I’ve been to some good games at some great venues – Madison Square Garden for the NBA, CenturyLink Field in Seattle for the NFL, Busch Stadium in St. Louis for Major League Baseball – but I doubt there’s a better place to watch a big game than Assembly Hall at Indiana University.
The house that Bob Knight turned into NCAA hoops holy ground was the site of not only the best college basketball game of the season on Saturday, but maybe the best game of any sport in 2011. Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis tweeted afterward that Indiana’s buzzer-beating upset of No. 1 Kentucky might have been the best regular-season game he’s ever seen. Read More »
Before the NBA All-Star Game’s hottest debate turned into a LaMarcus Aldridge celebration — I think the people of Portland are vying to get LMA awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom as we speak — the big argument was over Yao Ming being voted in as an All-Star starter despite playing only five games this season.
In high school basketball, a similar situation has surfaced with today’s unveiling of the Jordan Brand Classic rosters. The annual prep all-star game, played April 16 at the Charlotte Bobcats’ arena, is one of the most popular postseason showcases where college fans get their first look at next year’s freshmen. Read More »
Maybe I’d been spoiled over the last few years and become too familiar with seeing my hometown represented at the McDonald’s High School All-American Game.
Since 2003, when Aaron Brooks ended a drought of nearly 20 years as the Seattle area’s first McDonald’s selection since Quin Snyder (1985), we’ve been cranking out certified All-Americans pretty consistently — namely Marvin Williams, Martell Webster, Jon Brockman, Micah Downs, Spencer Hawes, Abdul Gaddy, Peyton Siva and Josh Smith. Read More »
On the summer’s last major stage for high school basketball, the Kentucky Wildcats again couldn’t stay out of the headlines.
During halftime of the nationally-televised Elite 24 showcase at Venice Beach, Calif., Kyle Wiltjer announced his commitment to UK. The 6-9 forward from Portland, Ore., then went on to win co-MVP of the game, scoring 20 points.
If recruiting is more than half the battle in college basketball, John Calipari is setting himself up to win a war (or at least a national championship). Read More »
It’s alright if you’re not familiar with Marquis Teague just yet. Unless you’re a diehard high school hoops fan, or from Indiana, chances are you’ve never even seen the kid play. But as the best point guard in the Class of 2011, and the younger brother of the Atlanta Hawks’ Jeff Teague, you should get to know him. Today, Teague has setup a 1:30 PM news conference to decide where he’s going to school in two years. And all signs point to it coming down to Kentucky and Louisville. Read More »
If you haven’t seen Sullinger play yet, you can still catch him at the Jordan Brand Classic on April 17, or you can wait until he’s ripping it up at Ohio State next season. Read More »
All around the country, high school basketball is either already underway or getting started soon enough. In Dime #53 we had our high school season preview, and today, HighSchoolHoop.com unveils its updated ranking of the Top 50 players in America regardless of class or position. Read More »
After an up-and-down couple of weeks that saw them perform up to their potential and down to some lesser competition, Team Spain is right where they’re supposed to be at the FIBA European Championships: playing for the gold medal. In yesterday’s semifinal, Pau Gasol scored 18 points and Rudy Fernandez added 14 and three steals to lead Spain in a blowout win over Greece, while Ricky Rubio continued his underwhelming (at least stats-wise) tourney with a 5-point, 3-assist effort. Spain will face Serbia in the final, the team that upset them on the first day of the tournament. In Serbia’s semifinal, Milos Teodosic dropped 32 points (6 threes), and Nenad Krstic had 18 points to lead them past Slovenia … Read More »
The majority of my MLK Day was spent at the University of Washington’s Bank of America Arena, site of the annual King Holiday Hoopfest. Always a day to circle on the West Coast high school basketball calendar, yesterday’s main event saw Franklin H.S. (my alma mater) and Louisville-bound star PG Peyton Siva knock off cross-city rival Garfield H.S. and their star, sophomore Tony Wroten, arguably the best Class of 2011 player in the country. Read More »
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