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Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

Is the NBA ready to add an expansion team? Evan Sidery explores what kind of team you could build in a present-day expansion draft.

NBA Expansion Mock Draft: What would a new expansion team look like?

Recently, LeBron James <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ifwhen-the-nba-adds-a-team-in-las-vegas-lebron-james-wants-to-own-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">made headlines</a> when he said that he wants to own an NBA team in Las Vegas.
Well, he's not the only one.
Floyd Mayweather just revealed that he has been in talks with "certain individuals" at the NBA about bringing a franchise to Vegas and owning said team.
"I've been talking to certain people for the last six months," Mayweather <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/boxing/mayweather-working-behind-the-scenes-to-bring-nba-to-las-vegas-2591937/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a>. "That's something I've been working on behind the scenes, but I've never come out to publicly talk about it with the media. My team and I have been working behind the scenes with the NBA. I can't say exactly where, but I'm working on getting a team."
Mayweather has said that his net worth is over $1.2 billion. This week, Forbes <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattcraig/2022/06/12/billion-dollar-ballers-these-athletes-tiger-woods-lebron-james-federer-messi-ronaldo-mayweather-have-earned-more-than-1-billion-apiece/?sh=2e6bb0e74501" target="_blank" rel="noopener">estimated</a> that James' net worth is roughly $1.16 billion and they have Mayweather's estimated net worth at $1.08 billion.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that Las Vegas "has shown itself to be a great sports market" and that when the league seriously explores expansion, there is "no doubt Vegas will be on the list."&nbsp;
And Las Vegas is doing all of the right things to be ready when that day comes, as our Tommy Beer <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ifwhen-the-nba-adds-a-team-in-las-vegas-lebron-james-wants-to-own-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote earlier this week</a>:
Earlier this year, the Oak View Group&nbsp;<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/30/las-vegas-nba-arena-rumors-sports-entertainment-district-oak-view-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a>&nbsp;that it had purchased 25 acres of land in Vegas to build a $3 billion sports and entertainment district that will include a 20,000-seat arena.
"The arena will be world-class,"&nbsp;<a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/30/las-vegas-nba-arena-rumors-sports-entertainment-district-oak-view-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said CEO Tim Leiweke</a>.&nbsp;"It will be for music, it'll be for sports, it'll be for cultural activities, and should the NBA decide to come &mdash; and by the way, there's no certainty or no guarantees that the NBA is ever coming to Vegas but should they come &mdash; we certainly will be NBA-ready and make sure that we hit all of their standards."
The arena will be located 10 minutes from the strip and it's expected to break ground sometime in 2023.

Floyd Mayweather says he has been "working behind the scenes with the NBA" to bring a franchise to Las Vegas.

Floyd Mayweather 'working with NBA' to bring a team to Las Vegas

LeBron James, one of the most celebrated and accomplished basketball players in the history of the sport, has never been shy about revealing his off-court ambitions.&nbsp;&nbsp;
In 2016, during an episode of UNINTERRUPTED's "Open Run" podcast, <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/lebron-james-says-his-dream-is-to-own-an-nba-team/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">James declared</a>: "My dream is to actually own a team." While it may have seemed somewhat fantastical at the time, that dream is far closer to reality nowadays.&nbsp;
In the six years since making that statement, James has continued to grow his financial empire. Last week, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2022/06/02/lebron-james-is-officially-a-billionaire/?sh=45be91f0453e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Forbes reported</a> that James' net worth has reached $1 billion, making him the first active NBA player to hit this milestone.&nbsp;
James has pocketed nearly $350 million in on-court earnings throughout his career, making him the second-highest-paid athlete in the world behind only soccer superstar Lionel Messi. However, LeBron has also made massive sums of money via his investments in companies such as Lyft, Tonal, Blaze Pizza and SpringHill Entertainment as well as his endorsement deals with Nike, AT&amp;T, PepsiCo and Walmart among others. Forbes estimates that James has netted $500 million from his investments.
Speaking with reporters after a game last season, <a href="https://www.nba.com/lakers/video/teams/lakers/2021/03/16/178126/1615963311578-webpostlbj-178126">James reaffirmed his desire to own an NBA franchise someday</a>. 
"I've always said that my goal was to own a team, own an NBA team," James said. "I've got so much to give to the game. I know what it takes to win at this level. I know talent. I also know how to run a business as well, and so that is my goal. My goal is to own an NBA franchise, and it'll be sooner than later."
