Raphielle Johnson

LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON: BRACKETBUSTER PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED

Long Beach State, Saint Mary’s among marquee match-ups

By Raphielle Johnson

Monday was a big day for the sixteen conferences involved in the selection process for the Sears BracketBusters event, as these match-ups (February 17th-19th) are a final chance for teams to pick up a resume-building non-conference win. Long Beach State, who played an absolutely brutal non-conference schedule, will play at Creighton in one of the marquee games of the event. Dan Monson’s 49ers are undefeated in Big West play, and led by point guard Casper Ware and forward T.J. Robinson they’re more than capable of winning in what will be a tough environment in Omaha.

Two WAC teams, Nevada and New Mexico State, also earned televised match-ups with the Wolf Pack heading east to take on Iona and the Aggies hosting Drake. The Wolf Pack could certainly use the boost that would come with a win in New Rochelle as the best win on their resume at this point would likely be their win over Washington. Nevada’s won 14 of their 18 games against teams ranked 101st or worse in the NCAA’s RPI and Iona has won 13 such games (with two losses). The individual matchup between Deonte Burton and Scott Machado will be one of the must-see events of the weekend, but given the talent on both sides of the battle there will be a lot more to watch than just those two.
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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON: 49ERS ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS BIG WEST’S BEST

By Raphielle Johnson

For the second straight season, many college basketball fans on the west coast were looking forward to the first meeting of the season between Big West heavyweights Long Beach State and UCSB, widely regarded as the two best teams in the conference. But while the venue changed (the first meeting last year was in Long Beach) the result remained the same, as the 49ers dominated to the tune of a 71-48 whipping at the Thunderdome.

Casper Ware, who was named Big West Player of the Week for the third time this season, scored 14 points and dished out five assists but his most important work came on the defensive end of the floor. James Nunnally, who averages 15.4 points per game on the season, was limited to just five by the senior from Staten Island. Dan Monson’s team is versatile and possesses a number of options, from Ware and Larry Anderson to James Ennis and T.J. Robinson inside, which made for a difficult matchup for Nunnally, Orlando Johnson and the Gauchos.

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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Can Ducks build on historic weekend?

By Raphielle Johnson

With Pac-12 teams being so bad on the road in conference play heading into last weekend, few would have expected Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks to leave the Grand Canyon State with a pair of wins. But the Ducks have been the exception to the “rule” thus far, as they’re 3-1 in conference road games following their second road sweep of the Arizona schools in 34 years (2006-07 the first). At 13-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play the Ducks are just a game out of first place heading into their three-game home stand, and these are all winnable games for a team that’s won three of its last four games.

A key figure in Oregon’s play of late has been Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph, who played all 40 minutes and scored 13 points in their win at Arizona. Joseph give Oregon a dynamic player on the perimeter who can makes plays and score, as seen in his 30-point outburst in the 78-67 win at Stanford on January 5th. He’s averaging a team-best 14.9 points per game, but guards E.J. Singler and Garrett Sim are also averaging double figures.

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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

UNLV “starts” league play with an addition

By Raphielle Johnson

The Mountain West finally gets its conference slate going on Saturday, with the league schedule down to 14 games thanks to conference realignment. Boise State will be making their first run through the conference, and they won’t be around very long either with their pending move to the WAC (football joins the Big East). But the first shot “fired” won’t even have an impact on the court until the end of the fall semester next year, as former Pitt Panther Khem Birch announced that he’s transferring to UNLV.

Birch will be able to practice as soon as he’s enrolled in school, which should provide a boost in practice for the likes of Brice Massamba, Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez not to mention Mike Moser. Birch didn’t have the impact fans in the Steel City were hoping for before ultimately leaving, but he did show glimpses of the talent that made him a McDonald’s All-American as a senior at Notre Dame Prep.

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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Could Tony Wroten be the Pac-12′s best player?

By Raphielle Johnson

To say the least it hasn’t been the best of seasons for either the Pac-12 Conference, as the league struggled to pick up credible non-conference victories in November and December. Those issues led many to believe that the conference could struggle to earn three NCAA Tournament bids, which would be another blow in the steady decline of this proud league. There have been personnel issues for many teams, primarily in a freshman recruiting class that hasn’t panned out as expected thus far.

