for 15 seconds and I’ll talk for 15 seconds, that’s not how real conversations go and we want that real feeling on the air.

SLAM: Exactly and I think that’s a something everybody appreciates. Tell me something about the show that a lot of people might not know just by watching it.
KS: They probably wouldn’t know that everything that goes on on television spills over in to the green room and on our flights. It’s a continuous conversation more than what we’re about to do. The conversations continue on to the set and then all of a sudden we’re on television. People think that we just kind of come on and then we go but it doesn’t happen that way.

SLAM: I’m a big Charles Barkley fan. Tell me something about him that people might know about him behind the scenes of the show.
KS: He’s Felix Unger and I’m Oscar Madison.

SLAM: [Laughs].
KS: He is a neat [pause] freak. Almost compulsive. Almost. He’s up there.

SLAM: Wow.
KS: He does carry his own set of wipes on his desk.

SLAM: That’s something I definitely couldn’t have guessed.
KS: [Laughs].

SLAM: Kenny thanks a lot for you’re time. We at SLAM appreciate it. Enjoy the Draft!
KS: Alright thanks Jeremy.

The post Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith Q + A appeared first on SLAM.

This past Saturday at a Long Island University gym located in Brooklyn, NY, aspiring basketball players from all over the country and with varying degrees of experience took the court with the hope that somebody, somewhere was watching them give it their all.

Their goal was simple; to impress a group of overseas coaches and GM’s that were not just in attendance, but able to watch the games live online from their country as well.

Some of the coaches that were in attendance scouting were Coach Mike Taylor from ULM (Germany), Bob Pierce from the Shiga Lakestars (Japan), Atiba Lyons from the Sheffield Sharks (England), Durell Sanford from Gimle (Norway) and Brian Rowsom (Japan). There were also supposed to be scouts/coaches watching online from Holland, Spain, Poland, Quatar, Uruguay, Argentina and Mexico.

One advantage of watching online is that although it is possible to watch them games life, it is just as easy to go to ProPlayerVideo.com and view the games now, tomorrow or next week.

All of this was made possible by the Pro Player Video staff, which put this event together and feels that it is onto something big. In this new age where the internet has become, in essence, the best way for hopeful basketball players to market themselves to professional scouts and coaches in other countries, Tyler Smith has taken notice.

“A few years ago I started a website called ProPlayervideo.com and it’s a site where players and agents can post game videos and profiles online and where they can send it out to pro teams in very high quality,” says Smith, a professional player himself. “From there we got a really nice response. We’ve had over 500 guys on the site who are playing professionally or are looking to play professionally. “

Tyler continues, “A year ago we kind of had a vision to put a basketball camp together and we have a really great venue here at LIU in terms of the facilities and the referees and just how its all come together.

“You know for us its great to have more than just the website but an actual event where there’s people and there’s a physical presence to it instead of just an out in space company. We are really trying to help players and agents connect with pro teams so that they can play professionally and get them a pro contract. For me, I’m a pro player as well in Japan so I understand what these guys are going through. They’re hungry to find that next job and this event offers an opportunity for players and coaches to interact, as well as agents.”

With players from schools from Division I DePaul and Central Michigan to Division III Paterson and East Texas Baptist, every player that was there was on a different life path but had two things in common: a love for the game and the urge to keep their dream alive.

“I’ve been overseas for six years and I’ve had mostly good experiences but the last place I was at I was only there until Christmas time and you know, it was just a tough situation,” says skilled 6-8 big man Gerrit Brigitha, who has played professionally in Holland, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Finland and Switzerland. “So I’m just here trying to get some fresh looks from some different countries. The agent that I have now isn’t really big in Japan or Asia or South America and a lot of those coaches are going to be here. These days when the economy is so bad in Europe, its good to get as many opportunities as you can. “

Then you have a guy who could probably be earning big bucks in a different fashion rather than trying out for an overseas contract.

“I’m just here trying to get seen, just like everybody else,” says the 6-3 sharp-shooting guard Alex Zampier, who just graduated from Yale this spring after majoring in sociology and economics. “I went to a smaller school and I’m just trying to get as big an opportunity as I can to get my name out there and have somebody see me play. I just want to get a good contract, just like everybody else.”

