It’s not a sprawling city, nor the mecca of all things urban where Washington’s diminutive and demonstrative point guard Isaiah Thomas grew up. No, I’m guessing Tacoma, Wash., with its evergreens – the Western Hemlock is the state tree, and yes, I looked that up – and mountainous skyline doesn’t have the same hoops culture as New York City.

But that indeed is where the point guard who’s the closest thing to the Bronx’s Kemba Walker grew up. Thomas, dubbed a “little monster” by Arizona head coach Sean Miller, brings a dangerous No. 7 seed Washington Husky squad into the NCAA Tournament with gusto. The team just might be as underrated as their pint-sized leader. 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 »

Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:

1. Connecticut (7-0) According to preseason predictions, the Huskies would be overachieving had they reached sixth place in the Big East. Today, UConn is undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the nation following its rout of Maryland-Baltimore County on Friday. Kemba Walker is the alpha and omega of Coach Jim Calhoun‘s young squad. Read More »