'D' up!

Here's a different path to earning a college basketball scholarship -- who is willing to make the effort?

Constant Denial
Every contender this season can deploy a lockdown defender—the quick, smart, tough player who makes life miserable for the hotshot scorers
Phil Taylor
Sports Illustrated
November 23, 2009

Let this be a warning to the scorers, the players with the sweet three-point strokes or the quick-as-a-blink crossovers or the low-post package of jump hooks and turnarounds: You are not just shooters, you are also targets. It's going to be harder than ever to get your usual points this season, thanks to a cadre of elite defenders deployed across the land in a sort of full-country press. Though they come in all shapes and sizes, with varied temperaments and techniques, these stoppers have a common goal—to make life miserable for guys like you.

Some will hound you on the dribble, like pesky Washington guard Venoy (rhymes with annoy) Overton, or subtly bump you off your path when you cut to get open, a preferred tactic of Chris Kramer, Purdue's muscular guard. Others will extend their long arms into the passing lanes to deny you the ball, like North Carolina wingman Marcus Ginyard, or contest your jumper with hands so close to your face that you'll think they're trying to steal your corneas, à la freshman guard Avery Bradley, Texas's defensive prodigy.

If you would-be scorers make it through those levels of resistance and arrive at the rim, you might have to contend with shot-blocking centers like Kansas's 6'11" Cole Aldrich; Virginia Commonwealth's Larry Sanders, who has a 7'7" wingspan though he's "only" 6'11"; or Mississippi State's 6'9" Jarvis Varnado. They will present you with a choice—have your shot swatted or loft it mezzanine-high to avoid them. Aldrich's ability to turn the area around the Jayhawks' basket into a no-fly zone is one of the main reasons Kansas is favored to win its second national championship in three years. "There are a lot of players out there who could be considered lockdown defenders in one way or another," says Washington coach Lorenzo Romar. "You tend to find a lot of them on the really good teams. That's no coincidence."

The prolific scorers of recent vintage, like Davidson's Stephen Curry, Texas's Kevin Durant, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison and Duke's J.J. Redick, seem to be in short supply this season, at least partly because there is such a multitude of quick, tough, smart individual defenders who—as J.T. Tiller, Missouri's pesky senior guard puts it—can't wait to "bust the pipes" of an offense and turn it into a frantic, unfocused mess. The emphasis on D undoubtedly warms the hearts of coaches, who have preached its importance since the first basket was scored. It has always been a hard sell because most of the glory has gone to the guys who put up the points. But players seem increasingly willing to buy into the concept lately, maybe because in recent years they've seen the rewards that a commitment to defense can bring...

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Here's another Kevin Laue article

East Bay native plays with one hand, big heart
Jeff Faraudo
Bay Area News Group
12/28/2009

RIVERDALE, N.Y.

For Skip Connors, whose son, Jackson, was born in the spring without a right hand, the biggest fear was the unknown.

Kevin Laue chased away that fear.

Connors read in The New York Times about how Laue, a 6-foot-10 graduate of Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, signed a national letter of intent in April with Manhattan College, making him the first one-handed Division I scholarship player in NCAA men's basketball history.

Connors, who lives in New York City, is friends with Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen. Last summer, the coach arranged for Connors to meet Laue on campus in the tiny Bronx community of Riverdale.

"I don't know why," Connors said, "but one of the first things I asked him was, 'How do you tie your shoes?' "

Laue bent down and tied a knot with his right hand. "I looked up and he was real teary-eyed," Laue recalled. "He was like, 'My son can do anything.' "

"I still get choked up," Connors said. "It gave some clarity to a few things."

For years, Laue's quest to play college basketball was a personal battle.

Not anymore...

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Nor Cal earning some respect

The high school teams from this area who ventured south for the MaxPreps Holiday Classic are representing themselves and their home base quite well. Newark Memorial (Coach Craig Ashmore) whomped Fairfax 50-34 while Bishop O'Dowd (Coach Doug Vierra) got by Leuzinger 63-62.

We don't have the stats but Khion Sankey, Casey Norris and Kendall Andrews for the Cougars and Jordan Barton, Nick Capiti, Brandon Ashley and Richard Longrus for the Dragons must have contributed mightily.

