The Thunder made a business decision when trading James Harden nine months ago. Now, they need to be just as cold-blooded with Scott Brooks. Brooks has consistently left points on the board in each of the last three seasons and has shown no ability to learn from his mistakes. Read More. Written by Jonathan Tjarks on May 17, 2013
Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. Read More.
The event gives front offices the opportunity to evaluate D-League players with the possibility of offering Summer League or training camp invites. Read More.
Tyus Jones, the No. 2 overall recruit for 2014 and an excellent point guard, was selected by Paul Biancardi, Adam Finkelstein and John Stovall. Read More.
Andrew Wiggins will visit Florida State from Dec. 4-5, Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford confirmed.
“He’s going to Florida State, I think Tuesday morning,” Fulford said after Wiggins scored 29 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, blocked five shots and recorded five assists in a 76-59 win over Memphis East on Friday. “He’s going down for the Florida game [Wednesday].”
Both of Wiggins' parents -- former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and former Canadian Olympic track star Marita Payne-Wiggins -- attended Florida State.
“I like to see everything that happened there with my parents,” Wiggins said of FSU. “It would be a joy to go there, I mean great weather. Great people, great education. Great coaching staff. they make players better. They don’t always get the best players in the nation, or top five or top ten, but they develop four-year players to get ready for the NBA.”
Fulford said Wiggins would also like to visit Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina.
“He’s said he wants to go to Florida State, Kentucky, Kansas and North Carolina,” he said. “Those are the ones he said he wants to visit. Timeframe, we don’t know. I mean obviously we just don’t have a ton of weekends available for visits. I know he’s going to take this one because his parents can come, but yeah, he said he wants to take at least those four.”
John Calipari envisions coaching at Kentucky for at least six more years.
Calipari was hired to resuscitate the Wildcats program prior to the 2009-10 season.
“Probably another six years, maybe seven,” Calipari said when asked how long he can continue coaching at his current pace. “This is a 10-year run, then I'll pass it on to somebody else to keep this program going, because it's so important to this state. I'm not the kind of guy who could retire on the job, who'd just stay to get paid. I'm not doing it for numbers or to pass everyone's win record.”
In three full seasons, Calipari has compiled a 102-14 record.
Jabari Parker received recruiting advice from Derrick Rose.
Rose advised Parker, Illinois’ reigning Mr. Basketball, to consider comfort level when choosing a college.
“Usually when I talk to him it's brief,” Parker said of his conversations with Rose. “He gives me a little advice as far as college, choosing who's going to be there for you…someone who’s going to help you not only for basketball, but help you in school and give you dreams to strive for.”
When asked to identify factors that will influence his decision, Parker said: "Relationship with the coach, relationship with the team and the style of play. Also, how will [the team] be the following year as far as [whether] the coach is going to stay or not."
Parker is considering Michigan State, Stanford, BYU, Duke and Florida.
John Calipari praised Nerlens Noel’s defensive energy after a 101-49 win over Lafayette on Friday night, pointing out the 6-foot-10, 228-pound center’s willingness to dive across the floor for loose balls.
"The energy that Nerlens plays with," said Calipari after the game, "think if I could get all my guys to play with that kind of energy, what we would become as a team."
Noel scored 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds, handed out four assists and recorded four steals in 28 minutes of play.
"I've always been a relatively high-energy (guy)," Noel said. "But since I'm at a high level, I think I've just got to bring it every night, that energy. Just always being active for my team, making opportunities for the fast break, get steals on the floor, throwing it out so my teammates can get going."
Noel unofficially leads the Wildcats in floor burns through three games of the season.
"I've always been on the floor," Noel said. "It's the only way you're going to get that ball."
Karl Towns Jr., the nation's top-ranked player for the recruiting class of 2015, will announce his college choice on Dec. 4.
“I know my family was feeling a lot of pressure, and I want to be able to have fun playing basketball in high school (this season) and not have to worry about anything off the basketball court,” Towns said. “I never like leading people on. I just want to get it over with.”
Towns is expected to choose between Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and Florida.
“It’s a very strenuous process—it’s relentless,” Towns said. “It’s also fun, but it doesn’t leave your mind. It hits you every day over the head.”
The SEC has become one college basketball's strongest conferences over the past decade as Kentucky has become a powerhouse again under John Calipari, while Billy Donovan has built a consistent winner at Florida with championships in 2006 and 2007.
But there has also been a trickle down effect.
Seven of the top 15 overall prospects in the Class of 2013 are SEC-bound: Andrew and Aaron Harrison and James Young to Kentucky, Kasey Hill and Chris Walker to Florida, Bobby Portis to Arkansas and Jarrell Martin to LSU.
Each of the five remaining top-15 prospects are considering at least one SEC school.
The SEC has 13 top-50 commits, which is more than double the amount from the ACC (6) and Big 12 (6).