And then you have somebody who has not and will not give up on attaining his childhood dream.

“Most scouts already know what players could do, I’m just trying to do the little things—play defense, block shots, rebound,” says 6-7 bruising forward Karron Clark, who graduated from DePaul University in 2008.  I’m trying to get to the League, if not, the highest level in Europe. It’s not gonna be offensively—they already told me its gonna be defensively.

The advantage of attending a camp like this for the players is clear—but what about the coach who went out of his way to get here in the hope of finding a player to slide into his roster overseas?

“I think that right off the bat you help yourself by seeing all the players here and you get to evaluate them,” the energetic Head Coach Mike Taylor of ULM from Germany stated.  “I’m looking for big men and there aren’t really too many big men here. But at the same time, you never know how your team needs change so you try to get as many people as you can on the list. I’m really happy to get to see all these players because now you get to track them, see where they go and its very beneficial.

“I know Tyler Smith and obviously his experience as a player and with Pro Player Video and I think he’s on to something very, very excellent for players going into the European market to try and continue their careers.”

As Taylor said, Smith is hoping that this is just the first camp of many of its nature and even more advancements that will make it easier for players to be seen all around the world.

“I’m really hoping that this camp can be a building block for some greater things, maybe we could do some more camps,” says Smith. “We’re streaming the video live online, which is a special thing and I don’t think anybody else is doing for this kind of a camp. We’re hoping to take that live streaming and do more with it, at more camps and maybe in other pro leagues around the world. It would be great if there was a website where you could go and watch any pro basketball league and team around the world.”

The post Dream Chasers appeared first on SLAM.

Just a few hours before the NBA Draft, we here at SLAMonline have decided to review our own 2010 Mock Draft and, well, get pumped up that the Draft is here. After all, tonight is a big night. Depending on the moves your franchise makes, you could have a glimmer of hope for your team’s future and a reason to look forward to next season.

The truth, though, is that nobody really knows who teams will select until it happens, as the phones will be ringing off the hook in many team offices with GMs trying to make moves to get in to a better position.

In SLAMonline’s Mock Draft, as everybody expects — and almost nobody has disputed — John Wall from Kentucky went No. 1 overall to the Washington Wizards. We firmly expect the dynamic lead guard to have his name chosen first tonight as well.

We also feel pretty confident that our guy Evan Turner, the do-it-all small forward out of Ohio State will be off the big board at No. 2, where he will have the task of resurrecting Philadelphia basketball.

At the 3-slot in the Mock Draft is where it really starts to get interesting. There are mainly three players whom the Nets are said to be looked at: forward Wesley Johnson, power forward/center DeMarcus Cousins and forward Derrick Favors. There are different thoughts that go in to the hypothetical selection of each player. If the Nets want to get the more polished, mature and proven player to come in right away and contribute, then their man is Johnson. If they want to try to create their own version of the Twin Towers in Newark, then they could go with Cousins. And if they want to go with a power forward who complements Brook Lopez, well then they could take Favors.

One thing is clear, though: In the Mock Draft, Johnson was still around at 6. In the actual Draft tonight, we would, along with the Warriors, be shocked to see him there.

The guy who could end up going a lot higher than some people expect is Hassan Whiteside, who had a monster year in college. He is a legit 7-footer who, although raw, is a menace on the defensive end.

As for a lot of the guys who went in the 20s in our Mock, the fact is that our guess could be as good as theirs when it comes to when and where players will go. Taking in to account that there have already been trades (and there almost certainly will be more) and the mindset of the franchise (best available, team need), it can be tough to peg where some of those guys will go.

But that’s the fun of the Draft for the fan. Sometimes a right decision in the middle of the First Round can become an All-Star and surpass the guys ahead of him in due time. We’ll just have to wait and see…

The post SLAMonline Mock Draft Redux appeared first on SLAM.

Every year on the second weekend in June, the Rumble in the Bronx attracts some of the top AAU Basketball teams from all around the country to the heart of New York City and this year was no different.

