Clash of Colleges #4 Duke and #2 Ohio State

The Tuesday night match-up between Duke and Ohio State promised to be a great game, going into Tuesday night. I rushed home after coaching my team to catch it from the start and everything, but little did I know, it was gonna be over from the start. Ohio State jumped on Duke like a bully in a school yard brawl and didn't get up till there was nothing left! Jumping out to an early lead Ohio State out played the Blue Devils on both ends of the floor. The most evident aspect of the game in which Duke struggled was their man to man defense. The just didn't look like they had the foot speed to stay in front of anyone on Ohio State's squad. With Duke loosing by 20plus, we could point out several other things that they didn't do well enough but maybe this wasn't so much about Duke's lack as it was about the Buckeye's outstanding play. Maybe they have all basis covered in their arsenal. Inside game, outside attack, slashers, passers,  on the ball defense, help defense, strength on the boards and a good coach. Maybe they just might be the best team in the country all together, if not, it sure did look like it the other night......much love to my Dukies anyway, they'll bounce back!!!

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Red Hot!!! Nike Air Foamposite One "Metallic Red"

Poised to be one of the most sought after sneaker releases of 2012 for sure, the Nike Air Foamposite One "Metallic Red" is hotter than the sun. Already being one of the most celebrated sneakers by Nike ever, this color way puts it over the top. Keep up with me for exact release date in 2012!.....Question? If Penny's career had been longer, would he have had the best signature shoe line ever? He sure was consistent, I know that.

And Down Goes #1

North Carolina was the pre-season and current #1 ranked team in the nation, up until last night when they fell short to UNLV, an unranked opponent. UNLV came out intense from the beginning, led by Chace Stanback who poured in 28 points. From beginning to end, the Running Rebels were aggressive, penetrating the UNC defense and often kicking out for threes. Henson, Barnes and Zeller shot a cold 11-34  from the field which is a huge part of their firing power. Needless to say, the win shocked the college basketball world, everyone except the Rebels head coach Dave Rice, who's eyes are more set on creating a consistent winning culture in the program rather than defining themselves off of that one great win. That was his tone after the game but he did say that it was a great win for the program. Carolina better do some serious self checking seeing that they have Wisconsin and Kentucky this upcoming week. 

All I Want For Christmas....I might Just Have It!

The NBA Players Union and the owners met yesterday for over 15hrs and as a result reached a tentative agreement!!! Finally! Even though there are a lot of little things that still have to be signed off on, the are expected to start the season on Dec.25th which will feature Bulls VS. Lakers and  Mavericks VS. Heat! That's all I need under my tree, some NBA action. That start date will give them about a 66 game season which should allow for an All-Star weekend as well. We may have just avoided the biggest set back that pro basketball has ever had. The loss of a season, the loss of fans and the loss of a national following altogether. Thanks Fisher and Stern for getting to the bottom of your minute differences and giving us the game back....hopefully!

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#4 UConn Upset by MJ's Boys?

Friday night UConn entered into their match-up with UCF ranked #4 in the nation and on a 16 game winning streak. Little did they know, 16 is where that streak would end. The  Huskies went up big on the UCF Knights as expected, but led by Marcus Jordan (Michael Jordan's son), the Knights came storming back and took the lead in which they would keep. UConn led by as many as 17 in the second half but turnovers and missed opportunities gave the momentum to UCF. Marcus Jordan led the way with 20 pts, 7 assist, and 7 rebounds for his team. On his way to the line to take two big free throws near the end, a teammate told him that "this shot is in your blood", speaking on the clutch, killer instinct that his dad displayed. Marcus calmly stepped  to the line and knocked them down. UCoon Jeremy Lamb, who had led a 10-0 run for his team earlier in the contest but had a couple of key turnovers near the end. Maybe even more damaging to UConn was that Shabazz Napier, Huskie PG, had 7 of the team's turnovers and was only 1-7 from the field. Coach Calhoun was disappointed with the game and it will be interesting to see if they'll bounce back against FSU today which won't be a walk in the park. Congrats to the UCF Knights on the biggest win in school history.

