Saturday, June 30, 2012

The world of WAC hoops on Saturday -- Utah State edition

Former Utah State big Gary Wilkinson is looking for a new team and the line should be forming as this is being typed.

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Tony Jones reports on the improvement demonstrated by USU commit Jalen Moore.

Plus some tweets:

Moore is playing so much harder than he used to play...has the look of a potential four year starter for Utah state
Utah pump n run coach as well as SLCC coach Todd Phillips paid usu small forward commit the ultimate complement: "he has NBA potential" 
This is why Stew Morrill's program is ahead of everyone else's -- who else get commitments from such prospects so early, especially in-state ones?

Friday, June 29, 2012

Friday's post NBA draft digest

It was waiting in vain for the names Big Wen, Dario Hunt and Olek Czyz to be called last night but none will need a collection taken up for them.

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USU athletics provides an update on Mr. Tai.


The USU Stats folks infiltrated the summer ball being played by the Aggies and offers up numbers and analysis.

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Wes Nakama profiles erstwhile UH walk-on Dyrbe Enos, who is exciting some folks in the islands.

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Texas State athletics profiles the hoops accomplishments of the Bobcats while a Southland Conference member.

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Coach Doug Davalos has signed a junior college point -- Phil Hawkins -- for his Texas State program.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Not WAC-related but...

Not that the WAC teams, coaches and players have ever faced this situation (even Luke Babbitt played two years for Nevada) but below are two articles all about the one-and-done rule regarding entering the NBA.

PTW's take: it all about freedom of choice and there should be no artificial barriers limiting when a talent can declare for the NBA draft. Granted, there's always Europe and Asia but no United States in an infrigement on personal rights.

Roots of one-and-done rule run deep

The unknown future of one-and-done

Nick Jezierny moving over

Nick Jezierny has tweeted: "To all the inquiries about my future: Thanks. I'm still at IdahoStatesman but not writing. Paper is hiring someone new to cover BSU hoops"

It's hopefully a move up and maybe part of a master plan that will allow the training time for him to finish numero uno in the Race to Robie Creek.

We searched for an on-line photo of Nick in running gear but apparently all such material has been confiscated and now kept in a #2 mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall's porch.

Thursday's WAC hoops compilation

Chris Murray writes about the long odds of Dario Hunt and Olek Czyz being drafted. But both should make solid money overseas.

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Colorado State's Larry Eustachy has landed a 2013 JC big, one who was also offered by Nevada, per this Chris Murray tweet. Given Eustachy's track record of transfers in and out while at Southern Mississippi, here's predicting the young man blows up at Fort Collins or blows out.

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Tony Jones has more on the surgeries waylaying a pair of northern Aggies. Neither going under the knife seems major vis-a-vis preparing for the upcoming season.

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Professor Sonnenberg has issued Brockeith Pane's final grades. 

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Armstead apparently not heading to the islands

Credit Sportsbow (as usual) at the Sports Hawaii MB for unearthing the current status of the Aaric Armstead-to-Hawaii scenario (it's entry #12 in the post).

Orel Lev's arrival to be delayed

Dayton Morinaga offers the very latest status of UH signee Orel Lev.

Shooting to the point

Credit warriorbow for posting this link at the Warrior Sports Network MB  on UH signee Manroop Clair. A point with distance shooting ability will be a nice asset for Gib Arnold.

Wednesday's WAC roundup

Chris Murray is back and writing about the pair of Wolf Pack personnel changes.

Gotta say that the three frontcourt newcomers and two yet-to-establish-themselves guys would not make me sleep well at night were PTW coaching Nevada -- and doesn't the latter conjure up quite the nightmare image for Reno-ites?

Chris also reports on David Carter's pursuit of Jordan Bell.

Bell is headed to the Pac-12 despite not yet having the needed body nor much of an offensive arsenal.

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Jason Groves chatted with Big Wen and posted about the interaction.

Wendell will be able to earn much more money abroad than in the U.S by replicating the example set by Keith Langford.

We'll try and find more and be back.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Tuesday's WAC hoops digest

Jimmy Durkin reports that former Fresno State assistant coach Senque Carey will be pacing the sidelines of a certain high school next season.

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Yet another sign of the apocalypse: Anthony Davis Trademarks His Brow 

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Joey Natale reports: "Nevada just offered 2013 ICP Portland forward Jordan Bell. Memphis, Hawaii and Wyoming all recently offered"

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Dayton Morinaga has the details on Hauns Brereton's summer activities.

Monday, June 25, 2012

It's Monday, Monday

Really, Prince actually wrote "Manic Monday":

"It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday
It's just another manic Monday..." 


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Jason Groves writes about Bandja Sy who needs a big final season and such would carry the southern Aggies a long way..

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The Rodney Terry magnetic pull continues: 

Arizona Hot Spot has tweeted: "Arizona,ASU, USC, Fresno State, and Colorado are on the top of 2013 wing Paul Watson"

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sunday morning WAC hoops edition

Tony Jones posts about the summer edition of Kyisean Reed.

PTW would be more than happy to be incorrect in this case (won't be the first time, nor the last) but how many players 'get it' in their final season? Reed has been a tease throughout his basketball playing (not a judgment, just an observation) so why would every-second full-game focus come into play now?

Again, Reed on the All-WAC ream at season's end would be great. Here's hoping he achieves that honor by moving from contributor to featured in the Aggie system.

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Sportsbow @ the Sports Hawaii forum (scroll to the bottom), has dug up some interesting details on Rainbow Warrior recruiting target Aaric Armstead -- very, very good work.

