Rob Collins back to Richmond

Former Richmond High coach Rob Collins has moved back there from his psotion at Acalanes High:

Richmond hires Collins as new boys hoops coach
Ben Enos
Contra Costa Times
September 9, 2009

Richmond High is turning to a familiar face to front its boys basketball program this season, as former coach Rob Collins has accepted an offer to once again coach the Oilers, the longtime coach said Wednesday...

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Remember Cory Higgins?

Cory Higgins played for Coach Bill Powers and Monte Vista High (Danville) before leaving California for Texas. The Draft Express site (our choice for the best analysis on NBA prospects) has a feature on Higgins vis-a-vis his draft status.

Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 12 (Part Three: #11-15)
Joey Whelan
Draft Express
September 10, 2009

Generally it’s a difficult task to get noticed as a basketball player at the University of Colorado, especially coming off a season where the Buffalos went 1-15 in the Big 12 and won just nine games overall. Despite the teams floundering play, rising junior Cory Higgins emerged as one of the bright young stars in the conference after a breakout sophomore season. Logging a tremendous number of minutes for the second consecutive year, the lightly recruited shooting guard more than doubled his offensive production to 17.4 points, while also increasing his numbers in every other statistical category as well.

Heading into his third year in Boulder now, Higgins will have more eyes on him both from opposing defenses and from pro scouts, looking to see if the junior can continue to increase his production on the floor – something he will be expected to do with an offense geared towards his strengths...

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A Kevin Galloway update

Former Sacramento High star Kevin Galloway has accumulated a number of college addresses, the last being Kentucky. But John Calipari arrived in Lexington and apparently indicated that expected playing time would not be available to Galloway.

So he elected to transfer.

He's now at Texas Southern, a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference and sitting out this season. The school is located in Houston.

Article on UC Santa Barbara with a ton of norcal ballers mentioned

The Gauchos are loaded with players from northern California so read on about Justin Joyner, Will Brew, Chris Brew, James Nunnally, Lucas Devenny, Orlando Johnson, Jesse Byrd, Greg Somogyi, et al.

Double Trouble : Joyner still has the right - and left - stuff
Joyner enjoying a newfound skill: driving left.
Mark Patton
Santa Barbara News-Press
Aug. 31, 2009

The basketball sprang loose - and far downcourt, Justin Joyner's head shot up, like a predator sensing new prey.

Paul Roemer lunged over the end-line to save the ball under his own basket, then twisted it midair to find a teammate.

And there was Joyner, that familiar bounce to his step, dashing straight for him. Roemer's old De La Salle High School running mate. His old UCSB running mate.

After a year lost to a broken right wrist, J.J. was back at the Thunderdome, as though he'd never been gone.

"It's amazing," Joyner would say only a few moments later, still panting from the play that ended Thursday's pickup session. "It's amazing that it doesn't feel like it's been so long.

"I mean, it's just good to be back and competing at full speed again."

Go here for the remainder.

A Q-and-A on how to improve basketball overall

We found this fascinating -- an entry about how to improve basketball (and sorry for the All CAPS but that's the way it was posted).

Great questions and answers about college basketball and how to help the game overall!
Don Casey
The Temple of Zones
September 4, 2009

A good friend of mine Dan Peterson dropped 10 'loaded' questions on a college administrator. They call these 'tendentious' questions in Italian, which means there is no perfectly correct answer and any answer you give is fraught with trouble. Here goes:

1. Could NCAA schools go to a 60-game regular season schedule?

PROBABLY NOT. UNLIKE THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS, ON CAMPUSES AND IN COMMUNITIES, THE OVERLAP WITH FOOTBALL AT THE FRONT END AND BASEBALL AT THE BACK END CAN HURT ALL SPORTS INVOLVED. THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY FANS IN EACH COMMUNITY THAT WILL SUPPORT SPORTS. MANY ARE DEVOTED TO THEIR LOCAL COLLEGE AND ATTEMPT TO SUPPORT THE HIGH VISIBILITY TEAMS. WITH THE 60 GAME SCHEDULE BEGINNING GAMES ON OCTOBER 15, A LOT OF FOOTBALL IS YET TO BE PLAYED AND WILL IMPACT FAN SUPPORT AT BASKETBALL. THE SAME WILL OCCUR FOR BASEBALL DURING THE LAST 1/3 OF THE BASKETBALL SEASON. LIKE YOU, I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ACADEMICS WILL SUFFER AS A RESULT. AS A BASKETBALL NUT, I WOULD LOVE THE 60 GAME SEASON. ON CAMPUS, THE EXPANSION TO 60 GAMES WOULD RUN YOUR STAFFS CRAZY, AGAIN DUE TO THE OVERLAP AND MEDIA RELATIONS, SPORTS MEDICINE, GAME MANAGEMENT, ETC. STAFFS WOULD BE WORN MORE THAN INCREDIBLY THIN. THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE AT THE MID-MAJOR LEVEL.

