Elite college basketball programs all have unique identities carved by their head coaches’ visions of what championship basketball leans upon. Defense wins championships, but offense has a more delicate balance of what’s right and what’s wrong. Does the system have restrictive bounds? Or is freedom important to a certain extent?

The answer lies within a thin grey-area of allowing players to utilize their own strengths and talents within an organized playbook. Balancing those two schemes defines winners. Who’s job description fits that? The point guard. Read More »

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

1. Michigan State (7-3) Considering the Detroit Pistons’ fall from NBA grace and Michigan State’s rise to NCAA elite, I’m not sure if Saturday’s doubleheader at The Palace of Auburn Hills was meant to showcase Pistons/Raptors as the main event or the undercard. Before the Pistons blew a 25-point lead and lost their game, the Spartans barely hung on to beat unranked Oakland. Read More »

We argue. You decide.

DERRICK ROSE (by Casey Mack) As expected, Team USA brought home a gold medal from the World Championship in Turkey. Even though the NBA heavyweights were not on hand to participate in the tournament, the up-and-coming stars filled their shoes nicely.

One place in particular where the youngsters stepped up was at the point guard spot. Read More »

It’s safe to say that in one year, John Calipari has turned Kentucky into NBA U. With five players slated to go in the first 20 picks of this year’s NBA Draft, and commitments last week from top-five players in the Class of 2010 (Brandon Knight) and Class of 2011 (Michael Gilchrist) – not to mention All-American senior Doron Lamb – you’d think Coach Cal would take a day off. Think again. While there are still some outstanding players who might commit to the Wildcats for next year, Calipari is focusing his attention on the Class of 2012. Read More »

Earlier this summer, I went to Chicago for our Dime #50 cover shoot with Derrick Rose. Going in, we’d decided not to waste anyone’s time doing a generic studio shoot with Derrick wearing a Bulls uniform that could’ve been done anywhere, by anyone. Authenticity was the objective. So we went back to the roots: two blocks from Derrick’s childhood home in the South Side, at the park where he became the player you see today. Here is the shoot and story that transpired… Read More »

At one time in his life, LeBron James was just simply LeBron James. Back when he was growing up in Akron, Ohio playing basketball at the local community center, without Sports Illustrated knocking on his front door and asking to put him on their cover, Bron was just a kid who loved to play basketball and happened to be pretty good at it. But the world we live in today is always looking for the Next Big Thing and sometimes they’re harder to find than others. Don’t worry though, I was able to find him in Wichita, Kansas and his name is Perry Ellis. Read More »

Just like an art collector scouring the globe for a masterpiece, sole searching sneaker fiends will go to great lengths to find an exclusive pair of kicks. Back in Dime #25 (August 2006), we put together a list of the Top 25 Sneaker Stores when the kick game had never been bigger. But while that list was limited to mostly US spots, we decided in our 50th issue to take it worldwide. Read More »

Just when you thought Latavious Williams was going to be the first big-time recruit for Memphis’ new coach Josh Pastner, the 6-8 forward from Christian Life Center in Humble, Texas has decided to head to China. Following in the footsteps of Brandon Jennings and Jeremy Tyler, Williams is opting to get paid while he plays next season. Read More »

While everyone has declared John Calipari the next “King of College Basketball” after leaving Memphis for Kentucky, the Tigers have a great chance to make a late splash in the recruiting scene this Spring. Head over to High School Hoop, where they’ve got inside scoop on the situation brewing in Memphis. I’ll tell you this – they’re the two top-ranked unsigned recruits in the nation…

Coach Cal got another one today. Over on the re-vamped HighSchoolHoop.com, we’ve been tracking today’s college announcement from Alabama’s Eric Bledsoe, arguably the best PG in the high school class of 2009 not named John Wall. Read More »