At around the same time that James made those comments, it was announced that he had become a partner in Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club of the English Premier League among other properties. Earlier this week, James shared interesting specifics related to his future ownership objectives.&nbsp;
"Yeah, I wanna buy a team, for sure. I want a team in Vegas," James said in a clip from the latest episode of his show, "The Shop," which will debut Friday.
On Thursday, James <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1534940135967510533?s=20&amp;t=i-pFnJOA7Au_G32vhfkPHQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted the clip</a> alongside the caption, "Speaking it into existence!"
The first major obstacle in the way is the fact that the NBA does not currently have a team in Las Vegas. However, many league insiders firmly believe that the NBA will announce plans to expand in the near future and that Vegas is all but a lock to land one of the coveted slots.&nbsp;
In a press conference before Game 1 of the NBA Finals last week, commissioner Adam Silver confirmed that "at some point, this league invariably will expand," before adding, "it's not at this moment that we are discussing it."
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When the NBA officially expands, it is assumed that they will add two franchises simultaneously to keep the league balanced with an even number of teams. Along with Vegas, Seattle is the other city considered a heavy favorite to secure the rights to a new franchise. Seattle served as the home of the SuperSonics from 1968 through 2008 before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City, leaving basketball fans in the Pacific Northwest heartbroken. In the years since, there has been a concerted effort from fans, players and coaches to bring a team back.&nbsp;
When asked about Las Vegas specifically, Silver noted that the city is the home to the NBA Summer League and that Vegas "has shown itself to be a great sports market." Last October, in an interview with Sports Business Journal, <a href="https://www.si.com/fannation/nba/fastbreak/rumors/nba-rumor-could-a-team-be-coming-to-las-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Silver acknowledged</a> that when the league starts seriously exploring expansion, there is "no doubt Vegas will be on the list."
With sports betting becoming legal in more and more states, propelled by the windfall of profits mobile wagering has generated, pro sports teams are no longer afraid to lay down roots in Sin City. Las Vegas is currently home to the NFL's Raiders and NHL's Golden Knights. In 2017, the NBA and WNBA approved the sale of the San Antonio Silver Stars to MGM Resorts in Las Vegas.
Earlier this year, the Oak View Group <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/30/las-vegas-nba-arena-rumors-sports-entertainment-district-oak-view-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it had purchased 25 acres of land in Vegas to build a $3 billion sports and entertainment district that will include a 20,000-seat arena.
"The arena will be world-class," <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/2022/03/30/las-vegas-nba-arena-rumors-sports-entertainment-district-oak-view-group" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said CEO Tim Leiweke</a>. "It will be for music, it'll be for sports, it'll be for cultural activities, and should the NBA decide to come &mdash; and by the way, there's no certainty or no guarantees that the NBA is ever coming to Vegas but should they come &mdash; we certainly will be NBA-ready and make sure that we hit all of their standards."
The arena will be located 10 minutes from the strip and it's expected to break ground sometime in 2023.
When attempting to speculate how much a new franchise might be worth, it should be noted that the most recent NBA team to go on the market was the Minnesota Timberwolves. In April, former MLB star Alex Rodriguez and former Walmart e-commerce CEO Marc Lore agreed to purchase the Timberwolves for $1.5 billion. Like Rodriguez, James would need to recruit a partner or form an ownership group to make a competitive bid. Last week, Nike founder Phil Knight<a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/34026351/sources-nike-phil-knight-dodgers-alan-smolinisky-make-offer-buy-portland-trail-blazers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a>offered to pay more than $2 billion to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers.
It's also important to note that, per the league's collective bargaining agreement, James would be unable to purchase any stake in an NBA franchise while he is an active NBA player. And although he turns 38 years old later this year, James is still playing at an incredibly high level. This past season, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 6.2 assists and a career-high 2.9 made three-pointers per game.
In an <a href="https://theathletic.com/3138844/2022/02/19/could-lebron-james-return-to-cleveland-again-the-doors-not-closed-on-that-he-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with The Athletic</a> published in February, James stated definitively that he plans to play long enough to share the floor with his oldest son, Bronny.
"My last year will be played with my son," James said. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."
Bronny won't be draft-eligible for another two years under the NBA's current CBA.&nbsp;
Regarding the league's potential timeline, it has been rumored that Silver and Co. plan to hold off on formally announcing serious steps toward expansion until after the NBA's current media rights deal expires in 2024. It's possible that the NBA's timeline and James' long-term plan could perfectly align.
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LeBron James says he wants to own an NBA team in Las Vegas. Tommy Beer breaks down James' goal and whether it's feasible.

