June 2009 Archives

Coach Ben Howland's UCLA Advanced Skills Camp had a solid foundation of talent making up some of the better underclass basketball players in the West.

Among those competing in Pauley Pavilion were class 2010 guards Kendall Williams (Los Osos) and Tyler Lamb (Mater Dei), both of which are already verbally committed to the Bruins.

Others playing especially well Sunday included 6-foot-6 Yannick Atanga (Besant Hill in Ojai); 6-2 James Walker (Los Alamitos); 6-5 Ben Vozzola (Las Vegas Centennial); 6-7 1/2 Angelo Chol (San Diego Hoover); 6-7 Ryan Anderson (Poly); 6-3 Byron Wesley (Cajon); and 6-10 Robert Upshaw (Fresno Edison).

Action at the camp wraps up Monday.

Westchester High's boys' basketball team broke out to an 18-point advantage in the second half before cruising to a 63-57 victory over Poly Sunday evening in the championship game of the Fairfax High Tournament in Los Angeles.

Six-foot-seven Dwayne Polee Jr. led the Comets with 17 points while point guard Denzel Douglas added 12 and back court mate Jordin Mayes added 10.

Senior forward Shelton Boykin led the Jackrabbits (who've lost only to Westchester and Mater Dei this month) with 20 points while junior center Ryan Anderson added 18.

Six-foot-seven Derrick Williams, who signed a national letter of intent with USC last November, has decided to enroll at the University of Arizona to play basketball for the Wildcats, a source close to the situation told the Press-Telegram Sunday night.

Williams, the PT's Dream Team Player of the Year, received a release from his commitment to the Trojans following Coach Tim Floyd's resignation from the school a few weeks ago.

USC's Taj Gibson -- one of the more underrated players in the country the past couple of seasons -- goes No. 23 to the Chicago Bulls.

That is a half-dozen Pac 10 players among the first 26 selections!

A UCLA Bruin is set to back up an all-pro at PG, Chris Paul, as New Orleans just tabbed Darren Collison at 21.

Good for Collison . . . he really helped himself in recent workouts.

Eric Maynor of VCU went to Utah at No. 20 and should do a nice job of backing up one of the NBA's best PGs, Deron Williams.

Well, I picked up another one on the button: Jeff Teague of Wake Forest to Atlanta at No. 19.

Darren Collison of UCLA could be selected pretty soon . . . maybe Utah at No. 20 or Portland at No. 22?

But the North Carolina PG is headed to Denver, according to ESPN. Denver has liked Lawson a lot for two years and will be a solid backup to Chauncy Billups.

He had to waited a lot longer in the Green Room than he anticipated, but UCLA's Jrue Holiday was finally selected: to the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 17.

Do the 76ers keep Andre Miller and let him mentor Holiday at PG?

James Johnson of Wake Forest, a BIW choice out of Wyoming three years ago, goes to Chicago at No. 16, as I projected in my mock first round.

I still think Phoenix . . . Golden State . . . New York . . . and Minnesota could all be cutting deals that won't be unveiled for a bit.

Former Best in the West selection Austin Daye (Woodbridge High and Gonzaga) goes, as I projected, to Detroit at No. 15.

I'm feeling sorry for Jrue Holiday, who is sitting in the Green Room with his family and has yet to be picked.

The Suns take Louisville junior forward Earl Clark . . . and Jrue Holiday of UCLA hasn't been selected yet after being projected as a lottery (top 14) selection.

Not sure where Holiday ends up now.

Tyler Hansbrough of national champion North Carolina just went to the Indiana Pacers at No. 13; a mild surprise.

He'll be a solid but not spectacular pro . . . can't knock that, brothers and sisters.

Gerald Henderson of Duke goes to Charlotte . . . the Bobcats wanted him but the Nets grabbed him the pick before.

Does Indiana at No. 13 or Phoenix at 14 take Jrue Holiday?

I had Terrence Williams going to New Jersey at No. 11 in my mock first round but thought the Nets might go for a power forward (Tyler Hansbrough) after the trade that sent Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to Orlando earlier in the day.

But is going to be shipped to Chicago???

Former Dominguez High guard Brandon Jennings just went to Milwaukee at No. 10. I got a good tip on that one two hours ago, when Milwaukee committed to him over Jrue Holiday of UCLA and Jonny Flynn (assuming he would have been available).

Compton's DeMar DeRozan goes to Toronto at No. 9, as I projected before decided to move him up to 6 (Minnesota) in my mock draft. Oh, well . . . I should have stuck with my gut feeling.

Good for him: Great kid and great talent!

The Knicks' fans didn't like the choice by New York picked Arizona's Jordan Hill at No. 8. Is he part of trade to come?

Golden State just selected Stephen Curry at No. 7 but I think he ultimately ends up with the Phoenix Suns as part of a deal that could send Amare Stoudemire to the Warriors.

