Monday, August 31, 2009

SeldomSceneSmith offers some great player updates

All credit goes to SeldomSeenSmith, a longtime poster at the Scout Utah State site message board, for the following updates and information.

*** Greg Allen, former Idaho recruit who signed with Creighton, didn't qualify and enrolled at Navarro JC in Texas. (our little addition: Louisiana Tech just landed point DeAndre Brown out of Navarro)

*** Jordan Ellis, PG from Medford OR, who was looked at by USU but not offered, will be at Grayson County JC. He'll be playing with ex Aggie PG Deremy Geiger.

*** Ex-Nevada player Ahyaro Phillips of gun fame, has enrolled at Lamar State JC in Port Arthur, Texas.

*** Kyle Tresnak, 6'9" PF from Scottsdale AZ, who was looked at by USU, but not offered, has committed to Weber State of the Big Sky.

*** Two players from Minnesota that the Aggies looked at while James Ware (from Minnesota) was an assistant two years ago, have switched JCs. Sedrick McBounds has transferred from Western Nebraska to Paris JC in Texas. Tarell Clark has transferred from Western Nebraska to Williston State JC. I doubt if USU is still interested in either.

On behalf of PTW, we offer many thanks to SeldomScene Smith for providing this information.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

A great read

It's not WAC-related but here's a fascinating article on former NBA-er Tim James who took a very unusal step after his basketball playing came to a close.

He definitely seems like someone who would be interesting to talk with and it's anyone's guess what his next step in life will be.

A smart moves by all

Kurt Rambis certainly isn't afraid of strong personalities among his assistants. That shows a level of self confidence and intelligence. For Theus, helping the Wolves advance forward (if they indeed do so) after years of mediocrity and worse could be a smart career move for what he really wants -- another NBA head coaching shot.

Laimbeer, Theus to join Wolves coaching staff
Kurt Rambis is adding two peers from his playing days to the Wolves staff.
Jerry Zgoda
Minneapolis Star Tribune
August 30, 2009


Run and gun with a little bad boy attitude mixed in? Sounds like a plan.

New Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis will add former Detroit Pistons bad-boy center Bill Laimbeer and former Sacramento Kings coach Reggie Theus to his staff, according to a league source.

Those two notable names will join Boston assistant general manager Dave Wohl, a former Los Angeles Lakers assistant and New Jersey Nets head coach in the 1980s who will become Rambis' No. 1 assistant...
Go here for the remainder.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

LA TECH'S non-conference schedule

Here's the non-WAC schedule for Kerry Rupp's squad -- make of it what you will:

Nov. 14 UT – @ Pan American - Edinburg, Texas

Basketball Travelers Tournament
Nov. 20 Miami University (Ohio)- Albuquerque, N.M.
Nov. 21 New Mexico - Albuquerque, N.M.
Nov. 22 Nichols State - Albuquerque, N.M.

Nov. 25 UALR
Nov. 28/29 @ TCU - Fort Worth, Texas

Dec. 2 @ ULM - Monroe, LA
Dec. 5 Northwestern State
Dec. 9 @ University of Arizona - Tucson, Ariz.
Dec. 12 @ Centenary - Shreveport, LA
Dec. 15 Murray State
Dec. 19 McNeese State
Dec. 22 UT – Pan American
Dec. 29 @ University of Houston - Houston, TX

Feb. 20 TBA – ESPNU BracketBuster

Friday, August 28, 2009

Try and interpret this

D.J. Wright has been Kerry Rupp's most heralded prep recruit to date even if Wright ended up needing to go the JC route at Salt Lake City College. He put up superb numbers this season and won the most valuable player award at the national junior college tournament.

Now he has changed addresses, departing from Salt Lake to play at Mt. San Jacinto College in southern California. A hat tip to SeldomSeenSmith at the Scout Utah State site message board for digging this up and posting the information.

We did a bit more excavating and came across the following article:

MSJC brings in transfer D.J. Wright
Obrey Brown
Special to The Press-Enterprise
August 25, 2009


Mt. San Jacinto College may have pulled off a major coup in recruiting for the 2009-10 men's basketball season with the addition of sophomore D.J. Wright, a transfer from Salt Lake Community College.

"I think our reputation for graduating guys and placing them at a higher level was a big part of getting D.J.," MSJC coach Patrick Springer said. "(At SLCC), I don't think they felt D.J. was getting the help he needed academically. He's got some work to do academically..."
Go here for the remainder.

So is Wright still Ruston bound? Does he head to the NBA if his academics fall short again? Last (and definitely least but it adds some sizzle), Mt. San Jacinto Coach Patrick Springer is a former assistant coach at San Jose State. No, Wright will not be asking do you know the way to San Jose.

A Damon Powell sighting?

Don't necessarily make a deposit into your memory bank with this but a poster at the NorCalPreps message board has McClymonds High wing Damon Powell at Los Medanos College in Pittsburgh, CA. That's very close to home. If true, Powell will be playing for Coach Derek Domenichelli.

What's also interesting is Powell (apparently) choosing to go the junior college route rather than say a year at a prep school. Our understanding is that an individual who doesn't meet NCAA academic requirements and enrolls at a junior college must then earn an A.A. degree before being eligible at a D-1 institution.

This is versus going the route of a year at a prep school shoring up the academic side (and playing) which allows an individual to retain the possibility of earning a D-1 schollie after that post grad hiatus.

It's anyone's guess as to whether Powell returns to Fresno State two years hence since there are no legal ties binding Powell with Fresno State.

Domenichelli and Los Medanos have been very successful this decade. He has twice won Coach of the Year of the Bay Valley Conference (2005, 2009) and his LMC team has recorded six 20+-win seasons in the last seven years, including a 25-win season in 2008 and a 23-win season in 2009.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Add one more to the New Mexico State roster

Man, it's late summer but still there's been no rest for the wicked, er, weary here at PTW. Coach Marvin Menzies has added yet another player:

International flavor: Menzies adds Frenchman Bandja Sy to roster
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
8/27/2009

New Mexico State men's basketball coach Marvin Menzies has added another international player to his roster for the upcoming season.

Two days after announcing 7-foot African center Abdoulaye N'Doye was on campus, Menzies announced on Thursday that the Aggies have added 6-foot-8 wing Bandja Sy, who hails from Cergy, France outside of Paris...
Go here for the remainder.

What we want is an invite to a player potluck meal -- we think NMSU has most of the cuisines covered.

Brett Roseboro redux

Not that it matters any longer because he quickly (re)signed with St. Bonaventure after departing from Marquette but we stumbled across another Brett Roseboro article while looking for something else and a couple of items in it jumped out at us.