The annual tournament is hosted by the City Rocks AAU organization, which is based in Albany, NY and they did a fantastic job of running the event from start to finish. It all began at the top with director Jim Hart, who had a vision of the tournament long before it began in 1999.

“When I first started running tournaments 15 years ago, you had people having tournaments all over the country,” explains Hart. “I realized that some of the best teams in the country are located in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area and I wanted to get the best teams from the area competing with the teams from all over the country.”

Some of these teams included South Florida Elite, Garner Road (NC), Team Missouri, BABC (MA), Team Melo (MD), Rhode Island Breakers, Pennsylvania Playaz, Hammond Canes (IN), Arizona Golden Gators and the Dallas Mustangs, to name a few. That list doesn’t even mention that most of the top teams in the tri-state area came to compete this past weekend at Fordham University, Manhattan College and a few other local gymnasiums.

Recently the tournament has been popular enough that Hart has had to turn some teams away.

“I limited the amount of 17U teams to 48 because we want to keep the competition elite,” says Hart.

The Rumble in the Bronx is also unique in that they have “outdoor concession stands, music and an atmosphere,” according to Hart. Rappers such as Jay-Z, Fat Joe and Michael Rapaport have been spotted at the event in the past along with superstars like Allen Iverson and Rafer Alston, who coaches with the New York Panthers. Even Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge was spotted on Saturday at Manhattan College watching his son play, just a day before Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

As pool play came to a close late Saturday night, the Playoffs began to heat up the action early Sunday morning with each team battling for their ultimate goal of a championship.

In the 17U division both of the semi-finals included teams from New York (NY Panthers and New Heights) but neither of them could outlast their opponents to reach the finals, where East Coast Elite and Connecticut Basketball Club fought for the ‘chip.

CBC 6-7 guard Tavon Allen (Worcester Academy ‘11) came out firing on all cylinders to take an early lead on their counterparts. They looked to be golden after watching Elite lost Pittsburgh-bound prospect Jaylen Bond to an ankle injury. That wasn’t the case, however, as 6-2 shooting guard AJ English (Appoquinimink HS, DE ‘11) brought Elite back with 14 points (3 treys) to keep the game within striking distance 32-29 at the half.

In the second half highly touted CBC 6-11 monster Andre Drummond (St. Thomas More ’12) came alive in the lane but Elite’s own 6-11 Malcolm Gilbert (Academy of the New Church ‘11) played solid defense in the middle and held Drummond in check for the most part, blocking him 5 times in the process.

AJ English continued his hot shooting to lead his team to the winners circle by scoring 28 points and earning MVP honors.

Other Rumble in the Bronx champions were:

16U
BABC (Boston, MA)
MVP: Nerlens Noel (Tilton School ’13)

15U
City Rocks (Albany, NY)
MVP: Jordan Gleason (Watervliet High School ’13)

14U
New Jersey Playaz

The post Rumble Ready appeared first on SLAM.

He has been around since he was 14 and after entering last years NBA Draft and deciding not to come for numerous reasons, as I mentioned in my article, there seemed to be a significant increase to the amount he had haters here in America.

No matter, though, as he proved doubters wrong this year by starting at point guard at the age of 19 and leading his FC Barcelona to the Euroleague Championship, which fueled discussions about whether this might be the best team in Euroleague history in the process.

But there were some down moments for the youngster that I happened to capture while in attendance of the 10 games that I went to.

But hey, miscues happen in basketball, especially to a 19-year-old kid who is playing the lead guard position in the second best league in the world, right?

That’s just my take, but what’s yours?

As we unleash these two videos, we have a few questions that we are asking our audience: Which Ricky Rubio do you believe in?

Do you feel that when he comes to the L he will look like he does in his highlight video?

Or are you one of the skeptics that believes he will look more like he does in his lowlight video?

The post Video: Ricky Rubio – Highlights AND Lowlights appeared first on SLAM.

by Jeremy Bauman

Frenji Sports presented an impressive group of the top New York-area high school basketball players on June 3. The game was in honor of Frankie Williams, a former community leader, mentor, and coach who was, and still is, well respected in the Greenburgh, NY.

