AO to Greece

Adrian Oliver is headed to the land of Sparta:

"Signed a contract to play this lockout season in Greece. Thank you all for the good wishes. Leave in about a week so gettin everything..."

Justin Graham with a San Fran Pro-Am League dunk

Here's a video of Justin Graham dunking over a couple of guys in a San Francisco Pro-Am League contest.

This will be an interesting change

Anything that makes the WAC regular season carry additional weight seems fair and is fine with us:

WAC proposes top seeds be placed into semifinals
Ferd Lewis
Honolulu Advertiser

The Western Athletic Conference is studying a proposal that would give its top two seeded men's and women's basketball teams byes into the semifinals of the conference tournament.

The plan, which was discussed at the annual WAC Council spring meetings that concluded yesterday in Phoenix, could be voted on as early as next month by the Board of Directors and enacted in time for the tournament in March in Las Vegas...

Go here for the remainder.

C.J. Webster enters the NBA draft

FOX's Jeff Goodman has posted the official list of the 2010 NBA draft entrants, with May 8 the last day to pull out and return to college if you haven't signed with an agent.

The WAC entries are Luke Babbitt, Paul George, Armon Johnson, Jahmar Young and, very surprisingly, C.J. Webster.

Our understanding is that C.J. has decided not to return to school. We wish him and his new family well.

Another new frontcourter for San Jose State

Okay, start polishing up on your French.

San Jose State has reached into the heart of France -- Paris specifically -- to land Brylle (pronounced Brill) Kamen, a frontcourt player with eligibility for the next three seasons. But frustrating for sure to the coaching staff, a lengthy trip abroad wandering through the various arrondissements of the capital city, wasn't necessary.

A 6-foot-7, 230 pounder, Kamen comes from Western Nebraska Community College where he played for Coach Russ Beck. He just turned 22 on April 21.

Here's Beck on his freshman: "Brylle is very intelligent, a very good student and fun to be around. He is a good rebounder with a big, strong body and can shoot off the dribble and with the pullup jumper. He can also pick-and-pop, shooting on the perimeter."

Kamen also sounds animated on the court. "He'll let everyone know when he grabs a rebound," Beck said.

As a frosh, the Parisian played in 28 games, averaging 8.2 points and grabbing 6.8 rebounds a game.

Kamen first attended Jacksonville State in the Ohio Valley Conference but redshirted. He then transferred to Western Nebraska, located in Scottsbluff.

By the way, Scottsbluff National Monument contains landmarks of the Oregon Trail and the Mormon Trail.

Now, the San Jose State Trail too.

Keith Shamburger, San Jose State signee

Serra High in Gardena must be one special place. Fresh off going 15-0 and winning a state football championship against Marin Catholic in late December, the Cavaliers also nabbed a state basketball championship in March. And yes, that is the first time this has happened in California during the same school year.

Leading the way on the hardwood was guard Keith Shamburger, who recently signed a letter-of-intent with San Jose State University.

He's not the biggest in physical stature at 6-foot-0, 175 but Serra Coach Dwan Hurt sums up the Shamburger effect: "He's meant everything," Hurt said. "As Keith Shamburger goes, so goes Serra High School. He was our most valuable player, no doubt about it."

Hurt added, "Keith is a coach on the floor and simply does what it takes to win."

In an opening playoff game, the senior backcourter scored 25 points versus Ridgeview, including the first 11 points in the game.

On March 13, Serra topped Oceanview 50-45 with Shamburger totaling 12 points.

A week later, Serra beat Compton Centennial 62-48 behind 14 points from their team leader.

Finally, the championship game against Bishop O'Dowd turned into a 63-59 overtime win, with another 14 points from Shamburger.

His senior season numbers: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.3 steals a game leading to a 35-2 overall record.

According to Hurt, Shamburger chose San Jose State because "he felt comfortable for a long time with San Jose State and he wanted to stay near home."

Asked about academics, Hurt said "Keith is a very good student, he's very intelligent with a 3.0+ grade point average."

One recruiting site described the 6-footer as "an athletic combo guard who sees the floor, handles well, is effective in transition and can score it."

Another offered this: "lightning quick with major range on his jumper and a clutch shooter."

After one Nike camp, Shamburger was nicknamed "Little Big Shot" by his fellow campers.

Here is Dwan Hurt after the win over Compton Centennial (Keith Shamburger is to Hurt's left).

Here is a clip of Shamburger causing a defender to slip and fall:

Spartans win 76-74

One concern emanating out of Boise State this week was a so-called lack of a go-to guy at the end of games. Fittingly, that meme reared its head tonight, both positively and negatively for the Broncos in a 76-74 loss.

With 2:43 remaining, Adrian Oliver made a pair of free throws (note a theme beginning here) to make it 71-66 in San Jose State's favor.

At the 2:10 mark, BSU's La'Shard Anderson buried a trey. After an exchange of possessions, Daequon Montreal scored on a putback to tie the game.

AO was fouled again and repeated his earlier success, making both free throws to push the Spartans back up 73-71.

Anderson came down and buried another trey to put the Broncos ahead 74-73 with 59 second left.

