July 1, 2011

Rebel-ing in Oakland

Kevin McCarthy
 

As with many club basketball teams, the Oakland Rebels are road tripping it in July, hitting Indiana, Illinois and Nevada before returning to the Golden State for a southern California tournament. Coach Ryant Diew scheduled these long distance expeditions of sorts in order to gain exposure for his players in other geographical areas of the country.

First off, it is the adidas Invitational in Indianapolis, then the King James Summer Showcase in Chicago. Later in the month, it’s the Super 64 in Las Vegas, quickly followed by the Best of Summer in Anaheim.

That is some cross-country display.

However, he is also a believer in the high school system. "The best of all worlds for players is dual participation. In high school, it’s usually ‘my system’ according to the coach, with discipline and fundamentals being learned while club team ball is more a showcase for displaying skills. Both are needed," he explained.

In this specific context, what’s fascinating is that Diew has one player -- Christopher Patterson -- who attends a high school in Oakland without athletic teams while another -- Eric Green -- goes to school on the East Coast.

Here’s the Rebel roster, with commentary by Diew:

• Maceo Bell, 6-foot-5, McClymonds, 2012.
  "Besides Aaron Gordon, Maceo is the most dynamic athlete in the Bay Area. He is fast and jumps out of the gym."
• Shakeel Carpenter, 6-foot-0, Kimball (Tracy), 2012.
  "A real good shooter who works really hard."
• Rodney Cook, 5-foot-11, Bethel, 2012.
  "Rodney has been with us since the fourth grade. He does whatever it takes to win, is savvy and he defends well."
• Paris Davis, 6-foot-3, Skyline, 2012.
  "He is the best scorer on our team. Paris is in his first year with us and he just puts the ball in the basket. He averages 20 points a game and is consistently between the 15 to 30 point range."
• Tanner Giddings, 6-foot-9, Windsor, 2012.
  "His upside is real high as he has the ability to run the floor and is working on his offensive game. I’m noticing he is developing a jump hook."
• Eric Green, 6-foot-5, St. Marks, 2012.
  "People haven’t seen him yet because he attends school at St. Mark’s in Boston but his family lives in Mountain House and he was with the Nor Cal Outlawz. He changes everything for our team because he can play the one, two and three. Eric is a tremendous athletic with bionic legs and he defends very well. He has a real high basketball IQ."
• Daniel Jones, 5-foot-6, Bishop O’Dowd, 2012.
  "He’s the littlest guy on our team but can flat out play. Daniel is really strong and won’t let you use your height against him. He has great footwork defensively and will defend from the moment you inbound the ball. Daniel has been with me since the third grade and we would never lose a game if he was seven feet. He also play football."
• Marzell Morning, 6-foot-1, Berkeley, 2012.
  "He’s an excellent athlete and tremendous defender with cat quick reflexes."
• Christopher Patterson, 6-foot-6, Muhammad University of Islam, 2012.
  "He came out of nowhere and is raw but has a huge upside. He’s a good kid who is willing to work hard with a nice touch on his shot to the free throw line plus shotblocking and rebounding ability. Christopher is relying a lot on athleticism right now but the sky is the limit."
• Deryck Ylanan, 6-foot-3, Moreau Catholic, 2014.
  "A very good basketball player -- he’s an excellent shooter and makes good passes -- and someone who doesn’t back down to anyone. Deryck is adjusting to being a guard because he used to be real big when he was young."