The latest on Vonchae Richardson

Franklin High backcourter Vonchae Richardson -- known as a strong defender -- was connected to Idaho recruiting some time ago. But then he seemingly disappeared off the basketball map.

We weren't aware of this until contacted recently by a Vandal fan.

So we sent out a couple of queries -- one to Mason Kelley of the Seattle Times and the other to Kevin Cacabelos, the editor of SeaTownSports -- and here are the responses:

Mason Kelley offered this: "...He hasn't been on the roster all year. I asked coach Jason Kerr about Vonchae right before the early signing period and he wouldn't say anything. So, all I know is that he's not on the team and hasn't been on the team..."

and

Kevin Cacabelos offered this: "Vonchae did not get his fifth year of eligibility. Indications point to him next year playing for a D-1 team in the WAC or going to a local community college."

Richardson had applied for a fifth high school season and it appeared he was going to be granted his wish but the answer ultimately was no.

We don't what he is currently doing.

Photo courtesy of photographer Juliann Talino, maxpreps.com

Big Saturday (yes, that's pitiful but the best we could do)

Let's see how Idaho reacts after that heartbreaker versus Nevada. In favor of the Vandals is the likelihood of no Greg Smith for Fresno State. Daniel Lyght has the details here.

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Jason Groves says here that the why of New Mexico State's loss to Fresno State was an anomaly.

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Nevada has signed Rudyard Kipling, an Englishman by way of Bombay. It's known he has a way with words, which should delight WAC scribes, but how much of a basketball prospect he is remains to be determined. Go here for that and much more from Nick Jezierny.

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Shawn Harrison's byline has him in Milpitas -- Milpitas? -- and offering a game preview here of Utah State's matchup tonight against San Jose State.

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The Honolulu Advertiser has a wonderful opening line in the UH game preview article here.

Brian McInnis writes here of Hawaii hoops and snow -- that has to be a first.

An overlooked gem?

This is venturing into dangerous territory -- wondering why a certain player isn't hearing from any of the teams comprising the WAC. But we'll step into it anyway:

Recruiting is comprised of so many separate factors:

* wants and needs next season and/or further down the line

* class and roster balance

* what prospects will consider which offers

* cost of out-of-state or foreign schollies versus can the same potential be found locally, regionally or statewide

* ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY

and many, many more.

But how many teams are always wanting for better point guard play?

That brings us to Avery Johnson of Ocean View High in Huntington Beach, CA. He's leading his very successful squad in scoring (17.5), assists (4.9) and steals (2.5) and it's a roster that includes Stanford-bound Anthony Brown.

Johnson is 6-foot-3, athletic, rarely turns the ball over and his shooting percentages are better this season.

But interest in Johnson is perking up -- he is tripping to Portland this weekend. Pacific is desiring his services. Oregon and Boston College have come of late to southern California to check out Johnson.

We have no idea what Johnson's recruiting parameters are but it sure seems there are a few WAC schools that would fit, and vice versa.

Is there something we are missing?

More Friday WAC stuff

Boy, Jeff Portnoy pulls no punches. He's back with another column:

yes it can get worse
Jeff Portnoy
Honolulu Advertiser
February 11, 2010

in my last post, i asked whether things could much worse for the basketball Bows. Well, it can and did. The latest news is that Jeremy Lay's season is over. The stated reason is that he will undergo hernia surgery. I find it very curious that he says he has to been dealing with this injury all season, but only now has decided to miss the rest of the season with only three weeks to go. If he has been living with it, there was no prior information regarding the injury and it certainly did not show on the court. I am not saying it doesnt exist nor am i saying he doesnt need surgery. I just find the timing very strange. This is a team that is now left with one scholarship guard, and will have to finish the season with either guys playing out of position or walk-ons at the Guard position.. And speaking of guys playing hurt, some say its possible Thompson may need surgery on his shoulder after the season, but he continues to suck it up game after game...

Go here for the remainder.

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This was inevitable -- Don Verlin hears from Karl Benson. Chris Murray has the details here.

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It's thankfully not WAC-related but here's yet another Icarus-like tale of a big-time basketball wannabe.

Neither does George Vecsey hold back anything (has he ever?). Binghamton's rise was a house of cards with too many jokers and very few aces. Did these people really think the charade would work? Or were they figuring they would be elsewhere when the eruption occurred?

Pete Thamel has a more formal report here.

Here's the litany in full-length form.

If you employ Don (Renardo Sidney) Jackson as your lawyer, well, prepare to wear stripes and pound rocks.

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Friday's WAC game reports, links and notes

Paul George, still feeling the effects of a bad ankle sprain, demonstrated last night that the NBA may not be big enough for him.

Conversely, who were those guys wearing Aggie uniforms? 64 points? Incredibly, 9-26 from the foul line? Wow! Did Fresno State have a Bulldog version of Bill Sproat?

Daniel Lyght leads us off:

George leads 'Dogs men to victory in return
Daniel Lyght
The Fresno Bee
February 11, 2010

So much for not being 100%.

After missing four games because of a severely sprained ankle, Fresno State forward Paul George scored a career-high 30 points and led his team to an 83-64 Western Athletic Conference win over first-place New Mexico State at the Save Mart Center on Thursday night.

