A couple more state championship links

CalHiSports has some good writeups on yesterday's state championship games. Go here.

Here is the Price - St. Mary's game report from the Los Angeles Times.

Eli Holman and Detroit at Cal in November

Here's a heads up: according to Jeff Faraudo's article in the CC Times, Detroit is coming out west to face Cal on November 11. Former Richmond High star Eli Holman is on the Detroit basketball squad.

Another 'AAU hoops is ruining basketball' article

There is so much to write about vis-a-vis the following article.

First off, the headline's focus, while semi-accurate, is misplaced. The onus should be on those adults who attach themselves to kids and will stop at nothing in order to eventually financially benefit from entry into the mega riches world of NBA contracts.

What Michael Beasley fails to say (or wasn't asked) in the article is would he have stayed on a team and played for a coach who insisted that he play defense? You and I both know the answer.

His promise was evident very early on and it was all about currying his favor. One of his club team coaches has a job as an assistant coach at Kansas State, making over $400,000 a year. This is his second year there. Of course, he got the job due to getting Beasley to come to Manhattan. The assistant coach was previously at Charlotte and Beasley was headed there until the assistant coach made a better financial move to K-State.

Plus, shoe companies are a financial force behind the high level club basketball teams. Take them out of the equation somehow (yeah, as if that is going to happen) and much of the chicanery would end (until they found another way to fund the most promising players).

Then there are the street agents who will do anything asked of them as they are compensated by the NBA certified agents who are trying to lock up the next Michael Jordan.

But we salute those mentors in AAU and club team basketball who do it to make the kids, the basketball community and the world better. They certainly do exist, even if we don't read about them very often.

American kids flunk Basketball 101
Kevin Clark
The Wall Street Journal
June 30, 2009

One system that prepares young American players for the pros, the Amateur Athletic Union, is, by most accounts, broken. Without a rigid minor-league system like baseball's or the extra seasoning football players get in college, America's basketball gems increasingly get their training from teams affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union, a vast national youth-basketball circuit that has groomed many of the sport's top stars.

For some time, coaches have grumbled that the AAU's emphasis on building stars and playing games over practicing produces a lot of talented prospects who have great physical skills but limited knowledge of the fundamentals. Now some players are speaking out.

By the middle of the last NBA season, as concerns build about his dwindling playing time and rough transition to the NBA, last year's No. 2 overall pick, Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat, finally conceded a fundamental flaw: No one, at any level in his basketball career, had asked him to play defense. And especially not in AAU. "If you're playing defense in AAU, you don't need to be playing," he says. "I've honestly never seen anyone play defense in AAU."

Go here for the remainder.

An exodus from the Cal women's team

We can't offer any insight nor would it be appropriate to jump to any conclusions but losing three players at once is unusual. Morris will be a catch for any program.

Ex-Piedmont High star Morris among three to leave Cal's basketball program
Jennifer Starks
Inside Bay Area
6/13/2009

The Cal women's basketball team's offseason has evolved into a turbulent stretch, as three players have left the program. Kelsey Adrian, Casey Morris and Angelei Aguirre have all decided to play elsewhere, coach Joanne Boyle confirmed Saturday...

Go here for more.

Remember Zach Johnson?

Does anyone recall big Zach Johnson out of the Sacramento area (Natomas High)? He signed with Washington but knee injuries prevented him from ever really getting on the court.

In searching for something else (isn't that how it usually works?), we came across his name on the roster of the Chaminade basketball squad. He's listed at 6-8, 290 and played in 16 games last season, averaging seven minutes a contest.

Here's to Christmas

Here's a kid who has out-worked most and may just find a spot in the NBA.

What Does It Take to Make the NBA?
And does Dionte Christmas have it?
E. James Beale
City Paper
June 17, 2009

It is 4:17 on a Thursday afternoon and Dionte Christmas and I are standing underneath the northernmost basket on the main court of Temple's McGonigle Hall, talking hoops. He's just come from the final class of his senior year, and he's decked out in a blue and white button-down and dark navy slacks. The outfit covers up his newly-filled-in 6-foot-5 frame and, if it weren't for a pair of dark basketball sneakers poking out from under his business-casual clothes, you might forget the fact that, in one week, Christmas will officially be a professional athlete...