At the 34 second mark, Oliver was fouled yet again and duplicated his previous attempts, burying both free throws to nudge San Jose State back up 75-74.

After a BSU timeout, Anderson missed a three-point attempt and Mac Peterson was fouled after gathering in the rebound.

Peterson missed his initial free throw and made the second, leaving the score 76-74.

Boise State came down, missed on a shot and then a rebound putback but Anthony Thomas boarded and scored down low. However, he released his shot after the clock ran out.

SJSU's Oliver scored 37 in the last matchup with Boise State -- tonight he poured in 33.

The Spartans shot 48% as a team to BSU's 40%. SJSU went 17-21 at the foul line and this is where Coach Greg Graham's team stumbled, going 7-16. Boise State did enjoy a 49-29 rebounding advantage, with 26 offensive boards.

At the half it was even at 40 apiece. Oliver had 19 at that point and Justin Graham 11. The latter scored four baskets early on with dribble-drives to the hoop. After 20 minutes, there were already 13 ties and 11 lead changes between the teams.

We loved this initial half quote, coming from the Boise State announcers: "nobody is stopping anybody tonight."

It was soon followed with "who puts up two defensive stops and comes down and scores, wins it."

But that changed -- to a degree -- when the teams returned to the court.

San Jose State's C.J. Webster missed the game after being poked in the eye against Fresno State in the previous contest.

Nevada hosts SJSU Saturday night

San Jose State is travelin' northward towards a Saturday night matchup with Nevada, a team coming off a road split with a loss to Louisiana Tech and win versus New Mexico State. The Pack is led by a pair of gunslingers: Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, two of the most difficult players to defend against in the WAC.

Coach David Carter has loosened the reigns, so to speak, and that has Nevada playing a more upbeat tempo this season.

Here's Coach Nessman quoted about this in a Chris Murray/Reno Gazette-Journal article:

“I think when you open the court up, you become harder to guard without a doubt, and I think you’re seeing Nevada’s point totals are way up there," Nessman said. "Nevada, to me, is probably the best overall offensive team in the conference because they run some good stuff, but they also have some pretty good individual players who can simply make plays when things break down. That’s a pretty good combo to have." Nessman said it helps having two All-WAC players in Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson, adding that the way the team employs those stars has been trickier to defend this season. “It’s really tough," Nessman said of defending Babbitt and Johnson. "They’re hard to guard and I like the way David has them moving around. He has Babbitt playing all over the floor now even more than in the past. They’re a difficult matchup and that’s why they’re scoring 80-plus points a game.”

The concern this season for the Wolf Pack has been defense. As for the former, Carter was recently quoted in a ChrisMurray/Reno Gazette Journal article here:

"What I tell the kids is that we’re not getting stops when we need to. We’re holding teams to (44.5) percent shooting and out-rebounding them, so on paper we’re playing well. But we’re just not getting the key stops when we need to in crunch time. That means we’re not getting a key blockout, that means not getting a key stop in transition, that means taking care of the ball. Those are all tough plays, and I thought we took care of the ball on Monday (against New Mexico State) and got the key rebounds. Overall, when you look at the game and you look at the stats, (we’re winning) every category. We’re out-rebounding teams, we’re shooting a better percentage, we’re holding their percentages down, however, we’re not getting the key stops when we need to. You look at La. Tech, we out-rebounded them by seven, but there were two rebounds that we did not get that meant more than out-rebounding them by seven."

To a question about assists, Carter responded:

"...You’re saying we need to share the ball a little more? I will talk to the team about that. [laughs] Personally, I would like our assists to be up a little bit. The guys are not playing selfishly, so I’m not concerned with that area. We do share the ball. Because our guys can take their defender off the dribble a lot, we don’t have as many assists. You don’t get as many assists when you have guys who can take one or two dribbles and score. I think Luke Babbitt can do that very well. I think Armon Johnson can, too. It’s kind of deceiving. I don’t think they’re playing selfishly. I just think it’s the kid’s ability to score when the ball is in their hands rather than scoring on a catch-and-shoot. Besides Kraemer, we don’t have a lot of guys who can catch-and-shoot. Kraemer is the guy who can get you a lot of assists. Armon Johnson knows that. The other guys catch the ball and it’s dribble, dribble, dribble and then score. So it takes away from the assists, but we still get the bucket. So, you don’t like the dribble-dribble score? [laughs] You like the catch-and-shoot."

