PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS (July 29, 2013) - Eight teams will participate in the third annual Battle 4 Atlantis, the richest Division I Men's pre-season college basketball tournament on November 28-30, 2013. The pulse-pounding event will be televised live on NBC Sports Network and AXS TV from the 3,900-seat arena at the famed Atlantis, Paradise Island resort in The Bahamas. The 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis field combines teams with 191 NCAA Tournament appearances, 25 Final Four appearances and 5 National Championships and features University of Kansas, Villanova University, University of Tennessee, University of Southern California, University of Iowa, Xavier University, Wake Forest University, and University of Texas at El Paso.

This talented field will battle through a 12-game tournament televised live to sports fans nationwide. Starting November 28, AXS TV will air coverage of the tournament at 1:00 PM EST and 3:30 PM EST, while NBC Sports will broadcast the daily 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM games. AXS TV is available nationally on DIRECTV (channel 306), Dish (channel 131), AT&T U-Verse (channel 1106), Verizon FiOS (channel 569) as well as Charter, Comcast Xfinity, Insight, Suddenlink and other TV providers.


The Battle 4 Atlantis first game brackets, beginning November 28, are as follows:

Game 1: Villanova University vs. University of Southern California (live at 1:00 PM EST on AXS TV)

Game 2: University of Kansas vs. Wake Forest University (live at 3:30 PM EST on AXS TV)

Game 3: Xavier University vs. University of Iowa (live at 7:00 PM EST on NBC Sports Network)

Game 4: University of Tennessee vs. University of Texas at El Paso (live at 9:30 PM EST on NBC Sports Network)


Battle 4 Atlantis Second Round Schedule – Friday, Nov. 29

Game 5: Game 3 loser vs. Game 4 loser (live at 12 p.m. CT on AXS TV)
Game 6: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser (live at 2:30 p.m. CT on AXS TV)
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner (live at 6 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Network)
Game 8: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner (live at 8:30 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Network)

Battle 4 Atlantis Final Round Schedule – Saturday, Nov. 30

7th-8th Place: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser (live at 12 p.m. CT on AXS TV)
5th-6th Place: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner (live at 2:30 p.m. CT on AXS TV)
3rd-4th Place: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser (live at 6 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Network)
1st-2nd Place: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner (live at 8:30 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Network)

KU AD (Kansas travel packages at the link)

If embedded video doesn't work for you, click here to see Coach Self with Andy Katz on Coaches Corner

I'm hearing Wayne Selden has been Kansas' most consistent player throughout summer practice. Selden doesn't enter next season with the cachet of fellow freshmen Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid, but he's more than capable of having a big time first year in Lawrence. the 6-5. 220 pound wing is built like a line-backer and possesses an uncanny ability to absorb contact. He'll be a big fan favorite at Allen Fieldhouse
CBS Rothstein

Instagram video: Frank Mason dunking


The Sacramento Kings will be happy to know their top draft pick, Ben McLemore, didn’t risk injury by playing in Mario Chalmers’ Miracle Shot camp all-star game on Thursday night at Olathe East.
The No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft out of Kansas University was content to sign autographs for 500 or so fans at halftime and after the game, while also serving as an assistant coach next to the Miami Heat’s Chalmers.

“Mario invited me to be here. I wanted to show my support. He’s a KU fan. He’s a KU alumni. I’m a KU alumni too. It’s just the love of the Jayhawk family,” said McLemore, who last week wrapped up his two-week stay in Las Vegas for five NBA Summer League games.

…McLemore said he hoped to spend a few days in his home town of St. Louis before heading to the NBA rookie transition program in New York.

“I’m being a kid right now, just being here with the fans of Kansas,” said McLemore. “I’ve been working out. I’ve been in summer league, getting ready, getting prepared, prepared to start.”
He won’t receive the first paycheck (he’s ticketed to make about $2,413,000 in 2013-14) until the season starts.

“I haven’t bought anything yet. I don’t have money yet to buy anything like that,” he said of cars and residences. “I’ve been buying little things I need. I don’t have a place yet. I’m just now figuring out what I’m going to do.”

…Former KU guard Russell Robinson reported that he’s signed a two-year deal with Stelmet Zielona Gora in Poland. He’s also played in Spain and France during his career. “The money’s good. I get to see the world. It’s been exciting,” said Robinson, who showed up for Thursday’s game sporting a mohawk haircut. Former KU players Jeff Graves, Jeff Hawkins, Brady Morningstar, Conner Teahan participated in the celebrity all-star game with Robinson and former KC area college players at O-East.
LJW
LJW Photos


Join @CoachBillSelf, @TRobinson0 and me at the @Academy Bill Self #ProCamp on 8/17-8/18! Register @ http://billselfcamp.com
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Chalmers can speak to the transition McLemore is about to make, having carved out a role alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with the Miami Heat.

With Paul Pierce in the twilight of his career, Chalmers and McLemore represent KU’s future in the NBA.

“I’m definitely going to try to get a lot of advice from him throughout the season,” McLemore said. “He’s been there for a while, so he knows the life.”
TCJ


Pitino said he felt as though Kansas freshman Joel Embiid was the most impressive high school player he saw in the Class of 2013.

“I think Kansas could have the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft with [Andrew] Wiggins and Embiid. [Embiid] does everything,” Pitino said.
ESPN


Paul George was the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2013 but at last week's Gatorade Athlete of the Year ceremony he was definitely the boldest.

…He also said he's a big fan of boys Athlete of the Year Andrew Wiggins, who is headed to Kansas and projected to be the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NBA draft.

"The kid knows how to do everything," George said. "That will translate well to the college and NBA level."
MaxPreps (Video at the link)


NBA Champion and former University of Kansas basketball player Mario Chalmers visited Lenexa Wednesday to host the Mario's Miracle Basketball Camp at Olathe East High School for a group of 110 underprivileged youth. Three of those kids got there with the help of BidSpot Cares, a Lenexa startup which manages the Mario V. Chalmers Foundation.

On Wednesday, BidSpot also celebrated the signing of its second client, Bill Self, head coach for the University of Kansas basketball team. The Assists Foundation focuses on the health and wellness of youth. Cheryl Womack, chairperson of BidSpot Cares and a board member of the foundation, worked with Self in the past, putting on fundraisers like the Basketball Boogie and donating $2 million toward a youth center in Lawrence, Kan. Once Womack and Self signed the contract, the coach was eager to get the campaign going.

"He's already had a ton of ideas; He's very energetic and creative — a little ball of fire," Womack said. "We're coming up with some very unique stuff. He's thinking outside the box."

…To attract more customers, BidSpot will start having free-night Tuesdays, when people can get 200 free bids to learn how to play the game. The winner will score two reserved seats at Late Night in the Phog at the University of Kansas.

Self's first campaign will kick off during the second week of September, and Chalmers' second campaign will launch the week after.
Link


What do you do if you are a lifelong Jayhawk basketball fan and you find out the original 13 rules of basketball, penned by Dr. James Naismith — the father of modern basketball — are up for auction? If you are Josh Swade, you find a way to make sure they end up in Lawrence, Kan. At the same time you film a documentary about the experience. Finally, you write a book about it, “The Holy Grail of Hoops: One Fan’s Quest to Buy the Original Rules of Basketball.”

“The whole thing was an awesome experience and the book was fun to write,” Swade said.

The book should hit book shelves Aug. 1. Sprinkled throughout are names and places KU fans and Jewish Kansas Citians will recognize such as Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff and Kehilath Israel Synagogue. There’s also a cute story about Larry Brown and Swade comparing their Bar Mitzvahs.

…The basketball fanatic that he is, Swade is stumped by the release date of the book. To him it would make more sense for it to come out as basketball season gets underway, which is always in October. In fact this year the annual Late Night in the Phog for both KU men’s and women’s basketball is set for Friday, Oct. 4, in Allen Fieldhouse.

Despite the fact that he wasn’t able to convince his Sports Publishing Group to move the book’s release date, Swade is still thrilled he got it published and chose to write it because the documentary is only an hour long.
Link

The NCAA's leadership — the executive committee and the D-I Board — will meet Aug. 8 in Indianapolis and begin discussing models for a drastically different way to govern the 348 schools in the association's top division. Emmert said he expects significant changes to how the NCAA operates to be adopted within the next year.

At issue is the ability of the richest athletic programs — which attract the massive television rights fees — to set policy without the smaller D-I programs stopping them because of financial concerns.

"There's one thing that virtually everybody in Division I has in common right now, and that is they don't like the governance model," Emmert said. "Now, there's not agreement on what the new model should be. But there's very little support for continuing things in the governing process the way they are today."

Within the past week, Emmert sent a letter to all D-I presidents, athletic directors, commissioners, faculty athletic representatives and senior woman administrators asking them to save the dates of Jan. 16 and 17 for "an important milestone in which your participation is crucial." The meeting will be held at the same time as the NCAA's annual convention in San Diego.

In the letter, Emmert called the "first-time Division I Governance Dialogue" a "critical meeting" that will cover "virtually every aspect of how Division I operates."
USA Today


Former Gonzaga star and National Player of the Year Adam Morrison is taking classes at the West Coast Conference school and will be a member of the Bulldogs' coaching staff this season, coach Mark Few told CBSSports.com on Thursday.

"He'll be a student assistant," Few said. "It'll be great. The players really respect him."
CBS


If Adam Morrison's NBA career is over, he played just 163 games and recorded just 28 starts. That's hard to do as a third overall pick.
@AlexKennedyNBA


For years, the Izzone, Michigan State basketball's student section, has settled seating priority and loyalty to the team through its annual campout.

But now, organizers are considering ending the Izzone preseason campout tradition at Munn Field in the fall, and it's angering those who believe the move is messing with a long-standing tradition.

Why is the campout important? It's one of the ways Izzone members accrue points toward seating priority at the games (game attendance and early arrival to games are other accrual methods). There typically are several check-ins during the campout, an effort to reward those who stay throughout the duration of the overnight event.

The Izzone, named after MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo, sent an email to its members last week, announcing its leadership was considering changes and asking for student input:

Based on last year's overall attendance numbers and general reception from the event, we are considering making some changes to the IZZONE Campout as it has traditionally been. What those changes involve strongly depends on how you as a section feel about the Campout in its current form, and what you would like to see the Campout become in future years.
MLive.com


2013-14 Early-season events schedule

just in case y'all forgot The Twins and I
https://twitter.com/Im_that_dude22

Speaking of high level, the passes thrown by Howard Pulley’s Tyus Jones (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) in the second half were certainly that. The nation’s No. 1 floor general put precise touch on his assists and knocked down free throws to seal the contest. Bill Self, Richard Pitino and Izzo were on hand to see him.
ESPN (Video at the link)


adidas Super 64 July 24-28


AAU Super Showcase and National Championship July 24-29


Las Vegas Fab 48 July 25-28


Hal Pastner Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic July 24-28


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational July 25-28


Looking for an excuse to watch some hoops in July? Here’s one: Some of the top high school basketball players in the country will descend on the area this weekend as the Hardwood Classic basketball tournament begins on Friday at The Fieldhouse of KC at 12140 W. 135th Street in Overland Park.

It’s the second grassroots tournament to begin this weekend in the Kansas City area — the KC Prep Invitational began on Thursday in Shawnee — and coaches from every major Division I conference are expected to be in town for the last weekend of the July recruiting period. Last year’s Hardwood Classic, according to tourney organizers, drew more than 100 college coaches, and a handful of elite recruits are expected to compete over the next three days.

The top player in the field could be Cheick Diallo, a 6-foot-9 junior forward from New York who has already earned a scholarship offer from Kansas. Diallo, rated as the No. 6 overall player in the class of 2015, grew up playing soccer in the west African country of Mali. The Jayhawks have had recent success in recruiting African players, tapping a similar player this year in freshman center Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon.

Diallo will play on Team Scan (Bronx, N.Y.) alongside 6-foot-9 senior Chris McCullough, a Syracuse commit who is ranked 19th in the 2014 class by Rivals. Another top players to watch is Keita Bates Diop, a 6-foot-7 senior forward who has committed to Ohio State. Diop will play for the U-17 Illinois Wolves, who also feature Marquette commit Malek Harris, a 6-foot-7 forward who is ranked 72nd in the 2014 class.

There are also a handful of area products to follow. Lourawls Nairn, a senior guard from Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, is rated as the 61st best player in the 2014 class. Nairn will play for the U-17 MoKan squad, while Blue Valley Northwest senior Clayton Custer (an Iowa State commit) is playing for local U17 squad Team Yobo, coached by former Oklahoma State and Wyandotte standout Victor Williams.
KC Star
SCHEDULE


They strolled into the auxiliary gym at Rancho High School with backpacks on and the message clear on their shirts: I AM TRAYVON.

Every player on Game Elite's 17U squad was donning the T-shirts during warm-ups and didn't remove them until it was time to tip. The AAU program based out of Atlanta first displayed the shirts Wednesday night, and per program co-director Ryan Falker, they'll wear the shirts before and after games for the duration of their stay for tournament play in Las Vegas this week.

"We all wanted to wear the shirts because, even though the right thing didn't turn out in court we wanted everyone to know we haven't forgotten about this," Avery Patterson said.
CBS


Recruiting Calendar


My KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

A cast of veterans had left. Some puppy-dog newcomers had arrived on campus. And as Chalmers surveyed the premises, taking part in an afternoon sweat in the KU practice facility, the Jayhawks’ crew of freshmen kept drilling Chalmers with a rather important question.

“They were just asking me what it takes to win a championship,” Chalmers said. “I was like: ‘With coach (Bill) Self, just listen.’”

…Still basking in the glow of the Miami Heat’s second straight NBA title, Chalmers returned to the area this week for some downtime and a loaded schedule of charity events. Chalmers will play host to his fifth annual National Championship golf tournament this weekend at Alvamar Golf Club in Lawrence, and he’s organizing a celebrity all-star game tonight at Olathe East. (Chalmers is slated to coach, and admission is $20).

But Wednesday, Chalmers was busy at his camp in Olathe. His foundation had provided scholarships for three kids from the Urban Rangers Corps in Kansas City, and Chalmers had spent the previous two days hanging out with Nik Tanner, Zion Piper and Michael Graham.

“The coolest thing was actually him teaching me how to shoot the ball,” said Tanner, a seventh-grader from Kansas City. “Because I wasn’t making my shots and he was just like: ‘Put faith into it.’”
KC Star (Video at the link)


Mario Chalmers talking on The Drive: " He's at the top. One of the best coaches, I've ever had." on where Bill Self Ranks in coaching.
https://www.facebook.com/610sports/posts/524162917637891


During the camp, The NCAA champion guard said he spoke with the current KU basketball team about what it takes to win a title.

"I told them, with Coach (Bill) Self, just listen. He told us just play defense and we could do whatever we want on offense. Once we figured that out and how to get our defense going, just clicked and we were able to play together and just have fun," Chalmers said.

Last month, Chalmers won his second straight NBA title with the Miami Heat. He says while he is still enjoying his time off, next year with returning league MVP Lebron James, looks promising.

"We are going for the three-peat. Then next summer, basically the contracts of our whole team are up. This might be our last hoorah together, so we want to go out with a bang," he said.
KSHB


Chalmers said his second NBA title may have required more sweat than the first.

“The amount of work it took to beat the Spurs (seven games) was a lot different than the Thunder (five games). I’d say the second championship was a little bit harder to win than the first,” Chalmers said.

He scored 20 points a pivotal, series-tying, 103-100 Game 6 victory in Miami.

”My mindset was (to) attack from the beginning. I had three games in San Antonio I didn’t play well at all,” Chalmers said. “I felt I let my team down. I wanted to bounce back and give my team a boost, have my confidence back.”

Chalmers said it was great to have KU coach Bill Self in the stands for two of the Heat’s playoff games — one versus the Spurs in San Antonio and one against the Indiana Pacers in Miami.

“It means a lot. Coming to watch me play at the next level shows he still cares,” said Chalmers, who was in Lawrence earlier this week working out and speaking to KU’s six-player freshman class.

…Chalmers’ four-day camp concludes today at Olathe East. An all-star game that features former KU players Nick Bradford, Jeff Graves, Jeff Hawkins, Brady Morningstar, Russell Robinson, Conner Teahan and perhaps Travis Releford is set for 7 p.m. today, at the O-East gym. Admission is $20. For information on signing up for Chalmers’ fifth-annual golf tournament set for Monday at Alvamar, click here.
LJW

Young players from around central Kansas were in Great Bend Tuesday hoping to hone their hoops skills with help form a former KU basketball great.

“This was a camp that I started about seven years ago while I was still playing for the Miami Heat, and really our goal in the camp was not just to teach kids how to dribble, pass or shoot a basketball, but to really teach them what it means to live a life of greatness in following Jesus Christ,” said Wayne Simien, former KU player.

Although he’s no longer a professional basketball player, Wayne Simien is now a minister and his call to greatness camps have allowed him to combine his two loves of basketball and the Lord.

…“We usually have around 70 to 200 kids in each location. We really enjoy serving the kids. We offer tons of scholarships because we don’t want kids to be turned away from this opportunity.

Probably my favorite to work with here in this community is the kids who are in the foster care system that don’t have a lot of opportunities outside of their schools to play sports, and so they come here, and we get a chance to engage and interact and encourage them over the next two days, and it’s been really fun.”

While the Called to Greatness Camps are now all over Kansas, Wayne Simien is hoping to expand them into Missouri and Nebraska in the near future.
KSN (Video at the link)

Space is still available for those interested in Kansas Athletics Williams Education Fund (WEF) travel packages to experience one of the best tournaments in college basketball, the 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis, Nov. 28-30 at Nassau, Bahamas.

The three-game guarantee brackets have yet to be announced for the Thanksgiving-weekend tourney, but the eight confirmed teams participating in the event include: Kansas, Villanova, Tennessee, Iowa, UTEP, Xavier, USC and Wake Forest. The world-renowned Atlantis Resort will serve as the backdrop for the Battle 4 Atlantis.
http://www.jayhawksportstravel.com/basketball/battle-4-atlantis.php

SLAM: So you’re already at Kansas. What are your first impressions?
AW: I like it a lot. Lawrence is a college town, people there don’t show you nothing but love. The practices are really hard. We have the best strength and conditioning coach in the country. Every day in practice we go hard. I’m a freshman so I’m trying to take someone’s minutes and they’re not just going to let me take their minutes. So I have to go out there and go hard and be hungry. I think we will be a special team.

SLAM: What are some of your favorite shoes? What basketball sneakers have you been rocking this summer?
AW: On the court, I wear what the team wears.

SLAM: Really? I find that hard to believe, Andrew.
AW: Yeah. But off the court, that’s where I like to…I like Jordans, LeBrons, KDs—I like to have stuff that nobody else has.
SLAM Q&A with Andrew Wiggins


But what separates NBA superstar and global sporting icon Lebron James from Darius Miles, the athletically gifted, next-big-thing in the NBA that never was (don’t remember him? exactly) is character. And Wiggins has it.

Gus Gymnopoulos knows the family well. The Vaughan Secondary School phys. ed. teacher and basketball coach has schooled most of the Wiggins clan on the basics of the hard court for the better part of a decade.

“Andrew has been around basketball his whole life,” says Gymnopoulos, whose team won an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations Basketball Championship in 2011 with Wiggins at the helm. “You can’t make that stuff up. It was almost a perfect environment.”

But, it is the stuff in between Wiggins’ ears that continues to impress Gymnopoulos, who still keeps in touch with his former student and welcomes him back into the school gym whenever he’s in town, as he does with all former players.

“I think he has the perfect character and demeanour to handle the toughest situations,” he says. “He doesn’t care what other people say. He has the ability to deflect. No one trained him; it’s just the way the kid is. He has the mental makeup to be able to handle any situation.”
Post City Magazine


Brannen Greene, a freshman on the Kansas basketball team, is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 7 after being cited for leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage and failure to report an accident.

According to a Lawrence Police accident report, a dark SUV struck a vehicle parked in a driveway around 3:15 a.m. July 13 in the 2000 Block of Ousdahl Road in Lawrence. The accident caused significant damage to the parked car’s trunk.

Greene, 18, was later found by police to be driving the SUV, which was identified as a 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer, and was owned by another Lawrence man who was riding in the car. Officers reported that the SUV left tire tracks that continued through adjacent yards.

According to a follow-up accident report, Greene later contacted police and reported on July 17 that he had been driving the vehicle. Greene told police that he had been out at a Lawrence bar and consumed “one drink.”
KC Star


Former Kansas player Travis Releford played with the Denver Nuggets at the Las Vegas summer league and it's now a waiting game on NBA training camp options. Releford averaged 2.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 13.8 minutes a night through five games for the Nuggets in Vegas.

"For the time that I got, I think I did all right," said Releford after the Nuggets wrapped up play against the Memphis Grizzlies. "I don't think I got to show much of my strengths, but for the time I got in I felt like I competed and did the things the coaches asked of me."

…He has been working on adding strength since moving on from Kansas. Releford didn't get a chance to show off his three-point range with the Nuggets as he didn't attempt a single three, but he did shoot 5-11 from the field and feels confident about his three-point stroke.

"With the line being back a little further I had to adjust to it the first three or four weeks out of school [Kansas], but after that I felt like I didn't have a problem with it at all," said Releford. "It has got a lot better as I've gotten stronger. It's different shooting it consistently, like every now and then you'd shoot an NBA three [in college]."

His defense could lead him to training camp. He finished second to Jordan Hamilton (6 steals) with 5 steals on the summer league squad and played well on the defensive end. He stuck with his man, read pick-and-roll coverage well, closed out on shooters, and showed a knack for making plays on defense. Releford was always active when he was on the court and he considers that a strength of his.
Link


So apparently Jason Sudeikis was waiting for a bigger audience to announce that he has left “Saturday Night Live," which begins its 39th season in September.

During an appearance on the “The Late Show” Wednesday, he confirmed the news to host David Letterman.

“I’m definitely done. Yeah, I'm gonna leave. Yeah, I’m not coming back next fall," he told Letterman as the audience groaned at the news.
Link

Marcus Smart knows firsthand the impact cancer can have on a family.

