*College basketball is here (unlike the NBA), and this year might be one of the best in recent memory. The powerhouse is back, while the Cinderellas believe. That’s a deadly combination. We know some of y’all have been asking for some previews. We have you covered – the top 16 teams in the nation will be previewed individually in the next few weeks. After we broke down a Xavier and ‘Zona yesterday, we’ll keep this going with No. 14-ranked Wisconsin (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).*Read More »
While everyone talks about the summer leagues on either coast, don’t sleep on the Midwest when it comes to offseason hoops. Case in point: Jacob Pullen showin’ out at the Time 2 Shine Basketball League at South Suburban College in South Holland, Ill. The following highlights are from the Final Four, where NBA veteran Bobby Simmons and his squad defended their championship.
So The ESPY’s may not be an all-hoops award show, but outside of the U.S. Ladies and their overseas patriot smorgasbord, the ballers stole the show. It started off solid with SNL’s Seth Meyers making us laugh while making every athlete in the room sweat. Our favorite: Meyers mentioning that the Heat’s Big Three was a reference to how many quarters they play in big games. Sick. Burn. Dude. Or the one when Meyers said Kim K is only marrying a Net because she was sick of dating pro athletes. Wow. Read More »
Besides the big names, there were two players I was actively cheering for last night: Isaiah Thomas and Xavier Silas. And the reason being is that most people assumed they were going to go undrafted. Thankfully, Zeke was picked by the Kings with the 60th pick, but Silas wasn’t so lucky. “Well, I went undrafted,” Silas tweeted after all the picks were in. “All that means is that this journey will be a bit more interesting for you and me. Quote me on this… A journey isn’t a journey without a journey.” You gotta love the positive outlook. So for every Kyrie Irving, there’s a J.J. Barea – a guy who gets overlooked on Draft Night but makes a huge impact in the League. With that, here’s are the top 10 players that didn’t hear their named called last night. Read More »
Most of the time college and NBA analysts disagree, but there is one thing that most can garner a consensus about: the fact that rebounding is usually the skill that translates best from college to the pros. With that being true, former Maryland forward Jordan Williams is in great shape. Williams established himself as one of nation’s best rebounders as a freshman in 2009-10 as the second-leading rebounder in the ACC. This past year he averaged over 11 rebounds per game, good enough for third in the nation, to go along with 16 points for the Terrapins. I caught up with Williams at the Nets’ workouts last week to talk about rebounding, Greivis Vasquez and McDonald’s. Read More »
There’s a reason that basketball has been thriving again in Manhattan, Kansas. And it’s less about Bob Huggins, Michael Beasley and Bill Walker’s respectively quick residencies; it has to do with Coach Frank Martin and his beast of a senior guard, Jacob Pullen. Read More »
After leading Washington to back-to-back conference titles in the Pac-10 Tournament over the last two seasons, junior Isaiah Thomas (who also claimed back-to-back conference MOP honors in those same title runs) decided the time was right to test his talents on another level: the NBA. During his time in Seattle, the 5-9 guard was nothing short of an offensive force. After averaging 16.9 points and 3.9 assists a game as a sophomore, he returned this season to drop 16.8 and 6.1 per and navigate UW to a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA Tournament. And as the kid embarks on his journey away from college and into the pros, we wanted to give him his own space, and voice, to roam. So, follow along with Isaiah on his Dime NBA Draft Diary; here’s his first entry…Read More »
For anyone that was free to sit in front of the television all day, they were in for a treat. Between eight NCAA Tournament games and six NBA contests, there were enough highlights to make sure SportsCenter didn’t feel compelled to show us any B-roll from the NFL lockout negotiations. And if you’re a fan of amazing individual performances, you had eight guys drop 30-plus: Jacob Pullen (38), Jimmer Fredette (34), LeBron James (33), Dwyane Wade (32), David West (32), Shelvin Mack (30), Brandon Knight (30) and Blake Griffin (30). So let’s get started … Read More »
The butler did it…again. Yesterday’s miraculous buzzer-beater lay-in by Matt Howard to beat Old Dominion had me reminiscing over Butler’s miraculous run last year to the national championship game as a five-seed. Does this mean we’re in for a repeat performance? Not so sure. You see, there’s a certain breadstick-eating, prepubescent-looking piece missing from this year’s team that was crucial in the Bulldogs’ triumphant run last year. That boyish charm I’m referring to is none other than Gordon Hayward, who bolted to the NBA after his epic sophomore season in Indianapolis. Read More »
The bracket is out, let the hysteria begin. It seems like everyone around the country is amped about the Big Dance this year. Who wouldn’t be? With the tournament as wide open as it is, it really could be anybody’s year. (I’m looking at you, Long Beach State.) With many NBAers having their respective alma maters back in the tourney, we thought it’d be dope to get their insight into this year’s madness. With that, we caught up with David Lee, Anthony Morrow and Sundiata Gaines to discuss some bracketology. Read More »
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