TUESDAY

Photo by Nick Krug Kansas newcomer Milton Doyle works out with the Jayhawks for the first time on Monday, June 18, 2012, at Horejsi Center during Bill Self's basketball camp.

Lanky Milton Doyle, the latest addition to Kansas University’s basketball team, exhibited a soft shooting touch from beyond the three-point arc during a high-energy drill Monday at Bill Self’s basketball camp in Horejsi Center.

“He’s got length and reminds me so much of Tyshawn (Taylor), including recruiting in that he committed to FIU (Florida International), and they had a coaching change, and we were fortunate enough to recruit him after that,” KU coach Self said, officially announcing the 6-foot-4, 175-pound Chicagoan’s signing of a grant-in-aid agreement.

…“He’s got a lot of upside,” Self said of Doyle, who averaged 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 5.0 steals per game his senior season at Chicago’s Marshall High. “He’s a combo guard that can certainly play on the ball. He’s also big enough and skilled enough to play off the ball and a very good athlete. I think he’ll give us great depth in our backcourt.”

…“I’m so appreciative of his family trusting us throughout the recruiting process because it was so quick after the situation at Florida International,” Self said. Doyle decommitted after coach Isiah Thomas’ firing at FIU in April.

“I have known coach (Henry) Cotton (at Marshall) for a long, long time, and he sings Milton’s praises on his talent. Milton would have been a very highly recruited kid had he played AAU last summer, but he didn’t because he was injured (wrist), and a lot of people didn’t have the opportunity to see him.”

…KU senior forward Kevin Young will not be playing for Puerto Rico’s national team in the Olympics.

Young, who has been at tryouts in Puerto Rico the past several weeks, was one of 12 players invited to compete in a tourney in Puerto Rico this week. However, he was told he was not yet guaranteed a spot on the national team because several pro players are expected to report to tryout camp soon.

“It was a fun experience, and I gained a lot from it, but I’d rather focus on summer school and Kansas basketball,” Young said Monday. He plans to return to Lawrence this week.
LJW


Doyle, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound combo guard, becomes the fifth member of the 2012 recruiting class to land on campus this month. (The final piece, Seattle combo guard Anrio Adams, is believed to be arriving later this summer.)
KC Star


KU AD press release


It’s been quite a year for Mario Chalmers. Not only did he hire an image consultant, his older sister, Roneka, according to an ESPN the Magazine story on him, but he also ranked behind only Miami Heat teammate LeBron James and San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker in the plus-minus stat available on NBA.com.

Oklahoma City Thunder reserve forward Nick Collison, ranked 25th in the league, is the only other former Jayhawk to make the top 50, although Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics just missed.

That doesn’t make Chalmers the league’s third-best player, but it does demonstrate he’s on the perfect team for him. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade drive and collapse the defense, leaving Chalmers open. His skill at stealing the ball and pitching it ahead to the game’s best finishers comes in handy, too.

So why is everybody always yelling at him on TV during the most compelling NBA Finals in decades, and is there anything his image consultant can do about it?
LJW Keegan


When Sean Pearson was growing up on the east side of La Grange, he never saw prolific basketball players come back to the area to mentor children.

The 1991 Nazareth graduate still managed to have a memorable career and now likes to give back to the community whenever he gets a chance.

Pearson was back in town June 9 to run a youth basketball clinic at the Community Center in La Grange.

“This is where I’m from,” Pearson said. “I know some of the kids like to play basketball, so I felt why not come back and teach them some of the fundamentals that I learned growing up to help them get better for their basketball careers. It’s the little things that they have to start learning now. It’s something I enjoy doing. I try to give the kids in the community something to look forward to doing.”

Pearson is a member of Nazareth’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a four-time All-Private School League selection, including being named the conference Most Valuable Player twice. He was nominated for Mr. Basketball his senior season when he earned all-state honors.

He went on to play four seasons for coach Roy Williams at the University of Kansas where was a member of the 1993 Final Four team.

…Pearson lives in Missouri and started Pearson Basketball Basics, which is a camp for children.
Link


Kansas 2012-13 Schedule

Big 12/College News

University of Missouri Head Basketball Coach Frank Haith announced the hiring of former Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year Dave Leitao as an assistant coach on Friday.

Leitao, who owns a pair of conference championships as a head coach at DePaul (2004) and Virginia (2007), has made 21 career postseason appearances, including 12 NCAA Tournaments highlighted by the 1999 National Championship as the Associate Head Coach at the University of Connecticut under Jim Calhoun.

Leitao  was named the 2007 ACC Coach of the Year after leading the Cavaliers to an 11-5 league mark (21-11 overall) and a win in the NCAA Tournament, the 52-year-old comes to Mizzou after one season coaching the Maine Red Claws of the National Basketball Association's Developmental League (NBDL).
Wire


Collegiate coaching veteran Jerry Wainwright has joined the Marquette University men’s basketball program as director of operations, head coach Buzz Williams announced Monday afternoon.

