NCAA WiretapMarch 2015 NCAA Wiretap

Thunder Hired Two Former Donovan Staffers Within Past 12 Months

Apr 30, 2015 1:28 PM

Sam Presti and Billy Donovan have had a very close relationship for several years and the roots of the Oklahoma City Thunder hiring him as head coach may have been in the making for some time.

The Thunder hired two members of Billy Donovan's staff at Florida within the past 12 months.

The Thunder hired Mark Saigneault as coach of the Thunder D-League team, while Oliver Winterbone was hired as a data analyst.

Marc Stein/ESPN

Tags: Oklahoma City Thunder, Florida Gators, NCAA, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Billy Donovan Hired By Thunder As Head Coach

Apr 30, 2015 6:54 PM

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Billy Donovan have agreed upon a five-year deal for him to become their next head coach.

The Thunder have been searching for a replacement for Scott Brooks.

Donovan has had a relationship with Sam Presti for a decade.

Donovan has never coached in the NBA before, but has won two national championships at Florida.

Donovan's deal will be worth approximately $30 million.

"I'm very excited to learn from him and get better from him and do my best to do whatever he tells me to do," said Kevin Durant to ESPN's Royce White. Durant also reached out to Chandler Parsons and Mike Miller for information on Donovan, who played for him at Florida.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Pat Forde/Yahoo! Sports

Tags: Oklahoma City Thunder, Florida Gators, NCAA, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Billy Donovan, Thunder Close To Agreement

Apr 30, 2015 10:44 AM

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Billy Donovan have begun discussions on the framework of a contract for him to become head coach.

There's confidence from both sides that a deal can be reached.

Donovan could command an annual salary in the $6 million range to leave Florida. He makes $4 million-plus annually with no state income tax at Florida.

Sam Presti only has Donovan as a serious candidate.

ESPN's Marc Stein reports Wednesday evening that the Thunder and Donovan are nearing agreement and a deal could be announced as soon as Thursday.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Pat Forde/Yahoo! Sports

Tags: Oklahoma City Thunder, Florida Gators, NCAA, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor

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Ford: Henry Ellenson Is Closest Prospect To Kevin Love Since 2008

Apr 29, 2015 2:05 PM

Henry Ellenson is a 2015 commitment to Marquette and Chad Ford believes he's the closest prospect he's seen to Kevin Love.

Ellenson is a projected top-10 pick for the 2016 NBA Draft.

Ellenson is a 6'10 power forward ranked fifth by ESPN for the incoming class of 2015.

Chad Ford/ESPN

Tags: Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers, Marquette Golden Eagles, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General

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Billy Donovan Interested In Meeting With Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka Before Accepting Job

Apr 29, 2015 12:27 PM

Kevin Durant has reached out to multiple former Florida players about Billy Donovan, according to sources.

Donovan is considered the only serious candidate for the Oklahoma City Thunder head coaching vacancy.

Durant has become generally positive about the potential hiring of Donovan.

Donovan has interest in speaking to Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka before accepting the job. It is unclear if meetings will be facilitated.

Sam Presti and Donovan have had a relationship for a decade.

Donovan turned down offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves last offseason.

Adrian Wojnarowski, Pat Forde/Yahoo! Sports

Tags: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City Thunder, NCAA, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NCAA Misc Rumor

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Cheick Diallo Commits To Kansas

Apr 28, 2015 4:32 PM

Cheick Diallo has committed to Kansas.

Diallo was ranked No. 7 in the incoming freshman class by ESPN.

"I felt like Kansas was the best place for me," said Diallo, a 6-foot-9 power forward. "I can earn playing time right away. I played against Joel Embiid in high school and watched his development. I need to work on a lot of things and feel coach [Bill] Self can help my game. On my visit, the campus was great and the people were nice. I could see myself there."