2. Could NCAA schools go to a 48' game and 24" clock?

I DON’T KNOW IF THE QUALITY OF PLAY WOULD SUFFER IN A 48’ GAME. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IT IS DOABLE. CERTAINLY TEAM DEPTH WOULD BECOME A GREATER FACTOR THAN IS ALREADY THE CASE. I WOULD ABSOLUTELY FIGHT THE 24’ CLOCK. THE GAME IS ALREADY STEREOTYPED TOO MUCH AND THE LIMITED CLOCK WOULD ENSURE MORE OF THE SAME. THERE ARE ONLY SO MANY MIKE D’ANTONI’S OUT THERE WHO RUN A DIFFERENT TEMPO AND ARE UNINFLUENCED BY THE CLOCK. I BELIEVE THAT THE 24’ CLOCK SENDS THE GAME INTO THE HIGH (OR SIDE) SCREEN AND ROLL 2/3 OF THE TIME AND TAKES AWAY FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF PLAYS AND SYSTEMS THAT ARE INDIGENOUS TO TEAMS ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF THE NCAA. SINCE THE NCAA HAS LITTLE TO NO IMPACT ON THE OLYMPIC LEVEL, USE OF THESE RULES AND DEVELOPMENT FOR THAT LEVEL OF PLAY BECOMES MOOT IN THIS DISCUSSION...

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Here's Joel Francisco on the NorCalClash

For those who weren't there (and we're taking away your bonafides as a fan of high school basketball if you were elsewhere), here's a writeup and some player analysis on Sunday's Nor Cal Clash:

Gardner, Turner stay in attack mode
Joel Francisco
Scouts Inc.

SAN PABLO, Calif. -- The first annual Nor Cal Clash, organized by Gerry Freitas, provided a nice preview of things to come in terms of high school basketball in the Bay Area. The event was a showcase game between the region's top juniors and seniors. Although the Class of 2010 came out strong to take a comfortable 32-17 lead, it would be the sensational junior backcourt of 6-foot-2 Josiah Turner (Sacramento, Calif.) and 5-7 Kiwi Gardner (Manteca, Calif.) who led the 2011 prospects to a 105-99 victory.

Turner's pull-up game and Gardner's athletic ability in the transition game would be the difference; the 2010 team's defense got shredded to ribbons on a consistent basis. In addition to the aforementioned dynamic duo, the 2011 squad also received strong performances by 6-6 J.T. Adenrele (Roseville, Calif./Oakmont), 6-5 Darius Nelson (Sacramento, Calif./Sheldon), and 6-2 Roderick Bobbitt (Castro Valley, Calif.).

Standout players

Kiwi Gardner (5-7, 150) PG
2011, Manteca, Calif.
Gardner doesn't possess ideal size for a Division I point guard, but he has many other physical attributes, such as speed and quickness, that will attract coaches from that particular level. Gardner has an exceptional burst off the dribble. He gets in the lane whenever he wants with a blow-by or a crossover. He has great bounce and can finish much of the time in traffic. However, at the next level, his game will have to slow down because his decision-making, at times, will result in costly turnovers. He has a tendency to overpenetrate and leave his feet in traffic while passing. He is a true point guard who can knock down the 3-point shot and his shot overall looks solid with a smooth release. Gardner will need to learn to manage the game and not play at such a fast pace, but there is no question his talent will be recognized among Division I coaches...

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A Garry Hill-Thomas update

Hopefully, some still remember Oakland basketballer Garry Hill-Thomas, who played his college hoops at Nevada. Well, he has just landed a new job:

Hill-Thomas named North Valleys coach
Chris Gabel
Reno Gazette-Journal
9/1/2009

Former Nevada Wolf Pack player Garry Hill-Thomas has been hired as varsity boys basketball coach at North Valleys, athletic administrator Dr. Craig Hill said Tuesday.

Hill-Thomas, who played at Nevada from 2001-04, will be formally introduced at a press conference at the school Wednesday morning...

Go here for the remainder.

An update on Greg Allen

Eureka High's Greg Allen signed a letter-of-intent with Creighton in May and all looked set for the young man to head to Nebraska.

Apparently, academic concerns have popped up and Allen is now at Navarro Junior College in Corsicana, Texas.

We don't know if Allen was 'placed' in the Lone Star State by the Creighton coaching staff and therefore remains connected to the BlueJay program or if the choice of a new basketball home was made solely by Allen.