Schedule to Date

Wins against Tulsa, Houston and Portland highlight the slate:

Nov 14 Montana State 75 - 61 (W)

Nov 18 @ UNLV 75 - 88 (L)

Nov 21 Houston 112 - 99 (W)

Nov 27 @ VCU 76 - 85 (L)

Nov 29 @ North Carolina 73 - 80 (L)

Dec 05 @ Pacific 58 - 61 (L)

Dec 12 South Dakota State 92 - 72 (W)

Dec 17 Eastern Washington 73 - 70 (W)

Dec 19 Wagner 74 - 61 (W)

Dec 22 BYU at Las Vegas, Nev. (The Orleans) 104 - 110 (L)

Dec 23 Tulsa at Las Vegas, Nev. (The Orleans) 99 - 68 (W)

Dec 28 Portland 78 - 69 (W)

Jan 02 @ Louisiana Tech 71 - 77 (L)

Jan 04 @ New Mexico State 77 - 67 (W)


The Nevada Starting Five
6-foot-8 Dario Hunt: he is shooting 54% from the floor and the foul line (hint: send him to the line if you send anybody), averaging 7.2 ppg. and 7.3 rpg. (48 offensive and 62 defensive), leads the squad with 29 blocks and 50 fouls

6-foot-9 Luke Babbitt: probably the early lead candidate for POY in the WAC, 20.5 ppg. and 9.9 rpg., shooting 52% from the floor, can score with his back to the basket and facing it, good range on his shot, surprisngly has 38 turnovers to date, averaging 35 minutes a game

6-foot-6 Joey Shaw: shooting 48% overall and 35% on three-point sttempts, solid rebounder at 5.8 a game, tied for tops on the team with 16 steals, he was 'en fuego' in last year's game at Walt McPherson Court including one shot that must have been a 30-footer, averaging just less than 30 minutes a game

6-foot-4 Brandon Fields: is it going to be the 'good' Brandon Fields or the inconsistent one on Saturday? he is first on the team in three-point shots with 72 but is making 30% of those attempts, is scoring at a 14.3 ppg. clip, has a solid 37-19 assists-to-turnovers ratio and plays at the point when Armon Johnson is taking a breather, averaging 32 minutes a game

6-foot-3 Armon Johnson: he is shooting much better overall this season (53%) but still too low on his treys (21%) and his foul shooting (65%), 71 assists in 15 games but also 55 turnovers, averaging 33 minutes a game

The Cavalry
6-foot-4 Ray Kraemer: he has really come on in his final season, 52 of his 68 shot attempts have been from long distance and he is shooting 50% on his treys -- don't lose him defensively, do opposing fans chant 'Cosmo" when he enters the game?

6-foot- 9 Marko Cukic: a freshman who has been foul prone to date, is activer inside but learning the so-called ropes

6-foot-3 London Giles: the backup at the point, best on the team at nabbing steals

6-foot-9 Keith Olson: a walk-on transfer from Northern Arizona

The Wolf Pack Roster by position
Brandon Fields G 6-4 190 Sr.
Patrick Nyeko G 6-6 180 Fr.
London Giles G 6-3 185 So.
Keith Fuetsch G 5-11 170 Fr.
Ray Kraemer G 6-4 200 Sr.
Malik Story G 6-5 225 So. (redshirting)
Armon Johnson G 6-3 195 Jr.

Joey Shaw F 6-6 210 Sr.
Luke Babbitt F 6-9 225 So.
Marko Cukic F 6-9 240 Fr.
Adam Carp F 6-7 205 Jr.
Keith Olson F 6-9 260 So.
Dario Hunt F 6-8 230 So.

What to Expect
* Get Hunt into foul trouble and then there is a problem and neither Marko Cukic or Keith Olson are particularly adept at defending

* Nevada is holding opponents to 33% shooting from long distance -- can the Pack maintain this against Mac Peterson and Robert Owens?

* The Wolf Pack is out-boarding opposing teams by seven a game, San Jose State is +4.2 in rebounding margi: who will win this battle?

* Expectations are that will matchup will be a high scoring one -- so who will shoot better on the night?

* Here's another question and answer from the Murray article and C.J. Webster receives a mention:

Question: When do you decide whether to front or stay behind a big man in the paint? It seems to me that some of the troubles we've had in the paint, we've allowed the ball to get in too deep.

Answer: I'll give you an example. Against New Mexico State, the kid (Hamidu Rahman) is 7-foot, so you don't want to front him because they'll throw it over the top and get a dunk. He doesn't score well when trying to score over his shoulder. So it all depends on personnel. Magnum Rolle at Louisiana Tech can score in front of you or behind you, so we have to try and pick and choose and mix it up. It depends on the personnel of the kid we're playing against. This Saturday, (San Jose State) has a big kid named (C.J.) Webster who can score really well over his left shoulder, so we have to be able to take that away from him, maybe double him, maybe mix it up a little bit. It all depends on who we're defending and how they score and how we can take that away from them.

Idaho comes to town Monday night

Idaho currently (Friday) sits at 5-4 as we aren't counting wins against Eastern Oregon and Lewis & Clark. The Vandals play Hawaii in the islands on Saturday so the SJSU master plan surely is to have the Vandals be jetlagged while still dreaming about the inviting sand, warm surf and yes, those bikinis in January.

It's Monday night when Coach Don Verlin brings his troops to Walt McPherson Court to face San Jose State.

The 2009-2010 season started with a blast for the Vandals -- a seven-point "Super Bowl" smacking of Utah in Salt Lake City. Then a road loss to a better-than-usual Texas Southern squad tempered the elation. It was soon followed by a two-point road loss to Cal State Northridge. Questions began arising: just how good is Idaho?

All then seemed well after a 20 point spanking of Portland, which was ranked #25 at the time.