He was just 9 when his 33-year-old brother, Todd, died after battling leukemia.

The Oklahoma State star sophomore guard will pay tribute to his brother when his Cowboys face Colorado as part of the MGM Grand Showcase on Dec. 21. Proceeds from the college basketball doubleheader, which also features New Mexico playing Marquette, will go to Coaches vs. Cancer.

“It’s a big-time game for us and for an important cause,” said Smart, who spent the first part of this week training with USA Basketball at UNLV’s Mendenhall Center. “When you lose someone to cancer the way I did with my brother, it stays with you forever. So if we can raise money to help fight (cancer), count me in.”

Tickets, priced from $30 to $250, go on sale at 10 a.m. today at Ticketmaster.com and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Both games will be televised nationally — New Mexico-Marquette on ESPNU and Colorado-Oklahoma State on ESPN2.
LV RJ


Smart told Yahoo! Sports that, barring injury, he will enter and stay in the 2014 NBA draft following his sophomore season. He was projected to be a candidate for the No. 1 pick in last month's draft, but decided to stay in school.

Smart, 19, said he has told Oklahoma State athletic department officials that he plans to go to the NBA after this coming season.

"It's safe to say that if, by the grace of God I'm healthy and everything, this will be my last year at Oklahoma State," Smart said after USA Basketball's mini-camp practice Tuesday at UNLV. "Nothing will change my mind on that. [Oklahoma State] understands. They didn't figure I was coming back this year. They were just as surprised as everyone else."
Yahoo


On Tuesday afternoon, the Louisville men's basketball team concluded its championship victory tour of sorts with the customary trip to the White House.

Members and coaches of the 2013 national championship team met with the President of the United States. With a horde of press, friends and family waiting in the East Wing, Louisville marched out and took a group photo. Pitino then came out, flanked by Barack Obama.

Obama congratulated Kentucky senator/University of Louisville alumnus Mitch McConnell, who was in the building. As presidents tend to be at these congratulatory conferences for American championship teams, Obama was in a gregarious mood. Even jocular. He took a couple of good-natured shots at Pitino.

"[Louisville] always played hard, worked together and worked on one singular goal: to bust my bracket," Obama said.

He also referenced Pitino's tattoo, ink he got in April after fulfilling a promise to his team. Obama promised not to make the 60-year-old coach display it in the White House, but then added, "You have something that will stay with you forever: a shirtless picture on the Internet. That will never be erased."
CBS


During a news conference that was professorial, meandering and far more understated than the ones given by his colleagues in recent days, Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany added credence Wednesday to the notion that fundamental changes to the NCAA structure are on the way and likely to be implemented within a year.

But unlike Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby and even Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive, Delany downplayed the threat of breaking away from the NCAA and characterized the momentum toward a so-called "super division" of high-revenue schools as a more natural evolution that all of college athletics would embrace.
USA Today


2013-14 Early-season events schedule

Orlando watching Tyus Jones. RT @SEsco10: @ebosshoops Where is Self?
https://twitter.com/ebosshoops


Howard Pulley (@PulleyHoops) PG Tyus Jones (@Tyusjones06) records 20 pts (8-12 FG), 8 ast in a 64-61 win over BABC #EYBL
https://twitter.com/D1Circuit


Tyus Jones was the guy everyone was there to see, and he didn’t disappoint.

The 6-foot-1, 171-pound point guard led Howard Pulley to a 64-61 win over Bonzie Colsonand BABC on Wednesday night in the 17U Gold Super Showcase at the Wide World of Sports.

Ranked No. 2 in the country in the Class of 2014 by Rivals.com, and No. 3 by ESPN, Jones took the floor in front of Duke assistant Nate James, Minnesota head coach Richard Pitino, Kansas coach Bill Self, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo and assistants from Ohio State, UCLA and Baylor.

The only visit Jones currently has scheduled is Baylor in late August. His connection there is that Jared Nunness, Baylor’s Director of Player Development, is his cousin.

Still, he plans on taking all of his visits coming up soon, with a decision coming soon thereafter.

“I plan on taking all of my visits in the fall,”Jones told SNY.tv. “I plan on making my decision at the end of the fall.”
Zags Blog


Emmanuel Mudiay is a talent. Point guard with size and athleticism. Shooting it extremely well tonight. Has higher upside than Tyus Jones.
https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN


Playing in front of a crowd that included over 50 college coaches, most notably Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Bill Self of Kansas and Duke assistant Nate James, Justise Winslow helped Houston Hoops to a blowout win over Atlanta Xpress, 89-56, in the 17U Gold Super Showcase on Wednesday evening.

…Winslow recently cut his list to 10 schools – Arizona, Baylor, Duke, Florida, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina, Stanford, Texas A&M and UCLA.

Now Kentucky appears to be in the mix, too, but Winslow says that no school has taken an upper hand in his mind.

“I have about 11-12 schools right now that are equal,” Winslow said.
Zags Blog


STANLEY JOHNSON, 6-6 SF, Santa Ana (CAL) Mater Dei

Johnson was named Co-MVP of the event after leading the USA West team to the title by posting 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a 98-95 win over USA South this past Saturday. He is considering seven schools – Kentucky, Kansas, Florida, Oregon, Arizona, UCLA and USC – and will take official visits to the first five.

NBA Scout’s Take: “Really showed something bringing the ball up the floor. His perimeter game is improving, which is really going to help him big-time because he’s very good around the basket. With the perimeter game, his upside is much better than the first night I saw him. He’s got a real chance also. He understands how to play. He’s a winner.”
SheridanHoops Top 10 Nike Global Challenge Players


Newman and Mudiay alternated carrying the load for MWA Elite, with Mudiay demonstrating an elite penetration and playmaking ability. Mudiay had 22 points in the first half, finishing with 31. Newman banged in eight 3-pointers en route to a 32-point evening.

…Myles Turner vs. Cliff Alexander and Jahlil Okafor: We saw a preview of this last weekend in Milwaukee, when Turner went head-to-head against Alexander. Facing both of the Chicago big men was a tough challenge for Turner, although his length and ability to face-up and knock down shots was problematic for his opponents. Okafor and Alexander worked well together in the low post or in the high-low.

Isaiah Whitehead vs. Rashad Vaughn: One could make the case that these are the two best shooting guards in the class of 2014. While it was an undercard to the aforementioned big man battle, these two showed off a variety of offensive abilities on Wednesday night. Whitehead got the best of Vaughn, though, making shots from NBA-range and also finishing inside the arc off the bounce.
CBS Wednesday Vegas Recap


While the Hoops' trio of five-star prospects all shined in the blowout win, no one was more efficient as a scorer than Richmond (Texas) Bush wing Kelly Oubre.

The 6-foot-6 shooting guard, who can also comfortably play the small forward position, has been one of the most talked-about players this summer, after showing out at the Peach Jam and then the Nike Global Challenge last week in Washington D.C.

Wednesday night was no different as Oubre knocked down shots from behind the three-point arc with confidence, showed the ability to handle and finish in transition and played with his normal level of energetic and positive attitude.

Also an athlete who can find openings off the ball, Oubre showed a good understanding for the spacing game, beating his man on backdoor cuts and finding openings in the corners to get great looks at three-pointers. Finally, the five-star efficiently attacked the offensive glass, finishing multiple attempts through contact against physically inferior defenders.

After the game, Oubre talked about the latest in his recruitment, specifically what schools are making the biggest push.

Admitting that he was somewhat drawing a blank on naming his complete list, Oubre mentioned Kentucky, Kansas, Georgetown, Connecticut and Florida as schools that he has had contact with the most in the last few weeks. Now that all of the top programs in the nation have decided to make him a priority target in the 2014 class, Oubre is faced with the task of trimming his extensive list.

"The next step is sitting down with my dad and talking about which schools I can see myself playing at for however many years I play in college," said Oubre.

"I have to find the place that the coach can develop me to be the best that I can be. Where can they develop me to help me get to the next level?"

With more and more class of 2014 stars beginning to form recruiting alliances and discussing attending the same schools as package deals, the Houston-area native said that he is not exempt from those discussions.

"A couple big guys like Cliff Alexander and Myles Turner have all talked about going to school together, since most of the same places are recruiting all of us," said Oubre. "Stanley Johnson is another guy I've talked about playing with, but I'm not part of any type of package deal."
Rivals  (Video at the link)


adidas Super 64
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: We head back to Vegas for the final major July event as college coaches get a chance to make final evaluations at the end of the live period. It also allows coaches an opportunity to confirm what they saw at the two weeks earlier at the adidas Invitational.
What makes it unique: The field may be the largest coaches will see this month with close to 450-500 teams from various age groups and playing levels. Also, adidas welcomes players and teams from other shoe brand companies to make the talent base the best it can possibly be.
Players to watch: SG Jalen Coleman and PF
Dante Buford.


AAU Super Showcase and National Championship
When: July 24-29
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Why it’s important: More than 1,000 college coaches pack the first-class facilities at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports to take in some of the best AAU talent in the country.
What makes it unique: The nation’s premier AAU squad compete for a national championship after qualifying by winning their respective districts, meaning these teams truly have to earn the right to play at this event.
Players to watch: PG Tyus Jones, PG Joel Berry and PF Chris McCullough.


Las Vegas Fab 48
When: July 25-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: The talent pool is extremely deep and attracts more than 1000 college coaches, providing prospects a packed arena to showcase their talents.
What makes it unique: There are over 300 reported teams participating with teams from all over the country and a spattering of international squads.
Players to watch: PG Jordan McLaughlin, SG/PG Tyler Dorsey and SG Daniel Hamilton.


Hal Pastner Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: Arguably the largest event of the month, the Las Vegas Classic draws 450 teams from America, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico to name a few.
What makes it unique: The sheer number of talented prospects from a wide range of ages essentially turns this setting into a buffet for college coaches to evaluate and for players to earn college scholarships.
Players to watch: C Jahlil Okafor, PF Ivan Rabb and SF Kameron Chatman
ESPN Insider ($)
http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/ncbrecruiting/national/post/_/id/7344/nine-events-to-watch-in-july


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational, July 25-28, 2013.


Jayson Tatum, a 6-foot-6 sophomore guard from St. Louis, already holds scholarship offers from Kansas and Missouri — and he’ll be in Kansas City this weekend for the KC Prep Invitational, which begins Thursday at the Mid-America Sports Complex in Shawnee.

Tatum, who plays for the St. Louis Eagles grassroots squad, will play his first game at 9:15 p.m. on Thursday. One of the top players in the 2016 class, he also holds scholarship offers from Kentucky, Michigan State and Florida, among others, according to Rivals.com.

Another intriguing player to watch is shooting guard Allonzo Trier of Tulsa, Okla., the 35th ranked player in the Class of 2015. The tournament runs through Sunday, and many games can be seen on Metro Sports in Kansas City.
KC Star


Recruiting Calendar


My KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

7/20/13, 10:24 PM
Haa i bleed burnt orange forever!!
RT @CoachBillSelf: Big shot Reed having fun oh and also some guy named Durant. pic.twitter.com/LxvywHOoIQ
@KDTrey5

A pair of larger-than-life Jayhawks were roaming the court at the Thomas Jefferson Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon.

Perry Ellis, a sophomore forward for Bill Self’s Kansas team, and Greg Dreiling, a former KU center and 10-year NBA veteran, were on hand to give their expertise and encouragement at the Thomas Jefferson Advanced Basketball Skills Camp.

The camp was hosted by Bill Carter, current director of development at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, and former coach who is in the MBCA Hall of Fame and the Texas A&M-Kingsville Hall of Fame.

He coached Dreiling and Wichita-Kapaun Mt. Carmel to a state title in the 1980s.

“When Coach Carter calls, I come running,” Dreiling said. “He said he had a bunch of young kids who wanted to learn basketball and the lessons it can teach, so here we are.

“He could call me over to China or South America. Wherever he is, coaching or teaching, I’ll be there for him.”

Dreiling was on hand all week to help instruct the campers, but Ellis was the main attraction on Friday.
…Dreiling, who played for the Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers, had similar words when discussing Ellis’ game, even referring him to Celtics great Kevin McHale at one point.

“He’s developing an all-around game. I love his ability to turn around and hit the jump shot,” he said. “ He’s got nice up-and-under moves, kind of McHale-like down in the low block. You have to honor his jump shot and he can give you head fake after hitting a couple and then swing it through and finish with jump-hooks the other direction.

“And he’s just going to keep building on that. He has a nice foundation.”
…The Jayhawks made big news when they secured Andrew Wiggins, the top recruit in the 2013 class, earlier this summer.

“He’s a great kid, a humble kid,” Ellis said of Wiggins. “He’s similar to me in that he’s real quiet. He’s a great kid and he’s doing great up there right now. I’m looking forward to seeing him play.”

The Jayhawks will send a young team onto the court this season, but Ellis said he had high hopes for the squad.

“This is going to be a real athletic team. We’re going to be able to run and get up and down the court a lot,” he said. “It’s going to be different. We’ll have a lot of new faces so we’ll have to get adjusted well. It’s going to be great.”
Joplin Globe

Kansas played 37 games last season. With the requisite five players starting each game, that represents 185 starts through the year. Sophomore power forward Perry Ellis made four of those, sophomore power forward Jamari Traylor one. The players who made the other 180 starts are all gone from the roster, with four of them completing their eligibility and All-American guard Ben McLemore filing for early NBA draft entry.

So that means KU is starting over with players who accounted for 2.7 percent of last season’s starts.

“Perry, without question, even though he didn’t start, in my mind he’s the equivalent of a starter,” Self said. “But with all that being said, it’s still the youngest team that we’ve had.”

…What was learned during KU’s summer-session practices:

—Wiggins must improve his conditioning to equal his athleticism, which is no great surprise. It’s rare for high school athletes to arrive in the kind of shape that has become common for college athletes who are exposed on a daily basis to elite strength training. Wiggins will need to learn to use his burst more efficiently; he’ll get to the rim more often than most but will be more dangerous if he pulls up for short jumpers or to feed teammates who become open when defenders collapse.

—Center Joel Embiid, a 7-0 native of Cameroon who attended high school in Florida, impressed Self with his skill and potential. “When we recruited him, I thought he had a chance to be pretty good. And then we watched him with his high school team and thought he had a chance to be real good,” Self said. “And then after coaching him for a while … he’s just so young in the game, but I think he’s got a chance to be one of the best big guys I’ve ever been around.”

“He’s just got it. He just doesn’t know how to do it yet.”

—The pressure on Tharpe to be a functional point guard might come as much from freshman Frank Mason of Massanutten Military Academy as from the responsibility inherent in such a high-profile position. “Naadir and Frank Mason and Conner Frankamp, they’re all guys definitely better than what I’ve thought, but still a long way to go to run a team, to being the primary guy,” Self said. “There’s definitely competition there. Mason’s going to put pressure on everybody to be better. He wants it so bad … Our workouts have been so competitive.”

—The abundance of athleticism, which includes freshman wings Wayne Selden and Brannen Greene, will allow KU to play a more ferocious defensive style. “I think we’ve got to defensively do things to pressure more because for the first time in years we can actually pressure the ball,” Self said. “We’ve got wings that can run through passes. I think we’ll have to do more stuff full court.

“And then also, we haven’t played any zone, but I think we can have an unbelievable zone team. I’m not saying we’ll do that a lot. I definitely want to investigate it.”
Sporting News DeCourcy


ESPN’s Myron Medcalf on Monday listed KU freshman Andrew Wiggins as the country’s most “indispensable” college player, that is, the most important to the success of his team.

Wiggins was ranked No. 1, followed by Doug McDermott, Creighton; Jahii Carson, Arizona State; Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State; LaQuinton Ross, Ohio State; Cleanthony Early, Wichita State; Alex Kirk, New Mexico; Russ Smith, Louisville; Davante Gardner, Marquette and Mitch McGary, Michigan.
“No high school recruit has ever arrived with this much hype. He might not live up to it. If he does, however, it’ll be easy to see why he’s so indispensable,” Medcalf wrote.

…Former Kansas University basketball players Marcus and Markieff Morris combined for 27 points and 13 rebounds in the Phoenix Suns’ 91-77 loss to Golden State in Monday’s finals of the Las Vegas Summer League.

Small forward Marcus Morris had 17 points and six boards; power forward Markieff Morris 10 points and seven boards. The Suns finished with a 6-1 record to Golden State’s 7-0 mark.
LJW


Ben McLemore, Kings
15.8 PPG, 5 RPG, 0 APG, 33.3 FG%, 19.4 3P%

The good: McLemore had two strong games at summer league, most recently downing a talented Hawks squad with a 19-point third quarter. When he's on, he moves with uncommon grace and power, both on and off the ball. He's also been a terror in transition because of his ability to outpace defenders and throw down reverberating dunks.

When balanced, McLemore's shot can evoke Ray Allen memories, especially when he sweeps along the baseline, through screens, to get an open look. Because of his athletic prowess, not much room is needed for a clean jumper. The kid rises quickly off the floor, unfurling a rainbow arc that eludes closeouts. Even if his shot hasn't been going in this tournament, the form looks good.

The bad: He hasn't been good at that which he's supposedly good at. For a shooter, McLemore hasn't shot especially well, converting only 33 percent of his attempts. Though the form looks good, his balance appears to be off, to the point where he airballed consecutive jumpers against the Warriors. He's yet to demonstrate an ability to reset his legs and square up when shooting off the dribble.

Shaky as the shot's been, his handle is more concerning. McLemore's dribble is loose, and often stolen. He carries the ball with nearly every dribble, often losing the rock on the way up or down. He's especially bad at dribbling left, which teams have taken advantage in this chaotic setting. Defenses are shading McLemore leftward, daring him to attack open driving lanes.
Bottom line: Despite his glaring flaws, I certainly wouldn't give up on McLemore because his positive qualities are just as striking. He's probably the most powerful dunker in Vegas, and if the college stats are any indication, he'll grow into a sharpshooter from deep.
ESPN: Top Summer League Rookies
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/61680/final-word-summer-leagues-top-rookies

7/20/13, 3:16 PM
Going back to school next summer
@BRush_4

No longer is the Big 12 just trying to survive, like it was during the seismic shifts of conference affiliation in previous summers when the league lost four schools and added two others to settle into its 10-team configuration.

Bowlsby, the former Stanford and Iowa athletic director, acknowledged that much of what has been accomplished in his first year leading the Big 12 was the result of things that were already in motion when he got there. That included the framework of the $2.6 billion TV deal with ESPN and Fox Sports that goes through 2024-25 with each school granting its TV rights to the league.

"We got done the things that needed to be done in the first year, most of them were previously started," Bowlsby said. "This year may be a little more ground-level logistics and tactical things, as opposed to some of the high-level things we had to deal with."
AP


While it's not a full-on breakaway from the NCAA that's coming to college football, the look and feel of the sport will never be the same. Frustrated at a bogged-down, ineffective NCAA, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Monday he and his BCS conference peers favored "transformative change" in college athletics.

He later identified that change as the possible establishment of a so-called “Division 4” of the highest level of football-playing schools.

"We've made it too easy to get into Division I," Bowlsby said Monday at his conference's media days, "and too easy to stay there."

...What we'd been hearing for those months now seems to be heading for reality. There is going to be a further subdivision at the highest level of college football. It last happened in 1978 when FCS (Division I-AA) was created. That relegated 250 or so schools to the non-revenue purgatory that is I-AA.

Get ready for an expansion of that purgatory for the have-nots. The message was as clear as the division between the BCS and non-BCS conferences. ACC commissioner John Swofford said it could come within six months. Bowlsby said an NCAA special convention may be needed.

…So the time has finally come, the time we've been hearing about for months, years. We knew that financially the BCS conferences were about to flex their significant muscle. Now they're gaining further control of college athletics. By the way, don't get in their way because complete secession from the NCAA is possible, Bowlsby said, though only as “a last resort.”

Somewhere you can hear saber rattling. The commissioners are using gummed-up NCAA legislative process as an excuse, but really this about them making their own rules so they spend their own money the way they see fit.

The player stipend debate has been disaster and perhaps the last straw for the BCS schools.

Northern Iowa has almost nothing in common with Texas but has the ability to vote down a stipend because it can't afford it. What the BCS commissioners are saying: Why is Northern Iowa voting on the issue in the first place?

“Northern Iowa and Texas aren't much alike,” said the same Bob Bowlsby, who also spent eight years as AD at … Northern Iowa.
CBS Dodd


Basketball is the main reason that despite their objections to the current system, schools from the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac 12 would not cut ties completely with the NCAA. Though its growth has slowed considerably in recent years, the men’s tournament is still a cash cow that provides plenty of revenue. And it would be difficult for the BCS schools to produce a popular tournament without the likes of Cinderella schools that help give the event its charm and appeal.

…Bowlsby told the media covering the Big 12 event that the five commissioners have “unanimity” about what should happen, meaning we are probably close to the day in which like-minded powers join together to make their own rules and share their own revenue.
Lexington HL


What Bowlsby is saying is what Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski feared when he sat down with The Post about a month ago and was asked if he thought the “Big Five” power conferences would split from the NCAA.

“What happens when people get more money?’’ Coach K asked. “They move out of the neighborhood. They form their own neighborhood.’’

The new neighborhood would comprise the schools from the five power conferences: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-12. They’re the conferences that are getting filthy rich TV contracts.

And if that happens, the blue-blood schools in those conferences — Arizona, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Syracuse, UCLA — the ones that often get the top seeds, the ones we love to see toppled, won’t be in the NCAA Tournament.

They would be in another neighborhood, a neighborhood with all Big Fellas and no Cinderellas.
Big-time college football already lives there. It’s dragging basketball with it.

“Football is really outside the NCAA,’’ Krzyzewski said. “They go by the NCAA rules, but they don’t share money with the NCAA.’’

The big-time football schools share little with the rest of their NCAA brethren, which is why a split seems inevitable. As Bowlsby said, “It’s unrealistic to think that we can manage football and field hockey by the same set of rules.’’
NY Post


The men's tournament selection committee was in Park City, Utah, this week and into the weekend to review the tournament, tweak where needed and assess the future of the NCAA's grand event.