Go here for the remainder.

Effort is a skill

We've always admired Tyler Hansborough (minus the flopping, especially when there is no contact) and he is climbing the NBA draft board because he has a motor very few can match (and that is a factor totally up to each individual). There's a great quote in the last paragrpah we featur in the following article:

Psycho-T brings the pain
Sekou Smith
Atlanta Jounral Constitution
Hawks Blog

On 10-point scale, Tyler Hansbrough’s Sunday morning workout for the Hawks at Philips Arena ranks at the very top of anything conducted in the past five days.

It wasn’t any one thing in particular that had the Hawks’ coaches buzzing. It was everything. Hansbrough’s energy, effort and obviously better-than-advertised shooting and athleticism caught more than a few folks in attendance by surprise.

“He kicked the meter up. It was off the Richter Scale,” said Hawks assistant coach Larry Drew, who ran the team’s workouts all week. “That was one of those 8.0s, one of those quick, hard earthquakes. Because his energy is at another level. You just don’t see many players capable of playing with that type of energy and effort and can sustain it through a game, or even a workout. He plays at a totally different level than some of these young guys out here.”

I felt like I needed an ice bath after watching his 90-minute workout. But Hansbrough proved a theory that a wise Eastern Conference executive reiterated to me Sunday night, “effort is a skill in the NBA.” And Hansbrough has it in reserve...

Go here for the remainder (which has no further Hansborough material).

The Press Democrat picks its all-stars

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- Rich Rupprecht in particular -- names his area all stars in the following:

Petaluma's Greco co-Empire Player of the Year
Rich Rupprecht
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
June 15, 2009

While scoring averages and individual statistics are usually the center of attention in high school basketball circles, this year’s All-Empire players seemed more intent on making sure their teams were operating smoothly.

The feel-good postseason story of the small and overachieving Analy Tigers boys pointed out that role players and smart basketball count as much as double-digit scorers...

Go here for the remainder.

Phil Handy on the NBA Finals

You can't go wrong working with Phil Handy -- phil at sacvsbayshowdown.com -- if you are willing to work hard at improving your game. He counts soon-to-be #1 NBA draft pick Blake Griffin among his pupils but also works with any level of middle schoolers, high schoolers, college ballers -- you name it.

NBA Finals Phil Handy Prediction
Streetball
June 4, 2009

Phil Handy is the leading basketball instructor in Northern California and specializes in advanced skill development for ballers. Phil owns and operates 94 Feet of Game and was a former University of Hawaii standout who earned WAC All-Defensive Player of the Year and All New Comer honors. He went on to play professional basketball in the US and in Europe - teams and leagues include the Golden State Warriors (NBA), Portland Trailblazers (NBA), CBA (first team All-Rookie), Israel, Italy, France, England, Germany and Australia. Phil currently trains over 20 NBA players, many European and top level college basketball athletes as well as most of the top ranked high school basketball players in California.

Streetball caught up with the basketball guru and asked him this question. Who will win the 2009 NBA Championship, the Lakers or the Magic?

Go here for the video.

More updates on transfers

6-foot-8 Matt Cousins (pictured), of Santa Rosa Junior College, is transferring to Chaminade in Hawaii and will have three years of eligibility. Chaminade, victorious over Virginia and Ralph Sampson in 1982, is a member of the Pacific West Conference...

...Michael Weimer, a 6-foot-5, 230 pound frontcourter from Foothill College/Westmont High is moving on to Cal State-Maritime to become a Keelhauler. Cal State Maritime is an NAIA school in the California Pacific Conference which also features BYU-Hawaii, Dixie State, Hawai'i Hilo, Grand Canyon, Hawai'i Pacific and Notre Dame de Namur...

...Lawrence Donelson, a 6-9 center, is transferring to William Jessup after playing at Los Medanos College and Deer Valley High prior to that...

