Archive for July, 2012

Report: Marcus Williams signs in Spain

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Marcus Williams, a first round pick in the 2006 NBA draft, has signed a two-year contract with Unicaja Malaga of the Euroleague, according to InsideHoops.com.

The former UConn point guard, among the most prolific passers in school history, was most recently in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009. Since then, he’s played in China (2011-12) and Russia (2010-11), where he averaged 15.3 points and 6.8 assists per game.

After being selected 22nd overall by the New Jersey Nets (they took Josh Boone one pick later), Williams spent three years with three different NBA teams. He was most productive as a rookie, averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 38 percent from the field.

The 2005-06 UConn team, perhaps the most talented in the nation, currently has just one active NBA player (Rudy Gay). Williams, Boone and Hilton Armstrong — all first round picks in 2006 — have been overseas. Armstrong earned a spot on the Clippers summer league squad, but hasn’t been signed to the active roster.

Where are they now? The 1999 title team

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Former UConn point guard Khalid El-Amin inked a deal last week with a French basketball club, which marks his 12th different team in a professional career that began in 2000.

That got me thinking…what have the other members of the 1999 championship squad been up to?

Here’s the roster below:

PG — Khalid El-Amin: Drafted by Bulls in 2000, but never really stuck in the NBA. He’s carved out a nice career overseas, though.

Ricky Moore (AP)

SG — Ricky Moore: One of the best perimeter defenders to come through the program, Moore is now an assistant coach at Dartmouth.

SF — Richard Hamilton: Nearing the end of a highly productive basketball career. Hamilton, now with the Chicago Bulls, led the Detroit Pistons to an NBA title in 2004. He also surpassed Isiah Thomas to become the franchise’s all-time leading scorer in the playoffs.

PF — Kevin Freeman: Assistant director of basketball administration at UConn.

C — Jake Voskuhl: Recently told WTIC’s Joe D’Ambrosio that he’s moving his family to Fairfield County. Played in the NBA until 2009 before going to the Philippines.

BENCH

PF — Edmund Saunders: Assistant coach at Post University in Waterbury.

C — Souleymane Wane: Teaches French at Haverhill High (Mass.) and serves as an assistant coach at UMass-Lowell.

SF — Rashamel Jones: Works as a child protective specialist for the New York City administration for Children’s Services.

C — Justin Brown: Played professionally in Australia.

G — Albert Mouring: Unknown

G — E.J. Harrison: Walk-on from Danbury has enjoyed an 11-year career overseas.

G/F — Beau Archibald: Left the UConn staff to become an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic.

COACHING STAFF

Head coach — Jim Calhoun: Still going strong 13 years later.

Assistant coach — Tom Moore: Just signed an extension with Quinnipiac through the 2016-17 season. He became the Bobcats’ head coach in 2007 and has compiled a 93-65 record in five years.

Assistant coach — Karl Hobbs: Director of basketball operations at UConn. Previously was the head coach at George Washington.

Assistant coach — Dave Leitao: Hired as an assistant coach at Missouri in mid-June. Previously was the head coach at the University of Virginia and, most recently, the Maine Red Claws of the NBDL.

Kahlil Dukes commits to USC, adds to growing number of CT hoops stars

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Hartford point guard Kahlil Dukes, considered a mid-major prospect throughout his high school career, gave a verbal commitment to Southern Cal Sunday morning, according to his Twitter account and several reports.

Dukes, a rising senior at Capital Prep,  scored 48 points in a single game at the Adidas64 AAU tournament in Las Vegas this past weekend. His commitment to USC is big for Connecticut, which has a growing number of high-major players, particularly from the middle of the state.

Here’s a geographical breakdown of Connecticut’s recent upper-echelon Division I talent:

GREATER BRIDGEPORT/NEW HAVEN

*T.J. Robinson, Long Beach State, West Haven (Kolbe Cathedral): Finished collegiate career as the leading rebounder in Big West history. Also was the nation’s only active player with 1,000 career points and rebounds.

*Freddie Wilson, Seton Hall, New Haven (Hillhouse): Enters sophomore season at Seton Hall after averaging just 1.8 points per game in his rookie campaign.

GREATER HARTFORD

*Andre Drummond, UConn, Middletown (St. Thomas More): Highest rated prospect to ever come out of Connecticut. Drummond was solid, yet unspectacular, in his summer league debut with the Pistons.

*Tyler Olander, UConn, Mansfield (E.O. Smith): Productive early in his sophomore year, Olander will be counted on heavily as a junior.

*Kahlil Dukes, Southern Cal*, Hartford (Capital Prep): Put himself on the national map this summer with a breakout performance at the Adidas64. Now the second Capital Prep product to make it big (Drummond spent two years there).