The game was about as fast paced as it could possibly be. In the end, it was the Blue Team who outlasted their opponents, the White team, 124-112. The two teams raced up and down the court, launched 3s, and finished at the rim with authority during the crowd-pleasing All-Star game.

Fordham University-bound senior Jeffrey Short took home MVP honors for the Blue team. Short dazzled the audience by lighting up the scoreboard for 28 points.

Meanwhile, Boys & Girls junior Mike Taylor scored a game-high 33 points and earned the Sportsmanship award in the process.

OTHER NOTES

— Villanova-bound forward Jayvaughn Pinkston took defenders off the dribble, muscled inside and connected on several three-pointers.

— UConn-bound junior Maurice Harkless showed off his versatility while 26 points on the evening.

— Kadeem Jack arrived to the game at halftime but made his presence felt on the interior by scoring 14 points in the second half.

— Jermaine Sanders showed his smooth game by slashing smoothly to the basket, showing off his agility and good balance in the process.

— Villanova-bound Ashcraf Yacoubou hit tough step backs, had a few throw-downs, and was willing to pass the ball.

— Fordham-bound Brandon Frazier did a little bit of everything; slashing to the rim, hitting outside jumpers off the bounce, and setting his teammates up.

The post Video: Frenji Sports Frankie Williams Classic appeared first on SLAM.

To say that Terence Morris is an unselfish player simply doesn’t do him justice.

After averaging 15.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game his sophomore season at Maryland the home state native was slated as a consensus top 5 pick on NBA mock drafts. Against conventional wisdom the highly talented, hyper-athletic, and level-headed forward decided to stay at school for his junior and senior seasons.

“Trying to finish up school was the number one thing I was trying to do,” said the well traveled FC Barcelona forward. “But second was to be really unselfish to try to win something. I gave up personal things for team things. I talked to Head Coach (Gary Williams) and realized when I was there that I could have averaged 18-19 points a game and been on a losing team. But being on a team that’s consistent means you give up points and you do other things like getting other people the ball, so it was that kind of thing for me.”

Giving the ball up during his senior year helped the Terrapins reach the Final Four but Morris’ draft stock took a beating due to his unselfish play and lower numbers. His minutes also declined from 32.4 mpg his sophomore year down to 16 mpg his senior year.

Still, he ended up being drafted with the 33rd pick overall by the Houston Rockets and played two seasons there and one season in Orlando before deciding to move to Europe.

“It’s a little tough sometimes for second round picks but I’m still happy,” stated Morris. “I’m doing what I love to do. At the same time I’ve been to different countries all around the world. I’ve got to see things that other people haven’t gotten to see.”

He has been around the world and played for top Euroleague teams such as Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Moscow, and finally FC Barcelona.

During the off-season he carefully evaluated his options after he learned that CSKA Moscow was cutting the budget and wouldn’t be able to afford him.

“I looked at the rosters to see who had the best chance of winning and I thought the best chance was here (FC Barcelona),” said Morris.

Morris chose FC Barcelona because they offered him an excellent chance to attain one of the only feats that he has not achieved, and that was a Euroleague championship.

“Thing that’s crazy is every year I have played in Europe I’ve played in the finals,” said Morris following a Euroleague Quarterfinals game against Real Madrid. “Maybe this year could be a highlight year for me.”

Boy was he right. FC Barcelona has had quite a year while winning the Euroleague Championship handily a few weeks ago over the Greek club Olympiacos (ex-Atlanta Hawk Josh Childress squad). Barcelona has a talented squad the features 8 players who have either been drafted or have played in the NBA at some point in their careers.

As a veteran Morris leads by example doing all of the little things on the court. His hustle for loose balls on both ends, ability to run the floor, willingness to make the extra pass, and movement without the ball has made him one of the best wing players in European basketball.

Perhaps the best statistic to show how unselfish and smart of a player he is would be his field goal percentages in Euroleague play this season, which check in at an unheard of 82.6 percent while also shooting 43.8 percent from deep this year, respectively.