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At the Warrior Insider site, there is news about former UH backcourter Shaq Stokes.

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* 6-foot-6 Anthony Dixon, a talent out of Chicago who played one season )2009-10) at San Jose State University, has signed with Fresno Pacific but he will sit out the 2012-13 season. Dixon played at West Valley College in 2010-11 but didn't participate last season.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The LT starting five

This is the domain of There's No Place Like The Neighborhood, meaning LT's Five at the First 20 has to begin with sophomore Raheem Appleby. At 13.9 points per game on an incredible 47% overall shooting, 40% on 100 three-point attempts, let's see what he has for an encore.

Then it's a mix of for the other two outside players:

* Cordarius Johnson (9.6 points, 3.6 rebounds)

* Brandon Gibson (7.7 points, 4.6 rebounds -- maybe he's more of an insider)

* Kenneth Smith (a 142/82 assist-to-turnover ratio, a team-leading 42 steals)

*Kenyon McNeail (6.8 points, a 74/55 assist-to-turnover ratio)

So it looks like Smith at the point

There are not a lot of plus siders in the assist-to-turnover category for the Bulldogs -- part of that is attributed to style of play but primarily due to a lot of youth receiving their college basketball baptisms so this should be an improving category.

As for the wing, there are also a couple of JC transfers will compete in Chris Anderson and Jaron Johnson, both uber-athletes and each has the possibility of starting.

As for the two power positions:

* Isaiah Massey (injured early last season after redshirting at Mississippi the year before)

* Michael Kyser (close to two blocks a game while averaging 13.5 minutes of play)

* Demetrius Moore (a JC transfer)

Massey and Moore should allow for much greater physical play inside plus the sophomore Kyser will only get better. But it's anyone's guess as to who comes out for the opening tip.

How's all the above for a concrete answer?

Saturday's WAC mini-report

Former Texas San Antonio talent Melvin Johnson has landed at Arkansas State. A tip o' the Stetson to Mr. Roadrunner at the Rowdyville.net Under The Basket forum for posting this link.

That's it for now.

Friday, June 22, 2012

The opening at Idaho is apparently filled

Here is what appears to be the answer to the question of who is filling the assistant coach opening at Idaho.

From the Hoop Dirt folks: "It sounds like Idaho DBO Chris Helbling has been promoted to assistant coach. Helbling has been on Don Verlin’s staff at Idaho since 2008. Prior to working for Verlin, Helbling was a student assistant at Gonzaga University under Mark Few. Helbling also played and coached at Walla Walla CC."

Here is Heibling's bio.

Congrats to Coach Helbling.

Hawaii offers Bell

Joey Natale just tweeted: "2013 ICP Portland forward Jordan Bell picked up an offer from Hawaii yesterday"

Bell is out of Long Beach Poly High.

A Matt Prehm description: "Bell was one of the more athletic players playing in the event this weekend and he made it a point to show he was also one of the best players there. Blocking shots is what Bell is known for and showed it this weekend. In one game Bell had unofficially eight blocked shots. He also was a vacuum on the boards collecting almost every nearly missed shot on both the offensive and defensive end of the court. His jumper needs work though and that is what is holding Bell back from being an elite national recruit. If he can extend his jump shot out to the free throw line he will see his offer list explode.

Wiggs to wait another year

Washington state backcourter Sekou Wiggs, affiliated with Hawaii and Idaho recruiting at various times, has reclassified and will be attending prep school in Georgia.

Friday's a.m. WAC tidbits

Matt Norlander performed his usual magic with numbers and it turns out that Nevada has more NBA draftees than Louisville and others over the past decade -- credit to Dan Hinxman. Ya think Coach Carter uses that in his recruiting pitches?

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Wes Nakama checks out the Rainbow Warrior participation in the Hawaii Summer League.

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Frank Woodford writes (a Rivals sub is required) about 2013 Nevada prepster Hunter Myers, a 6-foot-7 forward who is aces in the classroom and has offers from Nevada, Idaho and many others but it's looking like it's between Harvard and Cal for the young man.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Thursday's WAC offerings

Jeff Hironaka is listed as a finalist for the head coaching position at Bemidji State -- he was demoted recently on the Washington State staff when Ray Lopes was added and is obviously looking for a new start. Anyone know if he is in play for the open assistant position on Don Verlin's staff at Idaho as he has great ties to basketball in the Northwest? If so, let's call it a trade.

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Robert Kuwada goes in-depth on Alex Davis, the recent Fresno State 2013 commit. RK has been a great addition to Bulldog basketball coverage -- do appreciate him down in the San Joaquin.

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Tony Jones reports on the nicks suffered by a pair of Utah State talents.

Matt Sonnenberg is always a must-read and the images and graphics corresponding to his posts are always a hoot.

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Dan Hinxman has the details on the parting of the ways between Nevada and recruit Raphael Carter.

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Here's video of Wendell McKines working out at the Advanced Sports Training Institute. If the timing could somehow be worked out in between basketball, PTW wants to see Big Wen on "Survivor" -- he'd be money.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Wednesday's WAC hoops digest

Jason Groves saves the day with a post about the Aggie team leaders come the 2012-13 season. That's a fascinating topic as Big Wen leaves behind an oversized role to fill -- let's see who comes to the fore.

Found a few more items...

Matt Sonnenberg is rolling ... Morgan Grim has joined the play-for-pay ranks.

