Saturday, September 27, 2008

Women have another recruit on campus

I spoke with Julia Marshall on Saturday, a 5-9 senior shooting guard at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School in Wichita Kansas. Marshall is making her third official visit, with the other two at WAC rival Boise State and Drake. She said she is also considering a visit to Creighton. I will have a story in Monday's paper.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Jahmar Young

Thankfully this will all come to an end tomorrow. I've heard nothing but good things about Young this summer so it seems that that he has grown up as a person regardless of what happens in court today.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/sports/ci_10539603

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Saw this on the wire

Thought you would be interested

Nevada basketball lands 6-foot-10 power forward
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Steven Bjornstad, a 6-foot-10 power forward who averaged 18 points and nearly 11 rebounds a game last season at Columbia River High School in Vancouver, Wash., has verbally committed to play for the Nevada Wolf Pack in 2009.
Bjornstad, who also averaged four blocked shots a game as a junior last season, had scheduled two more official visits to Santa Clara and St. Mary’s the next two weeks but decided on Wednesday to cancel those and become the first recruit to commit to Nevada for 2009-10.
“He felt in his gut and heart that this was the right place for him,” Bjornstad’s coach, David Long, told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
“He and his family felt completely comfortable at Nevada,” Long said. “The facilities, the coaches, the players, the total environment was just right for him. They had the whole package.”
Under NCAA rules, Nevada coach Mark Fox cannot comment on a recruitable player. Verbal commitments are not binding, but Bjornstad can sign his letter-of-intent, which is binding, in the early-signing period in mid-November.
Long said Bjornstad would have received offers from Pac-10 schools had he waited until the spring signing period before choosing a school. However, Bjornstad wanted to close his recruiting so he could turn his focus back to the court.
“He’s pleased that everything is going to stop now,” Long said. “The recruiting process is time-consuming. He just wants everything to cease the letters, the calls.”
Long thinks Bjornstad will make immediate impact for the Wolf Pack next season.
“I think he can help as a true freshman,” Long said. “Maybe not as a starter, but I think his shot-blocking and defense will immediately help the team.”
Long said Bjornstad needs to work on his ball handling and passing in addition to adding weight to his 220-pound frame. Despite shooting 80 percent from the field last season, Long said Bjornstad is also working on his shooting stroke.
But the coach is confident that the Wolf Pack got a steal in signing Bjornstad, a basketball late-bloomer who didn’t focus on the game until he was a high school freshman.
“What you see is 2 1/2 years of hard work,” Long said. “What he has accomplished in that time span is tremendous. Once he gets into the system at Nevada, the sky is literally the limit.”

Women land Rosen

I spoke with Berkeley High senior Camila Rosen today. Rosen is a 6-foot guard/forward who had knee surgery this summer after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament on the AAU scene this summer.
Anyway, Rosen said she has committed verbally to NMSU after making an official visit in early September. With Rosen, the Aggies will have two open scholarships for the 2009-10 season. Look for a story in Saturday's paper.

This is interesting

http://www.lcsun-news.com/sports/ci_10499975

I don't know if this is to promote some interest in the team on campus or perhaps it's a common occurance all over the country, or is evidence that the Johnny Higgins was dismissed rumor to be true. My understanding is that his fate at NMSU is yet to be determined. Stay tuned.

At any rate, for those of you who can hit a jump shot or handle the ball, lace 'em up and head on down to the Pan Am with a shot to win a roster spot alongside the likes of Jonathan Gibson, Jahmar Young, Wendell McKines and company

Friday, September 5, 2008

Upcoming stories

I was able to watch the women's team play some pickup games the other day. Freshman wing Tabytha Wampler looks llike a player who could have a great career. She can handle, run the floor and shoot the ball and could be a potential stopper on defense. Wampler, DAnisha Corbett and Madison Spence could be a pretty nice starting lineup 1-3.

I haven't been able to see the men play at all yet, but I have seen some players on campus. Hamidu Rahman and Jahmar Young each look like they have put on some muscle. I hope to have a story on redshirts Rahman, Troy Gillenwater and Robert Lumpkins sometime next week.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Pope's words

Just got off the phone with Herb Pope. This link is a basically his words and will appear in Wednesday's paper as well. It was good to finally get Herb's voice on this issue. I was initially under the impression that we were dealing with a selfish basketball player. After talking to him, it's clear his family business is very real from the few details that he gave me. So just when I thought maybe I had him figured out, it's clear that I don't and I doubt anyone other than his family members will really get a true sense of who Herb Pope is.

http://www.lcsun-news.com/sports/ci_10359046