The 2014-15 Los Medanos College Mustangs

Do keep in mind that this is a July roster and November is when the official team makeup is released.

Coach Derek Domenichelli is back with his latest edition of the Los Medanos College Mustangs (at least the players listed for the Nor Cal JUCO Summer Jamboree):

* Javonte Burton, 6-foot, freshman, Pittsburg High

* Paul Clark, 6-foot-5, freshman, El Cerrito High

* Wayne Englestad, 6-foot-6, sophomore, Heritage High

* Ernest Harris, 6-foot-1, freshman, Antioch High

* Joe Jackson, 6-foot-3, freshman, Ralph J. Bunche High

* Wayne Johnson Jr., 6-foot-6, freshman, Live Oak High

* Noah Labonte, 6-foot-6, sophomore, Deer Valley High

* Aaron Silva, 5-foot-8, sophomore, Clayton Valley High

* Brandon Silva, 5-foot-9, sophomore, Clayton Valley High

* Matt Sisneros, 5-foot-7, sophomore, Liberty High

* Marcus Walton, 6-foot-3, sophomore, Concord High

* Dylan Williams, 5-foot-11, freshman, Deer Valley High

* Josh Williams, 6-foot-5, freshman, Berkeley High

The 2014-15 West Valley Vikings

Do keep in mind that this is a July roster and November is when the official team makeup is released.

Coach Scott Eitelgeorge is back with his latest edition of the West Valley College Vikings (at least the players listed for the Nor Cal JUCO Summer Jamboree):

* Mike Aguilar, 6-foot-2, freshman, Los Gatos High

* Jalen Blue, 6-foot-2, freshman, Andrew Hill High

* Devan Ford, 6-foot-1, freshman, Valley Christian High

* Larenzo Graham, 6-foot-1, sophomore, West Valley High

* Kevin Jackson, 6-foot, sophomore, Skyline High

* Omar Kilani, 6-foot-5, freshman, Wilcox High

* Rodwell Ong, 5-foot-8, sophomore, Oak Grove High

* Zach Puzey, 6-foot-4, freshman, Reno High

* Ricky Ratliff, 6-foot, freshman, Natomas High

* Nate Rohrer, 6-foot-7, redshirt freshman, Leland High

* Mike Stauber, 5-foot-11, sophomore, St. Francis High

* Josh Verner, 6-foot-1, freshman, Leigh High

Kobe back in high school

Liked the three-pointers since Kobe wasn't much of an outside shooter entering the NBA:.

UCSC Slug Elite Basketball Camps & Slugs Hoops Academy -- two skill training opportunities

UC Santa Cruz basketball will be hosting an Elite Prospect Basketball Camp on Saturday September 20th; Sunday October 5th; and Saturday, October 11th. Each camp will be from 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and is $100 per player.

The camp, which will be conducted by the Mens Basketball Coaching Staff at UCSC, is a one-day intensive camp designed for the player who is motivated to play college basketball. This camp will focus on individual basketball fundamentals. Athletes will be trained using advanced methods to develop their skill set in the post, on the wing, or at the guard position.

The camp will be held in the Westfield House, located on the west side of UCSC's campus. For more information, and to sign up for the camp, please visit SLUG BASKETBALL CAMPS. 

+++++

Slug Hoops at UC Santa Cruz is excited to announce its second annual, fall Slug Hoops Academy! Over an 8 week period (16 training sessions) we will teach youth players, ages 8-14, the essential fundamentals and skills of basketball. 

Too often we see players, even at the collegiate or professional levels with poor fundamentals. It is our mission to teach motivated young players how to play the game properly, efficiently, and effectively.

The academy, hosted by the UCSC Men's Basketball Program, will run Thursday evenings from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. (exception: 9/11@7:00 - 9"00 p.m.) and Sunday afternoons 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. Each session will begin with one hour of skill training followed by one hour of organized full court games.

To ensure improvement from each player sign up today! Space is limited, so to reserve your spot or to learn more information, visit SLUG BASKETBALL CAMPS or email Assistant Coach Kyle Bossier at kbossier@ucsc.edu.

Sonoma State Basketball's Third Annual Coaches Clinic coming up

SONOMA STATE BASKETBALL

3rd ANNUAL COACHES CLINIC

September 14, 2014

The event is open to all coaches, from middle school and AAU to college, and will include on-the-court demonstrations by guest coaches and the use of college players.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

ERIC REVENO - Head Coach at the University of Portland
Topic: Developing young post play

RUSSELL TURNER - Head Coach at UC Irvine
Topic: NBA concepts for all levels

DAVID CARTER - Head Coach at University of Nevada
Topic: Developing guard play

CRAIG McMILLAN - Head Coach at Santa Rosa Junior College
Topic: Motion offense and shooting drills pertaining to it

COST:
Pay and Register on or before September 1st:  $65
Pay and Register after September 1st:  $75
Coaching Staff Discount! Bring 3 coaches for $60 each if you register together.
Promo code:  Coach2014

INCLUDES:
Morning Coffee and Donuts
Afternoon Lunch

REGISTER ON-LINE click here

Russell with a WCC offer

Via Verbal Commits: "2015 Folsom (CA) F Colin Russell has received an offer from Portland."