Our jaw dropped at this paragraph: "...According to Roseboro, shortly after he signed with Marquette, head coach Buzz Williams told him that he had never seen him play and made a mistake recruiting wise. "He (Coach Williams) said that instead of me sitting out a year or not playing and then transferring, that I should transfer," said Roseboro..."

How does a head coach, especially a relatively new one, agree to offer a basketball scholarship to a recruit he never saw play? Yes, head coaches do tire of the recruiting road and begin to cut corners but Williams was hired at Marquette in April, 2008 and shouldn't be in any sort of 'weary' stage as yet. Wow.

The second item confirmed that Nevada did indeed offer:

"...Roseboro says he still has interest from schools but said some of them, he's never heard from until now. "St. Bonaventure, Temple and Nevada have offered," said Roseboro. "I was thinking of going back to prep but my Mom's been in my ear, telling me I shouldn't do that..."

That paragraph is confusing and makes it impossible to determine if Nevada was there earlier or new to the chase.

The above cut-n-pastes are from a Jerry Meyer-penned article at NYCHoops.com and a Rivals sub is required.

Roseboro to be a Bonnie

From the Northstar Ball site comes news that big man Brett Roseboro has decided to head to Olean, NY after departing from Marquette:

Roseboro to St. Bonaventure
Alex Schwartz
Northstar Ball


According to two sources, including Quakertown (PA) Assistant Coach Toomey Anderson, Brett Roseboro '09 has committed to St. Bonaventure. Northstar Basketball recently broke the news that he was leaving Marquette...
Go here for the remainder.

Nevada didn't get a mention in this post so we're not sure why the Wolf Pack were listed as among the possibilities in an earlier entry.

Travis Mason-Bushman delivers the goods

Travis Mason-Bushman has an interview with second year Vandal head coach Don Verlin up at TMB's Vandal Nation site:

On the Record with Don Verlin: “We want to win this league”
Travis Mason-Bushman
Vandal Nation
August 26, 2009


Hard to believe, but Idaho Vandals hoops will kick off in just over two months. We sat down with men’s coach Don Verlin to talk summer workouts, scheduling and his goals for the season ahead.

Vandal Nation: Talk about the Vandals’ progress over the summer.

Don Verlin: I evaluate the summer based on how we did in the weight room and how we did in the classroom.

Our guys did a great job in the classroom, they passed all of their summer classes and are moving toward graduation. We have no eligibility problems and everyone made academic progress...
Go here for the remainder and do bookmark this site.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

ADDITION: Seth Emerson has a Malik Cooke article posted

Seth Emerson has an article posted about Malik Cooke's enrollment at South Carolina:

Nevada forward transfers to USC
Seth Emerson
The State
8.26.09


Malik Cooke, a 6-foot-5 forward who started every game as a sophomore for Nevada, has enrolled at USC and plans to walk on to the Gamecocks men’s basketball team, according to his high school coach.

Because of NCAA transfer rules, Cooke would not be eligible to play for the Gamecocks this season. His overall status is also up in the air, as Nevada has not released him to sign with another school. Cooke and his family are paying his own way to USC...
Go here for the remainder.

Malik Cooke enrolled at South Carolina

We communicated back and forth today with Seth Emerson, who covers South Carolina basketball for The State (the newspaper in Columbia). From Seth, we've just learned that Malik Cooke has indeed walked on at the University of South Carolina.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Jason Groves on NMSU's new 7-footer

It's seems that this is the week 7-footers are aligning themselves with WAC basketball programs. Jason Groves has the scoop on who Marvin Menzies has corraled:

New Mexico State men's basketball finally lands 7-footer
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
8/25/2009


Abdoulaye N'Doye is finally en route to Las Cruces.

New Mexico State men's basketball coach Marvin Menzies said on Tuesday that N'Doye, a 7-foot center from Dakar, Senegal, was scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon but missed his scheduled flight to El Paso, delaying his arrival.

Once N'Doye is cleared by the NCAA academically, Menzies expects him to join his teammates in workouts as a player on scholarship. If that's the case, N'Doye will be eligible to play in the 2009 season...
Go here for the remainder.

Maverick Ahanmisi to go the prep school route


Maverick Ahanmisi, the backcourter out of Golden Valley High (CA) will be attending prep school instead of Boise State, per his club team coach Bob Gottlieb. "It was an NCAA Clearinghouse issue that was going to take anywhere from 30-60 days for a ruling to be issued and that was too long," said Gottlieb.

"He's a major league scorer and a great shooter," Gottlieb said of his protégé. "Maverick had a tremendous summer for us, playing in 16 games and doing really well in 15 of them. His best contest was against the Joe Ward All-Stars out of Arizona where he scored 37 points, including 7 three-pointers."

Had Ahanmisi been able to enroll, the plan was for him to redshirt this season.

Per Gottlieb, Ahanmisi could still sign with Boise State come November but nothing is set at this point.

Gottlieb runs the Branch West basketball organization, which includes a number of club teams and a recruiting assistance service. He was the head coach at Jacksonville University as well as at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. He also assisted at Creighton, Kansas State, Oregon State and Long Beach State.

Here is a link to an article featuring Ahanmisi.

A Boise State preview

With a hat tip to Sam Wasson at BleedCrimson.net for directing us to this, here's a take on Boise State basketball:

Boise State Broncos
Overall Rank: #105
Conference Rank: #4 Western Athletic Conference
2008-09: 19-13, 9-7
2008-09 postseason: CBI
Coach: Greg Graham (127-95 at Boise State, 145-100 overall)


Heading into late January it looked like Boise State might be the team to beat in the Western Athletic Conference. But things started to fall apart after that. By the end of the season the Broncos had lost six of their last eight games, including postseason losses to New Mexico State in the conference tournament and to Stanford in the CBI. The expectations were pretty low last year so it was still a successful season, but that success may be hard to repeat without forward Mark Sanchez.

Key Losses: G Aaron Garner, G Jamar Greene, F Mark Sanchez
Go here for the remainder.

Per Chris Murray, Malik Cooke not at Nevada

There were certainly some Wolf Pack fans who were hoping Malik Cooke would somehow return to Reno for the 2009-2010 school year and season but that didn't happened.

Here's Chris Murray with a note about Cooke (scroll down after hitting the link)

Shawn Harrison on USU's signing of Anthony DiLoretto

So much has already been said and posted about all this so we'll leave it with two thoughts:

1) DiLoretto probably says a special prayer at night thanking his lucky stars that he won't be facing the wrath of The Refraction-ers (had he signed with another WAC team).

2) He better have an extra large pair of ear plugs on January 2 because the New Mexico State fans are surely working up quite the greeting, even as this is being typed.

How would the Dookies handle this young man if he arrived to Cameron with an opposing team?