Examining LeBron James' goal of owning an NBA team in Las Vegas

In spite of Luka Dončić only playing half of the series, the Utah Jazz have been eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, which can only mean it&rsquo;s time to blow them up!
Okay, not really... but maybe? Virtually everyone is expecting organizational changes given the team's recent underachievement in the playoffs stemming from successful regular seasons. This incarnation of the Jazz was established in 2017-18, behind then-rookie Donovan Mitchell&rsquo;s quick rise to stardom and Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s emergence as an annual Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
That season, Mitchell &mdash; filling the void left by Gordon Hayward &mdash; finished his first season as a 20-point-per-game scorer despite being picked No. 13 overall and averaging just over 14 points per game in his first 19 appearances. Gobert, even having played only 56 games, was awarded his first of now three DPOY awards.
In these five years, there have been as many playoff trips &mdash; three as the No. 5 seed (including this season), one as the No. 6 in the Orlando Bubble, and another as the top overall seed in the Western Conference last year.
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In 2017-18, the Jazz overachieved, taking down the Russell Westbrook-Paul George-Carmelo Anthony-led Oklahoma City Thunder in six games before losing to the No. 1 seed Houston Rockets in five contests.
In 2018-19, Utah lost to the Rockets again in five, this time in the first round, and Houston even led 3-0 with a +55 scoring margin before dropping Game 4.
In 2019-20, the Jazz squandered a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets, losing Game 7 in the final seconds of the opening round.
Last season &mdash; despite the Los Angeles Clippers losing Kawhi Leonard to a torn ACL (that he&rsquo;s still not back from) &mdash; the Jazz <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2yBy-EqnU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lost in six games to the Clippers</a> in the West semifinals, and Gobert was dunked on by both Terance Mann and social media in the ending.
And finally, this postseason &mdash; in a series with Dončić missing the first three games with a calf injury, in which Utah still trailed 2-1 upon his return &mdash; Utah lost on yet another last-second heartbreaker.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
THE PLAYOFF DROUGHT IS OVER. THE DALLAS MAVERICKS ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND SINCE 2011!<a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> | 📺 BSSW | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dALLasIN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dALLasIN</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPlayoffs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPlayoffs</a> <a href="https://t.co/VcWGAdSOL4">pic.twitter.com/VcWGAdSOL4</a>
&mdash; Bally Sports Southwest (@BallySportsSW) <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsSW/status/1519896562079518727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Given <a href="https://twitter.com/tribjazz/status/1482077811019902980">the sniping back-and-forth between Mitchell and Gobert</a>, the Jazz's inability to break through and how far behind they appear from the top teams in the West, this seems like the summer where sizeable moves will be coming.
Personally speaking, it feels like we&rsquo;re heading toward Mitchell requesting a trade and moving on, but either way, one of Mitchell or Gobert &mdash; perhaps both &mdash; may be on the move in the coming months. Our Evan Sidery <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently looked at five trade ideas involving Gobert</a>.
Today, let's look at where Mitchell could end up, <a href="https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">using this trade machine</a>.
Mitchell is due $30.3 million next year, $32.6 million in 2023-24, $34.9 million in 2024-25, and has a player option for $37 million in 2025-26. Keep that in mind as we embark on this journey together. (Why did I sound like Professor Oak there?)
New York Knicks
Mitchell&rsquo;s father, Donovan Sr., works with the New York Mets organization. The 25-year-old Mitchell himself is a native of Elmsford, New York. Naturally, with the New York Knicks, there will be Mitchell smoke until a deal (or something else) actually happens. Because Tommy Beer already <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/expect-the-knicks-to-make-a-real-run-at-donovan-mitchell-this-summer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down the possibility of a Mitchell-to-New-York trade</a>, we won&rsquo;t stay here too long.
Regarding the Knicks&rsquo; actual proposal, the first look would be to RJ Barrett, who is extension eligible this summer, entering year four and making $10.9 million next year. The idea, for New York, should be to team Barrett and Mitchell together. If that&rsquo;s not possible, and the Mitchell deal were to have to get done, Barrett is your chief trade chip, along with first-round draft picks. The Knicks have all their own first-rounders as of this writing.
Usable salaries for the Knicks next year include Evan Fournier, who&rsquo;ll be at $18 million, Derrick Rose at $14.5 million, Alec Burks at $10 million, Nerlens Noel at $9.2 million and Kemba Walker at over $9.1 million. Rose, Burks and Noel all have team options for 2023-24, so they have ostensibly expiring deals. Walker&rsquo;s next season is his last under contract, and Fournier is signed through 2025, but that also includes a team option. Cam Reddish and Taj Gibson also enter the last year of their respective deals, at about $6 million and $5.1 million each, respectively.
