Paul George honored

With a tip o' the hat to Daniel Lyght (who tweeted it), former Fresno State Bulldog Paul George earned second-team honors on the NBA All Rookie squad.

Your ecclesiastical WAC offering

Been spending major time the past couple of days watching the play at a junior college tourney...

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Eric Bossi of Rivals mentioned a Texas prepster that Utah State and many others are closely watching: 2012 6-foot-2 shooting guard Niem Stevenson out of Ranchview High in Irving, TX. Go here and this one doesn't appear to require a sub. Here's the young man's MySpace page.

From a September 2009 OUHoops.com site recap of a major tournament in Texas comes this: "...One name to keep your eye on over the next few years is sophomore Carrollton (Texas) Ranchview combo guard Niem Stephenson. He recently transferred in from Seattle, where he played on the same AAU team as OU recruit Josh Smith. We unfortunately did not get to see much of him due to a hand injury, but there have been several recruiting gurus that have had good things to say about his game. He currently has the size (6-foot-3), but time will tell if he has the game to be a high major recruit..."

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Forgot to post this from a couple days back, off the Draft Express Twitter page -- it looks like PG turned it around during a game:

"Magnum Rolle was very solid for Indiana. Hit a bunch of mid-range jumpers, was very active around the glass. Has looked pretty good all week."

and

"Great finish to the Indiana-Boston game. Some big drives and finishes by Paul George helped them seal the win after being down by around 25."

and

"Paul George is really struggling right now. Settling for terrible fade-aways, making awful decisions with the ball. Looks very frustrated."

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Finally, anyone have a surefire remedy for bleacher butt?

A couple more tidbits

The Draft Express folks keep on giving:

"Paul George looks way more like Fresno State Paul George so far than workout wonderboy Paul George. Very raw. You can see the talent though."

and

"Undrafted free agents who look good: Jeremy Pargo, Mustafa Shakur, Patrick Ewing Jr, Jaycee Carroll, Matt Janning, Thomas Heurtel, lots more."

"He's an undersized shooting guard who is extremely limited defensively."

 in reply to:

"@CoachCarbenia Jaycee Carroll is GREAT, how'd he go undrafted????"

A Fresno State basketball-a-palooza

Here is some video from a Fresno channel sports program about Paul George's signing -- Steve Cleveland and Greg Smith, working the Bulldog basketball kids camp, are featured. It takes a few seconds to get to the George part.

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Here's a report from that camp:

Stephen Trembley
Fresno State Athletics Communications (Men's Basketball)
July 1, 2010

The smiles spread across the hardwood of Fresno State's Student Recreation Center during the annual fun summer camp hosted by the Bulldog men's basketball team this week.

The summer camp has grown to a record participation during the Steve Cleveland Era with 180 campers joining the `Dogs to learn and grow from their favorite student-athletes and coaches in an exciting environment.

The program is under the direction of Fresno State assistant coach Lee Moon, who has made it a priority to make sure everyone enjoys their experience on the basketball floor.

"The growth is a credit to our community," Moon said of the camp. "We want to make sure everyone is having fun and loving the game."

The week started each day at 9 a.m. as the focus remained on the basics combined with detailed instruction on making smart passes, the art of efficiently grabbing rebounds and taking good shots and a host of other drills and competitions in an action-packed schedule.

Moon revitalized the Bulldogs' basketball summer camp two years ago with 35 young campers and quickly sparked the enrollment to 100 campers last summer. At 180 campers this year, the camp has grown by upwards of five-fold in just two years.

To accommodate the expansion, Moon moved the camp from the North Gym to the Student Recreation Center and expects to be able to welcome even more of the local community next year. The ideal goal will allow for Fresno State to host multiple weeks of the program.

"We love being able to spend time with our community and watch the kids have a great time," Moon added. "This is a wonderful opportunity to teach life skills in a fun environment."

Greg Smith, the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year, was one of the five Bulldog returners who served as camp counselors and showed his passion on the sidelines while coaching his campers.

"All of us enjoy this week," Smith said. "We have a good time playing with the kids and giving back to our community."

The camp was held at the Student Recreation Center from June 28 - July 1, 2010. 

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ESPN's Andy Katz leads off a who-can-replace-the-NBA-draft-lottery-choices-on-their-respective-college-teams feature with none other than Paul George and Fresno State -- Greg Smith and Tim Steed are mentioned. Go here.