But a freshman could very well be the conference’s best player, something few expected to see happen just a couple of weeks ago. Washington guard Tony Wroten is one of the most explosive players at his position, but harnessing that skill has been an issue at times for the Seattle native. Some his exploits came at the expense of the team, with the Huskies boasting a less than stellar 5-5 record in mid-December. But in the Huskies’ current three-game win streak Wroten has been the catalyst, and it’s safe to say that Washington needs him to be if they’re to return to the NCAA Tournament.

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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Conference play begins across the country

By Raphielle Johnson

The final week of 2011 brings about the schedule shift to conference play for many leagues throughout the country, including some on the west coast. The much-maligned Pac-12 gets to beat up on each other after taking a severe beating outside of the league, and the race for the title could rank among the wildest in the country. How does one differentiate between the teams at this stage? Outside of Arizona State, Colorado, USC and Utah it seems as if everyone’s in play, and with the meager resumes it may take 12 league wins to earn an at-large bid.

But who’s capable of winning 12 games? A question that would have been asked in jest before the season began is a harsh reality for a conference that’s taken a number of personnel hits in addition to tough losses to this point in the season. California had a great chance to boost the Pac-12′s profile just a couple of days before Christmas, only to get beat like they stole something at UNLV. Arizona’s got the best RPI as they sit at 53rd in the latest rankings (realtimerpi.com). Cal is second at 65th, and just five of the Pac-12 schools rank in the Top 100 of the RPI. That’s not good.
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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Sun Belt contender calls Denver home

By Raphielle Johnson

They don’t play their conference ball in a western-based league, which could be a reason why they’re ignored. But don’t be fooled: Joe Scott’s Denver Pioneers have more than a puncher’s chance of making their first NCAA Tournament appearance. In fact, along with Middle Tennessee (and maybe Florida Atlantic) the Pioneers are the early favorites as Sun Belt play appears on the horizon. Denver’s off to a 9-2 start, most recently beating Wyoming 57-46 on Monday night, and they’ve got some nice pieces in place as well.

The two players with which to start are senior guard Brian Stafford (14.7 ppg, 52.4% FG) and sophomore forward Chris Udofia (13.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg), with the latter being one of the most versatile players in the Sun Belt. In addition to his scoring and rebounding averages Udofia also averages 3.3 assists and 2.8 blocks, and his athleticism has provided many a highlight at Magness Arena. Stafford’s their best shooter as he’s made 50% of his shots from beyond the arc, and according to Ken Pomeroy’s numbers (subscription required) he’s got the best offensive rating of Sun Belt players involved in at least 20% of their team’s possessions.

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LEFT COAST LAYUPS WITH RAPHIELLE JOHNSON

Nelson’s dismissal sparking too much optimism?

By Raphielle Johnson

To say the least it’s be a rough first month of the season for both the Pac-12 and UCLA, with the league suffering a number of bad non-conference losses and the Bruins dealing with self-inflicted turmoil. The most recent issue was Ben Howland finally cutting the cord on the “Reeves Nelson Experience” just over a week ago. It took a number of transgressions for Nelson to find himself off the team, and now that it’s happened some would have you believe that the Bruins are now ready for lift-off.

But that’s not the case for a 3-5 team that has struggled mightily on the defensive end of the floor. UCLA has allowed their opponents to shoot 48.3% from the field, a number that ranks 330th nationally and 10th in the Pac-12. For those of us used to watching Howland-coached teams back to his days at Pittsburgh this is a stunning number. A field-goal percentage defense of 48.3% isn’t a product of one guy not “buying in” but rather a team effort (or lack thereof) that has to improve.

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NBE PODCAST: PREVIEWING VA TECH/SYRACUSE MATCH-UP

ESPN’s ‘Feast Week’ kicks it into another gear tonight when the Dick’s Sporting Goods Preseason NIT Tip-off hits Madison Square Garden for the semifinals this evening. Up first in the two-game doubleheader from the World’s Most Famous Arena is Stanford and Oklahoma State at 7 PM and the nightcap will feature former BIG EAST rivals, and soon to be ACC rivals, Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

Both the Orange and Hokies are off to dominating starts. Syracuse is 4-0 and overwhelming their opponents by an average score of 89.8 to 57.5 a game.

Through the first four games James Southerland and Dion Waiters lead SU in scoring at 13.8 points a game. The Orange have 10 players averaging at least 12 minutes and four points a game.

Some have questiones if the Orange have a true ‘go-to’ player, a notion coach Jim Boeheim scoffs at pointing to the team’s tremendous depth as reason a designated go-to player is not needed. In the last two games the SU bench has outscored their counterparts from Albany and Colgate 109-20.