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Flash Back Friday presents Shawn Kemp

    "Manchild"and "The Reign Man" are the two nicknames that most remember Shawn Kemp being tagged with in his career, with both being a great fit. You see, Shawn Kemp was a manly built kid while attending Concord High School in Elkhart, Indiana. Athletic as any D1 player in the country, Shawn Kemp was a man among kids. He received a letter of intent from the University of Kentucky but transferred from the school soon after arriving, after being accused of stealing and pawning two gold chains that belonged to, then head coach, Eddie Sutton's son which was also his teammate. After arriving to a small community college, Kemp with out ever playing in a college game, declared himself for the 1989, NBA Draft. Many questioned if he was ready, if he was getting in over his head and if he would last through 1yr @ all but they would soon get their answer. Drafted by the Seattle Super sonics, Shawn took several games in his rookie season to get in his groove, but once he did, it was over! In his second season, playing along side Gary Payton, Detleft Schrempf, Nate McMillan and Sam Perkins, Shawn Kemp excited the crowds and embarrassed defenders with his relentless air assault! PG Gary Payton must have thrown 10,000 alley oop passes to Shawn that year, or @ least it seemed like it anyway. Good shot blocker, with an array of great moves around the basket and hops out of this world Kemp became an All-Star, and a crowd favorite! He lifted the Sonics to becoming a force to reckon with and a annual playoff team. Kemp won a gold medal with the US team at the 1994 FIBA WOrld Championships. Kemp and the Sonics reached the finals in 1996 where he faced Michael Jordan and the Bulls. The Supersonics lost to the Bulls ina tough 6 game series but despite losing Shawn Kemp managed to put up averages of 23pts per at 55% from the field, 10 reb, and 2blocks. Later in his career, Kemp was hampered by drug abuse, 2 bus loads of kids by a bus load of different women and weight issues, but he will be remembered for his mind blowing highlights. Blake isn't the first of his kind, not at all. Before there was Lebron and Blake, there was the "Reign Man".....Shawn Kemp

Admire the Man-Child for yourself below


CLICK HERE:http://youtu.be/JTFNeJV_jJs

A Slimmer of Hope?

With this being the 147th day of the NBA lockout, the current word on it is that both sides, the players and the owners, have agreed to resume negotiations, giving one last swing at having an NBA season this year. The players have agreed to a 50/50 split, supposedly. The target is to have a deal in place to have a 66 game NBA season starting on Dec. 25th (great because I need something to watch on Christmas!). That sounds a whole lot better than the 50 game schedule that they had after the last lockout. Kind of funny that this target date is Christmas which has the most dynamic match-ups of the year scheduled and normally the first of the national tv schedule for the league. This year's schedule included, Maverick's vs. Heat, a rematch of last year's finals. Either way let's just workout the kinks and let's play ball.

Lebron, might want to figure out how to slow down Dirk this time..... and get some rings before speaking to Mr. Bryant! Lol.

The Lebron 9 "Watch The Throne" Editions....Must See Tv!

I promise you, if you stay with me, I'll lead sneaker head nation to the pot of gold every time.....for example , these "Watch The Throne" Edition Lebron 9's are prized possessions for all! This new Lebron is themed after the newly released album from Jay-Z and Kanye West. All I will say right now is that Yeezy stepped in on the design team on this one and came up with a hit as he often does. Look @ the custom detail, the unique color way, and the signature WTT engraved lace jewelry!!! Release info coming soon!!! Follow me to stay up on these as I Watch The Throne!!!!

Ball So Hard

Watch The Throne
(Jay-z and Yeezy, Lebron's!)

Fabulous Freshmen....Off To The Races!

What a load of freshman talent!!! This years incomers are not disappointing at all which is adding to the nix of a already highly anticipated season. From Kentucky to Duke to Baylor, there is no lack of talent throughout the college basketball landscape this year. Kentucky headlines the fab freshman platforms with the four McDonald's All-Americans, Marquis Teague, Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Kyle Wiltjer. These first year players are impact players already and its just Nov. Next on the list is Baylor bringing in maybe the most versatile player and toughest player to guard, Quincy Miller and the most exciting to watch, Deuce Bello. This dynamic duo hit the committed at the same time coming from the same school. It will be in different ways, especially playing along side Quincy Acy, but Quincy Miller and Deuce Bello are already leaving there mark! Last but definitely not least......Duke's Austin Rivers!! Getting used to the Coach K system more and more each game, Austin is showing just how hard it is for someone to stay in front of him. As he matures and settles in, he's slowly becoming more and more lethal. In fact He just put up a career high (so far) of 20 points. Watch out for the new kids on the block.



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" This Right Here is a "1 of 1" Kevin Durant

If you were playing NBA2k12 on your xbox or PS 3, and you wanted to go to the CREATE A PLAYER option to make the most extremely, unstoppable player, how would you go about it? What all would the perfect player posses? Well if he's 6'10-6'11, can handle the rock as well as any guard, defend well, has a pure stroke, agile, can throw it down with authority and is court savvy, I would say that's pretty perfect, wouldn't you??