Remember, the NCAA has no control over the football playoff since that is being run by the five major conference commissioners. The men's basketball tournament is still the gem for the NCAA and its most protected asset.

The tournament doesn't need to be overhauled, but there are a few moves that will be discussed and, in the long term, could be enacted to potentially enhance the tournament.

1) Protect the true seed
2) Family consideration
3) Arenas for regionals
4) Fan experience
5) Tournament leadership
ESPN


North Carolina athletic officials have ordered a company that makes designer mouth guards to stop using a Tar Heels basketball player to promote its brand.

The university has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Iceberg Guards about rising senior guard Leslie McDonald, who until recently had been listed on the company's website as a user of its products. It's the second off-court issue involving a UNC player the school has faced this offseason, following leading scorer P.J. Hairston's June arrest on a misdemeanor drug charge while driving a rental vehicle.

That vehicle was linked to a man with a criminal history — who also has a business connection to one of the founders of Iceberg Holdings LLC.

NCAA rules generally prohibit athletes from endorsing or promoting a company or product.

"We sent a cease-and-desist letter to Iceberg regarding Leslie McDonald," said Steve Kirschner, UNC's senior associate athletic director for communications. "They took his name off their site as a customer last week."

North Carolina has spent much of the past three years dealing with off-field issues that began with an NCAA investigation of the football program. Now the school is trying to determine whether there are issues with its men's basketball program.
News Observer


The misdemeanor charges of marijuana possession and driving without a license that P.J. Hairston faced after his June 5 arrest in Durham have been dropped, a Durham County clerk of court said Monday. Even so, Hairston, the UNC-Chapel Hill junior guard, still faces questions about how he came to drive rental cars paid for by a felon with a long criminal history, and what impact that might have on his NCAA eligibility.

A court clerk said Monday that Hairston had produced his license, which led to the dismissal of that charge, and also completed a state drug assessment program, which led to the dismissal of the marijuana possession charge.

After his arrest, Hairston, who had been driving a rented 2013 GMC Yukon, told Durham police he received the vehicle from “Fats” – a reference to Haydn “Fats” Thomas, a Durham resident and felon who faces felony drug and gun charges.

The rental receipt confirmed Thomas paid for it. Before the June 5 arrest, Hairston received a speeding ticket in another rental car, a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro that has been linked to Thomas. Hairston faces an Aug. 2 court date for the speeding ticket.

Using a rental car paid for by another person could be considered an impermissible benefit under NCAA rules.
News Observer


One of the more recognizable faces and names to any college basketball fan in the 1990s was Jeff Sheppard.

The guy was a critical player for Kentucky in its three straight runs to the national championship game, helping UK win national titles in 1996 and 1998. Sheppard won the 1998 NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player award, to boot.

He's beloved in Kentucky circles, naturally.

Today, maybe just slightly a little less so? I'll explain. Sheppard did the one thing Kentucky fans are guaranteed to blench at: he criticized John Calipari. Well ... sort of. Speaking recently at convention for Kentucky -- in the state of Ohio, nonetheless -- Sheppard lamented how players in Calipari's tenure have been so fleeting, coming and going and making millions in the NBA, using Kentucky as the stepping stone.

…“The last thing I want to do is take away from the run that coach Calipari has put together over the last several years,” Sheppard said. “It's been phenomenal. I personally think there's maybe a little too much emphasis first-round draft picks. I'd rather be celebrating national championships.”
CBS


Former Tennessee guard Trae Golden is headed home to Georgia Tech to play his final season.
ESPN


Former Auburn men's basketball player Korvotney Barber died from an apparent drowning in the Gulf of Mexico off Panama City Beach, Fla., police said Sunday evening.

Barber, 26, went swimming with his wife and a friend on the beach behind the Boardwalk Beach Resort on South Thomas Drive and went missing about 7 p.m. Saturday night, according to Panama City Beach Cpl. Jason Gleason, and his body washed ashore at 3:49 p.m. Sunday between the Boardwalk Beach Condominiums and the neighboring Top of the Gulf Condominiums.
USA Today


abqjournal: Fraschilla years a 'disappointment'


Up to 15 former Oakland University women's college basketball players allege their ex-coach, Beckie Francis, used various forms of intimidation and imposed her religious views before she was ultimately fired on June 12, according to a USA Today report.
CBS


2013-14 Early-season events schedule

Oh and I want everyone to know that everything is good with Prime Prep too. We've met about everything and everything is cleared up so everything is fine academically. I guess there's some source saying things, but we're fine with the NCAA.

Trust me, my boys Jordan (Mickey) and Karviar (Shepherd) will be fine to play next season. You'll see.

So, yes, I will definitely be returning to Prime Prep next season and everything's fine academically there. We're gonna do everything we can to win the national title next season. And we'll still have some big time talent coming. Stay tuned.

My recruitment is still going pretty well too.

Most of you may already know that I've decided to go visit Kentucky for Big Blue Madness. I'm definitely excited about that. My Twitter has been blowing up with their fans hitting me up. I think they even have a countdown and everything so I know it's gonna be really fun.

I think Stanley (Johnson) and Devin (Booker) are gonna be visiting that same weekend so it'll be good to hang out with them.

I've also been talking to my boy Myles Turner lately about maybe teaming up in college. We're from the same area and we both want to win right away so it makes sense. Myles is a great player, but people just didn't know about him. Now they're seeing how good he really is.

Some people can be Hollywood and not really work hard, but Myles isn't like that at all. He goes hard and I like that because I want someone to go hard with me training and getting better. Nothing is set in stone or anything like that. We're not as sure as Tyus (Jones) and Jahlil (Okafor) are right now, but we're definitely starting to talk about it more and more. It could happen.

…When I cut my list down I do know that Kansas will make the cut. They've got great coaching over there and that's what I'm basing my decision on. Some people pick schools for the name, but not me. I want to learn as much as possible.
USA Today Emmanuel Mudiay Blog

The national stock of Stanley Johnson continues to rise.

The powerful 6-foot-6, 220-pound rising senior from Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) had 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists on Saturday to spark USA West to a 98-95 victory over USA South in the championship game of the Nike Global Challenge at Trinity Washington University. He was named co-MVP with D'Angelo Russell of Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), who had 10 points in a losing effort.

Johnson was backed up by home-schooled Texan Justin Jackson, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

The South was led by 6-foot point guard Joel Berry from Lake Highland Prep (Orlando, Fla.), who had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
MaxPreps


At 6-7, 200 pounds, Kelly Oubre is hard to miss. With a bleach-tipped mohawk atop his head, it's even harder.

Then you watch him play basketball and there should be no doubt.

Oubre, a Texas native and Georgetown target who will play his senior year at Findlay Prep (Nev.), scored 14 points and added five rebounds in a 93-77 win for Team USA West over Canada on Thursday at the Nike Global Challenge in Washington, D.C.

The performance came one week after he averaged 14.4 points and 5.5 rebounds for Houston Hoops at Nike Peach Jam in South Carolina.

Georgetown head coach John Thompson III was in attendance on Thursday to watch Oubre, knowing that he is in an eight-team race for the 2014 prospect's commitment.

The Hoyas join Kentucky, Connecticut, UNLV, Louisville, Oregon, Kansas, and Florida in Oubre's final list.

"[Georgetown] is a great school," Oubre told CSN at Nike Global. "Coach Thompson is a great coach. He develops a lot of big guards and, you know, everybody who goes to his program is successful in his offense."
CSNwashington



The Under Armour Summer Jam presented by NY2LA Sports was one of the must-see July events for college coaches. More than 900 college coaches from all over the country made the trek to Milwaukee for last year’s event and the arena was packed just as packed this time around, as coaches piled in to get a firsthand look at the elite talent.

Here’s a breakdown of how the elite bigs and others top prospects performed during the five-day event.

Best Player
Cliff Alexander (Chicago/Curie)
2014, PF, 6-foot-8, 225
AAU team: Mac Irvin Fire
Status: Alexander’s list is down to 10 with Arizona, Baylor, DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis and Michigan State still in the running.
Alexander has a great motor and is a powerful rebounder and finisher in the paint. He has improved his shooting to add range behind the arc and touch in and around the lane.

Myles Turner (Euless, Texas/Trinity)
2014, C, 6-11, 225
AAU team: Texas Select 17
Status: His list features 26 of the nation’s top teams with Kansas, Louisville, Ohio State, Duke and UCLA among his suitors.
Turner has the requisite length, motor, skill and shot-blocking abilities to dominate the game. Like Towns Jr., he is a tough cover for opposing centers due to his excellent face-up game and range out to the 3-point line.

Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn/Lincoln)
2014, SG, 6-4, 195
AAU team: Juice All-Stars
Status: Schools like Louisville, Syracuse, Arizona and Kansas are all lining up to land Whitehead.
This four-star guard has taken his game to the next level in terms of playing under control, improving his shot selection and being consistently productive.
ESPN Insider (4)


For more than two years, Jones and Okafor have made clear their intentions to be what is commonly referred to as a "package deal." They want to go to the same college -- for a year, at least -- and see if they can get to a Final Four. Their desire to play together is not a Miami Heat-style marketing ploy. Rather, it stems from a deep and abiding friendship that sprung from the hardwood. Call it "Love and Basketball," bro-mance style.

…"There's always a chance that it won't work out, but we feel like it's going to happen," Okafor says. Adds Jones, "We look for the same things, the same coaching styles and philosophies. We both like the same type of stuff. That's why we figure we want to go on this journey together and try to make something special happen in college."

…Earlier this spring, Jones and Okafor hosted the exact same five schools for in-home visits -- Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Michigan State and Ohio State. They have taken an unofficial visit to Duke together, and they are both scheduled to go to Baylor on the same weekend in late August. Though Jones and Okafor will not necessarily take all five of their allowed official on-campus visits together, they will act as each other's eyes and ears. "You know if you visit one, he's going to call the other and tell him about it," says another coach involved in their recruitment.

Lately, some other top players have hinted that they'd like to be a part of this package. "I get texts all the time. Guys are like, 'Can you tell his coach to hit me up so I can go to school with you guys?' " Okafor says. Most recently, Justise Winslow, a 6-6 forward from Houston who is ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2014 by Rivals.com, has said he wants to make this duo a trio. Jones and Okafor say they would like to play with Winslow or other top players, but they are not ready to make the same type of commitment. "We would like [Winslow] to go to school with us, but it's so hard to find three different families and have all the situations add up," Okafor says.
SI


UTEP coach Tim Floyd and his staff received a pleasant surprise when highly-regarded recruit Isaac Hamilton chose to play for the Miners over the likes of UCLA, Washington and Baylor.

Luring in a McDonald's All-American is never easy, especially at a program that that's only reached the NCAA tournament three times in the last two decades.

The latest surprise to the program isn't so pleasant.

Floyd announced this past weekend that Hamilton won't be playing for UTEP anymore, telling The El-Paso Times that Hamilton requested to be released from his letter of intent signed last November.
Because if the peculiar timing, Floyd said UTEP would deny the request.

"He had two choices - one, not to sign the letter of intent or two, to file an appeal. I'm not releasing him," Floyd told The El Paso Times. "We have made our schedule based on having Isaac. People have bought season tickets based on our having Isaac. It's too late. He can appeal and we'll wait to see what happens."

…"If he is allowed out, we might as well not even have letters of intent," Floyd said.
USA Today


adidas Super 64 Brackets Posted
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: We head back to Vegas for the final major July event as college coaches get a chance to make final evaluations at the end of the live period. It also allows coaches an opportunity to confirm what they saw at the two weeks earlier at the adidas Invitational.
What makes it unique: The field may be the largest coaches will see this month with close to 450-500 teams from various age groups and playing levels. Also, adidas welcomes players and teams from other shoe brand companies to make the talent base the best it can possibly be.
Players to watch: SG Jalen Coleman and PF
Dante Buford.

AAU Super Showcase and National Championship
When: July 24-29
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Why it’s important: More than 1,000 college coaches pack the first-class facilities at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports to take in some of the best AAU talent in the country.
What makes it unique: The nation’s premier AAU squad compete for a national championship after qualifying by winning their respective districts, meaning these teams truly have to earn the right to play at this event.
Players to watch: PG Tyus Jones, PG Joel Berry and PF Chris McCullough.

Las Vegas Fab 48
When: July 25-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: The talent pool is extremely deep and attracts more than 1000 college coaches, providing prospects a packed arena to showcase their talents.
What makes it unique: There are over 300 reported teams participating with teams from all over the country and a spattering of international squads.
Players to watch: PG Jordan McLaughlin, SG/PG Tyler Dorsey and SG Daniel Hamilton.

Hal Pastner Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: Arguably the largest event of the month, the Las Vegas Classic draws 450 teams from America, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico to name a few.
What makes it unique: The sheer number of talented prospects from a wide range of ages essentially turns this setting into a buffet for college coaches to evaluate and for players to earn college scholarships.
Players to watch: C Jahlil Okafor, PF Ivan Rabb and SF Kameron Chatman
ESPN Insider ($)


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational, July 25-28, 2013.


Recruiting Calendar


My KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

You can be a part of #BigSlickKC this year by bidding on some great online auction items!
@BigSlickKC

I WON. “@barclayscenter: .@BrooklynNets G @tyshawntaylor with the @MTV #VMAs Moonman after today's press conference! pic.twitter.com/pWBuSbdtc0”
@tyshawntaylor

Rookie Angel Goodrich stepped into the starting lineup in place of Diggins and scored a season-high 14 points for the Shock (4-13).

``Obviously, it was a big role to step into,'' Goodrich said. ``I just wanted to go out and be aggressive.''
WNBA

The adage that says the college game starts with the guards is true, but to win a championship you need strong frontcourt play. Having a low-post presence that draws a double-team puts tremendous pressure on the defense. If he's complemented by a versatile power forward or "stretch 4" who can run, score in the trail spot in transition and play in ball screens, it gives a coach great flexibility.

In evaluating the best frontcourts in college basketball, I took into account not just the individual players' potential and accomplishments, but just as importantly how the frontcourt players complement each other. In today's game, your big men must have the ability to affect the game on both ends. Elite frontcourt players can defend, are active, alert off the ball and can defend ball screens.
1. Florida
2. Syracuse
3. Kentucky
4. Michigan State
5. Michigan
6. Virginia
7. Stanford
8. Marquette
9. Arizona
10. Louisville
ESPN Seth Greenberg Insider ($)


Auburn coach Tony Barbee has dismissed sophomore Shaq Johnson for a "violation of team rules," the school announced Thursday. A source told CBSSports.com that the dismissal was caused by Johnson's recent arrest, after which he was charged with possession of marijuana and jailed in Lee County, Ala.

A jail official confirmed to CBSSports.com that a "Shaquille Jerrod Johnson" was jailed at 1:47 a.m. on Thursday and released six minutes later at 1:53 a.m. Johnson posted a $500 bond. Shaquille Jerrod Johnson is Johnson's full name, according to Auburn's official athletic website.
CBS


Clemson CB No. 21 is now plaintiff No. 19 in a landmark lawsuit against the NCAA.

Thursday, six current college football players added their names to a group of 16 former college football and basketball players who have joined to sue the NCAA, video game maker EA Sports and the Collegiate Licensing Company. One of those current players was Clemson senior cornerback Darius Robinson, who sees a striking resemblance between himself and a certain senior cornerback at Clemson in the NCAA Football 14 game recently released by EA Sports.

"That's me all the way," Robinson said in an interview Thursday night after attorneys filed an amended complaint to the case, which is being tried in federal court in the Northern District of California.
SI

7/18/13, 3:02 PM
Adding Florida to my list
@humblekid11 (Cliff Alexander)


Kansas, Florida, Kentucky, Georgetown, Louisville, Oregon, UConn and UNLV made the initial cut, and he says he has one official visit he wants to take.

“I want to take an official to Kansas,” said Oubre, who was watched by Kansas coach Bill Self, Kentucky’s John Calipari, UConn’s Kevin Ollie, Georgetown’s John Thompson III and assistants from the other schools.

Asked if the Kansas visit would be for “Late Night in the Phog” in October, Oubre said, “Most likely, yes sir.”

He added: “I’ve been talking to Coach Self for a while. I like his offense and his style of play.”
Zags Blog


7/18/13, 1:20 PM
Every coach in the gym would take this Midwest backcourt if they could: Tyus Jones and Rashad Vaughn
@AdamZagoria


7/18/13, 1:25 PM
Watching Tyus Jones: Richard Pitino, Calipari, Self, Drew, Izzo, Wojo, Boals
@AdamZagoria


Ivan Raab is one of just three 2015 players on the USA West roster here.

On Thursday morning, Raab played well in front of a slew of high-major coaches, putting up 13 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks as the West team beat Canada, 93-77, in the Nike Global Challenge at Trinity Washington University.

“Schools that are recruiting me the hardest, Cal, Arizona, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Kansas, that might be it,” the 6-foot-8 Raab, who earlier this summer won a gold medal with the USA U16 team at the FIBA Americas Championship, told SNY.tv.

Arizona’s Sean Miller, Kansas’s Bill Self, North Carolina’s Hubert Davis and Ohio State’s Jeff Boals were among those on hand.

…Kansas also offered this past year.

Right now he has no preference about staying on the West Coast or going elsewhere.

“I’m keeping my options open,” he said. “I don’t know if it want to stay close or go away yet .”
Zags Blog


Fun basketball at @NikeGlobal Challenge. Guys who've impressed me: Tyus Jones, Kelly Oubre, Rashad Vaughn, Stanley Johnson, James Blackmon.
https://twitter.com/franfraschilla


Bill Self, Beilein, JT III, Larranaga, Sean Miller, Steve Alford, Mark Few, Tom Crean all at Trinity today for Nike Global Challenge in DC.
https://twitter.com/mgiannotto


Nike Global Challenge


With so many events during each live period, it's not often we get multiple marquee individual matchups on a single night. But that was the case on Wednesday at the Under Armour/NY2LA Summer Jam, when No. 4 Cliff Alexander went against No. 6 Myles Turner on one court while No. 7 Karl Towns battled No. 9 Kevon Looney on a neighboring floor.

Everyone did their best to watch both games at once, with Rick Pitino, Bill Self, Thad Matta, Tom Izzo, Billy Donovan, Jim Boeheim, John Thompson III and others all in attendance. Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke and Arizona were represented by assistants.

The battles didn't disappoint.

…Turner owned the first half, as his length and athleticism were giving Alexander plenty of trouble. Alexander couldn't get any shots around the rim, and he looked frustrated. The second half was completely different, as Alexander began utilizing his strength and aggression around the rim.

Turner was outmuscled on multiple occasions, and his guards couldn't get him the ball. Alexander finished with eight points and eight boards, while Turner went for nine points and 10 rebounds.

Alexander wants to take official visits to Kansas, Memphis, Louisville and Arizona, though Michigan State, Kentucky and Illinois are thought to be in strong positions for his services. Turner rose from a non-factor to a top-10 prospect quickly and has dozens of schools on his list. Kansas, Duke, Louisville, Georgetown, North Carolina, Kentucky and Baylor are among the programs in the mix.

…Chase Jeter is making a name in his own right.

The 6-foot-8 power forward from Bishop Gorman (Nev.) is ranked No. 30 in the class of 2015 and is only getting better.

"I can be aggressive at both ends of the floor, getting defensive rebounds and offensive rebounds," Jeter said, "proving I'm worthy of playing at the next level."

Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, Oregon State, Oregon, Stanford, Texas, Indiana, Notre Dame and Arizona are all coming after him. Jeter has taken trips to UCLA, San Diego State and UNLV.
CBS


Well, this summer has been great, like I said. I don't know if you guys know this, but last summer I didn't play AAU at all. Unfortunately, I broke my ankle and that had me down for a while. No one was able to see me play and I only had a small buzz with colleges so coming into this summer my goal was to really show what I could do and let everyone know who I was.

I started off with a really strong tournament in Houston. My team won every game and I averaged about 20 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks. It was crazy! Reggie Rankin from ESPN was down there watching me and he really liked my performance and he released to the world who I was.

After that I went to the Jayhawk Invitational in Kansas and my team won the championship. I played really well and with a whole lot of energy and that's when the flood gates pretty much opened up for me.

I'd gone from mid major schools looking at me to a ridiculous amount of big time schools like Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, and big name schools like that starting to recruit me.

I recently counted up the schools that are on me and it's right at 60. Now I'm down to about 25 schools and then I want to probably cut it down again probably at the end of the month. It's tough, but it's just a blessing to even have this opportunity.

You've gotta remember, less than two months ago I was unranked. Now I'm top 10. The best word to describe that is awesome! I work really hard and that hasn't stopped now that people are taking notice of me.
USA Today Myles Turner blog

Under Armour NY2LA Sports Summer Jam 
When: July 17-21
Where: Mequon, Wisc.
Why it’s important: Combine high-quality exposure and elite talent from coast-to-coast in a competitive arena and you have the UA Summer Jam.
What makes it unique: This event is unique because it allows players and travel programs of all levels to compete in an elite and exclusive tournament to maximize their exposure to hundreds of college coaches.
PF/SF Kevon Looney, PF/C Myles Turner and PG Dominique Collier


Recruiting Calendar


My KU Alumni games, Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Kansas Assistant Athletics Director for Sport Performance, Andrea Hudy, as well as the University of Kansas Health, Sports and Exercise Science Department is hosting Marine Sgt. Michael Pride this week for instruction and conditioning on the KU campus. Sgt. Pride, who was a member of and is now a coach for the Armed Services’ Wounded Warrior Project, is working with Hudy and her strength and conditioning staff to learn techniques and philosophies of training that can be transferred to his athletes at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.

The Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Science and Office of Graduate Military Programs coordinated Pride’s visit to KU. While on the hill, Pride has visited classrooms and worked with faculty, as well as Hudy and the KU Athletics strength and conditioning coaches, to get tips on everything from motivating athletes to coaching philosophies and strength and conditioning to recovering from athletic injuries.

