By now you’ve seen Derrick Rose‘s latest signature shoe, the adidas adiZero Rose 2. But we guarantee you’ve never seen it like this. Introducing the “UCLA” edition, made exclusively for the UCLA Bruins. Check it out: Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad certainly knows how to leave a lasting impression.

With about 30 seconds left in Bishop Gorman’s 73-65 victory over No. 5 Dematha at the Hoophall Classic on Monday, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2012 punctuated a 37-point performance with a sensational windmill dunk, later named No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. Even Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, sitting two seats down from Kentucky counterpart John Calipari on the baseline, raised an eyebrow. Read More »

For years, NBA players have spent their summers playing pickup ball at UCLA’s Student Activities Center in Westwood. And despite the exposure of All-Stars ballin’ at top summer leagues and Pro-Ams across the country, this offseason has been no different. With that said, UCLA’s Steve Ritea sat down with Elton Brand, Ron Artest and Andre Miller in-between runs to talk about the tradition.

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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 »

It wasn’t long ago when what was the Pac-10 had teams that ran out rosters with multiple NBA stars-in-the-making. The 2008 NBA Draft class contained 12 players from the Pac-10, and that meant there was the talent and notoriety for the league to send more than half of its teams to the NCAA Tournament.

The UCLA Bruins were the dominating factor, making the Final Four for three consecutive seasons from 2006-08. Kevin Love, Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook beat up on squads with guys like O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless. But since then, those talents have been bleeding into the NBA, leading to a weak reputation and poor postseason showings. Read More »

Earlier this week, I wrote that Butler’s Shelvin Mack could make an immediate impact in the right situation next year as an NBA rookie. While Mack’s current projection is slated somewhere between the late-first and mid-second round, there are still a ton of other possible hidden gems strewn throughout the class. With this on the brain, UCLA’s Tyler Honeycutt immediately came to mind. Read More »

If there were a general consensus among NBA scouts of having a “type,” those once-in-a-lifetime prospects that they’ve got to have, then the 6-10, 300-pound big man with a silky jumper and crafty footwork would be it.

You know, guys like the the Sacramento rookie DeMarcus Cousins, who can shoot from 20-feet out before overwhelming opponents in the paint, scoring with their feathery hook shots with ease. Those are the type that can win you a ring. Only if they came without the baggage. By my count, college basketball has two of those guys: Mississippi State’s Renardo Sidney and UCLA’s Joshua Smith. Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad was the breakout high school star of the summer. The 6-6 wing from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) was already rising through the rankings before he averaged 32 points per game on the AAU circuit and really blew up.

Now every school from North Carolina to Kentucky to Duke is in pursuit of Muhammad, a junior who is ranked 8th overall in the High School Hoop national Top 50. Muhammad has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on everything from his personal life to his high school season to his recruiting process. Here’s an excerpt from his latest entry: 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 »

On the final High School Hoop national Top 50 list that includes 2010 seniors, Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) forward C.J. Leslie ranks 10th overall. Throughout the year, C.J. agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access and chronicle his thoughts in a bi-monthly diary about the recruiting process and his high school season. In an excerpt from his latest entry, C.J. — having recently signed with N.C. State over Kentucky, UConn, UCLA, Oregon and Florida — talks about the NBA Finals, and preparing for the next step at State: Read More »