A great read

Youngsters, hey even oldsters and middle-agers -- read the following, it's never too late:

Driven Young Man With a Basketball Mission
Daniel Libit
New York Times
March 19, 2010

De La Salle and Foreman High Schools battled for the 4A state basketball sectional semifinals March 10 in a packed Maywood gym, but in many ways, the most interesting action was unfolding in the north bleachers. There, two rows up from the floor, Daniel Poneman held court in his usual fashion.

Every few moments, Mr. Poneman stood up to greet someone he knew, and by the end of the evening, it seemed as if he had exchanged handshakes and hugs with half of those in attendance. The gym was one giant flowchart before him. Even as Mr. Poneman tracked the action, a recruiter from Purdue, a local basketball legend, and a former Foreman coach who has since moved to Niles North High School all passed — very noticed — before Mr. Poneman’s well-trained eyes.

“I really wouldn’t call him a scout,” said Nate Pomeday, an assistant coach at Oregon State. “I would call him more of a professional networker.”

Mr. Poneman, 18, and now, not quite a year after graduation from Evanston Township High School, puts none of this to waste. For four years now, he has used his preternatural ability to collect information and rub elbows to create a Web site and network relied upon by college coaches as an essential tool for recruiting Illinois players. And now, not quite a year after his high school graduation, he is weeks away from inaugurating a national Web site focused on appraising high school athletes, primarily for the benefit of college coaches.

Mr. Poneman works nearly without pause — skipping sleep two nights a week, he said, and living in a spartan bachelor pad in Lincoln Park. Yet none of it, so far, has made him much money. His Web site takes in some advertising from Google but is barely profitable. Even a showcase tournament he plans to host late this month will net only about $8,000. “My only expense is living,” Mr. Poneman said. “I don’t buy any luxuries, and I sacrifice everything else.”

Still, Mr. Poneman is building something he hopes will be more valuable over time: A network of people that, in Mr. Poneman’s view, have economic value over time.

“My goal is not to make as much money as possible now but to build as much capital as possible,” he said. “Eventually, I will be able to transfer that capital....”

Go here for the remainder.

Leaving the coast for the Rockies

6-foot-1 Taylor Fox, the Mission Trails Athletic League  (MTAL) most valuable player two years running while playing for Santa  Catalina High in Monterey, has signed with Colorado State-Pueblo. The ThunderWolves play in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and went 21-11 overall, 13-6 in league play. during the 2009-2010 season.

Fox averaged over 21 points per game last season, a year in which her squad garnered a second straight league championship.

Her strengths are many: leadership, great attitude, three-point range, being a creator and passer.

Other options included Seattle University and USF.

Fox played for the West Valley Basketball Club out of Saratoga, CA. and was first seen by CSU-Pueblo Coach Kip Drown during a tournament in Phoenix.

She is also a top volleyball player but Fox will focus on hoops for the ThunderWolves.

Samhan playing for Atlanta

Omar Samhan wasn't drafted but, per Jeff Goodman, will play for Atlanta in the NBA Summer league.

Regardless of where he ends up earning money for playing basketball, Omar is a natural for taking over from Charles Barkley on TNT. Some smart suit should get him signed now for that, regardless of when it takes place.

Yuba rolls on and on

Yuba College opponents thought going into the 2009-2010 season that the 49ers were finally ready to be busted -- a steady diet of stale hardtack, lukewarm water and defeat after defeat on the hardwood. That's because the usual graduation that happens at any community college took place but also due to a pair of prominent Yuba frontcourters -- starters and heavy minutes player -- leaving unexpectedly for Seattle University and D-1 play. Zero starters and but three players returned.

But such was fool's gold thinking because Coach Doug Cornelius doesn't rebuild -- he reloads and plows through the Bay Valley Conference. That was the Groundhog Day but-on-a-positive-note continuing scenario this past season which culminated in a 25-5 overall Yuba record, 15-1 in conference action.

Keenan Prince and Kyle Allen then signed with Hawaii Pacific, Josh Figueroa inked with Hawaii Pacific and Bo Henning landed a bit north at Humboldt State.

