Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Quick Questions with Tarik Black

BW: What do you hope to accomplish next year?
TB: Everything possible. The sky is the limit for us.
BW: What do you think of John Calipari and his system? Would you still have went to Memphis if he was the coach?
TB: I respect him as a coach. He's done a lot of great things in his career, but I doubt it.

Interview with Quinn Cook

1. Quinn, you are uncommitted and wanted by many high major universities. What are your top colleges right now?

Kentucky, Kansas, UMD, Georgetown, Baylor, Florida St, North Carolina, Arizona, Washington and some more.


2. You're from Maryland is there any favoritism towards colleges near where you live?

No not really. I want to go where best for me.


3. What do you specifically like about each of the schools you are considering?

All of the coaches.

4. Do you see yourself as a one and done player in college? Would a school with a quit exit with players like Kentucky appeal to you?

I mean I will stay in college for how long i need. I want to be ready.


5. Is there a time table for your college decision?

There is no timetable for a decision.


6. You played for the Under 16 USA Basketball team last summer. How was the experience and who did you feel was the biggest competition in regards to different countries?

It was an honor playing with those guyts and representing your country.


7. Who was the leader of the Under 16 USA Basketball team and who were the normal starting 5?

James McAdoo, Adonis Thomas and I were named captains. I was the PG, Brad Beal was the 2, Adonis was the 3, James was the 4 and Johhny O'Bryant was the 5.


8. What do you feel you need to improve on in your game?

EVERYTHING


9. What player in the NBA do you compare yourself to and why?

Chris Paul


10. Who do you feel is the best player in the class of 2011? Who is the best point guard in your opinion?

Mike Gilchrist..and Tony Wroten or Marques Teague


11. Finally, what do you hope to accomplish this year? What are your goals that you want to accomplish before you head to college?

Win a National Championship

Lj Rose Recruiting Rundown

LJ Rose

Current list of Schools- Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor,Kansas,Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Florida, Memphis, Duke,Unc,Virgina,New Mexico,Arizona, Villanova

Any Favorites- I'm just keeping it open.

Are there any visits planned?- Not right now

Does a school like Kentucky intrest you more than a school that players usually stay four years at?- Not really they're all the same because if you can play people will find you no matter where you go.

Richard Peters( 2012 Sooners Recruit on Tommy Mason Griffin and Tiny Gallon leaving Early)

The program is going to be alot different without them they were suppose to come in and be the future leaders but if the decision they made to enter the draft best of luck to my fellow sooners and ill be watching them do good as i know they will.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

NCAA Tournament- Round 1 Recap

2010 NCAA Tournament

Round One (March 18):

(11) Old Dominion Monarchs VS. (6) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The first round started off great when the number 11 Old Dominion Monarchs upset the number 6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 51-50. Frank Hassell scored 15 points had 9 rebounds and 2 assists for Old Dominion, while Ben Hansbrough scored 17 points had 6 rebounds and 3 assists for the Irish but this was not enough to give them a victory.

(7) Brigham Young Cougars VS. (10) Florida Gators
The number 7 Brigham Young Cougars defeated the number 10 Florida Gators in a tight game that went into double over time but in the end Brigham Young came out on top 99-92. The Cougars had an outstanding performance by Jimmer Fredette who scored 37 points had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block he played great on both ends of the court and was much of the reason for the victory over the Gators.

(2) Villanova Wildcats VS. (15) Robert Morris Colonials
Another great game was the number 2 Villanova Wildcats against the number 15 Robert Morris Colonials this was a very exciting game as the Wildcats got a big scare by the Colonials. This game went into overtime as Robert Morris were playing a great game and the Wildcats played very poor but the Wildcats prevailed in the end of the first overtime 73-70. The Colonials deserve much credit as they played a great game against the Wildcats but in the end it just was not enough to make it to the second round.

(13) Murray State Racers VS. (4) Vanderbilt Commodores
Another great game came when the number 13 Murray State Racers defeated the number 4 Vanderbilt Commodores 66-65. The game ended on a buzzer beater by Danero Thomas, he was third option in the play set up by head coach Billy Kennedy, they wanted to get the ball to Isacc Miles who is the star of this team. He had scored 17 points but Thomas became the hero when he hit the 15-footer at the buzzer to win the game.

(10) Saint Mary's Gaels VS. (7) Richmond Spiders
The number 10 Saint Mary's Gaels upset the number 7 Richmond Spiders 80-71. The star for Saint Mary's was Omar Samhan; Omar had 29 points and 12 rebounds he was very successful against the Spiders even though he fell into foul trouble.