In 16 seasons as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level (DePaul, Richmond, UNC-Wilmington), Wainwright led his teams to a total of seven postseason campaigns (three NCAA berths and four NIT appearances).
Press release


The Charlotte Bobcats have hired St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap to be their new head coach, two people familiar with the decision said.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because an official announcement was still being planned for the next two days.

The Charlotte Observer first reported the news.

The choice comes as a bit of a surprise because Dunlap was not one of the team's three finalists and rejoined the picture late.

He was originally one of the 10 candidates to interview for the job, but the team trimmed the list to former Utah coach Jerry Sloan, Indiana assistant coach Brian Shaw and Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Quin Snyder last week.

At some point Dunlap re-entered the picture and was offered and accepted the job Monday night.
AP


Ohio State Buckeyes big man Jared Sullinger has been medically red flagged by NBA doctors, multiple league sources told ESPN.com on Monday.

Sullinger, who is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2012 NBA draft, underwent a series of medical tests at the NBA draft combine a week ago. According to sources, the doctors who looked at Sullinger were concerned with Sullinger's back.
ESPN


CBS Parrish picks UK to repeat



Adidas canceled plans for a sneaker with a shackle-like ankle cuff Monday night after some critics said it too closely resembled a symbol of slavery.

The JS Roundhouse Mid, a high-top sneaker with an orange plastic cuff, was made in collaboration with fashion designer Jeremy Scott.

The sneaker "is nothing more than the designer Jeremy Scott's outrageous and unique take on fashion and has nothing to do with slavery," Adidas said in a statement. "Since the shoe debuted on our Facebook page ahead of its market release in August, Adidas has received both favorable and critical feedback. We apologize if people are offended by the design and we are withdrawing our plans to make them available in the marketplace."

The sneaker was supposed to be a reboot of a classic high-top sneaker with a strap across the middle. A preview was offered months ago and generated little chatter, but the company recently started promoting it on its Facebook page.

Scott is known as one of fashion's more outrageous characters. Adidas said he is heralded for a style that is "quirky and lighthearted."
AP

Recruiting

6/18/12 7:59 PM
Speaking of Conner Frankamp as a top 5 shooter Ive ever scouted
Jerry Meyer (@3starmeyer)


Named as one of 14 finalists for the 2012 USA Basketball Men's U17 World Championship Team on Sunday afternoon (June 17), Conner Frankamp is one step closer to making his second USA Basketball roster in as many years.

In fact, as a member of the 2011-12 USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team, Frankamp has participated in four training camps at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC), including this week's camp, mini-camps in October of 2010 and 2011 and the USA Men's U16 National Team training camp in June of 2011.

Following the U16 training camp last June, Frankamp was named to the 2011 USA U16 National Team, and he was one of 12 players that helped the USA qualify for this year's FIBA U17 World Championshp with a 5-0 record and gold medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship in Cancun, Mexico.
USA Basketball


Brannen Greene: So far this spring, Greene has been somewhat lost in the shadow of five-star Florida Rams teammates Chris Walker and Kasey Hill.In Charlottesville, the well-developed, 6-foot-6 wing scorer proved to be one of the single most skilled wing scorers. Not only does he shoot with range, but Greene has an advanced feel for using his body to create an advantage against less physical players. It was a good weekend for the Kansas commitment.

...Anthony Barber: "Cat" was one of the top three players in camp all weekend and has taken his game to a new level. He's still quite lean, but has added a bit more strength. He's been shooting from the perimeter much better to complement his blazing speed and quickness.
Rivals Top showings at NBPA


One of the top overall players at the prestigious NBA Players Association Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, Va., last week was Anthony ‘Cat’ Barber.

The Hampton, Va., High School point guard is an elite prospect with ridiculous quickness and an ability to get to the basket on any defender.

Barber led the tournament with 14.3 points a game and also dished out 17 assists. The shifty 6-foot-2 guard simply was one of the best players there.

During the event, Barber talked a lot about the recruiting process.

He confirmed that Kentucky called on him two weeks ago and also noted that he has been hearing some from Louisville, but said Kansas and Alabama were standing out.

Barber also mentioned Duke, Florida State, Virginia, Baylor and Virginia Tech.

Ranked as the No. 13 prospect by Rivals.com and No. 14 by Scout.com, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Barber move into the top 10.

He said some people have compared him to Allen Iverson, the former NBA All-Star player and a friend of Barber’s mother.