His free throw average is a tad worse than his field goal percentage at 82.4 percent.

Terence Morris plays the game with a selflessness that has helped to prolong his career while also winning wherever he has gone. He is proof that making the extra pass consistently helps everybody to reach their goals.

Jeremy Bauman is a Sports Marketing & Management major who currently attends Indiana University. He scouts high school basketball in the New York area and posts at GothamHoops.com.

The post Barca’s Unselfish Leader appeared first on SLAM.

“Ricky! Ricky! Ricky!” chanted a group of 200 kids, social workers and parents with a youth group venture outside the exit of FC Barcelona’s Palau Blaugrana stadium. FC Barcelona jugadores Juan Carlos Navarro, Terence Morris and Fran Vasquez walked out before 19-year-old Ricky did, but the cheering for the superstar playmaker was unparalleled.

This small, but routine occurrence outside of the stadium helps to put 19-year-old Ricky Rubio’s growing fame in to proper perspective.

“Everywhere we go, it could be grown people or kids and it’s everything,” says forward Terence Morris, a former Maryland superstar and current Rubio teammate. “Pictures, autographs, lots of people in his situation would get frustrated but not Ricky. He doesn’t mind it.”

To understand the celebrity that is Ricky Rubio it is necessary to know where he comes from. Ricky grew up in El Masnou, a seaside village located 10 miles outside the heart of Catalonia (Barcelona) and although soccer was king he took a liking to basketball because he could “command the game in a different way.”

Catalonia (especially Barcelona) considers itself a separate entity from the likes of Spain’s central government because of political and cultural differences. The FC Barcelona marketing team caters to the mentality of “Barcelona against the world” says Ian Stephens, a former translator for FC Barcelona.

“I think his popularity has something to do with his ‘creation’ as a media star, and his Catalan identity,” continues Stephens.

The people of Catalonia take their heroes very seriously and devoutly support their hometown stars. The 45 minutes that I was allowed to have with Ricky was during media day for the Euroleague Final Four before a practice. It was tougher trying to get Ricky to talk about his NBA future than it might have been to interrogate an inmate at Guantanamo Bay.

“Well I don’t think of NBA,” said a suddenly serious Rubio. “I think here in Europe because we are focusing on the Final Four, and I don’t have to think about what they are talking. When they are talking good about you, it’s nice to have, but I have to be focused here in Spain.”

Ricky Rubio may have been drafted 5th in the NBA Draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves but the young and charismatic point guard doesn’t think twice about his decision to stay and play in Barcelona. And why would he?

Aside from the astronomical buyout of $8.1 million his former DKV Joventut team was originally seeking, ask yourself this question: Why would Ricky Rubio be in a rush to get to the Minnesota Timberwolves when he has such a loyal fan base, an excellent wage and endorsement deals, all while playing minutes from home? His game might be highly advanced but Ricky Rubio is still a kid at heart, spending off time with his buddies and regularly hanging out on the boardwalk for fun.

Former Head Coach and current ESPN analyst and scout Fran Fraschilla believes Ricky made the right decision to mold himself in Spain before coming to America.

“Ricky is mature beyond his years for a 19-year-old, but staying in Europe to play for FC Barcelona has been a wise move because he is maturing, physically and mentally,” said Fraschilla. “He is the point guard on one of the best teams in Europe at a level much higher than college basketball. His adjustment to the NBA will be much easier because of his decision to stay another year or two.”

When gauging how ready Rubio is, it is easy to think about his skills and not the reality of the situation: He’s still only 19 years old. When the time comes for him to shift his magical ball-handling, innate passing ability, and winning mentality to America, the competition of the daily grind of the NBA will take some time to get used to.

“The speed and quickness, night-in and night out, in the NBA will be Ricky’s biggest adjustment,” said Fraschilla. “Guarding Chris Paul one night and Derrrick Rose the next night will take some getting used to. But his mental quickness will offset some of his physical deficiencies. When he comes to the NBA at 20 or 21, he will be light years ahead of a normal college player because of his vast experience.”