A road loss to Washington State wasn't unexpected and a rematch with Portland -- in the Rose City -- was then on tap. The Vandals figuratively didn't show up as the Pilots won by 30 points.

In the pre-season polls, Idaho was picked to finish fourth in the conference by both the coaches and media.

The Vandals didn't lose any players of significance so the expectations are that last season's 9-7 league record will be bettered.

Both the media and the coaches named Mac Hopson to the preseason all-WAC first team while the media voted fellow backcourter Steffan Johnson, a Pacific transfer who sat out last season, as the WAC Newcomer of the Year.

So more talent, greater experience and not that many new players to introduce to the system are all positive factors.

So why the erraticism?

We don't know the answer. More than likely, Coach Verlin and his coaching staff are in the same boat. As with all the WAC teams, it's takes a unit, playing well together, to be successful as the league isn't composed of squads who have a star or two who are talented enough to take over and dominate contests when teammates are enduring off-nights, or vice versa.

Here's Travis Mason-Bushman at his topnotch Vandal Nation site after the loss to Portland:

"For the third straight game, the Vandals looked more interested in sleeping in than playing basketball last night. The Portland Pilots, hungry for revenge at home after a 20-point Idaho beatdown knocked them out of the Top 25 last week, gladly took advantage...

...Idaho has looked disjointed, sluggish and indifferent ever since its home win over then-No. 25 Portland two weeks ago. There’s nothing good to talk about from this game, as virtually every stat was a season low for the Vandals: 38 percent shooting, 19 turnovers, even a spectacularly bad 12-for-29 performance from the free-throw line..."

But conference play is a brand new season, a slate swept clean and an opportunity to right any deficiencies.

By the way, why the nickname Vandals? From the Idaho athletic site: "One of the unique nicknames in sports, “Vandals” has been the nickname for University of Idaho athletic teams for more than 80 years. Area sportswriters coined the nickname as they tried to describe the tenacity with which coach Hec Edmundson’s basketball teams played defense. It first was used in 1918 strictly for the men’s basketball team and officially adopted for all teams in 1921. The sports editor of the school newspaper, Lloyd “Jazz” McCarty, along with the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Edward Maslin Hulme, made the final push for the nickname to be adopted, both as a tribute to the intensity of the athletic teams and to the Norsemen of old.


Schedule to Date

Nov 13 @ Utah 94 - 87 (W)

Nov 15 @ Texas Southern 65 - 72 (L)

Nov 21 @ North Dakota State 81 - 69 (W)

Nov 24 Sacramento State 75 - 61 (W)

Nov 28 Eastern Washington 76 - 54 (W)

Dec 03 @ Cal State Northridge 93 - 95 (L)

Dec 06 Portland 68 - 48 (W)

Dec 09 @ Washington State 64 - 76 (L)

Dec 12 Eastern Oregon 82 - 77 (W)

Dec 22 @ Portland 52 - 82 (L)

Dec 29 Lewis & Clark 71 - 52 (W)


Idaho's Starting Quintet

Marvin Jefferson 6-foot-9: 8.1 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, a team-leading 22 blocked shots, a scorer more on putbacks and dunk opportunities, needs to remain out of foul trouble

Luiz Toledo 6-foot-7: 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a game, shooting 66% from the floor, bothered earlier by injuries

Kashif Watson 6-foot-4: 11.4 points and 3.5 rebounds a game, shooting 50% on the season, has not attempted a trey, his 55 free throw attempts are the most on the team as he is a slicer and dicer who gets opponents out of position, resulting in whistles

Steffan Johnson 6-foot-1: 11.7 points per game, a team-leading 15 steals, shooting 42% overall, 44% from three-point range, watch for him on the offensive boards as his rebounding total is split 31 defensive and 30 offensive

Mac Hopson 6-foot-2: averaging 13 points and four rebounds a game, with a team-leading 45 assists -- he makes the offense go. Hopson is shooting 45% overall, 28% from long distance. His turnover rate is inexplicably up this season but we haven't seen him play so don't have a clue as to the cause or causes.

Each starter averages 25-28 minutes per game.

A usual starter, Brandon Wiley, has been injured this season and that has definitely been a negative since he is sort of a 'glue'guy' who performs well in his roles and never reaches beyond his capabilities. Wiley has been out since November 15 and his current status is unknown..

The Cavalry

Luciano de Souza 6-foot-7: great hair and a long distance shooter almost exclusively, 31 of his 38 shot attempts have been treys

Jeff Ledbetter 6-foot-3: ditto, even the hair, 28 of his 38 shots have been threes

Kyle Barone 6-10: 4.6 rebounds a game and he is also shooting 63% from the floor, add some beef and he could be something

Shawn Henderson: 6-3 - backcourt depth


The Vandal Roster by position

Mac Hopson G 6-2 185 Sr.
Jeff Ledbetter G 6-3 195 Jr.
Shawn Henderson G 6-3 178 Jr.
Steffan Johnson G 6-1 180 Sr.
Landon Tatum G 5-11 196 Jr.
Justin Stewart G 6-1 185 Fr.
Kashif Watson G 6-4 186 Sr.

