Chance McMillian has called it. The 6-foot-3 guard is at Golden State Prep this season after earning Tri-County Most Valuable Player honors at Bethel High in 2018-19.

Bryce Monroe goes with Sam Houston State. The 5-foot-11 backcourter is a senior at Archbishop Riordan this season.

“Jeremy Lin’s 40-point debut with Beijing Ducks only proves he still belongs in the NBA” Jasmyn Wimbish

CBU Basketball: CoachCroy talks about the team as a whole and touches on senior De’jon Davis being one of the leaders on the team this year.”

Davis is a 6-foot-7 senior out of Oakland Tech who nearly averaged a double-double with 10.3 points plus 9.2 boards last season for California Baptist, a member of the Western Athletic Conference.

“WCC Basketball Coaches Rank the Best Jobs in the Conference” Jeff Goodman

The anomaly of Moraga:

“Where they lose: “Location is tough, and the gym is not very good. The first time I walked in I was like, ‘Holy smoke, we’re playing here?’” – WCC assistant

versus

Where they win: “They really support basketball. It’s a basketball school, and they have bought into that.” – WCC head coach

“Zach Copeland likes the energy and competitiveness Illinois State’s basketball team bringing” Jim Benson

Aztec Men’s Basketball: “Xavier Thames scored 1,232 points in three seasons as an Aztec and ranks 14th on the all-time scoring list. He led the team to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and will be inducted into the SDSU Hall of Fame this weekend”

Didn’t know that Jerry Brown, out of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, Fresno State and Santa Clara, is an assistant coach at San Diego.

“Legendary Bishop O’ Dowd basketball coach Mike Phelps dies”

“High school coach Mike Phelps remembered for helping others” Mitch Stephens

“Kings signing Hollis Thompson, waive Eric Mika, Isaiah Pineiro“ Nicola Lupo

“Marquese Chriss reportedly open to sign a two-way deal with the Golden State Warriors” Ennio Terrasi Borghesan

and

“Steve Kerr on Marquese Chriss: He’s got more skill as a passer and screener than I realized” Dario Skerletic

Missed this from earlier (May): “Talili (Kimball High) Leaea and Quinn (Beat Creek High) Ryan) Ryan are both scholarship bound for the Monterey Peninsula College men’s basketball team.

Leaea and his state leading 71 percent field goal percentage will play at San Diego Christian while Ryan is headed next winter to Randall University.

A Coast Conference second team selection last season, Leaea shot 71.7 percent from the field for the Lobos, averaging 16.8 points and 9.3 rebounds.

He was fourth in the conference in rebounds and eighth in scoring.

Ryan averaged 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds last winter for MPC, hitting 34 percent from the 3-point line.” John Devine

William Jessup athletics: “Jessup_MBB named No. 9 in SSyearbooks NAIA Preseason Top 10 and returners Isaiah Milan & Luis Medearis named to the Preseason NAIA All-American Honorable Mention team”

Northern California-connected talents on the 2019-20 WJ roster:

• Matt Lyon G 6-0 185 Jr. Sacramento, CA/Folsom Lake College
• Jourdan Johnson G 5-10 160 Sr. Castro Valley, CA/Stanislaus State
• Tarren Storey-Way W 6-5 190 Jr. Aurora, CO/Lassen College
• Jaylen Johnson W 6-6 180 So. Fresno, CA/Clovis East HS
• David McCants W 6-4 195 So. Oakley, CA/Freedom HS
• Wilson LaShells F 6-7 200 Sr. Danville, CA/Monte Vista HS

Bill Mellis: “Congrats to our freshman Courtney Anderson Jr. for being 1 of only 5 freshmen in the country invited to attend the USA Men’s Basketball October Minicamp in Colorado Springs.”

“Napa Valley College Men’s Basketball Team Preparing for 2019-2020 Season” Marty James

“Parents can be sued for false claims against high school coaches, Minnesota high court rules” Rochelle Olson

State of Minnesota centric but still an interesting development.

“WHAT MAKES PATRICK BEVERLEY TICK
The NBA’s ultimate pest is hungrier than ever heading into a season that could be the culmination of a life and career of willing his way to success” Mirin Fader

You can go far as a defender, even prosper in the NBA. Really uplifting story here—don’t skip it.

“Colin Kaepernick’s Team Dispels False Narrative With Facts” Michael Harriott

Some NFL team owners are choosing to let their teams be less competitive because of a reality they refuse to acknowledge and such should cause many fans to question their allegiances.

“NBA exec: ‘It’s the dirty little secret that everybody knows about'” Baxter Holmes

“…Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum began taking naps in high school and seeking nine hours of sleep a night…”

With an unimpressive 2019-20 signing class thus far (two commits who will require a couple of seasons of development in order to see playing time), San Jose State University is picked to finish last in 2019-20 by the Mountain West Conference media:

• 1. Utah State (17) 187
• 2. SDSU 150
• 3. New Mexico 141
• 4. Nevada 135
• 5. Boise State 128
• 6. Fresno State 103
• 7. UNLV 89
• 8. Air Force 76
• 9. Colorado State 59
• 10. Wyoming 36
• 11. San Jose State 17

No Spartan was selected for any individual player honors. SJSU has finished 8-53 overall, 2-34 in league play in the last two seasons.

When Vanden High’s Teiano Hardee returned home from his official visit to Sacramento State in the first week of October, he called Coach Brian Katz and the Hornet staff a day later to let them know of his commitment and then waited another 24 hours to post his decision on social media. The public announcement coincided with his birthday, allowing Hardee to bestow a hard-earned gift, a D1 scholarship, on himself.

But the Hornets are also receiving quite the dividend as the Vanden High Varsity Offensive Player of the Year averaged 22 points and eight boards a game, alongside 78 treys. Hardee posted a pair of 40 plus points games (43 points soon followed by 42 points) as well as four 30 plus points contests.

Rationale

The reasons for his choice are multiple. “They (Sacramento State) showed me the most love and I had the most communication with them” Hardee explained. Assistant Coach Chris Walker made the initial outreach to Hardee and Katz and Company were prolific in their evaluating: “they came to games and practices and watched a lot of my film. They liked my versatility.”

“I also committed to Sacramento State because I wanted to be a part of the brotherhood the players showed and the coaches preached and I want to be the first to lead them to a NCAA tournament appearance and make a run to win it. Just being on the team that was the first to ever do it while making a name for Sacramento State and myself as well are my goals.”

Additionally, location was a favorable factor for the Hornets. “My family and friends can come and see me play,” Hardee said.

On the first day of his official trip to the state capital, the 6-foot-5 talent toured the campus, watched a hoops practice and then later spent time with some of the players in their dorms. Day two involved attendance at a volleyball game, then a football game (a 48-27 victory over Eastern Washington) plus “they broke down what they liked about my game and what they could offer. I felt no pressure.” Hardee left with an offer.

He’s unsure of a college major at this point but “if basketball doesn’t workout whether that is playing in the NBA or playing professionally overseas, then I’ll pursue a firefighting career after college.”

Gratitude

“I want to thank my Mom and Dad for all the sacrifices they made and my sister because I looked up to her growing up and she inspired me to play basketball.” Taimane Lesa-Hardee is a 5-foot-7 sophomore guard who averaged 9.3 points per game last season at San Francisco State.

Hardee also expressed appreciation to “(Vanden High) Coach Micheal Holloway, my big brother Brandon Davis, Coach Jon McCall and (from Team Lillard) Coach Raymond (Young), Coach Phil (Taylor) and Coach TJ (Taylor) for giving me the opportunity to play for their program and developing me as a player physically and especially mentally, and Damian Lillard himself.”

Vanden finished 20-9 overall, 8-2 last season in Monticello Empire League play. As for the upcoming season, Hardee said, “we should be good this year. We have a lot of upside but we’re young with just two seniors.” As a captain and one of the four-year players, Hardee will be providing leadership to his neophyte teammates in addition to his prolific numbers.

“2019 City College is STACKED Again!! Featuring Pac-12 Transfer Miles Norris, Kyree Brown and More!”

Verbal Commits: “2020 City College of San Francisco (CA) F Quincy Urbina has committed to GCU.”

Here’s an Urbina recruiting article from a month ago. The 6-foot-6 sophomore wing changed his mind about the timing of his committing.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Eastern Florida State (FL) F Jonathan Ned has committed to Georgia.”

The 6-foot-9, 200 Ned is a sophomore out of Heritage High.

Team Lillard B-Ball: “Congrats to 2020 Teiano Hardee on his commitment to Sacramento State!”

The 6-foot-5 wing is out of Vanden High.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Bishop O’Dowd (CA) F Monty Bowser has committed to California.”

Bowser is a 6-foot-6 wing out of Bishop O’Dowd.

Verbal Commits: “San Francisco and South Alabama offered 2020 Surge Christian (FL) G Antwan Burnett.”

He’s a 6-foot-6 shooting guard with existing offers from Auburn and South Florida.

Tha Grind: “2020 Howard College (TX) Eric Reed Jr. has been offered by Academy of Art University”

Reed is a 6-foot-2 guard out of Louisiana.

“Here’s Coach Todd Franklin’s Simpson University 2019-20 Men’s Basketball Roster”

“The Real L.A. Stories of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
Both members of the Clippers’ star duo were shaped by their hometowns—Leonard’s Moreno Valley and George’s Palmdale. And the people who knew them way back when have plenty of stories about how their ascension came to be.”
Pablo Uggetti

Love these type of what-makes-them-tick background stories.

Verbal Commits D2: “2020 College of the Sequoias (CA) F Savion Johnson has received an offer from Notre Dame de Namur.”

Johnson is a 6-foot-6 forward out of Hanford West High.

Matt Logie: “Congrats to WhitworthMBB alum Kyle_Roach03 on his strong start in professional hoops! Averaging 34ppg during 2-1 start!!”

Out of Marin Academy, Kyle Roach is playing with the Vejen Basketball Klub in Denmark.

“On Saturday, October 5, Sacramento High School was host to Simply Basketball’s Elite 8 Fall Preview and featured some of the top players in what I like to refer to as “Inland NorCal” or the greater Sacramento Area. The event featured 11 teams from the cities of Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto and Elk Grove in a 1-day bracket play format. Below is a list of the Top Performers, based on my personal evaluations” — Paul Hernandez.

“2021 6’1 Corey Yerger (Grant Union HS): Yerger may have had the performance of the day in his teams 1st game of the tournament. His squad was down by 15+ early before Corey led the comeback pursuit (but falling short) showing off his full offensive arsenal, which was punctuated by a big time put-back dunk. Yerger is one of the top guards in NorCal and his stock is rising. Corey has solid handles, impacts the game on and off the ball, sees the floor well, really good rebounder, uses screens very well and has the ability to take his defender off the dribble and attack the lane or pull up and hit from deep efficiently. Tough minded player that seems to thrive as the game gets more physical. Yerger has just as much of an impact on defense, great in traps, quick hands to rip the ball and turn defense to offense quickly…”

Head here for much more.

It’s always interesting to see the community college choices made by high schoolers as well as which talents have transferred to a JC or taken up a new JC residence:

• 6-foot-8 freshman Dillon (Calaveras High) Autrey is at San Joaquin Delta College. He played in just two games at Cal State Monterey Bay last season.
• 6-foot-2 freshman Ben (Berkeley High) Baker is at West Valley College.
• 6-foot-3 freshman Jamario (El Cerrito High) Bibb is at Allan Hancock College.
• 5-foot-10 freshman Decaurey (Newark Memorial High) Brown is at San Jose City College. He played ion four games at Las Positas College last season.
• 6-foot-6 sophomore Jalen (DeAnza High) Chandler is at College of Marin. His father, Marquin (San Jose State University) Chandler, played professionally 10 years overseas.
• 6-foot-6 freshman Amil (Moreau Catholic) Fields is at College of the Sequoias.
• 5-foot-10 freshman Walter (Lick Wilmerding) Lum is at Skyline College.
• 6-foot-3 sophomore Andrew (Freedom High) Mork is back from Metro State after a redshirt season followed by playing in 16 games in 2018-19 and at Las Positas College.
• 6-foot-2 freshman  Travon (Freedom High) O’Neal is at College of San Mateo.
• 6-foot sophomore Kobe (Monterey High) Ordonio and 6-foot-3 freshman Tahjae (Monterey High) Ordonio are back together at Gavilan College.
• 6-foot-5 freshman Adam Ponderosa High) Orr is back from Metro State and at Cosumnes River College.
• 6-foot-8 freshman Skylar (Dublin High) Robinson is at Chabot College.
• 6-foot-3 Damon Stoudamire Jr. is a sophomore at San Joaquin Delta College.
• Additionally, CCSF has 6-foot-10 sophomore Miles Norris, an Oregon transfer plus  5-foot-10 freshman Darrion (St. Ignatius) Trammell and 6-foot freshman Kyree (Berkeley High) Brown as newcomers at the point.
• Plus, Porterville College can boast of 7-foot-1 Elijah Height.