Now, Cornelius is doing it again as his 2010-2011 roster additions demonstrate both production and promise:

* 6-foot-3 Mike McChristian  sophomore (top returnee)

McChristian is a Will C. Wood High graduate (Vacaville) who earned most valuable player of the Bay Valley Conference honors as well as being an all-state selection). He's a superb athlete, proficient in a number of skills on the floor. McChristian led the squad with 13.3 points per game and is looking to transition to a point guard role for the 49ers.

* 6-foot-3 Julian Welch sophomore

The Big West Freshman of the Year, Welch averaged 7.8 points per game as a UC Davis Aggie. Look for him to be a prominent double-figures scorer in 2010-2011.

* 6-foot-3 Spencer Butterfield freshman

Mr. Basketball of Del Oro High (Loomis), Butterfield had football scholarship offers as a physical wide receiver but his passion is hoops. He'll broaden his game while as a 49er and an LDS mission will probably take place after this season but he already has the body to compete for a starting spot.

* 6-foot-7, 240 Julian Scott sophomore

Out of Inderkum High (Sacramento), he previously played at Columbia College in Sonora. Scott will provide physical play inside -- something missing last season.

* 6-foot-9 Caleb Johnson grayshirt freshman

Long and multi-dimensional, Johnson played at El Camino High and spent last season at Yuba rehabbing from an injury.

* 6-foot-8 Kevin Crabb grayshirt freshman

A Roseville High grad, he also spent last season as a 49er in rehab mode.

* 6-foot-1 Tyler Fry grayshirt freshman

Twice voted the most valuable player of the Tri-County League while at Yuba City High, Frye topped the team in scoring, assists and steals his last two seasons. He also grayshirted in 2009-2010. Look for him to facilitate additional success for the 49ers.

This is some mighty ammunition.

The upcoming Foothill College Juco Summer Slam

 Foothill Coach Shanan Rosenberg

The Foothill College JUCO Summer Slam is fast approaching -- July 9 and 10 -- with some of the top teams in the Bay Area and northern California participating. Games begin at noon on July 9 (Friday) and at 11 a.m. on July 10 (Saturday). Admission is $5.

Coach Shanan Rosenberg has assembled a quality collection of teams, including his own. After graduating Matt Christman (Serra High) to Fresno Pacific, Marseilles Stewart (Sequoia High/ISA) to Kentucky Wesleyan and Bobby Macias (Thousand Oaks High) to Biola University, Rosenberg has reloaded.

Besides Shawn Grant (listed below), he has added Ben Neves (Westmont High), Suhail Mohammadi (Carlmont High), Jordan Ruedy (Serra High), Jimmy Renneke (Willow Glen High), Brendan Carroll (St. Lawrence Academy) and A.J. Hannely (Santa Teresa High, most valuable player of the Mt. Hamilton Division) to his roster.

Here are some of the scheduled teams:

* Alameda
* American River
* Cañada
* Chabot
* Contra Costa
* DeAnza
* Diablo Valley
* Foothill
* Irvine Valley
* Merritt
* Modesto
* Monterey Peninsula
* Sacramento City
* Santa Rosa
* Shasta
* Solano
* Yuba.

Here are some of the highlight players:

* Canada's 6-foot-1 Peter Pappageorge (Burlinghame High), 6-foot-3 Steven Sanders (Lynbrook High)

* Chabot is definitely one to watch because of these players:  

    * 7-foot Kyle Luckett (sophomore, headed to the NBA draft after next season)
    * 6-foot-11 Jason Silsdorf (redshirt sophomore, Encinal High)
    * 6-foot-9 Colin Chadwick (Justin Siena High, Brewster Academy and UC Riverside)
    * 6-foot-8 Jacob Noisat (sophomore, Elsie Allen High, Cal State East Bay)
    * 6-foot-6 Christopher Gray (freshman, Weston Ranch High)
    * 6-foot-6 Jourdan Demuynck (redshirt sophomore, Castro Valley High)
    * 6-foot-5 Ifeanyi Ezeofor (redshirt freshman, Newark Memorial High)
    * 6-foot-2 Damon Jones Jr (freshman, St. Elizabeth High)
    * 6-foot-0 Howie Manzo (sophomore, James Logan High)
    * 5-foot-9 Terrel Gates (freshman, James Logan High)
    * 5-foot-9 Randy Newell (sophomore, Washington Prep, Los Angeles)