Paul Biancardi/ESPN

Tags: Cheick Diallo, Kansas Jayhawks, High School, NCAA, NCAA Commitment

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48 College Underclassmen Declare For 2015 NBA Draft

Apr 28, 2015 4:27 PM

The NBA announced that 91 players - 48 players from colleges/post-graduate institutions and 43 international players - have filed as early entry candidates for the 2015 NBA Draft presented by State Farm. 

Players wishing to enter the 2015 NBA Draft were required to submit a letter to the NBA to be received no later than Sunday, April 26.  

Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration for the Draft by notifying the NBA of their decision in writing no later than 5 p.m. ET on Monday, June 15.

Following is the list of players from colleges and post-graduate institutions who have applied for early entry into the 2015 NBA Draft, which will be held Thursday, June 25.

Player                                       School                                      Height              Status

Cliff Alexander                            Kansas                                       6-8                    Freshman

Justin Anderson                          Virginia                                     6-6                    Junior

Brandon Ashley                          Arizona                                      6-9                    Junior

Devin Booker                             Kentucky                                   6-6                    Freshman

Willie Cauley-Stein                     Kentucky                                   7-0                    Junior

Sam Dekker                                Wisconsin                                  6-9                    Junior

Michael Frazier II                        Florida                                      6-4                    Junior

Olivier Hanlan                            Boston College                           6-4                    Junior

Montrezl Harrell                          Louisville                                  6-8                    Junior

Aaron Harrison                            Kentucky                                   6-6                    Sophomore

Andrew Harrison                         Kentucky                                   6-6                    Sophomore        

Tyler Harvey                              Eastern Washington                     6-4                    Sophomore

Jerome Hill                                Gardner-Webb                             6-5                    Junior

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson                 Arizona                                      6-7                    Sophomore

R.J. Hunter                                Georgia State                              6-5                    Junior

Vince Hunter                              UTEP                                       6-8                    Sophomore        

Charles Jackson                           Tennessee Tech                           6-10                  Junior

Dakari Johnson                           Kentucky                                   7-0                    Sophomore

Stanley Johnson                          Arizona                                      6-7                    Freshman

Tyus Jones                                 Duke                                         6-1                    Freshman

Trevor Lacey                              North Carolina State                    6-3                    Junior

Kevon Looney                            UCLA                                       6-9                    Freshman

Trey Lyles                                 Kentucky                                   6-10                  Freshman

Jarell Martin                               LSU                                          6-10                  Sophomore        

Chris McCullough                       Syracuse                                    6-10                  Freshman

Jordan Mickey                            LSU                                          6-8                    Sophomore

Jahlil Okafor                               Duke                                         6-11                  Freshman

Kelly Oubre                                Kansas                                       6-7                    Freshman

Ashton Pankey                            Manhattan                                  6-10                  Junior

Cameron Payne                           Murray State                               6-2                    Sophomore

Terran Petteway                          Nebraska                                    6-6                    Junior

Walter Pitchford                          Nebraska                                    6-10                  Junior

Bobby Portis                              Arkansas                                    6-11                  Sophomore

Michael Qualls                            Arkansas                                    6-6                    Junior

Terry Rozier                               Louisville                                  6-1                    Sophomore

D’Angelo Russell                        Ohio State                                  6-5                    Freshman

Satnam Singh                             IMG Academy                            7-1                    Post-Graduate    

Jherrod Stiggers                          Houston                                     6-5                    Junior

Deonta Stocks                             West Georgia                              6-1                    Sophomore

Aaron Thomas                            Florida State                               6-5                    Junior

J.P. Tokoto                                North Carolina                            6-6                    Junior

Karl-Anthony Towns                   Kentucky                                   6-11                  Freshman

Myles Turner                              Texas                                        6-11                  Freshman

Robert Upshaw                           Washington                                7-0                    Sophomore

Rashad Vaughn                           UNLV                                       6-6                    Freshman

Chris Walker                              Florida                                      6-10                  Sophomore

Justise Winslow                          Duke                                         6-6                    Freshman