Utah St. hoops adds big man
Shawn Harrison
Herald Journal
August 25, 2009


Classes began Monday at Utah State University, and there was a new big man on campus, literally.

The Aggie men’s basketball team recently added a center to the roster. USU head coach Stew Morrill made it official Monday with the announcement.

Anthony DiLoreto is a 7-foot-1, 230-pound athlete from Minnetonka, Minn., and will be a freshman this fall. With Western Athletic Conference MVP Gary Wilkinson gone, DiLoreto will compete for the vacated post position.

While 7-footers are a welcome sight to any program, this one comes with some extra baggage. DiLoreto was arrested in connection with a Wisconsin bank robbery a year ago in which he was the get-away driver for a teenage friend. Two weeks ago, he entered a plea of no contest to aiding and abetting robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 22. With no same or similar offenses, the plea will be vacated and the charges dismissed in one year...
Go here for the remainder.

Here is an August 2008 article on the bank robbery but it sure leaves a number of unanswered questions.

Here is another 2008 article, this one from November.

Why Nevada fans should only be semi-surprised

Any PTW commentary on Devonte Elliott's academic situation would be useless because we know nothing about his academic/test scores situation.

Having put that to bed, Jerry Evans is a different situation. There were a number of colleges very impressed with Evans' basketball skills and physical abilities but they demurred from pursuing him due to his cloudy eligibility status. The sense was that he wouldn't gain eligibility.

But hopefully, both will be in Reno come January.

Yes, such will ultimately make the Nevada men's basketball program better (more difficult to beat) but it also ups the WAC overall and that is a critical component in getting back to landing multiple teams in the Big Dance.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Two Nevada recruits out for the first semester

The Nevada Athletic Department issued this release today:

ELLIOTT, EVANS WILL NOT ATTEND THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA THIS FALL

RENO, Nev. — Incoming freshmen Devonte Elliott and Jerry Evans will not attend the University of Nevada this fall, first-year Wolf Pack men’s basketball head coach David Carter announced Monday.

“We are certainly disappointed that Devonte and Jerry will not begin their college careers at Nevada this fall, but both student-athletes remain committed to the Wolf Pack. We wish Devonte and Jerry the best as they continue to update their academic information with the NCAA Eligibility Center and will welcome them for the second semester.”

Elliott is a 6-9, 210-pound forward out of Paramount (Calif.) High School. He averaged 10 points, nine rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game last season in helping Paramount to a 16-12 overall mark.

A 6-7, 180-pound guard, Evans comes from Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, Calif. He averaged 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last year. He also shot 54.6 percent from the field last year in helping his team to a 26-7 record.

Jason Groves has an Aggie roster update

Jason Groves/Las Cruces Sun-News has a bit more on that ever elusive African big long rumored to be headed to play for Marvin Menzies.

Go here for his complete blog post.

A Canadian backcourter goes to the Big East -- USU came close

Here's a kid LA TECH wanted (that Canada connection again) and one that Utah State got very close to:

BC Lands 3 Star Point Guard
Eric Hoffses
EagleAction.com
August 24, 2009


Al Skinner and his staff received the second commitment from the class of 2010, when 6'2" point guard Brady Heslip committed to Boston College over the weekend. Heslip joins forward Kevin Noreen in the 2010 recruiting class...

...Heslip was not void of a list of some impressive offers.

"I had offers from Cincinnati, Georgetown, Utah State, San Diego, Louisiana Tech, East Carolina, Rice, Fairfield and Brown," said Heslip...

..."I took an unofficial visit to UCLA before BC, but they couldn't give me an offer right away. I was considering Cincinnati and Utah State as well. After I took my visit to BC I knew that's where I wanted to go," said Heslip...
Go here for the remainder and a Rivals sub is required.

A Boise State recruiting mention

Don't get excited here because the the 6-ffot-3, 180 backcourter featured here appears more connected to the Big Sky Conference and that level of talent than anyplace higher but Boise State is mentioned as a school in touch.

Jon Perryman
ArizonaVarsity.com Publisher
August 23, 2009


One of the top players from Southern Arizona is Pueblo senior combo guard Michael Perez.

Perez recently finished his summer campaign on the club scene playing for the Tucson Pump 'n Run, attending the adidas Super 64 in Las Vegas and the Best of Summer in LA.
Go here for the remainder and a Rivals sub is required.

A Nevada association with a Pennsylvania big

We know zip, nada, zilch about the kid but this is a web site that appears to be well-connected so we're proceeding with the item that 6-foot-10, 220 pound Brett Roseboro is mentioned in conjunction with Nevada -- among many others -- in the following report.

MAJOR NEWS!!! Brett Roseboro Leaving Marquette
Alex Schwartz
Northstarball
8/21/2009


In news that was first reported by Northstar Basketball via Twitter, Brett Roseboro '09 from Quakertown (PA) is leaving Marquette, according to Toomey Anderson, an assistant coach at Quakertown who is close with the player. The big face-up 4 was on campus at the Big East school this sumer and was part of a seven man recruiting class, but had a falling out with the coaching staff...
Go here for the remainder.

Here is an ESPN evaluation of Roseboro.

Here is an October, 2008 article on Roseboro's commitment to Marquette.

Jordan Gathers says he's leaning towards the Wolf Pack

It's important to note that no offer has been extended -- by anyone as yet -- but southern California backcourter Jordan Gathers recently indicated he favors Nevada. Fresno State is also in the mix.

Victoria Sun has the scoop in an article at the West Coast Hoops Report (registration but no subscription required).

The 6-foot-3 180 pound Gathers plays for Loyola High and the late Hank Gathers was his uncle. Here is an ESPN evaluation on him.

Here's a Daily News feature on Gathers.

Here's a bit more.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

The Anthony DiLoreto File

We may get criticized for even venturing into this territory because we are basing this post of a number of message board postings. They (or some of them or none of them) may be true. But it's a fascinating story on a number of levels and one that may have a WAC connection to it. Or not.

Let's begin with Gary Parrish's article on one Anthony DiLoreto (who may have been able to save Kevin Bromley's head coaching job at Cal Poly had he not chaffeured a friend seeking to make a withdrawal to an out-of-state bank).

Programs not bailing on recruit who could face jailing
Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
July 27, 2009


A year ago at this time, Anthony DiLoreto was signed with Cal Poly and scheduled to enroll at the Big West Conference School. But then the Minnesota native was charged with robbery of a financial institution and possession of a short-barreled rifle for his alleged role in a bank heist, and you are going to be surprised by this column if you think that was the end of his basketball career.

It was not the end.

It was the launching pad, believe it or not.