* DVC's 6-foot-4 Tyerelle Phillips (Monte Vista High), 6-foot-1 Jordan Estrada (De La Salle High)

* Foothill's 6-foot-4 Shawn Grant (St. Francis High), 6-foot-1 Kyle Hypes (St. Francis High)

* Irvine Valley's 6-foot-6 Travis Fulton

* Merritt's 6-foot-3 Roman Robinson Rodriguez High), 6-foot-3 Saajid Polite (Grant High)

* Modesto's 6-foot-7 Julius Brazzel (Modesto High)

* Sacramento's 6-foot-1 C.J. Brown (Kennedy High)

* Santa Rosa's 6-foot-1 Tony Baldocchi (Cardinal Newman High)

* The Yuba squad is loaded and deserving of extra highlighting:

    * 6-foot-3 Mike McChristian (sophomore, Will C. Wood High, the most valuable player of the Bay Valley Conference and an all-state selection)
    * 6-foot-3 Julian Welch (sophomore, Franklin High/UC Davis, the Big West Freshman of the Year)
    * 6-foot-3 Spencer Butterfield (freshman, Del Oro High)
    * 6-foot-7, 240 Julian Scott (sophomore, Inderkum High/Columbia College)
    * 6-foot-9 Caleb Johnson (El Camino High, grayshirt freshman)
    * 6-foot-8 Kevin Crabb (Roseville High, grayshirt freshman)
    * 6-foot-1 Tyler Frye (Yuba City High grayshirt freshman)

A Josiah Turner feature

Bill Paterson offers a lengthy feature on Josiah Turner in today's Sacramento Bee. It begins:

Turner's summer is hardly a vacation
Bill Paterson
Sacramento Bee
June 23, 2010

Josiah Turner is one of the top prep basketball prospects in the country. The Sacramento High School senior has received more than a dozen high-profile scholarship offers, including ones from Kansas, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.

One recruiting service, www.rivals.com, ranks the 6-foot-3 Turner as the No. 22 player overall and the No. 5 point guard nationally among those scheduled to graduate in 2011.

Yet The Bee's 2009-10 Boys Player of the Year isn't satisfied...

Here's a million dollar quote:

"It's really stressful," said Ron [Nelson], whose son, DeMarcus, lived the recruiting experience before deciding on Duke last decade. "In some cases you are dealing with (recruiters) whose careers are based on lying to people. … You've got to be careful."

Go here for the remainder.

Arik Armstead to double up at USC

It shouldn't come as a surprise, either the choice of school or the desire to play football and basketball:

Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead verbally commits to play football, basketball at USC
Bill Paterson
Sacramenot Bee
June 19, 2010

Pleasant Grove's Arik Armstead, a 6-foot-7, 270-pound incoming junior, verbally committed today to play football and basketball for USC in 2012-2013.

Armstead is the younger brother of USC defensive end Armond Armstead...

Go here for the remainder.

Alex Enright to walk-on at Pacific

Lincoln High's Alex Enright made it:

Former Trojan will become a Tiger
Jagdip Dhillon
Stockton Record
June 8, 2010

STOCKTON - Maureen Enright recently cleaned out her son's room and found a sheet of paper.

It was a list of goals that Alex Enright, then a freshman at Lincoln High, had written down.

Among them, Alex wanted to be the most valuable boys basketball player in the San Joaquin Athletic Association. He wanted to be named to The Record's All-Area Team, which recognizes the top high school players in San Joaquin, Amador and Calaveras counties. And he hoped his talent and hard work would allow him the chance to play basketball at a Division I university.

Alex went three for three...

Go here for the remainder.

Humboldt State has 10 recruits

Humboldt State is bringing in 10 new recruits, a class made up of some very familiar northern California basketballing names:

Lumberjacks load up on talent for 2010-11 basketball season
The Times-Standard
6/18/2010

ARCATA -- In his new role as men's basketball head coach, Humboldt State's Steve Kinder moved aggressively and decisively in shaping his first Lumberjack squad.

Kinder, who has served as the Jacks' No. 1 assistant under Tom Wood for the past 19 years, officially takes the program's reigns on July 1. That's when Wood's very successful 29-year tenure ends and his well-earned retirement begins.