Christian Wood                          UNLV                                       6-11                  Sophomore

The following is the list of international players who have applied for early entry into the 2015 NBA Draft:

Player                                       Team/Country of Team              Height                Status

Alberto Abalde                            Joventut (Spain)                          6-7                     1995 DOB

Dimitrios Agravanis                     Olympiacos (Greece)                    6-10                    1994 DOB

Wael Arakji                                Al Riyadi (Lebanon)                    6-4                     1994 DOB

Eleftherios Bochoridis                  Panathinaikos (Greece)                  6-5                     1994 DOB

Beka Burjanadze                          Coruna (Spain)                            6-8                     1994 DOB

Nedim Buza                               Spars Sarajevo (Bosnia)                6-8                     1995 DOB

Alexandre Chassang                     ASVEL (France)                          6-9                     1994 DOB

George de Paula                          Pinheiros (Brazil)                        6-6                     1996 DOB
Andrey Desyatnikov                     Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia)         7-3                     1994 DOB

Moussa Diagne                           Fuenlabrada (Spain)                     6-11                    1994 DOB

Lucas Dias Silva                         Pinheiros (Brazil)                        6-9                     1995 DOB

Ognjen Dobric                            FMP Beograd (Serbia)                  6-6                     1994 DOB

Simone Fontecchio                      Granarolo (Italy)                          6-7                     1995 DOB

Danilo Fuzaro                             Minas (Brazil)                             6-4                     1994 DOB

Marc Garcia                                Manresa (Spain)                          6-6                     1996 DOB

Humberto Gomes                        Pinheiros (Brazil)                        6-5                     1995 DOB

Kevin Harley                              Poitiers (France)                          6-6                     1994 DOB

Guillermo Hernangomez               Sevilla (Spain)                            6-11                    1994 DOB

Juan Alberto Hernangomez            Estudiantes (Spain)                      6-7                     1995 DOB

Mario Hezonja                            Barcelona (Spain)                        6-8                     1995 DOB

Mouhammadou Jaiteh                  Nanterre (France)                         6-11                    1994 DOB

Alpha Kaba                                Pau Orthez (France)                      6-10                    1996 DOB

Vladislav Korenyuk                     Dnipro (Ukraine)                         6-11                    1994 DOB

Dusan Kutlesic                            Metalac (Serbia)                          6-6                     1994 DOB

Jonghyun Lee                             Korea University (Korea)               6-9                     1994 DOB

Timothe Luwawu                        Antibes (France)                          6-7                     1995 DOB

Nikola Milutinov                        Partizan (Serbia)                          7-0                     1994 DOB

Aleksej Nikolic                           Spars Sarajevo (Bosnia)                6-3                     1995 DOB

Cedi Osman                               Anadolu Efes (Turkey)                  6-8                    1995 DOB

Miroslav Pasajlic                         Uzice (Serbia)                             6-1                    1995 DOB

Anzejs Pasecniks                         VEF Riga (Latvia)                       7-1                    1995 DOB

Oriol Pauli                                 Gran Canaria (Spain)                    6-7                    1994 DOB

Kristaps Porzingis                       Sevilla (Spain)                            7-1                    1995 DOB

Nikola Radicevic                         Sevilla (Spain)                            6-5                    1994 DOB

Djoko Salic                                Spars Sarajevo (Bosnia)                6-11                  1995 DOB

Marko Tejic                               Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)                 6-10                  1995 DOB

Juan Pablo Vaulet                        Bahia Basket (Argentina)              6-6                    1996 DOB

Aleksandar Vezenkov                   Aris (Greece)                               6-9                    1995 DOB

Adin Vrabac                               Trier (Germany)                          6-8                    1994 DOB

Rade Zagorac                              Mega Leks (Serbia)                      6-7                    1995 DOB

Sergiy Zagreba                            Dnipro (Ukraine)                         7-0                    1994 DOB

Alexandr Zhigulin                       Penas Huesca (Spain)                   6-8                    1994 DOB

Paul Zipser                                 Bayern Munich (Germany)            6-8                    1994 DOB

 

# # #

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NBA Draft Declarations

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Brandon Ingram Commits To Duke

Apr 27, 2015 6:12 PM

Brandon Ingram has committed to Duke as a member of the 2015 recruiting class, he announced on Monday.

