Kansas
Rival Sports Group, an emerging firm in the sports industry, signs Thomas Robinson, former Kansas University star power forward. Robinson, a unanimous first team All American, is expected to be a top three pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
"Coach Self and the entire coaching staff along with Kansas University have done an excellent job in making Thomas the most NBA ready player in the draft and we are excited to be a big part of this process," says Jason Martin, Rival Co-Founder.
With Tony Dutt handling contracts, Robinson joins other top tier athletes who have made the decision to sign on with Rival Sports Group, an all-encompassing sports management and marketing firm.
"We are proud to welcome Thomas Robinson into the Rival family, he is a great talent and an even better person," said Richard Gebbia, CEO of Rival Sports Group. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, Rival has offices across the country.
Press Release
Congrats to my boy @_tee_y for signing with @excelsm! Welcome to the family.
https://twitter.com/#!/colea45/status/195224570154844161
(Excel Sports Management)
Fort Scott Tribune: KU Seniors visit Jayhawk-Linn
Tyshawn Taylor might be the main attraction most places for the annual KU Barnstorming Tour.
But in Hays, former Hays High School guard Jordan Juenemann might get top billing.
As it turned out, Hays High boys' basketball coach Rick Keltner -- the organizer for Saturday's exhibition game -- found out Tuesday afternoon Taylor might not be coming to Hays this weekend due to NBA workout arrangements.
But Juenemann, a 2008 Hays High graduate, will be returning to his hometown. Guard Conner Teahan -- the other senior on this season's Jayhawk team that made the national title game -- also is scheduled to play.
"I'm thrilled about it, to go back to my hometown, where I grew up," Juenemann said. "So many special people live there, where my roots are.
"I haven't been back in years. I love Hays. To go back and play in my old gym, I'm really looking forward to it -- just seeing everybody, all my friends."
Saturday's game against area senior all-stars starts at 8 p.m. at the Hays High gym.
HD News
Sporting News All-time champions, No. 3: Kansas of 2008
Kansas won its first 20 games in 2007-08 and finished with a 37-3 mark — the most wins in school history — yet the Jayhawks never held the No. 1 ranking that season. Until, that is, they cut down the nets in San Antonio, having survived — as the nation’s fourth-ranked team — the first Final Four ever featuring all four top seeds.
The upsets at the Alamodome came over North Carolina, with Tyler Hansbrough, and Memphis, with Derrick Rose; the Jayhawks had no such singular star. What they had was a team rich in frontcourt beef and perimeter savvy and an overall toughness and togetherness that enabled them to finish in the top 10 of the national rankings in assists, rebounds, blocks, steals and shooting percentage. They rarely lived by the 3-point shot; they were more old school than that.
TSN
"Coach Self and the entire coaching staff along with Kansas University have done an excellent job in making Thomas the most NBA ready player in the draft and we are excited to be a big part of this process," says Jason Martin, Rival Co-Founder.
With Tony Dutt handling contracts, Robinson joins other top tier athletes who have made the decision to sign on with Rival Sports Group, an all-encompassing sports management and marketing firm.
"We are proud to welcome Thomas Robinson into the Rival family, he is a great talent and an even better person," said Richard Gebbia, CEO of Rival Sports Group. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, Rival has offices across the country.
Press Release
Congrats to my boy @_tee_y for signing with @excelsm! Welcome to the family.
https://twitter.com/#!/colea45/status/195224570154844161
(Excel Sports Management)
Fort Scott Tribune: KU Seniors visit Jayhawk-Linn
Tyshawn Taylor might be the main attraction most places for the annual KU Barnstorming Tour.
But in Hays, former Hays High School guard Jordan Juenemann might get top billing.
As it turned out, Hays High boys' basketball coach Rick Keltner -- the organizer for Saturday's exhibition game -- found out Tuesday afternoon Taylor might not be coming to Hays this weekend due to NBA workout arrangements.
But Juenemann, a 2008 Hays High graduate, will be returning to his hometown. Guard Conner Teahan -- the other senior on this season's Jayhawk team that made the national title game -- also is scheduled to play.
"I'm thrilled about it, to go back to my hometown, where I grew up," Juenemann said. "So many special people live there, where my roots are.
"I haven't been back in years. I love Hays. To go back and play in my old gym, I'm really looking forward to it -- just seeing everybody, all my friends."
Saturday's game against area senior all-stars starts at 8 p.m. at the Hays High gym.
HD News
Sporting News All-time champions, No. 3: Kansas of 2008
Kansas won its first 20 games in 2007-08 and finished with a 37-3 mark — the most wins in school history — yet the Jayhawks never held the No. 1 ranking that season. Until, that is, they cut down the nets in San Antonio, having survived — as the nation’s fourth-ranked team — the first Final Four ever featuring all four top seeds.
The upsets at the Alamodome came over North Carolina, with Tyler Hansbrough, and Memphis, with Derrick Rose; the Jayhawks had no such singular star. What they had was a team rich in frontcourt beef and perimeter savvy and an overall toughness and togetherness that enabled them to finish in the top 10 of the national rankings in assists, rebounds, blocks, steals and shooting percentage. They rarely lived by the 3-point shot; they were more old school than that.
TSN
Big 12/College News
You've seen how really good programs can swiftly spiral into part-time irrelevancy within a year or two.
Sometimes it's NCAA sanctions; sometimes it's coaching turnover; sometimes it's repeated misfires in recruiting. With very few exceptions, nothing is guaranteed for college dons, even the illustrious ones with bloated budgets and phone book-thick histories and records. Just check with USC, which has been a college football miscreant most of the past three seasons.