Looking to continue what he and Wood have shaped into one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the west, Kinder announced Tuesday the addition of 10 highly regarded recruits who will join the Jacks for the 2010-11 season...

Go here for the remainder.

Here a Brendan Lane update

Rocklin kids love UCLA's Lane, who is recovering from ankle surgery
Bill Paterson
Sacramento Bee
June 15, 2010

Brendan Lane was huge hit today among the 170 first through eighth graders attending a popular youth basketball camp in Rocklin.

The 6-foot-10 UCLA incoming sophomore was the guest speaker at the Extreme Hoops Summer Camp at the Hardwood Palace.

Lane is a basketball rock star in the Rocklin community...

Go here for the remainder.

This provoked an uneasy laugh

Eric Sondheimer/Los Angeles Times offered this brief post this morning

Former North Hollywood Coach Rob Bloom has become the co-coach at Westlake Village Westlake with Tom Donahue.Bloom coached at North Hollywood from 1996 until last season, when he joined the Warriors as the junior varsity coach. He's expected to help with the development of players, plan practices and help deal with parents.

Yowa, It doesn't come as anything new but still...

A great Robby Rowland diary

Robby Rowland kept a diary from just prior to the major league baseball draft until he and his brother were aligned with a team. Go here to the Nor Cal Preps site to read it.

Greg Clink explains the summer tasks and more for Chico State basketball

So what happens in college basketball come June, July and August? Is it a kick-back vacation-palooza for the various coaching staffs?

Hardly.

Here's Chico State University Coach Greg Clink on the summer itinerary for he and his staff:

One of the questions that I get a lot of the time is about our recruiting and how it all works, and what we do at different times of the year. Here is how we go about it in a nut shell. From mid-June to July 31 there are a multitude of high school summer leagues, team camps, exposure camps, and AAU tournaments throughout the country. The major areas that our coaching staff covers during this time are Sacramento, the Bay Area, the Los Angeles area  and Las Vegas. We are at the events trying to find the next crop of seniors (we are also identifying up-and-coming juniors and sophomores) to recruit for the following year.

For example, of the four incoming freshman that we signed this past fall and spring, Jordan Barton, Jordan Semple, Mike Rosaroso, and Nate Appel were all guys that we saw play last summer 2010.

We then take this massive list of names that we have identified as having the potential to play for us, and in August we sort out the mess. We get transcripts, talk to their coaches, talk to the players and their parents, etc. August is the time when we do our "background checks" and see who has the intangibles and who are the types of students that we want in our program. When we have that list shortened, we start arranging campus visits and try to get at least one (last fall two) guys to sign a National Letter of Intent in November.

Then, we spend the regular basketball season following and evaluating the rest of the guys on our list, and adding more names along the way, until it is signing time again in April.

Throughout the year we are in constant contact with our recruits by phone, through mail and email and watching them play. We try hard to build great relationships with them and educate them about all of the great things that our program and our university has to offer. It is also a time to learn about them and see if they have all of the qualities and characteristics that we are looking for in a student-athlete. This is vital to our success, because what we do here in our basketball program and the type of commitment was ask of our student-athletes, is not for everyone. It takes a special type of person to do what we do and that is why recruiting is the life blood of our program.

The summer is my favorite time of the "recruiting year." It is a time when our job is to sit in a gym for 12-16 hours a day watching basketball. It is a time when you watch hundreds of talented young men, who are dreaming of playing college basketball, play the game they love and that we love.

I hope that gives you a glimpse into what we have going on this summer.

Heading to Transfer U

Kwame Vaughn, D.J. Seeley and Omondi Amoke are Titans, according to a post from Seeley's father at the NorCalPreps basketball message board. Vaughn mysteriously departed from USF, Amoke faced a legal charge at Cal and his teammate Seeley wasn't getting on the court.

Fullerton is coached by Bob Burton, who was for many years at West Valley College in Saratoga.

We use the term Transfer U because the Titan roster has but one high schooler -- the rest are D-1 or junior college second-chancers.

From the Fullerton basketball site on last season: "...The bottom line was a 16-15 record -- a winning season, the fifth in six years and the fifth of Coach Bob Burton's 7-year tenure that has made him the winningest Div. I coach in school history with 123 victories. The Titans tied for third place in the Big West Conference at 8-8..."

