"The Great Wall" Goes For 47!!

John Wall Goes For 47!!

With the kid being from my home town, I have a special interest in this..... last night vs the Memphis Grizzlies, John Wall went for a career high 47 points 8assist and 7 rebounds!! Giving the Grizzlie guards all they could handle, John Wall didn't do all of his damage on penetration and finishes at the rim alone as many would guess, but much of the onslaught came in his new and  improved midrange jumper. In his previous seasons, the scouting report on John Wall was to back off and dare him to shoot jump shots....maybe Memphis didn't get the updated version of the scouting report on him. He has worked on that aspect of his game greatly. Always have been a solid defender, imposed his speed Since his return from the knee injury that kept him out the first half of the season, the Wizards have won 11-18!! He is seemingly getting better with every game..looking more confident, more fit, and regaining the lightning quickness that he has. This is the potential that those who have seen him closely for yrs knew he had, definitely a sign of things to come and hope for Washington Wizards fans and the franchise as a whole!!!

Check out John Wall get busy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkeNa2QIP94

Throwback Thursdays: Make Em Jump Like Rod Strickland

Make Em' Jump Like Rod Strickland!

In my coaching and even more so the skill training that I do, I often reference a college or pro player when working on certain skills, moves or mechanics to give kids a strong visual/example of someone who does the said skill correctly....for example, floaters and or hard, low, fast and tight left/right crossover and go's..."Tony Parker", or through the leg, leaning hard in that same direction then crossing back in front to the opposite direction, "Tim Hardaway" and just the same when dealing with the in and out hesitation or any stop and go series off of the dribble, you've got to reference the infamous Rod Strickland at some point!!! This NY bred PG had one of the meanest hesitation series of all time with court vision that ranks with the best of them. Hesitation to make his defender freeze in place, and hesitation to make his player jump and/or raise up, though he still has a live dribble.....sick!! This cat was smooth with the ability to break down defense, finish and find the open man, whether he was behind him or cutting opposite of him through clutter. A REAL pg...something lacking today. The epic rap group WU-Tang even referenced him in a rhyme back in the mid 90's, saying "make em jump like Rod Strickland". Dude was fun to watch and a nightmare for the opposition. Big ups to the real pgs that  had a pass first mentality but still posed an offensive threat themselves enough to keep defense honest. He played 17yrs for several different It was nothing for Strickland to have 15pts 15assist and 3 or 4 stls. Scrappy and crafty!!!! Let's take a moment to look back on Rod "watch those ankles" Strickland!

Look Back At Strickland Doing Work Below!!!!!
http://youtu.be/XTyNwkZwCzg

The Rich Get Richer!! Julius Randle Going To Kentucky

Julius Randle Tops Off One of the Greatest Classes Ever!!!

Its official, Five Star, power forward recruit, Julius Randle is headed to to Kentucky, joining an already unbelievable class that many now are saying could be the greatest ever....and Calipari is still in the hunt for two more top players this year!! Julius Randall is the No. 4 overall prospect in the country according to Max Preps Top 100 and from what I've seen, he could very well be the most pro appealing player in this senior class at this current moment. Randle is a 6-8, 235 pound, MAN on the floor. He has a motor and is fearless when attacking the rim, on the block, and on the boards. With strength being one of his greatest assets, Randle also has great hands, superior footwork, incredibly athletic and agile. Julius attacks with a vengeance, as if he is upset with the opposing team for even thinking that they can play with him!!! Sounds funny but true. He is a program changer by himself!!! To sum this all up, for those who were laughing at Coach Cal last night after loosing in the first round of the NIT, laugh now.....CRY LATER!!!

Just in case you haven't seen the kid, check him out here....he's a monster!
http://youtu.be/HJqaMioXegU

Julius with B "the Houston rocket" herself

Texas Stars....Present and Future!!!!!!

Can't Believe My Eyes...DeAndre Jordan Crushes Brandon Knight @ Rim

As if Kyrie Irving's ankle breaking crossovers, with one bringing him to the floor, on All-Star weekend weren't bad enough, Brandon Knight almost locked Twitter up yesterday.....for the wrong reasons!!! In a Sunday afternoon match-up between the Pistons and Clippers, a play that will be seen over and over for quite sometime and cements what LOB CITY is all about occurred. After a Piston's turn over, someone set a back screen for De'Andre Jordan and as Knight was playing off of a man in the far corner. After seeing De'Andre break free, headed toward the rim, Brandon Knight sagged all the way in and jumped to intercept/break up the lob from CP3 but to no avail!!! It resulted in what I would guess was the most embarrassing moment in B. Knight's basketball life....even topping Irving making him fall on his face in  front of the All-Star weekend crowd. Lebron said of the Jordan dunk, "play of the year" and teammate Blake Griffin called it the best dunk he has ever seen in person! That's huge coming from Blake the Great! Look at the faces of the players, the fans, coaches and refs....the dis belief in what they just witnessed!!!! Nasty, ridiculous, unbelievable, unreal, spectacular all fall short in properly describing the play.

               This face after the dunk may describe what just happened best!

Thing is, its not just an isolated situation or just for flash or entertainment. The constant threat of these types of plays by the Clipps has become a culture and a offensive element that has to go into opposing team's defensive strategy. They have made it a weapon, not just a ticket seller. They are the "Greatest Show On Earth"!!!! Between CP3 and Crawford being sly, elusive and stunning on the perimeter with the rock and their crafty court vision and Blake, De'Andre and even Caron (when its any rim left for him) flying to and tearing up rims on a nightly basis, they have created a movement and a culture!!! If you didn't get it before, or thought it was just isolated to Griffin, this video of this play will clear things up for you!!!! Get your mind right and clear the runway next time Brandon..... buzzards luck for B. Knight in 2013 lol!

