Carlos Johnson with two more offers

Arizona's Finest tweeted:

"2016 Carlos Johnson (@WITNESS_THIS23) has received an offer from San Diego State http://youtu.be/TpjrdNciuyU"

and

"2016 Carlos Johnson (@WITNESS_THIS23) has received an offer from Nevada"

Domingo now a junior at Cal

With Ivan Rabb, Jaylen Brown, Tyrone Wallace, Jabari Bird and Jordan Matthews, the Bears will have plenty of targets for defenders to be concerned about all over the floor and this will be a factor working in Stephen Domingo's favor. The 6-foot-7 junior guard should be getting really good looks this season.

Domingo didn't shoot all that well during the recent Australian tour but was praised for his defensive effort by Coach Cuonzo Martin.

By the way, California dropped it's final game in Australia 110-99 to finish 3-1. Boxscore

Tollefsen and Arizona

With a tip o' the hat to Dons Central, what will be Mark Tollefsen's position and role with the Arizona Wildcats this coming season?

Hoop talents from Sacto who are playing professionally overseas

Hector Amezcua/Sacramento Bee serves up a photo gallery of Sacto-connected basketball talents playing professionally overseas.

Rosaroso honored for his classroom effort

Chico State guard Mike (Franklin High) Rosaroso has earned a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) All-Academic award.

The award is presented to letterwinners in CCAA-sponsored sports who earn a grade point average of 3.40 or higher in a minimum of 24 semester units of undergraduate coursework.

Rosaroso averaged 7.4 points with a second-on-the-team 66 assists this past season. He is majoring in child development.

Nunnally to Italy

E. Carchia tweeted: "Sidigas Avellino announced the signing of James Nunnally.
The small forward born in 1990 spent last season with Maccabi Ashdod averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game."

The former Weston Ranch High and UC Santa Barbara star will enjoy the southern Italy cuisine.

Vallejo basketball talent Mixon passes

Vallejo High alum and Vallejo Hall of Fame honoree Frank Mixon, a Solano basketball great, has passed as Thomas Gase reports.

Here's a Ken Hart feature on Mixon from 2006.

Hawkins with the Heat

Ed Isaacson: "Love the signing of Corey Hawkins by the Miami Heat. His kind of scoring ability will get him good shots at the main roster."

The 6-foot-2 UC Davis sharpshooter shot 50% overall this past season, an extremely remarkable 49% on 166 trey attempts and 82% on 157 tries at the foul line.

Find out more about Devon Daniels

Here's an interview plus background information on Prolific Prep newcomer Devon Daniels.

Becoming a professional basketball trainer encompasses working in a wide selection of roles

Alex Kennedy writes about the life of Dan Barto who has lived the ups-and-downs involved with becoming a professional basketball trainer. Along the way, he has gained not necessarily wanted experience in the janitorial field, performed as an amateur psychologist, mediator, fight referee and more, all the while training both prospects and NBA talents.

Playing abroad is sometimes...interesting

6-foot-3 Kyle Shiloh played at Nevada after Garces High in Bakersfield. He offers some tales of his overseas basketball highs-and-lows here.

The end game for basketball prospects

Delgreco Wilson on "The MYTH of the “Bad” AAU guys."

Late in the article: "Bottom Line… If your AAU coach or program director hasn’t asked you for report cards or transcripts… You need to find another program. The end game is to prepare student-athletes for life after high school. You can’t do that if you don’t even know how he’s performing in school."

Meet Chris Murray

Chris Murray is the Nevada athletics beat reporter/columnist for the Reno Gazette-Journal and one of the most prolific writers covering college sports today. Those involved in Wolf Pack sports as well as Nevada fans are lucky to have him providing such abundant and in-depth coverage. With Eric Musselman now in charge of the men's basketball program, Murray makes it easy to both follow the fortunes of Nevada hoops as well as who in northern California is receiving interest and offers from the braintrust in Reno.

Q: Why did you enter the journalism field and was your direction always sports-related?

CM: Interesting story. My brother was three years older than me and was a journalism major at the University of Nevada, so when I went to college, I took the same major. Turns out, my brother eventually changed his major to education and is now a third-grade teacher, but I followed through and ended up getting my bachelor's and Master's degrees in journalism from the school. I was a so-so high school athlete (all-state academic baseball player, mostly because of the academic part!) and always wanted to have a sports-oriented career. I picked between a sports writer and an athletic training. I took the writer's path and while the money isn't the same as the medical field, I feel like I haven't worked a day since joining the Reno Gazette-Journal in 2002 as a college intern.