The contract elephant in the room is Julius Randle&rsquo;s, which is a four-year, $117 million extension that begins next season at $26.1 million. It&rsquo;ll gradually increase until his player option for $32.4 million kicks in for 2025-26. The Knicks might try to move Randle instead, but what sense does that make for Utah? And if Utah isn&rsquo;t getting Barrett, would they want a package of the aforementioned veterans (say, Fournier and Burks), along with one or two of Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes, or Miles McBride (who make between $1.6 and $2.3 million next year) and picks?
It&rsquo;ll be hard to do without Barrett, and maybe Randle gets involved in a three-team deal, but the Knicks have the picks, salaries and prospects to make it work, if that&rsquo;s the route the Jazz want to go.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons seem like a team that could be a version of this past season&rsquo;s Cleveland Cavaliers &mdash; not in terms of play style or once being a top-four team in the Eastern Conference standings necessarily, but from the standpoint of being competitive a year sooner than we think and playing meaningful games down the stretch (like one or two in the Play-In Tournament).
Given that 20 of 30 NBA teams will have games beyond the regular season, the Pistons may (should) attempt to get one of those spots.
Last year&rsquo;s No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is <a href="https://youtu.be/I9OLPXxgYWk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">someone you can build with</a>. Saddiq Bey should be a more efficient scorer with more experience and better teammates. Most of the rest is to be determined, but Detroit can start by using Jerami Grant&rsquo;s near $21 million expiring deal next summer.
What comes next depends on what stage the Jazz want to be closer to. If this is a rebuild, you can ask for a combination of Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo (both of whom make over $5 million next year), for example, and Hayes has a $7.4 million team option for 2023-24. If not, Kelly Olynyk has $12.8 million coming to him next year that&rsquo;s usable. Utah can in throw in, hypothetically, Royce O&rsquo;Neale&rsquo;s $9.3 million deal next year and get Olynyk anyway.
So the player framework can look something like:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Jerami Grant and Kelly Olynyk</li>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Jerami Grant, Killian Hayes and Hamidou Diallo</li>
<li>Donovan Mitchell and Royce O&rsquo;Neale for Jerami Grant, Killian Hayes, Hamidou Diallo and Kelly Olynyk plus a sh*t ton of draft picks. The Pistons would be moving something like three first-rounders in the deal, and potentially multiple first-round pick swaps.</li>
</ul>
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Miami Heat
I brought this up during <a href="https://youtu.be/XBQwn0pOAa4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com's NBA Trade Deadline stream</a>.&nbsp;
The Heat didn&rsquo;t do it then, but it might still be on the table depending on how these playoffs go. The Heat might not offer the best return package because of their draft picks, but they did unlock additional firsts by moving KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City in February. And, for Miami, we&rsquo;re mainly talking about one package. But again, it depends on the results of this postseason.&nbsp;
Currently, the Heat are getting ready to face the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a matchup they&rsquo;re favored to win (albeit narrowly). If they lose this particular series, or if they win and Tyler Herro continues to struggle in the playoffs, or even if Miami makes a deep run and Herro elevates from a slow start, he&rsquo;d be the primary chip in a Mitchell deal. Furthermore, the <a href="https://twitter.com/GregSylvander/status/1482101290964504580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heat are on Mitchell&rsquo;s shortlist</a>, according to Greg Sylvander of Five Reasons Sports.
The deal, as I mentioned on our stream, would include Herro &mdash; who is still on a rookie-scale contract ($5.7 million next year), but is extension-eligible this summer and wouldn&rsquo;t kick-in until 2023. Then comes Duncan Robinson, who&rsquo;ll enter the second year of a five-year, $90 million deal next season, which bookends with a near $20 million player option and rises to $16.9 million next season.
According to the trade machine, Omer Yurtseven&rsquo;s $1.7 million next season makes the math work, and would give Utah a Gobert backup who&rsquo;ll, if nothing else, get you 10 rebounds in 15 minutes on occasion. Would the Heat have to throw in at least one of Gabe Vincent, Max Strus or Haywood Highsmith (all of whom make between $1.7 and $1.8 million next year)? Perhaps. And from there, Miami has tradeable first-rounders in 2022, 2024 and 2026. So, in summation, it could look like this:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Omer Yurtseven, one of Gabe Vincent/Max Strus/Haywood Highsmith, draft capital</li>
</ul>
But if Herro has a big playoff run moving forward, the Heat may instead opt to move Robinson in a separate, smaller deal for a worthy big man in their rotation, and mostly run it back otherwise.