George was tentative at the start but scored 11 first-half points to ignite his team. He hit 5 of 13 3-pointers in the game and ran well in transition.

"I don't think we expected Paul to come out here and have 30," said Fresno State coach Steve Cleveland. "I'm not sure he expected that either. But it's good to have him back..."

Go here for the remainder.

Daniel Lyght also offers post-game video interviews here.

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The press -- no, not the pixel-stained wretches of the Fourth Estate -- got Boise State back in the game although it was still a loss to visiting Utah State.

Pressure almost cooks up an upset for Boise State men
The Broncos' full-court defense cuts into a big lead, but can't dish up a victory.
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
2/12/10

Down by 16 points to first-place Utah State with 10:51 left, Boise State men's basketball coach Greg Graham called for his last-place team to start pressing.

And the Broncos' hectic, all-out full-court pressure nearly delivered what would have been the upset of the year in the WAC.

Boise State twice pulled within two points in the final 20 seconds, but couldn't quite catch the Aggies in a 72-67 loss Thursday in front of 3,064 fans at Taco Bell Arena...

Go here for the remainder.

Jared Eborn was also there and offers his game report.

Ditto for Shawn Harrison here.

Tony Jones also alighted in Boise here, making for a crowded press row.

Jones also has a feature about the bulls-eye on the backs of the Aggies here.

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Chris Murray gets inquisitive about the number of fannies in the seats at Wolf Pack home games here.

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Little-known Adhar Mayen receives some love from Dayton Morinaga here. Playing in front of family and friends is a problem for UH basketball recruiting, balancing out the opportunity to be in paradise.

A Dominique Brooks update

Dominique Brooks, a point out of Seattle who was spending a prep year at God's Academy in Dallas, has given a verbal to Miami of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

He was mentioned in conjunction with a couple of WAC programs but any degree of seriousness is unknown.

Brooks is now in Florida attending Miami - Dade College until the NCAA Clearinghouse gives him the official thumbs up.

More Thursday WAC linkeroos

Marvin Menzies' weekly interview is brought to you here by Sam Wasson.

Jason Groves offers a feature here on the often overlooked Hamidu Rahman, who is definitely drawing more defensive attention this season.

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Travis Mason-Bushman's weekly WAC power rankings are available here.

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You have to love the young ballers who have yet to turn robotic in their dealings with the press. Daniel Lyght has a preview here of the Fresno State - New Mexico State matchup with a great quote from Jahmar Young. You thankfully don't get the inert "we play one game at a time" or "our opponent is very, very good and we'll be lucky to win" from Young. No, we are not going to give away what Young said -- hit the link.

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Nick Jezierny has a feature on possible Bronco enochlophobia here. We're going with plain ol' coincidence.

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Brian McInnis has a report on Jeremy Lay's season-ending injury here -- of course, this has to be happening at UH.

It's Armon time

Anyone want to differ that Armon Johnson could be elected the next U.S. Senator from Nevada if he cast his headband into the fray today?

Travis Mason-Bushman leads us off here with his game report and a pair of postgame video interviews featuring Coach Don Verlin and guard Jeff Ledbetter.

Chris Murray has multiple pieces on the game. His report on last night's matchup is here. Here is a page full of post-game thoughts here.

Josh Wright also offers his game report here.

Coach Verlin will probably be hearing from Karl Benson very soon -- if he hasn't already. What was amazing was how the last few plays -- obviously critical -- could have gone either way. We're still wondering about the why and how of Johnson's 'openness' on the last one.

Ross-Miller verbals to LSU

Thanks to a tip from Matthew Giles, ESPN is reporting that K.C. Ross-Miller of God's Academy has given a verbal to Trent Johnson and LSU. That's sort of a commit to Nevada in a six degrees of separation manner.

An Ahyaro Phillips update

Former Nevada basketballer Ahyaro Phillips is putting together a decent season at Lamar State College in Port Arthur, Texas. It will be interesting to see where he returns back into the D-1 ranks.

His numbers to date:

In 22 games, the 6-foot-8 frontcourter is scoring 10.8 ppg. and grabbing 11.6 rpg contest.

He is shooting 54% overall (105-194) and 26-50 on free throws. Phillips is 2-17 on treys.

His boardwork is an interesting ratio -- 91 offensive and 166 defensive.

Phillips has also totaled 80 blocked shots, an average of 3.6 a game.

He is #25 in the team picture above.

Not the news Bob Nash wanted to hear

If things get any worse for Bob Nash, he and his Hawaii squad will need to travel with a mobile surgical hospital. The latest news is that backcourter Jeremy Lay is now out for the season.

With Hiram Thompson pretty beat up, maybe Karl Benson can provide some sort of special dispensation so that Hawaii and its remaining WAC opponents can play 4-on-4.

Anyway, Dayton Morinaga has the scoop:

UH guard Jeremy Lay to miss rest of season
Dayton Morinaga
Honolulu Advertiser
February 10, 2010

Apparently things can get worse for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team.