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The Fresno Bee reports a 6-foot-9 Kansas community college player has given a 2013 verbal to Coach Rodney Terry. Give the man a raise!

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Check out Bill Amis' interview here.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Tuesday's WAC digest -- it's either feast or famine

Jason Groves fills in readers on the summer doings of Daniel Mullings.

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Timothy Olsen catches up with former northern Aggie Tyler Newbold. Hat tip to TheRealTO for posting this at the Stew's Spectrum USU Fans message board.

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Tony Jones reports on an already committed big checking out Logan.

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Former Fresno State Assistant Coach Jerry Wainwright is now the Marquette basketball operations director.

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Bob Murphy outlines the facts and fiction on Boise State's work on finding a landing spot.

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Matt Sonnenberg is back (always a good thing) and as usual with some Aggie bball nuggets.

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Dayton Morinaga has posted a multi-media update on Rainbow Warrior hoops.

Monday, June 18, 2012

It's Monday in the WAC basketball world

From Arizona Hot Spot: "Brophy Prep 6'9 post Tim Kempton holds offers from Air Force, Idaho, Idaho State, and Weber State"

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The development of Devonte Elliott and Kevin Panzer just became more critical for the Wolf Pack due to the Raphael Carter situation. Don't know enough about Richard Bell -- is he a paint player or more a finesse face the basket guy? Newcomer Cheikh Fall better be ready for some minutes.

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A recent tweet from Coach Marvin Menzies: "Full day for NMSU basketball. Morning weights/conditioning. Workouts to follow. Then an unofficial visit this afternoon/evening"

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A day late with this: A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be -- Dr. NuNu.

Raphael Carter parting with Nevada

6-foot-9 Diablo Valley College (CA) frontcourter Raphael Carter's NLI with Nevada will be negated as Carter is finishing out his academic requirements. He may be done this summer, possibly in the fall. Watch the line for his services instantly form.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

A not WAC-related serendipity pairing

Ex-Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler has been hired at Kansas.

The alignment seems perfect: some named Doc working as director of basketball operations.

Sunday morning's WAC connections

Joey Natale tweeted: "'14 Utah Pump N Run F Dalton Nixon heard from Stanford, Creighton, BYU, Utah, San Francisco, Utah St, Portland & Harvard since last night"

Here's Bill Oram and Kyle Goon on Utah State and Nixon back in April.  

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Eric Hampford writes about 2013 Land of Enchantment prospect John Dawson who has been offered by New Mexico State and Denver among others. He's a 6-foot-4 backcourter. 

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Dayton Morinaga has the latest on play in the Hawaii Summer league as the Rainbow Warriors have Jace Tavita and Charles Standhardinger participating.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Saturday's WAC rundown

Per Joey Natale, "Fresno State has offered 2013 Dallas Mustangs (TX) forward Soma Edo"

 He's 6-foot-5, 205 and listed as a power forward. A number of other mid-majors, including quite a few in Texas, have also offered. A major league athlete, his face-the-hoop skills need burnishing.

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Here's the latest on Olek Czyz from the RGJ.

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Teddy Feinberg offers and interprets the latest on New Mexico State's MWC chances.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Friday's roundup

Credit Nevadan at the Silver & Blue MB for this update on Olek Czyz. Do check out comments #5 and #6 for a morning chuckle.

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A trio of Texas State hoopsters just enjoyed a basketball-playing trip overseas.

That looks like it for now.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Thursday's WAC hoops notes and link collection

LA TECH athletics makes it official on Chris Anderson, an athletic talent who should thrive in Coach Mike White's fast-paced system.

Philip Pongratz has tweeted: "Congrats to Brandon Gibson and Romario Souza for graduating today and recently walk across the stage "

Gibson redshirted his second year due to injury and has one season of remaining eligibility. Souza earned his degree in two seasons, a pretty impressive feat nowadays.

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Caught this item in the prep notebook of Tony Ciniglio and Dave Thorpe on 6-foot-2 senior SoCal guard Kajon Mack: "Mack was the last to sign. He was choosing between Tulane and New Mexico State..."  

Does Coach Menzies still have a schollie available or was this earlier interest? 

Catch some nice Aggies hoops photos here. 

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Teddy Feinberg writes that New Mexico wants its brethren in the Mountain West Conference but is finding little support. 

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Fallout because of the 'I don't know who my bride is going to be at the wedding' conference realignment mess, from Andy Katz: "Boise State is having a difficult time finishing its nonconference schedule because the Broncos still don’t know what league they will be in 2013-14. The Big West has left the door open for Boise State to seek an invitation. Boise State is committed to the Big East in football so the MWC seems out. The only other option is to continue with the plan of going to the crumbling WAC. Boise State coach Leon Rice doesn’t know, though, if he can schedule Big West or WAC teams in nonconference games. He’d love to schedule MWC teams, but isn’t 100 percent sure the Broncos are out so he’s hesitating. Rice said long-term scheduling is impossible at this point."

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Coach Talvin Hester back to the Lone Star State

San Jose State University Assistant Coach Talvin Hester is headed back to Texas, hooking up with Stephen F. Austin University and Coach Danny Kaspar. SFA is in the Southland Conference, coming off a 20-12 overall, 10-4 season and located in Nacogdoches.

Marquin Chandler, the next chapter

(Former SJSU star Marquin Chandler is back home for now/here's a feature on his life)

Marquin Chandler is not your man in the gray flannel suit. Yes, he is part professional basketball player and multiple-tatted but also registers as a businessman/entrepreneur who is smart, focused, driven and a family man. Maybe Renaissance Man applies, multi-faceted certainly does.