Atlanta Hawks
Alright, now you saw what the Heat did to Trae Young in the first round. The Hawks clearly are not only poised to get Young some help, but make a 3-for-1-ish deal to consolidate some depth into a higher-end starter &mdash; or in the case of Mitchell, a fellow offensive starter. His teammate, Gobert, is probably the better fit, but one, I&rsquo;m not writing about Gobert (our Evan Sidery will handle that) and two, if Gobert is frustrated with Mitchell&rsquo;s defense...
But anyway, you gotta start somewhere. And for Atlanta, part of why the Heat neutralized Young is their malleability defensively, but also, the Hawks don&rsquo;t have another true star to account for on the perimeter. Mitchell would give Young a viable tag team partner offensively to spread the defensive focus. To do so, the Hawks could play this a few different ways.
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The obvious trade chip is John Collins, and there could be questions about his fit next to Gobert, but it&rsquo;s not a bad place to start if you&rsquo;re moving someone of Mitchell&rsquo;s caliber. Collins will make $23.5 million next year, and between $25.3 and $26.6 million through 2025-26. Collins has had rumored friction with Young, though they&rsquo;ve downplayed it over the years. From there, if you use Collins in a possible deal, it gets interesting.&nbsp;
De&rsquo;Andre Hunter &mdash; who makes $9.8 million next year in the last season of a rookie deal and is extension-eligible this summer &mdash; seems logical for both the Jazz to want and the Hawks to keep. Hunter was Atlanta's best player against the Heat, and has been a quality two-way wing when healthy. Is a framework of Collins and Hunter for Mitchell straight up enough of a deal for both sides? Sheeeeeiiiiit, ask them, but it sounds good to me!
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for John Collins and De'Andre Hunter</li>
</ul>
No Collins? Okay. You&rsquo;re not moving Clint Capela&rsquo;s long-term deal for Utah in a Mitchell move, so that&rsquo;s out of the picture. Kevin Huerter would absolutely have to be part of this, and no, that&rsquo;s not a white Utah joke. Hu-why would you think that?&nbsp;
Huerter begins his $65 million extension next year, the first of four, banking $14.5 million in 2022-23. Hunter probably stays in the deal because Utah has to get something really good, and the Hawks simply can&rsquo;t extend everyone. Again, Atlanta should want to keep Hunter, but this is the price of doing business. But if you&rsquo;re throwing in Huerter instead of Collins (which does work on the trade machine since different rules apply in the offseason than in-season), you&rsquo;ll need multiple first round picks &mdash; of which the Hawks have all their own &mdash; so that could get done.
Could Utah also want Onyeka Okongwu? Sure, but he seems like Atlanta's 5-man of the future, and a separate deal moving off Capela might be more likely. So the second proposal could look like this:
<ul>
<li>Donovan Mitchell for De'Andre Hunter, Kevin Huerter, draft capital</li>
</ul>
Now, the Hawks would still need to figure some things out defensively, seeing as how they&rsquo;d be led by two 6-foot-1 scorers in the backcourt. They could just became the new Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to some extent, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-salute-to-the-defiance-of-damian-lillard-and-cj-mccollum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Portland Trail Blazers are as much to blame for that &ldquo;not working,&rdquo;</a> and the Hawks can learn from those team-building mistakes.&nbsp;
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Bryan Fonseca takes a look at four logical landing spots for Utah Jazz star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Examining potential trade destinations for Donovan Mitchell

Last weekend I traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts, to attend the Hoophall Classic &mdash; a terrific event hosted by the Basketball Hall of Fame.
I recently outlined the top players I saw in the class of 2022. Today, I'd like to highlight the top players that caught my attention from the classes of 2023 and 2024:
You've probably heard already, but former NBA player Dajuan Wagner has a son, DJ Wagner. He's the No. 1 rated player in the entire class of 2023. Although, I do think the hype and expectations that have been set for the younger Wagner are a little much. He's a good player. Rumors have been swirling that he'll be heading to Kentucky to play for John Calipari, his dad's former coach when they were both at Memphis.
He plays a limited role because his Montverde team is stacked, but Kwame Evans has the size and tools to get scouts excited. It seems as if he can become a legitimate scoring forward, as he has excellent size and is a natural shot-maker. I'm certainly going to track him closely moving forward.