Continuing our series on San Jose State University hoops, here’s an update on our earlier article “Is SJSU’s Season And Recruiting Class Do-Or-Die?” The highlighted and italicized portions below are the status changes in Spartan Coach Jean Prioleau’s 2020 recruiting targets. Special thanks to Verbal Commits for most of the following recruiting information.

• 2020 point guard Madit Lueth 6-foot-2 attending a Kentucky high school, out of Canada and the Sudan (offers also from UC Riverside, Long Beach State, UC Davis and South Dakota)
• 2020 sophomore point guard Dom London 6-foot Harcum College, PA (has 11 other offers) not listed as an SJSU target by Verbal Commits but is in this article) Committed to Florida Gulf Coast on August 6.
• 2020 shooting guard Alec Oglesby 6-foot-5 Georgia, with an official visit to SJSU on September 5-7, (offers also from UC Riverside, DePaul, Wisconsin Milwaukee visited September 12-14, South Florida, North Florida, Yale, Cleveland State, Air Force) Committed to Cleveland State on September 1.
• 2020 shooting guard Sebastian Mendoza 6-foot-4 Hillcrest High, AZ (out of Riverside, CA), took official visit to SJSU on August 30 (offers also from Tulane, UC Riverside, Cal Poly).  Mendoza committed to SJSU on September 4. Here is some workout video.
• 2020 shooting guard Dominique Clifford 6-foot-4 attends a charter school in Colorado, 10 official offers, current preferences are Wyoming, Colorado State and Colorado. Verbally committed to Colorado on July 20.
• 2020 shooting guard Javonte Johnson 6-foot-5 Colorado Springs, CO high school, seven official offers. Eric Bossi recently wrote: “Why Johnson isn’t being recruited more heavily on the West Coast and in the Midwest is a bit of a mystery. He’s a long and lanky wing with some pop in his legs, a more than passable jump shot and he finds ways to put the ball in the hoop. He’s got some filling out to do but has plenty of natural ability. Recruitment: Visited New Mexico officially in June while Cal-State Fullerton, Denver, Loyola Marymount, Montana, Northern Colorado and San Jose State have offered.” Utah Valley is a new offer.
• 2020 freshman shooting guard Jacob Tracey 6-foot-4 Daytona State College, FL (offers also from Fresno State, East Carolina, Bryant, Buffalo and Nevada) Illinois State is a new offer.
• 2020 sophomore shooting guard Vincent Cole 6-foot-6 USC Salkehatchie, out of South Carolina (offers also from Buffalo, Akron and St. John’s) Committed to St. John’s on July 30.
• 2020 power forward Osayi Osifo 6-foot-8 out of Texas, attending Eastern Florida State College, 10 official offers of the low major variety. Committed to Florida on September 19.
• 2020 center Hugo Clarkin 6-foot-10, 200 out of the UK, playing in So Cal at JSerra High, also has an offer from Hawaii. Committed to SJSU on July 15. Here’s a very brief video. Here’s a September 2017 feature.
• 2020 center Jhaylon Martinez 6-foot-11 out of Vanden High in Fairfield but now attending a Las Vegas high school. Committed to UNLV on April 3.
• 2020 center Bradley Ezewiro 6-foot-8 out of Long Beach area but playing at a Virginia prep academy, possesses high major offers. SJSU is no longer listed on Verbal Commits as offering.

Both prepsters Sebastian Mendoza and the lefty Hugo Clarkin will need time in order to make an impact on the court for the Spartans. The former has excellent size for the backcourt but Clarkin will need to add 30 or so pounds before having a college-ready body.

Landing Javonte Johnson would be a blessing but edging out fellow Mountain West Conference member New Mexico or some of the other suitors will be a near Sisyphean effort.

Right now, no immediate help is on its way to SJSU and one scholarship remains undistributed.

If time travel existed, what a sight it would be to witness Jamoni Barber and the Biblical character Job swap stories of woe and perseverance although the former’s topsy-turvy experiences were not inflicted by any personification of evil while he attended various East Bay community colleges in the ultimate pursuit of a college basketball scholarship.

Barber’s Journey

Irony abounds because, according to Barber, “I didn’t talk to any JUCOs coming out of high school.” Upon graduating from Castro Valley High in 2013, he was set to attend Sacramento State and hoop as a walk-on. But family issues intervened and Barber subsequently enrolled at San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC) in Stockton. That move also “didn’t work out because I had to help take care of my grandfather” who resided in the Bay Area.

Settling in closer to home, Barber enrolled at College of Alameda (CoA) only to fracture his thumb in the first semester. of the 2014-15 season. “I tried to play through it but a doctor confirmed my injury and I stopped.”

At this point, Barber was at his nadir. “I almost stopped playing basketball, thinking that maybe it was meant for me not to hoop and that I should focus on something other than ball.” He went to work at the Nike outlet in San Leandro.

But the lure of the roundball is a persistent siren song, one not easily ignored.  Barber then signed up to play at West Valley College in Saratoga. “But I left West Valley after a few semesters because I wanted to play but couldn’t get on the floor” due to eligibility issues emanating from his earlier tenures at SJDC and CoA.

Eventually he began talking with the interim coach at Chabot College. “I came up there and worked out and he was interested in having me play there.” But a pair of poor seasons resulted in the coach being let go before Barber could play in Hayward.

The Merritt Lifeline

Almost on a lark “I emailed the AD at Merritt (College) and he emailed me back” as Merritt was in the process of hiring a men’s basketball coach. “I had a grandfather who lives near Merritt and I figured I could get an A.A. even without playing.” Derrick Jones, the longtime Diablo Valley College associate head coach, was named to the position in early August 2018 and Barber reached out to let Jones know “I would love to come and play for you.”

“He let me know that tryouts were being held on August 23 and 1:30 p.m,” two weeks hence. On what proved to be a fateful day, “I found myself sitting outside the gym, not sure about going in.” Barber eventually did enter alongside about 19 others. “I played well, I must have gotten hot.”

He made the team and prospered—”I worked my way out of the redshirt group.” So much so, Barber averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 41%, 35% and 79% respectively as a 5-foot-11 sophomore for the Thunderbirds. Merritt finished 11-5 in Bay Valley Conference action, 17-12 overall.

Barber also posted 3.6 and 3.5 grade point averages during his time in the Oakland Hills. The result? “I had some initial D3 and NAIA offers” and he decided on the University of St. Katherine, an NAIA school down in southern California.

However, Barber was left unaffiliated when that offer was later pulled over some confusion regarding a social media post. The timing was disastrous with it being so was late in the recruiting period.

Then, “My godmother, who is a D1`coach at Niagara, reached out to (Post University, a D2 school) Coach (Mark) Kuntz and he offered. I arrived (in Waterbury, Connecticut) three or four days before school began.”

What will Barber bring to the Eagles? “I’m a pretty good defender, a good floor spacer and I make plays for my teammates.” A psychology major, he’ll be a combo guard. “I’d like to go into coaching because I want to connect with my players on a different level.”

No, Barber didn’t suffer sores from head to toe, lose his donkeys, camels, sheep and oxen or suffer multiple close family losses. But he easily could have surrendered to his own lengthy adversities. Instead he dug in, tenaciously battled and now he’s on scholarship, playing four-year basketball and working towards a college degree.

2019 CCSF NorCal JUCO Jamboree

“City College of San Francisco is hosting its annual NorCal Jamboree this weekend with games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10 for an adults and $5 children under 10. Parking at CCSF is $5 and is checked daily, so please make sure to purchase a parking pass. Games begin at 9 am on each of the three courts.”

Saturday schedule

Sunday schedule

Prolific Prep of Napa Christian 2019-2020 Roster

• #0 Jordan Pope 2022 6’1 Combo Oakley, CA
• #2 Fallou Cisse 2021 6’7 PF Thies, Senegal
• #3 Mawot Mag 2020 6’7 Wing Melbourne, Australia
• #4 Jalen Green 2020 6’6 Guard Fresno, CA
• #5 Saba Gigiberia 2020 7’1 Center Tbilisi, Georgia
• #11 Jaden Jones 2021 6’7 Wing Dallas, TX
• #13 Frank Anselem 2021 6’10 PF Lagos, Nigeria
• #25 Nimari Burnett 2020 6’4 Guard Chicago, IL
• #30 Jack Wetzel 2020 6’4 2G Marion, Iowa
• #33 Coleman Hawkins 2020 6’10 PF Antelope, CA
• #34 Pierre Geneste 2023 6’11 SF Port-Au Prince, Haiti
• #35 Mike Sharavjamts 2022 6’7 SG Ulaanbataar, Mongolia

Mag just received offers from Rutgers and Cal State Fullerton.

Head Coach: Joey Fuca (1st Year)
Asst. Coaches: Jon McCall, Anthony Gonzalez, Preston Paulson

Schedule

• Saturday Nov. 2nd Tip-Off Napa Valley College 6pm
• Sunday Nov. 3rd Tip-Off Napa Valley College 3pm
• Friday Nov. 8th Veterans Napa Valley College 7pm
• Saturday Nov. 9th Veterans Napa Valley College 6pm
• Friday Nov. 15th Midwest Dual** Word of God Oak Creek Sr. HS (WI) 6pm
• Saturday Nov. 16th Midwest Dual** Minnesota Prep Oak Creek Sr. HS (WI) 6pm
• Friday Nov. 21st Dual in the Desert* (Quarter-Finals) Scottsdale Com. Col. 6pm
• Friday Nov. 22nd Dual in the Desert* (Semi-Finals) Scottsdale Com. Col. 6pm
• Saturday Nov. 23rd Dual in the Desert* (Finals) Scottsdale Com. Col. 6pm
• Friday Nov. 29th Thanksgiving Hoopfest Duncanville, TX 6pm
• Saturday Nov. 30th Thanksgiving Hoopfest Duncanville, TX 4pm
• Thursday Dec. 5th Hoop Hall West (ESPN2) Hillcrest Prep Chaparral HS (AZ) 6pm
• Friday Dec. 6th Our Savior Lutheran Marshall County HS (KY) 6:30pm
• Saturday Dec. 7th Orangeville Prep Marshall County HS (KY) 6:30pm
• Saturday Dec. 14th CIBA – Battle in the Bay Las Positas Comm. College 3pm
• Friday Dec. 20th-23rd Chick Fil-A-Classic Richland Northeast HS (SC)
• Friday Jan. 3rd TBA* McCracken County HS (KY) 6pm
• Saturday Jan. 4th Wesleyan Christian * McCracken County HS (KY) 6pm
• Friday Jan. 17th Huntington Prep Kettering HS (OH) 5pm
• Sunday Jan. 19th La Lumiere (ESPNU) Springfield HS (MA) 7pm
• Friday Jan. 24th Crush in the Valley * Bella Vista Col. Prep (AZ) Solano College 8pm
• Saturday Jan. 25th Crush in the Valley * Dream City Christian (AZ) Solano College 6:45pm
• Sunday Jan. 26th Crush in the Valley * Trinity Prep (NV) Solano College 3:30pm
• Friday Jan. 31st Mid-South Classic** Briarcrest Christian East Memphis, TN 5pm
• Saturday Feb. 1st Mid-South Classic** Marion HS Marion, AK 5pm
• Friday Feb. 7th Battle in the South * Atlanta (GA) TBA
• Saturday Feb. 8th Battle in the South * Atlanta (GA) TBA
• Saturday Feb. 15th President’s Bash * Bowling Green (KY) TBA
• Sunday Feb. 16th President’s Bash * Bowling Green (KY) TBA
• Saturday Feb. 22nd Crush II – Senior Night * Napa Valley College 6pm
• Sunday Feb. 23rd Crush II * Napa Valley College 4pm
• Saturday Feb. 29th CIBA (Makur Maker) Cerritos College 2pm
• Sunday Mar. 1st Alaina’s Voice Gun Violence Awareness Napa Valley College 3pm
• Thurs.-Sun. Mar. 5th-8th Grind Session Championship Marshall County HS (KY) TBA
• Thur.-Sat. Mar. 26th-28th Geico National Champ. Christ the King HS (NY) TBA

College of the Sequoias Men’s Basketball: “Four-year programs check out the roster below. Length and athleticism. Good young men who can play the game. A number of SO who are graduating and several FR qualifiers.”