Virginia Tech has been led by Dorenzo Hudson’s 19.3 points a game in their 3-0 start, which has included wins over ETSU, Monmouth and FIU. Freshman Dorian FInney-Smith leads the team in rebounding (11/game) and assists (4.3) in getting his college career off to a strong start.

In today’s NBE Podcast below, NBE’s Raphielle Johnson welcomes Matthew Worner to the show to preview tonight’s game and talk VA Tech sports with a big weekend ahead for Hokie sports teams. Matthew is the Virginia Tech blogger for SCACCHoops.com and we appreciate him taking the time this morning…

Orange fans, get your 2011-2012 season tickets below:

PODCAST: SOMETHING ‘BRUIN’ AT UCLA…AND IT’S NOT GOOD

The UCLA Bruins under head coach Ben Howland bounced back from the disappointing 14-18 season in 2009-2010 by making the NCAA Tournament. Still, an 11-loss season and only advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament is never viewed as ‘good enough’ by UCLA standards. Nobody knows more about that than current St. John’s head coach Steve Lavin. However on the strength of three consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances from 2006-2008 Howland has built up some additional lives to keep the wolves after his job from nipping too much at his heels. If that is going to stay true much longer a quick turnaround in fortunes for the 2011-2012 UCLA team is in order.

After falling in their season opener to Loyola Marymount, 69-58, UCLA was hammered by Middle Tennessee State 86-66 before just 4,758 fans at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, their temporary home while Pauley Pavilion undergoes renovations. A myriad of personnel issues have hampered the club the last few years. The entertaining Jon Gold of the LA Daily News joins Raphielle Johnson on this evening’s podcast to try and get to the bottom of what exactly is wrong at UCLA.

Check out the podcast below for some very interesting discussion on UCLA Bruin basketball…

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NATIONAL PREP SHOWCASE PREVIEW PODCAST

This weekend prep basketball takes it up a notch when some of the top talent in the country will come together for the National Prep Showcase taking place at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven (CT). NBE will be on hand from start to finish with National Recruiting Analyst Brian Bosworth providing his coverage from the event.

Top teams such as Brewster Academy, Tilton School, South Kent School, Notre Dame Prep, Hargrave Military Academy, New Hampton Prep, La Lumiere, Northfield Mount Hermon, Bridgton Academy, Maine Central Institute, St. Thomas More and many others will take part. With those talented teams comes talented players like Mitch McGary, Nerlens Noel, Chris Thomas, Ricardo Ledo, Wayne Seldon, TJ Warren, JaKarr Sampson, Noah Vonleh and the list goes on and one.

Earlier today, Brian Bosworth joined Rahielle Johnson for a preview podcast of this weekend’s event and you can catch their discussion below…

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RAPHIELLE JOHNSON AND SAM HOSEY TALK MICHIGAN STATE HOOPS

Tom Izzo is never one to shy away from a challenge for his Michigan State men’s basketball team. The Spartans opened the season last Friday on Veteran’s Day playing on an aircraft carrier against No. 1 ranked North Carolina, falling 67-55. This evening they head to Madison Square Garden to play No. 6 Duke in a contest where Mike Krzyzewski takes his first crack at surpassing his coach and mentor Bob Knight atop the NCAA Division I men’s all-time winningest head coaching list. The game is the opening contest in the State Farm Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden which is televised as part of ESPN’s 24-hour college hoops Tip-off Marathon. The nightcap from the Garden will feature Kansas and Kentucky.

To prepare readers for the game,. NBE’s Raphielle Johnson had LifeInLansing.com’s Sam Hosey take part in a podcast to learn more about Michigan State heading into the game. Sam Hosey is part of Spartan Huddle and Spartan Fasbreak at LifeInLansing.com and offers up great analysis on Michigan State basketball.

Check out the podcast below…

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RANDOM BIG EAST REALIGNMENT RAMBLINGS

By Raphielle Johnson

Wednesday was a big day for the Big East Conference with Men’s Basketball Media Day being held at the New York Athletic Club with Madison Square Garden still being renovated. Of course the topic du jour had little to do with the upcoming action on the courts around the league but rather what the next step will be for a conference hit hard by realignment. Tuesday’s teleconference with commissioner John Marinatto, which was supposed to clear up matters and leave this stage to the players and coaches, did little in that regard.

