After an outstanding three-year career at Kansas, which included a 2008 NCAA Championship and three Big 12 titles during his tenure, Cole Aldrich was a Lottery pick this June. First selected by the Hornets before being trading to the Thunder on Draft Night, the Bloomington, Minn., native gladly returned to the Midwest. So with everyone’s expectations for the Thunder going through the roof this season, we decided there was no one better to turn to for the inside scoop on life in OKC. In his fourth entry, Cole talks about returning to the NBA from his D-League stint and his first Christmas as a pro. Read More »

After going up against the likes of Anthony Randolph and Willie Warren in high school, Quincy Acy took his explosive game to Baylor. Since then, the 6-7, 225-pound junior forward has established himself as one of the best in-game dunkers in the Big 12 – recording 10 dunks in one game against Texas last year. In an exclusive Dime Q&A, we sat down and talked with Acy about Baylor, Texas basketball and how he learned to dunk. Read More »

I still remember watching Kwame Brown in his first Summer League for the Washington Wizards up in Boston. It was free and I was a fiend, looking for some No. 1 overall pick love. I can remember telling my boys after his first game, “Don’t worry. Kwame will pick it up. He’s only a high school kid.” Ahh, too bad.

Summer Leagues get their exposure from No. 1 picks, second-year standouts and once-in-a-blue-moon explosions from unheard of players. Below that though, there are always interesting subplots. Here are the Top 10 guys to look out for in this year’s Orlando Summer League: Read More »

With multiple Cindarellas and plenty of drama at this year’s Big Dance, many fans are wondering who will be crowned the king. While it’s too late to adjust your bracket, the answer is most likely found on each team’s roster. Since 1979, every National Champion (except Maryland in 2002) has had at least one McDonald’s All American on its roster. That’s a 97 percent proof-point. So even though Syracuse and West Virginia are playing well, and Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s and Cornell are hoping to win again before the clock strikes midnight, history is not on their side. 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 … maybe the ACC based on history and hype.

So far I’ve previewed the Big East and the Pac-10 (hometown allegiance); next up is the Big 12. Read More »