• Milton Burnett Guard Freshman 6’0 175 Fresno / Bullard
• Ryan Johnson Guard/Forward Freshman 6’5 200 Hanford / Hanford
• Tiyon Martin Guard Sophomore 5’9 160 Pasadena / John Muir
• Dewayne Holmes Guard Sophomore 5’9 160 Riverside / Temecula Valley
• Carlos Allen Guard Freshman 6’4 185 Atlanta / Clark (NV)
• Garrett Shelton Guard/Forward Sophomore 6’5 185 Houston / North Shore
• Savion Johnson Forward Sophomore 6’6 205 Hanford / Hanford
• Juelein Fox Guard/Forward Freshman 6’5 165 Lemoore / Lemoore
• Amil Fields Forward Freshman 6’6 195 Hayward / Moreau Catholic
• Tiveon Stroud Forward/Center Freshman 6’7 215 Selma / Selma
• Ayo Aderoboye Forward Freshman 6’7 175 Lagos / Woodside Priory (CA)
• Lamine Ndione Forward Freshman 6’8 220 Dakar / Stoke on Trent
• Elihu Cobb Forward/Center Sophomore 6’7 195 Santa Maria / Saint Joseph

“Coleman Hawkins commits to Illinois” Adam Zagoria

West Coast Elite: “Congratulations to Carter Mahaney 2020 (Campolindo) on his commitment to Northern Arizona! Proud of you Carter & excited for this next stage in your journey.”

“Jabe Mullins, 2020 4-star Mount Si guard, commits to Saint Mary’s College over Oregon State basketball” Andy Buhler

One of the reasons the Gaels stay on top is by out-recruiting teams in higher-ranked conferences. Mullins is a 6-foot-5 guard out of Washington.

“Warriors sign former NBA lottery pick from Sacramento
Ex-Suns rookie flameout Marquese Chriss gets a chance to make Warriors roster” John Becker

JUCO Recruiting on the top talents witnessed at last weekend’s SoCal JUCO Jamboree in southern California:

“Michael Hayes (6’4 Wing, Las Positas College) – Pictured above, Hayes was impressive all weekend making athletic plays all over the court. The lefty wing was always in attack mode and was one of better rebounders. As a freshman last season, Hayes averaged 23.7 ppg and 9.7 rpg.”

“Gators Round Out 2019-20 Class” San Francisco State athletics

Three of the five newcomers have Bay Area ties.

“Kansas, Bill Self are ready for long, drawn out fight with NCAA” Rob Dauster

“Seven NBA Players Primed to Take the Leap and Bring Their Teams With Them” Kevin O’Connor

“Aaron Gordon, Orlando Magic

Fitting in has never been a challenge for Gordon. He’s 6-foot-9, beefy, and agile, giving him excellent multipositional defensive versatility.

Gordon hasn’t earned accolades for his defense, but he can be tasked with defending stars of all shapes and sizes, as well as skill levels—from James Harden to Kawhi Leonard. On offense, Gordon also has versatility: He can handle the ball on the perimeter and run pick-and-roll, and he’s transformed into a reliable spot-up shooter. Gordon shot 30.4 percent on catch-and-shoot 3s over his first three seasons, compared with 37.8 percent over the past two. He can mimic Draymond Green by setting screens, rolling, and playmaking. But the Magic didn’t pick Gordon fourth in 2014 to fit in; he needs to stand out.

Gordon can produce in different offensive roles, which is valuable, but in five NBA seasons—with five different head coaches—he hasn’t shone in any one of them. This summer was the first time both his head coach and front office remained in place, and Magic head coach Steve Clifford’s goal for Gordon was clear. Gordon’s trainer, Packie Turner, told me over the phone that Clifford wants Gordon to become a true post threat. Though the post-up has faded in the modern NBA, it remains a valuable tool if used as a playmaking hub, like it is for the Pistons with Blake Griffin, or as a place to destroy a switch like the Magic want for Gordon…”

More (requires scrolling down)

USF Men’s Basketball: “…(Frankie) Ferrari ’18 made his regular season debut Wednesday with his club and helped guide his squad to a 79-69 win over visiting Unicaja Málaga. Ferrari shined in the win, scoring a game-high 25 points while dishing out 10 assists. Ferrari was deadly from behind the arc, going 7 for 11 from 3-point range…”

“ROCKETS, RYAN ANDERSON AGREE TO PARTIALLY GUARANTEED DEAL” Austin Kent

He’s out of Oak Ridge High and California.

“Hans de Lannoy battling cancer, to be inducted into San Ramon Valley Athletic Hall of Fame” Kristin J. Bender

Mario Gomez/CCSF Assistant Coach: “Attn 4 year College Coaches. 2019 NorCal Juco Jamboree schedule. Please dm or email (mgomez@ccsf.edu) for packet/daily admissions info.”

Here’s the Gerry Freitas/Hoops Review Report on the 2019 Bay Area Competition Clinic.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Dublin (CA) G Robby Beasley has committed to Montana.”

When will a Nor Cal D1 AD wise up and bring in Travis DeCuire plus Chris Cobb to turn a program around?

Plus: Former Campolindo High talent Hunter Clarke is also headed to Missoula.

Mitchell Saxen:

Nevada, Grand Canyon, Pepperdine, Montana  and San Diego also offered the 6-foot-10, 200 Saxen who is out of Seattle.

A 2018 feature.

Out of Colorado, 6-foot-7 Caleb McGill has given a verbal to UC Davis. He also held offers from Northern Colorado, Denver and Air Force.

Team Rampage: “Sterlen Thomas is now ready to compete at the 4 year level‼️ started off at Solano JC and has now moved on to Quincy University‼️ you can’t cheat the grind”

Thomas is 6-foot-4 and out of Vacaville High. He averaged 12,9 points, 5.2 boards and 2.6 assists as a Solano sophomore. QU is located in Illinois.

Adrian Wojnarowski: “Free agent G Isaiah Taylor has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with Toronto, league sources tell ESPN. Taylor has played previously with Atlanta and Houston.”

He’s out of Hayward.

“Gaskin excited to be a Griz after taking the long road to Missoula” Montana athletics

Verbal Commits: “2020 Bishop O’Dowd (CA) F Monty Bowser has received an offer from Mercer.”

San Diego, too.

Bowser is a 6-foot-6 wing with 12 mid-level offers now.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Clackamas CC (OR) G Robert Ford III has received an offer from Pacific.”

“High School Recruiting Help: Assisting Athletes In Taking Their Shot” Mike Wood

From Andy Patton’s “WCC Basketball: Breakout candidates from each team for 2019-20”

Jamaree Bouyea, USF

Matthias Tass, St. Mary’s

“Virginia’s Bennett rejects raise in new deal” ESPN

“… I have more than enough …” is not an oft-used phrase. Kudos to Bennett.

“Former Arizona assistant coach said he paid $40K to high school coach to ensure player’s academic eligibility” Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel

“Steve Nash is still trying to distribute, still trying to collaborate, still trying to figure out his basketball afterlife” Bruce Arthur

“The untold story of wrestler Andrew Johnson’s dreadlocks
How the high school athlete endured his infamous haircut” Jesse Washington

The development of the Keystone Oil Pipeline coming out of Canada and down through the heartland of America, including the state of Montana, has provoked all sorts of controversy and contention. In contrast, Montana Head Coach Travis DeCuire and Associate Head Coach Chris Cobb have quietly created their own conduit in just five short years, this a basketball one connecting the Bay Area to Missoula in the Big Sky State.

The result? No disagreement or protesting, just a bountiful signing harvest and winning hoops buoyed by such talents as Sayeed Pridgett, Timmy Falls, Michael Steadman, Naseem Gaskin, Hunter Clarke and the latest, Robby Beasley, choosing to head north and east.

The Attractions for the 2020 Beasley

They were multiple propelling his commitment according to the 6-foot-2 Beasley, “I liked the campus, the guys, the coaching staff and the community and I could see myself there for four years. I wanted to play D1, be part of a winning culture and participate in March Madness. Montana offered all that–my plan is to come in and help them win.” The Griz are 109-58 overall, 71-22 in Big Sky Conference action during DeCuire’s five -year tenure producing a pair of Big Dance appearances (the last two seasons) plus entry in the NIT and CBI tournaments alongside participating four times in the Big Sky tournament championship game.

Also, Montana averaged 4,234 fans per game in attendance last season, second in the conference, demonstrating Missoula’s embrace of men’s basketball.

The genesis of Beasley’s connection to Montana began early. “I have a three-year relationship with Coach Cobb, my main recruiter, beginning with us talking during an open gym. We spoke about what they were seeing then and what development they expected.” Thus began what proved to be a mutually fruitful kinship.

Other factors working in favor of the Griz included Beasley’s familiarity with some of the existing Montana players. Beasley and Falls won an East Bay Athletic League championship together at Dublin High back in 2016-17 and, while never matching up with Naseem Gaskin when the latter was at Bishop O’Dowd, the two are familiar with each other. Alluding to both high school and travel team play, Beasley explained, “I’ve played with or against a lot of the guys, even some from southern California.” He also is a former AAU teammate of fellow commit Hunter Clarke.

Plus with four of the Montana coaching staff having Bay Area ties (DeCuire as associate head coach at California, Cobb as assistant coach at Chico State and San Francisco State as well as playing at Menlo College and Bishop O’Dowd, Jay Flores both assisting and playing at Chico State, playing at Sonoma State and prepping at Jesuit High, and Zach Payne playing at both Diablo Valley College and De La Salle), the quartet is more than familiar with Bay Area culture and the differences any of their recruits may experience upon entry to the Big Sky State.

What’s Next for Beasley

Beasley will initially be a point. “They (McCuire and his staff) like versatile players so I’ll primarily play the one as a freshman but also play off the ball and come off screens as a two.” He took an official visit earlier in this month. Looking to major in business and entrepreneurship, he met with “my academic advisor and other people on the college side. It was very helpful.”

But first comes Beasley’s senior season at his new school, Dougherty Valley High (DVH) in San Ramon. A First Team All-Bay Area News Group honoree as a Dublin High junior, he averaged 17.3 points, 4.7 boards and 2.8 assists. The team finished 25-6, 12-1 but a recent family move took him into a different school district. “We will definitely be competitive with a lot of guards and three-point shooters,” Beasley offered. “We’ll get up-and-down the court and press because we’ll be a bit low on size.” He’ll be joined by his brother, already heralded 2023 prospect Ryan Beasley. DVH concluded last season 19-9, 7-6.

Below is the Fresno City College men’s basketball Fall roster: the Rams always seem to annually make their way into the state Final Four.

• Mohammed Adam G 6-2 Fr. Monterey, Calif./Monterey
• Ronald Agebsar G/F 6-5 So. Sacramento, Calif./Sheldon
• Bryce Barton F 6-4 Fr. Fresno, Calif./Clovis East
• Jaydan Bray-Williams G 6-2 Fr. Lemoore, Calif./Lemoore
• Keshawn Bruner G 6-3 So. Sacramento, Calif./Luther Burbank (Cal State East Bay)
• McKay Bundy G 6-4 Fr. Modesto, Calif./Fred C. Beyer
• Dominick Dancer G 6-0 Fr. Modesto, Calif./Fred C. Beyer
• Seth Dawson G 6-5 Fr. Antioch, Calif./Arizona Compass Prep (AZ)
• Chris Estrada G 6-1 Fr. Fresno, Calif./Bullard
• Eljay Gallegos G 5-9 So. Folsom, Calif./Folsom
• Isaiah Jones G 6-3 Fr. Sacramento, Calif./Woodstock Academy (CT)
• Kevin Kahriman F 6-9 So. Newark, Calif./Impact Academy (NV) (Marin CC)
• Richard Kawakami G 6-4 Fr. Santa Clarita, Calif./Valencia
• Marcus McCutchen G/F 6-6 Fr. Merced, Calif./El Capitan
• Daniel Rico G 6-5 So. Kerman, Calif./Kerman

Head Coach: Ed Madec
Assistant Coaches: Nicholas Podesta, Cole Morgan and Tyler Morgan

In this Three Man Weave list of the Top 100 college players, two from northern California make the cut:

“26. Jordan Ford, G
Perhaps the best-kept secret in college basketball, only those around Moraga, California, knew Ford had the chops to be a one-man-wrecking-crew. It’s quite simple really: contain this slippery assassin, and you have a chance. Don’t, and watch your heartbeat slowly flatline over the course of 40 minutes.”

“50. James Akinjo, PG
The ‘1A’ of Georgetown’s dynamic guard duo, Akinjo paces Patrick Ewing’s fast-break frenzy. ‘Efficiency’ is the key to his improvement, particularly as a finisher at the rim and in the mid-range.”

Joe Davidson: “Capital Christian administrators informed the boys basketball team that it has relieved varsity coach McCall Wollman. Cougars have been a regional power in recent years with multiple trips to the CIFState NorCal Open playoffs.”

“DeMarcus Nelson signs with Bayern Munich” Nicola Lupo

“Marcus Lee signs with Aris Thessaloniki” Nicola Lupo

“Juan Toscano-Anderson signs Exhibit 10 contract with Golden State Warriors” Dario Skerletic

Definition of an exhibit 10 contract.

Verbal Commits: “2020 JSerra Catholic (CA) C Hugo Clarkin has committed to San José State.”

He’s 6-foot-10, 200 and originally out of the UK. Here’s a 2017 feature.