*BJ Monteiro, Duquesne, Waterbury (Crosby): Averaged 15.4 points and five rebounds per game in his senior year.

*Kuran Iverson, ??, Hartford (Northwest Catholic/Fishburne Military Academy): Iverson said he’d like to commit to a school before he leaves for Fishburne Military Academy in Virginia. He could end up anywhere from Florida to Memphis to Syracuse to UConn to Kentucky.

*Kahari Beaufort, ??, East Hartford (St. Raymond’s): A prolific scorer, Beaufort is sure to find a high-major home when he graduates in 2014.

*Jared Wilson-Frame, ??, Windsor (Windsor): After a 45-point outburst against Iverson and Northwest Catholic, Wilson-Frame has drawn attention from UCLA, Miami, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Providence and UConn.

GREATER NEW LONDON

*Kris Dunn, Providence, New London (New London): Dominated in the ECC, but may need to wait a bit before he gets his first taste of the Big East. A shoulder injury could sideline him for five months. He was ranked by Rivals as the No. 16 player in the class of 2012.

*R.J. Evans, Holy Cross/UConn, Salem (Norwich Free Academy): A bull on the basketball court. It will be interesting to see how much Evans contributes for the Huskies this season.

UConn 2013 recruiting targets by position

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The following list has been compiled from my interviews with high school prospects, discussions with sources and information obtained from reputable recruiting websites.

Below, I’ve grouped UConn’s 2013 targets by position. The players listed at the top of each group are the ones I believe to be the team’s highest priorities (of course, I could be missing some).

As you know, UConn could sign as many as five players for the 2013 class (there are two available scholarships, R.J. Evans will graduate, the Huskies get one back from their Nate Miles-related recruiting violations and Ryan Boatright could very well jump to the pros). Here’s the list:

POINT GUARD

Terrence Samuel, 6-3, Brooklyn: Word is Samuel is a top priority. He’s solid in all facets and can really get into the paint. Samuel, considered one of the top prospects in New York City, is AAU teammates with Kentan Facey, another possible signee.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Pitt, Dayton, Rhode Island (per New York Post)

Tahj Shamsid-Deen, 5-9, Decatur, Ga.: One of the smaller guards in the class,Shamsid-Deen is a scoring guard with a nice lefty stroke. Needless to say, he’s extremely quick and can be a pesky defender.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: UConn, Auburn, Butler, Richmond (per Scout insider)

Stevie Clark, 5-10, Oklahoma City: Scoring point guard will sort through “25-30 offers,” his mother said. Clark recently took a visit to UCLA, which just inked 2013 floor general Zach LaVine (a move that could deter Clark from heading to Westwood).

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Missouri, Memphis, Oklahoma, Marquette, UCLA

Wes Clark, 6-0, Romulus, Mich.: Gritty floor general exploded at the LeBron James Skills Academy and picked up several high major offers. He also had one of the best quotes of the summer: “If you’re trying to go somewhere to get to the next level, what’s better than Connecticut?”

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Pitt, USC, Missouri, Creighton, Xavier, Dayton and UMass

Roddy Peters, 6-4, District Heights, Md.: Like Wes Clark, summer has been big for tall, smooth lead guard.

Offer: Yes

Kendall Smith, 6-3 PG, Antioch, Calif.: A pass-first guard who averaged 9.1 assists per game as a junior, Smith is extremely high on UConn. My hunch is that he’d commit on the spot if offered by the Huskies.

Offer: No

Also considering: USC, Washington, San Jose State, Long Beach State, UNLV, Colorado, Portland

SHOOTING GUARD

Isaac Hamilton, 6-4, Los Angeles: Widely regarded as one of the elite scorers in the class, Hamilton ranks in the top 15 by Rivals and Scout. He can score in a variety of ways. His younger brother, Daniel Hamilton, is a top shooting guard in the class of 2014.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: UNLV, San Diego State, Arizona, St. John’s, UCLA, USC, Washington (per Mountain West Connection)

Xavier Rathan Mayes, 6-4 , Ontario: I’ve never heard a recruit rave about a coach the way Rathan Mayes did about Kevin Ollie. He has 33 offers — that number may have gone up since last week — so UConn has some competition, but the Huskies are most definitely  in the mix. A prolific scorer who once put up 63 points in a high school game, Rathan Mayes hopes to make a stop to campus while he’s visiting his father, a New Haven resident. There have been rumors that Rathan Mayes could go to Kentucky in a package deal with Andrew Wiggins, his high school/AAU teammate and the No. 1 player in the class of 2014.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Kansas, Baylor, Florida State, North Carolina State, Kentucky (has not cut list yet)

Davon Reed, 6-5, Princeton, N.J.: Often compared to Jeremy Lamb because of his length and spot-up shooting, Reed recently cut his list to eight. UConn offered the highly-touted New Jersey prospect Monday afternoon. Louisville, one of Reed’s other top choices, has not extended an offer. The Cardinals have been in steady contact, though.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Louisville, UConn, Memphis, Miami, Cincinnati, Xavier, Harvard, Wake Forest

Decision: Reed hopes to make a choice “sometime in the fall.”