Corey Stern, Corey F 6-7 200 Fr.
Brandon Wiley F 6-6 218 Sr.
Luciano de Souza F 6-7 210 Sr.
Luiz Toledo F 6-8 225 So.
Travis Blackstock F 6-5 206 Sr.

Kyle Barone C 6-10 220 Fr.
Joe Kammerer C 6-9 241 Fr.
Marvin Jefferson C 6-9 250 Sr.


What to Look For

* It may or may not mean anything but Idaho went 3-5 on the road in WAC play last season.

* Last year, Idaho lacked depth and size, finishing last in rebounding. This season, the Vandals have improved to the middle of the pack. Translated: rebounding totals should be close on Monday.

* Verlin's squad is shooting close to 41% from three-point range this season while holding opponents to 36%.

* Piggybacking on the above, Idaho is shooting 47% overall from the floor while holding opposing teams to 41%.

* The Vandals are nabbing 6.3 steals a game -- will that number be met or not or exceeded on Monday? The Spartans are a -31 in steals with opponents.

* Here's a curious statistic to track on Monday: In its 2009-2010 victories to date, Idaho has averaged 33+ points in paint to just 24 points in the paint in losses.

Spartans win 74-68

Two miles or so separate San Jose State and Santa Clara University but the sports history between the basketball teams seems a distant memory as the Spartans now see Western Athletic Conference opponents as their primary rivals and the Broncos feel the same about West Coast Conference foes. Neither games at Walt McPherson Court nor at the Leavey Center between the schools pack in fans to the rafters.

But it's always fun to claim a win and establish so-called local annual superiority and San Jose State did just that Wednesday evening. Wearing their road blue uniforms, they left the Broncos blue by a score of 74-68.

At the half, Santa Clara led 30-25.

The Broncos then opened the difference to ten, 39-29, on a Ray Cowels trey, followed by a steal leading to a Niyi Harrison dunk.

Santa Clara enjoyed a 44-39 lead at the 11:23 mark but Mac Petersen apparently took insult of the situation. He hit four free throws and a layup, sandwiched in and around a Justin Graham layup, two foul shots by Adrian Oliver and a Robert Owens trey to boost San Jose State to a 54-47 lead.

Santa Clara battled back but three-pointers by Owens and then Peterson kept the Spartans ahead.

Back-to-back Bronco steals and points soon closed the gap to two -- 66-64, before Oliver hit a jumper with 40 seconds remaining.

Michael Santos of Santa Clara was fouled but hit just one of two foul shots and Oliver subsequently nailed both his free throws to make the score 70-65. Robert Smith made a layup for the Broncos but Oliver threaded another pair at the foul line, followed by a second twosome making it 74-68.

Oliver finished with a double-double of 24 points and 12 boards, Peterson concluded with 17 and Owens added 12.

+++++

Chris Oakes again wasn't available so Kyle Thomas started in his place and Peterson also was sent out as a member of the SJSU quintet for the initial jump ball. Oakes is sitting while a paperwork snafu is being appealed to the NCAA, an organization which makes molasses seems Usain Bolt-like and it being holiday time isn't making the situation any more expedient.

Due to technical difficulties

Well, we couldn't connect to the game last night as KSJS was having some technical difficulties -- we're hoping it wasn't on our end, so this is the best we could do for a media game report:

UC Irvines fades in the second half
Kenny Connolly
Orange County Register

IRVINE -- As the second half of UC Irvine's game against San Jose State progressed Friday, the frustration of Anteaters coach Pat Douglass became more and more evident.

The 12 second-half turnovers and 31-percent shooting were not the cause of Douglass' anger, though. Instead, it was a lack of effort he said he failed to see from his team.

UCI, which led for the first 28 minutes, saw a 10-point first half lead turn into a 69-56 loss at Bren Center.

"We started out good, but the last five or six minutes of the first half we lost all emotion, interest and focus in what we were doing," Douglass said. "We have played with effort most of the year, but why this happened, I don't have an answer for that."

The Anteaters (5-5) led for all but one possession of the first half, forcing the Spartans into eight turnovers and converting those mistakes into four easy baskets.

Irvine center Zack Atkinson scored 10 points and blocked three shots in the first half, giving UCI a 32-27 halftime lead.

But UCI was unable to keep that trend going into the second half.

"Defense is intensity, and the emotional involvement just wasn't there," Douglass said.

San Jose State (5-4) made two easy baskets in the opening minute of the second half to cut the deficit to one point. Anteaters guard Michael Hunter responded, draining two consecutive 3-pointers, extending the lead to 40-33 with just over 16 minutes left.

Over the next seven minutes, the Spartans went on a 16-4 run, grabbing a 49-44 advantage, their first lead since the opening minutes. San Jose guard Adrian Oliver spearheaded to comeback and added to the Spartans' lead, scoring 13 points over the final 13 minutes.

Over that span, San Jose scored points on 15 of their final 18 possessions, while UCI was limited to seven field goals down the stretch.

Adrian finished with a game-high 31 points and became the first Spartans player since 2005 to record consecutive 30 points games.