Q: Your output with just the coverage of Nevada athletics is prodigious -- more articles and lines than anyone else I can think of in a similarly-sized city newspaper. I don't really know how you can answer this question but how do you get the amount of work you produce done?

CM: I think it's three-fold: (1) I can write stories pretty quickly. It usually only takes me 20 minutes to write a feature story. I'm not sure why, but stories just fit together in my head when I sit down to write them. (2) I'm always thinking of story ideas. I read a lot of other newspapers (or, more accurately, newspapers' websites) and are thinking of different ways to cover the Wolf Pack. I might write one "traditional" story a day and add three or four alternative stories. (3) You have to put in the work. I cover coaches who work 80-100 hours a week, so me putting in 60 hours a week isn't too bad. I feel like the amount of work I put in is respected by those who I cover, which helps me get more stories as well. My wife and I welcomed a baby boy in September, so I work from home a lot now while watching him (and changing diapers!), but I still try to get three or four stories on our website per day.

Q: In your tenure as Wolf Pack beat reporter, who is the best Nevada player you've covered and why?

CM: I have to go with Colin Kaepernick. He was just a ridiculous athlete to start and then you drop him in the WAC and it was video-game stuff at points. He's probably the most athletic quarterback in the NFL, so imagine him going up against Idaho, New Mexico State and San Jose State. Nevada didn't have a defense until Kaepernick's senior year (when the team went 13-1), so his W-L record might not have been all that impressive over the years, but he's one of the best quarterbacks in college history by the numbers. He was so driven and competitive and worked so hard with natural athleticism that he's a special player that Nevada is unlikely to ever get again. Honorable mentions: Luke Babbitt and Nick Fazekas in basketball.

Q: Who is your top interviewee of all the Wolf Pack players you've talked with and why?

CM: Actually, I just did a story on Wolf Pack running back Don Jackson and he was great to talk with. I'll put him at No. 1. He grew up in South Sacramento. Most of his family had been arrested at some point. His brother is in jail for vehicular manslaughter and attempted escape from prison. His mom graduated from high school at age 40, but his brother, two sisters and dad never graduated high school. Don was on a bad path, too, with gangs and drugs and guns and fighting and ditching class all dragging him down. When he was in ninth grade, Don's teacher told the class he'd be dead or in jail by 17. Obviously he was wrong as Jackson is now a college graduate working on a Master's after turning his life around in the 11th grade. Jackson is very talkative and very open. He had a great story and wanted to share it to help others. He's a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy, given to the top college football player based on play, academics and community service. Since he was so open with his past, I'll go with him.

Q: Nevada enjoyed the greatest success when a couple of homegrown high school talents -- Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson -- decided to stay and play in Reno. It was a harmonic convergence of sorts because the Reno area doesn't annually produce that level of talent. This usual dearth makes successful Wolf Pack recruitment in southern California, Sacramento and the Bay Area all the more critical. Eric Musselman has solid connections in each of these areas as well as throughout the country. How did Nevada get him to come aboard?

CM: He wanted to run his own program and Nevada was the first to give him that opportunity. It helped that he spent a year in Reno coaching the D-League Bighorns, which made him familiar with the area. His family is in San Diego and Danville, Calif., both close to Reno. It was a great opportunity for both sides. Musselman gets to run his own team and potentially move up if he succeeds and Nevada gets an NBA-level head coach who is getting paid among the lowest coaches in the Mountain West. Musselman isn't too concerned with money right now. It's more about opportunity. Good timing for Nevada. 

Q: In the Murray crystal ball you have on your desk at work, which men's basketball team shows up as winning the MWC in 2015-16?

CM: San Diego State. It's always smart to bet on Steve Fisher. UNLV has the most talent, but that usually doesn’t translate. Boise State loses MW player of the year, Derrick Marks, but is still strong. Those are my three favorites. SDSU will likely have scoring issues again, but I'll go with the Aztecs.

The Prep2Prep California All Star Classic

Up north here, there aren't many opportunities to see the creme of the crop talent playing in the Los Angeles and San Diego areas. However, the Prep2Prep California All Star Classic fixes this problem.

For example, if you want to catch 6-foot-10 De Andre Ayton, ranked by many as the #1 player nationally in the 2017 class, then keep August 30 open. Is there anyone on the Nor Cal squad who can slow him down?



Are you familiar with 6-foot-6 Lonzo Ball, a 2016 UCLA commit owning the #2 position in the national 2016 class? If not, he'll also be holding court on August 30. Which Nor Cal player or players will get the unenviable task of matching up with him?