Josh Hart, 6-5, Washington, D.C.: Earned an offer about two weeks ago. He’s considered a good midrange shooter and a solid rebounder for a guard. His recruitment is picking up steam this summer.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Villanova, Indiana, Cincinnati and Kansas State, Miami (Fla.), Tennessee, others

Wayne Selden Jr., 6-4, Roxbury, Mass: Physically, he doesn’t look like a rising high school senior. Scout.com considers him the No. 1 shooting guard in the country. Needless to say, he’d be a huge pickup for UConn.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Florida, UCLA, Harvard, Kansas, Ohio State, Kentucky (per ESPN.com)

Kuran Iverson, 6-8, Hartford, Conn.: Worlds of ability, but questions about intangibles. In an odd twist, Iverson said he “wasn’t sure” if UConn had offered him a scholarship. The Huskies definitely are tracking his progress, though, and there’s still a chance he lands in Storrs.

Offer: ??

Also considering: Florida, Syracuse, Indiana, Memphis, Kentucky

Decision: Iverson said he’ll likely make a choice before he leaves for Fishburne Military Academy (Va.)

E.C. Matthews, 6-3, Romulus, Mich.: A high school and AAU teammate of Wes Clark, Matthews picked up an offer from the Huskies this past week.

Offer: Yes

SMALL FORWARD

Reggie Cameron, 6-7, Jersey City, N.J.: Big-time shooter who would be a good fit alongside guards that penetrate and create open looks. He’d like to make a visit in August.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Florida, NC State, USC, Villanova, West Virginia and Miami (Fla.)

Decision: Before start of high school basketball season

Tyler Roberson, 6-7, Roselle, N.J.: One of the most highly recruited prospects in the Northeast, Roberson picked up an offer from UConn in late May.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Kansas, Kansas State, Louisville, Syracuse, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Florida (per ESPN)

POWER FORWARD/CENTER

Kentan Facey, 6-9 PF, Long Island: Jamaican big man transferred to U.S. to gain exposure. He’s blown up over the summer (perhaps more than any player), picking up offers from high majors such as UCLA, Memphis and Louisville. UConn jumped on him early, which could give it an advantage.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Florida, St. John’s, Rhode Island, Memphis, UCLA, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Xavier, USC, Dayton, Virginia Tech, Saint Louis (per CBS Sports)

Decision: In June, Facey said he was planning a visit to UConn. He also said he’d like to make a decision before

Akoy Agau, 6-9 PF, Omaha, Neb.:  Physical big man who has won three straight state titles at Omaha Central. Had 16 points, 13 rebounds and 14 blocks in last year’s state championship game. He recently named Georgetown his favorite, according to The Recruit Scoop. Louisville made an offer Friday.

Offer: Yes

Also considering: Georgetown, West Virginia, Louisville, Xavier, Marquette, Nebraska, Creighton

Decision: Agau said he’ll likely wait until the spring signing period.

Marcus Lee, 6-9, Antioch, Calif.: Considered one of the premier shot blockers in the class of 2013, Lee is one of the nation’s hottest recruits. Rivals.com reports that he holds nearly 30 offers.

Offer: Yes

Mike Young, 6-9, Pittsburgh: At 230, Young possesses the size to bang down low and the athleticism to play small forward. He’s a highly sought-after prospect (as you’ll see below).

Offer: Yes

Also considering: N.C. State, Memphis, Xavier, St. John’s, West Virginia, Pitt, Rutgers, Florida, Miami, Seton Hall and Georgia Tech (per Adam Zagoria of SNY)

Decision: Young told SNY it could come around Thanksgiving.

Jordan Bell, 6-7 PF, Long Beach, Calif.: One of the nation’s top shotblockers, Bell posted 16 points, 14 boards and 16 rejections in a high school game last season. He calls UConn his dream school.

Offer: No

Also considering: The entire Pac 12 except for Utah and Stanford; also Virginia Tech, Wyoming, Hawaii, St. John’s, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma.