This one seems like a perfect fit for Russell -- good level, coach played center collegiately and wasn't extraordinarily physically gifted, good academics.

Snippets from Josh Horton's article on West Coast Conference recruiting:

Loyola Marymount

Offers

* Noah Blackwell (3-star, 6-foot-1, 180 pound point guard from Woodcreek High School in Roseville, Calif.)

Blackwell, a rising point guard in the Sacramento, Calif. area, has landed an offer from head coach Mike Dunlap and the LMU Lions.

While Blackwell has a host of WCC interest, he has also garnered a lot of high-major offers. Oregon State is allegedly very interested in him and Arizona State recently offered Blackwell.

Updated: 7/16/14


Pacific

Commits

* Anthony Townes (2-star, 6-foot-5, 200 pound small forward from Modesto Christian High School in Modesto, Calif.)

Townes is a raw, but athletic undersized big man from the Stockton area.

Out of Modesto Christian High School, a local school in the area, Townes will join former teammates T.J. Wallace and Raymond Bowles at Pacific.

Based on his highlight tapes, Bowles pure athleticism is clear. His repertoire of skills did not appear to be that vast, but looked to be a high energy floor runner that can provide the Tigers a boost in transition when the time comes.
According to Verbal Commits, Townes passed up an offer at San Jose State to play at Pacific.

Updated: 5/15/2014

Offers

* Juwan Anderson (2-star, 6-foot-0, 155 pound point guard from Suffield Academy in Oakland, Calif.)

Point guard appears to be a priority for Ron Verlin and the Tigers in the 2015 recruiting class, and Anderson is a name on the Tigers radar.

Anderson currently holds offers from low-to-high-major schools, but interest should pick up within the West Coast Conference should pick up in due time.

Updated: 7/29/14

* Paris Austin (3-star, 5-foot-11, 155 pound point guard from Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Calif.)

Austin, an undersized but electric point guard, holds an offer from Pacific and host of other schools on the west coast.

At the moment, Austin is a fringe mid-major to high-major player that could blow up on the recruiting front at some point. An offer from Florida State is a big indicator of that.

Updated: 7/29/14

* Noah Blackwell (3-star, 6-foot-1, 180 pound point guard from Woodcreek High School in Roseville, Calif.)

Blackwell, a point guard from the Sacramento area, earned an offer from the Pacific on July 28, who decided they would make a run at the sought after local floor general.

The Roseville, Calif. native has a lot of potential, and many high-major schools have identified that and offered Blackwell, including Oregon State, Arizona State, Washington State and Maryland. If the Tigers make Blackwell a priority, which they might end up doing, Blackwell might end up in Stockton. However, it appears Blackwell is destined for a Pac-12 caliber program.

Updated: 7/29/14

Interest

* Vinnie Safin (2-star, 6-foot-4, 185 pound shooting guard from Rocklin High School in Rocklin, Calif.)

Safin, who is a native of the Sacramento Area, has been on Pacific’s radar for quite some time, according to this interview West Coast Convo did with him earlier in the spring.

As a local guy, an offer may come, but as of now he appears to be more of a back-up plan. After all, Pacific only has only scholarship to expend for the 2015 recruiting cycle.

Updated: 7/29/14

* Jordan Roberson (NR, 6-foot-5, 160 pound shooting guard from Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova, Calif.)

Roberson, a slender two-guard from the Sacramento metro area, has been recruited by Ron Verlin and the Tigers, according to Verbal Commits.

According to this article (midmajorreport), Roberson was visited by the Pacific staff at one of his practices – or more than one, it wasn’t very specific. Also, Roberson stated he has unofficially visited Pacific.

Updated: 7/29/14

* Collin Russell (NR, 6-foot-8 power forward from Folsom High School in Folsom, Calif.)

Russell is reportedly has garnered some interest from the Pacific Tigers.

UC Davis is currently the only school to offer Russell, but don’t be surprised to see a WCC school (like Portland and Pacific) to swoop in a snag him.

Updated: 7/29/14

There's more but enough has been offered here -- hit the link.

Filipovics to PP

6-foot-8 2015 prospect Marko Filipovics, out of Serbia, will be joining Prolific Prep -- do check out his shooting prowess:

Matt Mareno finds a new home

Via SoCalHoops and from Bob Gottlieb/Branch West:

Matthew Mareno
6’6” 
Step out 4 man 
Redwood H.S. (CA) 
Cushing Academy (MA)

Assumption College (MA)
D2 – Full basketball Scholarship

Post University (CT)
NCAA D2
Full basketball scholarship

Matthew’s dad retained BG and the Branch West Recruiting Assistance Service for the third time this past spring. Initially, it was out of high school. Matthew ended up going to prep school in New England, which did not come through BW so his Dad was not obligated to pay the additional fee due upon recruitment.

However, his Dad was impressed with our work and decided to retain BW a second time, coming out of prep school and we were able to get him a full scholarship to Assumption, one of the better NCAA D2 programs in the Northeast, and on a full basketball scholarship.