"Saint Louis has offered," DiLoreto told me after he helped a summer basketball team called Net Gain Sports to a win in the Adidas Super 64 tournament this weekend. "There's some Big Ten, some West Coast Conference schools [also showing interest]."
Go here for the remainder.

A subsequent and recent plea agreement now has DiLoreto available to accept a college basketball scholarship.

As for the scholarship offer from Coach Rick Majerus and St. Louis, BillikenReport.com message board postings at the were in disagreement as to whether or not DiLoreto was offered.

However, it would be damning to DiLoreto's future recruitment to be fabricating anything after the resolution of his legal charge.

St. Louis has now apparently decided to rescind the offer and look elsewhere.

This brings us to the WAC connection (or not).

At the Scout Utah State site basketball message board, there are a couple of threads about DiLoreto and his coming to Logan (or not).

Also for what it's worth, within one of those threads is also a mention of Aggie big man recruit Nate Bendall having some injury problems.

Whew. Can someone diagram all this out?

A Roderick Flemings interview

KahalaM5 at the Scout Hawaii site message board provides a link to an interview with Roderick Flemings.

Go here.

Jahmar Young gets featured

UnderdogAggie at the Scout New Mexico State site basketball message board (say that quickly five times) has a post that contains a link to a video interview with Jahmar Young, other videos and some background on Young.

Go here.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Jared Eborn on Utah State's schedule

Jared Eborn has an article today with more on Utah State's upcoming basketball schedule.

Thoughts on the basketball schedule
Jared Eborn
Deseret News
August 21, 2009


If you're an Aggie basketball fan, or even an observer, you've heard it hundreds of times -- Stew Morrill's rigid scheduling philosophy hurts the Aggies almost as much as it helps them.

By steadfastly demanding a home-and-home arrangement in scheduling non-conference opponents, Morrill has opened himself and the program up to the type of criticism national -- and local -- media use to argue against an at-large NCAA tournament bid for USU...
Go here for the remainder.

Raymond Cody not heading to Pacific

Antelope Valley College's Raymond Cody, a 6-foot-5 sophomore backcourter did not meet academic requirements to transfer to Pacific and will be at AVC for at least the fall semester. Idaho also offered him (as did San Francisco) but it's anyone's guess as to whether Coach Don Verlin will be interested in Cody as a 2010 signee.

Raymond Cody’s Plans Change

Raymond Cody, 6’5”, 200 two-guard announced that he will not be going to Pacific University as planned this year as, he did not successfully complete this summer one final required class. Without this class, Pacific withdrew the scholarship offer to Raymond...
Go here for the remainder.

Greg Graham to add a 2009-2010 player?

Ah, that Greg Graham is a sly one. BroncoCountry.com -- Kevin Hiatt is the proprietor -- has some very interesting details today about a freshman point out of southern California who may be heading north for the 2009-2010 season. A Scout sub is required.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

We have a question or two

Luke Babbitt certainly deserves inclusion in the Wooden Pre-Season Top 50 -- his numbers will advance this coming season -- but we feel there are other WAC players who should be found there.

But the problem for Mac Hopson is that his numbers --at least with scoring -- will lessen in 2009-2010 as the player surrounding him will be better, especially fellow backcourter Steffan Johnson. Hopson's play will be even better but this type of award is a numbers-driven entity. But make no mistake, Hopson should be there.

New Mexico State's Jarmar Young is another missing talent. Check out the WAC stats and Young appears in almost every category.

Call Babbitt's listing worthy but driven by the national pub he received as a high schooler -- something Hopson and Young didn't receive.

Babbitt one of 50 preseason John Wooden Award candidates
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
8/19/2009


Nevada sophomore Luke Babbitt was among the preseason top 50 candidates for the John Wooden Award, which were announced Wednesday. The 6-9, 225-pound forward is one of 13 sophomores on the list and one of only four players from a mid-major conference. Babbitt won the 2009 WAC Freshman of the Year award last season in addition to being a first-team all-league player after leading the team with 16.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game...
Go here for the remainder.

Nick Fazekas, Marcelus Kemp updates

Chris Murray has the latest on former Wolfpackers Nick Fazekas and Marcelus Kemp. We over-estimated Fazekas' NBA interest when he came out of college as it's now apparent he lacks the physical attributes necessary to be an every game-certain number of minutes contributor. However, playing abroad can provide quite the good living nowadays.


Fazekas to play in France, Kemp in Italy this season
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
8/19/2009


A pair of Nevada basketball players have found homes overseas as Nick Fazekas and Marcelus Kemp will be playing in Europe this upcoming season.

Fazekas has signed with JDA Dijon Bourgogne, one of the 16 teams in France’s top league, the Ligue Nationale de Basketball...
Go here for the remainder.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Idaho's basketball schedule

The 2009-2010 Idaho men's basketball schedule is listed as incomplete and subject to change in the summer prospectus but here goes anyway:

Nov. 13 at Utah
Nov. 21 at North Dakota State
Nov. 24 Sacramento State
Nov. 28 Eastern Washington

Dec. 3 at Cal State Northridge
Dec. 9 at Washington State
Dec. 12 Eastern Oregon
Dec. 22 at Portland
Dec. 30 Portland

Jan. 30 at Seattle University

Feb. 18 Seattle University
Feb. 20 ESPNU BracketBusters Tournament

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Another negative recruiting article

Alluding to the preceding post, there are also many respectable club team coaches who take advising their players with the best interests of the kids in mind as well as parents who perform admirably in that role.

The dark side will always be there and it's important to document such but it's just as necessary to offer features on parents/coaches, advisers, et al who selflessly give of themselves throughout the coaching and recruiting processes.

Actions of Third Parties Can Muddy Basketball Recruiting Waters
Steve Yanda and Eric Prisbell
Washington Post
August 18, 2009


In wooing high school prospects to join their programs, college basketball coaches seek to convince players that they can provide the best place to continue their athletic and academic development. Doing so requires building relationships and trust with players, their parents and often a high school or summer league coach.

Increasingly over the past two decades, however, college coaches have lamented the proliferation of additional participants in the recruiting process. These third parties -- who collectively fall under such labels as "handlers," "middlemen" or "advisers" -- latch on to prospects at young ages and then attempt to broker access to the players in exchange for benefits from college coaches or their schools.

Previously a factor for only the most elite high school prospects, third-party recruiting is becoming much more widespread. LuAnn Humphrey, the NCAA's associate director of enforcement who oversees the organization's basketball focus group, said one of her sector's biggest concerns is that the presence of third-party handlers is trickling down to less-heralded recruits.

Several prominent figures in the summer basketball circuit noted a rise in the population of small-time handlers in recent years...
Go here for the remainder.

