[SIZE=5][COLOR="#0000CD"]Ivan Rabb[/COLOR], PF – Earlier in the week Rabb said that his commitment to California felt like weight was lifted off his shoulder. On Friday, that appeared clear. Rabb had a strong showing and went for a double-double (14 pts, 12 rebounds). Offensively, he connected on a pair of left jump hooks, ran the floor looking for finishes and [COLOR="#FF0000"]even dropped in a catch and shoot three-pointer.[/COLOR] Rabb rebounded his area well and swatted away a couple of shots. He’s such an impressive long-term prospect because of his potential to be an impact player on both ends of the floor. [/SIZE]
Uh, Oh. If he has 3 pt range, it's over. Also, nice picture selection. Looks like he's not happy with Swaningan's choice
[SIZE=5][COLOR="#0000CD"]Ivan Rabb[/COLOR], PF – Earlier in the week Rabb said that his commitment to California felt like weight was lifted off his shoulder. On Friday, that appeared clear. Rabb had a strong showing and went for a double-double (14 pts, 12 rebounds). Offensively, he connected on a pair of left jump hooks, ran the floor looking for finishes and even dropped in a catch and shoot three-pointer. Rabb rebounded his area well and swatted away a couple of shots. He’s such an impressive long-term prospect because of his potential to be an impact player on both ends of the floor. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]...with his wingman providing safety coverage[/SIZE]
You post a lot of good stuff, and thanks for that -- but it makes me crazy that you never provide links! It's not that I really care about attribution, but most of the time I would like to read the whole article.
played the garden city men's club on a lovely spring day on the island...gcmc is a throwback in time with its no women's policy, rotary telephone in the locker room & bizarre dress code policy which requires gentlemen to wear jackets but not necessarily shirts or pants in the clubhouse...everybody walks, there are no evil golf carts for fat boyz, and i played in a little over 2 hours with the engaging hector on the bag...the course is set up as a proper links design with firm & fast fairways and it's in my usa top 30
as a result of the afternoon tee time, i missed the regional game of the jordan brand classic with davon dillard
it's a relatively short taxi ride from gcmc to the barclays center, a decadent 1 billion dollar facility in brooklyn...the difference between the barclays center & the moda center in portland is kinda like comparing pac bell ballpark to candlestick
unlike the nike hoop summit, the jordan brand classic was much better attended with much more funny & creative banter by the fans directed at the players
ivan rabb: 12 points along with 14 rebounds, young ivee played unselfishly (which is not really rewarded in these all star games) with greater physicality than last week's game...the thing that really caught my attention (which was 1st pointed out to me by richard midgley sitting next to me during the asu game at haas) was how well rabb defends without fouling...for all his talent, richard solomon never really developed that skill which resulted in constant foul trouble & disqualifications (and pointless pleading with the refs & pouting on the bench)...and the lack of rabb's fouling is not due to a lack of intensity, not at all...ivan's timing is exceptional for a big & he moves his feet well without reaching with his hands (a current jabari bird deficiency/needed area of improvement)
jaylen brown: dnp because of minor injuries...spoke to numerous credible sources, trust me, cal is still in the running for jaylen's signature
caleb swanigan: big sauce had only 4 points & like last game his low release point along with a lack of hops was neutralized by bigs with length...swanigan has got a little of ucla's tony parker in his current game, he will bully & dominate less physical players but will struggle vs elite talent...not gonna lie, caleb (like phil mickelson) has got man boobs & needs to make a serious commitment with the michigan state s&c program, no more donuts big sauce...let my man joe yaks enjoy them, joe knows donuts
katie vanilla ice looking for her azz...loved it when when the fake model was slapping the ball/crying (again) to the ref for a foul & my boy sammy singer dangled & handed her the ball while clapping in her face with a huge smile before jogging back to the cal bench for the timeout
24/7 candy azz soft whining/annoying trojan#
new candidate for the 2015 season: arizona's allonzo trier
so taylor & i are sitting on the floor at the moda center for the nike hoop summit watching trier jack up shots without even looking for his teammates...coming off a spectacular 6 of 20 shooting at the mcdonalds game, this guy is unwatchable with zero touches for young ivee, big sauce, etc.