The Hoophall Classic was my first opportunity to see Gill St. Bernard's Mackenzie Mgbako in person. A big hybrid forward that can shoot and score the ball, I left Springfield thinking that Mgbako could make a legitimate run to become the No. 1 player in the class of 2023.
AZ Compass Prep's Mookie Cook is an easy player to like. At 6'7" or so, Cook has good size and athleticism, but his approach to the game is what draws me to him. He plays with such great energy and also has a terrific motor. If Cook continues to polish up his offensive skills, you'll be hearing his name more and more. He looked like a top NBA prospect in the making.
Although he looked out of rhythm on the event's first night, AZ Compass Prep's Kylan Boswell bounced back on the second night and had a great showing. As a combo guard, he's strong, has a sweet shooting stroke and high basketball IQ.
Oak Hill's Caleb Foster continued to impress me at the Hoophall Classic. He is a point guard with positional size that is uniquely mature and composed. Foster does a great job of changing speeds and using his smarts to dice up defenses. Supposedly he is considering reclassifying and going to college next season. He's committed to Duke, as if they didn't have enough new talent coming in already.
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Two players from the class of 2024 caught my eye.
The first player I'd like to mention is Ian Jackson, from Cardinal Hayes High School in New York. At 6'6", Jackson is an uber-athletic perimeter player that does a little bit of everything. He scored 30 points in their game versus De La Salle Institute.&nbsp;
I'm excited about Ian Jackson and his future, but I'm probably equally enthusiastic about Naasir Cunningham of Gill St. Bernard's. He's another player that's about 6'6" or so and does a little bit of everything. He's so athletic, can score on three levels, handles the ball well and he's a terrific rebounder. He executed a tip dunk on one play that had everyone in attendance in awe, myself included.&nbsp;
Generally, the younger the prospect, the more careful I try to be not to make too bold statements. However, I will say this about these two guys: my impression is that they are both elite prospects. They're not surefire NBA stars, as I don't think any player at that stage should be given that label. However, their potential is through the roof, and if they continue to develop and take care of business, they could become exceptional players. I'm very excited about these two prospects.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Derik Queen from Montverde too. We all need to keep close tabs on Queen. He is a big-bodied, interior scorer that is smooth. His physical development and conditioning are worth monitoring, and low post scorers aren't in as high demand as in years past. Still, he is a significant young talent.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
All in all my trip to Springfield, Massachusetts, was a great success. I look forward to attending the Hoophall Classic again, as it was a very well put-together event. To everyone that helped make it happen, thank you! I'll see you again next year.
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Matt Babcock gives a rundown of prospects he watched at this year's Hoophall Classic from the classes of 2023 and 2024.

Hoophall Classic recap: Classes of 2023 & 2024

A month before the 2019-20 NBA season started, Kendrick Nunn made some bold predictions. Despite being an undrafted player on a non-guaranteed contract, he told me that he wanted to compete for the NBA&rsquo;s Rookie of the Year award. He shared some lofty long-term goals too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m an All-Star player. I&rsquo;m a Hall of Famer,&rdquo; Nunn <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexKennedyNBA/status/1197921431532687360">told me</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s my goal and I know that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m going to reach.&rdquo;
Fans saw these quotes and started cracking jokes. Many of them had never even heard of Nunn and they thought he was delusional. How could a 24-year-old undrafted prospect compete with the likes of Zion Williamson, Ja Morant and R.J. Barrett in the Rookie of the Year race?
Ten months later, Nunn finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Morant -- the best ROY finish for an undrafted player in NBA history -- and became the first undrafted player to win the Rookie of the Month award multiple times (in November, December and January).&nbsp;
Nunn emerged as a key contributor for the Heat, averaging 15.3 points, 3.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 threes and 0.8 steals on 43.9/35.0/85.0 shooting splits. And while his minutes decreased at the start of the playoffs, Nunn stayed ready and played a significant role for Miami during the NBA Finals (averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 threes in 22.7 minutes). When asked about silencing those preseason doubters, Nunn smiles.
&ldquo;It be like that; it always has to come from within first and you have to show people and prove it to them,&rdquo; Nunn said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m all about.&rdquo;
Now, Nunn is heating up again. His minutes dropped off to start the 2020-21 NBA season, but he&rsquo;s been playing more recently. Last night, he delivered one of the best performances of his NBA career to beat the Toronto Raptors, finishing with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 threes and 1 steal while shooting 9-12 from the field, 4-6 from three and 6-6 from the free-throw line.
Over the last two contests (both of which Miami won), Nunn averaged 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 3.0 threes and 1.5 steals on 63.0/60.0/100.0 shooting splits.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com recently sat down with Nunn to discuss his development, what he learned from the Heat&rsquo;s Finals run, trade rumors, living in Miami, his relationships with teammates and more.
