T.J. Warren is the first player drafted that worked directly with David West through his AAU Garner Road Basketball Club program. Read more »
Basketball Blog
David West Plays Vital Role In Helping T.J. Warren Realize NBA Dream
Draft Report: Dante Exum Of Australian Institute Of Sport
While Dante Exum isn’t quite as long and athletic as Andrew Wiggins, he’s far more skilled. He’s an elite athlete in his own right and plays with more poise. You have to play Trading Places with these guys - what would have happened if Exum was on the AAU circuit every summer and Wiggins was in the AIS? Read more »
Why I Love The Nike Hoop Summit
The Nike Hoop Summit is the best of the high school All-Star games. Something happens when players put on the Team USA uniform. This isn’t just an all-star dunk contest. You get to see a little bit more of the player’s character. Read more »
One And Done Model Works For Everyone
John Calipari is 18-3 in the NCAA Tournament at Kentucky. Even more remarkable, he compiled that number with four completely different teams, sending upwards of 15 players to the NBA. It’s a vindication not only of how he built his program, but of the entire “one and done” model. Read more »
The Draft Deadline
The crucial earning years for a basketball player aren't their early 20's but their late 20's, when they are in the prime physically. At that point, it's not about whether they maximized their draft position but whether they developed their game and maximized their earning potential before they start to decline. Read more »
The Bigs Of The Incoming 2014 College Class
Jahlil Okafor, for all his skills, plays more like the No. 1 overall pick in 1994 than 2014. For a glimpse at where the game is going, you have to look at Karl Towns and Myles Turner, two of the other top big men in the class of 2014. Read more »
Why Comparing Players By High School Class Makes More Sense
Once players leave AAU basketball and enter college, their careers diverge quickly, even those with similar amounts of talent. Some declare too early, others too late. A perfect example of how our perceptions can change is to compare Jeremy Lamb to Victor Oladipo. Read more »
Ronnie Fields Finds Peace With His Basketball Path
Kevin Garnett and Ron Eskridge, his old teammate and coach, always told Ronnie Fields he would grace the NBA one day. It never happened: a fractured neck derailed his senior season and kept him out of critical games, there was a supposed fallout of his personality, and no opportunity came. Read more »
2013 Jordan Brand Classic
Golf's credibility problem and the NCAA rule that must also be changed, plus a college-centric perspective on the Jordan Brand Classic. Read more »
2013 McDonald’s All American Game Recap
Arizona's latest commit Aaron Gordon stole all the headlines, but I was more impressed with a less-heralded name headed to Washington. Read more »
A More Meaningful McDonald's Game
With a few exceptions (Anthony Bennett, Marcus Smart) last year’s class didn’t quite live up to typical McDonald’s All-American game standards. But with Andrew Wiggins headling, we are confident that this year’s class will be different. Read more »
Notes On The 2012 Jordan Brand Classic
Anthony Davis wanted to wear Michael Jordan’s number in this game last year. This year no one chose to wear #23. Maybe people are right when they say this year’s class of high school seniors is missing a larger than life star. Read more »
Previewing The 2012 McDonald's All-American Game
Without the top-ranked recruit Nerlens Noel participating, the MVP of the 2012 McDonald's All-American Game could come down between Shabazz Muhammad and Gary Harris. Read more »
The Audacity Of The NCAA On Ryan Boatright
The Ryan Boatright situation proves once again that the only third party allowed to profit off college basketball players is the NCAA itself and they’ll fight to the bitter end to ensure it stays that way. Read more »
Top-10 NBA Prospects From 2011 Nike Global Challenge
In terms of pure NBA potential, here is how we see the field ranking currently with the past weekend impacting heavily. The earliest some of these players will be draft eligible is 2013. Read more »
2011 Jordan Brand Classic
For players not selected to the McDonald's All-American game, there was something to prove. For players playing in a 3rd straight all-star game, it was time to break out the 360 dunk. Read more »
Reviewing Nike Hoop Summit 2011
Unlike the McDonald's All-American Game which includes some good but not great high school players, the Nike Hoops summit showcases only the absolute top recruits. Read more »
2011 McDonald's All-American Game Recap
The most exciting player in the game may have been on the losing team. Read more »
2011 McDonald's All American Game Preview
Assuming your team is not in the Final Four or headed to the NBA Playoffs, it doesn't get much better than the McDonald's All-American Game. Read more »
Kawhi Leonard: Mr. California Goes Small To Go Big
Kawhi Leonard is the first Mr. Basketball of California to not end up in a major conference or the NBA. Read more »