He has come a long way from his beginnings in Oakland yet he still resides there and possesses a strong allegiance to the area. Similar to a number of other athletes with such roots, it's a matter of 'you can take him out of O-Town but you can't take O-Town out of him.'

Now flush from very successful stints abroad in the Philippines and South Korea as well as elsewhere, he took this year off to both regenerate and to facilitate various business enterprises.

But all was not champagne and roses in his life.

Way back when, Chandler was attending his second high school but on his third high school basketball team, that being Newark Memorial High, where he formed a kinship with Craig Ashmore, the long time basketball coach there.

"I had an aunt living there and she wanted me to come," Chandler recalled.

That proved to be a turning point.

Because "I was on the wrong track," Chandler readily admits.  

But that turned around -- no, make that he turned it around.

 According to Chandler, his transformation had a lot to do with Coach Ashmore.

"He was stern but very understanding and me and him had an understanding. He is one of my favorite coaches and I believe he could easily be a college coach."

In his time at Newark Memorial, Chandler developed into a college basketball prospect.

So much so that after graduation, it was off to George Washington University in our nation's capital -- "I chose George Washington because I connected well with the coach and because it's one of the top universities in the country academically."

But there's an interesting back story before his heading off to D.C.

Chandler recalled "Baylor was my #1 choice because they were the first team putting in the time and effort in recruiting me."

But as time went on, teams grew impatient and pulled out of his recruiting process.

Indicating how access to information has become commonplace of late but not necessarily so just a short number of years ago, Chandler was unaware he needed to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in order receive a scholarship to play in college.

"Coach Ashmore told me that 'you can't get a scholarship without taking the SAT' so I had to do it. I didn't pass until June and by then a lot of offers had disappeared."

He liked his time at GW but, two years later, the pull of home and a young daughter proved irresistible.

So Chandler transferred to San Jose State University in 2002, redshirting his first year, then playing his last two. As a senior in 2004-2005, he averaged 19.6 points and 8.6 rebounds, with high of 33 points against Rice and 32 versus Hawaii -- all this despite a shoulder injury as a result of having to lay down his motorcycle on the pavement when a driver pulled out in front of him. Still, his name is scattered throughout the Spartan basketball record book. 

Academically, he chose an interesting major and for a particular reason.

It was administration of justice.

"I grew up in Oakland with a lot of crime and I thought I could be a mentor because of my street credibility," Chandler explained. He is especially proud of his earning his B.A. because "me making it to college was a big step and I'm the only member of my family on either side with a college degree."

On the court, especially in his senior season, watching him perform were Adam and Ben Pensack of the Pensack Sports Management Group.

They introduced themselves and the relationship bloomed from there.

"They scouted me, liked what they saw and were very genuine," Chandler recalled. "I respected that because finding the right agent is big."

There was a Sacramento Kings tryout followed by time in Belgium before Chandler eventually landed in the Philippine Basketball Association. Again, it was another good pairing.

"I was kind of looked at as a funny, real skinny kid" but then his ability to score and rebound made a strong impression.

It was a situation where the team took care of his housing but his initiation off the court was a very different experience.

"I didn't speak the language but soon I learned enough of it and also learned my way around," he remembered. "I'm very adaptable." So much so that he has a business in the Philippines to this day.

His year there was followed by a season in Latvia and then Singapore with a team possessing a for-the-record-books name: the Singapore Slingers.

Next was a successful stint in South Korea.

Chandler then returned to the Philippines, followed by spent two seasons back in South Korea before finishing out in Bahrain and then Portugal.

It was while in Bahrain that he noticed the court had a fence around it with a gate, a setup designed to handle unruly fans although Chandler never experienced any of the situations abroad that sometimes make headlines.

As for his travels, Chandler recalled "I had trouble in Belgium and Korea with the language but pretty much everybody in the Philippines spoke English."

Looking back, the various teammates he played with "welcomed you. There wasn't much resentment but you do get a sour apple once in a while."

It really wasn't until his time in Portugal where some jealousy finally appeared.

There was also the aspect of having money for the first time.

"I realized early on I didn't know how to handle money because I never had any," Chandler said. "But one time when I got hurt, it gave me a glimpse of what could happen if I couldn't play anymore."

The Pensacks helped with this aspect and Chandler is doing well.

He is currently pursuing business opportunities in the East Bay, one in particular that especially hits home for him -- ABG Sports Training (www.abgsportstraining.com which is still under construction).

"There is pretty good talent in the Bay Area, a nice crop of players, who don't get the attention they deserve. I want to have a major facility like the ones in Las Vegas, Chicago and other places where the young guys can train alongside the pros. When I was 12, 13, I was in the same gym with Brian Shaw and I want to help out the next generation."

About one such talent, Chandler said, "I saw Damian Lillard in high school and I saw his growth throughout the years and about two years ago I told Ben Pensack that he's going to the NBA. Now he is the top point guard in the draft."

Chandler may return overseas to ply his trade once again but being with his family and acting on his dream are just as important.

Here's Adam Pensack on Chandler: "I have given Marquin some pointers for sure with his training business as he gets it up and running but the business he has in the Philippines is all his own doing though. Marquin has an acute innate business sense. He is just really entrepreneurial by nature and he is not afraid to put his ideas into action. Fortunately, he has good judgement so things have tended to work out well for him. He has a gift for business much like his gift for basketball so I really believe he will do well with his training business down the line." 

Call Chandler a local who made good and is now intent on giving back.

