Sorry, I haven't been following the threads too closely lately....I guess this is a booth....

James Akinjo is a 6-0, 160-pound Point Guard from Richmond, CA.

Four-star James Akinjo has initiated the process of getting out of his Letter of Intent with Connecticut according to his high school coach Bill Mellis.

A 6-0 point guard out of Richmond (Calif.) Salesian High School, Akinjo signed with UConn with the intention to play for Kevin Ollie, who was fired earlier today.

Ranked No. 95 in the 247Sports Composite, Akinjo is a speedy and energetic floor general. He played extremely well at the end of the summer in the Nike Peach Jam.

Akinjo held offers from numerous schools prior to his commitment to Connecticut. He will be a priority 2018 recruit with demand for quality point guards way outweighing the availability of quality point guards.

Other schools on a prior list: Cal, Iowa State, Maryland, Virginia, Pittsburgh.

bearmanpg said:

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Sorry, I haven't been following the threads too closely lately....I guess this is a booth....

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Worked for me. Thx.

I'm really hoping for this player. There will be times when Austin & Akinjo will be on the floor at the same time. Austin is really a SG playing the point while Akinjo can facilitate slightly better. Really a shame we only have one scholarship left. When will coaches learn not to give away scholarships ??

helltopay1 said:

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I'm really hoping for this player. There will be times when Austin & Akinjo will be on the floor at the same time. Austin is really a SG playing the point while Akinjo can facilitate slightly better. Really a shame we only have one scholarship left. When will coaches learn not to give away scholarships ??

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I pretty much guarantee we will have more than one scholarship.

helltopay1 said:

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I'm really hoping for this player. There will be times when Austin & Akinjo will be on the floor at the same time. Austin is really a SG playing the point while Akinjo can facilitate slightly better. Really a shame we only have one scholarship left. When will coaches learn not to give away scholarships ??

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I have never heard Austin described as a shooting guard playing the point. Did you mean Akinjo? I think they are both considered point guards only (which is not to say they can't be on the floor together, now and then).

And, yes, I'm guessing there will be at least one current scholarship player who will not be coming back, probably more.

Dear Bog C; If you look at austins' assists per minutes played at boise state, you will not be impressed. ( Bog should be big)

Akinjo's HS Coach was a former Cal basketball head manager. That can't hurt, right? Close the deal, Billy!

helltopay1 said:

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Dear Bog C; If you look at austins' assists per minutes played at boise state, you will not be impressed. ( Bog should be big)

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Dear helltolay1: Yes, I've seen the stats. Thing is, though, his shooting stats aren't that great, either, for a "shooting guard". However, he was described here on BI, based on his practice with the team the past few months, as a pure point guard. It's like some have said: He'll almost certainly start and we'll be improved with him in the lineup, but he ain't exactly the second coming of Chris Paul. (lay should be pay)

All the more reason we need Akinjo.

can akinjo make 3's ??

yes---and he plays good defense. but let's not get ahead of our skis. If I had a nickel for every time Cal disappointed me, I'd have more money than the Clintons. ( Now worth over 300 million dollars) don't ask how they made their money. You don't want to know.

helltopay1 said:

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yes---and he plays good defense. but let's not get ahead of our skis. If I had a nickel for every time Cal disappointed me, I'd have more money than the Clintons. ( Now worth over 300 million dollars) don't ask how they made their money. You don't want to know.

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Are we even in the equation here? Surprised that we even have a chance to be dissapointed.

helltopay1 said:

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yes---and he plays good defense. but let's not get ahead of our skis. If I had a nickel for every time Cal disappointed me, I'd have more money than the Clintons. ( Now worth over 300 million dollars) don't ask how they made their money. You don't want to know.

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What is it with you and the Clintons?

Get a life, Comrade?

Dear Bobo---I follow politics----5 hours a day for the last 40 years. I know where lots of bodies are buried. bill & Hillary have been the political equivalent of bonnie & Clyde since 1985. They have been protected by the MSM and Hollywood for all these years. But there are a few( not many) historians who can be counted upon to chronicle their many depredations in thge not-to-distance future. I hope you have a strong stomach.

helltopay1 said:

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Dear Bobo---I follow politics----5 hours a day for the last 40 years. I know where lots of bodies are buried. bill & Hillary have been the political equivalent of bonnie & Clyde since 1985. They have been protected by the MSM and Hollywood for all these years. But there are a few( not many) historians who can be counted upon to chronicle their many depredations in thge not-to-distance future. I hope you have a strong stomach.

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Are you a "they killed Vince Foster" nutball?

Dear Ursa--hardly--and thank you for revealing your political leanings. Great line from Jack Warden in the movie, The Verdict--" how do you think they made all that money---by doing good?"

UrsaMajor said:

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helltopay1 said:

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Dear Bobo---I follow politics----5 hours a day for the last 40 years. I know where lots of bodies are buried. bill & Hillary have been the political equivalent of bonnie & Clyde since 1985. They have been protected by the MSM and Hollywood for all these years. But there are a few( not many) historians who can be counted upon to chronicle their many depredations in thge not-to-distance future. I hope you have a strong stomach.