Winning versus skill development

The following is something seemingly more for coaches of younger sports participants:

Player Development: Balancing Playing to Win and Skill Development
http://prosportpsychsym.wordpress.com/
December 13, 2009

The following article has been in need of a new online “home” for a few months now. It used to be kept at the Minnesota Hockey website, but since its redesign seems to be lost in cyberspace. Originally published in The Journal of Education in 2007 (pp 31-40) it has been used as a resource for coach, parent, and sports association education. It examines many popular topics such as, “What are the costs and benefits of sports specialization?” “When does winning ‘matter’?” and “What is necessary to develop a competitive mindset?” In many regards this is timeless information – sport science will continually evolve creating stronger, faster, and smarter athletes, but the developmental foundations will likely remain quite standard for many years to come. Enjoy.

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A fascinating post on a recent event

How can a player achieve that balance between aggressiveness versus crossing the line. Here's an article on just that subject. You may agree or disagree with a certain part of the author's opinion but the perspective on what to use in training for this is spot on:

Keeping Cool in the Heat of Battle
http://prosportpsychsym.wordpress.com/
December 23, 2009

You remember Elizabeth Lambert, don’t you? No?

Junior defender -New Mexico University Women’s Soccer team? Still nothing?

The female soccer play last seen on YouTube pulling that other player down by her pony-tail?

Oh – that – Elizabeth Lambert...

Go here for the remainder...

An interview with Wendell McKines

Wendell McKines is back on the court for New Mexico State and featured in this interview:

Willing and able: McKines happy to be back on court for NMSU
Jason Groves
Las Cruces Sun-News
12/22/2009

Perhaps more impressive than the 16 double-double games Wendell McKines posted on the basketball court last season, was his effort in the classroom during the 2009 fall semester.

In order to return to the basketball court, the New Mexico State junior power forward had to take 18 credit hours in the fall to even have a chance of suiting up for the Aggies this season. On Monday, the university eligibility committee met and cleared McKines for the rest of the season.

"My compliments go to Wendell for working so hard," said Aggies coach Marvin Menzies after McKines' debut in a 97-72 win over Alcorn State on Monday. "For him to take the load that he took and come out with the grades he did, that was a testament to his effort this semester."

According to NCAA eligibility requirements, athletes entering their third year need to pass six hours in the spring of 2009, they must pass 18 total hours in the 2009 academic year and they need to have completed 40 percent of credits toward their degree, which is roughly 52 credits after his sophomore season. McKines also needed an overall grade point average of 1.9. Each rule is independent of the others. After grades were reviewed last summer, McKines was ruled ineligible for the fall after falling short on one or more of those requirements...

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Remember Tre Demps?

Caught this off the Texas Basketball Inc. site:

"...2011 G Tre Demps of San Antonio Reagan had 31 points and 5 assists tonight in an impressive performance for the Rattlers in their loss to Lee. Demps has improved his strength, balance, ability to get to the rim and has become a much more consistent three point threat..."

Wasn't Tre at Benecia High at one point?

Here is a feature we just located on Tre and more than likely the reason the family relocated to San Antonio.

Here's a kid nobody has heard of but will

Here is a peninsula player who looks like he gaining a rep:

Brazilian Rodrigo Puliceno is Burlingame High's go-to guy on basketball court
Glenn Reeves
San Mateo County Times
12/21/2009

Rodrigo Puliceno has come a long way since arriving at Burlingame High nearly two years ago.

A native of Brazil, Puliceno moved to this country with his family and enrolled at Burlingame in January 2008.

Coach Jeff Dowd immediately recognized the athleticism and strength the 6-foot-3, 223-pound Puliceno possessed. But he was a bit raw in terms of basketball skills...

Go here for the remainder.

(photo courtesy of Mike Lucia/Contra Costa Times)

Wendell McKines is back

Former Richmond High star Wendell McKines is back on the court for New Mexico State. Last night, he scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and notched six assists in 26 minutes against Alcorn State.

Jordan Richardson goes 'en fuego'

Where's Dan Patrick when we need him? West High's Jordan Richardson just notched 46 points:

West third, Tracy fifth in Winter Classic
Bob Brownne
Tracy Press
December 20, 2009

West and Tracy basketball teams finished the Tracy Winter Holiday Classic Varsity Boys Tournament with wins on Saturday at Tracy High. Tracy beat Franklin 58-53 to take the fifth-place trophy, with a 3-1 record with wins in all but the second round game against Turlock.

West beat Vallejo 77-66 for third place, which makes the Wolf Pack 3-1 for the tournament with wins in all but the semifinal game...

...Named to the all-tournament team was West’s Jordan Richardson, who set a new school record with 46 points, the most scored in a single game by a West player, against Vallejo on Saturday.

Re-visiting Vallejo's Joe Slocum

Joe Slocum at Vallejo High is definitely enjoying his senior season. Now close to 6-foot-4, he is averaging 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists a game to date.