Thankfully there is no WAC mention in the following

No WAC inclusion here -- thankfully. While we think top lists are usually woefully inadequate, it would be fitting to do a Top 10 list of the good guys -- say mid-major coaches who are successful both on the court and in getting their recruits to graduate while remaining aboveboard.

College basketball's 10 biggest coaching scandals
Mike DeCourcy
The Sporting News
August 17, 2009


There was a time when any college basketball coach would have been honored to earn a mention in the company of Jim Harrick, Jim O'Brien or Kelvin Sampson — accomplished men with NCAA Final Four appearances on their resumes.

This is not one of those times.

Now, they're gathered on the list of most damaging scandals involving hoops coaches this decade. Given Rick Pitino's headline-grabbing episode last week, it seemed an appropriate time to take a stroll through the game's seamier side...
Go here for the remainder.

Oregon prep center goes with Portland State

We're a little surprised by the choice here but also completely unaware of the factors that went into it. An Oregion high center center has decided to remain home -- Boise State was in the mix.


Cataldo Staying Close To Home Premium Story
Greg Hicks
West Coast Recruiting Analyst
August 17, 2009


Brandon Cataldo, 6-10 SR C Rainier (Ore.) High, has committed to Portland State...
Go here for the remainder and a Scout sub is required.

Utah State's non-conference schedule

Shawn Harrison has an article today that provides a number of telling details about what it is like for a mid-major power such as Utah State to get a higher-ranked opponent to come to Logan.

It seems too often that the sense is coaching staffs seek out only Cupcake U for home games. While sometimes true, it's clear that bringing in someone from the PAC-10, Big 10 or ACC is the impossible dream.

Aggie hoop schedule nearly set
BShawn Harrison
Herald Journal
August 18, 2009

For those anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Utah State men’s basketball schedule, you will have to wait a little longer.

The Aggies are still finalizing it. However, it seems the final piece to the 2009-10 season is tentatively in place. USU will travel to Boston to take on Northeastern in November.

A Northeastern player made an announcement on Twitter this past weekend, stating the Huskies would be playing Utah State. It is not official, as contracts still have to be signed.

Aggie head coach Stew Morrill had given associate coach Tim Duryea, who is in charge of putting the schedule together, some leeway in finding opponents for the upcoming season. Most of the schedule has been in place for months, but getting a final road opponent has not been easy. Duryea had even looked at trying to work a two-for-one deal to get a program from a bigger conference on the Aggies’ schedule...
Go here for the remainder.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Here's Hawaii's 2009-2010 non-conference contests

Hawaii's home uniforms are going to get quite the workout prior to WAC play beginning:

11/13/2009 Southern Utah
11/15/2009 McNeese State
11/16/2009 Northern Colorado
11/20/2009 Brigham Young
11/27/2009 New Mexico

12/02/2009 at UC Irvine
12/06/2009 Lamar
12/12/2009 Chicago State

Then there is the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic:

12/22/2009 College of Charleston

Followed by two more days of games (12/23/2009 & 12/25/2009)featuring Northeastern, St. Mary's, Western Michigan, USC, SMU and UNL.

The Rainbow Warriors also host a BracketBuster game on February 20.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Jason Groves has New Mexico State's non conference contests

Jason Groves/Las Cruces Sun News has New Mexico States out of conference matchups:

Nov. 13 — At Saint Mary's (first of home and home)
Nov. 17 — University of New Mexico
Nov. 21 — vs. Pan Handle St.
Nov. 24 — at Cal St. Fullerton (bracketbuster payback)
Nov. 26 — vs. North Carolina A&T
Dec. 1 — vs. UTEP
Dec. 5 — at UNM
Dec. 13 — at UTEP
Dec. 15 — at UCLA
Dec. 18 — at Pepperdine
Dec. 21 — vs. Alcorn State
Dec. 23 — vs Texas Southern
Dec. 28 — vs Prairie View A&M

Go here for the full article.

Here's the San Jose State non conference schedule

Make of it what you will -- eight of the 13 games are on the road:

Nov. 16 William Jessup
Nov. 20 Washington (away)
Nov. 22 UC Riverside (away)
Nov. 28 Pacific
Nov. 30 St. Mary's

Dec. 5 Utah Valley (away)
Dec. 8 San Francisco (away)
Dec. 9 CS Bakersfield
Dec. 18 UC Irvine (away)
Dec. 21 Northern Colorado (away)
Dec. 23 Santa Clara (away)
Dec. 28 UC Irvine

Feb 20 BracketBusters (away)

Cole Steffan -- Nevada and Utah State have offered

Both Nevada and Utah State have offered 6-foot-3 Minnesota prepster Cole Steffan but so has USC (recent visit), Drake, Tulsa, Auburn (recent visit) and a number of others. He has done unofficials with a large number of schools.

Steffan is known as a shooter and was repeatedly described as hardnosed in a recent Jerry Meyer-penned article.

Nothing means nothing until the LOI is signed (and sometimes not even then) but we haven't been able to locate any indication that Steffan is going to visit Reno and/or Logan. So who knows.

Another look at Jordan Clarkson

We posted something earlier this week from Rivals on Texas backcourter Jordan Clarkson that indicated he was receiving low and mid level recruiting interest, including a mention of Boise State.

SMU, TCU, Texas Tech, Tulsa and Indiana State have offered but Clarkson now just did an unofficial visit with Texas.

It was probably a longshot to begin with but it seems any association of Clarkson and Boise State is tenuous.

The crazy, confounding world of recruiting morphs daily.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

A short video featuring Reggie Theus

Reggie Theus is interviewed here (it runs a bit more than a minute) during the Adidas Nation get-together. He helped coach the Canadian team.

Boise's basketball schedule

Your assignment? Find a basketball fan who is satisfied with his or her team's schedule, particularly who is coming in to play.

Boise State men's basketball lacks marquee home game
Idaho Statesman
8/13/09


Boise State's 2009-10 schedule is a good one for the team. There are games that will challenge and test a Bronco team that coach Greg Graham thinks can be very good.

But the schedule isn't good for fans.

When your best nonconference home games are against San Diego and rebuilding Portland State, you need a slick marketing campaign...
Go here for the remainder.

