Kiwi Gardner and John Green updates

From T.J. Parry, an assistant coach at Westwind Prep:

"WPI Blue 112 Pima Community College 100. Kiwi Gardner 40 pts 11 assists, 4 boards..."

and

"John Green 18 pts and 8 boards..."

Updates on Max Fodor and Nefi Perdomo

While looking for something else, we stumbled across updates on two former Bay Area basketballers;

* 6-foot-8 Max Fodor, out of Bellarmine, is a freshman at San Francisco State University.

* 6-foot-1 Nefi Perdomo, out of Skyline, is a sophomore at San Francisco State University. He "started in 24 of the 27 games he played in his freshman season...averaged 10.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game..."

An update on former Sac High big Will Davis' recruiting

From the New Hampton Hoops Twitter site: "New Hampton PF Will Davis is taking an official visit to PENN this weekend."

More on Kiwi Gardner

Just saw this evaluation on Kiwi Gardner: "Freakishly quick, Gardner plays with urgency every play. Tremendous ball skills whether in traffic or open court. Can defend bigger, stronger and athletic. Best defender I’ve seen in years. His presence on the court makes everyone better. Explosive 1st step. Can score in traffic. Has solid range from beyond the arc. Plays with reckless abandon which is a plus now but will need to tone it down at the MM-HM level. Have had 2 Pac 10 coaches tell me could be in same category as Jerome Randle."

The opportunity for a life-shaping college education and the chance to play on a big stage will be there if Kiwi takes care of the academics. He has 'it' -- may he employ that to the utmost in all aspects of his life.

Chabot College men's basketball

Coach Denny Aye is ready for another season at Chabot College and stocked with a number of 'move-on' prospects.

Here's the Gladiator roster by position and alphabetical):

*   Paul Bailey F/G Fr 6' 1'' 180 Hayward, CA

*  Joshua De La Torre G Fr 6'2" 180 Washington Prep/Los Angeles, CA

* Jourdan DeMuynck G So 6' 6'' 205 Castro Valley/San Leandro, CA

* Terrell Gates G Fr 5'10" 155 James Logan/Hayward, CA

* Damon Jones Jr. G Fr 6' 2" 180 St. Elizabeth/San Leandro, CA

* Howie Manzo G So 6'0" 175 James Logan/Hayward, CA

* Randy Newell Jr. PG So 5'9" 165 Washington Prep/Los Angeles, CA

* Kurtis Ong PG Fr 5'11" 170 St. Ignatius/Fremont, CA


* Chammar Grissom F Fr 6' 4" 215 Fremont (Oakland)/Oakland, CA
      
* Tobias Royal F Fr 6' 4" 225 Fremont (Oakland)/Oakland, CA


* Colin Chadwick F/C So. 6' 9'' 230 Justin Siena/St. Helena, CA

* Jacob Noisat F/C So. 6' 8'' 225 Elsie Allen/Santa Rosa, CA

* Jason Silsdorf F/C So. 6'11" 220 Encinal, Oakland, CA
      

* Kyle Luckett C So. 7'0" 235 Horlick/Racine, WI

Coach Randy Rahe can't say enough about Damian Lillard

Former Oakland High backcourter Damian Lillard is more than prospering at Weber State. Coming off Big Sky Conference most valuable player honors, his coach Randy Rahe recently said this:

“As for … Damian, I’ve been in Division I basketball a little more than 20 years and I’ve not been around a kid that works at it as hard as he does. As a player, he’s hard to guard, has great range and still have sneaky explosiveness. For his size, he’s got big hands and long arms.”

A few highlight videos

Go here to check out a few videos featuring Bay Area kids -- Kiwi Gardner and John Green, plus one on Greg Smith who played with the Soldiers..

Cabrillo College in 2010-2011

From the Cabrillo athletics site:

The 2010-2011 Cabrillo College Seahawks return four sophomores from last seasons 14-12 team that finished in 2nd place in the Coast Conference South division with an 8-4 record.

* Markus Duran, a second team All-Coast Conference selection as a Freshman, (6'1", 180) will look to lead the Seahawks as the only returning starter from last year. Duran led the state in three point field goals made in 09-10 and will no doubt be one of the better three point shooters again this season.

* Daniel Johnston, (6'3", 200), will look to play a much bigger role this year with his steady improvement since last year.

