Word of God Academy (Raleigh, N.C.) forward C.J. Leslie is a Top-10 prospect nationally. Previously committed to N.C. State, Leslie re-opened his recruiting and has opted to wait until the spring to decide on a college. That alone makes his one of the most intriguing stories in the 2010 class, and Leslie also happens to be one of its most exciting players. C.J. has agreed to give Dime and High School Hoop exclusive access in a regular diary about his season and the recruiting process as he inches closer to a decision. For his latest entry, C.J. has brought in fellow Class of 2010 star Ryan Harrow to help him out. Here’s an excerpt:Read More »
As an eight-time NBA All-Defensive pick and Defensive P.O.Y. (‘87) who won five ‘chips in an era where he guarded the likes of Jordan, Dumars, Iceman and Drexler on a regular basis, Michael Cooper had to be intense.
In his post-playing career, most notable for his title-winning stint coaching the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks, Coop hasn’t changed. In his first season as head coach of the USC women’s team, he made headlines for his intensity following a recent win over crosstown rival UCLA. Read More »
One reason I love sports is that it provides options and possibilities for kids who may not realize how many options they have. And at the same time, I hate that sports has helped create a climate where those same kids often feel they only have three options: entertainment, sports, or crime. Likewise, I love hip-hop for the artistic expression, but hate that so many artists will take that artistic license and never think to do anything positive with it beyond putting their boys on.
And while I love college ball in part for the undying passion fans have for their team, I hate when that passion goes overboard and causes fans to act like assholes. Read More »
In the Seattle area’s rise to prominence as a hotbed for basketball talent, it’s been mostly PG’s (Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey), twos (Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford) and wings (Martell Webster, Marvin Williams) who have put the city on the map. All due respect to Spencer Hawes, but so far the list of big men hasn’t been that impressive — which is where Josh Smith enters the discussion.
A senior at Kentwood H.S. (Stuckey’s alma mater), Smith stands 6-10, 270, and is widely considered the best prep center in America. Read More »
Understand that six days out of seven, I’d rather watch college basketball than the NBA; that I’ve been a Georgetown fan since I was a kid; and as a West Coast native, I’m both loyal and defensive when it comes to the Pac-10.
Also understand that I’m far from an expert at the X’s and O’s of basketball. I don’t run plays on NBA 2K10, and I would never coach at any level beyond the littlest of Little League. The kids deserve better.
That said, even I found myself wondering W-exactly-TF Ben Howland was doing in the latter stages of UCLA’s loss to Cal State-Fullerton last night. Read More »
Harrison Barnes is the best high school ballplayer in the country. While navigating through the hectic recruiting process such a title entails, the 6-6 wing from Ames, Iowa, agreed to chronicle his thoughts for us during each of his five official visits. After North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas and Duke, Barnes recaps his trip to UCLA last weekend. Here are a couple excerpts:Read More »
The NY Times has an article today called “Timeout Tactics Include Seating and Setting” that breaks down the science behind how and where some top college coaches seat their players during timeout huddles. I’m sure you’ve noticed that every team’s timeouts look different – bench, no bench, stools, etc. – but there is apparently real, detailed strategy behind the way players are situated. And it’s as much about girls as it is about game-planning.
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VILLANOVA 89, UCLA 69
Back in October, I interviewed Villanova PG Scottie Reynolds for Dime’s college basketball preview. “I have to make sure everybody is on task and has the right mindset,” Reynolds said then, “that we’re gonna play Villanova basketball for 40 minutes.” Read More »
As our March Madness live-blogger put it at the beginning of Dime’s all-out Big Dance coverage, Thursday was one of the few “guy days” of the calendar year — like the Super Bowl, only since it starts in the middle of the workday, you’ve got people sneaking TV’s into the office, hitting the “Boss Button” on their monitors and stashing live-streaming iPhones in desk drawers. Pound-for-pound, is there a better sports day out there? We doubt it … The game of the day had to be UCLA’s win over Virginia Commonwealth. Read More »