...Point Cervante Burrell is heading north from Yuba College to Seattle University. Teammate Milos Milosevic, a 6-foot-7 all muscle-no fat forward and a native of Montenegro, is transferring to Valparaiso. Both have three years of athletic eligibility remaining.

Remember Garry Hill-Thomas?

Here a feel good article on a young man who came out of the Oakland area basketball scene and is doing just fine:

Hill-Thomas is a basketball gladiator
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
June 12, 2009

When Garry Hill-Thomas was a member of the Nevada basketball team, he would spend his summers in the Bay Area playing for a team that featured pros.

Playing time was sparse in his first season and Hill-Thomas was thinking about not playing in the league the following year. He consulted then-assistant coach David Carter for some advice.

"I just told him that if you're not getting a lot of playing time you have to win the crowd over like the Gladiator," Carter said, referencing the Oscar-winning movie. "Once you win the crowd over with your energy and your passion, then the coach has to play you."

Hill-Thomas heeded the advice and shortly thereafter earned the nickname "Gladiator." And once his playing days at Nevada ended, the Gladiator tag stuck, becoming the namesake of his burgeoning athletic clothing brand and also his life mantra.

"I got that gladiator nickname and that's kind of how I live my life now," Hill-Thomas said...

Go here for the remainder.

This is a fascinating article

It's not directly related to northern California prep or club team basketball -- although it's definite some kids from here appear in a number of these reports -- but the following is yet another very good and worthwhile read:

NCAA scrutinizing scouting services
Club basketball programs sell information to colleges recruiting their players
Ken Tysiac
Charlotte Observer
May 30, 2009

West Coast club team power Pump N Run has been the summer training ground for many notable college basketball players, including North Carolina's Larry Drew II, who could start at point guard next season, and former Duke player Mike Dunleavy Jr.

That is not the team's only connection to college programs recruiting its best players. The club is a subsidiary of Double Pump Inc., which has sold a recruiting subscription service to many of those same college institutions for about 23 years.

North Carolina was among the programs that paid $600 for Double Pump's service in the 2007-08 fiscal year, and Double Pump co-founder Dana Pump said Duke also is among the service's many longtime subscribers.

The idea that Double Pump and other club teams are selling information to colleges that might be recruiting the clubs' talent has brought these scouting services under the NCAA's scrutiny. Although these payments do not violate NCAA rules, there is concern among college coaches and administrators that some club coaches could be treating a subscription payment as the price of admission to coaches who want to recruit their players.

The issue of payments to scouting services tied to club teams will be reviewed by the Division I men's basketball issues committee when it meets Monday in Indianapolis. Committee chairman Kevin Anderson said some college assistant coaches brought the recruiting service issue to his attention. The coaches said a new rule eliminating April evaluations for college coaches drove them to recruiting services to obtain information on prospects, Anderson said, and some college coaches are afraid that if they don't subscribe, club coaches will prevent them from getting access to players...

Go here for the remainder.

Great story even if it isn't northern California related

This book sounds like a great read. The other element we take from this article is we would never allow any relative of ours to play for Rick Majerus. The basketball world is a different crucible but there is no room for sadistic behavior anywhere, anytime.

Against all odds / 'Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA'
Becky Wright
Standard-Examiner
June 7, 2009

"Longshot: The Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormon Kid and His Journey to the NBA," released May 26 by HarperOne ($25.99), is Allred's autobiography.

Rebounding is not an athletic skill.

"Most of it's just the ball has to bounce your way, but then after that, it's up for grabs, and that's when it's all about heart and wanting to go get it," said Lance Allred, 28.

The ball hasn't always bounced Allred's way, but heart and the determination to go after his dreams have made him a premier rebounder -- on and off the basketball court.

More than a story about how he beat the odds and wound up one of the best rebounders in the NCAA as a center for Weber State University, and then played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, it's a personal account of Allred's struggle to rebound from challenges and make peace with himself...

Go here for the remainder, especially the Majerus mentions.

Does the name Isaac Fontaine ring a bell?