Here's the Bronco schedule:

Tue., Nov. 3 Willamette university
Sat., Nov 7 Concordia
Fri., Nov. 13 at Montana
Sat., Nov.14 vs. Loyola Marymount - Missoula
Sat., Nov. 15 vs. North Dakota - Missoula
Sat., Nov. 21 at Wyoming
Tue., Nov. 24 at Eastern Washington
Sat., Nov. 28 North Texas
Sat., Dec. 5 at Illinois - Champaign
Wed., Dec. 9 at Idaho State University
Sat., Dec. 12 San Diego
Sat., Dec. 19 Houston Baptist
Mon., Dec. 21 Portland State University
Wed., Dec. 23 Montana
Tue., Dec. 29 Northwest Nazarene

Sat., Jan. 2 at Fresno State
Mon., Jan. 4 at Hawaii
Sat., Jan. 9 Louisiana Tech
Mon., Jan. 11 New Mexico State
Thu., Jan. 14 at San Jose State
Sat., Jan. 16 at Utah State
Thu., Jan. 21 Nevada
Mon., Jan. 25 at Idaho
Sat., Jan. 30 Fresno State

Sat., Feb. 6 Idaho
Thu., Feb. 11 Utah State
Sat., Feb. 13 at Nevada
Wed., Feb. 17 Cal-State Bakersfield
Sat., Feb. 20 BracketBusters
Thu., Feb. 25 at Louisiana Tech
Sat., Feb. 27 at New Mexico State
Thu., March 4 Hawaii
Sat., March 6 San Jose State

Nobody gets better in summer leagues

Yeah, the headline is a little heavy-handed but the point is that the summer leagues anywhere are not the avenue for improving one's skills set. Around here, the San Francisco Pro-Am League has been in operation for years and, while it's fun to see many of the participants in action, any college or high school coach will tell you that its value is nil.

Having rained on that parade, here Brian McInnis with a report on summer ball in Honolulu:

There's always something to see in summer league
Brian McInnis
Honolulu Star Bulletin
August 15, 2009


Show up each week, and you never know what you're going to get.

Julian Sensley might hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to send a game into double overtime. Derrick Low could dazzle a defense with his ballhandling then dish to a teammate for a slick layup. Lasha Parghalava can explode for 30-plus points in a matter of minutes.

The unpredictability is part of the fun of the annual College Summer League, which plays its championship game tonight at 7 at the Manoa District Park gym. Top-seeded Electricians Hawaii — led by Low, the former 'Iolani and Washington State star — takes on well-rounded No. 2 seed Central Medical Clinic for the league's 33rd title. Admission is free...
Go here for the remainder.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Texan Jordan Clarkson mentions Boise State

6-foot-3 backcourter Jordan Clarkson is generating interest from a number of schools although only Prairie View has offered to date. Maybe Boise State can dip back into Texas in the hopes of replacing Lone Star Stater Anthony Thomas.

Blue Zertuche
TexasHoops.com Recruiting Analyst
August 14, 2009


6-foot-3 wing, Jordan Clark isn't sure if he will wait for the late signing period before he makes a decision, but he definitely has a head start with handful of colleges calling.

"I've been getting calls here and there," said Clark. "I am happy with the attention of the college coaches and they seem interested."

Clark has a list of schools that stretch across the country...
Go here for the remainder and a Rivals sub is required.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Another Boise recruiting target?

From his comments, it seems unlikely that this young man will leaves the state of Texas. He does mention that Boise State has been calling.

Blue Zertuche
TexasHoops.com Recruiting Analyst
August 13, 2009


Amos Olatayo is an explosive athlete that has an upside that could make him a steal in a low major conference. The 6-foot-4, lean built guard has the ability to take over games and is an exciting player to watch.

"Everything is alright recruiting. I have some offers", said Olatayo. "SFA, Air Force, Citadel, UTA, and Texas State have offered...
Go here for the remainder and a Rivals sub is required.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

A Justin Standley update


For the sake of clarification, we just received a note from 6-foot-2 guard Justin Standley (McClymonds High - Oakland, CA) stating that he is on scholarship for the coming school year at New Mexico State University.

We contacted him because it made no financial sense to us that he would be walking on at an out-of-state university. The cost of doing so would be exorbitant. Walking on at a college in California would be pricey enough.

By the way, Marvin Menzies is getting a fine young man. Justin is thoughtful and well-spoken, the ultimate team player and is a great addition to NMSU basketball.

Vaughn Autry to Utah State

According to Dave Keefer at the Rivals CaliforniaPreps site, Junipero Serra point Vaughn Autry has verbally committed to Utah State.

He's listed at 6-foot-2, with Dinos Trigonis of the Full Court Press site describing Autry as a "quick lead guard can beat defenders off the dribble with regularity."

Again, here is Autry's MySpace site.

It looks like Stew Morrill has his replacement for Jared Quayle.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Garrett Jackson with a Boise State mention

The Rivals Oregon Preps site has an article today that highlights how 6-foot-6, 195 Garrett Jackson is enjoying a much higher level of recruiting due to his improved showing over the summer.

Jackson is out of Westview High in Portland and a member of the I-5 club basketball squad.

Boise State is listed in the article as having offered -- along with quite a number of West Coast Conference schools and Rice.

Let's see how far his impressive play boosts his recruiting interest.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

SoCal prospect mentioned with Louisiana Tech

Victoria Sun offers the name Stephen Hicks in association with Louisiana Tech and numerous others here.

Hicks is a 6-foot-5 backcourter out of Agoura High (southern California) who plays for the SFV Jags club team.

Here is a May, 2009 ESPN evaluation of Hicks.

Vaughn Autry being looked at by Utah State?

Victoria Sun is reporting at the West Coast Hoops Report site that 6-foot-2 senior-to-be Vaughn Autry has a scholarship offer from Utah State.

He's a point out of Junipero Serra High in Gardena (southern California) known for his ballhandling and scoring ability.

Northridge has also offered.

Autry plays for Gary Franklin on one of the California Supreme club basketball teams.

He was a first team ALL CIF Southern Section pick this season, one in which he averaged 15 points, six assists and three steals a game.

A July 2008 note on the Hoopebmasters site also lists Utah State -- among others -- as under consideration by Autry.

Here is his MySpace page.

Jason Groves catches us up with Aggie hoops

We get a double-dip today from Jason Groves, catching us up with the current personnel situated on the New Mexico State basketball roster.

Menzies hopes July recruiting pays dividends for 2009-10
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
8/08/2009


Wendell McKines has been one of the most productive players recruited by New Mexico State men's basketball coach Marvin Menzies.

While McKines' role in 2009-10 remains up in the air due to academics, Menzies has done it again.