finally in the 3rd quarter he jacks up another wild missed 3 pointer right in front of us & i yell (appreciate this is an all star game with minimal crowd noise) "do you ever pass the ball?" with my arms outstretched like kayne in the final seconds of the diamonds are forever video
my pal allonzo looks over at me (he's 5 feet away) & gives me the dead eyes death stare...guess what dumb azz?...shay & taylor give me that look every ******* time they leave a haute couture clothing store empty-handed
did i mention that trier ended up the game with another magnificent 4-14 shooting?...seriously, this guy is gonna shoot the wildcats out of games next season & get an already depressed sean miller munching on even more of them tasty glazed donuts with fuchsia sprinkles
and then trier makes a nasty anti-cal comment (which has since been modified by him) in response to rabb's commitment instead of congratulating his alleged friend
yeah, i'm kinda looking forward to welcoming allonzo trier to the pac 12...count on it
went over by the benches after the jordan brand game & allonzo trier (28 points with zero ball distribution/facilitation, guy is not multiple, he is a gunner without remorse) walks by so i give him a big alligator smile with direct eye contact & say "good game, allonzo, looking forward to seeing you in berkeley"...he looks at me & it slowly dawns on him that we met in portland and then he gives me that dead eyes death stare again
[video=youtube;_wDVF0Hlfj4][/video] the shockster is the sketchy looking dude with the cal golf cap on the bottom left hand corner of the video clapping on the floor of the biggest stage on earth, madison square garden after the bears epic victory vs the stunned hometown syracuse orangemen
just saw 3 card marvin in the lobby, guy has got a lot of game
i've noted numerous times in this cal's monster class thread that the upward trajectory of this season's california golden bears is limited by the lack of alpha males, an edginess, a **** *** attitude...the guy with the toughest mental mindset can't be the head coach (or some dumb azz fan), it's gotta be a fearless leader on the court
davon dillard is taking an official visit to cal this weekend along with fellow indianan big sauce & young ivee, he could be one of those alpha males
dillard is a late emerging 3 star 6'5" 205 lbs wing from our savior american school in new york but his mom kaliah baker (davon's dad died in 2005, check out his son's honorary tat in the foto above) is raising his 2 younger sisters & 1 younger brother back home in gary, indiana...his blue chip finalists include cal, creighton (scheduled to take an official visit), indiana, purdue & pittsburgh
davon is an aggressive, athletic wing that plays in a relentless basket attacking mode that also facilitates his teammates with creative passes & knocks down open 3 pointers...his physical style of play would bring a different & necessary element to the bears wings, he would complement (and push) jabari & jordan
the bears coaching staff has throughly checked out dillard after a bloody altercation with another player during his junior year...he's a good kid that would benefit from coach martin & coach webster's mentorship in becoming a man that takes care of his business in the right way...davon has a 3.0+ gpa & hopes to be a role model to his younger sisters & brother in becoming the 1st person in his family to graduate from college
like coach martin growing up in east st louis, davon grew up in tough circumstances with food stamps in gary
dillard's offer from the cal staff is actionable, he's a key priority for 2015 along with mcdonalds all americans swanigan & rabb
davon's other collegiate finalists all got miserable cold azz weather, he's gonna find out this weekend that cali isn't heavy jacket weather
cal family# 50 year decision#
the university of california, berkeley=#1 public (#3 overall) university in the world