Wednesday's roundup

Dan Hinxman offers his take on the top Wolf Pack sports happenings during Nevada's tenure in the WAC -- three are basketball related.

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Stephen Trembley and Jennifer Jory of FSU athletics interviewed former Bulldog Paul George who seems to have stayed connected with Fresno State basketball despite the coaching change.

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Dayton Morinaga reports in multi-media that Jace Tavita is taking his final college court go-around very seriously.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Tuesday's digest

It's too bad some WAC team didn't sign a player with the surname Ruby yesterday.

USU Athletics profiles/interviews Gary Wilkinson.

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2014 6-foot-5 guard Jake Toolson already has an offer from Utah State (as well as others), as Frank Woodford/The Recruit Scoop reports on the Arizona high schooler (a Rivals sub is required).

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All sorts of recruiting changes are soon to be happening -- go here.

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At Silver & Blue Sports, basketball takes six spots in the Top 10 Wolf Pack Moments in 2011-12.

Monday, June 11, 2012

It's all Nevada for Monday

David Carter adds to his roster as Raphielle Johnson and the RGJ have articles up on the signing of UTEP transfer Michael Perez. Perez is athletic with a definite two guard mentality and someone who averaged 11 points per game on 40% overall shooting, 37% from long distance.

That seems like it for today.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sunday's WAC basketball coverage

Joe Davidson tweetin' on D'Erryl Williams: "Sac Bee Player of Year D'Erryl Williams resting ham and hand. Hoop offers from Fresno St, UC Davis, UOP, Irvine, Santa Barbara. Smart, tough, skilled"

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Dayton Morinaga reports that UH's Christian Standhardinger is taking next season very seriously right now. 

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A tweet from the Grand Rapids Storm: "CONGRATS to 2010 Storm Alum Chris Anderson (6'5 SF Reeths Puffer/Weatherford CC) & his family on his commitment to Louisana Tech! Go Storm!"

The uber-athletic Anderson averaged 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals per game last season, shooting 43% overall, 30% from three and 58% from the foul line.

Earlier reports indicated Central Michigan and St. Bonaventure were interested. 

He committed to Toledo coming out of high school back in 2009. Here's more.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Saturday's second WAC hoops post

This is our first double-dip in the off-season -- enjoy it as tomorrow may well be barren.

Shaq Stokes has cast his lot with the Flying Dutchmen -- both Adam Zagoria and Raphielle Johnson offer the details.

Dayton Morinaga catches up with Bill Amis.

Brian McInnis has all sorts of Rainbow Warrior hoops goodies in his latest blog entry.

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Jason Groves has the latest on former New Mexico State Aggie Jonathan Gibson.

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USU Stats goes with a pictorial roster of their northern Aggies.

Saturday morning's WAC basketball exposure

Yannis Koutroupis @ Hoopsworld profiles the unsung college seniors who will likely he heading overseas and he has San Jose State University's Wil Carter among them:

One of the lone bright spots this season for the struggling San Jose State Spartans was the play of Wil Carter. Carter averaged 13 points and eight rebounds a game while shooting 51 percent from the field. Yet, the team’s woes made it to where he couldn’t have too much joy over it.

“It was very bittersweet feeling personally,” Carter said to HOOPSWORLD. “I felt like I succeeded with the numbers I put up personally, but it was kind of overlooked because we didn’t win a lot of games. It was hard to go through that mentally and emotionally to lose even though I’m doing everything I can.”

What made it even more difficult for Carter was that he was playing out of position the entire year. Stuck at center due to the team’s needs, he was limited to playing just in the paint. However, that’s not who he truly feels he is.

“The biggest thing is I can shoot the ball very well,” Carter said. “My natural position is a stretch four. I can stretch the court, shoot the three. I’m athletic enough to drive it to the hoop off the dribble. That’s not something you’re going to see from my college tape because I played out of position. That’s another advantage for me, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team win. I put up really good numbers even though I wasn’t playing my ideal position. I’m versatile and that’s something I think I’m going to be able to show to people, my full skill set.

“My ball handling skills, shooting, pick and pops, off of curls, off the dribble. Things I wasn’t able to do during the season, now I’m trying to rep it out so when I get in workouts I can show that I can do this, I just haven’t been able to show it yet.”

Along with having underrated versatility, Carter also brings stability that teams will undoubtedly find attractive.

“I’m not a guy that anyone needs to worry about,” Carter said. “I’ve been married for two years. My life is off the court is solid. I don’t do stupid things. I’m not someone you have to worry about on the weekends. That stability has allowed me to become stable on the court, work out several hours a day because my life is in order.”

As an undersized center, the odds are stacked against Carter. But once he shows that he’s capable of playing, and defending, the power forward spot the outlook on him will change significantly.
Koutroupis also has four other segments on this topic so do click through on his links.

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Matt Sonnenberg is back with apples and oranges for the Utah State players based on their 2011-12 performances. Kyisean Reed is up.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday and the return of actual WAC hoops news

The Chris Udofia Bandwagon was started yesterday and now has another member.

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Since PTW is writing about Basketball Prospectus, it would be remiss not to mention that Preston Medlin was at the #100 spot. These rankings are based on last year's performances.

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USA Basketball has 22 players in camp and one of them is Fresno State signee Robert Upshaw. The Draft Express folks are predicting he makes the team (12 man roster) and have written this: "Inside the paint, there is no shortage of size, girth, length and athleticism, but we haven't seen one big man emerge as a reliable back to the basket presence as of yet. Robert Upshaw has tried to fill that role at times, and has had some success at times, while the likes of Robert Carter and Shaq Goodwin have preferred to float to the perimeter and shoot jumpers instead."