Jeremy Lay became the latest in a long list of casualties for the Rainbow Warriors when it was announced today that he will miss the rest of this season due to a hernia injury.

Lay said he had been playing the entire season with the injury. The pain increased in recent weeks, and in a visit with the UH medical staff today, surgery was recommended...

Go here for the remainder.

Wow, that was a good one

Well, it didn't go to overtime but a nailbiter it was as Armon Johnson's and1 three-point play with 3-4 seconds remaining took away a win from host Idaho 67-66. We need to see the tape so as to determine why Johnson was so far open when he both caught the last pass and then dribbled down the court -- of course, he penetrated on the left and released the gamewinner, proving too strong for the foul he drew.

Let's do a little three-dotting here ... at the half, it was Nevada 42 and Idaho 28 ... the Wolf Pack shot 53% in the opening 20 minutes to 31% for the Vandals ... early on, Nevada was zoning but Don Verlin's team was still getting penetration and close-in shots -- just not often enough ... plus, Idaho couldn't do anything from outside ... what has happened to Luciano de Souza's outside touch? ... how many times did the Idaho defenders forget that Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson are both lefthanded and more comfortable dribble-driving in that direction? ... the second half featured a number of 'ugly' shots by the Pack players -- air balls, rim grazers and backboard breakers ... Idaho took its first lead at 55-54 with 6:32 on the clock ... Nevada's second half offense produced very few in-rhythm shot attempts by anyone and both Joey Shaw and Brandon Fields are at their best when receiving an on-target pass, gathering themselves and releasing the shot in a fluid motion ... Don Verlin doesn't sleep well tonight, if he sleeps at all

Two more WAC links for you

Travis Mason-Bushman is liveblogging the Nevada - Idaho matchup tonight so go here to access that.

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Les Misérables' Thernadier was right -- at least if he was your innkeeper:

...Enter M'sieur
Lay down your load
Unlace your boots
And rest from the road

This weighs a ton
Travel's a curse
But here we strive
To lighten your purse
Here the goose is cooked
Here the fat is fried
And nothing's overlooked
Till I'm satisfied...

Food beyond compare
Food beyond belief
Mix it in a mincer
And pretend it's beef
Kidney of a horse
Liver of a cat
Filling up the sausages
With this and that...

Chris Murray details the what and how of going on the road and getting to WAC games for Nevada here.

What often goes unacknowledged by fans is that travel throws off your routine and time changes typically have you doing tasks during a different time than at home -- and this negatively effects young and old and those in between especially so if called upon to exert yourself for a period of time. Plus, try finding a decent restaurant after a night game.

Bookending this piece with another musical reference, as Ringo Starr sang "It don't come easy, you know it don't come easy..."

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A feature on JayDee Luster

Here's a human interest story on former New Mexico Stater JayDee Luster, who is returning home (San Diego) as a member of the Wyoming Cowboys. We far too often forget that these are just kids who, despite their talent, face the same life travails and hurt like the rest of us.

Luster finding his way back home
After trials and travails, ex-Hoover star is comfortable on the court again
Mark Zeigler
San Diego Union Tribune
February 10, 2010

The San Diego Section basketball championships were at San Diego State in 2004, in what was then known as Cox Arena. Hoover High reached the Division II final for the first time in 43 years, led by a diminutive point guard named JayDee Luster.

People saw the 5-foot-6 Luster play that night, saw him amass 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals before fouling out in a loss to Escondido, and then ran their finger down the Hoover roster to his name and his class: 9.

Freshman.

Most people — Luster included — just figured they were watching the first of many games he would play there, a prodigy at his first recital in his home concert hall. There would be the future high school championship games there, maybe some all-star games, followed by a career as an Aztec for the kid who grew up a few miles from campus...

Go here for the remainder.

A little bit on Stew Morrill

Kyle Whelliston of TMM has a mention -- well, actually more than that -- of his meetup last season with Coach Stew Morrill. Overall, it's a philosophical piece and, as usual, loaded with insight and the kind of writing that absolutely resonates with us. It's like you never know where he is heading but you want to keep reading in order to find out and because you know it will be worth it.

...Last winter, I went out to Logan, Utah to write a feature story about the Utah State Aggies. They're led by Stew Morrill, who's won 75 percent of his games there, has a decade's worth of 20-win seasons, and has gone to the NCAA Tournament six times during that stretch. As would be expected with such a track record, he's mentioned every summer as a replacement for this coach or that coach. (Perhaps in a couple of months, the media will "connect" him to the Iowa or Iowa State jobs.)

After a game, he and I set up in the Aggies' team room, a stadium-style class space. As we talked, Coach Morrill was fidgety, adjusting his cuffs, looking around the room at the team pictures. He likes being interviewed about as much as I do, I thought. Finally, I threw out my prepared questions and tried to connect with him as an actual human, not a lab project. "Coach, why haven't you left?" I asked. "There are schools in the Big XII and SEC and Pac 10 that would break the bank to get you."

"Money isn't everything," he replied. "I'm from Utah, my family is all within a few hours' drive, and the school has been very good about taking care of me financially."

I left that interview thinking, "This guy's beat the system..."

Go here for the complete article.