“Al Attles reflects on his illustrious career ahead of Hall of Fame induction” Marc J. Spears

Spears can always be counted on to increase a reader’s knowledge about sports and its variety of participants. He is the most interesting sports read today (and yes, Dos Equis should hire him for their next commercial.)

Verbal Commits: “2020 Golden State Prep (CA) G Chance McMillian has received an offer from GCU.”

McMillian also has offers from Washington State, USF, St. Mary’s, Hawaii, Cal State Fullerton and Montana.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Impact Academy (FL) F Johan Crafoord has received an offer from San Francisco.”

Boston College, George Mason and Arkansas Little Rock.He’s 6-foot-9, 230 and out of Sweden with other offers from

Allan Brown: “Extremely exited to announce! 6’2 G Martis Johnson (Tis13_ ) has picked up his first offer from CoachWaterman and Dj_broome3 at the Academy Of the Arts University in San Francisco CA ARTUMBB this is the first of many for Martis as he enters his SO year LCCRedDevils”

College of the Sequoias: “COSMBB would like to welcome another local product to the Giants family! 6’7” athlete Tiveon Stroud (Selma HS – Selma, CA) will bring added length and versatility to the COS program for the next two years. Great addition!”

Merritt Coach Derrick Jones on his 2020s:

“7 class of 2020 juco players available:

• Adam Sindelar 6’7” F/C(3yrs)
• Jared Bailey 6’3” PG (2yrs)
• Brandynn Manning 6’3” G(2yrs)
• Luke Spiller 6’9” F/C (2yrs)
• Torian Parmalee 6’2” G (2yrs)
• Devin Pierce 6’2” G (2yrs)
• Mekhi Dees 6’2” G (3yrs)

“Coleman (Antelope High) Hawkins, the 6-foot-10 power forward from Prolific Prep (CA), trips to Illinois this weekend (Sept. 13) for his second official visit. Hawkins took an official visit to San Diego State last month (Aug. 30) and has an official visit planned to Marquette (Sept. 20).” Jacob Polacheck

“College Basketball Player Says Coach Kicked Him Off Team Because Of His Dreadlocks” Patrick Redford

“Unsung and untold: As Ryan Leaf enters Washington State’s Hall of Fame, tales from the QB’s prolific college career” Theo Lawson

Leaf is one of the clean and sober brigade who has actually turned his life around, rather than becoming a clean and sober individual who remained an axxhole. More

It isn’t the norm for a prospect to commit to a school and coach (heavy emphasis on the latter in this case) while still a junior. However, 2021 6-foot-2 Archbishop Mitty guard Mike Mitchell performed his due diligence, received unanimous ‘thumbs-up’ feedback from those in the know and then made the call recently to attend Pepperdine University and play for Coach Lorenzo Romar.

“I felt most at home when I visited there,” Mitchell recalled. “I loved Lorenzo Romar and the way he talks. He is a real genuine dude who develops point guards. I learned what I could do in their system and how my skills fit. Pepperdine plays a very uptempo, guard-oriented offense with a lot of on-ball screens.”

Among other research, Mitchell reached out to others for input: “I asked other guys who played college basketball and they told me Coach Romar was the most genuine coach.”

Mitchell added, “I talked this over with my family for a long time. I felt I had enough schools recruiting me and decided Pepperdine was the best fit.” Now he’s working on recruiting others to join him at Pepperdine.

The origin of the relationship began with conversations. “Coach Romar began talking a little to me and saw me play in the EYBL (the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League). I blew up when I played in the Section 7 camp in Arizona (in June).” Soon Pepperdine, USC, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State became official suitors. USF (Coach Kyle Smith) actually offered when Mitchell was a freshman. But on August 3, Mitchell announced for Romar and the Waves.

He’ll play the point for the Pepperdine. One factor in Mitchell’s decision is that a large number of backcourters entered the University of Washington program (where Romar previously coached) — Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Dejounte Murray, Tony Wroten, Terrence Ross, Andrew Andrews, Nigel Williams-Goss, C.J. Wilcox, Markelle Fultz, Abdul Gaddy, Scott Suggs and others — and went on to either play professionally in the National Basketball Association or abroad.

Additionally, the name Colbey Ross may not be a national one yet but he is the latest Romar protege. The 6-foot-1 junior averaged 19.4 points plus 7 assists (239 total) and 41 steals last season and is on his way towards becoming Pepperdine’s all-time leader in scoring and assists before his eligibility is completed. He earned 2018-19 All-WCC Men’s Basketball First Team honors but will have completed his eligibility by the time Mitchell appears on campus.

What does Mitchell see as his best skills? “My speed, my shot and creating for others.” Regarding leadership, “I’m quiet off the court but always talking with my teammates on the court” as a point needs to be.

Pepperdine is a member of the West Coast Conference and situated next to the Pacific Ocean in Malibu. Mitchell will be a business major.

But first comes two more seasons at Archbishop Mitty. Named a co-captain when just a sophomore, he and the Monarchs are the returning West Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAL) regular season champions on the basis of a 56-55 road win last February over Serra High. “We weren’t the pre-season favorite but we have a real tight bond and we’re scrappy.” WCAL Most Valuable Player Devan Sapp departed for an out-of-state school but 6-foot-6 Nigel Burris has transferred in from Stuart Hall plus 6-foot-2 guard Marcus Greene, a First Team All-WCAL selection, returns alongside Mitchell.

11

Here’s a look at the San Jose State University (SJSU) men’s basketball program and the prospective Spartan recruiting class for the upcoming November signing period.

SJSU posted 4-26 overall, 1-17 Mountain West Conference records followed by 4-27, 1-17 in the initial two seasons under former Colorado assistant Jean Prioleau, who signed a five-year contract when hired in August 2017. His pair of recruiting classes were not rated highly and such evaluations played out accordingly. Prioleau needs a successful season three (qualified as finishing ‘around’ .500 overall and in league) not only to retain his job but in order for the program to be attractive enough to lure a more promising batch of Spartan recruits than populated his earlier efforts.

Verbal Commits has SJSU with three available 2020 scholarships — 6-foot-2 guard Brae Ivy, 6-foot-5 guard Isaiah Nichols and 6-foot-8 forward Craig Lecesne will have completed their eligibility in 2020 — but that number is subject to change if any current players decide to transfer, an element endemic to SJSU hoops.

Below is a positional list of the 2020 recruiting prospects associated with SJSU according to Verbal Commits and other media, plus pertinent information:

• 2021 point guard Cole Anderson 6-foot-3 Clovis West High, (offers also from Montana, Cal Poly, San Diego State, USF, Fresno State)
• 2020 point guard Madit Lueth 6-foot-2 Kentucky high school, (offers also from UC Riverside, Long Beach State, UC Davis and South Dakota)
• 2020 sophomore point guard Dom London 6-foot Harcum College, PA (has 11 other offers)
• 2020 shooting guard Alec Oglesby 6-foot-5 Georgia, with an official visit to SJSU on September 5-7, (offers also from UC Riverside, DePaul, Wisconsin Milwaukee visiting September 12-14, South Florida, North Florida, Yale, Cleveland State, Air Force)
• 2020 shooting guard Sebastian Mendoza 6-foot-4 Hillcrest High, AZ (out of Riverside, CA), took official visit to SJSU on August 30 (offers also from Tulane, UC Riverside, Cal Poly) *** Mendoza committed to SJSU on September 4.
• 2020 shooting guard Dominique Clifford 6-foot-4 attends a charter school in Colorado, 10 official offers, current preferences are Wyoming, Colorado State and Colorado
• 2020 shooting guard Javonte Johnson 6-foot-5 Colorado Springs, CO high school, seven official offers. Eric Bossi recently wrote: “Why Johnson isn’t being recruited more heavily on the West Coast and in the Midwest is a bit of a mystery. He’s a long and lanky wing with some pop in his legs, a more than passable jump shot and he finds ways to put the ball in the hoop. He’s got some filling out to do but has plenty of natural ability. Recruitment: Visited New Mexico officially in June while Cal-State Fullerton, Denver, Loyola Marymount, Montana, Northern Colorado and San Jose State have offered.”
• 2020 freshman shooting guard Jacob Tracey 6-foot-4 Daytona State College, FL (offers also from Fresno State, East Carolina, Bryant and Nevada)
• 2020 sophomore shooting guard Vincent Cole 6-foot-6 USC Salkehatchie, out of South Carolina (offers also from Buffalo, Akron and St. John’s)
• 2020 power forward Osayi Osifo 6-foot-8 out of Texas, attending Eastern Florida State College, 10 official offers of the low major variety
• 2020 center Hugo Clarkin 6-foot-10 out of the UK, playing in So Cal at JSerra High, also has an offer from Hawaii
• 2020 center Jhaylon Martinez 6-foot-11 out of Vanden High in Fairfield but now at a Las Vegas high school, recently became a UNLV commit
• 2020 center Bradley Ezewiro 6-foot-8 out of Long Beach area but playing at a Virginia prep academy, possesses high major offers

Of the talents on the above list, Ezewiro is the sole prospect with the potential to help right away but he’s a high major talent and won’t be coming to Silicon Valley. The remaining frontcourt targets — Osifo and Clarkin — appear to be weak targets for a Mountain West Conference program with a coach entering a critical third season. Each of the other talents in SJSU’s 2020 recruiting class appear to be in the long-winded category of ‘they have the potential to help but it’s anyone’s guess when they will be ready to consistently contribute.’

A factor not in Prioleau’s favor is the recruiting reality of his tenure. Players are hesitant to sign early if there are indicators that the coach they expect to play for may not be in that position come September (Mendoza obviously being an exception). However, if he suffers through another dismal season yet can point to some plus recruits having signed on in November then Prioleau may be able to retain his job.

The next three months are as crucial as how the upcoming Spartan season plays out.

Here’s the 2019-20 SJSU roster:

• Caleb Simmons, guard, junior 6’6″ 195
• Brae Ivey, guard, senior, 6’2″ 185
• Zach Chappell, guard, sophomore, 6’3″ 175
• Isaiah Nichols, guard, senior, 6’5″ 180
• Omari Moore, guard, freshman, 6’6″ 185
• Christian Anigwe, forward, sophomore, 6’9″ 190
• Eduardo Lane, forward, junior, 6’10” 250
• Seneca Knight, guard/forward, sophomore, 6’6″ 190
• Samuel Japhet-Mathias, center, junior, 6’11” 280
• Kaison Hammonds, guard, sophomore, 6’4″ 170
• Richard Washington, guard, sophomore, 6’6″ 185
• Craig LeCesne, forward/center, senior, 6’9″ 225
• Ralph Agee, forward, junior, 6’8″ 220
• Trey Smith, guard, sophomore, 6’3″ 175
• Harminder Dhaliwal, forward/center, freshman, 6’10” 240

As for recruiting success in the home base of northern California, 6-foot-3 Zach (Capital Christian High) Chappell is back for his sophomore season and a consistently solid contribution is desperately needed from him in order for the Spartans to have a chance to be successful. In 15 starts (29 games, he averaged 5.3 points and 2.2 assists alongside 20 steals. Look for him to be a season-long starter.

Also, 6-foot-6 Caleb Simmons, the brother of Desmond (Salesian Prep/Washington/St. Mary’s) Simmons, redshirted last year with a broken foot.

6-foot-10 Michael Steadman, out of James Logan High and City College of San Francisco, transferred to Montana in the off season after leading the team in scoring (13.2) and rebounding (8.5).

Dominican Basketball Coaching Clinic Final Schedule Set

The schedule of speakers for the Dominican Basketball Coaching Clinic on September 14th, 2019 has been released. The clinic will take place at the Conlan Center (1475 Grand Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901) located on the Dominican University campus.

*Cost of admission will be $50 for an individual

• 12:00 p.m. – Jerod Haase, Head Coach, Stanford Univ. Cardinal
• 1:00 p.m. – Todd Golden, Head Coach, Univ. of San Francisco Dons
• 2:00 p.m. – John Smith, Head Coach, Cal Poly Mustangs – DU Men’s Basketball Alum
• 3:00 p.m. – Bill Carr, Head Coach, Santa Clara Univ. Broncos Women’s Basketball
• 4:00 p.m. – Paul Trevor, Head Coach, Cal State Univ. Stanislaus Warriors

“The line-up of speakers for our clinic has had tremendous success on the court and will provide a great learning environment for coaches of all age groups,” Head Coach Booker T. Harris stated.

Go here for registration.

The Bay Area Competition Clinic is happening this Saturday, noon to 9:00 p.m., at the Nor Cal Courts in Martinez. The event is open to individuals and teams in all high school grades (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023). Hoop Review

The Duplechans to Hawaii Hilo.

“Elishja Duplechan (5-11, 180) is a Sacramento, Calif. native (Sheldon HS) that began his college career at Yuba CC. At the northern California school, he was the Bay Valley Conference MVP and was a First-Team All-California JUCO pick, averaging 18.7 points a game, four rebounds and 5.2 assists. Yuba CC went 25-6 that year and reached the Elite Eight. At Sheldon HS, he was the Delta League MVP for a a team that went 30-4. At Omaha, Duplechan played in 10 games for a Mavericks team that went 21-11 and just missed post-season play by one game, falling in the championship game of the Summit League tournament.