The Crime Scene

"Here comes Chris Paul...the lob, the jam!!!! Oh what a monster jam by De'Andre Jordan!!!!" 

View "The Play"

http://youtu.be/-YyUXd3Lb0I 

Game Changer: Brittney Griner!

Monday night, Brittney Griner took the court for her final home court game as a Baylor women's basketball player..... and man, was it won to remember!!! Brittney Griner was DOMINANT all night long, offering a women's NCAA season high 50pts making 21-28 fgs!!! She displayed it all....drop steps left and right, jump hooks left and right, and even turn around jumpers but there was one play that took the cake...... Brittney Griner caught a pass on the left side of the low block, made a quick spin move right toward the baseline, took off on two feet for the baseline dunk!!!!
I mean this girl is not just tall or just long, she can play! The foot work, the effort, the poise, the timing and anticipation. She has it all. The dominance, the swag, the fire, and the highlights to top it all off. The way she plays the game at her size has and (assuming no serious injury) will continue to garner the attention of many. Up and coming girls have a player of a different type to idolize their sport. She has broken many records in her four years and still is as she goes along. She could change the level of media coverage for the sport as well as endorsement parameters for the sport. Many great women players have played but she may be the first of her kind. Women's basketball has been under sold for too long. Brittney Griner could change the landscape. The new ceiling...no ceiling!! Brittney Griner......Don't sleep!

Re-live the moment...The Griner Dunk!!

http://youtu.be/qlDAUlX57Kg

Duke's Ryan Kelly....Back Like He Never Left!!

                                       

 Ryan Kelly......Back Like He Never Left!!!!

Since Ryan Kelly left the line up,  the Blue Devils have it a few bumps in the road after a flawless start to the season which included a tough early season schedule. Duke picked up some super impressive wins over Louisville, Ohio State and Kentucky among others. Since Ryan Kelly, Duke's 6-11 senior forward, has gone down with a foot injury, Duke has lost 4 conference games, and only squeaked by in a few other conference match-ups, which was unexpected....or was it??  how much better is Duke with Kelly vs. without him? Could that be the biggest reason for the losses to N.C. State, Maryland, Virginia and Miami?? Well I heard many sports analyst marvel at Miami's 20 plus point thrashing of Duke and even throw in that it would've happened anyway, even with Kelly in the line up....They were soooo convinced.
  Well to many's surprise, in Saturday night's rematch with the mighty Hurricanes, Ryan Kelly was not just suited up, but was ready to play and oh boy, did he! Ryan Kelly had maybe the most impressive return of any college athlete, in a single game, after an extensive layoff. Kelly was aggressive and confident, putting up an overwhelming 36pts and 7 reb including 7-9 from 3pt range!!! Unreal after missing 13 straight games!!!! The Cameron Crazies exploded with every dagger the Kelly unloaded on the Miami Hurricanes last night. In the midst of the the heroics, Kelly had to run off to the locker room to readjust tape on the injured foot, then ran back out and picked up where he left off.  Realistically, who's to say that with Kelly never being injured, that the Blue Devils might not be a clear cut #1 with maybe 1 or no losses?? Ryan Kelly isn't that big of a difference for coach K is he, you might ask? Sure he is.

  Ryan Kelly is a 6-11 frame with a decent post game, length and inside defensive presence but what makes him such a problem for opposing teams is that he, at that size, can knock down the long range bomb. What does that do to opposing defenses???? It forces them to have a player big enough to match-up in the post but also agile and skilled enough to guard Kelly on the perimeter. Ryan Kelly stretches defenses, not by just being a long range shooter but a tall long range shooter, among a host of above average shooting guards and a really good post player in Mason Plumee. That can stretch any apposing defense and makes Duke a totally different offensive team. Of course defensively, Ryan Kelly takes a huge pressure of Mason Plumlee by having another long, experienced defender to protect the basket. Yes Duke has Amil Jefferson off of the bench and he is going to be a special player for Duke but is still young and plays aggressive, inexperienced defense which leads to foul trouble often times. Kelly is a solid defender whose length causes a degree of difficulty in the lane. Remember class two7 footers who can play together at 1 time is better than one.....any day of the week!

Hands down Ryan Kelly displayed incredible heart in his performance last night, lifting his team past a Miami squad that had handed them one of its worst losses under coach K. This will be one of those story lines to remember from this college basketball season.

Moral of the story??? Duke is still undefeated when at full strength....Coach K doesn't want the Duke haters to get it confused!

If you missed it, re-live it HERE!!!
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:9009255

LeBron And The Crew Go In...Harlem Shake Remixed

   

 It took a little while but LBJ's personality is finally shining through in Miami, the silly side that is!!! His humor and high spirited antics are definitely infectious as they were back in Cleveland with the sideline dances, hilarious starting line-up side shows, "The LeBron's" saga and cartoons, the dance battles against Shaq...on and on. I mean, who else could have, oh so serious, Ray Allen "harlem shaking in front of the camera in the recently released Miami Heat locker room, dance video!!!! If you need a good laugh, this is a must see!!!!!

Miami...Harlem Shake VIDEO:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUAVW1ny-4o