Media from around the country wanted to hear directly from the coaches how the lack of stability is affecting them from a recruiting standpoint as well as what options may be available to them in the near future. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey essentially said that regardless of what may happen (Big East expansion to 12 football-playing members or a Big 12 expansion that includes current Big East members) the Irish will be alright, which is to be expected of a school with such a storied football program.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino minced no words on the subject, saying that while he couldn’t imagine the Big East without charter member Syracuse he could imagine the conference without Pittsburgh. And then came the unfortunate analogy that sparked numerous “pot meet kettle” reactions given the coach’s own issue a couple summers ago.
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VILLANOVA FINDS MANY POSITIVES WITH EUROPEAN TRIP

By Raphielle Johnson

Once every four years the NCAA allows college basketball teams to take a summer trip out of the country. In addition to the on-court benefits of playing against unfamiliar competition and extra practice time, teams are able to bond while experiencing things they don’t get a chance to during the season. Such was the case for the Villanova Wildcats, who just returned to the country after a nine-day trip to Paris and Amsterdam.

There were games to be played and sights to be seen and the hope for an overseas trip, especially with younger players, is that the maturation process for the next season will begin. Villanova has just one senior on its 2011-12 roster, Dallas Ouano, meaning that the junior class will have to step up if the Wildcats are to have a successful campaign. Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns and Mouphtaou Yarou immediately stick out, and they all took away valuable lessons from the experience.

“A lot of the guys going into their junior year see that there’s basically no senior class,” said associate head coach Billy Lange. “They’re all taking steps to become better leaders.”
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2011 DESERT DUEL MEMORIAL FINAL DAY RECAP: NJ PLAYAZ STORM BACK FOR TITLE

By Raphielle Johnson

The only thing better than the two best teams in an event playing in the title game is those teams putting forth a game for the ages. And that’s exactly what happened when the Mac Irvin Fire and New Jersey Playaz 17U teams met in Tuesday’s title game at the Desert Duel Memorial. Despite trailing by as many as 26 points early in the second half the Playaz found a way back, ultimately winning the game in overtime by the final score of 70-62.

Things most certainly didn’t look good for the Playaz at the start as Mac Irvin jumped them out of the gate thanks to the combination of solid offensive execution and the Playaz’s inability to make shots. The squad from Chicago had everything rolling, especially 2013 stud Jabari Parker who hit just about any shot imaginable in the first twenty minutes.

Steve Taylor (2012) was able to slash to the basket, DePaul commit Billy Garrett Jr. (2013) and Derrick Randolph (2012) made plays in the backcourt and Aaric Armstead (2012) was also a factor. A dunk just before the halftime buzzer made the score 43-20, and a Parker three in the first minute of the second half pushed the lead out to 26. To say the least things did not look good for the Playaz was an understatement.

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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 4 NOTEBOOK: WILD, WILD WEST IN VEGAS

By Raphielle Johnson

By the end of the last college basketball season it was best to simply expect the unexpected. The same could be said for this weekend in Las Vegas, which has produced an unexpected champion in the Kansas City 76ers. The 76ers won the Las Vegas Fab 48 by beating Team Breakdown (Florida) in Monday night’s title game.

While the stands weren’t filled to brim as they were last summer (Oakland Soldiers tend to bring out the crowds), there were a few college programs represented in the coaches area with 2013 wing Ishmail Wainright the primary focus.

Ben Howland (UCLA) and Steve Lavin (St. John’s) were both there to watch Wainwright, who considers Earl Watson (who has connections to both as he played at UCLA under Lavin) to be an older brother and mentor. Other programs represented include Western Illinois, George Mason, Kansas, Missouri, UC Irvine, South Florida, Cal Poly, Nebraska, UM-KC and Creighton.

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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 3 NOTEBOOK: UPSETS & CLOSE CALLS DEFINE SUNDAY’S ACTION

By Raphielle Johnson

On paper Sunday’s slate of games in both the adidas Super 64 and Las Vegas Fab 48 looked to be locks for the top teams. But many learned (once again) first-hand that games are played on the floor and not on some poster-sized sheet of paper in a gym lobby. The list of victims included the Oakland Soldiers, who dropped their first round playoff game to a Branch West Elite team that looked highly impressive in the first half against Play Hard Play Smart in the nightcap.

Also bounced from the Fab 48 were TP Elite and Team Loaded, both of whom fell victim to the Wisconsin Swing. Zak Showalter (2012) out of Germantown (WI), who scored 29 points in their 90-75 win over Team Loaded, can do a number of things on the floor from his guard position. He caught fire from deep but didn’t simply settle for those shots, also driving to the basket and setting up teammates for good looks as well. Ironically Showalter stated after the game that he’s working on becoming a better perimeter shooter, although he was referring to consistency as opposed to simply making the shot.