Elishja’s twin brother Isaiah Duplechan was on the roster for two seasons at Solano College in Fairfield. He played in just two games in 2018-19 before an injury ended his season, but averaged 18.5 points and nailed 10-of-16 three point attempts (he gets that season back as a medical redshirt). As a freshman for the Falcons, the 6-foot-1, 170 pound guard averaged 13 points a contest and hit 81 percent of his free throws.”

Plus: “Anthony Haskett comes to Hilo as a three-point specialist from Diablo Valley College (Pleasant Hill, Calif.). The 5-11, 185-pound guard averaged 12.6 points for the Vikings as a sophomore, nailing 89-of-230 trey attempts (39 percent). The Walnut Creek native (Las Lomas HS) had a season-best 24 points against Skyline, drilling 6-of-11 three-pointers, and dialed in 6-of-7 three’s in notching 21 points against Sierra College. His coach at Diablo, Steve Coccimiglio, played at UH Hilo for legendary coach Jimmy Yagi.”

Former 5-foot-11 Santa Cruz High guard Kiree Hutchings has transferred to John Brown University in Arkansas.

“Head Coach Jason Beschta on Kiree Hutchings: “Kiree may physically be our strongest guard and is one we are counting on to be in immediate impact player for us. He comes in with college experience and a strength that makes him ready to compete in the Sooner Athletic. Kiree is a tireless worker who is capable of making plays outside or at the basket. He will likely prove to be one of our toughest players and most dependable defenders as he uses both his strength and speed to frustrate opponents and set the tone for our own team. Along with his skills, Kiree will provide us with leadership that stems from his prior college experience.”

Any word on where Christian (Modesto Christian) Ellis is playing/attending after transferring as a junior from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville?

If you know, hit me up here.

“Former NBA guard Jared Cunningham will be taking part in a free agent workout with the Rockets in Houston this week, a source said. The athletic guard played in Italy Basket Brescia Leonessa last season and last played in the NBA for the Bucks in 2016.” Marc J. Spears

Jon Rothstein: “Source: Saint Mary’s 7-3 big man Aaron Menzies has received a waiver from the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility and will be eligible for the 19-20 season. HUGE news for Randy Bennett and the Gaels”

He missed last season in Moraga with a hand injury.

Plus: “McConnell Returns to Saint Mary’s as Assistant Coach”

Related: Danny Yoshikawa is back at West Valley College.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Dublin (CA) G Robby Beasley has received an offer from Boston U.”

CCSF Men’s Basketball: “Quincy Urbina has received an offered from @GCU_MBB”

Verbal Commits: “2020 Hillcrest (CA) G Sebastian Mendoza has committed to San José State.”

He’s a 6-foot-4 high school shooting guard out of Riverside.

Eric Bossi: “(Coleman) Hawkins has one of the better-looking jump shots of any big man in the class of 2020 and can play as a four man or even a small ball five. He runs the floor well, has good hands and is a good passer out of the high post. He just needs strength and to continue to improve his consistency.

Recruitment: Just finished an official visit to San Diego State and saw Marquette during June. Planning trips to Illinois and USC among others.”

The 6-foot-8 Hawkins is at Prolific Prep.

“Anadolu Efes interested in Angelo Caloiaro” Emiliano Carchia

“Sfairopoulos on Caloiaro: We will release him if he receives a good offer” Alessandro Maggi

CSU Bakersfield Men’s Hoops: “Congrats to former ‘Runner Shon Briggs (SB_ISO13), who will be continuing his professional career in Uruguay this season! After a great first season with Finland’s Oulun NMKY (23 ppg, 9 rpg, 3.6 apg), Shon has been signed to help out Sayago in Uruguay’s top league!”

Briggs is also out of City College San Francisco and Heritage High.

Official press release:

“Prolific Prep of Napa Christian hires Joey Fuca as its new Head Boys Basketball Coach, as Billy McKnight takes the Head Coaching position at The United States Basketball Academy in Oregon after coaching Prolific Prep of Napa Christian the last four years.

Coach Fuca is a Bay Area native having played his High School basketball at San Ramon Valley High School in Danville, CA and played collegiately at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, CA. Coach Fuca also is the director of the Lakeshow AAU program based in the East Bay here in the Bay Area.

Coach Fuca recently served on Coach Eric Musselman’s University of Nevada Reno men’s basketball staff as a Graduate Assistant Coach. Coach Fuca comes from a family where coaching basketball is a big part of their lives. Joey’s father, Joe Fuca, helped start the Lakeshow AAU program 15 years ago, and has coached thousands of kids over the years which helped fuel Joey’s passion for coaching and mentoring.

Coach Fuca, 30 years old, takes over for Billy McKnight who served as Prolific Prep’s Head Coach the last 4 years and had amassed a record of 118-25 despite playing the toughest high school schedule in the country each and every year.

Philippe Doherty, director of Prolific Prep says this about Billy McKnight: “Billy is as good a human being as you could find and one of the most intelligent, humble, mature, and competitive young coaches in the country. Billy’s pedigree as a coach speaks for itself and Billy will soon be coaching in the NBA or back at the Division 1 level. Billy was an integral part of our program’s success the last 4 years because of his ability to recruit, coach on the floor, manage games, mentor, and deal with people. There are not many Billy McKnights out there and this next step in his coaching career as Head Coach at the United States Basketball Academy in Oregon was too good to pass up.”

Philippe Doherty states that “Coach Joey Fuca is a perfect fit for Prolific Prep because of the vision he shares and the values he believes in. Coach Joey Fuca is a worker, a coach who works tirelessly to get his players better because of his passion for skill development. Prolific Prep was founded by one of the best skill development coaches of his generation in Jeremy Russotti, and Joey shares that same vision and passion. Joey is a big believer in getting players better through skill development. Coaching is much more than X’s and O’s. Instilling confidence, mentoring, leading, supporting, communicating clearly and believing in players may be just as important these days and Joey will hit that out of the park with Prolific Prep. Our players at Prolific Prep are beyond lucky to be surrounded by so many coaches who have so many years of experience and Joey brings both the playing and coaching experience. Joey has coached at multiple levels and like most of the staff at Prolific Prep has either played or coached at the collegiate and professional levels. The level of experience and expertise Joey can add as a coach to Prolific Prep will impact the players immensely We are very happy that we found somebody of such quality and who takes over for Coach McKnight who was instrumental in ascending the program to its current national profile.”

Coach Fuca will have Top 20 Seniors (2020) 6’6 Combo Guard Jalen Green and 6’4 Combo Combo Guard Nimari Burnett in his backcourt, both of whom are coming off gigantic summers, both having won Gold Medals with Team USA. Nimari at the 18U 3×3 World Championships and Jalen as the youngest member of the 17U World Championship team. Both led Team WhyNot AAU team in the NIKE EYBL to the Peach Jam championship game where they lost in overtime to Mokan Elite.

Prolific Prep will once again play what most consider the toughest high school schedule in the country with games scheduled in Hoop Hall West, Hoop Hall East, Marshall County Hoopfest, Chick Fil-A Classic, Mustang Madness, Flyin’ to the Hoop, Crush in the Valley, Thanksgiving Hoopfest and other major tournaments.

MaxPreps currently has Prolific Prep ranked in their Top 5 in their Way Too Early Top 25 rankings.

Dell Demps who has served as an NBA GM for The Spurs & Pelicans says this about Joey Fuca: “Joey naturally brings the passion, energy and hard-work, but when you add his preparation, intelligence and most importantly that he is a good person….. you have something special. Joey is going to do a great job at Prolific Prep.”

Phil Handy, current Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach says this about Joey Fuca: “Joey is a rising star in the coaching business. He’s passionate about the game and truly cares about his players on and off the court. He will do a GREAT job at Prolific Prep!”

Joey Fuca mentions this about being hired as Prolific Prep of Napa Christian’s Head Coach: “I’m very grateful and honored to be considered for this position. Jeremy, Philippe & Billy have done a fantastic job bringing Prolific Prep to the national level. I look
forward to continuing its success on and off the floor!”

Joey is currently married to Kelly Fuca and they have a two year old son named JJ.”

Cal State East Bay Coach Bryan Rooney has yet to receive the recognition he justly deserves. Maybe it’s due to the lack of overall publicity garnered by college basketball in the Bay Area or his not coaching at the D1 level but after ten seasons, 200 wins, seven California Pacific Conference championships and five NAIA national tournament entries during his tenure at California Maritime Academy in Vallejo and two seasons now in Hayward (initially going 10-18, 6-16 followed by 22-8, 16-6 in 2018-19), Rooney has amply demonstrated he can both turn programs around followed by maintaining success.

That 16-6 California Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAA) earned him Coach of the Year honors and finishing 22-8 anchored his selection as National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) West Region Coach of the Year. It was Cal State East Bay’s first 20-win season since 1999-2000 and the Pioneers also earned a first-ever appearance in the CCAA tournament.

A quartet of Rooney’s players achieved All-CCAA status:

• Juwan (Bishop O’Dowd) Anderson, First Team
• Evan (Santa Clara) Wardlow, First
• Ant (San Lorenzo High and Cañada College) Navarette, Second Team
• Nai (San Jose State University) Carlisle, Second Team

On the court, Rooney’s crew enjoyed an overall plus 5.5 points per game differential over opponents, shooting .445, .328 and .742 to .413, .298 and .683. Cal State East Bay also finished in front with rebounds, assists and steals as well as committing fewer turnovers.

Plus, the Pioneers also nailed it in the classroom as Cal State East Bay’s 3.11 collective grade point average brought home the National Association of Basketball Coaches 2018-19 Team Academic Excellence Award.

Navarette, Wardlow and Carlisle all return for the 2019-20 season. Navarette scored 12.5 points while grabbing 6.8 rebounds a game, both team highs while Wardlow contributed 11.6 points plus 5.1 boards nightly. Carlisle posted averages of 12.2 points and 3.2 rebounds.  Both Carlisle and Wardlow were credited with 35 steals.

Juwan Anderson’s leadership at the point will be missed as he produced 12.1 points and 3.1 boards alongside a team high 121 trips to the foul line, a squad best 150 assists (versus 64 turnovers) and also 42 steals, yet another category in which he paced the Pioneers.

As newcomers to the Pioneer court, look for Loyola Marymount transfer Zafir Williams to be a major factor upfront and all-around assistance generated by Malik McCowan in the backcourt.

Cal State East Bay’s 2019-20 roster

• Evan Wardlow G 6-4 185 Santa Clara University
• Nai Carlisle G 6-1 Jr. 190 San Jose State
• Wyatt Maker F 6-8 Jr. 220 Palma HS
• Ant Navarrete F 6-5 Sr. 225 San Leandro High/Cañada College
• Miles Crawford G 6-2 Sr. 175 Citrus College
• Steven Daily F 6-5 Sr. 210 College Park High/Diablo Valley College
• Trent Warren G 6-6 Sr. 205 Australia
• Jesse Galloway G 5-10 So. 165 Long Beach Poly
• John Duff F 6-10 So. 195 Long Beach Poly
• Justin Vigil F 6-7 So. 210 Fall River High
• Ben Wood F 6-5 Jr. 200 Las Lomas High/Diablo Valley College
• Zack Perlstein G 6-4 So. 190 Vacaville High
• Julian Lopez G 6-4 Fr. 180 Los Altos High
• Josh Dhatt G 6-5 Jr. River Valley High/Yuba College
• Malik McCowan G 6-3 Jr. 180 Porterville College
• Zafir Williams F 6-6 JR 230 Loyola Marymount
• Corey Fiddes F 6-7 FR 215 Australia
• Kaito Williams G 6-2 FR 190 Sheldon High
• Isaiah Saams-Hoy G 6-4 FR 195 Eastside Prep

Rooney’s squads are also noted for their unselfish play and visible sense of team camaraderie. Sooner or later, this long-term record of Rooney-generated, well-rounded prosperity will result in his being in play for future openings at northern California D1 four-year universities. Some athletic directors in this area need to wake up.

“University of Utah transfer commits to Montana men’s basketball team” Kyle Hansen

Naseem Gaskin moves to Missoula as Chris Cobb works his magic again. Might Damian Lilliard have ventured instead to Montana (rather than Weber State) if Cobb was there at the time? Just speculating.

Jeff Goodman: “Former Top 100 recruit and Oregon forward Miles Norris has enrolled at City College of San Francisco, source told Stadium. Was initially planning on transferring to UC Santa Barbara.”