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Here's a look at Steve Cleveland's Fresno tenure:

Cleveland's Resolve Steadies Course
Stephen Trembley
Fresno State Athletics Communications (Men's Basketball)
June 29, 2010

The consistency of Steve Cleveland's mission is rooted in the core of a man with an unwavering conviction that his principled foundation will foster a stronger community.

Steve Cleveland Five years ago, Steve returned to his hometown to serve as the head coach of the Fresno State men's basketball team.  He was charged with creating a culture of academic excellence and compliance while competing for a conference championship.

To achieve these objectives, Steve developed a philosophy that each step he took would be a building block for the program to be primed for the present and future.

He calls it "Built to Last," based on the book by James Collins and Jerry I. Porras.  This approach is rooted in the central concept that we each have the ability to leave our society a better place.

As the Cleveland Era enters its sixth season for the Bulldogs, the culture of the basketball program has been significantly resurrected.

His basketball program achieved the nation's largest Academic Progress Rate (APR) improvement, recorded the graduation of the most student-athletes in the program's history, returned all scholarships and practice time, and cultivated the first Academic All-District honoree (two-time winner Nedeljko Golubovic).

Paul George with NBA Commish at 2010 NBA DraftIn addition, the building blocks remain in place to compete for a conference title even after Cleveland's program honed the skills of two NBA Draft picks in the past four years - Paul George (the Indiana Pacers' top pick and No. 10 overall in the 2010 NBA Draft) and Dominic McGuire (the 47th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards). George would have been one of the top contenders for next season's Preseason Player of the Year WAC honor, as McGuire would have been for the 2007-08 season.

In looking ahead to the 2010-11 season, Cleveland will draw from the depth and athleticism of an exciting roster poised to leave their mark in the Bulldog legacy. Here are a few notes for Bulldog fans to chew on:

Greg Smith and Steven Shepp at WAC Tourney--- Greg Smith, the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year, and point guard Steven Shepp will back and stronger as the two returning starters from last year's squad.  Both were newcomers last season and showed their ability to play with anyone throughout the season.  Smith dominated the low post and Shepp displayed his flash, dash and long-range threat as a deep 3-point shooter. Smith and Shepp have each dedicated themselves to the weight room and working out in the gym to prepare for their statement year.

--- Nedeljko Golubovic, the back-to-back CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VIII honoree, will provide the senior leadership for the talented Bulldog roster.  As a forward capable of playing every post position, Golubovic can stretch defenses as a 3-point threat.  With two healthy wrists this season, the Red Wave can expect a strong year from Golubovic.

--- Jerry Brown III and Garrett Johnson, who played sparingly as freshmen last season, have each grown and will be able to earn immediate playing time as contributors from beyond the 3-point arc, mid-range jump shooters, pounding the offensive glass, applying aggressive defensive play and attacking the basket.

--- As for newcomers, Cleveland has once again restocked his bench, but added even more talent by signing Bracken Funk, Tyler Johnson, Kevin Olekaibe, John Ryan and Tim Steed to join the team next year. Also, Jonathan Wills, who redshirted last season as a D-1 transfer from New Mexico, will have an opportunity to start on the perimeter.  Each new addition, and there may be more, will provide a unique spark as one of Cleveland's blocks built to last.

The young men in this program have a single purpose to compete at the highest level for every minute of every game.  The 'Dogs are ready to show their bark and bite through their exceptional gift of playing on this stage.

The foundation has been set by a man committed to his principles and primed to use the blocks he built to guide his group of young men on the path to a WAC championship and an invitation to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

While Fresno State makes their run, the Red Wave will see passion, heart and thrilling moments at every turn.  The growth and development will be on full display this fall as the Bulldogs return to the hardwood with their core vision steady and consistent because Steve Cleveland's resolve is strong and unmatched.
 

It's all Paul George today

Paul George's parents can get off his back now -- he has a job. Go here.

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Speaking of George, maybe he doesn't buy into the concept of discretion being the better part of valor. cak001 at the Save Mart Center basketball message board (the BarkBoard site) located a piece the Indianapolis Business Journal did on the young man. It included this:

"...An answer to a question a few minutes later gave me further insight into what makes this guy tick.