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Alex Kline/The Recruit Scoop has the latest on 6-foot-3 shooting guard Mike Perez: "Nevada had UTEP transfer Michael Perez on campus today, he announced"

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Jason Groves has been a-tweetin':

"McKinley Boston said the school and head hoops coach Marvin Menzies are still in contract talks"

Gotta nail him down -- bball is the best thing NMSU has going 

and

"2012 C Norvel Pelle will take his next official visit to DePaul per , Pelle had a "really good" visit to NMSU last weekend"

Has a recruit ever come back and said (not thought): "No way in hell I'm ever going back there." Pelle would be a great get even if he likely can't play next season. MM is working it.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Thursday's WAC hoops compendium

Apparently nothing happened in the wide world of WAC basketball in the last 24 hours so PTW is offering these questions:

* So how will the various head coaches of Denver, Seattle and the Texas schools prepare their virgin teams for The Spectrum Experience?

Thought Seattle had been there last season before but can't find that -- Denver was in Logan last November 30 and came away with a win.

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* In the same vein, it will be fascinating to witness the other WAC squads dealing with Denver's "Princeton-style" offense. Defensive patience will be a virtue.

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* As LA TECH's frontcourt gets bigger and more experienced and effective, does Coach Mike White shift to a different offensive/defensive style. PTW thinks not.

It will definitely be worth it to catch Denver and LA TECH matching up.

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* Referring back to Denver, get introduced to Chase Udofia. At 6-foot-5, he averaged 15.6 points in conference play (57% shooting) grabbed 5.8 rebounds a contest while blocking 36 shots in 16 games. His numbers all improved in league action indicating a coming-on as the season played out. Udofia will be a junior in 2012-13.

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Also watch for 6-foot-8 Jeromie Hill with Texas San Antonio. He looks to the the prime candidate to be the top scorer on the Roadrunner squad as he averaged 12.5 points (third on the squad) and a team-leading 6.4 boards a game as a sophomore. But what doesn't make sense is that he shot 41% on 86 trey attempts but just 60% on 89 foul line visits. It looks like he is still ascending.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Yes, a Shaq Stokes update

Ask and ye shall receive (sort of) -- Zach Braziller/New York Post has tweeted: "Hawaii transfer Shaquille Stokes will visit Hofstra tonight, per a source"

Wednesday's WAC basketball roundup

Two sources have now told PTW that former Pepperdine frontcourter Ramon Eaton is headed to New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs, New Mexico.

The 6-foot-8 Eaton averaged 2.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game last season as a freshman, playing 12.7 minutes a contest.

There is nothing to base this on at the moment but could New Mexico State be in his future? He is originally out of the Sacramento area where he was a four year starter and averaged a double-double as a senior.

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Steve Hanlon writes about San Jose State University signee Xavier Jones, a physical backcourter.

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Lindsay Thiry has posted at the Aggie Alert Sports Trough MB that 2014 SoCal backcourter Namon Wright has taken a liking to the southern Aggies.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Paging Shaquille Stokes

Just asking: where the heck is Shaquille Stokes?

Shouldn't he have landed somewhere by now?

The vanilla-izing of college coaches

Once again, Dana O'Neill provides the best of columns -- the gray flannel suiting of college coaches.

We miss you Abe Lemons:

 "You out rebounded a dead man by one."

After a 7 foot center got only one rebound in the first half of a game.

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"Hey, some places this would be a foul!"

while at the scorers' table holding up a tooth that had been dislodged from the mouth of his player, James Washington

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"How hard is it to coach track? Tell 'em to stay to the left and get back as fast as you can."

after being fired by Texas Athletics Director and former Kansas State track coach DeLoss Dodds

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"Finish last in your league and they call you 'Idiot'. Finish last in medical school and they call you 'Doctor'."

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"Doctors bury their mistakes, but mine are still on scholarship."

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"I hope they notice the mistletoe tied to my coattails as I leave town."

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"We don't pray after a game. That's too late."

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When asked how to stop illegal recruiting Abe said, "Just give every coach the same amount of money and tell them they can keep what’s left over."

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When asked about running set plays, Abe answered, "There are only two plays that I know, Romeo and Juliet and put the damn ball in the basket."

So who starts for New Mexico State?

It's no Wen this go-around but certainly not no win. So who starts the season for Coach Marvin Menzies in 2012-13?

Try:

* Tshilidzi Nephawe

 Chili who has the middle to himself from the get-go. Coach Menzies will needs more points from the big man than previously displayed.

* Bandja Sy

Is her a power forward and will it be a breakout season for him in his senior go-around? 15 points a game, consistent shooting and all-around consistency here would really boost the chances of the Aggies.

* Tyrone Watson

Mr. Steady has to be in here somewhere.

* Daniel Mullings

He's not your prototypical two guard (unless he has upgraded his outside shooting prowess) but does so many other positive things.

K.C. Ross-Miller

Is the man at the point and needs to match and hopefully exceed the overall production of his predecessor Hernst Laroche -- no small task.

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The big question is who becomes the go-to guy in crunch time? Mullings if his shot has improved, possibly Sy, although that would be a new role, or Ross-Miller?

Plus, is there enough outside shooting if this is the five that starts games? That's an iffy proposition. Sy shot 33% on 122 trey attempts.

Okay, have at it.