Here is an inspirational story

You can't top this story. Whenever we feel life isn't fair or our problems are insurmountable, re-read the following:

A year after stroke in jamboree football game, Christian Bauerle, 17, hopes to play for Soquel High's basketball team
Jim Seimas
Santa Cruz Sentinel
8/30/2009

A year ago, Soquel High's Christian Bauerle suffered a stroke on the football field that left him fighting for his life.

It's been a remarkable recovery for the newly turned 17-year-old, who was left temporarily paralyzed last August.

Bauerle -- described by Knights coaches as the best athlete in the junior class before the stroke -- has not only learned to walk, talk and eat again, he's swimming, running and catching and throwing balls. He has been assured roster spots on both the Knights' football and basketball teams -- his inspirational story of rehabilitation ensured that...

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Dom Artis with his initial diary

Saleisna's Dom Artis has agreed to do a diary this school year for the Northstar Basketball blog site. Here's the beginning of first entry:

Dominic Artis Player Diary Entry #1
Dominic Artis '12 of Salesian (CA) is not the most intimidating player, standing just 5'7, but the point guard helped lead his school to a state title last year. He recently sent me his first player diary entry, and he chose to go the route of an overview of his day. Here it is:

8/28/09
Mr. Avis gave us so much homework today it was ridiculous. We had a workout after school at 3:00. Before I walked in the housed I checked the mail and saw I got a couple letters...

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This took place in Portland

A coach/trainer up in Oregon turned out to be a sexual predator. There's many lessons to draw from this article but the primary one seems to be that direct evidence will fail to change minds in some situations because parents will not re-focus from their dreams.

Howard Avery's conviction is a lesson in parenting
John Canzano
The Oregonian
August 22, 2009

I am thinking the prison might have a basketball team in the exercise yard, and if it does, Howard Avery will soon be at it again, molding lives, making promises and shaping careers.

Maybe, too, the supporters who funded Avery's Triple Threat basketball operation will cry out for loyalty again, and carpool each other's children to the edge of the yard, so they can press their tiny faces against the fence and soak up whatever wisdom the registered sex offender might have left.

Either that, or the ignorant parents among us can finally start protecting their kids.

Avery was convicted last week on five counts of felony sex abuse. A judge found a brave victim credible and ruled Avery lured the 17-year old girl he coached to a home where he forced himself upon her. He will be sentenced on Thursday...

Go here for the remainder.

Some very solid recruiting advice

Came across this site, which features a pair of articles offering recruiting advice:

Recruiting – A Sweet Dream or Your biggest Nightmare? Part 1
Coach Toon

Creating the right recruiting fit is a two-way street. Whether the recruiting road ends in a dream or a nightmare is the responsibility of the recruiter and the recruit! Preparation is key to a happy ending. It is imperative for the prospective student-athlete and the college coach to do their homework.

If you are the coach of a prospective student-athlete, help them get properly prepared for one of the most impactful decisions they will ever make – where to go to college. Have them start with what I call “The Grid”. The grid is a chart of all the things the athlete deems are important in their decision vs the schools they are considering. Sample criteria the athlete may consider include the following:

Go here for the remainder.

Here is Part Two.

Will Brew versus Ty Lawson

UC Santa Barbara played eventual national champion North Carolina in The Thunderdome on November 21, 2008. The Gauchos did lose by 17 but then again Michigan State lost in the NCAA championship game to the Tar Heels by 15.

In the photo above, Will Brew is driving against Ty Lawson, who was the 18th selection in the 2009 NBA draft.

Collectors versus Instructors

Came across the following Brian McCormick article and it raised some very good points. Summer is the time to get better and winning can be a by-product of this, albeit not a critical one. Focus on continuous improvement and surround yourself with those committed to such a philosophy.

Club Basketball: Gatherers vs Teachers

While in Las Vegas, I met with some AAU coaches who called the programs who recruit to fill their needs “gatherers.” In the recent online arguments about AAU vs high school basketball, the true argument has centered on gatherers vs. teachers. The perception, especially on the high school side, is that high school coaches are teachers and ALL AAU/club coaches are gatherers.

The perception, of course, is untrue. There are gatherers coaching at high school programs and teachers coaching AAU or club basketball. Therefore, the question is not AAU or high school, but how to influence more teaching and less gathering...

Go here for the remainder.

Eli Holman is back on the court

It's good to see that Eli Holman is back on the basketball court, playing for Detroit after his transfer from Indiana. He's now listed as 6-foot-9, 250 pounds.

Day 4: Keeling, Holman Pace Titans To Second Straight Win In Spain

Led by Xavier Keeling's 21 points and Eli Holman's 20, the Detroit Titans notched their second consecutive win of the exhibition tour in Spain, 97-48 over Girona on Saturday.

Holman was also dynamic on the boards, pulling down 12 rebounds, while also blocking eight shots.