* Bertram Hall, (6'6", 215), started several games last year and will also be counted on if the Seahawks are to win the Conference.

Cody Boaz, (6'2", 185), has also improved considerably from last year and is now entering his third year in the program after recovering from ACL tear two years ago. He to will be competing for playing time.

Coach Tony Marcopulos, entering his 11th year as Head Coach, welcomes nine newcomers to the program.

* Justyn Searle, (6'9", 215) Kerns High School in Salt Lake City, UT.

* Travis Van Diest, (6'8", 210) Rocky Mountain High School in Boise, ID.

* Erik Witzig, (6'3", 215) Scotts Valley High School in Scotts Valley, CA

Searle, Van Diest and Witzig will be competing for playing time along with Hall at the post position.

The competition at the forward position will see, along with Johnston and Boaz:

* Darrell Espy, (6'4", 190) Dominguez High School in Compton, CA and a recent transfer from Norfolk State University in Virginia.

* Trevor English, (6'5", 190) Reno High School in Reno, NV

* Aaron Short, (6'4", 200) North Valley High School in Reno, NV.

All three have had very impressive High School careers and will all be excellent additions. The competition at that position will be quite a battle.

In the backcourt, along with Duran, Cabrillo has added:

* Reed Kamler, (6'2", 185) San Rafael High School in San Rafael, CA and a transfer from the University of the Pacific.

*Tyler Velasquez, (5'10", 170) Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, CO.

* Stevie McCloyn, (5'11", 180) Taylorsville High School in Salt Lake City, UT.

The competition in the backcourt will be interesting as well.

The DeAnza College men's basketball roster

DeAnza Coach Jason Damjanovic is entering his sixth season heading the Dons program and has quite the mix of players on his roster in 2010-2011, including some imports.

Breaking them down by position, guards first, and then alphabetically:

* Jeremy Allen SO 5-foot-9 Guard Fremont High, Sunnyvale, CA

* Chris Benavente FR 5-foot-10 Guard Palma High, Salinas, CA

* Cory Catchings FR 6-foot-4 Guard Callaway High, Jackson, MS

* Major Corpuz FR 5-foot-8 Guard Leadership High, San Francisco, CA

* Anthony Day FR 6-ffot-4 Guard Desert High, Los Angeles, CA

* Noel Dixson FR 6-foot-1 Guard Mt. Zion Academy, Bronx, NY

* Drew Thompson SO 5-foot-10 Guard Millard High, West Omaha, NE

* Greg Valenzuela SO 6-foot-3 Guard Santa Teresa High,  San Jose, CA

* Nolan Williams FR 6-foot-4 Guard Von Steuben High, Chicago, IL

* Joshua Williams FR 5-foot-10 Guard Crane Tech, Chicago, IL

* Denzel Darangue SO 6-foot-7 Forward John Ehret Marrero, LA

* Stefan Demirovic FR 6-foot-4 Forward Union Pines High, Bar, Montenegro

* Josh Grant SO 6-foot-5 Forward Oak Grove High, San Jose, CA

* Eric Heslin FR 6-foot-7 Forward Cupertino High, San Jose, CA

* George Kipiani FR 6-foot-7 Forward St. Thomas More High, Tbilisi, Rep. Georgia

* Dusan Komljenovic FR 6-foot-7 Forward Economics High, Banja Luka, Bosnia

An Eli Holman update

It took a while but Eli Holman finally wound up at Detroit, got back on the court and enjoyed a successful initial season with the Titans.

Here is Perry Farrell/Detroit Free Press in a recent article: "...Junior Eli Holman is ready to become the top big man in the conference. He averaged 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds last season and could average double figures in rebounding and scoring..."

Here is Eli talking about Detroit hoops in a Michael Martinez/FOX article: "...It’s very big (for the team),” forward Eli Holman said. “You have an All-American point guard coming in, joining a returning big man who led the conference in three categories, plus Chase Simon, who led the team in scoring. I look at it as a Big Three, although everybody has a role to play.”

The big man Holman refers to is himself. In his first full season in Detroit, he led the Horizon League in rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage..."

Here's a video interview with Eli.