"We gave the game away," Wise said. "Just a lack of execution, turnovers and no rebounding. They beat us, but we didn't help ourselves."

The loss overshadowed a career night for Hunter. With his layup in the third minute, Hunter eclipsed the 1,000-point total over his time at Irvine, making him the 19th UCI player to reach the mark. Hunter finished with 13 points.

"He (Hunter) has been playing awfully well lately," Douglass said. "But when you have a performance like this, it's really hard to send praise onto anybody."

Just got back from practice

We just got back from viewing Sunday's men's basketball practice. If it's any indication, once a rebound was secured during the five-on-five segment, the offensive players as a unit sprinted down the floor like it was a track meet. There were too many 'moments' to recount but we especially liked what we saw of 6-foot-6 Anthony Dixon. He defended well out front and popped a nice trey.

You can get your hoops fix by attending the intra-squad scrimmage followed by a Spartan Rebounder barbeque on Sunday, October 25, beginning at 11 a.m. at Walt McPherson Court.

This will be an opportunity for Rebounder members to renew their memberships and new fans to join up.

The barbeque is free to paid up Rebounders, $10 per person for non-Rebounders and $5 for the non-Rebounders age 12 and under.

Email us @ spartanhoops@calcentral.com for further information.

Moor bids adieu and bonjour

We thought one final chat with San Jose State men's basketball signee Aalim Moor was in order so we dialed him up the other day and posed some questions. As background information, Moor is a 6-foot-3 point guard and just graduated from St. Mary's High in Berkeley.

Putting first things first, we inquired about the NBA Finals and who was going to emerge the victor between the Lakers and the Magic, Moor is flying the Lakers flag, with a very special reason. He said, "The Lakers are more experienced and battle-tested," but the foremost factor in his judgment is that, "Kobe [Bryant] will not let them lose." Moor is a Bryant acolyte, who relishes the uber-ferocity and focus the Laker star -- aka the Black Mamba -- displays. If there is a Bryant video available then Moor has it and any Bryant game appearance means do not call, text or tweet Moor, that is if you expect a response prior to the contest concluding or even some time afterwards. San Jose State fans will cherish any displays of Mamba-esque behavior -- putting all you have into the game and letting the emotions flow -- on Walt McPherson Court.

Moor's dunk against Salesian was Kobe-esque

Then for those unfamiliar, we re-visited why Moor decided to align himself with Spartan basketball. "It felt right," he said, adding, "it was the most comfortable of the opportunities for me and the coaches showed the most interest and how much they cared. My sense was it's the best situation for me to develop as a player and a person."

With high school now in his rear view mirror, we focused on his tenure at St. Mary's. Asked about the best thing in graduating, Moor responded, "Freedom." When we reversed the question and queried about the worst part concerning leaving his 'home' of the past four years, he again offered, "Freedom. It's both a good and a bad thing depending on how you handle it."

The Moor family celebrating St. Mary's graduation

What also caught our attention is his response to what was his favorite class at St. Mary's: "Ethics and Values because I learned a lot about life in it." Now that is quite the unusual response from a teenager but, then again, we aren't talking about the average 18-year-old.

Real men were wearing pink on prom night

Returning to a subject that continues to fascinate us, we offered that it seemed East Bay basketballers were tough SOBs on the court and wanted his take on the subject. He said, "A lot of the guards from the East Bay are hardnosed and fearless in competition. I took that from the older guys [who preceded him in the annals of hoops history in the area]." Moor is a historian of Oakland hoops, appreciative and respectful of those who preceded him and there is quite the yesteryear what with Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Brian Shaw, Quentin Thomas, Loren Leath, Antonio Kellogg, Ayinde Ubaka, Armondo Surratt, Robert Owens, Tim Pierce, Paul Pierce (born in Oakland) and many others.

Moor has earned a place in Oakland basketball lore

Finally, we were curious how many of the Moor clan and their family friends would be seated at Walt McPherson Court for Spartan home games. The soon-to-be college freshman said he wasn't sure of the number "but it will be a lot."

We offer a hearty welcome to the new Spartan.

Moor will bring leadership to San Jose State hoops

Marquin Chandler still going strong

Note the quaint phrase used in describing Marquin Chandler's latest heroics:

Giants, Whoppers live for double sudden death Nelson Beltran Philippine Star June 4, 2009

MANILA, Philippines – Marquin Chandler nailed two charities with 1.2 seconds left to play and Purefoods survived Rain or Shine’s huge comeback from a 24-point deficit, scoring an 84-82 nail-biter to force a sudden death in their Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference quarterfinals showdown at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

The adults and the juveniles

We found the following exchange fascinating.

Bob Kravitz
Indianapolis Star
May 15, 2009

Anonymity of blogosphere is turning us into a culture of weenies

World of Twitter and blogs turns us into weenie culture

We are becoming a culture of weenies.

Actually, we've been a culture of weenies for quite some time, but the point was driven home again the other day when Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks' otherwise fabulous owner, used his blog to apologize to Kenyon Martin's mother.

He didn't do it face to face.