Tuesday's WAC basketball digest

Jason Groves offers the only nutrition for starving WAC hoops fans, particularly those of the southern Aggie bent.

Sorry, but that's it today.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Utah State's 2012-13 starting five

Let's really go out on the proverbial limb (hopefully minus our handy dandy Stihl) and project the starting lineups for each WAC member.

PTW will forsake the usual warning that this is an exercise for fun, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Starting with Utah State: 

* TeNale Roland PG

Marcel Davis will need at least a half a season to make the adjustment necessary before being able to contribute.

* Preston Medlin SG

Might that be whisperings of WAC MVP PTW is hearing?

* Spencer Butterfield WING

PTW Simply loves this young man's game and approach but Danny Berger (if he doesn't redshirt) and Marvin Jean will certainly have a say.Berger is a better long distance shooter and Jean (like Butterfield) possesses an all-around game. Someone will probably come out of this unhappy but do remember that Butterfield can play the two and Medlin the one.

* Kyisean Reed PF

Can KR finally put it together, a package of enormous physical talents alongside a focused mindset? It's his last college rodeo so...

* Jarred Shaw C

He wasn't an offensive focus at Oklahoma State but he will be this coming season -- if he has upgraded that aspect of his game. It's hard to see Jordan Stone as the starter at this point and Matt Lopez isn't eligible until late December but someone will need to provide points here in addition to defending and rebounding.

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If it's Butterfield at the three, he and Reed are on the smallish side but both have the capabilities to board well. Seeing what stage Shaw is at with his game is key to the upside chances for the Aggies.

Did we nail it or miss the obvious?

Monday morning coming down, WAC basketball style

Fresno State is in the mix for 2014 prospect SoCal backcourt prospect Namon Wright.

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Hey, I caught myself -- Wendell McKines will not lead the WAC in rebounding in 2012-13. Man, this stuff works.

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Prior to June 15, invest in the telecom companies. That's your hot tip of the day.

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Not WAC related but does Deane Martin ever get another coaching position (or is he in one now)? The AD fraternity cannot be happy, not sure about the coaching one.

This also brings to mind the old Jerry Tarkanian remark after a report about Baron Davis and a car that "the NCAA would get so upset at UCLA, they'll put Northridge on two years' probation."

Jonathan Reed also checks in on this one.

Sunday, June 3, 2012

The best in five WAC categories next season

Okay, check your tea leaves, consult with that Long Island medium or just go with your gut -- who is going to be the:

* Top scorer in the WAC?

The answer is Preston Medlin, who was second at 18.5 points per game this past season.

*The top rebounder in the WAC?

The answer is Vander Joaquim, with Kyle Barone close behind. (see comments)

* The top shotblocker in the WAC?

The answer is Joaquim again, going for a double-double. With additional playing time, Mychale Kyser will be his primary competition. (see comments)

* The top assist man in the WAC?

The answer is this one is absolutely wide open. Can TeNale Roland and/or K.C. Ross-Miller shine from the get-go? Will LA Tech's sophomore Kenneth Smith keep coming on?

* The top thief in the WAC?

The answer is Daniel Mullings, with Raheem Appleby causing looks over the shoulder.

Notice a trend?

Having not seen any of the recruits coming in, nor the existing players on the teams being added this coming season, this process is obviously a bit handicapped.

So who are your picks?

Next will be MVP, Newcomer of the Year and Freshman of the Year.

(See comments. I had Deonte Burton chasing Preston Medlin as top scorer until my brain kicked in but it obviously kicked out with Vander. So move #2 up a spot and I swallow a Five Hour Energy Drink double and see if that works)

Sunday's WAC digest

Does one item constitute a digest?

This week's "I-Wish-I-Had-Written-That winner is with: 

Sad to read Jerry Wainwright won't be returning to the Bulldogs' bench. Talk about great sideline demeanor. Whenever someone lagged on defense, Wainwright looked like a kid who got his Big Wheel stolen.
Read more here: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/06/02/2859530/warzone-state-track-meet-was-smokin.html#storylink=cpy

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Meet the Pensack Sports Management Group

Tales of extraordinary effort and achievement are always inspiring and the account of the Brothers Pensack is no different. Now partners in the Bay Area-based Pensack Sports Management Group, Adam and Ben didn't just one day decide to become agents and hang out a sign, hoping to land an Anthony Davis.

Ben Pensack

Adam Pensack

No, it's been a learning curve and long haul, preceded by meticulous preparation and planning and buttressed by hard work and diligence. Yes, it began with a lot of dreaming and hoping but always followed by doing, the taking of action to make the desire become reality.

Now they are established, on the cusp of breaking into prime agent territory.

But way back in the beginning, it was simply basketball, a sport beloved by older brother Ben and younger sibling Adam.

As Adam described, "we quickly realized [as players] that we were not going to the NBA. So how could we remain around the sport?"

Ben finished up at UC Santa Barbara and then headed to law school at Pepperdine. Adam completed his undergraduate work at UC Davis before earning a Master's in Business Administration at San Francisco State.

"We knew we would become business partners and our [separate] degrees would help in becoming agents," Adam explained.

But then came the Zen-like conundrum: if you announce that you are player agents (in a forest or elsewhere), will anyone notice, let alone step forward and say "I want you to represent me"?