The Huskies are the latest example of this. Look at it now: UConn is so far removed from that 2011 shining moment. It's not the same team and it's certainly not the same program.
A 2013 postseason ban has rendered next season obsolete, no matter what any player or coach wants to spin about it.
And here's the most recent bit of bad news: Roscoe Smith, a talented-but-inconsistent wing player who averaged 4.4 points per game, abruptly transferred from UConn over the weekend. In doing so, Smith became the fifth possible defect from the team since its 20-14 season ended with a 77-64 thud of a loss in the Round of 64 against No. 8 Iowa State.
CBS
Tim Fuller has been promoted to associate head coach for the University of Missouri men’s basketball program, as announced today by Head Coach Frank Haith. Fuller earned the promotion after being an integral part of one of the most successful seasons in Mizzou Basketball history, as the Tigers amassed a 30-5 record in 2011-12, and earned a number two seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Big 12 Tournament championship.
MoNet
Early Season Events List
Recruiting
Auburn & Kansas are now expressing interest in 2013 Team Final (PA) PF Austin Colbert.
Along with his Arizona offer, 2013 PG Jaron Hopkins added Nebraska & UTEP offers with UCLA, Kansas & Texas A&M interest, per @JoshGershon.
https://twitter.com/#!/TheRecruitScoop
Xavier Rathan-Mayes of CIA Bounce put on an offensive show this past weekend in the opening leg of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League in Minneapolis (MN). The timing could not have been better as the NCAA reinstated the April open evaluation period and college coaches were in the building to see Rathan-Mayes fill it up all weekend.
All in all 40 NIKE affiliated AAU teams participated in the opening weekend and CIA Bounce was one of just six to finish the weekend with a 4-0 record. Rathan-Mayes finsihed the four games with an 18 points per game average, good enough to be tied for 7th in the league in scoring overall.
“It felt great to be able perform in front of the coaches, it’s an opportunity I’ve prepared for all my life since I was a small kid” Rathan-Mayes told NBE this morning, “[and it] felt great being out there with the guys winning games.”
…This past weekend Rathan-Mayes had a goal to show coaches he can be a consistent scorer. Having a reputation of a scorer that can get on a roll and be unstoppable, he wanted to prove he can produce in a consistent manner. Point proven as he put up games of 28,22 and 16 points in his four outings. His 28 point explosion got the event started off in CIA Bounce’s 20-point dismantling of Team Final, an expected EYBL championship contender on Friday.
“I just wanted to come out and have a strong weekend, really wanted to come out and make a statement prove to everyone what I’m truly capable of doing on a night in and night out basis,” he said.
A strong performance like that with college coaches looking on certainly brought more attention to his recruitment. Offers and contact have been flowing in since the games wrapped up on Sunday.
NBE Basketball
Everywhere they go these days, Aaron Harrison and Andrew Harrison are a featured attraction. The twin brothers from Travis High in Richmond, Texas, ranked as the No. 1 shooting guard and No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2013, respectively, tend to draw big crowds of spectators and college coaches.
That was again the case at the Pitt Jam Fest this past weekend, where coaches from all four of the twins' top schools – Maryland, Kentucky, Baylor and Villanova – could be seen watching the prized pair play for the Houston Defenders. Last summer the Harrisons appeared close to deciding between those schools, but they later pumped the brakes on their recruitment. At the Jam Fest, they reiterated they’re in no rush to make a decision.
“We’re playing it by ear and not rushing into anything,” Andrew Harrison said. “We haven’t scheduled anything.”
In addition to their top four schools, the Harrisons are considering a couple of additional suitors, Arizona and Kansas.
“We’re definitely still wide open,” Aaron Harrison said, before explaining the attraction of a couple of the schools under consideration.
Maryland: “Its basketball tradition. Coach [Mark] Turgeon was recruiting us at Texas A&M, so we’ve had a relationship with him for a while.”
Kentucky: “Just the style of play and of course, everybody wants to go to the NBA.”
Kansas: “Just the style of play and because they’ve got a lot of players going to the NBA.”
Andrew Harrison on Arizona, Baylor, Villanova, Kentucky and Maryland:
Arizona: “We know coach Book [Richardson] and coach [Sean] Miller. It’s a great basketball program and the campus is really nice.”
Baylor: “It’s close to home and a good family atmosphere.”
Villanova: “I like the way they use their guards.”
Kentucky: “Just the basketball tradition and the dribble-drive offense.”
Maryland: “The family atmosphere, the conference and the coaches.”
The Terps have a couple of additional factors working in their favor; the Harrisons' grandparents live in Baltimore, and their former AAU teammate and close friend Shaquille Cleare will be joining the program next season.
“Shaq is one of my best friends in the world, so of course that’s [a factor],” Aaron Harrison said.
Still, anyone declaring the twins a strong lean toward any specific school is probably speculating. Even those closest to their father and AAU coach, Aaron Harrison Sr., say he’s not given any hints as to where they may be leaning.
The battle for the dynamic duo seems likely to continue until late this summer, after they take more visits. Maryland, Kansas and Villanova are all likely destinations for unofficials, said Aaron Jr.
Baltimore Sun
Spring/Summer Event Schedule
4/27-29 Jayhawk Invitational (Schedule now posted)
4/27-29 Real Deal in the Rock
4/27 Boo Williams Nike Invitational
adidas Grassroots schedule
Nike EYBL Schedule
Check here for the NCAA Recruiting Calendar
My 2011-12 Border War, Legends of the Phog, KC Prep Invitational, KU Alumni games, & Jayhawk Invitational Videos and more now on Youtube
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