“It’s been great getting to know Coach Hudy,” said the Kansas City, Mo., native. “She has the mentality of a Marine; that’s why I’ve clicked and worked so well with her during my time here.”
KUAD


Sgt. Michael Pride, a 33-year-old Marine from Kansas City, Mo., who has been awarded the Purple Heart, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Combat Action Medal and Good Conduct Medal, has been in Lawrence the past several days for instruction and conditioning — Andrea Hudy-style — on Kansas University’s campus.

The superbly conditioned former Wounded Warrior track standout’s goal has not only been to survive the workouts of KU strength-and-conditioning coach Hudy, but pick up pointers regarding techniques and philosophies of training to be used with Marines in general at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and athletes in the Armed Services’ Wounded Warrior Project, for which he is a coach.

“A week before I was told I’d be working with her, I read up on her, and, wow, I was surprised she’s not a Marine herself,” Pride said of Hudy, who is known as one of the most demanding strength-and-conditioning coaches in the business.

“She has a mentality of being a Marine. That’s probably why I clicked with her so quickly and so easily. Everything she says makes sense. You can see her results in all of the athletes that are here at Kansas University. I will take everything she has given me and try my best to give to the Marines back there.”

…Pride, who actually grew up a Missouri fan who also roots for KU, said he has been quite impressed with KU’s men’s basketball players — athletes he has met as part of this program made possible because of a research grant to KU’s Health, Sports and Exercise Department to work with the Marines.

“They are loaded with future NBA players. For them to reach out like they have has been impressive to me. They treat me like family,” he said.

“I would like to thank Kansas University for opening its doors to me and giving me something to give back to the Marines and just to say hoorah to those Marines out there that will see this story,” Pride said.
LJW


Research is a major component of KU’s strength program, Hudy said, and the school has some cutting-edge technology to aid the process. That includes something called a Kistler force plate, a computerized sensor that delivers precise measurements during each phase of an athlete’s vertical jump.

The force plate technology, which cost in excess of $20,000, allows KU’s strength coaches to detect fatigue, identify areas of weakness and tailor workouts to an athlete’s needs.

“We can create a better athlete by (knowing) whether they need work on deceleration, acceleration or just overall stability,” Hudy said.

Pride had plenty to learn inside KU’s high-tech weight room, but he also had lessons to teach.
“He almost gave up his life for the good of our country,” Hudy said. “How his team of Marines came in and saved his life, the leadership skills are parallel.”
TCJ

Great workout with the squad! Heading back on the road. Going to miss these guys. Close group on and off the court
@Coachjhoward

@WayneSeldenJr w/ the poster dunk on the Lil camper #NoMercy
@J_mari31 Instagram Video


His career is just starting and it's already impressive, congrats @22wiggins on being named @Gatorade Athlete of the Year. #GatoradePOY
@KDTrey5


Wiggins response to the NBA player he would want to play 1on1: 'Kobe. he's the closest thing to Jordan & Jordan's the greatest of all time'
‏@KP_Rivals


Bill Self sat in the restaurant at the Augusta Marriott and couldn’t stop smiling. It was one of those smirks you see from someone who has gotten away with something.

In a way, Self has. Despite winning 98 games over the past three years and going to the national title game, an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16, he was well aware that recruiting wasn’t up to par. Not with what’s expected in Lawrence, Kan.

Over a three-year span, four players transferred out of the program (none were good enough to play key roles for the Kansas Jayhawks) and there have been just a pair of McDonald’s All Americans added. That’s subpar by KU standards.

Besides Josh Selby, who turned out to be a bust, the highest-rated recruit Self had brought to Lawrence in the past three years was Perry Ellis, who made the McDonald’s Game despite being ranked No. 35 in the nation (yes, recruiting analysts missed on Ben McLemore). Royce Woolridge (Washington State), Merv Lindsay (New Mexico), Anrio Adams (Ohio) and Zach Peters (Arizona) all bolted, and there were also players such as Jamari Traylor, Naadir Tharpe, Landen Lucas and even Andrew White, who are supporting pieces (at best) for an elite program such as Kansas.

Self is smiling now because he knows the talent level in Lawrence is finally where it should be again -- and that’s not solely because of the arrival of the No. 1 recruit in the nation, Canadian forward Andrew Wiggins.

Make no mistake, Self is very excited about what Wiggins will bring to Kansas' lineup this season. “I love his potential,” Self said of Wiggins. “He’s still getting his feet wet and his legs under him.” But it's the supporting talent around Wiggins that solidifies the Jayhawks as a legitimate Final Four contender.
ESPN Insider ($)

Thomas Robinson set a Trail Blazers summer league record by pulling down 18 rebounds, to go with 12 points.

Portland, the No. 19 seed, will face No. 14 Atlanta Hawks Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center as summer league moves to tournament play.
The Oregonian


Paul Pierce says classy goodby to the city of Boston

Over the last couple of days, ESPN has released the fields and matchups for this year’s holiday basketball tournaments. The full press release for ESPN-owned events is here, but there’s more to all of these events than just initial matchups.

Here are 10 things that stood out to me when I combed through the event brackets:
SI Glockner


On Tuesday and Wednesday, ESPN revealed the draws for most of next season's premier holiday tournaments. Now that the matchups are set, here's some initial thoughts, from the best and worst draws, to the most intriguing tournament, to the most appealing potential title game:
Yahoo Sports Eisenberg


Wichita State’s basketball team will play DePaul at 9 p.m. Nov. 25 in the CBE Classic at Kansas City’s Sprint Center.

Texas meets BYU at 6:30 p.m. in the opening game. The Nov. 26 doubleheader begins with the third-place game at 6:30 p.m., followed by the championship game.
KC Star


Gonzaga, the No. 1 team in last season's final AP college basketball poll, will face Dayton in the opening round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational while Final Four participant Syracuse will meet Minnesota and first-year coach Richard Pitino.

The other first-round games on Nov. 25 at the Lahaina Civic Center will have California against Arkansas and Baylor facing Division II host Chaminade, it was announced Wednesday.

The Gonzaga-Dayton and Chaminade-Baylor winners will meet in one semifinal with the Syracuse-Minnesota and Arkansas-California winners in the other. The championship game is Nov. 27.
AP


The NCAA said Wednesday it will no longer allow Electronic Arts Inc. to use its logo starting next year. The move ends a lucrative business deal with the gaming industry giant and comes as the NCAA fights a high-profile lawsuit that says the governing body owes billions of dollars to former players for allowing their likenesses to be used for free.
Link

In the days after Kansas won the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes in early May, KU coach Bill Self was hopeful that one recruiting jackpot would turn into another. Maybe it’s just superstitious hooey, of course, but Self believes recruiting can run in cycles. Sometimes you hit a roll, and why not try to hit another home run in the Jayhawks’ 2014 class?

That’s the thinking, at least, and while it’s still early in the 2014 recruiting process, college coaches hit the road this past weekend for the first of three five-day recruiting windows during the month of July. (Coaches can also evaluate from 5 p.m. July 17 to 5 p.m. July 21, and from July 24-28.)
Here’s a look at some of KU’s top targets in the 2014 class,
KC Star


7/17/13, 12:33 PM
headed out to Vegas with the team today. Can't wait to play in the Big Foot Las Vegas Classic!
https://twitter.com/chief_justise


It's not often the two best post players in the country play on the same AAU team, but that was the case last week with Mac Irvin Fire at the Peach Jam. Jahlil Okafor, the nation's No. 1-ranked prospect, was joined by Cliff Alexander, No. 4 in the 2014. Okafor didn't have much to prove -- he just finished dominating for the U-19 National team and is pretty firmly entrenched at the top of the class.

Alexander, on the other hand, showed off an expanded offensive game and held up fine when compared to Okafor. He averaged 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds at the Peach Jam, demonstrating an effective face-up jumper.

"I was in the gym 24/7 working on that," Alexander said. "My high school coach said that's what I have to do if I want to play at the next level. That baseline jumper. So that's what I've been working on."

The 6-foot-9 power forward from Curie (Ill.) recently released a list of his top 10 schools. It included Kansas, Michigan State, Kentucky, Louisville, Illinois, DePaul, Indiana, Memphis, Baylor and Arizona.
CBS


Myles Turner, a 6-11, 225-pound senior center from Trinity High in Euless, Texas, will visit KU for the Oct. 4 Late Night in the Phog, Turner’s dad, David, told JayhawkSlant.com. Turner is Rivals.com’s No. 6-ranked player in the recruiting Class of 2014. ... Chase Jeter, a 6-9, 215-pound junior forward from Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High, who is ranked No. 33 in the Class of 2015, tells Rivals.com he is planning on making an unofficial visit to KU. He’s a teammate of Stephen Zimmerman, a 7-foot, 215-pound center, who is ranked No. 2 in the class of 2015.
LJW


For Rashad Vaughn, Findlay Prep’s newest star, competing against the best high school basketball players in the country is a breeze.

“Now that my transfer’s over, I’m relieved and there’s no pressure at all,” said the 6-foot-6-inch, 200-pound Minneapolis native, widely ranked as the top shooting guard in the Class of 2014. “I can just come out here, have fun and compete on the court.”

Vaughn headlined a large Las Vegas contingent invited to the Reebok Classic Breakout from Wednesday through Friday at Philadelphia University. He was the region’s only All-Star at one of the most prestigious camps on the summer recruiting circuit.

…“There’s been so much success over the past few years. I watched Shabazz come out strong,” Vaughn said. “And Bennett went No. 1. He’s a Findlay guy.

“There’s a lot of good basketball played in Vegas, and Findlay is one of the best in the country. I’m honored to be able to attend there.”

Vaughn has given no hints about where he plans to play in college. He has offers from several elite programs, including defending champion Louisville and Kansas, and won’t make a decision without his family involved.

“I’ll sit down and think about it whenever I have a chance to go home,” he said.
LV RJ


Under Armour NY2LA Sports Summer Jam
When: July 17-21
Where: Mequon, Wisc.
Why it’s important: Combine high-quality exposure and elite talent from coast-to-coast in a competitive arena and you have the UA Summer Jam.
What makes it unique: This event is unique because it allows players and travel programs of all levels to compete in an elite and exclusive tournament to maximize their exposure to hundreds of college coaches.
PF/SF Kevon Looney, PF/C Myles Turner and PG Dominique Collier


adidas Super 64
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: We head back to Vegas for the final major July event as college coaches get a chance to make final evaluations at the end of the live period. It also allows coaches an opportunity to confirm what they saw at the two weeks earlier at the adidas Invitational.
What makes it unique: The field may be the largest coaches will see this month with close to 450-500 teams from various age groups and playing levels. Also, adidas welcomes players and teams from other shoe brand companies to make the talent base the best it can possibly be.
Players to watch: SG Jalen Coleman and PF
Dante Buford.

AAU Super Showcase and National Championship
When: July 24-29
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Why it’s important: More than 1,000 college coaches pack the first-class facilities at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports to take in some of the best AAU talent in the country.
What makes it unique: The nation’s premier AAU squad compete for a national championship after qualifying by winning their respective districts, meaning these teams truly have to earn the right to play at this event.
Players to watch: PG Tyus Jones, PG Joel Berry and PF Chris McCullough.

Las Vegas Fab 48
When: July 25-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: The talent pool is extremely deep and attracts more than 1000 college coaches, providing prospects a packed arena to showcase their talents.
What makes it unique: There are over 300 reported teams participating with teams from all over the country and a spattering of international squads.
Players to watch: PG Jordan McLaughlin, SG/PG Tyler Dorsey and SG Daniel Hamilton.

Hal Pastner Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: Arguably the largest event of the month, the Las Vegas Classic draws 450 teams from America, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico to name a few.
What makes it unique: The sheer number of talented prospects from a wide range of ages essentially turns this setting into a buffet for college coaches to evaluate and for players to earn college scholarships.
Players to watch: C Jahlil Okafor, PF Ivan Rabb and SF Kameron Chatman
ESPN Insider ($)


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational, July 25-28, 2013.


Recruiting Calendar


2013 Spring/Summer AAU & Camp Schedule

“It’s just a blessing,” Wiggins said after the presentation in Hollywood. “I kind of don’t realize at first it’s such a big deal. I think it will hit me more afterward.”

Wiggins joined such storied past winners as LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love. Wiggins said his goal has been to play in the NBA “ever since I was on earth.”

His father played professionally overseas, and Wiggins recalled watching him play when he was a small boy.

At Kansas, Wiggins wants to help deliver the Jayhawks a national championship.

“I think I can give the fans what we want,” he said.
AP

Kansas University freshman basketball player Andrew Wiggins was recognized at the ESPY Red Carpet Show on Wednesday in Los Angeles — a day after being named Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year in a ceremony in Hollywood.

“It’s so much more physical,” Wiggins said of college basketball compared to high school in an interview with Rivals.com. “Everybody is hungry. Coming in as a freshman, you are taking someone’s spot. You are taking someone’s minutes. They (returnees) are going to fight for those minutes. On the court, you have to bring it every day. If you are not playing hard, not playing well, you’ve got to work harder. The style of play .. there are more pick and rolls.”

He said everybody on the Jayhawk team contacted him after his commitment to KU in May.

“At KU, the brotherhood is so tight,” Wiggins said.
LJW

"It's good to see your little brother be successful," Nick says. "Especially (as) he's following in your footsteps. He worked hard. He deserves all the praise. There's going to be haters out there, he knows that. He's very mature for his age. He knows how to deal with all that."

The media. The spotlight. The fans. The burden of being a very big man in a very small community. The weight of an old, storied tradition cast upon shoulders so young. The lure of the pros.

"Naw, he doesn't speak (about) any of that," Nick says.

"It's not hard at all. It's expected, you know? It's expected."

…"We're together all the time," says Nick, who last hooked up with Andrew over Independence Day weekend. "It was me and my older brother (Mitchell), he used to follow right behind us in the gym. He was always in the gym ... since we were in eighth, ninth grade, when I was in there, he would be playing with bigger guys. Once he got to high school, he'd seen it all. He was kind of advanced among kids his age.

"My family was very comfortable with both of us going to school in Kansas. I don't want to say (me being at Wichita) had a strong effect on him, but I would say it had a little bit of an effect on him.

"Obviously, when my parents fly down to see him play, they don't want to travel far to see me play. (Kansas coach) Bill Self, him and my mom, they're really close. They had connected well. He's just a good coach. I met him before. We just had a cool vibe."

Cool, yes.

Comfortable with scheduling a salty Shockers team, well ... not so much.

"I think (Self) is threatened by (the idea of) losing," Nick says.

"Of course, I'd love to play them. I'd love it to be the first game of the season, our first non-conference game. Andrew would like to see that, too. I mean, he would be excited for it."

And big bro laughs again.

"I don't know if he'd want to see it -- that Wichita State Shocker defense, that isn't a high school game."

Who'd guard him?

"I would want to. Cleanthony (Early) could guard him, too. They're just about the same height."
Fox KC


We may be staring at genetic perfection. Wiggins is the son of an Olympic sprinter and a former NBA player. That's the Olympus of genetic attributes. The high school career of this Canadian standout was a ride through Toronto and Creedmoor, N.C., culminating in a stint with Huntington Prep.

Wiggins was named the national high school player of the year; the award in my mind was given to him both because of his outstanding senior season and because of who he's likely to become.

This is not the best prospect since LeBron James, as he has been billed. We tend to forget about Dwight Howard, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Wiggins is, however, in the next cut. From purely an athletic standpoint, the kid has few, if any, peers. His game is predicated on being able to elevate, burst by his defender and use his extraordinary length and wingspan to his advantage.

…If there's a single area that needs to be addressed, it's in his mental makeup. Wiggins is competitive, but hasn't sharpened his finishing instincts. He's more of a great prospect than great player in that sense.

…The most legitimate question concerning Wiggins doesn't even involve the physical aspect of the game. It's how he'll handle the pressure of playing in the fishbowl of Lawrence, Kan. Wiggins is laid-back -- even shy -- and was protected by those around him throughout the recruiting process. Now he'll be thrust into the spotlight, and it'll be interesting to observe his mental toughness, especially when he struggles.

There are some who have questioned his motor, and while there have been times he has coasted, Self is one of the master motivators in the country and should help bring out the best of Wiggins.
Wiggins isn't LeBron. He won't put up the gaudy numbers that Kevin Durant (25.8 points, 11 rebounds per game) did in his lone season at Texas. He'll be inconsistent at times, and it may take him time to grow into the alpha dog role, but once he does, it'll be clear why just about everyone who has seen Wiggins has him pegged for stardom -- at the college level and beyond.

…While Wiggins' athleticism is extraordinary, even for an NBA prospect, it's hard to imagine he will have the impact that James or even Durant has had in the NBA. But even comparing him to two future Hall of Fame players gives you an idea of the expectations that lie ahead for him.
ESPN Insider ($)

7/15/13, 6:58 AM
Off to LA
@22wiggins

Kansas University freshman basketball sensation Andrew Wiggins arrived in Los Angeles on Monday for tonight’s Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year awards ceremony in Hollywood.

Wiggins, who was named boys basketball player of the year after averaging 23.4 points and 11.2 rebounds a game his senior season at Huntington (W.Va.) Prep, is a finalist with baseball player of the year Clint Frazier (Loganville, Ga., High), football player of the year Max Browne (Skyline, Wash., High), cross country runner of the year Edward Cheserek (St. Benedict Prep, Newark, N.J.), soccer player of the year Christian Roldan (El Rancho High, Pico Rivera, Calif.) and track athlete of the year Trayvon Bromell (Gibbs High, St. Petersburg, Fla).

…Wiggins received his national basketball player of the award from former NBA great Alonzo Mourning during a surprise visit to Huntington Prep last spring.

“Zo walked in, and, yeah, I stopped yawning,” Wiggins told USA Today. “I really owe thanks to my teammates and coaches and this whole community that’s made me feel so welcome over the past two years.

“This is big for Canada, and it’s big for me. This award definitely stands out,” the Toronto native added.

The male and female athletes of the year also will attend the ESPY Awards on Wednesday in L.A.
…Former KU center Jeff Withey had five points, three blocked shots and three rebounds in New Orleans’ 66-62 NBA summer-league vitory over Cleveland on Monday in Las Vegas. He was 2-for-2 from the field while playing 15 minutes.

Withey had two straight rejections of 6-6 guard Carrick Felix, the ball bounding from the paint almost all the way to midcourt after the second block.

…Former KU guard Elijah Johnson scored eight points off 3-of-6 shooting with three assists, three steals and three turnovers while playing 16 minutes in the Los Angeles Clippers’ 77-65 loss to the L.A. Lakers. Former KU guard Josh Selby had two points off 1-of-6 shooting with three turnovers against one assist in 11 minutes for the Lakers.
LJW


After going 6-of-23 in his first Summer League game, life was supposed to get easier for rookie Ben McLemore. Instead, he found himself in yet another crucible against the Golden State Warriors, a team well-prepared for Sacramento's GSW-patterned offense.

From the outset of the game, Golden State players yelled out and blew up Kings plays, forcing Sacramento into 19 turnovers and an 80-66 loss. New Kings head coach Mike Malone just came over from Golden State, and it seems he's remaking the Kings in that image. That strategy could well pay off, just not yet, and not against a squad familiar with the Golden State blueprint.

Ben McLemore was caught in the chaos, shooting 4-of-12 for 14 points with four turnovers. Summer League is supposed to offer star rookies some space against lesser competition. Unfortunately for McLemore, Kent Bazemore boasts elite NBA defensive potential in this minor league setting.

Bazemore blanketed Ben, frequently shading McLemore to the left. The Warriors screamed "Down him!" indicating that they were willing to part whole sea for McLemore, so long as he had to move toward his offhand.

…The smiling rookie preached positivity and perseverance: "I think it's coming along. I just gotta keep shooting the ball," adding, "eventually my shot's going to fall."

There is reason to believe that McLemore's optimism is well-founded. Though he suffered a rough night, he twice made the crowd murmur in awe. On one particular play, he snagged his own miss and leapt himself into a blur that suddenly appeared on the other side of the hoop for a layup.

On another, McLemore floated upward and double-clutched for a difficult fadeaway make. McLemore possesses the rare quality of explosive athleticism that expresses itself calmly. If Derrick Rose is all violent torque, Ben McLemore is stealthful grace.
ESPN


The Kings officially signed McLemore to his first NBA contract on Saturday. Terms were not disclosed. However, the rookie league scale reports the 20-year-old McLemore will receive $2,413,300 in 2013-14, $2,521,900 in 14-15 and $2,630,500 in 15-16.

Darnell back in summer league: Former KU forward Darnell Jackson scored 13 points off 6-of-8 shooting with five rebounds and two steals in the NBA D-League Select Team’s 83-81 win over Minnesota. Jackson, who played 23 minutes, played for Reno, Nev., in the D-League last season.
Former KU guard Travis Releford scored four points off 2-of-4 shooting in Denver’s 88-74 loss to Milwaukee on Saturday in Releford’s pro debut. He had three rebounds, one turnover and no assists in 14 minutes.
LJW

Who says there is no drama with Summer League games?

The Phoenix Suns came back on the Timberwolves Sunday thanks to the Morris twins, who had 40 points and 10 rebounds combined.

But it was Marcus Morris that was the hero. After he game the Suns staff said Morris was not the first option but he was in the mix as he curled back and got the ball. But still that took a heck of a shot to win the game.
NBC Sports


Will Barton had just suffered a right knee injury. His Las Vegas Summer League availability was suddenly in jeopardy. His mood, needless to say, was down.

But even amid depressing circumstances, Barton couldn’t help but gush about Thomas Robinson when the subject arose.

“Thomas gives us a lot,” Barton said. “A lot of energy. Rebounds. Blocked shots. He plays so hard. It’s fun to have a guy like that on your team. He’s a big-time player and he’s going to be good.”

There has been a lot of enthusiasm surrounding the Trail Blazers’ addition of Robinson this offseason. General manager Neil Olshey labeled it an “absolute steal” and the consensus — both locally and nationally — seems to be that the Blazers scooped up Robinson for nothing when they acquired him for a pair of second-round draft picks and a couple of international prospects.

But after two uneven summer league appearances, including Sunday’s 81-63 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, that opinion has a fresh perspective.