"Quite often, you're out there looking for young guys and looking for pieces to the puzzle and sometimes you can get a guy who becomes eligible late or become available late," Menzies said. "That was kind of Wendell's situation. I think that every once in a while, a situation like that will pop up and there is one similar to that that I'm hopeful to have in the next few days."
Go here for the remainder.

and
Gabriel gone, possible new recruit
Jason Groves
August 8, 2009


It comes as no surprise that Chris Gabriel has left the team after one season, but Marvin Menzies said he hopes to replace him with Abdoulaye N'doye. With Terrance Joyner's scholarship, Menzies hopes to add another frontcourt player to join the Aggies on the court for the upcoming season. Both N'Doye and the mystery candidate, who would be an addition such as Wendell McKines was late in the summer after Menzies was on the road recruiting for an entire month. So this is how I believe the roster is shaping up...
Go here for the remainder.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

A mention of Corey Stern's brother


We didn't know this until stumbling across it in search of something else: Idaho freshman Corey Stern has a brother playing junior college basketball at Antelope Valley College in southern California. From the best community college men's basketball site in the country:

"Matt Stern, 6’7”, 220, sophomore forward, graduated from ThunderRidge High School, Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Matt had a great tournament at the Cypress Shootout last weekend. He scored by powering to the basket and ripped down numerous rebounds. He is quick enough to play on the AVC “quick” team and strong enough to play on the “power team.” Matt has solid post moves and is a tenacious defender.

Matt’s younger brother Cory, is a freshman at the University of Idaho, and is expected to make a big impact for the Vandals."

A LaBradford Franklin update

San Diego area point LaBradford Franklin has been mentioned in connection to a few WAC teams, Nevada seemingly the most prominent. He didn't play last season because of switching high schools so he was out of any sort of media spotlight. That changed this summer as participation in a flurry of club team basketball tournaments has aided his exposure and it now seems that he is headed to one of the high major programs.

Maybe.

Jerica Williams has an article today at California Preps (a Rivals sub is required) and it indicates Cal, Pittsburgh, Marquette and Kansas are showing interest.

We rarely attempt to contradict the "never say never" truism but it appears it will take some extraordinary circumstances for Franklin to call anywhere in the WAC home come 2010-2011.

However what's worth keeping in mind is the high majors typically have access to a significant number of talented prospects at each position and multiple factors can come into play when it comes to signings.

Kansas and Bill Self recruit nationally and should be able to land a higher-ranked point prospect than Franklin, if so desired.

Cal has freshman Brandon Smith on scholarship but will lose Jerome Randle after this season. Mater Dei point Gary Franklin is supposedly also on Cal list of faves.

Pitt's recruiting is more East Coast-based and Rivals four-star New Jersey-ite Isaiah Epps has already committed to Jaime Dixon and a couple of returnees also play the position.

Marquette just brough in a soph-to-be junior college transfer to play the point along with a heralded frosh.

Plus, other top schools are bound to come into the picture.

This particular situation will be be very interesting.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Demetrius Owens to Cal State East Bay

Needless to say we were skeptical when an article on 6-foot-5 Demetrius Owens (San Leandro High, CA) had a Utah State recruiting interest mention.

Owens just aligned himself with Cal State East Bay, a D-2 school in the San Francisco Bay area, possessing an upcoming hoops program and a nice bunch of new players. It's a good pickup for CSEB and the right level for Owens.

Alex Tiffin goes to the Big West

This is a curious choice but there is probably more than we actually know that led to his decision. Thousands Oaks' Alex Tiffin has given a verbal to UC Davis -- this despite Hawaii and San Jose State having offered him at some point in the process.

The 6-foot-7 Tiffin is a slim, rather unathletic, frontcourter who just gets the job done, putting up better numbers than almost everyone he matches up with inside. We've yet to get anyone to explain how he gets the job done but it seems a high basketball IQ and fundamental style play major roles in his success.

Penn and Drake were his other top candidates.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

This is interesting, if not WAC-related

We weren't aware of this -- that Coach K had never operated a summer elite camp:

Duke to host first ‘elite' camp
Robbi Pickeral
Charlotte Observer
August 01, 2009


Duke has had trouble sealing the deal with top recruits the past several seasons. It hopes to do better by holding its first “elite” camp this month.

The two-day event is a new-but-scrutinized tool for Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, who until now has avoided hosting the on-campus sweat-fests that usually include the top two dozen or so invited prospects a program is recruiting.

The camps are a legal way to get prospects on campus for unofficial visits. But as reported by CBSSports.com last summer, they also allow for several loopholes to NCAA rules – such as paying prospects' influential AAU coaches to work at the event and allowing surprisingly low camp tuition.

A team spokesman said that Duke, which is charging $100 for overnight campers, will not be using AAU coaches at its High-Performance Basketball Camp Aug. 22-23. He also said that all other aspects of the camp, including the cost of rooms and meals, were cleared through the school's compliance office. The Blue Devil coaches were recruiting out of town last week. Questions for the coaches e-mailed to the team spokesman were not answered...
Go here for the remainder.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Nevada has offered a kid with a great name

Jerry Tipton, a recruiting guru who writes for the Lexington Herald-Leader, posted something today about a former Kentucky commit (to Billy Gillispie, not John Calipari) who is back in the barrel. The competition doesn't look fierce but how far is the 6-foot-7 youngster willing to be from home?


Euton mulls choices, eyes November decision
Jerry Tipton
Lexington Herald-Leader
August 4, 2009


Thanks to the coaching change from Billy Gillispie to John Calipari, former UK recruit Dakotah Euton is going through the recruiting process for a second time.

His father, Clay, sent an e-mail update on Dakotah’s situation on Tuesday...
Go here for the remainder.

Here's a dated ESPN evaluation of Euton.

Here's more including video.

Correction: Donte Thomas

We did an earlier post about a D.C. backcourter named Donte Thomas and his being offered by Hawaii. After doing some checking, it seems Thomas is actually a 2011 prospect -- not a 2010 player.

On different sites, he's been listed as one or the other but we're going with 2011 for now.

If this interest you then it's time for an intervention

The headline says it all. That is except for what it says about us for posting it. Here's a Utah State mention of a 2011 Arizona prospect.

According to Jon Perryman, the publisher of the Rivals ArizonaVarsity.com site, point Collin Woods of Horizon High in Phoenix is generating a great amount of interest including that of Utah State.

Here's more than you probably should know about the young man but he posted it himself. By the way, his father is a policeman.

Here's another feature on Woods with a mention of Kyle Tresnak who has also been connected to Utah State recruiting.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

A Stephon Marbury piece you must read

This article isn't WAC related but it's one of the best reads we've come across recently -- it's amazing that the writer of this compelling piece is an undergraduate. Now portions of his NBA analysis may or may not be accurate but we want to read more from him. Ultimately, this article should be on the must-read list for every aspiring basketballer. With college basketball recruiting in its fullest bloo, read on:

Requiem for a Shooter
How did Steph get to where he is now?
John Krolik
Slam
August 2, 2009

I know, I know. Does the world really need another Stephon Marbury article? In the week and change since Stephon’s bizarre foray into the depths of Web 2.0, there’s not much we haven’t heard people say about Marbury. He’s desperate for attention. He’s having a nervous breakdown. He’s trying to make a difference. He’s found himself. He’s on the cutting edge of direct connection to the fans. He’s everything that’s wrong with new media. He’s just nuts.