However, things never really worked out for Matthew at Assumption. They red shirted him initially and as the season progressed, it became obvious that things were not going to work out for Matthew at Assumption. Consequently he decided to finish the year and transfer, and his dad retained BW a third time.

There was nothing easy about getting him recruited again, as we had to overcome the stigma of things not having worked out at Assumption. A number of NCAA D2 and NAIA D1 schools showed significant interest, especially in the Southeast.

However Mathew wanted to go to school either New England or back home in California. He ended up signing at Post University, an NCAA D2 school in Waterbury, CT, coached by long time BG friend Al Sokaitis. Although Al Sokaitis is a Connecticut native, he coached the Univ. of Alaska at Fairbanks for 8 years and was highly successful.

I met him while attending his team camps as we were putting together Branch West Team Alaska to compete in the July AAU tournamnets in both California and Las Vegas.

Mathew signed a full basketball scholarship at Post, and will have 4 years eligibility and a clean slate. By the way, he had 3.8 gpa at Assumption, so the year there was not a total waste.

Mathew played for Lakeshow and was coached by the well regarded Joe Fuca. Lakeshow is one of the top AAU programs in the Bay Area for many years. At no time did he ever play for Branch West.

The talent in the Nor Cal Clash

The sixth annual Nor Cal Clash, presented by NorCalPreps.com, will be held Sunday August 24th at Contra Costa College in San Pablo at 3:30 p.m. This one-game event will have elite players from Northern California in the class of 2015 playing against elite players in the class of 2016.

Just look at the collection of talent to be on display: Noah Blackwell has really come on and just received his first Pac-12 offer, Marquese Chriss had a great summer, Jesse Hunt made a bigger name for himself in the past couple of months, Colin Russell is making progress and, of course, there's Ivan Rabb.

On the flip side, it will be interesting how Ben Kone and Peter Hewitt match up with Rabb, Solomon Young keeps getting better, Carlos Johnson is a high-flying newcomer who will be a force for El Cerrito this season and it's not a coincidence that Jordan Ford's team usually win.

2014 Nor Cal Clash Rosters

Class of 2015

* Tyrell Alcorn 6'2" El Cerrito
* Paris Austin 5'10" Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland)
* Noah Blackwell 6'2" Woodcreek (Roseville)
* Marquese Chriss 6'8" Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove)
* Lance Coleman 6'6" St. Mary’s (Stockton)
* Armani Collins 6'5" Stuart Hall (San Francisco)
* Jesse Hunt 6'6" Drake (San Anselmo)
* Matt O’Reilly 6'2" Campolindo (Moraga)
* Ivan Rabb 6'10" Bishop O’Dowd (Oakland)
* Colin Russell 6'8" Folsom
* Anthony Townes 6'6" Modesto Christian (Modesto)

Coach: Frank Knight (Moreau Catholic)

Class of 2016

* Christian Ellis 6'2" Modesto Christian (Modesto)
* Jordan Ford 6'1" Folsom
* Oscar Frayer 6'6" Moreau Catholic (Hayward)
* Peter Hewitt 6'10" St. Francis (Mountain View)
* Carlos Johnson 6'4" El Cerrito
* Ben Kone 6'9" Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
* Brandon Lawrence 6'3" Moreau Catholic (Hayward)
* Sayeed Pridgett 6'4" El Cerrito
* Jordan Ratinho 6'4" De La Salle (Concord)
* Christian Terrell 6'4" Sacramento
* Solomon Young 6'7" Sacramento

Coach: Richard Midgley (Modesto Christian)

The perception of workout trainers

Mike Procopio writes about workout guys/skill trainers and how they are generally perceived by the established basketball hierarchy.

But it's necessary to keep in mind that every single individual deserves to be judged on his own merits. And how did many of the college coaches get to their present position? By bringing in this or that talent for their head coach at the time.

Dawkins and Michigan

Michigan is touring in Italy and Aubrey Dawkins scored seven points in his first game for the Wolverines.

Hayes with 10 for LMU

Loyola Marymount is in Spain for a series of exhibition games and in game two versus Angola, sophomore guard Matt Hayes scored 10 points for the Lions.

a new guard at Chanot

Chabot Men's Basketball has this up: "Chabot will like to welcome Brandon Green 6'1 Guard out of Maryland. Sure to a top guard in this league..." Do hit the link for video.

Horry in HOF or not?

Gary Washburn writes:

"...The 2015 Basketball Hall of Fame Class won’t be determined until April, but Robert Horry’s case will be very interesting in the next few months. Horry won seven titles as a player with three teams, tied for the seventh most in NBA history. Horry won more championships than Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan and had an uncanny ability to make monumental shots in postseason games. Horry told the Globe two years ago he felt as if he was a Hall of Famer. Although Horry never made an All-Star team and was never the best player on his team, his Hall of Fame case could make for great debate..." 

Hard to see this one. Horry was an integral part of those championships but not one who carried his teams. His overall NBA resume just doesn't measure up for entry.