Robinson’s effort and energy have been inconsistent. His raw and beastly athleticism have been more imposing than productive. Far too often, he’s resorted to one-on-one offensive play rather than embracing the dirty work he supposedly relishes.

But all of this comes with one gigantic caveat: It’s summer league. Performances in Las Vegas — both good and bad — always should be digested with a measure of caution. After all, in 2008, Jerryd Bayless looked like a future All-Star as he bulldozed his way to MVP honors and Nicolas Batum looked over his head and out of his league. Look how that turned out.
Oregonian


LJW series: New video technology boon to KU men's basketball


3. Kansas coach Bill Self: Nine consecutive Big 12 regular-season titles is a product of the talent Self assembles prior to meshing everyone together each season. Self's stellar recruiting started when he was at Illinois and he brought in Luther Head, Dee Brown and Deron Williams. He's demonstrated a keen eye to land top talent outside of five-star recruits, too, with players such as Jeff Withey. While his latest top players — Thomas Robinson and Ben McLemore — both have paved way to the NBA, Self's greatest recruiting prize came with his upcoming class headlined by highly-touted recruit Andrew Wiggins, who chose Kansas over Florida State, North Carolina and Kentucky.
USA Today: Top 5 Recruiting Coaches


KUAD: Space available for Battle for Atlantis trip


hudysportsperformance.com: July 20th clinic sessions for women and men


The Joe Dooley era at Florida Gulf Coast University in many ways began this week. — That may sound strange considering he was hired back in mid-April. It's that for most of the past 12 weeks Dooley has been largely dealing with the past.

The 47-year-old inherited nearly a full staff, all his players and even the two incoming recruits. What changes he made were subtle albeit noticeable. A recent one-hour workout for example was more up-tempo than anything I had witnessed the last two years under Enfield.

Dooley established credibility merely by showing up. When former Kansas standouts Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins stopped by Alico Arena recently to work out with their former assistant coach, what sort of statement do you think that sent to the returning players? They know for all that they accomplished last March, none of them were as good in college as Aldrich and Collins. If those guys hold Coach Dooley in that high regard, then it's natural for the Eagles players to conclude, "Hey, we got ourselves a good one." How good and what direction he takes FGCU, we are beginning to find out.
Naples News

Andrew Wiggins appreciating the Canadian love #rockchalk pic.twitter.com/tv3yrQ8Efq
@KU_Rowing

The Baylor football team has received its rings for the Bears’ Holiday Bowl victory – with one glaring mistake on them.

But unlike the Florida State ACC title ring that accidentally called the Seminoles “SEC Champions,” Baylor intentionally botched the score of their win over UCLA last December on the jewelry.

Why?

Baylor won the game, 49-26, but the score would have been 49-19 if it weren’t for a terrible call on the last play of the game that awarded the Bruins a touchdown despite the fact WR Logan Sweet was clearly tackled at the one-yard line. As a result, the ring reads “49-19″ instead of the actual final:
Link


North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams ended his silence about the P.J. Hairston saga Monday, declaring in a school-issued statement that Hairston "knows he has made serious mistakes, and there will be serious consequences as a result."

…"Certainly the idea of suspending P.J. has been discussed," Williams said. "However, he is not currently enrolled in summer school, is not practicing with the team and we have no games until November. There are several options available in terms of discipline, but we are going to wait until the process is complete to decide on those options."

Williams said he waited to make a statement because he believes it's a fair way to treat people and it's "the way of our country," but he noted that the reports about Hairston are "disturbing and bother me deeply."
Fayetteville Observer


West Virginia forward Aaric Murray has left the Mountaineers after one year, bringing the number of players to exit the program early from last season's team to five.

A source told ESPN.com that Murray had graduated and would be able to transfer and play elsewhere immediately.

The 6-foot-10 Murray averaged 8.8 points and 5.9 rebounds last season as a junior. He transferred to West Virginia from La Salle and sat out the 2011-12 season.
ESPN


The JV has outdone the varsity.

Less than a week removed from Team USA winning a gold medal in U19 FIBA competition, the all-college team that is representing the U.S. at the World University Games has underperformed and won't be bringing home any medals.

The group, led by Creighton's Doug McDermott, Michigan State's Adreian Payne and Louisville's Luke Hancock, dropped back-to-back games on successive days against Australia (93-84) and Canada (94-85) and thus will not be eligible to medal. This marks the second straight World University Games where men's basketball did not medal; the team missed out in 2011 and took bronze in 2009. It has not won gold at the Games in this event since 2005.

Hancock had a team-high 27 points in USA's loss to Canada, which improved to 5-0 in pool play. The United States dropped to 3-2, failing to move on as Canada and Australia did.

“We didn't defend well enough to win the game,” Hancock said afterward. “That's as simple as it gets. If you give up that many points, it's going to be hard to win games no matter what you do.”
CBS Sports


2013-14 Early-season events schedule

Kelly Oubre tells me that he'll cut his list to 5 after #PeachJam. Who will definitely make the list? "Kansas. Other 4 are up for grabs."
@JayJayUSATODAY


King McClure, a 6-3 junior shooting guard from Triple A Academy in Dallas, tells Rivals.com that he will attend KU’s Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 4 as part of an unofficial visit. McClure, who is playing at the Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., said, “Arkansas and Kansas are coming at me the hardest. I’m still open, but those two have been working the most.” Rivals.com’s No. 16-rated player in the Class of 2015 also has Texas, Baylor, Indiana and Louisville on his early list.
LJW


The tagline on Cliff Alexander’s Twitter account, which he aptly names “humblekid11”, says as modestly as possible: “basketball is my life. and NBA is my goal.”

…Alexander is a 6-9, 230-pound power forward at Curie Metropolitan High in Chicago. In the summers he plays with 6-11 center Jahlil Okafor, the nation’s No. 1 prospect, with the Mac Irvin Fire. Because has kept himself open to so many elite college programs, because he is the sort of player who fits any style—athletic, devastatingly powerful, mobile, willing to use his physicality to pursue rebounds and protect the lane—he is an ideal example of how and how rapidly college basketball recruiting has changed.

…Alexander was asked, not for the first time in the day, which schools he will visit officially. There are some he has already seen on an unofficial basis, so it’s unlikely he will duplicate those trips. That leaves the list of schools to get officials as: Kansas, Memphis, Louisville, Arizona and one more to be determined.
TSN


7/14/13, 6:44 PM
Might be taking my 5th official to Kentucky or Florida
@humblekid11


Myles Turner made the biggest jump of any player in any class this summer in the recruiting rankings.

Turner, a center at Trinity (Euless, Texas), entered the AAU season unranked and virtually unknown, but after a productive couple of tournaments he's ascended all the way to No. 10 in the ESPN 100.

"It's been crazy how things have changed," Turner said. "Going up that much has been awesome!"
Still, that's not the biggest spike Turner has experienced.

"My shoe size jump was even bigger," Turner said. "Now that was crazy!"

During his freshman year, Turner's foot grew from a size 14 to a 17 in just two weeks. He's now up to a size 21.

Here's some perspective: Yao Ming stands 7-foot-5 and wears an 18. Shaquille O'Neal is 7-foot-1 and wears a 22.

"It only took two weeks to go up three sizes," said Turner, who stands 6-foot-11. "Two weeks! My mom couldn't believe it. One night my LeBron's were fitting fine then the next day I started noticing that they were a little tight."
USA Today

The likelihood of a package deal had coaches at the Peach Jam finals simultaneously watching Class of 2014 recruits Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor from creative vantage points.

Okafor, a 6-foot-10 center, and Jones, a 6-1 point guard, are considered the top two rising seniors in the country by most scouting services, and they haven't wavered from a plan to play together in college. Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Baylor and Ohio State are still in the running for both prospects, with many people picking the Blue Devils as favorites.

"It's like we're brothers," Jones said. "We're great friends, and that's the main reason why we want to do this. Aside from how well we play on the court, we have a bond off the court, and that's why we want to try to do something special."

Jones and Okafor, who met as third-graders at an AAU tournament in Florida, developed the plan two years ago at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship event in Mexico.

Playing Saturday morning on Court 3 in North Augusta, Okafor scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds in his final Peach Jam game for Chicago-based Mac Irvin Fire. On the adjacent court, Jones posted 18 points and 11 assists for the Minneapolis-based Howard Pulley Panthers. Jones averaged 21.6 points with 7.6 assists in five games, and Okafor finished with averages of 16.8 points and 10.0 rebounds.

Highly rated Houston Hoops small forward Justise Winslow has even discussed becoming the third party in their partnership, and he's considering three schools that remain in contention for the Jones-Okafor combo: Duke, Baylor and Kansas.

"I don't know if it's a big or little factor, but it is a factor," Winslow said. "To be able to go with those guys would make that (team) very elite because they're the top, elite guys. I want to go to school with them, but all three of us have to do what's best for our families. If it happens we go to school together, all three of us, that'll be the best."

…Okafor, Jones and Winslow are scheduled to visit Baylor in late August, and Kentucky's success with one-and-done players makes the Wildcats an attractive option. Kansas, which signed top recruit Andrew Wiggins and sent Ben McLemore to the NBA after his redshirt freshman season, is developing a similar reputation. Michigan State could be a good fit, but coach Tom Izzo might be hesitant to take another go-for-broke run at top-level talent after losing a head-to-head battle with Duke for Class of 2013 signee Jabari Parker.

There's more mystery surrounding where Okafor and Jones will go than if they'll go together. That's the last step in this compelling journey.

"It's been a crazy recruiting process, but I wouldn't trade it for anything," Jones said. "It's been great, and I love every minute of it, but I didn't know this is how it would turn out. I was just a kid who was working hard, trying to be the best player I can be."
Fayetteville Observer


Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kentucky coach John Calipari stood side-by-side on one end of the gym here at the Peach Jam Saturday morning.

With a giant blue curtain dividing Courts 3 and 4, the two coaches straddled the courts at the end of the curtain to watch two basketball games at once.

On the other end of the gym, Baylor’s Scott Drew stood on a chair at the intersection of the two courts, while Kansas’s Bill Self moved back and forth between the two games.

On Court 3, 6-foot-10 Chicago big man Jahlil Okafor was playing with the Mac Irvin Fire, while on Court 4, the 6-2 Tyus Jones was running the point with the Howard Pulley Panthers.

Jones and Okafor are planning to play together in college and the aforementioned coaches were literally working on landing the package deal as the players competed simultaneously.

“It’s a fine art,” Drew told SNY.tv of watching two games at once. “In today’s society we all like to multi-task.”

Self told SNY.tv: “The challenge is not only do you want to watch and evaluate but you want to watch and evaluate while the players see you.”
Zags Blog


I’ve been around the recruiting game for 15 years, and the Tyus Jones-Jahlil Okafor two-for-one appears as though it’s not farfetched at all.

“We’re going to make it happen,” said Jones, the smooth Minnesota native who just happens to be the top-rated point guard in the nation.

“I’d say in the 90 percent range,” added Okafor. He's the ridiculously skilled big man out of Chicago and was asked to put a number value on the likelihood the duo will be teammates next season in college.

…The word has been that Duke and Arizona are the favorites to land Winslow, but he told me that Baylor and Kansas are also on his list.

After talking to plenty of people this past week who are plugged into the Okafor-Jones recruitments, here's how I handicap the contenders in order of likelihood that Okafor and Jones will sign with each school:

2. Kansas Jayhawks
Bill Self and the Jayhawks have made up significant ground, especially with Okafor. Remember, KU wasn’t supposed to be a legitimate player for Andrew Wiggins, either, but wound up landing the top player in the Class of 2013. Kansas needs a top-level point guard, and the Jayhawks will lose veteran big man Tarik Black and possibly talented freshman center Joel Embiid as well after this season.

Imagine Self with a lineup of Jones and Wayne Selden in the backcourt with Perry Ellis, Brannen Greene and Okafor up front. That’s certainly national championship material.
ESPN

Of all the various descriptions one might encounter from a college basketball coach regarding an elite high school basketball player, this one about California small forward Stanley Johnson truly was unique.

“Everything you think of in a modern-day kid, he doesn’t have,” the coach said.

He meant this as a supreme complement. There is no entourage, no entitlement, no bad body language, no selfishness. Johnson stands 6-7, weighs 220 pounds, jumps high, runs fast, shoots like Kevin Durant and rebounds like Kevin McHale.

Johnson will be a senior at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif., this fall. He has won a state championship in each of the prior three seasons. Last year at Nike’s EYBL at the Peach Jam, Johnson and the Oakland Soldiers were the overall champions.

The ideal way to describe him is this: He probably is not the best basketball prospect nationally in the 2014 class, but he might be the closest to perfect.

…Johnson is considering attending Arizona, Duke, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, UCLA and USC. He will not rush into a decision, intending to make his recruiting visits and then to pick a school around January.

“I’ll sign in the late period, to give myself as much time to think as possible, make sure it’s the right decision,” Johnson said. “I’ve seen a lot of coaches get jobs right after the season. They end up transferring—and I’m stuck. Know what I’m saying?

“The late period will give me a chance to think about it, sleep on it, talk to my parents about it, see how I feel, see what changes. I’m not going to worry about anybody going to the NBA or saying it, because that’s going to happen. I’ll just worry about myself, try to get better every game.”
TSN


Rashad Vaughn is one of the most highly sought after players in the nation in the crop of rising seniors.

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Minnesota, Vaughn holds offers from some of America’s elite basketball programs.

While at the Reebok Breakout Classic, Vaughn said he has been offered by Kentucky, North Carolina, Baylor, Kansas, UCLA, Minnesota, Iowa State, Tennessee, and more.

Vaughn, who claims no favorites at this point in time, talked about what he is searching for in a school.

“Just the relationship with the coach, they play my style of play and if I’m going to come play right away and who I’m going to be playing with and stuff like that,” Vaughn said.

Location will “not at all” be a factor for Vaughn, who went on to discuss who is coming at him the hardest.

“Really everybody, that’s why I [have not] narrowed my list yet because it’s hard,” Vaughn said. “I got good relationships with basically all the schools that’s recruiting me.”

Thus far, Vaughn has been on visits to UCLA, Iowa State and Minnesota. He does not have any other trips planned.

“Sometime probably after the senior year season,” Vaughn said of when he plans to make his commitment and going on to confirm that he will sign late.

The scoring wing is planning to trim down his list before he makes his decision.

“Probably at the end of summer I’m going to try, going to try to narrow my list,” Vaughn said.
nbebasketball

A new NCAA-certified summer basketball tournament has been added to the July evaluation period, and I think it's safe to suggest there's never been anything like it. The event will be called "The8." It'll feature eight teams filled with college prospects, all of whom will be coached by current or former NBA players.

“The8 will be one of the finest basketball tournaments in the country, and it will give teams exposure on a national stage and an opportunity to compete in front of major college coaches," said Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Paul, who will coach the CP3 All-Stars. "As a young player growing up, I would have loved the opportunity to receive this type of experience in front of these programs and to be around the top guys in the game."

Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis and Kenny Smith are among the other coaches.
The event will be held in Las Vegas from July 26 to July 28.
CBS


Number of players I saw act like idiots in AAU this week: Zero. Number of parents I saw act like idiots in AAU this week: Dozens.
@JeffRabjohns

"Priority," said Oubre, who is ranked No. 20 in the ESPN 100 for 2014. "When a coach says you're the priority you can probably stop believing the rest of what he's about to say. They're just kicking game at you. It's like a guy trying to impress a female; he'll tell her anything to get her."

It's a sentiment shared by most of the elite players here at Nike Peach Jam, who say the second the word "priority" is thrown out they're convinced that the conversation has officially turned disingenuous.

"Come on man, you already know they're telling the next man the same thing," Oakland (Calif.) Soldiers wing Stanley Johnson said. "For example, not that they do this but take Duke. Say they're recruiting a point guard and they tell him he's a priority. Well, we all know that's a lie because nobody's a bigger priority than Tyus Jones. But that's the type of stuff coaches do. It's crazy."

…"They all say the same things for the most part," said Jones, who runs with the Howard Pulley Panthers (Minn.). "You just have to do your homework and talk to people. You've just gotta be smart."

And have an audio recorder handy.

That's a tactic Oubre has used in the past to let another player know that both of them were getting the same "priority" spiel.

"Had to do that with one school before," Oubre said. "When I played it for him he laughed and said it sounded familiar. It gets pretty funny. You just chalk it up as a part of the recruiting process. They all lie."

…"I know I'm good, but do I think I'm so good that they don't have a backup plan? No!" said Team Texas Elite forward Elijah Thomas, who is ranked No. 5 in the ESPN 60 for 2015. "They say some of the craziest stuff so it's not hard for me to believe that they'll tell me what they think I want to hear. We all compare what they say anyway among each other... I wonder if they know that."
USA Today


Peach Jam Stats


Rivals: Adidas Invitational Saturday Notebook


2013 Spring/Summer AAU & Camp Schedule


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational July 25-28, 2013.


Recruiting Calendar


My KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Speaking on leadership and training at Fort Leonard Wood, MO @USMC #oorah pic.twitter.com/wLEVf0289a
@A_Hudy

NBA Las Vegas Summer League Primer


The Nets got their first injury scare of the week when Tyshawn Taylor sprained his right ankle late in the second quarter of their 92-76 loss to the Rockets Thursday.

“Yeah, I just came down on somebody’s foot and rolled it a little,” Taylor said while wearing a walking boot after finishing with 15 points and seven assists. “It swelled up a little bit. That’s kind of what [the boot] is for, to keep the swelling down and keep it compressed.”

Taylor fell to the ground awkwardly after converting a layup late in the half, and immediately limped off – under his own power – with Nets trainer Tim Walsh. But after briefly exiting the gym to get his ankle re-taped, Taylor returned and played the rest of the second half.

“Yeah, it hurt a lot when I first came up, and as soon as I got to the training room and I took my shoe off it was swollen already,” he said. “They taped it, put some ice on it and I finished the game, but it’s pretty sore right now.”

Because of the boot on his ankle, Taylor was asked if it was safe to say he won’t play in Friday afternoon’s finale against Philadelphia, to which he immediately responded, “No, it’s not safe to say that,” and said he’d play it by ear to see how he felt.

Nets coach Jason Kidd, however, seemed to expect to see Taylor on the floor.

“You never want anybody to get hurt, especially this time during the summer when everyone’s getting better,” Kidd said. “I’m happy he didn’t get hurt. It’s a sprained ankle … we expect him to be a little sore tomorrow, but he’s a tough kid.”
NY Post


Former Kansas University basketball combo guard Josh Selby will play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2013 Las Vegas Summer League, Friday through July 22.

The 6-foot-2 Selby was co-MVP (with Portland’s Damian Lillard) in Vegas last summer as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. His performance didn’t translate to success during the NBA regular season. He played sparingly in 10 games for Memphis before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was cut without playing in a game.

Selby, a second-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, did average 17 points a game for three NBADL teams in 2012-13.

“We have a pretty good group of guys,” Selby told ESPN Los Angeles, referring to a Lakers roster that includes Chris Douglas-Roberts and Robert Sacre. “We have a great coaching staff (led by Laker assistant Dan D’Antoni) that’s willing to teach you the game. I think this is an opportunity for me to showcase my talents and better myself.”

…The NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday renounced their rights to former KU guard Xavier Henry. Henry, 22, who was selected 12th overall by Memphis in the 2010 NBA Draft, averaged 3.9 points in 50 games for New Orleans last season. He’s free to sign with any team or head overseas to continue his career.

…The Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday officially announced the acquisition of former KU forward Thomas Robinson from the Houston Rockets for the NBA rights to Kostas Papnikolaou and Marko Todorovic plus two future second round draft picks.

Robinson, 22, averaged 4.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 15.1 minutes in 70 games with Sacramento (51 games) and Houston (19 games) his rookie season.

“Thomas is a dynamic young big man with tremendous upside,” Blazers’ general manager Neil Olshey said of the No. 5 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. “He is an elite athlete and brings a unique set of physical tools to our roster. He has the potential to be one of the best young power forwards in the league and his development will be a priority for us.”
LJW


“It’s a great feeling to be wanted,” said Robinson, shipped to the Blazers in a June 30 trade with the Houston Rockets. The Rockets had acquired Robinson in a deal with Sacramento in February. Sacramento initially made Robinson the No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.

“I’ve been in this league a year, and being tossed around can mess with confidence. It can mess with everything, so to hear somebody actually tell me they want me on their team is a great feeling,” Robinson added at the media session.

…“I think coming into the league, I wanted to prove I deserve to be here, prove I’m a worthy player in the league,” Robinson said. “As far as being moved around twice already, it’s a business. As a rookie, I learned that pretty quick. You can’t take it personal. I’m excited to get a chance with the Portland Trail Blazers. I’m going to make the best of it.”

Robinson will be playing for the Blazers in the Las Vegas summer league, which runs today through July 22.

“I think I still have a lot more upside to my game. I don’t think I even came close to being a finished product,” Robinson said of Year No. 1 in the pros.

…In a new format, the 22-team Vegas summer league will crown a champion for the first time this year. Former KU players Ben McLemore (Sacramento), Elijah Johnson (L.A. Clippers), Travis Releford (Denver) and Josh Selby (L.A. Lakers) also will be playing in the league. For a full summer league schedule, go http://on.nba.com/12I1L3L
LJW


Denver Q&A with Travis Releford


Paul Pierce resents the idea that he's almost done: "Who says it's the end of my career? I plan on playing 10 more years, dude." (via @TMZ)
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter

Marshall Henderson has been suspended indefinitely by Ole Miss for a violation of team rules, the school announced Wednesday. As CBSSports.com first reported, the suspension is related to failed drug tests that has Henderson's future with the SEC school legitimately in jeopardy, according to a source. A separate source added that a stint in a rehabilitation facility is a possibility.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Henderson was pulled over in Oxford, Miss., on May 4 with what appeared to be small amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his car, according to a police report. Because the amounts were so small, Henderson was not charged with drug possession. He was only cited for no proof of liability insurance.