You finished as the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year race, and the other two finalists were the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft (Zion Williamson and Ja Morant). What did it mean to you to get the second-most votes?
Kendrick Nunn: &ldquo;It meant a lot. To even be in that position, it just showed all of the hard work that I put in - the things that I did and the belief I had in myself. [It felt good] just to show the world, just to prove to everyone what kind of player I am and what I can do.&rdquo;
Do you feel like you should&rsquo;ve won the Rookie of the Year award over Ja Morant?
KN: &ldquo;Of course! Of course I should&rsquo;ve won. I mean, if you think about it, [when have we seen] someone who was under the radar and who nobody knew and then they win multiple Rookie of the Months and has a season like that? It&rsquo;s really rare for an undrafted player to perform like that and have the kind of season that I had. Obviously, it&rsquo;s expected that a lottery pick -- the No. 1 pick or No. 2 pick or No. 3 pick -- will win that award. So, just from a &lsquo;shocking-the-world&rsquo; thing, I feel like I should&rsquo;ve won.&rdquo;
I don&rsquo;t think people realize how hard it is to make it as an undrafted player. You&rsquo;re fighting to get noticed and land on a team; then, you have to battle for your roster spot and a guaranteed contract. What were some of the challenges you faced as an undrafted player? 
[Note: Nunn slipped on draft night in large part because he <a href="https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/2018/02/23/oakland-basketball-kendrick-nunn-greg-kampe/331983002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">plead guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge</a> after an incident with an ex-girlfriend. Because of this incident, he was dismissed from the University of Illinois' basketball team and transferred to Oakland University. If you or someone you know needs help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE.]
KN: &ldquo;I mean, there are a bunch of challenges. You need to have confidence in yourself and then you need to prove yourself every day. You can&rsquo;t slack; you have to show up every day and be elite at that level. I mean, the challenges come from all over the place. Adversity can hit at any time, so the thing is just fighting it and overcoming that.&rdquo;
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What advice would you give to the guys in this class who just went undrafted?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;I would just want to tell them that the journey isn&rsquo;t over. This could be the beginning of your journey. You&rsquo;re going to get a chance to go to training camp with a team and to try to make that roster. I would also tell them: Don&rsquo;t put your head down, just continue to work. Opportunities come left and right, so just be ready for them.&rdquo;
What did you learn from playing in the NBA Finals last season?
KN: &ldquo;That was a crazy experience. I mean, that&rsquo;s the highest level of basketball -- it don&rsquo;t get any higher-level than that. And I learned a lot. Just the style of play, what it takes to [produce] in the playoffs, what it takes to win a game in the playoffs, what it takes to win a series&hellip; The pace is different. You have to really lock into personnel and the tendencies of different players. The style of play is a lot different than the regular season too, so just getting used to that and comfortable with that will help me in the future, for sure.&rdquo;
What was it like to play on basketball&rsquo;s biggest stage, knowing that millions of people were watching?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;It was fun, man. It was fun. The entire world was watching. That was the only basketball that was being played at the time, so you know that the entire world is watching, and you just want to play well and you want to win. That&rsquo;s the only thing that was going through my mind, just trying to lock in, focus, pay attention to details, try to win every possession and play my best. But I love [playing on that stage]. I&rsquo;m in an empty gym working on my game and practicing so that when the lights are on and everybody&rsquo;s watching, everything becomes easy -- it&rsquo;s second nature.&rdquo;&nbsp;
At the start of the playoffs, you fell out of the rotation for a bit and there were some games you didn&rsquo;t play. That&rsquo;s happened again at times to start this season. What did you learn from that experience and how are you handling that?
KN: &ldquo;There was definitely some adversity there. It was tough. As a young guy, my first year in the NBA, after starting throughout the majority of the season and then having to come off the bench during the playoffs and things like that and then almost not playing at all during the first series, it was definitely tough, mentally. But I think I&rsquo;m just a different type of player and have a different type of mental toughness where I can get through things like that. I just see where I can improve and not get down on myself and just continue to try to stack good days on top of each other and just continue to get better.&rdquo;
It can be difficult for players to transition from starting and knowing what minutes you&rsquo;ll be playing every night to coming off the bench and not knowing when you&rsquo;ll check in or how long you&rsquo;ll be out there. And when you check in off the bench, you&rsquo;re cold too. I&rsquo;ve talked with Jamal Crawford about this: it&rsquo;s not easy to provide instant offense off the bench and deal with your minutes fluctuating.