"the visit was great...the campus and area are beautiful and the trip to cal has been everything i expected and more...it's a family here at cal...i want to be part of the legacy that's going to be built here...it was great visiting with oscar, ivan and caleb too...they're all good guys...i can't wait for next year...we're building a dream team here...cal is taking over next season" -davon dillard to jim mcgill (donors can never speak with recruits)
t-wall, feedback from scouts is that there are questions re: your shooting...not just your 60% free throw shooting last season but also the types of misses...pure shooters miss free throws short or long while many of your misses were either left or right...yeah stuff like that gets tracked in the brutally competitive & cruel billion dollar+ nba, it's a ******* jungle where any weakness can be fatal
the competition: each of the 3 participants will shoot 100 free throws with a rotation of 5 free throw at a time for each shooter to be completed for 20 cycles
the participants:
jabari bird, 76.5% free throws this season
jordan mathews, 78.6% free throws last season
tyrone wallace, 60.6% free throws last season
the organizer:
lucas cortez will record the results of each shot including a splatter sheet with the location of each miss whether it's short, long, left or right
check out young ivee's reaction in the background, i respect ivan more for this than any million points he scored in winning a california state championship in that absolutely unscripted moment he reveals his true heart
the stakes:
the loser of the 2015 shockster free throw competition must wear fuschia lipstick to lunch with his teammates
rihanna looks pretty damn good with fuschia lipstick
t-wall, not so much
but let's be real here, tyrone, neice & the young ones would be much more prouder of you if you walk across the stage in may of 2016 with a diploma from the university of california, berkeley
tyrone, nobody's putting any pressure on you, this is your decision...keep in mind that while basketball is gonna be done with you someday, nobody can ever take away a cal degree & the many doors in life that it can open for you
the university of california, berkeley=#1 ranked public (#3 overall) university in the world
who is the worst dressed student athlete in d1 college basketball?
that would be shonn miller (no relationship to the donut eating fatboy at arizona), an athletic 6'7" 210 lb two time 1st team all ivy leaguer
miller is a native of cold azz euclid, ohio & st ignatius high school...an strong student with a 3.4 gpa, shonn headed to equally cold azz ithaca, new york as a cornell big red bear (which makes absolutely no sense, bears are never ******* red)
2011: averaged 8.9 ppg & 6.1 rpg along with 1.7 blocks & 1.3 steals per game in being named the ivy league freshman of the year 2012: averaged 11.5 ppg & 6.8 rpg along with 1.9 blocks & 1.3 steals per game in being named to the all ivy league 1st team 2013: redshirted because of an offseason shoulder surgery 2014: averaged 16.8 ppg & 8.5 rpg along with 55 blocks & 38 steals in shooting 43.4% on fgs (but only 26.9% on 3 pointers) & a deadly 83.4% on free throws in again being named to the all ivan league 1st team
shonn devante miller is graduating from cornell's college of agriculture & life sciences...an ivy league rule does not allow graduate students to participate in intercollegiate athletics so miller must attend a new school when he graduates next month in may
the very bright son of shawn & stephanie miller is looking at a lot of strong basketball programs with mediocre graduate programs and/or cold azz weather including michigan, connecticut, illinois, boston college, etc.
only the #1 ranked (#3 overall) public university in the world offers everything that miller is seeking: a world class graduate degree coupled with playing on a potentially elite basketball team with a family atmosphere in the beautiful san francisco bay area & much needed fashion advice from my daughter taylor
shonn, berkeley isn't ever heavy jacket weather, it's sweater weather baby...aren't you tired of your freezing your azz off and/or nasty hot humid summers?
