This is a post about Terrence Ross, Toronto rookie, not Ross, the Washington Husky. The photo with this post was chosen for a reason, though, because it brings back a vivid memory of when I talked to his college coach, Lorenzo Romar, over the phone 14 months ago and asked him who he’d compare him to. I’d seen Ross play a little in high school and knew he was athletic, but Romar sang his praises: “More like a J.R. Smith. A guy who is extremely athletic but who can shoot the basketball with discipline.” Read More »

If you host it, they will dunk. That’s how I imagine the thinking behind FIBA’s 3-on-3 world tour this summer, where a dunk contest has followed each stop’s tournament. Even though 3-on-3 hoops with high-level players leads to about as many alley-oops as a dunk contest itself, the actual competitions have been more than just a sideshow. Add Madrid’s duel between Polish compatriots Raphael Lipinski and Emil Olszewski to that opinion. Olszewski took the victory, though Lipinski, in my opinion, had the best dunk of the whole competition. Read More »

UNC-Charlotte’s Charlie Coley III turned out The Palace at Auburn Hills in last night’s NCAA dunk contest. I used to call this “The Fred Jones” after Fred tried it in the ’04 NBA contest; then I saw Chandler Parsons try it at the Jordan Brand H.S. All-American contest; and J.R. Smith did it over All-Star break. Now I’m calling it “The Charlie Coley.”