Yes, the first annual Prep2Prep California All Star Classic will take place Sunday August 30 at Las Positas College in Livermore. This two-game event will feature a North versus South format with elite players in the class of 2016 playing at 3:30 p.m. and top players in the class of 2017 taking to the court at 1:30 p.m.

This is a truly special day for all basketball fans, unique because there is no other set of matchups pitting the best prospects in northern California against their southern counterparts.

Go here to purchase tickets for the games.

A pre-event banquet scheduled for Saturday night (the 29th) is also open to the public. It is being held at the Impact Hub located at 2323 Broadway in downtown Oakland and tickets for attending that can also be purchased here.

2016 Nor Cal

Coach Lou Richie Bishop O’Dowd

* Jordan Ford 6’0” Folsom
* Oscar Frayer 6’6” Moreau Catholic (California commit)
* Robinson Idehen 6’8” Modesto Christian
* Ben Kone 6’8” Archbishop Mitty (Oregon State commit)
* Donovan Mitchell 6’7” Buchanan
* Nikhil Peters 6’5” De La Salle
* Sayeed Pridgett 6’4” El Cerrito
* Jordan Ratinho 6’4” De La Salle
* Colin Slater 6’0” Immanuel
* Christian Terrell 6’4” Sacramento
* Kenneth Wooten 6'9" Manteca
* Solomon Young 6’7” Sacramento

versus

2016 So Cal

Coach Ty Nichols Sierra Canyon

*Milan Acquaah 6’0” Cathedral (Washington State commit)
* Mubashar Ali 6'11" St. Bernard's
* Ike Anigbogu 6’9” Corona Centennial (UCLA commit)
* Lonzo Ball 6’6” Chino Hills (UCLA commit)
* Keith Fisher 6’6” Westchester
* Leland Green 6’2” Redondo Union
* Vance Jackson 6’8” Prolific Prep
* TJ Leaf 6’9” Foothills Christian (just de-committed from Arizona)
* De Anthony Melton 6’2” Crespi
* Devearl Ramsey 5’11” Sierra Canyon
* Vittorio Reynoso-Avila 6’4” La Mirada
* Henry Welsh 6'9" Loyola

and

2017 Nor Cal

Coach Brian Botteen San Ramon Valley

* Angelo Athens 6’1” Bellarmine
* Austin Alexander 6’5” Capital Christian
* Ramzi Carter 6’6” Sacred Heart Cathedral
* Joey Calcaterra 6'2" Marin Catholic
* Alfred Hollins 6’6” Sacred Heart Cathedral
* Jeremy Lillis 6’8” Placer
* Damari Milstead 6’2” Moreau Catholic
* Sebastian Much 6’6” Archbishop Mitty
* Darrin Person 6’6” Immanuel
* Jordan Roberts 6’7” Ridgeview
* Ja’de Smith 6’2” St. Joseph Notre Dame
* Tydus Verhoeven 6’7” Manteca

versus

 2017 So Cal

Coach Reggie Morris Jr. Redondo Union

De Andre Ayton 6’10” Balboa City School (#1 in the nation in his class)
LiAngelo Ball 6’5” Chino Hills (UCLA commit)
Jaylen Hands 6’2” Foothills Christian
Jalen Hill 6’9” Corona Centennial (UCLA commit)
Ira Lee 6’7” Sierra Canyon
Remy Martin 5’11” Sierra Canyon
Brandon McCoy 6’11” Morse
Cody Riley 6’8” Sierra Canyon
Earnie Sears 6’4” Bishop Alemany
Jordan Schakel 6’6” Bishop Montgomery
Ethan Thompson 6’3” Bishop Montgomery
Ryse Williams 6’2” Redondo Union

Championships, points scored, et al pales in comparison to what's really important

From Timothy Sailsbery, father of Jud:

"I wanted to make you aware that there were 3 additional signings from Butte College in addition to Arthur Caldwell (Cal St-Dominguez Hills).

Matt McGregor (University of Great Falls-Montana), Connor Morningstar (Clarke University-Iowa) and Jud Sailsbery (Clarke University-Iowa) all signed during the spring or early summer. 

As a parent of one of the young men, I do want to express how grateful my wife and I are to Coach Russ Critchfield and the entire Athletic Department at Butte College. Coach Critchfield truly not only coaches basketball players, he also coaches them to be responsible young men as well. AD Craig Rigsbee runs a first-class operation in terms of academic support, dedicated academic advising, athletic training/sports medicine, etc. If a young man or women wants to be successful not only in competition, but also in the classroom, the staff at Butte College ensures that the resources are available to achieve that success. 

The Athletic Programs at Butte College have our highest recommendation and endorsement."