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 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.
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Watch out now, but John Calipari is quickly trying to become the next Coach K. Sure the wins aren’t there yet, and neither are the titles, but in terms of helping former players/aspiring coaches get a start in the profession, right now there is no one better than Cal. Read More »
A couple of themes dominated last night’s NCAA tourney Sweet 16 games: Defense and Onions. First you had UConn defensive stalwart Hasheem Thabeet putting together his first dominant game of the tourney (15 pts, 15 rebs, 4 blks) to push the Huskies past Purdue. Then Villanova slapped a stifling total team defensive effort on Duke, ball-pressure and denial for which Coach K’s boys seemed totally unprepared. And then Missouri’s new-school “40 Minutes of Hell” paved the way for them to get past Memphis … As for the onions? Look no further than Levance Fields. Read More »
Thank God for the great Americans at COED Magazine. Someone had to put together photo galleries of the cheerleaders from every school in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, and they stepped up to the plate.
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The first weekend is in the books, the field of 65 is down to 16, and I seriously need a break from watching basketball. After the first two rounds of the Big Dance, here are my big winners (big losers coming soon):
THE HIT LIST
Cole Aldrich — Going into the Tournament, nobody was talking about Aldrich in regards to the 2009 NBA Draft. Read More »