Jermaine Lawrence, 6-9 PF, Springfield Gardens, N.Y.: An athletic big man with 3-point range. It’s no wonder almost every high major in the country is lining up to see Lawrence, who averaged 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks per game after transferring midway through his junior year of high school. He recently listed his top three as Rutgers, Florida and Syracuse, so he could be a longshot for the Huskies.

Offer: Yes

Ray Allen Camp in Storrs

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The newest member of the Miami Heat (not named Rashard Lewis) will host a basketball camp on August 11-12 at EO Smith High School in Mansfield.

Ray Allen, the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shooter, will be on site–about one mile from Gampel Pavilion–to direct camp activities and provide instruction.

The camp is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 18 and focuses on the team concept and fundamentals of basketball. Groups will be small to ensure that each camper gets personalized instruction. Allen will also give daily talks highlighting the finer points of the game of basketball and beyond. Cost of the camp is $149.

Visit www.rayallencamp.comfor more information.

Recruiting Spotlight: Wes Clark

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UConn hadn’t been in much contact with Detroit product Wes Clark, but on Tuesday night, the 6-foot point guard received a phone call from none other than Jim Calhoun. A scholarship offer ensued, and the Huskies were added to a list that has grown exponentially since the end of high school basketball season.

Up until a few months ago, Clark was labeled as a mid-major prospect. After a standout performance at the LeBron James Skills Academy (and the Peach Jam, as well), he now holds offers from UConn, Pitt, USC, Missouri, Creighton, Xavier, Dayton and UMass.

“(At LeBron Skills Academy), I proved that I can lead and I win, even if that means sacrificing more of my points, playing the background,” Clark said. “No matter what it takes, that’s the way I play.”

Clark does not have a “top five,” per se, but he did have some praise for the Huskies.

“UConn speaks for itself, just the name, they get people to the NBA,” Clark said. “It speaks for itself. If you’re trying to go somewhere to get to the next level, what’s better than Connecticut?”

Because many high majors have jumped on him this summer, Clark is in no rush to make a decision. He’d have no problem waiting until after his senior year at Romulus High to choose a college.

In addition to Wes Clark, UConn has offers out to 2013 points guards Terrence Samuel, Stevie Clark, Roddy Peters and Tahj Shamsid-Deen. There appears to be mutual interest with California point guard Kendall Smith, as well.

Report: Price signs with Wizards

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After three yeas with the Indiana Pacers, former UConn star A.J. Price has inked a one-year deal with the Washington Wizards, according to The Washington Post.

Price was solid as a backup with Indiana, but was relegated to third-string when the Pacers made trades for George Hill and Leandro Barbosa. In Washington, it appears he’ll battle second-year guard Shelvin Mack, a Butler product, for the right to back-up John Wall. Price’s numbers have steadily declined through his NBA career: He averaged 7.3 points per game as a rookie and just 3.9 last season.

Dating back to his days at UConn, Price has battled through a brain hemorrhage, a year-long suspension, a torn ACL and a broken kneecap. He also had one of the best crossovers in history (and anytime I get an excuse to link the video, I do it. So check it out below).

Recruiting Spotlight: Jordan Bell

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In coming years, expect to see Kevin Ollie’s California pipeline reel in some big-time West Coast talent.

Ollie, who grew up in Los Angeles and played at Crenshaw High, has been chasing some LA prospects, most notably class of 2013 shooting guard Isaac Hamilton and his younger brother, Daniel.

UConn has also expressed interest in shot blocking extraordinaire Jordan Bell, and Bell has certainly reciprocated:  The 6-foot-7, 200 pound rising senior (Long Beach Poly Tech) confirmed Tuesday that UConn is indeed his “dream school.” If they offer, he said the Huskies would catapult to the top of his list, which already includes “the entire Pac 12 except for Utah and Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wyoming, Hawaii, St. John’s, Texas, Alabama and Oklahoma.”

Regarded as one of the nation’s premier defensive players, Bell averaged 8.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 2.2 assists per game for Long Beach Poly Tech, which went 29-3 last season. In a win over Compton High, he posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks. Think that was good? Against Jordan High, he went for 16 points, 14 boards and 16 blocks.

He expects UConn to make an offer after this week’s Adidas Super 64.

“Coach Ollie called my high school coach one day in practice, talked to them, and said they wanted to see me at 64,” Bell said. “They like me because I’m a shot blocker and a good defensive player.”

Bell’s offense, while unpolished, isn’t always showcased in high school because he plays alongside 2013 wing Roschon Prince (he holds offers from USC and San Diego State, according to Scout.com).

Bell, ranked by Rivals as the No. 77 overall player in the class of 2013, said he would cut his list to “about 10″ after the Adidas64. From there, he would take unofficial visits, cut his list again and then make official visits.

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