You read it here first!

The Timberwolves took Syracuse PG Jonny Flynn at 6, one pick after taking another PG, Ricky Rubio.

What does this mean? It means that Rubio or Flynn could be headed elsewhere . . . maybe to the Knicks??? Maybe the Knicks (at 8) pick DeMar DeRozan and send him to Minnesota with other "considerations" for Rubio or Flynn. I'm guessing Rubio might be the guy going to New York.

The Timberwolves selected Ricky Rubio, so I'm 5 for 5.

Does Minnesota make me 6 for 6 by selecting Compton's (and, for a year) USC's DeMar DeRozan?

Sacramento, in a tough selection, picked Tyreke Evans (Memphis) at No. 4. The team's scouting personnel wanted Evans over Ricky Rubio (said to be a favorite of the franchise's ownership).

Does Minnesota take Rubio next?

Well, I'm 3 for 3 but it's getting tougher from here on out.

Great for James Harden. A great kid who has worked harder than anyone I know since his days as an Artesia High freshman. Solid backcourt of the future for Oklahoma CIty with he and Russell Westbrook.

Again, no surprise that the Grizzlies have just picked 7-1 Hasheem Thabeet, who I think is vastly overvalued.

Now it gets exciting: Does Oklahoma City take Ricky Rubio or James Harden? Wednesday, I thought it would be Harden. Now I'm hearing it might be Rubio.

In one of the easiest choices an NBA franchise has ever made, the Clippers just selected Blake Griffin as the first player chosen in the 2009 Drafft.

He's going to be an all-star before too long . . .

Led by returning starters Tyler Lamb (38 points; 24 in the first half) and Gary Franklin (26; 20 in the first half), Mater Dei's boys' basketball team knocked off Poly, 101-87, Sunday night during the final of the Mater Dei High Tournament in Santa Ana.

The Monarchs led 66-37 at intermission but the Jackrabbits made the game -- which was played at a fast-paced tempo throughout -- much more competitive in the second half.

Forward Shelton Boykin led Poly with 25 points.

Poly takes on the host team at 7:30 tonight in the championship game of the Mater Dei High boys' basketball tournament.

The Jackrabbits advanced to the final by beating Concord De La Salle in one seminal earlier this afternoon while the Monarchs coasted over Sonora in the other semifinal.

The Mater Dei High boys' basketball tournament semifinals are Poly vs. Concord De La Salle at noon today and Mater Dei vs. Sonora (which beat Compton in a quarterfinal) at 1:30.

The third-place game is at 6 and championship at 7:30.

Compton plays Corona del Mar in a consolation game at noon (court 2) while Los Alamitos faces The Colony in another consolation tilt at 1:30 (court 2).

De La Salle beat Ocean View, 54-41, and was impressive in doing so during a quarterfinal that wrapped up at about 10:45 Saturday night.

Basketball is amazing . . . the line between winning and losing, more often than not, is razor-thin.

The Lakers, via their 99-91 OT win at Orlando an hour ago, moving to a 3-1 advantage in their NBA Championship series with the Magic.

How close is Orlando from being up 3-1?

1) A Courtney Lee miss of a (relatively) point-blank attempt from the left side of the basket at the buzzer in regulation of Game 2 in Los Angeles; The Lakers won it in OT; and
2) A Derek Fisher 3-pointer (in which Jameer Nelson gave him WAY too much cushion) with 4.6 seconds to go in regulation, 15 missed free throw and seven Dwight Howard turnovers in Game 4.

A Lee layup and just one Howard free throw (he missed two of them with 11 seconds to go in regulation) in those scenarios and Orlando is looking to close the series at home Sunday.

Freakin' amazing.

And I wonder if all the fans and pundits who were whining for Phil Jackson to abandon Fisher in the Houston series for the likes of Shannon Brown and Jordan Farmar have their hats in hand in apology right now?

Long Beach State athletic director Vic Cegles strongly insisted Wednesday evening that he is not pursuing the vacant AD's job at the University of Houston.

It was reported in Tuesday's Houston Chronicle that Cegles is one of ``six front-runners'' for the job at the school, a member of Conference USA.

"I've never talked to one person -- absolutely no one -- about that job,'" Cegles said.

School president Dr. F. King Alexander called Cegles Wednesday after hearing of the report.

"And I said I would have told him if I was getting involved (with the job at Houston),'' Cegles added.

Cegles that the reporter who wrote the story "never contacted me about it. A guy from the Fox TV station (in Houston) called and I told him three times I wasn't a candidate, and that if I was, I wouldn't have answered his calls."

Cegles has been LBSU's athletic director since April of 2006.

Following news of USC men's basketball coach Tim Floyd's resignation earlier today, speculation among college coaches immediately turned to who might replace him at the Trojans' helm.

