If you have an older sibling, maybe you know how Oregon’s E.J. Singler feels. They’re always a step ahead, always a tad stronger, always setting expectations high. When you do accomplish something, they never fail to overshadow you anyway.

But imagine being in a hoops-driven family, following in the footsteps of Duke All-American Kyle Singler. There were the McDonald’s honors out of high school and a ride to play for one of the most heralded programs for a coach who only goes by a letter for a last name.

That was sophomore E.J. Singler’s life. He’s not sorry about it either. Read More »

One of the common aspirations of any young ballplayer’s career is to play on one of the biggest stages in the game of basketball. Whether it is in the state championship, AAU tournament or the NBA Finals, one day we’ve all had the dream of hitting the game-winning shot after dropping 50 points on our opponents. For most of us, just emulating our favorite player’s moves that we see them pull off with the ease keeps the hope alive that we’ll one day be able to do the same. One of the deciding factors that give our idols these sometimes G.O.A.T.-like abilities can be isolated in my opinion: their shoes. We’re told about their tireless work ethic, killer instincts and hunger for more, but we rarely get to see any of those intangibles. We see the game-winning shot and the heat on their feet. Read More »

It’s Championship Week in college basketball, otherwise known as the week of tournaments before THE Tournament. And honestly, it seems this year people only really care about two conference tourneys: the Big East and the Big 12 … and maybe the ACC based on history and hype.

This week we’ll be previewing those anticipated conference tournaments. But for now I’m doing the Pac-10, because that’s the one I know best, because I don’t want the Left Coast to get overlooked again, and, well, because I can. Read More »