George was asked why he left Fresno State after two years. He didn’t balk and he didn’t waffle. He stated simply, matter-of-factly that the chemistry had become bad there, and it was no place for him to grow—personally or professionally..."

Interesting. This brings forth multiple questions and reactions.

Such as:

* what is achingly missing is a followup question a la 'was there anything you did to feed into or to alleviate -- say a show of leadership or lack thereof -- the situation you describe?'

* was the now-departed Mychal Ladd part of the problem? how about the other now former players?

* corralling 13 egos, plus those of the coaching staff, and getting all moving consistently in a similar direction, is an almost magical task but the most critical one for a head coach

* would a point who could drive and dish have smoothed over some or most of the concerns and issues that pop up over a season of interaction?

* it is hard to believe there was any situation that prevented George from developing improved ballhandling and creating skills or developing into a lockdown defender

So will there be a retire-the-jersey night at the Save Mart Center in the near future?

A few more items

Here are a few extra low calorie treats:

Mike DeCourcey of Sporting News wrote this after the draft:

..10. Indiana Pacers: Paul George, SF, Fresno State. So kind of the Jazz to remove the pressure to select the hometown hero. The Pacers always liked George better. He's an amazing wing athlete and developing shooter who probably is in the draft a year early. But this is a team that can take time with him because of Danny Granger's presence in the lineup...

...16. Minnesota Timberwolves (traded to Portland): Luke Babbitt, SF, Nevada. There is a hard edge to Babbitt's game that will make him eventually successful in the league. He'll have to show he can defend small forwards because it's unlikely he'll survive in a post position. But he can shoot, handle and finish. He will not retreat. He's also a homebody who'll be thrilled with being dealt to the Blazers, closer to his hometown of Reno...

The remainder of his column can be found here.

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Andy Katz did a piece on second-rounders and free agents, including this:

...Hard To Know

Armon Johnson, Nevada (No. 34 -- Portland): Johnson was a relative unknown nationally. He wasn't a lock to be in the first round had he stayed around Reno, so going this high in the second was probably better than expected. But it's unclear if he can make the Blazers, so the location might not work out well...

Friday's WAC-aroni

Here's the report from the LA TECH athletics site on Magnum Rolle's drafting:

Rolle Drafted by Indiana Pacers
Forward becomes 11th LA Tech player ever selected in NBA Draft

Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle was selected with the 51st overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers late Thursday night.

The Pacers and President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird moved up six slots in the second round to obtain the rights to the 51st pick which was originally owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"The Pacers bought up from their pick at 57 to 51 to get to Magnum," said Rolle's agent Fletcher Cockrell. "Larry Bird really wanted him, or they wouldn't have bought up. There were a lot of really good players that weren't drafted."

Rolle starred at Louisiana Tech the past two seasons where he helped lead the Bulldogs to a 24-11 mark this past year while earning numerous individual accolades. He averaged 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while leading the Western Athletic Conference with 2.1 blocks per game.

"I am extremely excited for Magnum, his family and the opportunity he has at the next level," said LA Tech head coach Kerry Rupp. "I know it is an opportunity he has worked extremely hard for and will continue to work hard towards. It is also the completion of the plan we put in place for him when he arrived at Louisiana Tech along with getting his degree."

Rolle earned his bachelor's degree in sociology in March.

The 6-foot-11-inch forward was named second team all-WAC while also earning a spot on the league's all-defensive team for the second consecutive season. He was also named to the Lefty Driesell All-American Defensive Team.

Rolle made 33 starts during the year for LA Tech, scoring in double figures 24 times while recording 11 double doubles. He pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds on three separate occasions and scored a career-high 29 points in a win over Houston.

The Freeport, Bahamas native is the first Bulldog to be selected in the NBA Draft since Paul Millsap was taken by the Utah Jazz with the 47th pick of the 2006 Draft.

Rolle also became the 11th Louisiana Tech player ever selected in the NBA Draft, joining Millsap, P.J. Brown (1992, New Jersey, 29th), Ron Ellis (1992, Phoenix, 49th), Randy White (1989, Dallas, 8th), Karl Malone (1985, Utah, 13th), Willie Simmons (1985, Sacramento, 76th), Victor King (1979, Los Angeles Lakers, 39th), Mike McConathy (1977, Chicago, 79th), Mike Green (1973, Seattle, 4th) and Jackie Moreland (1960, Detroit, 4th).