The 6-foot-8 small forward is ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the ESPN 100. Ingram was one of the top risers late in the recruiting process after excelling at the McDonald's All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit. He's considered a likely one-and-done prospect due to his length and shooting ability.

A North Carolina native from Kinston High School, Ingram chose the local Blue Devils over Kansas, Kentucky, N.C. State, North Carolina, and UCLA. He becomes the fifth commit for Duke's 2015 recruiting class, joining five-star center Chase Jeter, five-star point guard Derryck Thornton, four-star shooting guard Luke Kennard, and three-star center Antonio Vrankovic.

Tags: Brandon Ingram, Duke Blue Devils, High School, High School Recruiting, NCAA, NCAA Recruiting, NCAA Commitment

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Malik Newman Commits To Mississippi State

Apr 24, 2015 1:17 PM

Malik Newman has committed to Mississippi State.

Newman's decision came down to Mississippi State, Kentucky and Kansas.

Newman is one of the best shooters in the country and a top-10 prospect. Newman also considered playing in China this season.

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Malik Newman, Mississippi State Bulldogs, NCAA, NCAA Commitment

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Buddy Hield Returns To Oklahoma For Senior Season

Apr 24, 2015 11:52 AM

Buddy Hield announced Friday morning that he will return to Oklahoma for his senior season.

Hield was named the Big 12 conference player of the year last season.

"It was a tough decision, and I obviously took it near the deadline," Hield said. "But I just went through the process. I listened to Coach Kruger, I listened to my mentors back home, my high school coach, and my mom and my family. I did a lot of research on players and the history of the NBA Draft. I just did what I felt was best for me and my family. I feel like if I come back I'll be in a better situation next year."

RealGM Staff Report

Tags: Buddy Hield, Oklahoma Sooners, NCAA, NBA, NBA NBA Draft, NBA Draft General, NCAA Misc Rumor

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Stanley Johnson Leaves Arizona For NBA Draft

RealGM Staff Report

Report: Kevin Ollie Removes Name From Consideration For Thunder Job

Jon Rothstein/CBS Sports

Kris Dunn Decides To Remain At Providence

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Billy Donovan, Kevin Ollie Emerge As Serious Candidates For Thunder

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Derryck Thornton Reclassifies, Commits To Duke

Paul Biancardi/ESPN

Caris LeVert Returns To Michigan For Senior Season

RealGM Staff Report

Thunder Considering Kevin Ollie As Replacement For Scott Brooks

Adam Zagoria/ZagsBlog

Jakob Poeltl Returning To Utah For Sophomore Season

RealGM Staff Report

Stephen Zimmerman Commits To UNLV

Tyus Jones Leaves Duke For NBA Draft

ESPN

Justise Winslow Leaves Duke For NBA Draft

RealGM Staff Report

Bobby Portis Leaves Arkansas For NBA Draft

RealGM Staff Report

Ivan Rabb Commits To California

Jeff Faraudo/San Jose Mercury News

Justin Anderson To Enter NBA Draft

Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo! Sports

Olivier Hanlan Leaving Boston College For NBA Draft

Jonathan Givony/Draft Express

Jay-Z In On Roc Nation Meeting With Stanley Johnson

Shams Charania/RealGM

D'Angelo Russell To Declare For Draft, Deciding Upon Representation

Shams Charania/RealGM

2015 Nike Hoop Summit Measurements (Team USA)

Press Release

Malik Newman Receiving Interest From China, Spain

Evan Daniels/Scout.com

Caleb Swanigan Commits To Michigan State

Evan Daniels/Rivals.com