Next up for fantasy basketball discussion: the Detroit Pistons. There’s a good deal to like here from a fantasy perspective – although there’s no first-round stud, there is some decent value in the middle rounds and a few fill-in guys to watch on the waiver wire when need be. With a good number of free agents for the Pistons, fantasy owners should expect things to change in the upcoming season. Read More »

Every year teams are looking to find hidden gems in the second round of the NBA Draft. Some teams (infrequently) stumble upon stars that fell through the cracks like Gilbert Arenas and Monta Ellis, while others are happy to find great role players like Carl Landry or Daniel Gibson. Well, for any team drafting in the second round, Chandler Parsons will be a solid role player for years to come in this league. Read More »

After seeing limited action his first two seasons at Georgetown, Vernon Macklin thought it was time for a change. So he decided to transfer to Florida, and went on to average 10.6 and 11.6 points, respectively, in two standout seasons for the Gators. Now Macklin, known as a hustle player and the guy that gets the dirty work done, finds himself preparing for the NBA Draft. I had a chance to speak with him about his experiences the last few years and got his thoughts on the upcoming draft. Read More »

The Florida Gators were one of the premier college basketball programs in the early and mid-2000s, a run that culminated in back-to-back national championships in ’06 and ’07. However, after 2007, the program has struggled somewhat to return to that level. That is, until this past year. One of the players who helped the Gators advance to the Elite Eight was starting power forward Alex Tyus. Tyus averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds last season, but saved his best performance for the NCAA Tournament with a 19-point, 17-rebound showing against BYU in the Sweet 16. Alex is known for being a high energy guy with lots of athleticism. I caught up with him at the Nets’ draft workouts this week to talk about his senior year, Rowdy Reptiles and the draft process. Read More »

After an illustrious four-year career at Villanova, Scottie Reynolds didn’t go down the typical path of a consensus First Team All-American. Finishing his tenure at ’Nova second all-time in scoring and leading the Wildcats to a Final Four appearance in ’09, Scottie went undrafted in 2010. After a brief stint with Prima Veroli in Italy, he set his sights back on America, specifically the Springfield Armor of the D-League, in hopes of getting the opportunity to play at the next level. As one of the perennial figures of Villanova Basketball and a current standout in the D-League, we decided there was no one better to turn to for an inside scoop on life in the NBA’s minor league. In his latest entry, Scottie talks about his favorite jersey numbers, the iPad 2 and a trip he took with Ed Pinckney. Read More »

Experience is priceless in college basketball, which is why the Florida Gators have to be considered a legit threat to make another Final Four run and possibly contend for a national championship in 2010-11.

Florida is returning its entire starting five from last season, a group that won 21 games and earned an NCAA Tournament berth: Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin. Read More »

It’s been three years since Florida Gators basketball had their slice of victory pie. After the “Gator Five” — Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey — took off for the pros, head coach Billy Donovan has been working day and night trying to get his program back to title contention. Read More »

Granted, watching basketball all the time is part of my job, but it still amazes me how many people don’t (or rarely) watch college hoops until the NCAA Tournament. Because of such inexcusable ignoring of America’s best spectator sport (if you ask me), during the Big Dance I usually get peppered with “Who is that guy?” or “Who does [Team X] got?” questions.

Some of them make sense — even I can’t say I’ve seen Wofford or UC Santa Barbara play this year — but a lot of the players who slip under the mainstream radar don’t deserve the anonymity. After giving your four Players to Watch from the Midwest and South regions yesterday, here’s the West: Read More »