That matchup also featured a pair of excellent prospects in NC State commit Tyler Lewis (2012) and Andrew White (2012), who has many top programs after his services. When the ball was in Lewis’s hands things seemed to run smoother for Team Loaded, although the way in which Wisconsin Swing executed offensively it may have taken 100 points for Team Loaded to win the game.
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LAS VEGAS AAU DAY 2 NOTEBOOK: TOP MATCHUPS CONTINUE

Khan/Judah not the only prize fight in town

By Raphielle Johnson

While boxing fans enjoyed the battle between Amir Khan and Zab Judah over at Mandalay Bay, two of the top AAU teams on the West Coast did battle at Bishop Gorman in the Las Vegas Fab 48. Led by the interior tandem of 2012 Brandon Ashley and 2013 Aaron Gordon, the Oakland Soldiers withstood a late rally to beat Belmont Shore 85-80. Both showed off their vast array of skills, especially Gordon with a few thunderous dunks.

The game was also valuable to see what Belmont Shore big men Zena Edsomwan and Grant Jerrett could do against two of the best prep players regardless of class. Edsomwan isn’t the kind of player who’s going to dominate the basketball but rather do the little things on both ends of the floor needed to win. Jerrett had his moments as well but it proved to be a tale of two halves for the Arizona commit.

In the backcourt the battle was just as intense, with the likes of Dominic Artis and Jabari Bird taking on Ikenna Ireogbu and Katin Reinhardt for Belmont Shore. With regards to dribbling skills, Artis may not have an equal in the 2012 class (Kris Dunn is another to consider). Bird can do just about everything on the floor, and while the 2013 prospect needs to continue to improve as a shooter he’s shown the ability to knock down open shots.
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2011 NIKE EYBL PEACH JAM PREVIEW

Can Team Takeover DC unblemished and claim second EYBL title?

By Raphielle Johnson

Tuesday brings about what many consider to be the crown jewel of the first open period in July, with the 24 best teams in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League converging on North Augusta, SC for the Nike Peach Jam. While some of the top players in the 2012 class aren’t on teams in this event there will be no shortage of talent at the Peach Jam this week.

Where to start? How about with the lone remaining undefeated team in EYBL, Team Takeover. And this program is no stranger to success in this league as they won the inaugural EYBL last year, knocking off the Bradley Beal-led St. Louis Eagles in the title game. Who leads the way this time around for Team Takeover? None other than a trio of players from traditional WCAC power DeMatha Catholic.

Point guard James Robinson (2012) and interior players Jerami Grant (2012) and Beejay Anya (2013) are all players who have earned high-major offers and attention, but these three high school teammates aren’t the only weapons. Arnaud Adala Moto (2012) and Towson verbal Barrington Alston (2012) are two other players who have been instrumental in Takeover’s 15-0 record in pool play. To say the least head coach Keith Stevens has a team more than capable of repeating as EYBL champions. But they won’t lack for challengers either.

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PANGOS CAMP – DAY THREE RECAP

By Raphielle Johnson

The final day of the Pangos All-American Camp gave some of the best campers the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a focused audience, as the Top 25 and Top 50 Cream of the Crop games were held at Cal-State Dominguez Hills. And there were players who took full advantage of the chance, most notably 2013 guard Stephen Domingo (San Francisco, CA). Domingo went off for 30 points, making 11 of 18 shots from the field (5-for-7 3PT) in leading the Blue team to an 88-84 victory in the Top 50 game.

Simply put Domingo can light it up, thanks to a very good perimeter shot while also being able to work his way to the basket. The rising junior also grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots and was named MVP of the game. Also playing well for the winners was the versatile Nigel Williams-Goss, who contributed across the stat sheet with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and a blocked shot.

For the Red team 2012 forward Akoy Agau (Omaha, NE) led four players in double figures with 13 points in addition to six rebounds and a blocked shot. Agau was active on both ends of the floor, as he was the entire weekend. Another player who played well for the Red was 2012 guard Eddie Alcantara (Chicago, IL), who finished with 10 points and three rebounds.

Alcantara, who has heard from DePaul, Georgia Tech, La Salle, Oklahoma, Tennessee and UCLA, plays almost like a power guard (he described his game as “energetic and exciting”) in that he constantly attacks on the offensive end of the floor. He’s looking to improve upon his ball-handling, perimeter shot and decision-making just to name three areas he discussed following the game.
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