“I take that as motivation to get better,” he said. “I have heard people say that but really I am myself. I am my own guy.”
Louisville CJ


6/18/12 9:20 PM
I always have good convos with my two fav colleges #uf #ku #gators #jayhawk.
Christopher Cortez (@cwalkertime23)


Lattin, a mature, worldly prospect whom ESPN recruiting expert Dave Telep called the "Renaissance man" of the Class of 2014, set his mind on a European season after going on an Italian tour with his Houston Select AAU team last summer. "I love trying new things and taking risks," said Lattin, who was back in the U.S. and attending the NBA Players' Association Top 100 camp last week at University of Virginia. "I figured [Canarias] would be an experience that would take me to a new level in life and basketball."

Here's what he didn't figure: That detractors would be everywhere -- even within his own family. A normal high-schooler embarking on a year abroad might be praised for his curiosity or, at worst, subjected to the jealousy of less-fortunate peers. But the decisions of high-profile basketball recruits are scrutinized on a different level, and some thought Lattin was engaging in a self-detrimental experiment. It seems that it is one thing to lament that the European system is superior at skill development (a generally accepted fact among NBA scouts), and a whole different thing to actually reject American training in favor of going overseas.

Even though Lattin was maintaining his NCAA eligibility at an academy that has sent 41 Europeans to Division I and is run by a former Cal-State Fullerton assistant, Rob Orellana -- this wasn't remotely like Jeremy Tyler's turning-pro-in-Israel debacle -- it was a hard sell in Houston. Some players praised the idea, Lattin said, but others called him a "moron" and an "idiot." Local high school and AAU coaches openly questioned it. Former NBA guard and coach John Lucas, who was running the NBPA Camp and has also been Lattin's local trainer since he was 11, told him he'd be better off developing stateside.

Most cutting of all was what he heard from his famous, paternal grandfather, Dave "Big Daddy" Lattin, who starred on Texas Western's trailblazing 1966 national championship team that was portrayed in the 2006 movie Glory Road. Lamb has been divorced from Dave's son, Cliff, since 1996, and she and current husband Felix Powell have raised Khadeem, but Dave remains a voice in his basketball life.

"[Dave] saw no benefit in it," Khadeem said. "He has slang where he says, 'judge,' and he told me, 'It's just a real bad look, judge. I don't understand it, judge.'"
Dave, when reached by SI.com, said he believed in Khadeem's future as a prospect, but remained upset that his grandson had gone to Europe. "It was his mom's decision, and I don't think it was a good one," Dave said. "Those are kids [at Canarias] from all over the world who are trying to get over here to play, and she took him over there. I tried to talk her out of it, but it is what it is. I'm just hopeful that he can catch back up."

While Khadeem had final say on the move, it was Lamb's idea: She was fond of the 14 years she played in Europe, wanted to "well-round" her son, and worried that as a 6-9 underclassman in the U.S., Lattin would get stuck playing too much at center, which was unlikely to be his college position. They initially looked at Italian club teams, but finding no NCAA-friendly options, turned their sights to Canarias, which seemed like a perfect fit.

…Two of the big questions surrounding Lattin this summer are whether he'll opt to reclassify to the Class of 2013 -- he's in good enough academic standing to do so -- and if he'll opt to re-matriculate at a Houston high school for 2012-13. The odds are that he won't return for a second season in Spain. Lattin said he's leaning toward remaining in the U.S., and Lamb said she initially viewed Canarias as a one-year adventure, and doesn't want him to miss out on important parts of the American high school experience.

(There is also an unresolved issue with Canarias and the NCAA. SI.com learned that in an April memo to recruiters, the NCAA's interpretation staff, making a judgment based solely off of a lack of information on Canarias' website, declared Canarias a non-scholastic team despite its attachment to a prep school. That meant that while Canarias players were still recruitable, college coaches were not allowed to visit the academy's practices during the April evaluation period, limiting prospects' potential for exposure. That designation may not be permanent, though. Canarias has updated its website with details of its academic affiliation -- its model is very similar to that of Nevada's Findlay Prep or Florida's IMG Academy, both of which are in good standing -- and an NCAA spokesperson told SI.com that they were in the process of reviewing information on Canarias' status.
SI


Getting points from every member of the USA U18 Team, including a game high 22 points from Jarnell Stokes (University of Tennessee/Memphis, Tenn.) and 15 more from Julius Randle (Prestonwood Christian Academy/ McKinney, Texas), the USA downed host Brazil (2-1) 83-64 Monday night at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil.

“I was able to use my strength and size that God blessed me with,” said Stokes, who scored14 of his 22 points in the first half. “Luckily I got a lot of easy baskets from my teammates such as Rodney (Purvis) who came in and gave us some good minutes, Marcus (Smart), Nate (Britt) So the guys really got me going early.”

The win earned the U.S. a qualifying spot in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, improved the Americans record to 3-0, and earned them the Group A No. 1 seed for Tuesday’s medal round semifinals.

The USA will face 2-1 Argentina, second place finishers in Group B, in the 5 p.m. (EDT) semifinal game. Canada (3-0) earned Group B No. 1 seed and will face host Brazil in the other medal round semifinal contest at 8 p.m.
USA Basketball


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