Rolle was one of four WAC players selected in the NBA Draft joining Fresno State's Paul George (10th overall, Indiana Pacers) and Nevada's Luke Babbitt (16th overall, Minnesota Timberwolves) and Armon Johnson (34th overall, Portland Trailblazers). Louisiana Tech Bulldogs All-Time in NBA Draft

Year Player Pos. Team Selection

2010 Magnum Rolle F Oklahoma City 51st

2006 Paul Millsap PF Utah 47th

1992 PJ Brown PF New Jersey 29th

1992 Ron Ellis PF Phoenix 49th

1989 Randy White PF Dallas 8th

1985 Karl Malone PF Utah 13th

1985 Willie Simmons C Sacramento 76th

1979 Victor King PF LA Lakers 39th

1977 Mike McConathy SG Chicago 79th

1973 Mike Green C/F Seattle 4th

1960 Jackie Moreland F Detroit 4th

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Daniel Lyght reports on Paul George's drafting by Indiana.

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Here's Dan Hinxman on what Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson are walking into with the Trailblazers.

Chris Murray offers up a bunch of links on last night's draft -- go here and here (loved the headline) and here.

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Leon "The Whirlwind" Rice is captured by Nick Jezierny.

More on Fresno State Bulldog Paul George

George Drafted 10th by Pacers as NBA Lottery Pick
Paul George is the highest Bulldog ever selected in an NBA Draft.
Stephen Trembley
Fresno State Athletics Communications (Men's Basketball)
June 24, 2010

Paul George's dream of being drafted by an NBA team came true tonight as the Indiana Pacers selected the former Fresno State basketball star with the 10th pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft on Thursday night.

The honor cemented George as the program's highest draft pick in Fresno State history as the first top 10 pick in an NBA Draft.

George, one of the selected future NBA players invited to Madison Square Garden in New York City for the national broadcast on ESPN, donned the NBA hat with a huge smile on his face before shaking the hand of NBA Commissioner David Stern. George was the third Bulldog ever invited to New York City for draft festivities.

George, a native of Palmdale, Calif., headlines the ranks of former Bulldogs playing professionally as the fifth `Dog selected in the first round and the first since Fresno State fielded a pair of first round draft picks in 2002 when Melvin Ely was selected 12th overall by the Los Angeles Clippers and Chris Jefferies went 27th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers.

With George's selection tonight, 21 former Bulldogs have now been drafted by NBA teams with seven more also playing in the league, dating as far back as 1958.

George is the second draftee for Steve Cleveland's system over the past five years of guiding his hometown team as Dominic McGuire was taken in the second round in 2007 by the Washington Wizards. While at BYU, Cleveland developed Rafael Araujo into the No. 8 overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.

Throughout his Fresno State career, George showcased his elite athleticism and passion for the game of basketball. As a sophomore, he delivered the program's best season at the free throw line (120-132, 90.9%), ranked as one of the top 20 sophomore NCAA scorers, and averaged 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.2 steals and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 42.4 percent (154-363) from the field and 35.3 percent (122-308) on 3-point attempts. He scored a career-high 30 points in his first game back from an ankle injury in early February.

George also received one of 18 invitations to the Under 19 USA Basketball Training Camp (June 2009) and was named the West's Most Entertaining Player by SI.com in Fall 2009 after his breakout freshman campaign. He sparked his collegiate career with an appearance in ESPN's College Hoops Tip Off on the road at Saint Mary's College when George earned Sportcenter's Top Play of the Day for a one-handed slam dunk on two Gael defenders that instantly made him a YouTube sensation.

George prepped at Pete Knight High School and produced an average of 25 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals per game during his senior season.

With his NBA dream now a reality, George will take his game across the country and show basketball fans his skills on a nightly basis.

Fresno State All-Time First Round Draft Picks
Year - Pick - Player (Team)
2010 - 10th - Paul George (Indiana Pacers)
2002 - 12th - Melvin Ely (Los Angeles Clippers)
2002 - 27th - Chris Jefferies (Los Angeles Lakers)
2000 - 13th - Courtney Alexander (Orlando Magic)
1984 - 19th - Bernard Thompson (Portland Trail Blazers)

and

HEAD COACH STEVE  CLEVELAND ON PAUL GEORGE BEING DRAFTED 10TH OVERALL BY THE INDIANA PACERS

Cleveland reflected on George’s chance to play in the NBA and his opportunity to represent Fresno State across the country.