go ask dwight#
after meeting with coach martin & later being advised he would not be accepted at the cal grad school of his choice, congrats to shonn miller on his commitment to play his graduate senior season for coach ollie at connecticut
the targeted potential 2015 class is intended to forever change the trajectory of the cal basketball program, to compete at the highest levels of college basketball...these guys are elite immediate impact blue chippers, they are all truly diamonds
stephen domingo, #35 ranked player in the 2013 class, is already a california golden bear
davon dillard, top 100 player in the 2015 class, is a commit to the california golden bears
leo nikolayevich tolstoy, a late emerging 5 star euro recruit with an actionable offer from the cal staff...leo has got a 4.38 gpa & is considered a strong cal fit in that he is considered the considered the greatest writer ever in russian literature by rivals & scout, should be fully qualified & cleared by the ncca this spring...his significant production is tempered by his preference for making non violent resistance statements & questioning authority during time outs...lacks lateral mobility & is not a strong on ball defender primairly because he is dead...loves berkelely & is considered a strong cal lean by 24/7...jeff goodman is tweeting that tolstoy thinks "tucson is a dump"
tyson jolly, will be ranked as a top 100 player in the 2015 class per eric bossi to a cal staffer, now signed with the california golden bears
jaylen brown #1/#2 ranked player in the 2015 class
ivan rabb, #1 ranked (prior to a minor summertime injury) player in the 2015 class, now signed with the california golden bears
[SIZE=4][COLOR="#0000CD"]Ivan Rabb[/COLOR], one of the starters for the West All-Stars, showed why he is one of the elite players in 2015
Started by Rabb winning the opening tip
He logged a double-double (14 pts, 12 rebounds), but it was his complete game that was impressive
His points came on two monster slam, one of which was a game highlight where he catches a pass off the backboard and absolutely destroys the basket with a [FONT=Arial Black]MONSTER[/FONT] slam
He showed several low post moves including a sweet hook, an up and under, and he hit a top of the key 3 in rhythm
He passed the ball for some nice assists, including one where he received the ball at the arc, drove in to draw two defenders, and swung the ball to an open man who hit a 3 to beat the half time clock
He showed the highest hoops IQ of all the bigs, swatted two shots, grabbed rebounds in traffic, initiated the fast break to perfection, and was overall impressive in the team game
oh, and when the game was on the line in crunch time....youngivee grabs some big rebounds, played great defense to force bad shots, and scored in the block for the game winning margin[/SIZE]
a loud bear territory welcome to wyking jones, his wife estrella (grew up in berkeley, her sister is a professor at cal), his daughter zoe & son jameel on joining the cal basketball family
wyking comes from rick pitino's highly successful louisville program where he help coached the cards to 2 final four appearances & a national championship in 2013...prior to louisville king worked at new mexico & pepperdine and as a travel team manager for nike's elite youth basketball program...dude has serious game credibility having played international ball professionally for 6 years after graduating from loyala marymount with a degree in business management...his college career included a monster 39 points, 16 rebounds & 5 blocks explosion vs the usf dons
coach martin's hiring of the charismatic recruiter/noted big man skills developer reflects cal's growing commitment to an elite basketball program that will be competing at the highest levels on a national stage...jones made a base salary of $375k at louisville & cal donors like califortunate are working behind the scenes to make sure the progam has the necessary resources to continue moving forward on the current rapidly climbing upward trajectory
and yeah, wyking is kinda intimidating in this mcondalds commercial, sure hope he's not that eating that **** off camera, nicodemus would not approve of that, no not all [video=youtube;GpwGN1HYXuQ][/video]
a loud bear territory welcome to wyking jones, his wife estrella, his daughter zoe & son jameel on joining the cal basketball family
wyking comes from rick pitino's highly successful louisville program where he help coached the cards to 2 final four appearances & a national championship in 2013...prior to louisville king worked at new mexico & pepperdine and as a travel team manager for nike's elite youth basketball program...dude has serious game credibility having played international ball professionally for 6 years after graduating from loyala marymount with a degree in business management...his college career included a monster 39 points, 16 rebounds & 5 blocks explosion vs the usf dons
coach martin's hiring of the charismatic recruiter/noted big man skills developer reflects cal's growing commitment to an elite basketball program that will be competing at the highest levels on a national stage...jones made a base salary of $375k at louisville & cal donors like califortunate are working behind the scenes to make sure the progam has the necessary resources to continue moving forward on the current rapidly climbing upward trajectory
and yeah, wyking is kinda intimidating in this mcondalds commercial, sure hope he's not that eating that **** off camera, nicodemus would not approve of that, no not all [video=youtube;GpwGN1HYXuQ][/video]
cal family#
Is that really him in the commercial??? Did I miss that fact? I would say Coach is adding toughness to the program!!!! I want to watch practices.