Here's a cut-n-paste from the 12-09-2009 ediion of the Vallejo Times herald:

"...Joseph Slocum 30 points, including the go-ahead bucket in overtime, and added 12 rebounds as the Apaches grabbed the championship of the Wild West Shootout in Reno..."

Here's cut-n-paste from the December 9, 2009 Tracy Press:

Turlock 75, Vallejo 70 In Friday’s other semifinal match, the Turlock Bulldogs and Vallejo Apaches were tied 35-35 at the half. But Vallejo pulled ahead momentarily, 52-48. Turlock came back in a physical fourth quarter, outscoring Vallejo by nine points to take the win...Leading scorers were Joseph Slocum for Vallejo with 32 points..."

Here's a cut-n-paste from the 12/21/2009 edition of the Vallejo Times-Herald:

"...Joseph Slocum hit a key put-back in a 61-55 win over Galt on Tuesday and followed that up with a strong showing in the Husky Shootout at Sheldon as the Apaches took second place..."

DG liked his Vegas visit (of course)

The Las Vegas Sun reports on Drew Gordon's Vegas visit -- (a rhetorical question): why do reporters waste time asking if someone is enjoying or liked his trip?

Gordon pleasantly surprised during visit to UNLV
Former UCLA forward enjoys campus, atmosphere in search for new hoops home
Ryan Greene
Las Vegas Sun
December 20, 2009

During his quick stop at UNLV in what has been a whirlwind recruiting tour, Drew Gordon expected to see lots of rocks and cacti when he set foot on campus Saturday.

"The campus was a lot better than I expected," Gordon said, citing the greenery and secluded feel just down the road from the noise of the Strip.

As for his trip to the Thomas & Mack Center to watch UNLV down South Carolina Upstate, 88-58?

"It's definitely a legit facility," he said. "Probably one of the best college gyms I've seen in a long time..."

Go here for the remainder.

Drew Gordon to visit UNLV

It's beginning to look a lot like a Mountain West Conference Christmas but we'll see. Former UCLA-er Drew Gordon has been to Albuquerque (New Mexico), South Bend (Notre Dame) and is now hitting Sin City (UNLV). There hasn't been a visit to San Diego State, yet.

Steve Guiremand of the Las Vegas Review Journal provides the latest on Drew Gordon's college visitation odyssey.

Draft Express on Jeremy Lin

Ex-Palo Alto High star Jeremy Lin, now at Harvard, has been receiving some major love of late, especially from ESPN. Our favorite NBA draft site, Draft Express, just took a look at Lin regarding his projection to the next level.

Jonathan Givony
Draft Express
December 18, 2009

It’s not often that a player from the Ivy League conference is able to break through and establish himself as a legitimate NBA draft prospect, but that’s exactly what Jeremy Lin has done this season. Strong performances against UConn (in a narrow loss) and Boston College (a road win) have propelled him directly into the national spotlight, culminating in a feature story on ESPN.com last week.

Lin’s physical tools are less than ideal when compared with most NBA guard prospects, as he’s a 6-3 combo guard with a narrow, but strong frame that he’s absolutely made the most of, and a wingspan that appears to be below average. He has good, but not great athleticism, showing very nice quickness in the open floor and some solid leaping ability, but clearly isn’t the most explosive player around.

Offensively, Lin is an exceptionally efficient player, shooting 60% from inside the arc and 37% from outside it, while getting to the free throw line at a terrific rate—almost 10 times per-40 minutes pace adjusted. He is not what you would call a stellar ball-handler, but is excellent on the pick and roll and is very aggressive looking to get to the basket...

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Club team versus high school team

Here's a fascinating article about how club team ball can interfere with the atmosphere and psychology of a high school team:

Renaissance Academy on comeback trail

Gerry Gittelson, Insidesocal.com - December 16, 2009

When Renaissance Academy High of La Canada advanced all the way to the CIF State Div. V basketball final in Sacramento two years ago, coach Sid Cooke thought he was really onto something - and rightfully so.

At the time, Renaissance Academy featured three of the nation's top young big men, 6-foot-10 junior Anthony Stover, 6-8 sophomore DeAndre Daniels and 6-7 junior Hector Harold, along with 6-4 junior Tremaine Tatum.

All of the players left. Stover transferred to Windward of L.A., Daniels transferred to Taft of Woodland Hills, Harold transferred to a prep school in Massachusetts, and Tatum transferred to South Pasadena; Without them, Renaissance went 10-10 last season and did not make the playoffs - a huge letdown for a program that had advanced to three section finals and a state final over the previous five seasons...

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