“I am excited for Paul and his family,” Cleveland said of George’s future.  “He will be a great ambassador for our basketball program, university and community. This is a great example of how a young man who was not highly recruited out of high school was able to grow and develop his perimeter skills because of his outstanding work ethic and attitude. Paul has such an upside and the NBA teams were very impressed with his growth and development over the past two years.”

Cleveland additionally credited his coaching staff for their work in developing George, who played center in high school, into a complete multi-dimensional player.

“This is also a reflection of our coaching staff and their commitment to developing and teaching a talented player the skills to excel in this game,” Cleveland added of his second top 10 draft pick in his tenure as a Division I coach. 

George, Babbitt, Johnson and Rolle land in the NBA draft

How soon will it take for Portland and Reno to formalize sister city status?

Minnesota takes Luke Babbitt at 16 and then trades him to Portland.

At #34, Armon Johnson just misses the first round

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So who will have the better career: Gordon (#9 to Utah) Hayward or Paul George?

Here is a USA TODAY article on George going 10th to Indiana. The Pacers were definitely going in the PO direction.with this selection.

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Mr. Rolle has been spoken for -- despite not appearing on any draft prognostication lists, Magnum Rolle was taken at #51 by the Pacers. He worked out for Indiana on June 18.

Thursday's WAC world

Jason Groves brings us up to date on Jonathan Gibson:

Gibson works out with Clippers, ready for NBA Draft
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
6/24/2010

Jonathan Gibson has tried to be patient since moving back to his native Los Angeles soon after the New Mexico State men's basketball team lost to Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

"I am getting a lot of interest late," said Gibson, who left NMSU No. 6 on the all-time scoring list. "We are trying to schedule workouts and talk about playing on a summer league team. My agent tells me to be patient but it's hard. I'm anxious and anticipating what is going to happen."

Gibson's patience paid off on Monday when he worked out for the Los Angeles Clippers, who pick eighth in the first round of tonight's NBA Draft...

Go here for the remainder.

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Paul George and Ryan Matthews are dueling to see who has the honor of being selected before the other. Go here.

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He is. Go here to see why we typed those four letters.

Want to chat with Chris Murray about tonight's draft? Head here at 4:15 p.m.

Your early Monday WAC report

Jared Eborn offers an update on Bill Sproat's medical condition -- go here. It's even odds that one of Bill's 'uniforms' next season in The Spectrum will be medical-related.

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Tom Ziller's latest mock drat at the Fanhouse site has Paul George going off the board at #13 and Luke Babbitt hearing his name called 18th -- go here.

Sunday's WAC offerings

Jason Groves posted a link to a written Paul George Q-and-A and notes one specific answer -- it definitely jumps out at the reader.

Demonstrating -- not flashing -- in WAC play that you are worthy of an elevated showcase is one thing, talking about how you could have displayed much more going up against apparently greater competition is just that, talk.

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Justin Young tweets a truth here, that 2006 was a terrible draft year --  go here if you cannot locate his link. We can't recall but hopefully the consensus prior to D-Day back then was spot on. 2010 will turn out to be much better.

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Dave Rogahn at the California Preps site writes about summer league play in southern California and he mentions two members of Team Aloha -- Bill Amis and Trevor Wiseman -- in his latest article.

A couple of additions

The Draft Express folks have changed the positioning of some of their predictions and Paul George now sits at #8. Luke Babbitt in penciled in at #17 and Armon Johnson is a second-rounder at #35. Go here.

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Chris Murray is pounding out the pieces -- go here and check out the right hand side of the screen for multiple articles.

A couple more items

It finally happened. Draft Express has Luke Babbitt, Paul George and Armon Johnson going in the first round of the NBA draft --- 12th, 17th and 29th respectively. Head here.

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K.C. Ross-Miller, a Nevada recruiting target at one point who signed with LSU, is still awaiting the green light from the NCAA Clearinghouse folks, who offer decisions like vintners aging wine. Go here if you wish to read more and a Rivals sub is required.

This is it so far today

Rush The Court (still worth a daily visit even in the off-season) profiles Paul George:

RTC NBA Draft Profiles: Paul George
June 13, 2010

Player Name: Paul George
School: Fresno State
Height/Weight: 6′9, 215
NBA Position: Small Forward
Projected Draft Range: Late lottery

Go here for the remainder.