“Fuca to coach Prolific Prep after McKnight resigns to join staff at Oregon academy” Gus Morris

Gerry Freitas: “10th annual Nor Cal Clash MVP – Shane Bell (2020) of Salesian HS. Lead all scorers with 20 points”

and

Gerry Freitas: “Nor Cal Clash: Class of 2020 (seniors) 106, Class of 2021 (juniors) 100”

Hit the link above for the game box.

“Seniors top no quit juniors in 10th annual NorCal Clash” Harold Abend

“Chabot star forward Jordan McGlory signs with Black Hills State” Matt Schwab

Team Rampage: “Congrats to odomseason on his commitment to Holy Names University. His college basketball journey will continue @ Holy Names University.

6-foot-5 Zamaria Odom is out of Berkeley High and College of Marin.

Derrick Jones: “SIGNING ALERT Special day for me as a head coach. My guy The_RealMoni has signed with Division 2 Post University in CT. Thanks to CoachK_PostU for reaching out and giving my guy a chance to further his education and hoop career!!! merritthoops

Jamoni Barber is a 6-foot point out of Castro Valley High and Merritt College. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.3 boards and 2.3 assists this past season.

“Isaiah Pope Announces Commitment to Play Basketball at Humboldt State University“ Pope is 6-foot-5 and out of Orange County.

Humboldt Coach Steve Kinder has also added Arash (St. Ignatius) Porsina, Isaiah Hughes, Joey Rodrick, Gabrys Sadaunykas, Leland Green, Isaiah Sampson, RaySean Scott Jr. and Noah Viera. in March, April and May

Skyline Basketball: “Congratulations to Jake Salinero (HMBHSAthletics) who was selected by CCCMBCA for its Student-Athlete Scholarship Award. Jake completed his degree Magna Cum Laude (with a 3.96 gpa) and will play for SonomaSeawolves this upcoming season.”

“Riordan’s Bryce Monroe has five recruiting favorites
Archbishop Riordan guard Bryce Monroe is considering staying home with the USF Dons” Ryan Gorcey

“SLCC MEN’S BASKETBALL ANNOUNCES SIGNING OF JAY ALLEN-TOVAR” 

The 6-foot-9 big out of Valley Christian (San Jose) heads out of state.

Derrick Jones: “Merritt College welcomes 6’6” forward Scott Avery to the program from Heritage High in Atlanta, GA”

Two  more for Coach Dallas Jensen and College of the Sequoias:

“COSMBB is excited about the addition of 6’8” Lamine Ndione (Stoke on Trent HS, Lee Academy – Dakar, Senegal). Lamine is a versatile player who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. Great addition to the Giants family. Four-year programs take notice early!”

and

“COSMBB would like to welcome 6’10” transfer Tyler Harris (Scotts Valley HS, Gavilan College – Scotts Valley, CA) to the Giants family! Tyler is a developing post with a great feel for the game. A RS transfer, Tyler should be a big time producer his SO year in ‘20-‘21.”

NBBA Night @ Golden State Warriors!
Friday, November 1, 2019 @ 7:30 PM – Chase Center

Bring your Family and Friends out to North Bay Basketball Academy Night as the Warriors begin their next chapter in the Chase Center. Support NBBA in our only fundraiser by cheering on the three-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors as they take on the San Antonio Spurs led by the legendary coach, Gregg Popovich.

NBBA players will be placed into a raffle for the opportunity to participate in ONE (1) of the expected events below. The approved activities, and number of participants for each, will be announced in the next newsletter.

• Pre-Game Shootaround from Courtside Seats: The first 75 to purchase their tickets will be invited to view the players participate in their Pre-Game Shootaround from courtside seats from 6:00-6:30pm. (sold out in 3 minutes in 2018)
• Pre-Game High Five Tunnel: All North Bay Basketball Academy players will be entered into a raffle for the opportunity to participate in the High Five Tunnel as the players take the court for pre-game warmups. (20 participants)
• Anthem Buddies: All North Bay Basketball Academy players (Ages 14 & under) will be entered into a raffle for the opportunity to participate in Anthem Buddies, where they stand on the court in front of the players as they honor the American Flag. (15 participants)
• PrimeTime Game: AAll North Bay Basketball Academy players will be entered into a raffle for the opportunity to play a game on the Warriors Court prior to the Warriors game. (12 participants)

Friday, November 1, 2019 @ 7:30 pm
LOCATION: Chase Center
COST: Club 200 Ticket*: $125 per ticket

* We have 375 tickets for NBBA families and we expect to sell out fast. Last year we sold all of our tickets in 1 hour.

QUESTIONS: For questions, please contact Brock Winter
brock@northbaybasketballacademy.com
RSVP & PAY: Tickets are on sale now!

(To guarantee tickets, payment must be completed immediately after RSVP’ing).

RSVP & PAY

Solomon (Sacramento High) Young scored a team high 17 points as Iowa State conclided its trip abroad with a 98-69 victory over the Ivory Coast National team.

Verbal Commits: “2021 Prolific Prep (CA) C Frank Anselem has received an offer from New Mexico.” He’s 6-foot-10 and originally out of Atlanta.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Golden State Prep (CA) G Daniel Foster has received an offer from Lipscomb.” He’s a 6-f00t-6 point out of Australia.

“Are We Sure … the Magic Won’t Make a Leap?
This offseason, Orlando doubled down on the core that won one first-round playoff game. But look closer and you’ll see a team that could be a contender in the East next season.” Jonathan Tjarks

“…(Aaron) Gordon has already transformed himself in the NBA. He became a consistent 3-point shooter (34.9 percent from 3 on 4.4 attempts per game last season) after entering the league as a nonshooter (27.1 percent from 3 on 1.0 attempts per game as a rookie). The change allowed him to avoid the fate of a number of big and athletic wings with poor jumpers who have flamed out in recent years, such as Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Stanley Johnson, and Josh Jackson. Gordon may never be an elite shooter, but he doesn’t have to be. He just needs to stretch the floor well enough to force defenders to guard him on the perimeter.

Gordon can do everything else on the court well. After averaging a career high in points two seasons ago, Gordon made another important leap last season: He became a legitimate playmaker, averaging a career high in assists (3.7 per game) while barely increasing his turnovers (2.1 per game). He can clean the defensive glass and start a fast break himself, and he can pass the ball out of the pick-and-roll in the half court. According to the tracking numbers at Synergy Sports, Gordon was in the 53rd percentile of players in shots he generated for himself and his teammates…”

“Cal Baptist Basketball Staff Update” Hoop Dirt

Adam (Stanford) Jacobsen and Kerry (St. Mary’s) Carter among among the trio coming aboard Coach Rick Croy’s coaching staff.

“Jeremy Lin signs deal to play pro basketball in China with the Beijing Ducks” Michael Kaskey-Blomain

“Inside the Clippers’ final days with Donald Sterling as owner
‘We never played for Sterling anyway. It wasn’t like we were going out representing Sterling. We were representing our families, the city of Los Angeles and our fans.’” Marc J. Spears

Spears yet again with another fascinating, inside take.

Below is more on racist jackass Donald Sterling.

“The Donald Sterling Tapes Fundamentally Changed the NBA—And All of Sports ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne shows us the “West Coast Donald Trump” in the new 30 For 30 podcast The Sterling Affairs.“ Brady Langmann

Simply Basketball is presenting the Nor Cal Clash on August 25:

Here are the rosters which feature loads of interesting 2020 and 2021 prospects facing off.

Gerry Freitas: “Bay Area Competition Clinic is Sat Sept 7 at Nor Cal Courts in Martinez 12-9 pm. open to individuals & teams in all hi school grades (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023).”

“The 16th annual Bay Area Competition Clinic will be held Saturday September 7, 2019 at Nor Cal Courts in Martinez from 12 noon to 9 pm. The event is open to individual players and teams in all high school grades (classes of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023).

An individual skill work drill session will be held to start the event. Each team will play three games after the drill session. A report on the event will be done by the Hoop Review scouting service that will be sent to college coaches and various internet sites.

Cost is $300 per team or $100 per individual. For more information/application contact Gerry Freitas at 408-998-1327 or via email: gerryfreitas@hotmail.com.”

Simply Basketball is hosting our inaugural New Arrivals Camp for the Class of 2023.

New Arrivals Camp
Date: September 7th, 2019
Location: Sacramento

Our goal create an environment for the class of 2023 to learn, COMPETE, and have fun. This camp includes an hour and a half of Skills & Drills, multiple guest speakers, 2 guaranteed competitive games + a top 20 & 40 game.

Media is expected to be in attendance to select the top 20 & 40 games. Some of the “top” incoming freshman regarded by top west coast scouts have confirmed their attendance

• AJ Johnson – (Holds offer from Eastern Washington)
• King-Jhanni Wilhite – Considered the top incoming freshman in the Bay Area
• Courtney Anderson Jr. – Son of NFL player Courtney Anderson
• Ryan Beasley – Little Brother of Robby Beasley from Dublin HS who is the one of the top 2020 in Norcal.
• Jordan Bobo – 6’8 versatile big played for Compton Magic
• Yacub Mir – Invited and participated in the prestigious CP3 Rising Stars Camp
  and many more.

“Jonathan Galloway agreed to terms with Bakken Bears” Emiliano Carchia

Put of Salesian Prep, the 6-foot-10 former UC Irvine talent will be playing in Denmark. He was a three-time recipient of the Big West’s Defensive Player of the Year honor.

“Orlando Johnson signs with Avtodor Saratov” Eliliano Carchia

A Palma High grad, he initially played at Loyola Marymount and then moved a bit north to UC Santa Barbara.

“MKS Dabrowa Gornicza signs Dominic Artis” Emiliano Carchia

He played college ball first at Oregon and then transferred to UTEP.

“Simpson U head men’s basketball coach, Todd Franklin, introduced yet another monster piece to the Red Hawks front line for the 2019-2020 season, Weston VandenHazel.

The 6’10 center out of Tumwater, Washington comes to Simpson as a transfer from Eastern Wyoming College where he shot above 60 percent from the floor in his sophomore season. Weston will enter the year as junior for the Red Hawks and will immediately help bolster an already monstrous front line…”

Chuck Hayes Basketball: “Congrats to 2021 G Cole Anderson (Cole3Anderson) of Clovis West High School (ClovisWestBask1) on picking up two more offers from San Jose State and UC San Diego. One of the top players in his class on the entire West Coast!”

Coleman Hawkins: “Proud to say I’ve received an offer from The University of New Mexico”

This is the 12th offer for the 6-foot-8 former Antelope High talent who now plays at Prolific Prep.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Woodstock Academy (CT) F David Jones has received an offer from Sacramento State.”

Jones stands 6-foot-6 and is out of Grant High.

College of the Sequoias Men’s Basketball: “COSMBB is excited to announce the arrival of 6’6” wing Amil Fields (Moreau Catholic HS – Hayward, CA). Big time player from a big time program (fknightsays). Welcome to the Giants family, Amil!”

Verbnal Commits: “2019 Lawson State CC (AL) G Jalen Lovett has committed to Academy of Art.”

The 6-foot-2 guard earlier gave a verbal to Columbus State but re-opened his recruitment.

“AAU Basketball: Seaside’s Finest giving local kids exposure” John Devine

Solomon Young scores 13 points in an Iowa State game taking place in Italy. He’s a junior out of Sacramento High.

Cameron Salerno: “Excited to announce my commitment to SacBee_JoeD & mesofunblog of sacbee_news to cover high school sports this fall. Looking forward to seeing everyone out there!”

Congratulations to Cameron.

Mark DeLuca: “Big Jack has come back from a summer in his home country of China. Just a junior Big Jack is now 6’9.5” 245 pounds with perimeter skills. We love coaching him. Great teammate.”

That’s Valley Christian’s Jack Cheng.

New Head Coach Dallas Jensen has been busy filling his roster at College of the Sequoias:

“COSMBB adds another quality young man to the program. The Giants would like to welcome 6’7” wing Ayo Aderoboye (Woodside Priory HS, SPIRE Academy – Odigbo, Nigeria) to the family!”

“Excited to have 6’2” G Makhi Turner (Weston Ranch HS – Stockton, CA) on campus and part of the COSMBB program. Welcome to the family, KhiCarti”

“COSMBB is really excited about the arrival of 6’0” combo G Milton Burnett (Trinity International, Bullard HS – Fresno, CA). Welcome to the program, Milt_Burnett. Great addition to the Giants family.”

“COSMBB has another local standout on board for the upcoming season. Former Division I QB, 6’5” Ryan Johnson (Hanford HS, Hanford, CA), has joined the program. Tough, versatile, great teammate. Excited to have you with the Giants family, Johnson_Ryan12!”

“We are excited about the arrival of 6’4” G Carlos Allen from one of the premier programs on the West Coast (Clark HS – Las Vegas, NV). saucin_los has tools on both ends of the floor that will help positively impact the COSMBB program and a 4-year in the near future.”

“COSMBB lands another local talent in 6’3” G Ryan Troutman (Kerman HS – Kerman, CA). ryantaricc brings athleticism and versatility to the program. Welcome to the Giants family, Ryan!”