He didn't even pick up the telephone and talk directly to Kenyon's mother.

He wrote it in his blog...

Go here for the remainder.

But don't miss this key line: "...Everybody is big and brave behind a pseudonym, but confront them face to face, and next thing you know they're changing underwear..."

Then there was this response:

Bob Kravitz hearts Stampede Blue, calls me and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban "weenies"
Stampedeblue_tiny by BigBlueShoe on May 15, 2009

For three years, I've called Indianapolis Star columnist Bob Kravitz all kinds of names. I've called him a "turd", "ass", "idiot", "stupid", "uninformed", "snarling", "crotchety", "dimwitted", and "incompetent." I think it is fairly safe to say that we, as a community on Stampede Blue, do not like the work Bob has produced for the Indianapolis Star. We haven't been absolute in our dislike of ole Bob. When he has written good articles, we have taken note. But, in general, Bob seems to create disgust and annoyance from his readers with his pieces rather than interesting ideas that provoke discussion.

Indeed, other blogs have joined us in our dislike of "Krabby," as he is playfully called by his on-air radio partner Eddie White at 1070, The Fan. For the last three years, blogs like 18to88, Stampede Blue, and others have made it a point to insult, bash, and berate Krabby's work in the juvenille way that best fits us losers who sit in our underwear and write from inside mom's basement.

Well, today the journalistic stalwart that is Bob Kravitz decided he wasn't going to take it anymore. He decided he was tired of the insults and the constant suggestions that he is nothing more than and overpaid hack in desperate need of facial hair grooming. Today, my dear readers, Bob Kravitz fought back at us dirty, immature bloggers by doing what any professional, ethical journalist would do:

He called us "weenies."

Go here for the remainder.

The response -- which has some valid points -- loses its effect with the screed that opens the reply. It simply confirms what Bob Kravitz is writing about. What's the benefit to namecalling? (of which Kravitz is also guilty with his use of the term weenies).

As for anonymous bloggers and posters, what about typing that so-and-so is incompetent, leaving the name-calling at that and then detailing why the 'label' is an accurate one? Why go as is self-described "over the line"? What purpose does that serve? Why not simply state an opinion (sans the childish namecalling) and then back that claim up with facts? What about apologizing for such and vowing not to do so again?

We've seen this far too often locally. We've been in on-line situations where someone -- anonymously -- went ballistic over a matter , complete with name-calling and vile accusations, but then also refused an opportunity to meet in purpose to discuss the situation. The refusals were usually 'covered' with 'I'm too busy' or 'I can't make it at that time' with no offer of setting a different time or, more often, no response whatsoever. Such individuals sure have to time to rip others but not to stand and deliver when given a face-to-face opportunity. Thankfully, those situations are diminishing as the adults who understand and accept their responsibilities are more and more in charge of the San Jose State fan sports sites.

Camping and clinic time is fast approaching

It's time to go camping with the San Jose State men's basketball coaches. The following is a list of camps and clinics taking place this summer. The High Potential and the Team Camps are fun to watch and, who knows, you might see some future Spartans out on the court.

The Spartans have four distinct and unique camps and one coaching clinic this year. Camps will emphasize fundamentals, skill development, team building, sportsmanship, and the enjoyment of competition.

Boys Individual Camps - June 22-25 and August 3-6

o Cost: $215 per four-day session
o Times: Each day of camp runs from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.
We offer early drop-off that starts at 7:45 a.m. and late pick-up until 5:30 p.m. at no additional charge
o Location: SPX Gymnasium at San Jose State University, 7th and San Carlos streets
o Eligibility: Boys ages 7-16
o Lunch: Available for purchase, if desired


High Potential Camp - June 6

o Cost: $40.00 per player
o Instruction: Position skill work and college preporatory information
o Location: Spartan Gym at San Jose State University, 4th and San Carlos streets
o Format: Open to the first 50 boys high school varsity players. Teams will be formed and all teams will be guaranteed a minimum of four games.

Questions - contact assistant coach Donald Williams at donald.williams@sjsu.edu or call him at 408.924.1221


Team Camp - June 13-14 and August 1-2

o Cost: $395.00 per team
o Times: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
o Location: The Event Center at San Jose State University, 7th and San Carlos streets
o Format: Open to the first 24 teams. All teams will be guaranteed a minimum of four games.

Questions - contact assistant coach Donald Williams at donald.williams@sjsu.edu or call him at 408.924.1221


Coaching Clinic - May 30

o Cost: $50.00 per person
o Instruction: Provided by Northern California college and univiersity coaches from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
o Location: Spartan Gym at San Jose State University, 4th and San Carlos streets
o Level: For all who want to learn more about the game
o Provided: Lunch, door prizes and monthly emailed coaching notes.

Questions - contact assistant coach Brent Davis at brent.davis@sjsu.edu or call him at 408.924.1222

Here's the link for applications and additional information

San Jose State's new big

(photos by Russell Scoffin, Southwestern College)

Closing out recruiting for the upcoming 2009-2010 season, San Jose State has brought in another frontcourter:

He's familiar with Brooklyn and the Queens -- make that the outer almost rural Queens section that stretches into Long Island and "is a place where there's not much to do but play basketball." He is also accustomed to Nigeria after spending years there as a youngster when his father worked in the shipping and cargo field. Then a cross country trek to San Diego and a residency of three years introduced him to southern California. Now, he's landed in San Jose.