(11) Washington Huskies VS. (6) Marquette Golden Eagles
Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas lead the number 11 Washington Huskies to victory over Lazar Hayward and Darius Johnson-Odom with the number 6 Marquette Golden Eagles. This was a great game with a lot of athletic and talented players but four stand out Tomas scored 19 points he had 3 rebounds, 8 assists, and a steal for the Huskies his teammate Quincy Pondexter also had a great game scoring 18 points he had 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in this upset over the Golden Eagles. Although Marquette lost in the first round they have talented players who had great games. Hayward scored 20 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and a block his teammate Darius Johnson-Odom also performed well scoring 19 points,3 rebounds, and 5 assists but even though these two players had great games it was not enough to beat Washington.

(3) Georgetown Hoyas VS. (14) Ohio Bobcats
This game was exciting but at the same time it was very disappointing, the number 3 Hoyas were defeated by the number 14 Bobcats. This outcome should not be so surprising as the Bobcats have many athletic and talented players including Armon Bassett and D.J. Cooper who are a great duo.They scored a combined 55 points in this 97-83 victory for the Bobcats. Together they also had 6 rebounds, 11 assists, and 3 steals as the Hoyas were not able to deal with these two on either side of the court. This was one of the bigger upsets in the tournament even though from this game you can see the Bobcats had a very talented team.

(8) Texas Longhorns VS. (9) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
These two teams were closely ranked as they should have been because they played an extremely close game that went to overtime where the number 9 Demon Deacons beat the number 8 Texas Longhorns. Ishmael Smith won the game for Wake Forest when he shot a 17-footer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime which lead to the defeat of the Texas Longhorns. Smith scored 19 points, he had 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Jordan Hamilton for the Longhorns could not lead his team to victory but he had a great game scoring 19 points, getting 6 rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

(8) UNLV Rebels VS. (9) Northern Iowa Panthers
This like the Texas vs. Wake Forest game was closely ranked and it turned out a very close game as the number 9 Panthers beat the number 8 Rebels. The Panthers won the game 69-66. With 4.9 seconds left on the clock the game was tied and the ball was in the hands of the Panthers star player Ali Farokhmanesh, he found himself wide open from behind the arch and he took the shot and it fell giving the Panthers a three point lead which they were able to keep for the next couple of seconds. Ali had a great game scoring 17 points; he also had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

The first day of the 2010 NCAA tournament was filled with crazy games from big upsets to buzzer beaters and decisive shots with little time left. The other games that took place on March 18 were not insignificant but they had less of an effect as these 9 games did but they were still great games. Number 3 Baylor knocked off the number 14 Sam Houston State 68-59. The number 2 Kansas State defeated the number 15 North Texas 82-62. The number 5 Butler beat the number 12 UTEP 77-59. The number 1 Kentucky dominated the number 16 East Tennessee State 100-71. The number 1 Kansas rolled on past the number 16 Lehigh 90-74. The number 6 Tennessee just barely beat the number 11 San Diego State 62-59. Finally the number 3 New Mexico beat the number 14 Montana in a close game 62-57.

Round one (March 19):

(5) Temple Owls VS. (12) Cornell Big Red
In this match up the number 12 Cornell were able to defeat the number 5 Temple by a margin of 13; the score was 78-65. From this result people could say this is an upset or that these teams’ rankings are not so good, Cornell’s performance in this tournament shows that they should have been ranked a little bit higher then they were. This was a big win for Cornell as it brought them to the second round and it was the first win in the tournament by an Ivy League school since 1998. Louis Dale was the hero for the Big Red scoring 21 points, and getting a rebound, 7 assists, and a steal.

(7) Clemson Tigers VS. (10) Missouri Tigers
This was another great game of the first round as the number 10 Missouri upset the number 7 Clemson 86-78. Both Kim English and teammate Keith Ramsey scored 20 points. But the reason why Missouri won was mainly due to the great defense, they are quick and smart on defense and they were able to force 20 turnovers. The player who shined most for Clemson was Demontez Stitt who scored 21 points; he had 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, but it was not enough as the Clemson Tigers were defeated in the first round by the Missouri Tigers.

(5) Michigan State Spartans VS. (12) New Mexico State Aggies
This was a great game that had a tight ending but the upset did not happen. In the end the number 5 Spartans were able to fight off the number 12 Aggies by a score of 70-67. Kalin Lucas played a great game he showed how important he is to this team by scoring 25 points, getting 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal as he lead the Spartans into the second round in this very close game.

(7) Oklahoma State Cowboys VS. (10) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The number 10 Yellow Jackets were able to stun the number 7 Cowboys in a 64-59 victory. Derrick Favors had a good night for the Yellow Jackets he scored 12 points, had 9 rebounds, and a block. Keiton Page had a good game for the Cowboys he scored 13 points, 4 assists, and a block in the loss to the Yellow Jackets.