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Are you a "they killed Vince Foster" nutball?

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My question to you sir is, are you a "they made 300 million serving the public and doing charitable work" nutball?

Now, back to Akinjo.........

Please create a separate thread on the Off-Topic board, and then let me know about its existence, detailing:

What bodies are buried
Where they are buried
Who paid for these bodies to be buried

Then also tell me how much former President Bill Clinton makes in speaking fees, and how many he's done since he left office approx 6,250 days ago.

I'd also like to learn how much he's made in book sales, in stock market appreciation over the past 17 years.

How much pension does a president get?
How much travel expenditures are coveted by the government?
What boards might he serve on?
What other sources of income might they collectively share?

Please explain to me as much as you can about the Clintons' alleged crimes. I'd like to know about it. Just like I'd like to know about how many really very #%^~&@? people (some of whom are in my family) could have ever thought Donald Trump was fit to be President of the United States, recognizing that the two curiosities are completely independent of one another!

Then let's get back to Akinjo.

bearmanpg said:

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UrsaMajor said:

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helltopay1 said:

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Dear Bobo---I follow politics----5 hours a day for the last 40 years. I know where lots of bodies are buried. bill & Hillary have been the political equivalent of bonnie & Clyde since 1985. They have been protected by the MSM and Hollywood for all these years. But there are a few( not many) historians who can be counted upon to chronicle their many depredations in thge not-to-distance future. I hope you have a strong stomach.

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Are you a "they killed Vince Foster" nutball?

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My question to you sir is, are you a "they made 300 million serving the public and doing charitable work" nutball?

Now, back to Akinjo.........

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Nice try...

I saw Bill murder a female reporter he was sleeping with by pushing her into a subway train (on Netflix).

I posted a snarky question to counter a snarky question...

The Clintons have averaged roughly 17 million per year to amass their worth, so maybe you can show me where that comes from since I don't think Bill is still making $500,000 for speeches in Russia anymore nor is Hillary making lucky investments such as Whitewater either...It won't be long until both you and I will be on to other issues so I doubt that either of us are going to beat ourselves up by trying to prove this or that on a thread about James Akinjo....Believe whatever you believe and I will do the same....

This was an interesting thread for awhile...oh well

helltopay1 said:

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Dear Bobo---I follow politics----5 hours a day for the last 40 years. I know where lots of bodies are buried. bill & Hillary have been the political equivalent of bonnie & Clyde since 1985. They have been protected by the MSM and Hollywood for all these years. But there are a few( not many) historians who can be counted upon to chronicle their many depredations in thge not-to-distance future. I hope you have a strong stomach.

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And what's your point? I don't mind (though I know others do mind) political discussions in their own off-topic marked threads. What I do mind, and what should not be tolerated here, are the kinds of stupid comments you made in this on-topic thread to derail it into politics.

bearmanpg said:

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I posted a snarky question to counter a snarky question...

The Clintons have averaged roughly 17 million per year to amass their worth, so maybe you can show me where that comes from ....

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You forget Hillary claimed they were flat broke when they left the White House...

Bobodeluxe said:

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helltopay1 said:

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yes---and he plays good defense. but let's not get ahead of our skis. If I had a nickel for every time Cal disappointed me, I'd have more money than the Clintons. ( Now worth over 300 million dollars) don't ask how they made their money. You don't want to know.

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What is it with you and the Clintons?

Get a life, Comrade?

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Yeah HTP, The People only appreciate Trump bashing. Get with the program.

Dear Civilbear---No kidding!!!!This just in-----Hillary just walked down 5th ave in NY slaughtering 10,000 folks. Here is the new York Times headline the following day: donald Trump, dressed as Hillary, just walked down 5th ave slaughtering 10,000 folks according to several anonymous witnesses not authorized to speak for the record. This event transpired after several white house correspondents reported that Mr. Trump had passed gas without authorization . According to these same witnesses, this is the 6th time this particular protocol has been breached. more details to follow on the CBS evening news tonight. And that's the way it is!!

I think Akinjo would be a better PG than either Clinton or Trump. Back to some earlier parts of this discussion, I think any decent roster should have THREE PGs on their depth chart. The first two should be P12 capable (don't need to be stars, but capable) - probably getting 45 minutes between them. The third can be a PWO or freshman maybe getting 5 minutes. I know - that adds up to 50 minutes. But there are times when 2 PGs on the floor at the same time is good, Furthermore it is a role that really requires quality depth in the event one of the first two goes out with injury or fouls.

This last season we did NOT have a PG on the roster, IMHO. Winston may have been that THIRD point guard, giving him some minutes to adapt to the speed of the game his Freshman year. But McNeil was out of position and Coleman was not a good back up at that role. PG is such an important role to make the other players better.