Well that player exist and its Kevin Durant. It first stood out to me when he was playing for theTexas Longhorns. This tall, lanky kid was a monster and you could see the hours of work on his game when you watched. Usually, when spectators see a 6'9-6'10 cat dribble between his legs twice per game, they swear up and down that he has handles but KD has given big man who can handle the rock, new meaning. He would snatch a board, take off on the break, and sometimes elect to keep it, give a combo move off the dribble and finish with the throw down himself. He would take over a game, leading with his scoring attack, from the perimeter in, displaying one of the sweetest strokes you ever want to see. Now entering into his 5th season in the NBA, a gold medal, 3 All-Star games, and 2 scoring titles later, being the youngest ever to achieve that, Kevin Durant has to be getting consideration for the NEW KING. After Kobe, who is gonna be THE MAN. Lebron has some "big stage" work to do to be considered in the convo and D. Howard just ain't Shaq.  So other than maybe D. Rose, its KD all day. He has a killer instinct, that "it" factor that critics and analyst talk about. He is a gym rat from his heart. He's not seeking to make him self an icon, but like Mike and Kobe,  he's letting his game take care of the icon thing. In fact, I'll go as far as saying that KD has the potential to retire as the most unbelievable thing that ever happened to basketball, to those who look at things with out a pre-warped opinion.





If you put his height on him, he'll break them down off the dribble, if you put a smaller guy who's fast enough to stay with him on him, he'll rise up over him and drain jumpers all day and post him up. Defensively he's fast enough to guard the perimeter and has the length enough to defend the post. With his incredible work habits accompanied by his humility and study of the game, I don't see where in someone can dispute my predictions.....Do you?


CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/lLbC2uWbyqY

KD over the summer polishing up
CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/mYzBGlL3ZQc

Summer Reign

This past summer was an uncertain one for NBA player personnel, considering the upcoming cba situation. One thing was certain though, regardless of what the league decided or didn't decide, the players knew that they had to keep themselves ready to play at a high level. With no summer league, no team camp and no preseason, most of the exciting new players decided to go hard at the summer league circuit, this year more than ever. Stars of the league such as John Wall, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, CP 3, Brandon Jennings,  Nick Young, Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, James Harding and many others were going hard throughout a few very popular summer leagues. Since we don't have the real thing yet, I thought I would throw you some footage of some of your favorite players getting it in, polishing their game against each other.

J Wall CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/1hpNBHLzges

Kevin Durant CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/URERdDAMdEE

Kobe CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/XUeOkokfIxg

Brandon Jennings CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/enIGLAC-PVo

A Lil Bit of Everybody CLICK HERE:
http://youtu.be/TieQRBtBByc

Too Sad, Too Ironic

Thursday night, sad news came ringing in from OSU....again. OSU Women's Head Basketball Coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in a plane crash in Arkansas on Thursday. Deja vu can be a good thing sometimes but in this case, it is worst case scenario of deja vu.
     Just 10yrs ago, an airplane carrying 10 coach's/ players from the men's basketball team died in a plane crash in January 2001. What are the chances? How could it happen twice? Why would it happen twice? Its like a bad dream, with its own sequel. How do the kids pick up from there? how do the family and school community cope?Well its hard to fathom how this could happen to this program again but one thing we do know is, there are a lot of strong kids at Oklahoma State and as they did in 2001, with the prayers, love and support of that great community, they will survive. To all the victims and their families be strong and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

RIP Coach Budke and Coach Serna, you will be missed.

Who Runs The World.....Girls!

    

Often times, I still here a few fellas say, "dude, you like women's basketball like that?"  I reply with a very strong YES! Actually I enjoy it just as much because of a few major reasons. #1 girls rely on the FUNDAMENTALS of the game more so then guys because a guy's ultra athleticism can cause him to rely on it and less on the fundamentals. So for an x-and-o's guy, a girls game is a good watch. Also, a guy's confidence in his athleticism to the point to where they'll take some ill advised shots with in what the team is trying to do. Of course the men's game is just as great as it's always been, but lets pay respect to the greatness of the women's game as well.
     What a better time to celebrate the women's game more than now, having such an exciting women's NCAA landscape led by some stand out players such as Brittany Griner of Baylor and Skylar Diggins of Notre Dame. These two girls are the face of the women's collegiate game and both have huge fan bases, deservingly so.
 