These were the more significant games on March 19.The less significant are listed. The other games were number 2 West Virginia beat number 15 Morgan State 77-50. Number 8 Gonzaga beat number 9 Florida State 67-60. Number 6 Xavier beat number 11 Minnesota 65-54. Number 3 Pittsburgh beat number 14 Oakland 89-66. Number 4 Wisconsin beat number 13 Wofford 53-49. Number 5 Texas A&M beat number 12 Utah State 69-53. Number 1 Duke beat number 16 AR-Pine Bluff 73-44. Number 1 Syracuse beat number 16 Vermont 79- 56. Number 8 California beat number 9 Louisville 77-62. Number 2 Ohio State beat number 15 UC Santa Barbara 68-51. Number 4 Maryland beat number 13 Houston 89-77. And Number 4 Purdue survived the first round without Hummel as they beat the Saints 72-64.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Interview with Royce Woolridge- Class of 2010. Commited to Kansas

1. So Royce you are committed to play next year at Kansas. What factors went into your decision?

Well I have family there that always tells me how great it is there plus I love the atmosphere at KU plus that's where basketball started and it has great history.

2. With Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, and maybe Xavier Henry leaving to the NBA, how do you except to play next year as a team?

I feel as if the team will still be good. Maybe not a number one seed but definitely a team that will compete and be a force to be reckoned with.

3. What is your goals individually next year?

My goals are to go out there and play as hard as I can in order to help the team as much as I can.

4. Who do you think is the best player in the class of 2010 and who do you think will have the most impact next year in college?

Harrison Barnes is really good and he will have a big impact next year at UNC.

5. What do you feel you have to improve before you head to Kansas?

I need to improve on my defense and getting stronger.

6. What's your best aspect in your game?

I think my versatility is the best aspect of my game.

7. If somehow Coach Self wasn't the coach anymore for Kansas would you stick with your commitment to Kansas or what other colleges would be the front runners?

Even if Coach Self wasn't the coach I would still stick with my decision to go to Kansas.

8. What player in the NBA do you compare yourself to and why? Is the NBA a path you would like to take or would you rather pursue a different career?
I don't know who I would compare myself to but I would love to eventually play in the NBA but if not I'm getting my degree in buisness where I'll start my own buisness.

9. Finally, what do you expect to accomplish as a team and individually next year at Kansas?

Next year I want the the team to make another run for the national championship and individually I want to help as much as I can to make that happen.

Sheldon McClellan- Texas Recruit

1. So you verbally committed to play at Texas, what factors went into that decision?

I just wanted to go to a college that has good academics and that has a great basketball organization and Texas has that. I also wanted to stay in Texas.

2. You accepted the invite to go to training camp for the Under 18 USA National Team, how big of an honor was that and what do you expect to do with them this summer?

It's a great honor to be chosen for the USA team and play with the top players. I expect to get better and have fun and just win games.

3. What basketball camps and events do you have planned for this summer?

I'm going to play for Houston Select for AAU and travel the whole summer. I don't know what camps I'm going to attend yet but I have a lot to go to.

4. Who do you think is the best player in the class of 2011?

I don't really know who the best player in our class because there are so many great players but no matter who I'm playing against I'm going to go at them no matter what they are ranked or how much people talk about them.

5. What do you feel you have to improve this summer to be cemented to the upper echelon of your class?

I just have to get stronger. I'm already a complete player.

6. What players in your class are you trying to bring with you to Texas?

I'm really not trying to get anybody to Texas because I think we are going to be good with the players we already have that have. It is their choice of where they want to go.

7. What player in the NBA do you compare yourself to and why? Is the NBA a path you would like to take or would you rather pursue a different career?

I compare myself to Penny Hardaway because he could do everything. Yes I am trying to make it to the nba.

8. Who is the best player you have ever played against? Why was this player so hard to guard or score against?

The best player I have ever played against was Kevin Durant because he can shoot dribble and post up. He has a long wingspan so it was hard for me to score.

9. What is your strongest characteristic in you being a great player?

I shoot and handle the ball very well and I am very quick. You never know what I am going to do offensively

10. If somehow Rick Barnes wasn't the coach anymore for Texas would you stick with your commitment to Texas or what other colleges would be the front runners?

I would most likely look into other colleges but hold my committment.

11. Finally, what do you hope to accomplish this year? What are your goals that you want to accomplish before you head to Texas?

I just want to win a state ring before I leave high school and this is my last year to do it.I also want to set records for different things next year which I will do and already have done.

Thank you for your time Sheldon and good luck with your future.