"Since the season ended we have talked a lot about Marshall taking a greater leadership role with our team," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said in a statement. "With that comes greater responsibility, and he must do a better job of living up to the high standard we expect from him and he desires from himself."

…Ole Miss football player Denzel Nkemdiche posted a video on Instagram late Wednesday that featured Henderson addressing the news. Asked for his thoughts on the day, Henderson appeared to say, "Sadness, ho." Then he smiled into the camera. The video was taken down about 40 minutes after it was posted.
CBS


University of North Carolina president Bubba Cunningham issued a statement Wednesday morning regarding the saga surrounding Tar Heels forward P.J. Hairston.

Hairston was stopped in Durham, N.C., on June 5 and subsequently arrested along with two other men and charged with marijuana possession. Hairston was driving a 2013 GMC Yukon that was reportedly rented by a man named Haydn "Fats" Thomas. Thomas has been connected to another rental Hairston was driving and stopped for a speeding citation in May.

A gun allegedly was found outside of the Yukon on the June 5 arrest, along with ammunition. No one has claimed ownership of the gun and no charges have been brought related to its possession.

"The athletic department compliance staff and I are fully aware of recent media accounts related to our men's basketball team," Cunningham said. "We take these matters very seriously and are looking into these reports and the inferences they contain with all due diligence. It is my practice not to comment on the individuals involved or the details surrounding these reports until we have sufficient understanding of the facts involved. We are still gathering information, learning information from other sources, and we will not comment until we have a strong grasp of each individual situation. Where the facts show mistakes in judgment and/or actions, Coach (Roy) Williams will take and I will support the appropriate disciplinary measures."
CBS


Former Missouri guard Kim English is looking for his next NBA team. The Detroit Pistons waived their 2012 second-round draft pick today after English’s cold shooting week at the Orlando Pro Summer League.

English averaged 6.3 points in four games in Orlando, shooting just 23.6 percent from the field and 17.6 percent from 3-point range. English turned the ball over eight times and had just two assists in Detroit’s four games.
St Louis PD


Memphis is expected to be a top-15 team nationally next season, and the Tigers received some more good news on Monday afternoon.

Incoming freshman Kuran Iverson has been cleared academically and will be a full qualifier, sources confirmed to CBSSports.com.

The story was first reported by the Commercial Appeal.

There were concerns whether Iverson, a 6-foot-9 small forward from Fishburne Military Academy (Va.), would be cleared to play. Classmate Rashawn “Pookie” Powell is also waiting to hear on his academic status, and sources said that his eligibility is still up in the air.
CBS


But wait! Is there hope on the horizon? At this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (or E3, or the biggest and most influential gaming conference in the world) EA Sports executive Sean O'Brien refused to say "no" when asked whether there could one day be another college hoops video game:
"It's something always on our radar," O'Brien said. "I actually used to work on [NCAA Basketball] a number of years ago, so it's something personally I'm quite passionate about. I think there's a great fan base for it. ... "We're in the college football business - we've been in the college basketball business in the past - who knows. I mean, at this point, though, it's kind of hard to say."
So you're telling me there's a chance. Actually, no. There's no chance.

The fact that O'Brien didn't say "no" immediately could be read as a positive sign, I suppose, but it's obvious EA Sports doesn't have anything remotely concrete in the pipeline.

But the real issue lies neither with the publisher nor the market. Even if EA Sports wanted to make an NCAA basketball game again, and even if there was a market for the game (both of which are doubtful), there's is zero chance an NCAA basketball game gets made anytime soon for one simple reason: Ed O'Bannon. The massive lawsuit that could one day implode the NCAA's entire foundation actually began because O'Bannon saw his likeness being used in one of the games' classic teams modes and wondered why he hadn't received some compensation for the use.

Most of the focus of the O'Bannon analysis has been on what the case means for the NCAA, but EA Sports was an initial co-defendant in the suit, and O'Bannon's lawyers even submitted screen shots of former Georgetown center Roy Hibbert -- excuse me, "Georgetown Center No. 55" -- from one "NCAA March Madness" edition as evidence that the game was blatantly copying current players' likenesses. Similar arguments extend to the college football title, but at least those players wear helmets. In "NCAA March Madness," the relative likeness was as naked as basketball players themselves.

So, no, unless EA Sports and the NCAA decide to do something completely counterproductive and brazen for the sake of a game that very few people actually played -- and even fewer people enjoyed -- in the first place, there will not be another college basketball game anytime soon. Probably ever. Long live "FIFA 13."
ESPN


For a basketball-driven conference, the number 10 is perfect.

That lineup allows for a true round-robin schedule of 18 league games. As nonconference games are tough to find, more conference games are a must.

Alignment started at the top, but the trickle-down to the lower level of Division I has actually streamlined a number of conferences for the 2013-14 season that seems to be met with a sense of starting anew -- for the better.

…What's next in realignment? The James Madison question will need to be answered. Will the Big East stop at 10 or feel it must be at 12 to satisfy its television partner's (FOX) need for more inventory?

But the Big East is still trying to get off the ground for the fall, and new commissioner Val Ackerman hasn't shown any early signs of expanding. Still, the A-10 would be the prime plucking area if the Big East were to take on two more. The American could always look to take UMass -- a candidate before Tulsa was chosen -- which would be from the A-10, too.

The Big 12, which is pleasantly pleased to be at 10, will need to assess how the new college football playoff affects it with no championship game, since every other major conference will have one. And of course BYU football still needs to decide whether it wants to stay independent.

Oh, and UTEP would love to be in the Mountain West instead of CUSA, according to industry sources.
All of these moves would likely affect conferences below.

"Realignment has always been a trickle-down," said Elgin. "There is movement every year. I don't think for a minute that there's not going to be more movement from this point forward. Where and when it happens at the highest level remains to be seen."
ESPN


With the exception of some press releases on his website and a few lines dissing Scott Boras on his new album, Jay-Z hasn’t said too much publicly about his recent endeavors into the sports management business. The rapper/mogul shed a little bit more light on why he launched Roc Nation Sports during an interview with New York City radio station Power 105.1 Thursday, insisting that one of his main objectives is to make sure his athlete clients get a fair shake in the business.

“For the most part, I’m going to do more for the athlete than they’re going to do for me, like, at the end of the day,” Jay-Z said. ” But I do this because it’s an extension of the bigger goal. The bigger goal is for all artists to get their just due. Not to get half-assed agents or people who rob them, or people who don’t care about their finances. They don’t even care about them. That’s why those guys go broke in four years.”

In a USA TODAY Sports feature in May, Boras. who previously represented Roc Nation Sports’ first client, Robinson Cano, didn’t mince words about what he thought of Jay-Z’s entrance into the business.

“To suggest that somebody is going to walk off the street and say, ‘I am a fan, I enjoy sports, so I can do this,’ is no different than somebody watching the Discovery channel and saying, ‘I’m a fan of medicine, I like surgery, so I’ll start operating on people,’” Boras told USA TODAY Sports. “This is a profession. It’s a different environment. If you’re not singularly committed to this game, it’s a very ugly song.”

Jay-Z responded to that line of thinking on air Thursday.

“They have that thing, that belief that they can only do one thing.  We don’t have that. We’re not inflicted with that disease,” he said. “I can walk and chew gum. It’s insane to even say that. ‘What does he know about sports?’ Everything. More than you.”
USA Today


2013-14 Early-season events schedule

7/11/13, 3:18 PM
Head coaches that saw Myles Turner today: Bill Self, Scott Cross, Trent Johnson, Rick Barnes.
@DaveTelep


Tyus Jones remembers the first time that he ever played against Jahlil Okafor. They were at the AAU Nationals in Orlando, Fla. They were in third grade.

"He was a tree," Jones said of Okafor. "Biggest kid in the tournament by far."

So, not much has changed over the past nine years. Okafor is still almost always the biggest kid in the tournament. He's a 6-foot-10, 260-pound post player who is awesome at basketball. Jones is awesome, too, by the way. And the two of them continue to insist they're going to do something rare, possibly something that's never been done before.

They swear they're going to pick the same college.

Probably on the same day.

And, if they do, one school will get the consensus top-two prospects in the Class of 2014 -- Okafor is ranked No. 1 while Jones is ranked No. 2 -- as a package deal consisting of unrelated recruits from different states, which, far as I can tell, has never happened.

…Baylor, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Ohio State are the six schools that both Okafor and Jones are considering, which is among the reasons why Baylor's Scott Drew, Kentucky's John Calipari and Michigan State's Tom Izzo -- as well as assistants from the other three schools -- were all courtside here at the Riverview Park Activities Center on Thursday watching. The two friends -- Okafor a center from Chicago, Jones a point guard from suburban Minneapolis -- have already scheduled an official visit to Baylor for late August, and Jones said they'll likely coordinate their other four official visits to ensure they see the same places at the same time before making a final college decision, most likely sometime in the fall and before November's national signing period.
CBS


There was a standing room only crowd on hand when the CP3 All-Stars faced off against the Howard Pulley team in Thursday night's early game at the Peach Jam. The anticipation was that North Carolina-bound guard Theo Pinson might match up with Duke target Tyus Jones.

That line of thought turned out to be right.

Pinson, a 6-foot-6 rising senior from Greensboro, led his CP3 All-Star team to a 90-73 rout, scoring 22 points and showing off his athleticism with three blocks and six rebounds.

"He's extremely athletic," Jones said. "He has a quick first step. He has a quick vertical, too. He's able to come down and go right back up. He's a crazy athlete and he can knock down open shots. He's the complete package."

Jones did not disappoint either, scoring 20 points and notching nine assists.

"He's just so crafty," Pinson said. "You never know. He's a great passer, a great finisher. . You can't take the ball from him so that's why I didn't reach at all. You can't gamble."

And to make the show even better, the two ended up guarding each other for long stretches.

Jones, a 6-2 point guard from Apple Valley, Minn., showed off his court vision by whipping perfectly placed passes to teammates. Meanwhile, Pinson's quickness led to several easy baskets and made him a disruptive force on the defensive end.

The two met earlier this season with Jones scoring 38 points in a game in which Pinson rarely matched up with him. Pinson said the last outing served as motivation.

"Last game, he gave us 38, so I was like, 'I'm going to take the initiative initially myself and just play some D,' " Pinson said. "I knew Tyus coming in that he was going to be tough. I had it already in my head to lock down on the defensive end and let my teammates go off on the offensive end. Luckily, I got behind the defense a couple times and got some easy buckets."

Pinson committed to UNC this spring. Jones is one of the biggest prizes left among the players in the Class of 2014 who have yet to announce their plans. Duke is considered to be among the frontrunners.

…Jahlil Okafor, a Duke target, had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Mac Irvin Fire in a 60-57 loss to Boo Williams
Fayetteville Observer


Between games of the Nike EYBL Finals at the Peach Jam, Jones said the percent chance they end up at the same school is “up in the 90s.” Okafor put it at “the 90 percent range.”

If it happens — and the players have six common schools on their final lists — there’s also a near-100 percent chance the team that gets them will be a national contender.

“That’d be scary,” said five-star Chicago power forward Cliff Alexander, Okafor’s teammate on the Mac Irvin Fire club. “They’d have a chance to win a national championship.”

…“There’s different parts to each school that (one) might like more than the other person, just because he’s a big man and I’m a point guard,” Jones said. “But there’s not any schools that I don’t like that he likes or that he doesn’t like and I like. … It’s been a pretty smooth process.”

The two have mentioned five-star Houston wing Justise Winslow as a potential third member of their package deal.
Louisville CJ


Chicago big man Jahlil Okafor said Thursday that the trip to Baylor at the end of August — with top point guard Tyus Jones — is the only official visit on his schedule.

Okafor narrowed his list to eight schools earlier this spring. UK joins Baylor, Arizona, Michigan State, Ohio State, Kansas, Illinois and Duke as the programs under consideration.

The 6-foot-11 center said he's hoping to take all five official visits and see all eight schools on his list before making his final decision, which he would like to make sooner rather than later.

"I don't want to hold it out and wait until the end," Okafor said. "I'm looking to sign sometime in the fall. That's the plan, but we'll see."

Kentucky, Baylor and Kansas are the only three campuses he's never visited.

…Chicago big man Cliff Alexander caused quite a stir last week when he said that neither Kentucky nor Michigan State would get one of his five official visits.

Alexander, who is ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 overall prospect in the class of 2014, will take officials to Arizona, Kansas, Memphis and Louisville. He said he didn't need to take one to UK or Michigan State because he has already visited those campuses.

Many observers pointed out that Alexander has also already visited Kansas, yet the Jayhawks will receive one of his officials. Alexander clarified that Thursday, saying that his parents accompanied him on his trips to UK and Michigan State but did not go on his unofficial visit to Kansas in June.
"I want to get down there and show my parents," Alexander said.

He made it clear that UK and Michigan State are still high on his list. When asked if either school had dropped a notch in recent weeks, Alexander said, "Not at all" four times before adding: "I still love them. They're still recruiting me hard."

The other schools on his list include Indiana, Illinois, DePaul and Baylor.

Alexander visited UK for Big Blue Madness in October 2012.

He will visit Arizona in September, Kansas on Oct. 4 and Memphis on Oct. 18. He has not yet scheduled a date for the trip to Louisville and said he hasn't thought much about the fifth official visit.

A college decision didn't sound imminent.

"I'm not committing any time soon," Alexander said. "I don't know when I will commit."
Lexington HL


Kansas is also a consideration, especially since Bill Self’s program has sent a number of big men like the Morris twins and Jeff Withey to the NBA.

“Yeah, that really does, how they get big guys to the league,” he said.

He recently took an unofficial there but wants his parents to see the campus on an official.

“I have a lot of interest in Kansas and I want to get down there and show my parents,” he said.
“I built a great relationship with Coach Self and the coaching staff. Great campus, great dorms.”
Zags Blog


After winning a gold medal with Jahlil Okafor in Prague, Justise Winslow is still considering joining the Chicago big man and point guard Tyus Jones in a three-man package deal.

If that were to happen, the 6-foot-6 Winslow out of Houston St. John’s believes some school would be getting a special situation.

“I think one, none of us are selfish and two, we’re just high-level guys that want to win and we’re not at the same position,” Winslow said after going for 12 points and four rebounds in the Houston Hoops’ 56-51 loss to Team Scan Thursday night at the Peach Jam.

“So you got a have a true point guard, an athletic wing, a dominant big man down low. With those three guys you can really build a team around them. Get a shooter and then a four or something, I think just our ability to compete and win just allows just to be able to play together rand we have played together before.”
Zags Blog


Kelly Oubre played in front of some pretty elite company in his first game at the Peach Jam Thursday morning.

John Calipari and Kenny Payne of Kentucky, Larry Brown of SMU, Roy Williams of North Carolina, Kevin Ollie of UConn and coaches from Kansas, Duke and Louisville were among those watching as the 6-foot-7 Oubre went for 20 points, six rebounds and four assists as Houston Hoops overcame a 40-point outing from Malik Newman to beat the Jackson Tigers, 80-67.

“I was just trying to do everything that I could to help my team win,” said Oubre, who will play at Henderson (Nev.) Findlay Prep next season. “If that meant getting rebounds, getting to the basket, making shots, that’s what I was trying to do.”

…Kansas assistant Norm Roberts also sat courtside and Oubre is interested in visiting for Late Night in the Phog Oct. 4.

“Kansas, they are definitely going to be there in my top [list],” he said. “I love the offense of Coach [Bill] Self.”

Oubre also mentioned North Carolina, UCLA and Florida as schools he’s considering.

“I’m going to cut my list down after Peach Jam,” he said. “Everything is going to be set after that. I’m going to cut it to about five or six.”
Zags Blog


On Thursday evening, ESPN.com’s Jeff Goodman broke the news that Jordan Mickey, an LSU signee, and Karviar Shepherd, a TCU signee, were ruled non-qualifiers by the NCAA, meaning that they will be unable to play this season.

Mickey and Shepherd both played at Deion Sanders’ charter school, Prime Prep, in Dallas, TX.

“We haven’t heard anything yet from the NCAA,” Ray Forsett, Prime Prep’s head coach, told NBCSports.com. “We’re holding out hope that they’ll make the right decision for the kids involved.”

The reason why Mickey and Shepherd were ruled ineligible is unclear to Forsett. Prime Prep was approved as a “Regular Instructional Open Enrollment Charter” by the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education. The NCAA visited the school in January to do an initial review, according to Forsett. On January 8th, Prime Prep posted a release on their website which announced that the school had “successfully completed all preliminary steps necessary for NCAA membership” and that as a result, “all prospective student athletes are eligible for individual review through the NCAA initial eligibility process”. You can see the list of NCAA approved core courses that Prime Prep offers here.

...The bigger concern for the school is where they go from here if Goodman’s report proves to be correct. If Shepherd and Mickey are, in fact, non-qualifiers as a result of their time at Prime Prep, what does that mean for the future of Emmanuel Mudiay, a top five recruit in the Class of 2014, and Elijah Thomas, a top 10 recruit in the Class of 2015.

“After I finish playing here, I’m going to go to the school and see what’s up. I’ll take it from there,” he told NBCSports.com. “I’m going to call Deion himself. I’m definitely going to talk to him. We’re close enough that we can talk about anything.”
NBC


EYBLthecircuit VIDEOS: Nike Peach Jam 2013


It was the first flight of U17 games to start off the day, and Malik Newman - an underclassmen playing up a level - stole the show with the best scoring performance of the tournament. As he shot the ball a lot, the 2015 Jackson Tigers (MS) guard went for 40 points against a tough Houston Hoops (TX) team.

Newman showed that he is one of the, if not the best, pure scorers in the nation, regardless of class. His decision making on shots is improving, and his ability to draw contact and convert at the free throw line was clear as he hit 12 of 16 free throws. His handle continues to get better, and with ideal size at 6-foot-5 it is clear why he is the No. 1 player in the latest Rivals150 for the class of 2015.

Newman went for 25 points in the nightcap.

He rattled off a quick list of Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi State, Florida State and Arkansas as those who have recruited him hard to this point. A few weeks into the June contact period, the three major programs in North Carolina, Kentucky and Kansas offered.

…2014 Houston Hoops (TX) small forward Kelly Oubre has been one of the top stock risers of the summer. Coming into June with the label of being a shooter, Oubre has changed up his game and is becoming an athletic slasher with great size. Schools are noticing as Kentucky is the latest school to offer him. Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, UCLA, Florida, SMU, UConn are the other main schools involved for the future Findlay Prep (NV) senior. "Kansas, they're definitely going to be there in my top list." he told Rivals.com. For now, his plan is to cut his list down to five or six schools following their run in Peach Jam. This will lead to ideas on visits going forward.

2016 Oakland Soliders (CA) power forward Ivan Rabb and his team struggled out of the game, but the defensive stud used his intense experience with the U16 Team USA team to improve his game and learn by playing the best. His motor, rebounding ability and success in the pick and pop have been noted. As he is wanted by most schools around, the California native holds offers from over 40 schools and hopes to cut his list to about 20 schools following the Nike Global Challenge next week. While it isn't to serious of a cut, Rabb will now focus on the schools where he feels he fits and who want him. California, Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Texas, Kansas, UConn, Georgetown and Louisville have been doing their job at keeping in touch, however, it is the Jayhawks, Golden Bears, Wildcats, Hoyas and Tar Heels who he has really felt a connection with by phone since the June contact period.

…2015 Team Texas Elite power forward Elijah Thomas continues to get bigger and better. While he needs to drop weight, his athleticism, speed, ability to score and defensive presence are still top notch. With over 20 scholarship offers, Thomas feels that he has the best relationships with coaches at Ohio State, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Indiana and Duke. "These coaches stand out to me because they call every day and make it personal," Thomas told Rivals.com. "They don't talk that much about basketball. It's not just business; they like to have fun. I like coaches who joke around."
Rivals: Nike Peach Jam Day 3


Rivals: Nike Peach Jam Day 2


Rivals: Nike Peach Jam Day 1


Somewhat surprisingly, things haven't started getting crazy for class of 2015 five-star Derrick Jones. A big-time left-handed athlete with a dangerous stroke from deep, the Radnor (Pa.) Archbishop Carroll product isn't yet a finished product. But the flashes he shows are pretty impressive.

Jones loves to use a shot fake and then makes use of a long and quick first step to get to the rim in a hurry. If a defender challenges him, odds are Jones will come out on top, and he did exactly that on Thursday with one monstrous slam. His ball handling still needs some fine tuning, but it's helpful that he is a threat as a jump shooter.

Still, things haven't gotten too crazy just yet for him on the recruiting front.

"I've gotten a couple of phone calls but it hasn't really been crazy," Jones said. "I feel pretty good about the level of interest though."

According to Jones he's hearing from St. Joseph's, Villanova, Penn State, Syracuse, Kentucky, Kansas, Kansas State and Maryland, among others. Jones said that he garnered an offer from Kentucky on Wednesday night but when asked how the offer was delivered he said that he read on twitter that he had been offered and that the offer had not been delivered by a Kentucky staff member, so we'll hold off on confirming that offer just yet.
Rivals: Reebok Breakout Recap


Jones said that the offer from Kansas “came like two weeks ago” and the one from Kentucky came on around Wednesday.

The class of 2015 prospect talked about what it means to garner offers from those types of programs.

“It means a lot knowing now I can play at any type of level,” Jones said. “Just going up there, if I wanted to I could go to Kentucky or Kansas or Syracuse or a school like that.”

Jones said he does not think there are any schools recruiting him that have yet to offer and also noted that he has does not have any favorites.

As for what he is looking for in a school, Jones remarked, “A big fan base, a good coaching staff and a big facility.”

The lone visit that Jones said he has been on thus far was a trip to Temple about two months ago.
“It was great,” Jones said of the Temple visit, “just going out, seeing the campus and everything, talking to the coaches.”