Jamie Dixon (Pittburgh), who grew up in the San Fernando Valley and graduated from Notre Dame High in Sherman Oaks, is expected to be the Trojans' first choice, although several of his peers are divided as to what Dixon's decision might be.

Dixon worked with (at UC Santa Barbara) and for (at Northern Arizona and Pitt) Ben Howland is still extremely close to the now-UCLA head coach. Dixon going to USC would certainly cause an interesting dynamic in that relationship and within the conference.

But coaches were also intrigued about what a couple of current high school players who have signed letters of intent with the Trojans (6-foot-7 Derrick Williams of La Mirada and 5-11 Lamont Jones of Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va.) might opt to do.

If they request, and are granted, releases from their USC letters of intent, they will have a multitude of options -- some of which could reside within the Pacific 10 Conference that USC is a member of.

And don't be surprised when current high school juniors, 6-7 Dwayne Polee Jr. (Westchester) and 6-2 Gary Franklin (Mater Dei), announced that they are withdrawing the "commitments" they made to Floyd and his staff (Polee as a high school freshman and Franklin as a sophomore).

There is nothing binding either to USC, since players can't sign letters of intent until November of their senior years.

All in all, I'm surprised Orlando held on and beat the Lakers (108-104) to clip the Lakers' advantage to 2-1 in the best-of-seven tilt tonight in Orlando.

The Magic played, I think, about as well as it is capable over 48 minutes while shooting 63 percent from the field -- and still needed Kobe Bryant to go chilly from the field after he hit eight of 11 shots in the first half (for 20 points) in order to pull the thing out on its home court.

It wouldn't surprise me to see the Lakers bounce back and wrap the thing up in Game 5 on Sunday in Orlando.

I don't think Bryant will got 11 of 25 from the field -- and, startlingly, five of 10 from the free-throw line -- again like he did tonight.

Orlando got solid (or better) efforts from each of its starters as well as sixth man Mickael Pietrus -- and still won by just four points.

The Lakers need to improve their play Thursday night but are still well in control of the series.

Here are the opening-day (Friday) match-ups for this weekend's Mater Dei boys' basketball tournament. Teams are made up of players who will still be in high school in the fall.

Court 1: 3 p.m., Sonora-Capistrano Valley; 4:30, Compton-Trabuco Hills; 6, Corona del Mar-San Juan Hills; 7:30, Mater Dei No. 1-Irvine University; 9, Tesoro-El Modena.
Court 2: 3 p.m., Los Alamitos-Mater Dei No. 2; 4:30, Upland-Ocean View; 6, Concord de La Salle-Crespi; 7:30, Orange Lutheran-The Colony; 9, Poly-Tustin.

Action resumes Saturday at 9:30. The semifinals (noon and 1:30), third-place (6) and championship (7:30) games will be played on Sunday.

Here are the opening (9 a.m.) match-ups for the Dana Hills High Air Strike 7-on-7 football passing tournament Saturday. Games will be played at both the host school and San Clemente High:

At Dana Hills: Field 1: Mater Dei-Dana Hills; Field 2: Poly-Los Alamitos; Field 3: Westview-Edison; Field 4: Oaks Christian-Trabuco Hills.
At San Clemente: Field 1: Crespi-San Clemente; Field 2: Lakewood-Santa Margarita; Field 3: Servite-Narbonne; Field 4: Tesoro-St. Bonanventure.

Games follow at 10 and 11 a.m. Following a lunch break, games resume at 1, 2 and 3 (at both sites).
The semifinals (4:30, Fields 1 and 2) and final (5:45, Field 1) will be played at Dana Hills.

The Magic had an ideal opportunity to win the game in regulation but Courtney Lee blew a point-blank layup attempt, on an exceptional inbound play in which Kobe Bryant was back-screened out of the play, at the buzzer. And the Lakers and Kobe closed things out in OT.

The Lakers lead 2-zip . . . and they're not going to get swept in Orlando. So, even if the Magic win two of the three games in Orlando, the Lakers will come back to the Staples Center holding a 3-2 advantage. And the Magic will not sweep the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Game, set, match, series . . .

At least Orlando is competitive with the Lakers in Game 2. Lakers are about to pad their lead to three points early in the fourth quarter.

But I'm waiting for the broadcasting crew to point out how limited Dwight Howard's low-post offensive repertoire is.

So much for my notion that all of this series' games were going to be tight. The Lakers' offense is really clicking right now and Phil Jackson's team has an 18-point advantage midway through the third quarter.

Everyone on the team is playing well and Dwight Howard just picked up his second offensive foul and seems visibly frustrated, as do his teammates.

Game 1 of the NBA Championship Series has been tight and a bit better, defensively, than I expected. I don't think either team is going to score a lopsided victory in any of the series' game. But the presence of Kobe Bryant in a Lakers' uniform, as well as the trio of "posts" in Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom give Phil Jackson's team a slight edged inside . . . even with Dwight Howard on the Orlando roster.