[SIZE=4]Super athlete [COLOR="#0000CD"]Jaylen Brown[/COLOR] did not participate in the Jordan Brand Classic game due to being a little banged up from the prior All-Star games, but Jaylen did demonstrate his monster hops during the practices...[/SIZE]
[SIZE=5]what has mystery man been doing since signing day? appears to be some administrative hold up on the LOI, but Devon is all in, and quite busy...[/SIZE]
insightful breakdown of the usc stormin' the court scene at haas pavilion by mike vernon...check out the clip of coach webster doing the happy dance, he's a couple feet left of center court near the scorer's table...i gave coach a quick shoulder hug that nite (definitely did not dance with him, no that did not happen)
it's not particularly well known but coach webster's primary dream in life is to someday be a contestant on dancing with the stars & that back in the day (when he had more hair) he was the lead singer for earth, wind & fire
the happy dance#
casual followers of cal basketball like adam zagoria & jeff goodman are incorrectly noting that cal's current fantastic love train recruiting is due to coach martin & huf, that simply is not true
coach webster was the lead recruiter on davon dillard (grew up with davon's mom in illinois) & tyson jolly says "he (tracy) really cares about you"
cal basketball recruiting is a team sport, there's a spot for everyone on the love train, all you gotta do is buy season tix(s)
Is that really him in the commercial??? Did I miss that fact? I would say Coach is adding toughness to the program!!!! I want to watch practices.
89b, i dunno why not just get season tix(s)?
jeff goodman, a bastion of accurate unbiased reporting, is tweeting from dirtbags in tucson that rick pitino is very upset that his national championship program is losing their top assistant coach to "them tofu eating terrible smelling hippies in earthquake california"
huf is one of the top young assistants in the nation, a fearless & relentless recruiter & it's a top priority for those involved with the program that the salaries for cal's assistant coaches be adjusted upward to reflect current market value
eventually a mid major is gonna make an offer too good to refuse & huf will deservedly at that point get his opportunity as a head coach...that's why it's critical that the assistant director of basketball operations position, previously handled by tarrance crump (recently hired by jon harris as an assistant coach at siue), serve as a potential assistant coach grooming position with an aggressive young guy with upside
most people don't know this but huf is already the sax player for m83, he's multiple
huf is currently traveling to france to check out an international bears psa (prospective student athlete)...merci beaucoup, huf
brandon sampson is an explosively smooth 6'4" 170 lbs top 40 2015 guard from baton rouge's madison prep that is blowing up this summer on the aau circuit
a pac 12 coach told me that sampson could potentially be 2 & done & that he projects as a strong nba prospect
the biggest decision in this recruitment is whether or not he wants to play at lsu (which is 10 minutes from his house & a former hs teammate jarell martin plays for the tigers) or does he want to maybe get out of the south & experience something new & get a world class education?
pretty sure I know what snoop dogg's decision would be
brandon sampson signed today with the hometown lsu tigers
sampson was originally a st johns commit until steve lavin was fired, at that time he picked the johnnies over the bears in a very tight decision
brandon has always been a high risk/high reward recruit...his talent & upside as a top 40 player in the 2015 class is known to all & he's a good kid
but his under 3.00 gpa & failure to achieve a ncca qualifying score (as of a month ago) would have made him an academic red flag from day one from both an admissions & longterm eligibility standpoint in berkeley
if cal was an academically mediocre school like arizona, none of this would be an issue
good luck to brandon at lsu, it's the best decison for all parties (except maybe chris mullin)