I had the pleasure to watch Ricky Rubio in live action this year at Palau Blaugrana, FC Barcelona’s basketball, handball, and roller hockey stadium that was built in 1971 and holds 8,250 people. Admittedly skeptical after the first game, it is safe to say I am now an admirer of one of the most unselfish, intelligent, team-first lead guards I have ever seen.

By watching him play it is clear he understands that the game should be played with the importance placed solely on winning. On offense, he runs the show akin to a composer in an orchestra, dishing to the open man consistently with precision and timing. As creative as any player, Ricky is more than capable of dazzling the crowd with slick ball-handling and tricky passes, the wrap-around pass being his favorite. Though his numbers may not dazzle, the slower and more team-oriented style of play is to blame for not averaging double figures in the assists column.

Fraschilla offered an eye opening take to Rubio’s playmaking ability saying, “When it comes to seeing the game from the point guard position, he is a prodigy. There are few better passers on the planet.”

He is a capable scorer, boasting quickness to blow by his man and having a soft touch around the hoop as a finisher but as with many young players, he needs to add strength to his frame. His jump shot is a work in progress but his release point is in the right spot. Now he needs to work on tightening his form so that he becomes more consistent and can get the shot off quicker.

But what really defines Rubio isn’t so much his offense as it is on the defensive side of the ball. While most young players focus on the offensive end, Rubio has a different mentality.

“I think that there are days when you are not good enough and it’s not your day, you are not on fire and your defense always has to be there,” says the international sensation. “So that is the reason that the defense is the most important thing, because no matter how you are (offensively), you can always steal that ball, to be aggressive you can do it. If you want to attack, you can. Some days you miss things easy but it’s not your fault sometimes, but on defense it is always your fault.”

For a player so young, to have this sense of accountability is rare. To display it on the court night-in and night-out is even rarer, and that is exactly what is so impressive. The constant effort and focus that is given play after play and practice after practice is remarkable.

Fellow teammate, center Boniface N’Dong, who spent time with the Los Angeles Clippers in ’05-06 says Rubio works as hard as anybody. “He works very hard and he’s always in the gym before practice, so he’s a guy that has a lot of ambition and he doesn’t just count on his talent,” said N’Dong.

Comparing Rubio to Kentucky freshman sensation John Wall, the probable No. 1 selection in this year’s Draft, Fraschilla had this to say: “Both Ricky Rubio and John Wall fit the description, ‘pure point guard.’ There are few players Wall’s age that are quicker in transition. But, there are few players in the world quicker mentally, few that are better decision-makers than Rubio. They are two of the premier young guards on the planet right now.”

But as with any amateur player, of course there are some kinks in the armor and room for improvement.

“Ricky Rubio’s playmaking is NBA ready right now, but he must continue to improve his jump shot and get stronger,” according to Fraschilla. “He is still only 19 years old, so he has another couple of seasons to mature in to a player that could have an immediate impact on the NBA.”

The enthusiasm, passion and charisma that he has for the game are infinite. Whoever finally lands the smooth Spanish sensation will be getting an entertaining winner at the point guard position, the kind of player who is perfect to build around.

For now, though, his focus is on the Euroleague Final Four, and nowhere else.

“So excited! This is my first Final Four, and there are guys who have played in it before, three or four times, and they say it’s like a Kings Cup (Spanish Championship tournament), except bigger. You know, and all of Europe is paying attention to these three days, and we are so excited to play.”

Once the youngest player to play in the Spanish ACB, Barcelona has seen their young star grow up before their eyes. A few days after speaking with Rubio his FC Barcelona team easily defeated Russian CSKA Moscow in the semifinals and the Greek Olympiacos squad in the Euroleague Final. As usual, Rubio focused on the task at hand and got the job done, despite his youth.

Whenever he does finally come to America Ricky Rubio will stand out for his broken English, but his game will stand out even more. It’s just a matter of time before America really knows about Catalonia’s best kept secret.

Dedicated to an unselfish point guard and dear friend, J-RAD, who passed away recently.