  On top of beating the entire world's pick for national champs leading into last years women's NCAA tournament, UConn, Skylar Diggins  consistently leads her teams with on court leadership, scoring, assisting, ball pressure and energy night in and night out. She is a floor general to her heart, and can fill it up as a scorer as well, when her team needs it. Last year, hitting averages of about 15pts, 5 ast, and 2stls per game, Skylar led Notre Dame to the NCAA tiltle game against Texas A&M and made the 2011 State Farm Coaches All-America Team, 2011 Associated Press 3rd Team All-America, one of only two sophomores honored in that manner Skylar Diggins is set on having an incredible sophomore season. She has garnered lots of popularity off court as well, due to her charisma and marketable smile. She blew up on the social scene when she received tweets from the likes of Chris Brown and Lil Wayne last year during the final four, with Chris Brown saying he's her biggest fan and Lil Wayne saying she's his wife. Future endorsements maybe? Probably so....Skylar's smile is pretty marketable, don't you think?

Click Here To Watch Skylar:
http://youtu.be/RtbXgKr-pno

       



                                                                                                                      

     Along with Ms. Diggins is Brittany Griner. Where do I start.....she could end her career as the most dominant women's player to ever play the game, seriously! Standing 6'8, wearing a mens 17/18 shoe, and having a wing span of 86', Brittany Griner is one of a kind type of player in women's basketball. Along with the height and incredible length, she's super athletic and makes scoring for apposing teams a nightmare.

We've seen a few throw downs in women's basketball, but Griner consistently plays above the rim, throwing it down 52 times in 32 games in her senior year.....of high school!!! She may be the biggest marketing target of Nike's for any women yet and take the national interest for the game, by girls, to new plains. For Baylor, what more could they ask for? On Dec. 16, 2009, Brittany Griner gave Baylor their first ever, triple double in women's basketball, scoring 34 pts, grabbing 13 rebounds, and a Big 12 record 11 blocks. Unreal #s, especially considering that she was just a freshman. She also set the all-time blocks record for a single season, rejecting 223 shots. Crazy right? Well tune in this season because she's just in her junior season. Don't be surprised if you see her catch one off of the rim! Im serious....
These girls rock!!!

Watch Brittney Griner HERE:                                                                                                          
 http://youtu.be/ueCWcuCxVoM

Nike Zoom KD IV "Nerf"

Kevin Durant's game is insane....and I mean insane, but he may get upstaged by his own feet in a game if he ever wear's these special edition Nike Zoom KD IV "Nerf", his signature kicks. This has to be one of the most creative idea's for a special edition signature sneaker in recent memory. Nike and Nerf got together to create this exciting release that features the KD IV in a purplish blue, hyper red, gray with lime green accents, tagged with the, oh so popular NERF stamp on one tongue/ KD 35 on the other, and gray space dust sprayed across the high strap and around the soles. The color combinations are vibrant and eye popping. Not only are these shoes very Nerfish, but they include a special edition Nerf basketball goal and  KD 35 ball, presented in a customized shoe box with the hottest cartoon KD in mid move on the inner shoe box lid!!! Sooo creative and exciting. Definitely a collectors edition and the box is a collector's edition type display. They will be hard to get, but worth going after. I will update you guys on any availability on these.... Stay tuned!!

Killer box!

                                         
That actually looks like Durant for real! Long and lanky!!!

Love air brush look...."SPACE DUST"

Sweet...

Yo Durant, these are insane!!!!

Jordan Spizike "Bordeaux" Fresh...Like A Billion Bucks

Man, February is gonna be filled with some serious sneaker releases but none any more eye catching than these, the Jordan Spizike Bordeaux. Soooo mean,  the Spizike Bordeaux are definitely show pieces.  Rumor has it that this may be the last of the Spizike (until they do a retro release down the road as they usually do), but if they are, they went out with a bang! With a mostly gray base, its complimented by black as a secondary base color, highlighted by varsity red, sapphire blue, and varsity maize. These are super fresh.... A must have for the serious sneaker heads!!!

Before They Were Who We Know Now!

Before they were high flying, buzzer beater shooting, shot swatting, fast breaking multi-millionairs, they were just sports hungry kids with a dream! Check out some of your favorite hoopz stars in these childhood photos.

                                                       
 Brandon Jennings Chillin with his ball!

                       
 "Walter" Ray Allen (Did he know where his ring was coming from?)

                                                             

 The Black Mamba "Kobe"                                                                   

                                                       

   MVP Derrick Rose QT with family

                                                             
 Rajon Rondo looks like he was "fast breaking"

                                                             
 D Wade modeling even back then!

                                                       
 Lebron was probably like 2 weeks old right here! lol

                                                               
Kevin Garnett with the throw back Lacoste

You never know what the children around can become.....so give them your all!


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