Jones said he does not think he has any additional trips scheduled right now and also is without a timetable for a commitment.
NBEbasketball.com


Reebok Breakout Top Matchups

Emmanuel Mudiay (Arlington, Texas/Prime Prep) vs.
Rashad Vaughn (Golden Valley, Minn./Findlay Prep)
The opening set of games pitted arguably the top two prospects in the field against each other. The individual matchup was a little anti-climactic as Mudiay got the better of Vaughn in leading his team to a lopsided victory. Vaughn, the nation’s No. 1 SG, was a little out of his element having to be both his team's primary playmaker and ballhandler, whereas Mudiay was 100 percent comfortable running the show for his squad, operating in the open floor and navigating ball screens in order to create scoring opportunities for teammates.

Purest Point Guard

Josh Perkins (Aurora, Colo./Huntington Prep)
2014, PG, 6-3, 185
Status: Considering Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Baylor, Minnesota and UConn, among others.
In a field full of talented point guard, Perkins stood out as the purest of the group. His poise with the ball in his hands was off the charts, and he was in complete control of the game while keeping the defenders mystified. While his pass-first mentality and impeccable court vision were certainly his calling cards, he mixed in enough individual offense – highlighted by a smooth step-back and the ability to get into the lane off of ball screens.
ESPN Insider ($)


Rivals: LBJ Camp - What we learned (Alexander, Vaughn, Stanley Johnson)


Reebok Classic Breakout
When: July 9-12
Where: Philadelphia
Why it’s important: About 120 players from different talent levels make the cut for this event to show they can cut it at the collegiate level in front of hundreds of coaches.
What makes it unique: This event has a tryout system consisting of drills, stations and 5-on-5 games held throughout the spring at eight cities across the country. A number of up-and-comers -- namely John Wall -- have been discovered here, and current ranked stars get a chance to separate themselves from their peers.
Players to watch: PG Emmanuel Mudiay, SG Rashad Vaughn, Jordan McLaughlin and SF Dwayne Morgan.

EYBL Finals at the Nike Peach Jam
When: July 10-14
Where: North Augusta, S.C.
Why it’s important: The 24 best teams from the EYBL regular season advance to the finals for the right to play for the Peach Jam title.
What makes it unique: In addition to the Top 24 EYBL 17U teams 16 Nike Sweet 16U Invitational Tournament teams will compete as well that features high major prospects from the classes of 2015 and 2016.
Players to watch: 2014 stars C Jahlil Okafor, PF Cliff Alexander, PG Tyus Jones and PF Trey Lyles; 2015 recruits PF Ivan Rabb, SG Malik Newman and Cheick Diallo; and 2016 centers Thon Maker and Skal Labissiere, to name a few.

adidas Invitational Classic
When: July 10-14
Where: Indianapolis
Why it’s important: The adidas Invitational Classic kicks off the live period, which gives prospects a chance to make an early, positive impression on college coaches of all levels.
What makes it unique: Super Pools, which means the best teams play against other top teams right from the onset. Also it is important to note that 410 college coaches attended this event last summer.
Players to watch: PG/SG Brandone Francis, PF Trey Lyles and SG James Blackmon Jr.

Under Armour NY2LA Sports Summer Jam
When: July 17-21
Where: Mequon, Wisc.
Why it’s important: Combine high-quality exposure and elite talent from coast-to-coast in a competitive arena and you have the UA Summer Jam.
What makes it unique: This event is unique because it allows players and travel programs of all levels to compete in an elite and exclusive tournament to maximize their exposure to hundreds of college coaches.
PF/SF Kevon Looney, PF/C Myles Turner and PG Dominique Collier.

adidas Super 64
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: We head back to Vegas for the final major July event as college coaches get a chance to make final evaluations at the end of the live period. It also allows coaches an opportunity to confirm what they saw at the two weeks earlier at the adidas Invitational.
What makes it unique: The field may be the largest coaches will see this month with close to 450-500 teams from various age groups and playing levels. Also, adidas welcomes players and teams from other shoe brand companies to make the talent base the best it can possibly be.
Players to watch: SG Jalen Coleman and PF
Dante Buford.

AAU Super Showcase and National Championship
When: July 24-29
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Why it’s important: More than 1,000 college coaches pack the first-class facilities at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports to take in some of the best AAU talent in the country.
What makes it unique: The nation’s premier AAU squad compete for a national championship after qualifying by winning their respective districts, meaning these teams truly have to earn the right to play at this event.
Players to watch: PG Tyus Jones, PG Joel Berry and PF Chris McCullough.

Las Vegas Fab 48
When: July 25-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: The talent pool is extremely deep and attracts more than 1000 college coaches, providing prospects a packed arena to showcase their talents.
What makes it unique: There are over 300 reported teams participating with teams from all over the country and a spattering of international squads.
Players to watch: PG Jordan McLaughlin, SG/PG Tyler Dorsey and SG Daniel Hamilton.

Hal Pastner Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: Arguably the largest event of the month, the Las Vegas Classic draws 450 teams from America, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico to name a few.
What makes it unique: The sheer number of talented prospects from a wide range of ages essentially turns this setting into a buffet for college coaches to evaluate and for players to earn college scholarships.
Players to watch: C Jahlil Okafor, PF Ivan Rabb and SF Kameron Chatman
ESPN Insider ($)


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational, presented by 810 Varsity, will be held at Okun Fieldhouse in Shawnee on July 25-28, 2013.
http://www.kchoops.com


Recruiting Calendar


2013 Spring/Summer AAU & Camp Schedule


My KU Alumni games, 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos, Late Night in the Phog, and more now on YouTube

Few players in recent history built and lived up to the hype the way Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.) wing Andrew Wiggins did.

For a solid two years, Wiggins has had to live in the proverbial glasshouse as the player every expert, analyst, reporter and fan dubbed the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Wiggins’ senior year – in which he averaged 23.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 2.5 assists, posted a 30-3 record and a No. 7 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25– was a circus.

Sold out games every week. Hundreds of fans lingering after the final horn for the chance at a picture or autograph. Mind-boggling dunks. NBA threes. Devastating posters he handed out on a regular basis.

It all culminated in Wiggins winning the 2012-13 Gatorade National Basketball Player of the Year award.

Now off the grid at Kansas as he prepares for his highly anticipated freshman season, we asked Wiggins’ coach Rob Fulford to reflect on Wiggins’ final high school season; everything from the greatest moments to the weirdest interactions with overzealous fans.
USA Today


Kansas graduated its three starting perimeter players -- including Ben McLemore, the No. 7 pick in the NBA draft -- but I expect the Jayhawks to have one of college basketball's most talented perimeter games. The lone returning perimeter player, Naadir Tharpe, will be joined by two of the most physically talented and skilled freshmen in the country in Andrew Wiggins (No. 1 in ESPN's Top 100 rankings) and Wayne Selden (No. 14).

Best Perimeter Teams

#4 Kansas

Tharpe improved his decision-making at the end of the season and is a solid on-ball defender. Wiggins, a world-class athlete, is explosive off the bounce, unselfish and has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the country. Selden is a 6-5, 220-pound attacking guard. He is physically strong, plays through contact at the rim, has a great feel for the game and is a willing and accomplished passer.

They will be joined by ESPN top-50 guards Brannen Greene, Conner Frankamp and underrated point guard Frank Mason. Green has a scorer's mentality while Frankamp is a big-time shooter with unlimited range. Mason is physically strong, quick with the ball and is a terrific on-ball defender at the point of attack. Although it is inexperienced, I feel the Jayhawks'  perimeter game is as good as any in the country.
ESPN Insider ($)


KU’s players have practiced two hours a week with the Jayhawk coaches during June and July in accordance with NCAA rules.

Self was asked if Wiggins, 6-7 from Toronto and the No. 1-rated prospect in the recruiting Class of 2013, has been “dominating the scrimmages.”

“I don’t know about the scrimmages,” Self said of daily pick-up games which coaches cannot attend. “The limited practice time we’ve had ... I think all our guys are working hard. They are all getting better. They are all learning. He is one of those guys getting better, learning, getting in shape. I think all of our freshmen (Wiggins plus Joel Embiid, Brannen Greene, Conner Frankamp, Frank Mason and Wayne Selden) have had days they have been as impressive as anybody in the gym. I don’t want to say he’s dominating. That’d be an absolute lie,” Self added.

The good news is the freshmen appear to be as talented as advertised. Self said, “Yes, he can. He’s good,” when asked if Georgia off-guard Greene could shoot from deep. He stated, ‘Yes. Unreal,’” when asked if Wichita combo guard Frankamp could shoot the trey with accuracy. He added, “Yes. He can do a lot of things,” when asked if Cameroon center Embiid had good hands. He added that when he “gets it,” Embiid could be quite a prospect. He’s only played organized basketball the past two years.

“The whole thing is ... are they great? No,” Self said of the newcomers. “They’ve all had days they were as good as anybody in the gym, all of them. Wiggins is talented, though. That is one talented cat.”

Self was asked which of the young guys have stood out the most.

“We’re all young,” he said of his team. “To me, I’d say Perry (Ellis, sophomore forward) and Jamari (Traylor, soph forward) have been as good as anybody. I think our young guys have all been about the same, to be honest with you. I think they’ve all shown flashes of really being impactful.”

Sophomore Andrew White III has recovered from a knee sprain that slowed him in early June. “Andrew is back 100 percent and looking good,” Self said.
LJW


He’s 6-foot-8, 210 pounds and can do almost anything he wants on a basketball court. A twisting turn-around jumper is gold. His quickness, speed, ability to shut down an opposing player is phenomenal. He’s so good at 18 that NBA teams—including the 76ers—are trying to align themselves for the 2014 NBA Draft so they can get him.

Andrew Wiggins is that much of a franchise-changing player. The problem is, Wiggins will be a freshman at Kansas and the Sixers will have to lose wholesale to land him.

Wiggins is often favorably compared to LeBron James, which not exactly accurate. He’s not as physically developed as James was at the same age, though skill wise, he’s close. He has greater range on his jump shot than James did as a high school senior, and being the son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and Canadian Olympic track star Marita Payne, Wiggins is faster. His athleticism is off the charts.

“I think Andrew is very good, but there is way too much hype about him. He has freakish athleticism; he’s an excellent defender,” said Alex Kline, a highly respected national high school basketball guru who runs The Recruit Scoop on Rivals.com.

“I think he’s an underrated defender. He already has NBA-ready skills. People question his heart in games that don’t matter as much. Don’t get me wrong, he has a great motor when he wants to. He’s pretty amazing skill wise. I think he’s going to be very good in college, but people are setting the bar way too high for him, if they’re comparing him to LeBron. He should have a long term NBA career, pending injury. But the bar is set way too high if you’re comparing him to LeBron.

“He does have greater range on his shot than LeBron did at the same age. We still haven’t seen Wiggins in that setting where he has to take the big shot to win a game. I’m sure we’ll see that in 40 college games. I do think what the Sixers are doing is smart. I think Wiggins is worth the risk to do what the Sixers are doing. He has the potential to be a superstar in the NBA. The Sixers have the pieces to be a pretty good team with Wiggins. It’s high-risk, high-reward.”

The Sixers are stuck in a tough spot though. They’re essentially saying they’re bagging the 2013-14 season, saddling first-round draft picks Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams with coping how to lose. The two probably never lost more than 15 games in a season. They will this coming year.
But who knows.

The Sixers, to their credit, took a great risk in getting Andrew Bynum. And even though we all know how that turned out, maybe the risk in losing 2013 can finally reap a major bonus this time around in securing the first pick and getting Wiggins.

The interesting thing about this coming NBA season is that Sixers fans may be paying far more attention to the Kansas Jayhawks than they will be filling the Wells Fargo Center.
CBS Philadelphia

“This program (Ohio) is big in one sense, but small in being able to focus on that individual person. I just feel more comfortable with the coaches here and the coaches know a little bit more about me than they did when I was at Kansas. That’s the big difference,” Adams said.

“I know I’m going to get better here, that and the fact that I had a group of men who really wanted to make me better as a person.”

At Kansas, Adams gained notoriety for his demonstrations on the bench during games — and for his complaints about playing time on social media. He understands some might think he won’t be able to handle sitting out a year.

Adams said the only way to show he’s matured is to simply work harder and get better.

“At the end of the day, there’s really not much more to say. It’s kind of show, then tell,” he said. “I’m definitely working and working harder than before. I can handle it.

“That’s all that has to be said.”

Adams, who has family on his mother’s side in Youngstown, also promised to continue to bring energy on the bench in Ohio’s home games. The player who once acted like he was eating a bowl of cereal during a game said he has no new celebrations planned, yet.

“Of course not. I don’t rehearse,” he said. “I think people took it as me trying to be funny as opposed to me really cheering on the bench. I was just trying to do something to help us win.”
Athens Messenger


James Shields hefted a youngster who couldn't have been more than a couple years old onto the right shoulder that has made him so much money during his major league career.

They both wore smiles on their faces.

For the ace of the Kansas City Royals, it was a moment of levity during the stress that comes with a 162-game grind — a chance to pose for pictures, sign a few autographs and raise awareness for the role that foster programs play in the lives of America's youth.

For the kid on his shoulder? It was a chance to simply be a kid.

Shields, who has long supported foster care organizations, was joined by Kansas basketball coach Bill Self on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium to record a public service announcement to raise awareness for such programs before the Royals' scheduled game against the Cleveland Indians.

"The main thing is hopefully we can find some good families for these kids, and create some good memories for them," Shields said. "I mean, a lot of the memories they have aren't very good, so if we can create some good ones, that's all that really matters to us."
AP


VIDEO: Sac Kings All-Access with Ben McLemore


The Brooklyn Nets’ signing of point guard Shaun Livingston, agreed to on Saturday, could mean limited minutes for second-year pro Tyshawn Taylor again during the 2013-14 NBA season.
That’s not a certainty, however.

Former Kansas University standout Taylor, a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, enters today’s Orlando Summer League opener against Detroit with a chance to impress new Nets head coach Jason Kidd. He figures to choose either Taylor or Livingston as backup to All-Star Deron Williams. Last year’s backup lead guard, C.J. Watson, is signing with Indiana.

“This is Tyshawn’s chance to show us as a coaching staff that he wants to be the backup. He has every opportunity for that spot, and I’m going to do everything to push him so he can get it,” Kidd told the New York Post before the acquisition of Livingston.
LJW


Robertson, who played at Kansas from 1995-99, was part of some extra spice after choosing KU over MU.

When his father, Johnny, approached Stewart at a banquet to thank him for recruiting Ryan, Stewart told him off and evidently suggested Johnny Robertson go home and put on his “blue coat.”

And the rivalry at times was rough on Robertson, who was called “traitor” and plenty worse in games at MU and might be forgiven for mugging and exulting after he scored 17 points and hauled in nine rebounds to finally win in Columbia his senior year.

After the game, he looked up in the stands and saw a banner with his phone number and a suggestion to call it for a good time.

“Call it if you want,” he said then. “Call it to the wee hours of the morning. I’ll be up.”

However conflicted Robertson might be in general over the KU-MU thing, he is clear on some elements of it.

He has “zero hate” for Missouri, and he never had a reconciliation with Stewart … but would like to.
“If I walked into a restaurant and saw him, I would love, and I do mean love, to sit and chat with him,” Robertson said. “I don’t know if he would care to, but still, with all that happened, he was a great recruiter, a great coach and, man, I’ve wished him nothing but the best.

“They made it really difficult on me (to) the very last second (in recruiting), and I get the reasons why he got very upset and disappointed. But like I said, I would love to see him in a restaurant and buy him a beer. I have tremendous respect for him.”

KC Star (I'm thinking Vahe Gregorian really, really, really, really wants KU to play MU, or he is going to be out of story ideas very soon. Sheesh.)

After a few weeks on campus, Dylan Gonzalez already has been stopped by strangers at Allen Fieldhouse who have called her by her first name.

Others have said how big of fans they are of her and her twin sister Dakota — and neither has played a minute for Kansas University’s women’s basketball team.

Though No. 1 men’s basketball recruit Andrew Wiggins has received most of the headlines this summer, it’s possible that a pair of outgoing twins from Pocatello, Idaho, could end up bringing nearly as much publicity to KU.

The 6-foot Gonzalez sisters — thanks to social media — have stepped onto KU’s campus as mini-celebrities.

Need proof? The Big Lead sports blog declared in April the twins might be “the next big thing in college basketball” and later posted a story in May with the rumor that one of the twins was dating former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis (“We’re just really good friends,” Dakota said). The two also regularly interact over social media with rappers Romeo Miller (Lil’ Romeo), Trey Songz and Waka Flocka Flame and have been compared to former Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins.

Dylan and Dakota — they both model as well — have more than 200,000 followers on the photo social media site Instagram (Dylan is just 25,000 behind first lady Michelle Obama), while their combined Twitter account has more than 20,000 followers (for comparison, KU men’s basketball freshman Wayne Selden has 15,000).

After a few weeks on campus, KU coach Bonnie Henrickson says the twins already are at a level of recognizability that it took All-Big 12 point guard Angel Goodrich five years to reach.

“I’ve always said it since I got into this profession: We’re in the entertainment business,” Henrickson said. “If that’s part of it, I think that can only help us.”
LJW


Her passport is stained with pages and pages of ink, a little blue book that serves as an unofficial diary for her basketball life.

Slovakia. Stamp. Italy. Stamp. Israel. Stamp.…

Danielle McCray always dreamed of playing professional basketball, even back when she was a standout athlete at Olathe East High in the mid 2000s. In the winter, she was an all-state wing and McDonald’s All-American nominee. In the spring, she would hit the track and win state titles in the shot-put and triple-jump during her junior and senior seasons.

But even then, before a four-year basketball career at Kansas, McCray often wondered what it would be like to play basketball at the highest level, against the best women’s players in the world.

“It's always something I dreamed about,” McCray said.

Of course, maybe she didn’t envision it like this.

In her three years since leaving Kansas, McCray has played professionally on teams in Israel, Italy and Slovakia, in addition to playing two seasons for the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA. The money in the WNBA is decent — especially for a half-a-year gig — but it won’t set up any player for the future.
And that’s what sends players like McCray overseas, where the salaries can sometimes double what they’re making stateside. Consider: Last year, during the 2012 season, the maximum WNBA salary was $105,000 and many players made as little as 36,750, the league minimum. Meanwhile, in Europe or places like China, prominent American players can command more than six-figure salaries — and the best players, like former UConn star Diana Taurasi, can push their European salaries toward $1 million.

“You enjoy it for the money,” McCray says of playing overseas, “and for the talent that you face. Because in a league, most of the time you're playing the same people all the time.”

The European seasons, which run opposite the WNBA’s summer schedule, can also add valuable life experiences. And McCray’s teams have traveled to play in places such as Russia, Turkey and France during her three seasons.
KC Star

Big 12 fans will love this. Marcus Smart just called for a technical foul (his 5th overall) for flopping. Huge call. 67-58 USA 140 left
@DraftExpress


Smart fouls out on a T for flopping. Big 12 coaches not surprised but thought he sold it. 8-point lead with 1:30
@franfraschilla


With the season four months away, the Oklahoma State basketball roster has taken shape.

Swingman Jéan-Paul Olukemi and backup point guard Kirby Gardner are no longer on the team, coach Travis Ford said Tuesday.

Olukemi is done at OSU after being denied an NCAA waiver for a sixth year of eligibility. Two ACL tears sidelined him for the Big 12 portion of the 2011-12 season and for all but two games last season.
Tulsa World



“People can disagree with me, that’s OK,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione told SoonerScoop.com, Rivals.com’s Oklahoma website. “I don’t think there’s any secret how our president, Dave Boren, and I felt about the University of Louisville.

“We were very supportive and even somewhat proactive at trying to build a case or a perspective for them as a member of the Big 12.”

Louisville and West Virginia were rather bitterly engaged in a push to gain Big 12 admittance as a way of escaping what was coming a bigger mess in the Big East. The Big East as it was no longer exists—and both programs landed well.

Still, Castiglione looks back on the decision and wonders whether adding Louisville, either instead of or in addition to West Virginia, was a move the Big 12 should have made.
Sporting News


ESPN: Winners & Losers in the new landscape of CBB


ESPN: Realignment not as bad as we think


University of Nebraska head coach Tim Miles announced on Tuesday the hiring of Teddy Owens as administrative coordinator for the Husker basketball program. In his role, Owens will assist in daily operations, on-campus recruiting and other assigned duties, including student-athlete outreach on campus.

For Miles, Owens' combination of experience and basketball acumen made him an ideal fit for the Husker staff.

…He is the son of former Kansas basketball coach Ted Owens, who went 348-182 in 19 seasons at Kansas from 1965 to 1983. The elder Owens won six Big Eight titles and reached the Final Four with the Jayhawks in 1971 and 1974.
Link


North Carolina's leading scorer last basketball season, P.J. Hairston, was cited for speeding May 13 while driving a Hertz rental car that was paid for by a woman who shares a Durham address with Haydn Thomas, a convicted felon whose rented sports utility vehicle Hairston was driving when he was arrested last month.

Hairston was cited for speeding while driving a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS with Virginia license plates, a Durham County District Court clerk said. The Camaro was paid for by a woman named Catinia Farrington, whose Durham address matches that of Thomas, according to the Hertz receipt obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

The license plates on the Camaro that Hairston was driving match the ones on the rental receipt for Farrington, as does the make and model of the vehicle. And the address Farrington lists on the rental receipt matches the address Thomas lists on his voter registration.

Thomas told USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday that he did not know Hairston, who was arrested June 5 on possession of marijuana charges while driving a 2013 GMC Yukon that Thomas rented. Thomas said that he rented the Yukon for himself and that a friend, Miykael Faulcon of Durham, had borrowed the car to go to a store when the arrest occurred. Thomas said in a telephone interview that Hairston followed him on Twitter only because "I promote parties."

Thomas said Wednesday that neither the NCAA nor officials from North Carolina had reached out to him to talk with him about his relationship with Hairston. He added that he is not a University of North Carolina athletic booster nor is he connected to a sports agent.

Farrington rented the Camaro from April 25 through June 17, a period of 54 days, according to the rental receipt. Farrington was billed $3,249.00. Thomas rented the same vehicle March 25 through April 15, incurring charges of $2468.47, according to a rental receipt obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
USA Today


Tuesday, Williams told WTVD-TV of Raleigh the university was “not rushing to judgment,” which is why there has been no announcement from the school on Hairston’s future with the team.