Robby Rowland to Arizona

The Arizona Diamondbacks, with the 88th pick in the draft, have selected Robby Rowland of Cloverdale High.

Here's a brief note.

Here's more from the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

Congrats to Robby and his family.

Max Hooper heads east

Former Valley Christian basketballer Max Hooper is headed to Brewster Academy (BA) in New Hampshire for a prep year. The 2009-10 BA squad went 35-5, won the National Prep Championship, as well as the New England Championship. Players from this season's team are headed to Syracuse, Memphis State, Iowa State and Rutgers respectively. BA has averaged 29 victories over the past 4 years.

Max played at Mater Dei in Orange County this past season.

Robby Rowland to the Yankees?

Frankie Piliere, the National MLB Analyst for Fanhouse, has a post up in which he wrote the following:

"UPDATE (6/6 - 1:50 AM) - Yankee fans are desperate to hear what their team will do at the back of the round. Now, there is some real noteworthy information rolling in on New York's preferences. High on their short list is prep right-hander Robby Rowland, according to sources. Rowland is a tall, projectable hard thrower and would be a very interesting gamble at 32nd overall. It's difficult to tell if they are looking at him with their first pick or the 82nd overall pick, but he doesn't figure to be available that low."

Rowland is also a star basketballer at Cloverdale High as well as a member of the Bay Area Hoosiers club basketball team.

Here is an article on Robby's baseball signing with Oregon.

Here is a Santa Rosa Press Democrat feature on Robby.

This one is a recent article on Robby working out at AT&T Park, with his brother Richie -- himself quite the baseballer -- taking a turn in the batting cage.

The Lakeshow 15s also won a Rumble In The Bay Championship

 (photo courtesy of Dave Keefer, California Preps)

Lost in lieu of the writeups on who won the games/championships of the older players, it's important to note that the Lakeshows 15s won the Rumble In The Bay National Division championship.

Their roster:

* Justin Bangay (San Ramon Valley)
* Raymond Bowles (Modesto Christian)
* Patrick Conroy (Marin Catholic)
* Mikey Eggleton (College Park)
* Scott Fisher (San Ramon Valley)
* Shane Haley (California)
* Spencer Hollie (Dublin)
* Stevie Oliveira (Monte Vista)
* Steven Patrick (Foothill)
* Nico Zamora (Monte Vista)

Conroy won most valuable players honors of the National Division tournament.

Is Steve Nash a good athlete?

It appears the term athleticism needs re-defining or at least an expansion of what is the general definition. Here is Alan Stein (a major figure on conditioning affiliated with Nike) talking about the athleticism Nash displays, even if it is different from what the basketball highlight shows on the various networks offer every evening.

Steve Nash
by Alan Stein
June 2010

I am not sure if you saw it, but Steve Nash cried after his Phoenix Suns lost to the LA Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals this past Saturday.  After showing sincere sportsmanship in congratulating Kobe and crew, the cameras briefly caught him shedding a few tears in the locker room as he hugged coach Alvin Gentry.

Seeing him cry made me respect him even more.

Steve Nash has a genuine passion you rarely see in professional sports. In the past couple of weeks, he has had his eye split open and his nose broken…and not a tear in sight. And yet he cares so much about winning, about his teammates, about the organization he plays for, and about the game of basketball… he was brought to tears when the season was officially over. I love that. I admire any player with that type of passion.

A colleague of mine, Brian McCormick, has been saying for years that even though Nash isn’t a highlight reel dunker, he is absolutely one of the best athletes in the NBA. I adamantly agree. Most people judge athletic prowess solely on one’s ability to jump. But Nash demonstrates his elite athletic ability in a myriad of other ways – hand/eye coordination, body control, balance, and the power to decelerate on a dime. And let’s not forget his stamina. He is always one of the best conditioned players in the league. I watched him do a halftime interview this past season and he wasn’t even remotely out of breath. And he had just played the entire first half!

Go here for the remainder of this fascinating article.

Some good advice for this summer

Practice and play. Play and practice.What should you do when your body starts talking to you?