The background on Max Hooper to Harvard

From the New England Recruiting Report, comes this feature on ex-Valley Christian shooter deluxe Max Hooper going with Harvard:

Harvard Lands a Hooper
New England Recruiting Report
October 27, 2010

Brewster Academy post-graduate Max Hooper was excited about Harvard even before he arrived on their Cambridge campus this weekend for his official visit.

“Going into the visit I really liked the coaching staff a lot and just liked the vision they had for the program and for me as a player,” Hooper said. “Academically, Harvard is Harvard.  You can’t dispute that fact.”

Hooper’s affinity for the Crimson was only reinforced this weekend, leading him to make a verbal commitment less than 48 hours later...

Go here for the remainder.

An update on former Bay Area Hoosier Robert Sandoval

Robert Sandoval was a pleasure to watch in his final club team season with the Bay Area Hoosiers. Now he's a freshman at Azuza Pacific and here is his profile:

HIS YEAR: One of the top incoming freshmen in the GSAC, guard Robert Sandoval will have an immediate impact on the Cougars ... Smart and tough player ... Can shoot from the perimeter but is outstanding at getting into the lane and making plays, whether it be finding the open man or finishing a shot ... Skill-wise and emotionally is very well-developed and ready to play as a freshman ... Rated a natural leader ... Could press for a starting position but will certainly see plenty of action.

HIGH SCHOOL: Played 2 seasons of varsity basketball for Head Coach Tim Amundsen at state power Clovis (Calif.) East High ... As a 2010 senior led the Timberwolves to a 25-8 record and the CIF Central Section Division I championship ... Was named the Fresno Bee Player of the Year after averaging 17 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.8 steals ... As a 2009 junior was named All-Fresno Bee after averaging 14 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists ... Tallied 31 points, 10 assists and 8 steals in a victory over Cleveland High ... Was a 2-time All-Tri-Rivers Athletic Conference honoring, earning conference MVP honors as a senior and sharing it as a junior.

Max Hooper goes Ivy League

Don't what what the aid situation will be but the education can't be beat and Tommy Amaker is certainly landing talent -- Max Hooper, at Brewster (NH) Academy this year, has given a verbal to Harvard.

Talking with Shanan Rosenberg, Foothill College basketball coach

The community college option. It's an element of collegiate basketball and its constant companion recruiting that gets short-shrifted. For many, these ranks allow the continuance of a basketball-playing career, the opportunity of earning a D-1, D-2 or NAIA scholarship and, if such isn't in the cards, the possibility of receiving a vocational –oriented education valid in today's job market. Recently, we talked with Foothill Coach Shanan Rosenberg about some of these subjects as well as the what and how of his accomplishments with the men's basketball program.

First, a little background.

All was definitely not a bouquet of roses when Rosenberg assumed the head coach position at Foothill. In fact, the basketball program was at it's nadir, sorely in need of a fresh start after receiving the death penalty for a year.

Prior to arriving at Los Altos Hills, Rosenberg was part of the ultra successful coaching staff of Mike Legarza's at nearby Cañada College. He also worked under Prescott Smith (Chico St.) and former USF Coach Bob Gaillard at Lewis & Clark in Portland, a program that won their conference and participated in the national tournament all three years Rosenberg worked there.

The results to date of Rosenberg's tenure: nine years later, Foothill hoops has played its way into in seven state championship tournaments -- this despite not exactly residing in a zip code that churns out hoops prospects. Last season, the Owls finished 23-8 overall, culminating in an appearance in the Elite Eight in the state championship series.

Capping that rise, Rosenberg remembers an old-timer at the state tournament this past season telling him "this is the furthest I've ever seen a Foothill team go."

So why did he decide to take on such a difficult task even if such was a homecoming of sorts?

"I saw Foothill College as a fantastic place to work. I love it here," Rosenberg said."

And it doesn't appear he's desirous of a loftier location.

"There's a big misconception about professional mobility (the idea of always wanting to move up)," he said. "Most Community College coaches are hired as faculty and often have rich backgrounds and credentials in education. Whereas, athletic-scholarship universities for example seldom require their coaches to teach in a Kinesiology department. I love to teach, in the gym and classroom, and help kids reach their potential and Foothill allows me to do that. You don't have as much freedom in D-1 because the job demands, values and lifestyles can be quite different – you have to win."

He then added, "But nobody puts more pressure on us to succeed than I do."