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Draft Express and the small forward prospects

Matt Kamalsky/Draft Express checks in with a look at the small forwards available in the NBA draft and we'll focus on Paul George and Luke Babbitt exclusively. The following are excerpts from analyses of George and Babbitt  -- go here for the complete article.

Situational Statistics: This Year’s Small Forward Crop
Matt Kamalsky - Director of Operations
Draft Express
June 12, 2010

...Paul George looks the part of a lanky athletic two-guard with immense promise, but his confidence ,the work he’s put in this summer, and his tremendous productivity as a freshman look much better than his situational statistics from last season.

The first thing that pops off the page when looking at George’s numbers is his high turnover percentage. The Fresno State product coughed the ball up on some 18.8% of his total possessions. He seldom gave the ball up in spot up situations, as he often just took the first available shot, but he turned the ball over on 30% of his one-on-one opportunities and 25% of his transition touches. Obviously, his ball-handling ability will be something that he needs to refine in order to reach his potential as a player...

and

...Luke Babbitt’s touch made him a highly capable scorer in almost every situation last season and speaks to his high skill level.

The highest usage player in our ranks at 20.6 possessions per-game, Babbitt’s 0.97 overall PPP isn’t terribly impressive. His lack of great overall efficiency stems from the fact that he ranks last in transition points per-possession at a dismal 0.90. His lack of great leaping ability is clear in that metric, but his 0.98 PPP in 18.1 half court touches per-game is highly impressive, as are his low 12.2 turnover percentage and his 8.4% shots fouled mark. ..

Saturday's WAC report

Tom Ziller at Fanhouse offers his latest NBA draft take, with Luke Babbitt going in the 12 spot and Paul George at #20. Go here.

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Longdog at the Bulldog Barks & Bytes (Louisiana Tech) site, posts about an Arizona newspaper article (Phoenix Suns) featuring Magnum Rolle, among others. Rolle says he is up to 230 pounds now. Go here.

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Head to Sam Wasson's Daily Aggie for everything you could ever want to read about the WAC and expansion/contraction. There are links a'plenty as well as an abundance of other information that Sam has corralled.

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Thursday night WAC links

Jonathan Givony (of Draft Express) has a feature on five draft sleepers at Sports Illustrated and Paul George is included. We're not so sure anyone is snoozing on Mr. George any longer. Go here and scroll down.

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Casey Oliverson is apparently the one to back when the Oliverson family (think Shawn of Lousiana Tech) goes against each other on the backyard court. Tony Jones/Aggieville provides a feature.

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It seems a bit odd but we'll never know the full equations that landed former USF guard Kwame Vaughn, former Cal backcourter D.J. Seeley and former Cal frontcourter Omondi Amoke at Cal State Fullerton. The Orange County school is known as Transfer U, with but one high school recruit on the Titan roster. Amoke had a legal problem that spurred his departure. Seeley had been mentioned as a possibility on various WAC basketball message boards but that didn't happen.

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Chris Murray has a bunch of new articles so start clicking here (subtitled See You In September), here (Olek Czyz To Polka Across Europe) and here (a hoops tour of China that, who knows, may yield a prospect or two).

"My ceiling is pretty high"

No, PTW hasn't moved it's headquarters into some palatial new environment which has us momentarily transfixed looking skyward -- "My ceiling is pretty High" is Paul George describing his potential as Draft Express has even more coverage on the Fresno Stater:

Paul George: "My Ceiling is Pretty High"
DraftExpress
June 6, 2010

Paul George has an unabashed confidence in himself as a basketball player.

“I haven’t been exposed to this game as much as a lot of other players and I think I’m already a great prospect with good potential,” he says. “Once I get that chance to really get that experience and learn about the game, I think my ceiling is pretty high.”

Modest? Not exactly.

Accurate? With the way his stock is rising the past few weeks, few of the general managers in attendance would have a hard time arguing...

Go here for the remainder.

The Draft Express group goes all Paul George-apalooza

Draft Express is smitten -- make that head-over-heels in looooove with Paul George -- go here for the article and a pair of workout videos featuring George and others.

Could George become the first of the WAC 2010 draftees? It's sounding like it. Should we employ a horse race metaphor and call it neck-to-neck coming down the back stretch between George and Luke Babbitt?