One Summer Tournament Too Many?
Inflammation of minor injuries, susceptibility to major injury and burnout are three possible outcomes of playing in too many summer tournaments.
Clay Kallam 
6/01/10 

There's one every weekend somewhere -- and someone always wants you to play.

But at what point is one more summer tournament one too many? Where do you draw the line?

There are many factors to consider for female student-athletes. All these factors start with the No. 1 rule in basketball: Protect yourself.

Basketball is a physically demanding sport -- it breaks you down. You get bruised and bumped, you roll an ankle, your Achilles tendon gets tender and your wrist starts to hurt. Those ailments have hindered nearly every young player...

Go here for the remainder. 

Congratulations to Justin Argenal

Here's a shout out to Justin Argenal:

Charleston, S.C.- Chuck Driesell completed his staff for the 2010-11 season on Tuesday when he named Justin Argenal as Director of Basketball Operations. Argenal joins the staff of Rob Burke, Damien Price and J.D. Powell who were named in May.

Argenal served as a graduate assistant at the University of Mississippi last season. In this role he focused on the academic success of student-athletes and implementation of individual workouts for off-season player development. He was an instrumental part of the Rebels 2009-10 NIT Final Four staff. Argenal has also served as a staff assistant for basketball camps held by Herb Sendek (Arizona State), Gary Williams (Maryland) and Kelvin Sampson (formerly of Indiana University).

"I am excited to have Justin join our staff after spending last year as a graduate assistant for University of Mississippi," said Driesell.  "Justin comes to us highly recommended and has worked hard to develop a strong reputation amongst his peers.  Justin is extremely motivated and I am very impressed with his passion to make our program one of the best in the country."

A native of Lafayette, Calif., Argenal was a four-year team captain at California State University, Chico, and is the school's all-time leader in steals and assists. He earned a bachelor of arts in psychology from CSU-Chico in 2009. Argenal completed his master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University (Irvine) in 2010.

A few brief Rumble In The Bay player evaluations

The Rumble In The Bay tourney was held this past Memorial Day weekend. We certainly didn't see all the D-1 prospects but here are our notes from the players we viewed:

Juan Anderson, Oakland Rebels, (Castro Valley High, CA, 2011)

It's not really a dilemma (but if you so consider it, then it a great one to face) -- does Anderson go to the PAC-10 and be a definite rotation guy/starter with the possibility of developing into a star or play at the next league level and be an all-conference star? Anderson is still on the slim side, very quick and gets off the floor in a blink. His handle can be tightened but it's solid in either direction. He works as a rebounder and displayed a strong defensive effort over the three-day weekend. His range is the three-point distance but his shooting consistency waxes and wanes. We don't see him leaving the west coast area (but let's include Arizona), possibly not even California. Utah State has offered.

Brendan Keane, Oakland Rebels (St. Joseph's, CA, 2011) 

You want a banger? Keane shows excellent form and footwork on moves offensively and also nailed a pair of 15-footers facing the basket in games we witnessed. He isn't a high-flyer but he gets the job done rebounding and defendingt. Watching Keane, we were reminded a bit of a couple of the foreign 'bigs' Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans have utilized the last few seasons. We could certainly see a lot of WAC teams vying for this young man.

Chris Read, 6-foot-4, Lakeshow, (Castro Valley, CA, 2011)

Read is a superb athlete who can run and jump with the best. His to-do list includes upgrading his ballhandling so he can create more opportunities and displaying a consistent 15-18 foot jumpshot. We also saw someone who could develop into an ultra defender if he desires to do so.

Mark Tollefsen, 6-foot-8, Lakeshow (San Ramon Valley, CA, 2011)

How badly does he want it? There are multiple assets to his game -- great range facing the basket, extra long arms for defending and also scoring inside but he must add better ballhandling/creating skills and greater rebounding prowess to his repertoire. Developing the necessary strength to play at the college level will aid in facilitating his progress. Tollefsen is on the edge of being an impact player.

Jacari Whitfield, 5-foot-8, Lakeshow, (St. Joseph's, CA, 2011)

We didn't see anybody able to keep Whitfield from penetrating over the weekend as he is a blur, equally proficient going to his left and right. His height is going to deter some and others will want to witness more playmaking ability for his teammates but he needed to score --that seemed his role -- this weekend.