Next year, we will have Austin and Winston. There is room for a third - and honestly, I think Winston is option 3, based on what I saw this year. So we need another PG in this class - if Akinjo wants to come to Cal, that would be great. I think he could challenge Austin for the first and second PG spots. Great opportunity for him and for Cal.

In fact, I would say after Brown (or starting level big), a PG of Akinjo's reputation would be my second choice over a lunch pail back up big (although we need one as well). This roster is woefully inadequate - Other than SGs and SFs, we need lots of help.

dear Concord, naturally, "bodies are buried," is figurative. Sorry you missed that---And, of course, I'm perfectly aware of Trumps'narcisstic buffoonery. But, as a conservative, I'm also aware that he has accomplished many "conservative priorities during his tenure. For this, I'm pleased. Does he have the high character and intelligence to be President of the US?? Of course not. Should most republicans be embarrassed that he beat out so many other more qualified candidates??Of course. But, we live in a celebrity culture, and since most Americans do not pay attention to politics except for the "debates", we must accept the fact that many Americans are going to be swayed by style rather than substance. So---make fun of republicans if you wish. But, please be advised that since 1985 Bill & Hillary have been the face of the Democratic party. ( save for the wholly unexpected trashing of the royal court by the upstart Obama ) So---yes---republicans have every right to be sheepish and defensive. Just remember the alternative voters were presented with last november. Most Americans may be politically uninformed, but they are not as stupid as most political consultants think they are: They knew perfectly well what they were doing last November. Now---let's get serious!!!!In 2020, Trump vs either Oprah, Whoopy Goldberg, George Clooney, Bill Maher, Lebron James or Stephen Colbert. Who said the Democrats weren't a serious party?????Since I've made my political positions clear, I will try mightily to refrain from mingling political barbs with a discussion of Akinjo--hopefully, others will follow suit---

Dear Beached---monty agrees with you--he always said that all teams need three point guards. and you are right---last year we didn't have a single one!!i'm praying for Akinjo--If we land him, winston will see limited minutes, at best.

helltopay1 said:

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Dear Beached---monty agrees with you--he always said that all teams need three point guards. and you are right---last year we didn't have a single one!!i'm praying for Akinjo--If we land him, winston will see limited minutes, at best.

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How do we land three point guards? Most teams have trouble finding two, and many can't find one. At Cal, Monty had three just one time, in 2012, with Cobbs, Jorge, and Smith. In 2009, he had only one, Randle. The others were not D1 level, IMO. The great recruiter, Cuonzo Maritn never signed even one good point guard

One problem with basketball now is few young players are attracted to or being coached to be point guards. Most come out of high school as combo guards, and the trouble with combo guards is many of them don't focus enough on one position in high school to become good enough to play either one in college. Most of the good local point guards I've seen were playing point guard and playing it well before they started high school. Denny Lewis and Norm Owyoung were the talk of the San Francisco playgrounds before they started high school, as was Jason Kidd in the East Bay. I played on a playground team with Lewis when he was in the 9th grade, and he averaged 28 points and 8-10 assists per game. And we dropped so many of his passes that it should have been more assists. And Kidd was a better player than Denny. It is possible that good point guards are born and not made. To be outstanding, it really takes a certain point guard personality and instincts, plus eyes in the back of their heads. I saw an article once that researchers tested Bob Cousy's eyesight once, and he could look straight ahead, and see a field of about 200 degrees or more, while most athletes with good vision can see a field of 180 degrees. So he could see a little behind his head on either side.

SFCityBear said:

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helltopay1 said:

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Dear Beached---monty agrees with you--he always said that all teams need three point guards. and you are right---last year we didn't have a single one!!i'm praying for Akinjo--If we land him, winston will see limited minutes, at best.

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How do we land three point guards? Most teams have trouble finding two, and many can't find one. At Cal, Monty had three just one time, in 2012, with Cobbs, Jorge, and Smith. In 2009, he had only one, Randle. The others were not D1 level, IMO. The great recruiter, Cuonzo Maritn never signed even one good point guard . . .

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Heh heh heh

If it was easy EVERYONE would do it. Just more of a reason to give someone like Akinjo a good look. One other solution is to find/develop PG skills in other positions. I think Monty actually did this pretty well with Jorge as well as Kamp & Boykins. Not ideal, perhaps, but at least the offense wasn't too sticky.

Warriors are a great example - KD and Draymond as point forwards. Bogut was a good point center as well. Not point guards, but could fill the role in terms of initiating the half court or even bringing it up court.

SFCityBear said:

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...Cuonzo Maritn never signed even one good point guard...

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Charlie Moore was a good point guard. He was not very consistent, and his season tailed off at the end of the year, but you have to remember he was a true freshman, and not very physically advanced. And he played in an offense under Cuonzo that doesn't generate a lot of assists. Overall, I thought Charlie was a very good player (and one I wish was still at Cal).

Dear Helltopay1:

A lot of Cal players have fizzled at the end of the year. Even Jorge played badly once the pac 12 tournament arrived. Montgomery never liked the tournament so his players picked up on that.