“COSMBB is excited about the addition of 6’4” local wing Juelein Fox (Lemoore HS – Lemoore, CA). 9ineTailFox is a premier athlete and quality young man. Another great addition to the Giants family.”

“COSMBB would like to welcome 5’9” SO PG Tiyon Martin (John Muir HS, Simpson University – Pasadena, CA) to the Giants family! Tiyonthedon is a great addition to the program who will make an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.”

and

“Great addition to the COS family! TieSimsHoops is one of the better young coaches around. Will be another great resource and outlet for young men involved with the Giants program. Excited to have you, Tie!”

“‘He was Reggie Miller with a handle’: Thirty years ago, the NBA lost Ricky Berry
Friends and teammates reflect on the day the Kings guard committed suicide” Marc J. Spears

Thank you Marc J Spears for remembering Ricky Berry.

“Kris Weems named head coach of Santa Cruz Warriors” Jim Seimas

Verbal Commits: “2020 Dream City Christian (AZ) F Jhaylon Martinez has committed to UNLV.

“Former Coronado High center Jhaylon Martinez commits to UNLV” Mark Anderson

“Class of 2020 big man Jhaylon Martinez commits to UNLV” Mike Grimala

The 6-foot-10, 235 Martinez is originally out of Vanden High. His current status and UNLV’s Mountain West Conference membership are an excellent pairing.

Brandon Cole: “I’d like to announce the hiring of Don Manning Groundup_D to CPAOBasketball as the Associate Head Coach. Don has years of prep & grassroots experience that will be an asset to our program. He will be able to continue to help the Sacramento basketball scene & help change lives!”

“Jorge Cedano Announces Commitment to Play Basketball at Stanislaus State”

He’s a 6-foot-2 guard out of Manteca High.

“Quinn Vermeulen Announces Commitment to Play Basketball at Dominican University of California”

He’s a 6-0 guard out of Valley Christian, Analy High and Team Arsenal.

“James Nunnally signs with Shanghai Sharks” Emiliano Carchia

Nunnally is out of Weston Ranch High and UC Santa Barbara.

“Noah Allen joins s.Oliver Würzburg on a two-month contract” Dario Skerletic

Allen prepped at Palma High and then played at UCLA followed by Hawaii.

“2020 guard Nimari Burnett sets three official visits” Adam Zagoria

“Blackwell fiercely enhancing game
Fresno State rising fifth-year senior point guard Noah Blackwell has been hard at work this offseason on all aspects of his game in preparation for the 2019-20 season.”

Quincy Urbina:

“Justin-Siena Boys Basketball: Braves hone skills in NVC Summer League” Andy Wilcox

“Five Options For the Lakers After DeMarcus Cousins Knee Injury” Ryan Phillips

Marquese Chriss, out of Pleasant Grove High, is listed as one of the five.

Xavier Thames has been inducted into the San Diego State class of 2019 Hall of Fame.

He’s out of Pleasant Grove High.

Jeff Goodman: “Fine. Since LeBron, my 5 best high school/AAU players: 1) Greg Oden 2) KD 3) Derrick Rose 4) Pre-LA Renardo Sidney 5) Focused and in-shape Derrick Caracter”

“Chatting with Saint Mary’s Head Coach, Randy Bennett
Bennett has taken the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament 7 times in the last 15 seasons” Arden Cravalho

“It’s OK To Not Be OK: Trey Moses’ battle for mental wellness” Rob Dauster

An important article for all of us.

“The NCAA doesn’t have a Rich Paul problem. It has a problem with black men.
The move to regulate agents looks like yet another effort to police black mobility and freedom” Justin Tinsley

“A white nationalist killed coach Ricky Byrdsong 20 years ago. The horror changed his friend forever” Matthew Van Tryon

“How elite high schoolers are skipping college to get to the NBA
Today’s top high school basketball players are taking alternative routes to the NBA that don’t involve college.” Rickey O’Donnell

Michael Mitchell:

The 6-foot-2 Archbishop Mitty junior was offered by Coach Lorenzo Romar on June 29. USC, San Diego State, UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara also extended invites to come aboard.

“Dons Add Center Jonas Visser for 2019-20 Season” USF athletics

Corey Evans: “San Francisco has offered 2020 Spire guard Omer Kucuk”

The 6-foot-2 Kucak is out of Turkey and also owns a Texas Christian University offer.

Former Central Catholic High, Yuba College and Pacific Lutheran 5-foot-10 guard Jourdan Johnson will be at William Jessup University and playing for Coach Lance Von Vogt this season.

“Juan Toscano-Anderson Making Waves in the Bay
The former Castro Valley High star returned to his roots this season in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors” D Yapkowitz

Yaru Harvey: “Truly blessed to have received an offer from Santa Clara University!”

Harvey is a 6-foot-2 2021 guard out of Sheldon High. Eastern Washington also offered recently.

Verbal Commits: “2020 ISA at Andrews Osborne (OH) F Keon Ambrose has received an offer from California.”

He’s a 6-foot-8 fprward out of Canada with 18 other offers.

2020 guard Devan Sapp has departed from Archbishop Mitty:

Siskiyous College Basketball: Coach Kyle Heath has added to his 2018-19 roster.

“Excited to add Ousmani Williams from Rancho Cotati High School in Rohnert Park, CA to our program. Welcome to the Siskiyous family!”

“Excited to add Kaleb Taylor beastmode343⁩ from Mt Healthy High School in Cincinnati,OH to our program. Welcome to the Siskiyous family Kaleb!”

“Excited to add Roberto LaMorticella from Box Hill Senior Secondary College in Victoria, Australia to our program! Welcome to the Siskiyous family Roberto!”

Get ready.

Mario Gomez: “Attention 4-yr College Coaches. SFCityBasketbal annual NorCal Juco Jamboree is all set for September 28th & 29th. Please Dm or email me at Mgomez@ccsf.edu for more information”

Cody Krupp: “Back during Christmas time we brought you the story of GoSwords SwordsMBB stand out Erik Scheive overcoming a near death experience and a pacemaker in his chest as Scheive continued to thrive. He still is. Signed a professional contract with Ehingen Urspring in Germany.

Scheive is out of Marysville High, Yuba College and Chaminade University

Here is the health incident referenced by Krupp.

“Jhaylon and Ra’shjon Martinez transfer their brotherhood, size and speed to AZ Compass Prep” Dana Scott

Both are formerly of Vanden High

Ryder O’banion: “Happy to announce I will be attending college prep academy next year in Sacramento , thank you @Coach__Brandon @CPAOBasketball, can’t wait, let’s work”

He’s a 6-foot Enterprise High grad.

DreDay: “Excited to announce that I will be attending College Prep Academy in Sacramento CA this coming year to further my skills athletically and academically! Greatful to be apart of the program and build it from the ground up, let’s get to work!”

Andre Treadwell is a 6-foot-2 Del Oro High grad.

Among the 2019 NBA G League Player Invitational Invitees are:

• Jonathan Galloway – UC Irvine
• Marcus Graves – Sacramento State

Three-Point Line to Move to International Distance

“The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved moving the three-point line to the international basketball distance of 22 feet and one and three-quarter inches. The line has been positioned at 20 feet 9 inches.

The rule will be effective for the 2019-20 season in Division I. Due to the potential financial impact of placing a new line on courts, the new three-point line will not go into effect until the 2020-21 season in Divisions II and III.

The CCCAA will require teams to make the adjustment to courts for the 2020-21 season.

Men’s Basketball Rules Committee members recommended the change after receiving positive feedback from the annual rules survey from coaches whose teams competed in the 2018 and 2019 National Invitation Tournament, where the international three-point distance was used on an experimental basis.

The committee cited the following rationale for extending the line:

Making the lane more available for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter.

Slowing the trend of the three-point shot becoming too prevalent in men?s college basketball by making the shot a bit more challenging, while at the same time keeping the shot an integral part of the game.

Also, starting this upcoming season, instead of having the shot clock reset to 30 seconds after an offensive rebound, it will start over at 20 seconds.”

Here are the rosters for the upcoming (August 25 @ 3:00 p.m.) Nor Cal Clash (to be held at Chabot College) featuring talents from the 2020 and 2021 classes.

Verbal Commits: “Utah G Naseem Gaskin (RS FR) has entered the transfer portal.”

He initially went a bit too high — curious timing, too. Gaskin can certainly be a solid component on a northern California D1 program so let’s hope he comes back so we can see him play. More.

Verbal Commits DII: “2019 Fresno City College (CA) G George Dancer has signed with Colorado Mesa.”

Offered by CM on 7/30, he also had an offer from heading-to-D1 Dixie State. Colorado Mesa’s roster also contains Tommy Nuno, Jess Spivey, David Rico and Jared Small—all from FCC.

Peter Hewitt is transferring:

At 6-foot-10, he’s formerly of St. Francis High, UC Davis and Las Positas College. Hewitt played in nine games but just 27 minutes total at Tulsa so it’s possible he could gain back a year of eligibility. He’s currently a junior.

JucoRecruiting: “6’7 G/F Dylan Belquist (San Francisco transfer) has signed with Salt Lake CC”

Salt Lake has a new head coach in Kyle Taylor. Belquist will be a freshman, having redshirted at USF after playing at Los Gatos High.

Mike Bush: “…Former JimElliotHS boys basketball head coach coach_hitt is the new Manteca High boys basketball head coach…”

Good to see Jason Hitt back on the sidelines.

“Malik Pope close to joining Rostock Seawolves” Emiliano Carchia

Monty Bowser: “Excited to receive an offer from the coaching staff at UC Davis!”

The 6-f00t-6 Bishop O’Dowd/Team Lillard senior also possesses offers from Hofstra, Cal Poly, Howard, UC Riverside, UC Irvine, Pacific, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge, Northern Kentucky and Grand Canyon.

Team Lillard B-ball: “2020 Teiano Hardee has picked up an offer from Cal State Eastbay.”

Hardee is a 6-foot-5 guard out of Vanden High and with a February offer from Northern Colorado.

6-foot-2 2021 Sheldon High junior point Yaru Harvey has received an offer from Eastern Washington of the Big Sky Conference. He also plays on the Lakeshow 16s Elite squad.

SDA-Soldiers: “Congratulations to SDA-Soliders wing kingcharles_3 for his offer to Sonoma State!!!”

That’s 6-foot-5 2019 La Costa Canyon (CA) wing Charles Williams III.

Ethan Kassell: “So Mitty has Devan Sapp and Marcus Greene in the class of 2020, then Nigel Burris and Michael Mitchell in the class of 2021. Plus Arrish Bhandal could be an impact player if he recovers from surgery.”

Burris is transferring in from Stuart Hall.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Sheldon (CA) G Marcus Bagley has committed to Arizona State.”

Steven Wilson wrote about Bagley back in April.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Saint Augustine (CA) F Chibuzo Agbo, Jr. has received an offer from California.”

He’s a 6-foot-6 wing holding 12 others offers, including one from Arizona and another from USC.

Gladiator Basketball: “Gladiator Men’s Basketball is excited about the commitment of 6”5 210 G/F Ramaj Gordon from Legacy of Arts High School in Houston,Texas. Ramaj brings to the program solid versatility and skill on offense, defense and rebounding. Thanks to #@FYNALLSTARS”

New Gavilan Coach Derek Jensen with announcements on his 2019-20 roster members:

• 6’4” FR, DeShawn Butler, Wilcox High School
• 6’6” FR, Domenic Bush, Hurricane High School
• 6’5” FR, Travonn Myers, Milpitas High School
• 6’0” RS, Alan Gonzalez, William C. Overfelt High School
• 6’5” FR, Chris Burnette, Christopher High School
• 6’4” FR, George Carter III, Brookside Christian
• 6’4” RS, Matt Meyers, Hurricane High School
• 6’7” FR, Jimmy Bellew, Valley Christian High School
• 6’5” FR, Misaiah Dixon, Roosevelt High School
• 5’8” FR, Jason Mitchell Jr., Brookside Christian
• 6’3 FR, Tahjae Ordonio, Monterey High School
• 6’5” FR, Jason Gallo, St. Francis High School
• 6’2” FR, Daemar Potts, Edison High School
• 5’10” SO, Santiago Jimenez, Sobrato High School
• 6’1” SO, Kobe Ordonio, Monterey High School

“Marin IJ sports reporter Danny Schmidt says goodbye after more than four years”

Congrats to Schmidt on his excellent work.

“Under the knife: Exposing America’s youth basketball crisis” Baxter Holmes

Part One of this series is here.

Brice Fantazia: “Congrats to our guy and single game 3 point record holder Baljeezy for committing to D2 Stanislaus St. The first commit in all of Northern California for the 2020 class. Terrific coaching staff gets a terrific young man! McBasketball”

6-foot Modesto Christian 2020 guard Baljot Sahi is off the board.