"It was tough going, a super competitive business with not a lot of dollars to be made early on," Adam recalls. "We weren't nearly as experienced or savvy as we are now but we worked extremely hard to learn. We haven't quite reached our pinnacle of success yet but I am confident our knowledge and skill now stacks up extremely well against any other agency and thus the future is bright. We've been told by multiple NBA and international teams that some of the things we do now to market our clients are unique and better than what our competition is doing. And we are always working to continue to get better as we are firm believers that if we work harder and smarter than the competition good things will happen for us and our clients."

However, a Kevin Durant was simply not going to stumble in off the street and walk through the front door of their office.

Their breakthrough came when Shawn Dirden, a family friend and 6-foot-3 guard finished up playing at Idaho in 1997.

He stepped up and said "I'll be your client."

After giving it a go in the training camp of the Phoenix Suns, Dirden went on to play abroad in China, Sweden, Lebanon and Venezuela. After his playing days concluded, Dirden returned to the states and became an assistant coach at Montana State. He is now an assistant at South Dakota.

"Shawn told a lot of people about us," Adam remembered, and that started the proverbial ball rolling."You have to get a player, who tells a second player, who is hopefully an even better player."

"With Shawn, it was like we were in the first inning. Now we're in the third inning and we're innovating and doing things for our clients that are having a major impact."

The Pensack Sports Management Group now manages the careers of former Utah Staters Gary Wilkinson  and Tai Wesley, forward Bill Amis and guard Matt Lojeski, point La'Shard Anderson out of Boise State and many others.

"We have guys in all the top leagues in Europe." Adam proudly offered. "We have a great relationship with the Utah State coaching staff and their guys transition well to the pros. Spencer Nelson [one of the best ever Aggies who is currently playing in Spain after time in Germany and Italy] is one of our best clients and players like him can make three or four times more than the NBA league minimum salary after considering different income tax structures in the U.S. and Spain for players over there."

Yes, there is a wide range of compensation for players in Europe but some of Pensack's clients make more in Europe than they would in the NBA.

Former Newark Memorial High and San Jose State University star forward Marquin Chandler is another Pensack client. Chandler didn't play last season but earlier plied his trade in the Philippines and South Korea, making very good money and now is an entrepreneurial businessman and back in the Bay Area.

Justin Love is also part of the the Pensack clientele. The 6-foot-3 guard out of Sacred Heart Cathedral High and St. Louis University has enjoyed a lengthy career in Germany, China, Latvia and now the Ukraine.

"We feel we're on the precipice of breaking through to the next level," Adam said. "We're moving up."

A looming question he and his brother face though is 'who do you have in the NBA?'

"The answer is we have two former NBA draft picks who both played in the NBA (Kaniel Dickens and Dan McClintock) but right now nobody," Adam responded.

However, some of that is attributed to the fact that scruples and ethics are cornerstone building blocks for the Brothers Pensack: "We're just never going to cut corners and we won't have to. Some of the new marketing strategies we are beginning to implement for our clients bring a lot of value and ultimately this differentiation is going to be recognized by top players out there. It just takes time."

Adam added, "we develop really close relationships with our players and we want the right players and persons. We don't want to work for knuckleheads."

Their selling points are "we are very hands-on and we won't ever become complacent. Ultimately, we want guys in the NBA but that will happen because we pay very close attention to the European markets and enjoy success there. We also offer promotion and marketing advice as well as transition services which is a pretty big piece of the puzzle for a lot of guys."

It's worth noting that Pensack clients do not make headlines due to filing for bankruptcy, even after earning millions.

Oh yes, for the sports film fans out there, it might not have exactly been "show me the money" but Adam acknowledges hearing similar themed lines.

Saturday's WAC basketball roundup

The folks at USU Stats flesh out the Gossner Classic opponents for Utah State. Can't speak much about Nicholls State but UC Davis will be a darkhorse. They are also the Aggies and probably a year away from being a real threat to Utah State. Davis Coach Jim Les nabbed a player from Utah in this recruiting go-around and are going after another, hence the visit.

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Fresno State Associate Head Coach Jerry Wainwright is departing. It will be fascinating who Rodney Terry brings in -- another seasoned guy or someone younger with a recruiting rep.

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Josh Gershon reported: "2014 forward Fatai Eke from East Bakersfield (Calif.) picked up offers from San Jose State, Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Northridge"

He's 6-foot-7, 205 and posted these intriguing stats last season: 9.9 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.2 blocked shots per game. One recent descirption of him at Hoopniks: "While Eke isn’t there offensively yet, he’s a tough and strong defensive presence with a nose for blocking shots. Eke is physically mature and has a motor."

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Max McCombs has more on UTEP transfer Michael Perez and his consideration of Nevada.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday and the world of WAC hoops

Max McCombs reports that Coach David Carter is buying next time.

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Robert Kuwada writes that Fresno State will be hitting Pauley Pavilion in late December -- Robert Upshaw versus Josh Smith.

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Dayton Morinaga has a print and video update from Coach Gib Arnold. Is it Gerry Blakes being alluded to? Does having Sham help make it happen? Don't think they played on the same club team but must have known one another but to what degree?

Wendell McKines is interviewed after working out for the Golden State Warriors. 

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Mel Grussing offers what he's been hearing about Kyisean Reed and the folks in Logan should be happy.

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Utah State and Nevada are looking at Beehive State prepster Stephan Holm. Note that Casey Oliverson looks headed to Salt Lake Community College.

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Payton Dastrup has now been offered by ASU, in addition to UC Davis and Utah State. Plus, Arizona is in the wings for the 6-foot-10 2014 high schooler.

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Sportsbow has this note on a possible UH walk-on, Michael Harper. Everyone should have an Aussie, even just for post-game interviews.