"For 2 months I've been saying I'll make a statement when the facts are in. The facts aren't in,” Williams said. “Our procedure, our stance is we're not making any statement until everything is done.”
TSN


Four rental vehicles that are linked to Haydn Thomas, the convicted felon who rented the sport utility vehicle that North Carolina leading scorer P.J. Hairston was driving when he was arrested last month, have received a total of nine parking citations on the university's campus since February.

Between Feb. 22 and May 28, the nine citations were issued for four rental vehicles that either Thomas or a Catinia Farrington, a woman who shares his Durham, N.C., address, rented from the Hertz location at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

Rental receipts obtained by USA TODAY Sports that were crossed referenced by license plate with UNC parking tickets show:

    •    A 2013 GMC Yukon rented by Thomas from Feb. 14 to March 3 received tickets for an expired meter on Feb. 21 and lack of a valid parking permit on Feb. 22.
    •    A 2012 Camaro SS rented by Thomas from March 25 to April 15 received a ticket on April 15 for lack of a valid permit.
    •    A 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe rented by Thomas from April 18 to May 2 received a ticket on May 1 for lack of a valid permit.
    •    The Camaro was rented again from April 25 to June 17 by Farrington. The Camaro received a parking ticket on May 28 for lack of a valid permit.
    •    A 2013 Mercedes Benz 350 rented by Thomas from May 8 to May 30 received four parking tickets, one each for an expired meter on May 22 and 23 and one each for lacking a valid permit on May 23 and May 28.

Unpaid fines for the tickets total $315. USA TODAY Sports contacted UNC's department of public safety seeking more information about the citations on Tuesday and was referred to the university's general counsel's office.
USA Today


Former Tennessee assistant Steve Forbes told CBSSports.com on Monday that he has reached an agreement to join Gregg Marshall's staff at Wichita State. This development means Forbes is the first person from Bruce Pearl's staff at Tennessee to re-enter the NCAA.

Forbes is one of three former Tennessee assistants who was, along with Pearl, fired in March 2011 during an NCAA investigation rooted in a now infamous cookout Pearl held at his home in violation of NCAA bylaws.

Pearl was photographed at the cookout with Aaron Craft, a current star at Ohio State who was at the time a junior in high school and not allowed, according to NCAA bylaws, to be with Pearl anywhere off of the Tennessee campus. When presented with the photograph and asked about its origin by an NCAA investigator, Forbes and fellow assistants Jason Shay and Tony Jones essentially tried to cover for Pearl. They were caught off-guard and admittedly evasive. Consequently, each was given a one-year show-cause penalty that expired last August. Pearl was cited for unethical conduct and given a three-year show-cause penalty that will expire in August 2014. He's now an analyst for ESPN.

"I'm indebted to coach Marshall and the WSU administration for believing in me," said Forbes, who was, before Tennessee, an assistant at Illinois State, Louisiana Tech and Texas A&M.
CBS


When Ian McCaw took over as Baylor’s athletic director during the tragic summer of 2003, he knew a monumental task stood in front of him.

Baylor’s image had taken a beating when Carlton Dotson was arrested for the murder of former teammate Patrick Dennehy amid a scandal in which the men’s basketball program was banned from postseason competition.

The Baylor football program was at its lowest point in more than three decades after just one Big 12 win in the previous four seasons. Though some sports were thriving, like women’s basketball, tennis and baseball, the failure of high visibility sports like football and men’s basketball tarnished the reputation of Baylor’s athletic program.

Ten years later, a completely different picture has emerged.

Baylor has evolved into an all-around force on the national scene. Art Briles’ football team has reached a school-record three straight bowl games while Scott Drew’s men’s basketball program is experiencing its most productive era in 60 years with Elite Eight appearances in 2010 and 2012 and this year’s NIT championship.

Kim Mulkey’s women’s basketball team bagged national titles in 2005 and 2012 while Matt Knoll’s men’s tennis team nailed down Baylor’s first team national championship in 2004 and continues to soar. Across the board Baylor’s sports are experiencing success, with 10 straight top 50 finishes in the annual Sports Directors’ Cup standings.

“If you look at over the last decade some of the greatest moments in the history of Baylor athletics have taken place,” McCaw said. “Some of the programs that have not historically had success at Baylor have really emerged. I give great credit to our coaches and student athletes. We’re at a point right now looking at the future where every one of our programs are positioned to have success.”
Waco Tribune


The NBA no longer embraces the celebrity coaching saviors, the shameless self-promoters, the Armani-wearing, power-thirsty egos that college basketball churned out to sucker owners. Rick Pitino and John Calipari made millions of dollars on NBA hustles, transforming the illusions of emperorships into self-destructive spirals of hubris and humiliation.

Brad Stevens will not come into the Boston Celtics demanding to strip an elderly Red Auerbach of a ceremonial presidential title the way Pitino did. Stevens will never use low-level staffers to disguise themselves as Nets fans calling support for the coach into drive-time talk-radio shows the way Calipari did.

Out of Butler University, out of a Norman Rockwell painting and Norman Dale's gymnasium, Stevens comes to the NBA understanding that the saviors and superstars don't wear wingtips, but Nikes. As NBA owners become more involved in the day-to-day basketball operations, as general managers become far more insistent on controlling personnel and systems, the NBA coach is becoming far less autonomous, far less the franchise's central figure.
Yahoo Sports


Getting rid of Steve Alford at UCLA will prove to be extremely costly, should anyone want to do so before his contract is over.

The Los Angeles Times reports Alford's buyout in his seven-year deal is $10.4 million through 2016; that is four times as much as Alford is set to make per season with the Bruins. Buyouts have become a contemporary norm in college coaching contracts, but this hefty fee baked into Alford's agreement means he's almost definitely padlocked to UCLA for the foreseeable future.
CBS


2013-14 Early-season events schedule

The newly revamped 12-day July college basketball recruiting period opens on Thursday.

Tournaments such as the Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Fla., as well as adidas Super 64, Fab 48 and Las Vegas Classic in Glitter City, will keep Kansas University head coach Bill Self and assistants Jerrance Howard, Norm Roberts and Kurtis Townsend busy from Thursday to Sunday of the next three weeks.

“Obviously it’s going to be an intense three weeks,” KU coach Bill Self said Tuesday. “The rules have changed. You are not out that long (compared to 20 days in past Julys). It probably amps up the intensity during the period of time you are out. We have our core group of guys we are following and chasing. We need to have a good July and hopefully go into the school year with the best guys all thinking, ‘Kansas,’” Self added.

Self can’t, and won’t, comment on individual prospects in accordance with NCAA rules. However, it’s been widely reported that 10 of the top 20 high school seniors in the country, as rated by Rivals.com, are considering KU.

They are: No. 1 Jahlil Okafor, 6-10, Chicago Whitney Young; No. 2 Tyus Jones, 6-1, Apple Valley (Minn.) High; No. 3 Emmanuel Mudiay, 6-5, Prime Prep Academy, Arlington, Texas; No. 4 Cliff Alexander, 6-8, Chicago Curie; No. 6 Myles Turner, 6-11, Trinity High, Euless, Texas; No. 7 Rashad Vaughn, 6-5, Findlay Prep, Las Vegas; No. 8 Stanley Johnson, 6-6 Mater Dei, Santa Ana, Calif.; No. 14 Malik Pope, 6-8, Laguna Creek High, Elk Grove, Calif.; No. 16 Justise Winslow, 6-5, Houston St. John’s; and No. 19 Kelly Oubre, 6-5, Bush High, Richmond, Texas.

Rivals.com reports that Alexander, Johnson, Turner and Oubre are all planning on attending the Oct. 4 Late Night in the Phog.

“Everything,” Self said, asked what the Jayhawks are looking for on the recruiting trail. “We are recruiting everything because we don’t know who will stay and who won’t stay, how long guys will stay.

“Obviously we are going out with an open mind knowing we have to not think the worst (regarding early entries to 2014 NBA Draft), but prepare that we’ll have more than one scholarship which obviously is how many we have on paper with Tarik (Black, senior) being our only scholarship.”
LJW

Stanley Johnson will take five official visits. #Kentucky #Arizona #Florida #Oregon #Kansas
@ebosshoops


'14 Team Superstar (CA) Malik Pope is down to 9: Arizona, USC, UCLA, Cal, Oregon, Kansas, Gonzaga, Washington & SDSU per @UofAPointGuardU
@Coast2CoastHoop


KU and Kentucky are among the schools in the running for blue-chip prospects Stanley Johnson and Emmanuel Mudiay. Johnson, a 6-6 senior small forward from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., who is ranked No. 8 nationally by Rivals.com, tells Zagsblog.com he will attend UK’s Big Blue Madness on Oct. 18, Arizona Oct. 12 and Florida on Oct. 30. He is also considering KU, Oregon, Duke, USC and UCLA. Mudiay, a 6-5 senior point guard from Prime Prep Academy in Dallas, who is ranked No. 3, will visit Kentucky, likely for Big Blue Madness. He is also considering KU, Arizona, Baylor, N.C. State, SMU and others.

McClure to Late Night: King McClure, a 6-3 junior shooting guard from Dallas’ Triple A Academy who is ranked No. 16 in the Class of 2015 by Rivals.com, will make an unofficial visit to KU for the Oct. 4 Late Night in the Phog, Rivals.com reports. Also on his list: Arkansas, Baylor, Duke, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Indiana, Florida and others.
LJW


Two of the top seven high school basketball seniors in the country, who both are considering Kansas University, excelled at the LeBron James Skills Academy, which concluded Monday in Las Vegas.

Cliff Alexander, a 6-foot-8, 240-pounder from Chicago Curie, who is rated No. 4 nationally by Rivals.com, emerged as the dominant big man at camp, while No. 7 Rashad Vaughn, a 6-5 shooting guard from Cooper High in New Hope, Minn., played so well “he’s asserting himself as the top shooting guard in the class of 2014,” Rivals.com’s Eric Bossi says.
LJW


Congrats to my boys @jahprobound and @_AG_32 as well as @Chief_Justise on bringing home the gold once again #USA
@CFrankamp_23


@CFrankamp_23 @jahprobound @_AG_32 thanks bro. Good luck at KU next year bro. Already know you gon ball
@Chief_Justise


The second youngest player on this US team, 17-year old Jahlil Okafor, is turning out to be the most important one on the squad #fibaU19
@DraftExpress


Congrats to @_AG_32 for #FIBAU19 MVP honors and to @jahprobound for joining him on the all-tourney team! #Gold #USABMU19 @FIBA
@usabasketball


LeBron James Skills Academy Measurements


Rivals: LBJ Camp Sunday Notes


Everyone was assembling. The stage was set for No. 10 rising senior Myles Turner (Euless, Texas/Trinity) to take on No. 2 Cliff Alexander (Chicago/Curie). Unfortunately, the much-anticipated matchup didn’t happen after a leg injury for Turner put this titanic tilt on ice.

…Alexander, well, he took full advantage of the stage.

…Simply put, Alexander was awesome. Most of his rebounds were two-handed and he dunked everything in sight. His offensive game is coming together quicker than expected and the baby hook is his go-to move. As big and as strong as he is, he has room to improve as a finisher (outside of the dunking, of course). The only defense for Alexander is to attempt to knock him a foot off his sweet spot and take your chances.

…Ivan Rabb (Oakland/Bishop O’Dowd), the top post player in the 2015 class, was part of USA Basketball’s U16 FIBA Americas championship team last month. So were Newman and 2015 center Diamond Stone (Milwaukee/Dominican). Rabb said he has formed relationships with Newman, Stone and fellow ESPN 60 prospect Isaiah Briscoe (Union, N.J./St. Benedict’s) and wouldn’t mind playing college ball with any of them. He’s also interested in seeing where his high school teammate, Paris Alston, winds up.

Following the summer, Rabb wants to trim his list to 10-15 schools. We know California, Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, Connecticut, North Carolina and Ohio State will be in the mix.

…Shooting guard Rashad Vaughn (Minneapolis/Robbinsdale Cooper), the No. 11 prospect in the 2014 class, is who we thought he is. When asked what he likes to do best, Vaughn offered up a succinct yet predictable answer: “Score.” Kentucky and Kansas are basically guaranteed official visits. Baylor, North Carolina, Iowa State, Minnesota and UCLA are mixing it up with him as well.
ESPN Insider ($)


Former Cooper star Rashad Vaughn will play next season for Findlay Prep in Nevada, where students enroll with the intention of playing Division I college basketball.

Vaughn previously had said he was leaving the Twin Cities so that he could play against tougher competition to close out his high school career. News of his school choice was reported on Twitter by a Findlay Prep assistant coach.
Minn Star Trib



Reebok Classic Breakout
When: July 9-12
Where: Philadelphia
Why it’s important: About 120 players from different talent levels make the cut for this event to show they can cut it at the collegiate level in front of hundreds of coaches.
What makes it unique: This event has a tryout system consisting of drills, stations and 5-on-5 games held throughout the spring at eight cities across the country. A number of up-and-comers -- namely John Wall -- have been discovered here, and current ranked stars get a chance to separate themselves from their peers.
Players to watch: PG Emmanuel Mudiay, SG Rashad Vaughn, Jordan McLaughlin and SF Dwayne Morgan.

EYBL Finals at the Nike Peach Jam
When: July 10-14
Where: North Augusta, S.C.
Why it’s important: The 24 best teams from the EYBL regular season advance to the finals for the right to play for the Peach Jam title.
What makes it unique: In addition to the Top 24 EYBL 17U teams 16 Nike Sweet 16U Invitational Tournament teams will compete as well that features high major prospects from the classes of 2015 and 2016.
Players to watch: 2014 stars C Jahlil Okafor, PF Cliff Alexander, PG Tyus Jones and PF Trey Lyles; 2015 recruits PF Ivan Rabb, SG Malik Newman and Cheick Diallo; and 2016 centers Thon Maker and Skal Labissiere, to name a few.

adidas Invitational Classic
When: July 10-14
Where: Indianapolis
Why it’s important: The adidas Invitational Classic kicks off the live period, which gives prospects a chance to make an early, positive impression on college coaches of all levels.
What makes it unique: Super Pools, which means the best teams play against other top teams right from the onset. Also it is important to note that 410 college coaches attended this event last summer.
Players to watch: PG/SG Brandone Francis, PF Trey Lyles and SG James Blackmon Jr.

Under Armour NY2LA Sports Summer Jam
When: July 17-21
Where: Mequon, Wisc.
Why it’s important: Combine high-quality exposure and elite talent from coast-to-coast in a competitive arena and you have the UA Summer Jam.
What makes it unique: This event is unique because it allows players and travel programs of all levels to compete in an elite and exclusive tournament to maximize their exposure to hundreds of college coaches.
PF/SF Kevon Looney, PF/C Myles Turner and PG Dominique Collier.

adidas Super 64
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: We head back to Vegas for the final major July event as college coaches get a chance to make final evaluations at the end of the live period. It also allows coaches an opportunity to confirm what they saw at the two weeks earlier at the adidas Invitational.
What makes it unique: The field may be the largest coaches will see this month with close to 450-500 teams from various age groups and playing levels. Also, adidas welcomes players and teams from other shoe brand companies to make the talent base the best it can possibly be.
Players to watch: SG Jalen Coleman and PF
Dante Buford.

AAU Super Showcase and National Championship
When: July 24-29
Where: Orlando, Fla.
Why it’s important: More than 1,000 college coaches pack the first-class facilities at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports to take in some of the best AAU talent in the country.
What makes it unique: The nation’s premier AAU squad compete for a national championship after qualifying by winning their respective districts, meaning these teams truly have to earn the right to play at this event.
Players to watch: PG Tyus Jones, PG Joel Berry and PF Chris McCullough.

Las Vegas Fab 48
When: July 25-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: The talent pool is extremely deep and attracts more than 1000 college coaches, providing prospects a packed arena to showcase their talents.
What makes it unique: There are over 300 reported teams participating with teams from all over the country and a spattering of international squads.
Players to watch: PG Jordan McLaughlin, SG/PG Tyler Dorsey and SG Daniel Hamilton.

Hal Pastner Bigfoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic
When: July 24-28
Where: Las Vegas
Why it’s important: Arguably the largest event of the month, the Las Vegas Classic draws 450 teams from America, New Zealand, Australia and Mexico to name a few.
What makes it unique: The sheer number of talented prospects from a wide range of ages essentially turns this setting into a buffet for college coaches to evaluate and for players to earn college scholarships.
Players to watch: C Jahlil Okafor, PF Ivan Rabb and SF Kameron Chatman
ESPN Insider ($)


Philadelphia University will host 120 of the nation's top high school basketball players in games in front of college coaches and scouts at the Reebok Classic Breakout Tuesday through Friday at the Gallagher Athletic Center. The roster includes many of the top players in the country, including Ben Bentil, a power forward from St. Andrews (Del.). The event is an NCAA live-period evaluation camp, so college coaches will be there to evaluate players for scholarship offers. Last year, more than 200 of the nation's top Division I coaches attended the camp as well as scouting and recruiting services. This year's top national players include Emmanuel Mudiay, Rashad Vaughn, Myles Turner, and Karl Towns. Philadelphia-area players expected to compete include Derrick Jones (Archbishop Carroll), Samir Doughty (Communications Technology), Mike Watkins (Bartram), Sean Lloyd (Franklin Learning Center), Traci Carter (Life Center Academy), Rashann London (Roman Catholic), Malik Starkes (Math, Civics and Sciences), and Chris Clover (St. Joseph's Prep).

The games are open to coaches and the public from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, and from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday. The Breakout All-Star Game is set for Friday at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 per day. The Gallagher Athletic Center is on Philadelphia University Drive, off Henry Avenue in the East Falls section of Philadelphia.
Philly.com


Where to be

First session (July 10-14)
Nike EYBL Finals -- Peach Jam (North Augusta, S.C.): The most prestigious event of the month, 24 teams qualified via a four-weekend regular season.

Adidas Invitational (Indianapolis): Nike has most of the big guns this year, but Adidas consistently has plenty of top-level talent at its event.

Second session (July 17-21)
Under Armour/NY2LA Summer Jam (Mequon, Wisc.): Under Armour continues to make a dent on the AAU scene; this event keeps getting better.

Nike Global Challenge (Washington, DC): Eight-team tournament featuring 30 American players and five international teams.

Third session (July 24-28)
Las Vegas: One of the few reasons to go off the strip, Vegas has the Adidas Super 64 and Fab 48, along with BigFoot Hoops Las Vegas Classic.

Orlando: It's tough to compete with Vegas, but the Wide World of Sports has terrific facilities to host its AAU Super Showcase and AAU Nationals.

Who to watch

2014
    1.    Jahlil Okafor: Absolutely dominant inside force is coming off a terrific performance at the U19 World Championships. 

    2.    Tyus Jones: The best point guard in the country, Jones is looking to play in college with Okafor.

    3.    Emmanuel Mudiay: Given his size and strength, Mudiay has the ability to be one of the tougher guard matchups in the class.

    4.    Cliff Alexander: Just a beast of a post player, Alexander will team with Okafor to form a ridiculous inside duo for Mac Irvin Fire.

    5.    Trey Lyles: A former Indiana commit, Lyles will attract the constant attention of Rick Pitino and John Calipari.

2015
    1.    Malik Newman: He's essentially impossible to stop from scoring, as he can get into the lane at will and also run the show.

    2.    Ivan Rabb: The next stud from the Oakland Soldiers' AAU program, Rabb is one of many dominant bigs in 2015.

    3.    Stephen Zimmerman: Zimmerman staked his claim during the month of June, and the lefty big looks to continue his momentum.

    4.    Ben Simmons: A native of Australia, Simmons plays his high school ball at Montverde in Florida and is surrounded by plenty of hype.

    5.    Cheick Diallo: He's a force on the defensive end, with opponents intimidated to even attempt shots at the rim. Improving and active offensively.

What to watch for
1. Myles Turner: The 6-foot-10 center from Trinity (Texas) is now ranked No. 6 in the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2014. But it wasn't always like that. In fact, that wasn't even close to the case heading into late April. After a couple of very impressive performances at Under Armour events in the spring, Turner's stock rose exponentially. We haven't seen a faster rise to the top since Anthony Davis -- but can Turner continue his stellar play during July? How high can he go?


3. Package deals: We seem to hear talk every class from a variety of prospects about how they want to play with a classmate at the next level. Most of the time, it doesn't work out. The class of 2014 feels different. Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones, the nation's top two players, have maintained that there's a great chance they'll play together in college. Fellow five-star prospect Justise Winslow has been rumored to want to join them at their destination. Is Duke going to be the big winner? Don't forget the recent declaration of 2014 guards Isaiah Whitehead and Ja'Quan Newton that they too want to be backcourt partners in college. Can Minnesota or Syracuse close the deal in that one?


4. Which guards are stepping up? In each of the next two classes, most of the top 10 is made of frontcourt players. Next year has Tyus Jones, Emmanuel Mudiay and maybe Rashad Vaughn; 2015 sees Malik Newman at the top, and then all big men until possibly Tyler Dorsey or Charles Matthews. The next three weeks could see multiple backcourt players emerge and make their cases for five-star status. Moreover, the pecking order of the big men at the top of the rankings will also change in the next few events.
CBS


The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational, presented by 810 Varsity, will be held at Okun Fieldhouse in Shawnee on July 25-28, 2013.

The 12th annual tournament stands as the oldest NCAA certified high school boys tournament in the Kansas City area, featuring teams nationwide in the 17-, 16- and 15-year-old ages.

The Metro Sports / KC Prep Invitational attracts college coaches from around the country, usually around 300 or more.

“We look forward to another highly competitive tournament with a field that competes with other tournaments nationwide,” said tournament founder Tom Tietze.

Metro Sports will broadcast games from the opening day’s action on Time Warner Cable.

810 Varsity, the high school entity affiliated with Sports Radio 810 WHB, will broadcast games live online via KCHoops.com and 810Varsity.com.
http://www.kchoops.com


Recruiting Calendar


2013 Spring/Summer AAU & Camp Schedule


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