Bryce Monroe: “Blessed to receive an offer from the University of Wake Forest.”

Monroe is a 5-foot-10 2020 guard at Archbishop Riordan and with Team Lillard. He also holds offers from USF, Hampton, New Mexico State, Boston University, Sam Houston State and UC Santa Barbara.

Will Watkins: “Congratulations to Je’Lani Clark on an offer from Loyola Marymount University”

Clark is a 6-foot-2 2020 guard out of Archbiship Riordan.

Verbal Commits: “2019 IMG Academy (FL) F Elias King has received an offer from Youngstown State.”

Out of Jesuit High, the 6-foot-8 King also has a recent offer from Hartford.

“Frankie Ferrari signs with Spanish club Basquet Manresa” Ryan Gorcey

Jeremy Lin updates:

“Bay Area native Jeremy Lin says the ‘NBA has kind of given up on me'” Drew Costley

“Jeremy Lin Says He ‘Would Consider’ Playing Basketball In Asia
The free agent said his “greatest dream” is to ball alongside his brother Joseph.” Kimberley Yam

“Banana Slugs join ACAA conference for 2019-2020 season
Slugs soccer, basketball, cross country and women’s volleyball will have shot at a conference title for first time in 30 years” Matthew White

Good for UCSC Coach Ron DuBois and his players.

“Will Cherry to return to Olympiacos” Nicola Lupo

Out of McClymonds High and Montana, the 6-foot-1 guard played last season with the Santa Cruz Warriors.

“Basket Zaragoza reportedly interested in D.J. Seeley” Nicola Lupo

Out of Modesto Christian High, Seeley played at California and Cal State Fullerton.

UPDATE: Seeley has signed with Zaragoza.

Eniliano Carchia: “Davion Berry has agreed to terms with Enisey Krasnoyarsk, a source.

The former Hayward High, Cal State Monterey Bay and Weber State talent will be playing for a Russian team. He earned Big Sky Conference Most Valuable Player honors in the 2013-14 season.

“James Nunnally to join Shanghai Sharks?” Emiliano Carchia

San Jose State University lists a large walk-on in 6-foot-10, 240 Harminder Dhaliwal out of Orange County.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Balboa (CA) G Emmett Neal, Jr. has received an offer from Northern Colorado.”

Neal is a 6-foot-4 shooting guard.

Worcester Basketball: “San Francisco also offers 2020 Josh Ogundele!”

He’s 6-foot-10, 230 and also with a recent offer from St. Bonaventure plus 13 other official suitors.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Rancho Solano Prep (AZ) F/C Hunter Ruck has received an offer from UC Davis.”

He stands 6-foot-9.

A roundup of San Jose State University recruiting:

Verbal Commits: “2020 Cheyenne Mountain (CO) G Javonte Johnson has received an offer from San José State.”

New Mexico has also offered the 6-foot-6 wing alongside Montana, Northern Colorado and Denver.

“…Dom London getting D-I looks by making name for himself on JUCO level”

San Jose State University has offered London a Harcum College point.

6-foot-4 Daytona State College guard Jacob Tracey owns a San Jose State University offer.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Rock (FL) G Alec Oglesby has received an offer from San José State.”

Oglesby is a 6-foot-4 2020 shooting guard in possession of five others offers.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Golden State Prep (CA) G Chance McMillian has received an offer from Saint Mary’s.”

Montana and Washington State offered earlier.

Why wasn’t McMillian similarly offered directly out of high school since that was just a few months ago?

“Former Marin stars Jesse Hunt, Kyle Roach sign pro basketball deals” Danny Schmidt

“MC guard Devin Day suffers serious knee injury in summer event” Julian A. Lopez

“Isaiah Pineiro, Kings agree to partially guaranteed deal” Michael Scotto

Pepperdine introduces Skylar Chavez.

Derrick Jones: “1AND DONE!! Want to congratulate last years team captain The_RealMoni (fr) on receiving and offer from Coach_K_Will and University of St. Katherine.

Jamoni Barber is 6-foot-1 and out of Castro Valley High and Merritt College.

5-foot-9 Cornerstone Christian High/Team Rampage guard James Ebert has chosen Los Medanos College.

6-foot-5 Fairfield High/Team Rampage wing  Shakir Howard is heading to Napa Valley College.

6-foot-3 Brian Green will next be at Napa Valley College. He’s out of southern California.

Elias King: “Excited to receive an offer from University of Hartford!”

Verbal Commits: “2020 Golden State Prep (CA) G Daniel Foster has received an offer from Portland.”

He’s 6-foot-6, 170 and a 2020 prospect out of Australia with others offers from Hartford and Missouri-Kansas City.

“Henry Caruso signs with New Heroes Den Bosch” Nicola Lupo

Caruso is out of Serra High, Princeton and Santa Clara.

Marc J. Spears: “The Lakers are hiring Phil Handy as an assistant coach, a source said. The former Raptors assistant will be at the front of the bench with the Lakers. He also coached in five straight NBA Finals winning two titles.”

“Golden Adds Mamadou N’Diaye To Round Out Coaching Staff” USF athletics

“ALCORN RELOADS WITH SEVEN NEWCOMERS FOR 2019-20” Alcorn State athletics

“… (Isaiah) Attles is a 6-2 guard out of Richmond, California. He transfers from Contra Costa College where he averaged 17.3 points per game last season. He finished the year inside the top-50 of the NJCAA in points per game, total points (466) and field goals (161), top-25 in free throw percentage (83.0) and top-15 in three-point percentage (45.9). Attles had nine games of 20 or more points with a career-high 29 versus Folsom Lake, going 8-0f-10 from downtown…”

Attles is out of Kennedy High (Richmond). Here’s a 2018 feature.

“Skyline tournament is summer’s last hurrah” Nathan Mollat

Lakeshow Hoops: “CONGRATS to Sheldon 2021 Yaru Harvey on EWU OFFER ✅ 4.0 GPA & WINNER”

Lakeshow Hoops: “HUGE congrats to @DeLaHoops 2022 @DarganJeremiah on his 1️⃣ OFFER”

It’s from Montana.

Lakeshow Hoops: “Dublin 2020 Anthony Roy HUGE weekend picks up East Bay offer’

New SJSU offers:

Coach Wood: “Congratulations to Team Inland and Sebastian Mendoza for showing out in Augusta, GA this weekend 👏🏻 Pleased to announce that Sebastian earned a scholarship offer from SanJoseStateMBB”

He’s a 6-foot-4 2020 guard also with offers from UC Riverside, Cal Poly and Tulane.

Osayi: “Blessed to receive an offer from San Jose State”

That’s Osayi Osifo, a 6-foot-8, 210 2020 forward out of Eastern Florida State College. He averaged 4.4 points on 52% shooting plus 3.9 rebounds as a freshman.

Verbal Commits: “2020 USC Salkehatchie (SC) G Vincent Cole has received an offer from San José State”

Cole is a 6-foot-6 junior college shooting guard and out of Charleston, South Carolina. Buffalo and Akron have also offered.

Connor Kochera: “Extremely thankful and excited to receive a D1 scholarship offer from UC Davis! Thank you to Coach Les, Coach Vogt and the entire coaching staff!”

He’s a 6-foot-4 2020 guard with a total of 15 offers.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Oak Park (CA) G Clark Slajchert has received an offer from UC Davis.

He’s 6-foot-1 and averaged over 30 points per game last season in Southern California.

Andrew Slater: “Cal has now offered Jamal Mashburn, JR. of BrewsterHoops & PSACardinals  Jamal had an exceptional Peach Jam for the Cardinals.

Mashburn is a 6-foot-2 2020 guard.

Nor Cal talents on the Sacramento State 2019-20 roster:

• Rick Barros III, Capital Christian
• Jamion Wright, Mission High
• William FitzPatrick, Vista Del Lago High/Folsom Lake College
• Raazhel Watkins, College Park High/Los Medanos College
• Osi Nwachukwu, San Leandro High
• Joshua Patton, Sierra High
• Christian Terrell, Sacramento High
• Spencer Monteiro, Lodi High/San Joaquin Delta College

Verbal Commits DII: “Former Cal State San Bernardino G Elijah Hill is transferring to Academy of Art.”

He’s a 6-foot-4 junior guard.

In Kevin Sweeney’s “Mid-Major Positional Rankings: Point Guard” rankings:

“#2. JORDAN FORD (SAINT MARY’S)
Vitals: Senior, 6-1, 175 pounds
Stats: 21.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, .489/.412/.800
Like Riller, Ford moved into a primary initiator role last season after the graduation of a star point guard and handled the new responsibilities with flying colors. There are certainly some comparisons to be made between Ford and Steph Curry, as Ford has developed a diverse game off the bounce with an array of runners and floaters that make him more than just a capable threat from the outside. Randy Bennett’s offense puts him in plenty of ball screens with good spacing, further accentuating his dynamic offensive skillset.”

“St. Ignatius boys basketball bonds over trip to Taiwan
On the night courts of Taipei, the young St. Ignatius Wildcats came together” Ryan Gorcey

“Six Dons Named to NABC Honors Court for 2018-19” USF athletics

Tony Adragna: “2018-19 NBA MVP candidates & their schools:

• Giannis – Greece
• Harden – Arizona St.
• Jokic – Serbia
• Kawhi – San Diego St.
• Embiid- Kansas
• Lillard – Weber St.
• Steph – Davidson
• Paul George – Fresno St.

1 blue blood school (Embiid) our of 9 players. HS guys, find the right fit for YOU.”

“‘Lunch is for cowards’: Inside the grind of a day recruiting at the Peach Jam alongside a mid-major coach”
To understand how recruiting is for most, you have to experience the crush up close when every day is a struggle” Matt Norlander

The psychological dynamics at play here from all sides finally get the deserved exposure. One of the best recruiting reads ever.

Due to the scarcity of material, these Nor Cal Basketball posts are moving to a once-a-week publishing schedule until October/November.

Verbal Commits: “San Francisco F Dylan Belquist (FR) is leaving the program.”

Out of Los Gatos High, the 6-foot-7 Belquist redshirted this past season as a freshman.

Ryan Silver: “2020 Peyton Mullarkey/Branson / LakeshowAAU picks up offer from Macalaster tonight at West Coast Elite High Academic Superbowl.”

Malacaster is a D3 school located in Minnesota. Mullarkey is a 5-foot-9 guard.

“NCAA’s latest salvo might have exposed the worst hire in college basketball” Pat Forde

Kudos to Forde for the mention of Baghdad Bob.

“‘These kids are ticking time bombs’: The threat of youth basketball” Baxter Holmes

All about overuse and lack of diversity in training.

Out of Colorado, 6-foot-4 2020 combo guard Nique Clifford has been offered by San Jose State University.

“…Clifford, also regarded as one of the top prospects in the state, lists offers from Colorado State, Air Force, Northern Colorado, Wyoming, Denver, San Jose State and Metro State…”

Gladiator Basketball: “Game 2 Mullen JC Invitational at 8:15pm performance Kyle Brown 20pts 5rebs Jabari Sweet 16pts 5rebs Gladiator Basketball!”

An Orlando (Palma High) Johnson update.

Verbal Commits: “2020 Golden State Prep (CA) G Chance McMillian has received an offer from Washington State.”

Montana offered last week.

Elias King: “I have decommitted from UMass Lowell and I’m re-opening my recruitment.”

King is 6-foot-8 and out of Jesuit High. He played at IMG in Florida this season.

Jonathan Ned: “Just received my first Division 1 offer from UCSB”

Akron has now also offered. Out of Heritage High in Brentwood, the 6-foot-8 Ned averaged 8.6 points and 4.7 boards this season as a freshman at Eastern Florida State College

“Delon Wright Wouldn’t Be His Best Self Without Older Brother Dorell
They went from South Central LA to the NBA, but have never forgotten where they came from. Influenced by Dorell, the Raptors’ Delon has followed his brother’s footsteps.” Minnia Feng

Delon played at City College San Francisco from 2011-2013.

“(Zach) Payne comes full circle with move to Montana” Griz athletics

“Kyree Walker could be latest American high school hooper to head overseas” Adam Zagoria

Verbal Commits: “2020 St. Patrick-St. Vincent (CA) F D.J. Jackson has received an offer from Montana”

Jackson is 6-foot-10, 235 with other offers from USF, California and Arizona.

Middlesex Magic: “Congratulations to Magic and Brooks big man Sam Thomson who received a scholarship offer from the University of San Francisco!”

A 2020 prospect, Thomson stands 6-foot-8 and owns around 20 other offers, primarily from East Coast schools.

“Marvin McBroom Announces Commitment to Play Basketball at Sisseton Wahpeton College”

McBroom is 5-foot-9 and out of Vallejo High and Team Rampage. Sisseton Wahpeton College is located in South Dakota.

“Jayden Madise Announces Commitment to Play Basketball at Monterey Peninsula College“

Madise is a 6-foot-2 backcourter out of Palmdale.