But here’s the question that begs to be answered above all others: How did all of this happen? It was only two years ago that Marbury was a max-money starting point guard for the New York Knicks. How did end up spending most of his waking hours talking into a webcam, baring his soul to any of the increasingly few people willing to listen? It’s likely nobody really knows the answer to that question, including Marbury himself. But a look into Marbury’s journey to this point reveals reasons to believe that the factors behind Marbury’s fall from grace are more complex than they appear at first blush.

Stephon Marbury, at 32, is younger than both of the starting point guards in last year’s NBA Finals. Twenty-one of those 32 years have been spent in the national spotlight, as he was named the world’s best sixth grader by Hoop Scoop magazine at age 11. The first article published about him that received major circulation was written for Harper’s when he was 14 years old, a freshman at Coney Island’s Lincoln High School. The article would later be extended into Darcey Frey’s The Last Shot, for my money the best basketball book ever written...
Go here for the remainder.

Monday, August 3, 2009

The uptempo WAC?

Here's one change, or in some cases a continuation, that we forsee in WAC basketball play come the 2009-2010 season -- much more fastbreaking. Let's take a look at each team and the why of our prediction.

Getting up and down the court, bigs included, has been a staple of Boise State basketball and we don't expect any lessening. Anthony Thomas is back and to be joined by jet-powered junior college transfer Westley Perryman. The Broncos are remarkably efficient at passing their way downcourt and it should be no different in the new season.

Fresno State should be re-joining the va-va-va-voom set now with a true point in newcomer Steven Shepp. Plus recruits Jerry Brown, Garrett Johnson and Damon Powell along with returnees Paul George, Mychal Ladd and even Sylvester Seay should allow Steve Cleveland to uptempo his offense. The other newcomer, 6-foot-9 Greg Smith, will also allow for a stronger inside game when the fastbreak isn't available.

Hawaii is not going to succeed in a grind-it-out style so Bob Nash should be unleashing his new backcourters -- Dwain Williams and Jeremy Lay -- in the hopes for a turnaround season. Even 7-foot-0 junior college transfer Douglas Kurtz has surprisingly been noted for his mobility on the court. Plus, imagine Roderick Flemings catching passes while flying in on the wing. The Rainbow Warriors will definitely be looking to fast forward their tempo.

Idaho with Mac Hopson and Pacific transfer Steffan Johnson paired up in the backcourt, plus returnees Kashif Watson and Luciano de Souza, should be having the fans in Moscow pulling out their stopwatches.

LT isn't going to pound opponents inside but senior-to-be Kyle Gibson and fleet-footed big Magnum Rolle will run with the best with sharpshooting Jamel Guyton is positioned outside the three-point line. Kerry Rupp is finally going to have an all-around point and athletic in junior college transfer DeAndre Brown so look for the Bulldogs to scamper much more in the approaching season.

New Nevada Coach David Carter has already mentioned a number of times that he wants more fastbreaking as part of the Wolf Pack offensive arsenal. Armon Johnson (especially), Brandon Fields and Joey Shaw should each benefit from an at times improved pace which will also prove fruitful for newcomers Devonte Elliott, Jerry Evans and Patrick Nyeko to have an effect.

New Mexico State is the prototype in the WAC of wanting to and actually zooming up and down the court. Who wants to see Jahmar Young coming at you in full speed? The same goes for Jonathan Gibson. And just get out of the way to save you a trip to the hospital if it's Wendell McKines. Imagine how the Aggies would perform if they worked the boards better?

San Jose State has collected an assortment of 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-7 athletic wing/backcourt types and should be looking to play faster in order to take advantage of its current roster.

Utah State runs more of a controlled break but, minus Gary Wilkinson, our expectations are to be witnessing Jared Quayle and Tyler Newbold speeding down the court with Brady Jardine on the wing much more often in 2009-2010. Tai Weslet steaming in on the wing will be a get out of his way or else decision.

Deremy Geiger's new home

Thanks to SeldomSeenSmith (at the Utah State SCOUT site message board), the new home for now former USU point Deremy Geiger is now known:

SeldomSeenSmith
Posted: 8/1/2009 1:29 PM
Deremy Geiger
Transferred to Grayson County JC in Texas.

Can any of you Utah State fans fill us in on why Geiger didn't click in Logan (besides having Jared Quayle in front of him)?

Here is a 2008 ESPN evaluation of Geiger:
One of the quickest guards in the west -- let alone the country -- is Deremy Geiger. Geiger has that rare second gear that enables him to explode in transition and breakdown defenders in the half-court set. He has very good frame with broad shoulders and long arms. His elite speed and quickness allows him to finish impressively in the open court. Most importantly he has a good feel for the point guard position and he sees the floor well in transition as well as in the half-court set. Despite all his impressive intangibles, Geiger has a tendency to play too fast which has made him a tad turnover prone. In addition, his jump shot -- flat in its trajectory -- needs some polishing as well. He has the potential to be a very good defender as well due to his long arms and quick feet. Overall, Geiger should be a fine addition to Utah State (verbal commit) and should see playing time immediately as he continues to hone his skills.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Never try to read the minds of teenagers...

We make it a point to never try to read the minds of teenagers...or politicians (sorry to all teenagers for the proximity and placement of the comparison) but our 'compilation' of what LaBradford Franklin has been "saying" indicates he is PAC-10 bound.

The PAC-10 leads in offers to the San Diego area backcourter, with Pitt and Kansas supposedly also having offered. Nevada is in the running.

Our best prognostication (not based on anything other than going with our gut) is that Franklin ends up in the state of Arizona, with the possibility of Berkeley.

Here's a YouTube highlight video. Plus another.

Chris Murray has another Nevada prospect

We are actually working on a Jordan Burris article for the Rivals California Preps site -- Chris Murray beat us to it in a way as he features an update on Kyle Shiloh who makes mention of another kid -- Burris -- Nevada is eyeing.

Ex-Wolf Pack shooting guard Shiloh headed to Finland
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
7/31/2009


I just finished a story on Ramon Sessions after speaking with his agent earlier today. That story will be in Saturday's newspaper and on the Web site tomorrow. But the long and short of it is Sessions agent, James "Chubby" Wells, expects the former Wolf Pack player to sign a free-agent deal by the beginning of next week. I also caught up with former Wolf Pack players Kevinn Pinkney and Kyle Shiloh. Both said they are expecting to play in Europe next season. Here is a longer story on Shiloh that I filed with the Sessions story...
Go here for the remainder.