This name should ring a bell but it does go back a ways: Isaac Fontaine.

Joe Davidson in the Sacramento Bee has an update on the former Jesuit High star.

Ex-Jesuit star loving life after basketball
Joe Davidson
Sacramento Bee
June 6, 2009

Isaac Fontaine is the best combo guard working in a suit and tie for any accounting firm in the country. Has to be.

The man still looks like he could back someone down in the paint or run the break. But his basketball days are behind him now. The former Jesuit High School star and state Player of the Year now plies his trade downtown with numbers and meetings as a senior associate for the Reznick Group. Fontaine offered flashbacks and his trademark grin Friday while being presented with a proclamation from the city from Mayor Kevin Johnson for his years of sporting impact, including being inducted into the Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Hall of Honor in January...

Go here for the remainder.

Can Antonio Kellogg do it?

Antonio Kellogg's past is checkered but he certainly has time remaining to achieve his dream of being in the NBA. So will he or won't he? He certainly has the tools for a nice career overseas if it comes to that.

Ex-USF star knows pitfalls of turning pro too early
Jeff Faraudo
Inside Bay Area
6/05/2009

Former McClymonds High star Antonio Kellogg was among a dozen basketball players working out at Piedmont High's gym last Saturday morning.

In a one-on-one full-court drill, San Leandro High's Jared Cunningham, who will play point guard at Oregon State next season, made a slick crossover move that left Kellogg sprawled face down on the floor. Cunningham finished the play with a dunk.

The next time down, Cunningham tried it again. Kellogg cleanly picked the ball from him before casually returning to the back of the line.

That's pretty much where Kellogg finds himself at age 23 as he pursues his dream of playing in the NBA. The 6-foot-3 guard left USF two years ago, after his sophomore season, and he's no closer to the NBA now than he was then...

Go here for the remainder.

Here's some history.

Jason Conrad resurfaces

Jason Conrad came out of Gilroy High a couple of years back as a long -- 6-foot-10 or so -- and lean center prospect. He signed with Portland State and the future looked quite rosy.

His senior years was marred by a serious injury but all still looked like a go up in The Shining City.

We believe Conrad spent his freshman year in Portland but didn't play. He eventually left Oregon and returned home.

Now, Conrad is headed to Chico State in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Congrats to him as the Wildcats are collecting a big batch of local and regional players and look to on the way to becoming a major player in the D-2 ranks.

November's Nor Cal Tip Off Classic

Gerry Freitas has set the date, place and teams/matchups for the 2009 Nor Cal Tip Off Classic:

3rd Annual Nor Cal Tip Off Classic
November 28, 2009
Newark Memorial High School

Game 1: 11:00 am - Tennyson (Hayward) vs. Analy (Sebastopol)

Game 2: 12:30 pm - Modesto Christian vs. Castlemont (Oakland)

Game 3: 2:15 pm - Buchanan (Fresno) vs. St. Patrick’s (Vallejo)

Game 4: 3:45 pm - Oakland vs. Miramonte (Orinda)

Game 5: 5:30 pm - St. Joseph’s (Alameda) vs. University (San Francisco)

Game 6: 7:00 pm - Newark Memorial (Newark) vs. Castro Valley

Game 7: 8:30 pm - St. Mary’s (Berkeley) vs. Sacramento

A few impressions from Rumble In The Bay

We thought this might run elsewhere but it doesn't look like it now so here goes:

Through blurried eyes, with haunches in quite the unforgiving mood after being pressed into wooden bleachers for too many days and hours, here are a series of impressions taken away from the Eighth Annual Rumble in the Bay tournament.

*** First things first, we offer a hearty thank you to tournament maestro Gerry Freitas for yet another well-run event

*** For whoever made the decision to turn the last few games into full court matches, we will do our best to get you awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant for such superb decision-making. Such an adjustment was right up there with that one small step for mankind thing.