Rosenberg credits many for the Foothill transformation. "We've been able to establish a program culture I am very proud of, mostly due to sacrifices and commitments of our past players. I have always tried to establish a solid local recruiting base first, as these kids are the life-blood of our program."

In the Santa Clara Valley and even extending outward, Rosenberg is the most successful community college coach at landing West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) guys. A graduate of St. Francis in Mountain View, he has two players from St. Francis (Shawn Grant, Kyle Hypes), one from Serra (Jordan Reudy) and another from Bellarmine (Freddy Eberheardt) on his current roster.

"But I love the public schools kids too," Rosenberg said with a chuckle. And indeed, two players from Westmont High (James Weimer, Ben Neves) and one from Willow Glen (Jimmy Renneke) are members of the Owl basketball squad, as are a pair of players from Marshall High (Bill Collier, Teandre Hubbard) in San Francisco..

Yes, there also are a few unfamiliar names present.

"I haven't actively sought out out-of-area players," Rosenberg explained. "There are recruiting-contact rules and other hurdles that make out-of-area recruiting difficult – particularly for us. There's no apartments within a couple of miles of campus -- remember, this is Los Altos Hills. It would be a struggle financially to live here compared to some of the other cities around the state."

He added, "Our success and reputation have helped with all of our recruiting, and our beautiful campus/location and our outstanding faculty/programs are all assets. Regarding out-of-are players, usually it's someone who knew an ex-player or was aware of what Foothill has to offer. Sometimes, maybe a guy who wanted to come to California to get away from a bad situation. We've had some guys from out-of-state but they have had significant family assistance."

Rosenberg continued, "There's definitely a lot of toil that goes into recruiting and I'm fortunate to have three eager members on my staff in [Associate Head Coach] Matt Stanley, [Assistant Coach] Larry Lumpkins and [Assistant Coach] Jimmy Herrera. I was also very fortunate to learn from some great recruiting mentors.”

His recruiting truth?

"Identify early and find kids that fit our program in terms of talent/skill, academic values and character -- after you do this enough, you know what you're looking for," Rosenberg offered, adding "never travel in twos (have each coach go to a different high school game) and establish a reputation because credibility is valuable. We want to be known as a program that develops student-athletes and quality young men, a program that wins, and creates opportunities for players to reach their potential and transfer. Overall, we try to recruit with integrity and keep the best interests of the kids in mind."

As for what community colleges have to offer, he said, "We're a wonderful system for variety of populations – unparalleled access and supported opportunity in higher education makes our community college system a national educational treasure. No SAT scores or high school transcripts are needed. You get an A.A. degree or vocational certificate and you are able to move on whether it be continue academic pursuits or enter the work force."

What's not to like?

Santa Rosa JC lands a new prospect

Jordan Salley was a high school baller in southern California last year who signed with Montana State of the Big Sky Conference. Unfortunately, his academics didn't clear and the 6-foot-6 frontcourter is now taking his game to Santa Rosa JC and Coach Craig McMillan:

A few weeks back the Bobcats basketball program was hit with some bad news from the NCAA Clearing House, but took the opportunity to make the best of an unfortunate situation.

With school already underway the NCAA clearing house notified the Bobcats men’s coaching staff and freshman post player Jordan Salley from LaVerne, Los Angeles that they were ruling Salley a “Non-qualifier” for NCAA Division 1 purposes. What this meant is that he would not be allowed to compete for the Bobcats or any other D-1 program until he completes an associate degree from a junior college.

Salley was already enrolled and taking classes at MSU when the news broke. Salley has since transferred to Santa Rosa Junior college in Northern California, and will compete for then the next two years...

Go here for the full article. Thanks to mslacat and his Montana/Montana State sports site.

Here's an ESPN April 2009 evaluation of Salley:

Salley, a lefty, has very long arms and uses this length to crash the boards on both ends of the floor. He scores on offensive rebounds put-backs and runs the floor reasonable well, which leads to easy finishes on the break. Salley has very good strength and powers up in traffic and finishes with bodies hanging on him. Salley generates power in the strong lower half of his body and has the capacity to add even more strength. His quick leaping ability allows him to play an active brand of basketball and get to offensive boards before the opposition. Salley, especially since he is undersized, needs to improve his post footwork and add counter moves to his game.