Moses Omolade is indeed a traveler and now a Spartan, having signed a letter-of-intent to spend the next pair of seasons at San Jose State. At 6-8, 200 and having finished up at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, Omolade isn't the bulkiest of paint players. But here's what he is: strong, uber athletic, determined and aggressive. Those qualities were utilized in Omolade being the top shotblocker in the state's junior college ranks with 5.3 rejections a contest.

Southwestern College, coached by John Cosentino, has a program with a tradition of strong defensive play. Omolade was a three-year captain there -- he redshirted his second year there -- and the recognized leader among the players.

"In my over three decades of coaching in high school, junior college and D-1, Moses is the best shotblocker I’ve had," Cosentino said. "We’re a defensive oriented team and he changed how teams attacked us."

But Omolade also demonstrates other abilities. "Moses is tremendous on the offensive boards and you better put a body on him because he will try and dunk everything," Cosentino added.

Another element in Omolade's repertoire is his ability and willingness to run the floor. As he put it when the ball changes hands whether it be the result of a steal or a defensive board, "I'm coming to get that dunk."

His motivation? Omolade's father stayed working in Nigeria for a number of years after the remainder of the family returned to New York City. His mother took on physical jobs that left her worn down at the end of the day. "So I think of my mother when I get tired on the court and that inspires me." he offered.

As for his reason for selecting San Jose State, Omolade said, "It was my visit," Omolade said. "That and me having a better relationship with the coaching staff there than at any other school."

Remarkably, Omolade played soccer as a freshman but no organized basketball at Martin High in Queens. After graduating, he played street basketball while also growing a few inches. Someone with a connection to Southwestern basketball saw him one day and soon he was headed to San Diego and college.

Omolade has a strong interest in communications as a major and is looking at radio and television as his primary focus at San Jose State. But he is also intrigued with theater arts so Spartan fans should get ready to see much better flopping to gain a charge call than what North Carolina's Kingflopper Tyler Hansborough has demonstrated.

Here's Tyson Aye, a former Spartan assistant coach and now the head coach at Imperial Valley College: "Moses was in our league and we've played him four times in the last few years. Moses is a defensive force in the paint. At 6-8, he is quick and extremely long. He has one of the longest wingspans I've ever seen, and I've actually seen Moses block 10 shots in a single game. Offensively, he has come a long way since his frosh season, and I see his best basketball is still in front of him. I've heard nothing but great things about his character. The Spartans got a good one with Moses."

A Joseph Henson mention

Joseph Henson
(photo by Larry Goren, Pasadena Star News)

We came across a Joseph Henson (6-8 San Jose State basketball signee) mention today -- here it is:

Varsity Times Insider
Ben Bolch
Los Angeles Times
April 26, 2009

Basketball: Pacific League sweeps Rio Hondo League in all-star games

Despite a game-high 26 points by Blair's Deon Geary, the Pacific League all-stars defeated their Rio League counterparts, 108-103, Saturday in the first Rio/Pac all-star game.

Pasadena's Joe Henson scored 17 points and teammate Travis Flye had 12 for the Pacific League...

A fine time was had by all

the GateKeeper Posse made sure the money box was in good hands

The San Jose State men's basketball program held its annual post-season banquet at the Decathalon Club Thursday night. Seniors seniors DeVonte Thomas, DaShawn Wright and Tim Pierce were honored for their contributions.

DeVonte was the winner of the Coach's Leadership Award. He is now in the midst of spring practice with the Spartan football team. and it was noted he is also now in the midst of spring football practice.

Assistant Coach Brent Davis handled the introduction of the frosh: Garrett Ton and Kyle Thomas. Donald Williams came next and called out sophs Lance Olivier, Justin Graham, C.J. Webster and Adrian Oliver. Gary Stepan had the pleasure of introducing the junior class: Robert Owens, Mac Peterson, Chris Oakes and Jerelle Wilson. Head Coach George Nessman did the honors with the senior trio.

Tim Marrion's work on the season highlight film was superb. One thing we learned from it is that the men's basketball team achieved a 1,000 score on the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) this season -- a perfect score.

Plus, the expectation is that Justin Graham -- a junior-to-be in athletic eligibility -- will earn his B.A. degree next fall while C.J. Webster and Adrian Oliver are on target for a spring graduation. Both C.J. and Adrian are also juniors-to-be athletically.

Coach Nessman spoke of the theme of unfinished business, of hurdling beyond the .500 mark and even going further by finishing out the games that are there to be won.

Spartan signee Anthony Dixon gets one more game

San Jose State signee Anthony Dixon has one more game remaining in his high school career, an all-star one tonight. He, a bunch of his teammates and some other players face a very tough squad loaded with two all-state kids (one heading to Connecticut and the other to Iowa State) plus Marcus Jordan (MJ's son).