*** We've become paid up members of the Kory (West High, Bakersfield) Thieleke fan club as the 6-foot-4 2010 backcourter made plays all weekend for his Team Superstar squad

*** We offer a salute to Robert Sandoval of the Bay Area Hoosiers who displays the amazing trait of 'seeing' what is going to happen next before it takes place on the court and positioning himself accordingly

*** Nick Johnson of the Drew Gooden Soldiers is certainly the real deal as a scoring point -- maybe he will grow taller but it looks like he ultimately will have to be a point in the pros and, yes, he will be in the NBA

*** John (De La Salle) MacArthur, also of the Soldiers, was impressive in showing the ability going to his left to score as well as facing the hoop and connecting from long range -- but is he really 6-8?

*** 6-foot-7 Josh Ritchart of Team Superstar gets off the floor seemingly quicker than anyone but needs to supplement his diet with Met-Rx bars or the equivalent in order to add the weight and strength he'll need for college play

*** Dom (St. Mary's) Lee of the Hoosiers has no athletic match in the northern California prep ranks, case closed

*** Charles Standifer of Play Hard, Play Smart apparently is headed for a year of prep school back east but his play this weekend begs the question: what more does someone have to do to catch at least a mid-major ride?

*** Soldier Desmond Simmons is going to delight Lorenzo Romar with his versatility after one more season of making Salesian Coach Bill Mellis a very happy man

*** We predict Hoosier Kiwi (Manteca High) Gardner, still with two years of high school left, will really surprise at the next level -- he's a stone cold finisher whose confidence, rightly so, knows no bounds

*** Salesian's Quincy Smith is a 2011 grad-to-be but already displayed plenty of next level potential in the last three days as a Team Superstar member

*** We had a Sean Rooks sighting on Saturday as the Southeast L.A. squad was taking the floor. Actually, we viewed the area somewhere just below the shoulders of the 6-foot-10 12-year National Basketball Association veteran who is apparently assisting with the Whittier-based team

*** 6-foot-7 sophomore-to-be Grant (Central Valley Christian) Verhoeven of Organized Chaos 1 has obviously inherited some hoops and height genes from father Pete, who played at Fresno State followed by six seasons in the NBA

*** With tongue firmly in cheek, a better showing was expected from the Palo Alto Midnight 17U squad what with the lineup loaded with 'ringers' Stacey Augmon and Steve Kerr ... plus, we didn't witness him in action but our understanding is Lakeshow sophomore Conner Kevorkian's jumpshot is killer ... bada bing, bada boom.

For those of you we missed viewing but are deserving of a mention, please do us this favor: continue with your schooling and engineer some advancements in cloning technology -- at least for use on a temporary basis -- because we found ourselves able to be in but one place at one time this weekend. Either that or please develop human split screen vision when multiple courts in one gymnasium are in use.

Congrats to Brandon Smith

Smith is a leader nonpariel

We offer a hearty congratulations to Brandon Smith of De La Salle High and the Bay Area Hoosiers because of the news that a Cal basketball scholarship has opened up and Coach Mike Montgomery was able to hand it to Brandon for the 2009-2010 season.

Jerome Randle enjoyed his best season by far as a Bear in 2008-2009 and major factors for his improvement were his not having to try and create something every time down the floor, plus a lesser quarterbacking load. With Brandon Smith, Randle will have to be concerned even less about getting the ball up the court and running the offense. The same for soph-to-be Jorge Gutierrez. Additionally, the PAC-10 is loaded with smallish backcourters so Smith's defensive prowess will also come in handy.

He is a fine young man who comes from a great family and has worked so hard to achieve his dream.

The champs of the Rumble In The Bay

Here's the coach and team members of the Bay Area Hoosier Red squad that won the Rumble in the Bay tournament championship.

(from left to right, back row)

Rob Jones, with his Hoosier-to-be offspring
Will Davis, Sacramento High
Travis Souza, Turlock High
Steve McClellan, Edison High
Jamie Moore, Jesuit High
John Green, Castlemont High

(front row)

The Lees, Demetrius and Dominique, of St. Mary's High, surrounding Kiwi Gardner of Manteca High. Gardner was named the most valuable player of the tourney.