KN: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s different. You just have to know what type of situation you&rsquo;re in. Being ready is the most important thing. If you get thrown in, you can&rsquo;t get out there and not be aggressive. Once you get out there, if you aren&rsquo;t getting as much time, as soon as you&rsquo;re out there you&rsquo;ve gotta be aggressive and play the right way. If you do that, things will fall in line. &hellip; I&rsquo;m just doing everything I can [to stay ready] and whatever Coach needs me to do, I&rsquo;m doing that. I&rsquo;m bringing my strengths to the table and I think things will fall in line.&rdquo;
Your name has popped up in trade rumors a bit over the last year. Do you keep up with trade rumors or do you try to block them out?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;I pretty much block them out unless my agent contacts and tells me that there&rsquo;s a possibility that I could get traded. Anything on social media and stuff, obviously I&rsquo;m on there so it comes up and I read it, but I try to just ignore it and stick to what my team tells me.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s been a lot of talk about the Heat&rsquo;s culture and how they do things. Since arriving in Miami, what do you think of their culture and how you&rsquo;ve fit in with it?
KN: &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a perfect spot for me. I think I landed in the place where I needed to be and where I&rsquo;m most comfortable. I love to work hard. I&rsquo;m a worker, and that&rsquo;s what we do here. That&rsquo;s what the coaches are all about, just working hard and getting better. So, I fit perfectly.&rdquo;
What aspects of your game were you focused on improving over the offseason?
KN: &ldquo;Just tightening my game all around -- ball-handling and shooting because you can never get enough of that; I&rsquo;m constantly trying to get better at that. Pick-and-rolls, extending my range at the three-point line, getting stronger, getting my body more intact. Just becoming more elite, that&rsquo;s really what I&rsquo;ve been working on.&rdquo;
What are some of your goals for this season - individually and as a team?
KN: &ldquo;This season, my No. 1 goal is I want to run it back to the NBA Finals. We gotta get that Finals win. (smiles) That was kind of upsetting to me that we didn&rsquo;t get that win, and we could have. Personally, I just want to become better in all areas of the game -- all of my stats, how I contribute to the team and just be better. I definitely want to be an All-Star this season, and I&rsquo;m working hard to do it.&rdquo;
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You went from playing in the NBA Finals in October to starting a new season in late-December. How did the condensed offseason impact you and this team as a whole?&nbsp;
KN: &ldquo;Well, this was really my first offseason in the NBA, so I really haven&rsquo;t experienced a &lsquo;full&rsquo; NBA offseason, which is usually four or five months, I think. So, the short offseason didn&rsquo;t feel too bad to me. I took a couple weeks off after the season and then I just got right back to work, and my body felt good. So, I felt like I was ready to go.&rdquo;
You and Tyler Herro are both terrific scorers and up-and-coming players in Miami. What&rsquo;s your relationship with Tyler like?
KN: &ldquo;Man, Tyler, that&rsquo;s my brother. Me and him talk every day, and we challenge each other every day too. I love that relationship with him because we&rsquo;re so close, but we&rsquo;re also so competitive. You know what I mean? We&rsquo;re both always looking to win or get an advantage over the other, so it&rsquo;s a fun relationship. We have a lot in common. He&rsquo;s from Milwaukee and that&rsquo;s not too far from Chicago, so he&rsquo;s got some [of that] DNA in him, you know what I mean?!&rdquo;
Jimmy Butler had been labeled as a tough teammate and his leadership was questioned in the past (perhaps unfairly), but he&rsquo;s been a terrific fit in Miami. You guys seem to love his leadership style and it works to bring the best out of this team. What&rsquo;s been your experience with Jimmy and how is your relationship with him?
KN: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been great. Jimmy has been very helpful for me and he just feeds confidence to everyone on the team. And the way he plays and his unselfishness, you don&rsquo;t see that in many top-tier guys in the league. There aren&rsquo;t many stars who are unselfish like that and play the way he does and lead the way he does, so I&rsquo;m not sure where people got that &lsquo;bad-teammate&rsquo; narrative from. He&rsquo;s a great leader and I&rsquo;m very thankful for him.&rdquo;
I feel like he&rsquo;s very misunderstood.
KN: &ldquo;Yeah, definitely. I mean, if you&rsquo;re, like, sensitive, maybe he comes off [a certain way] and you wouldn&rsquo;t like him. I mean, he&rsquo;s very straight-forward. But if you&rsquo;re about winning and you want to get better, Jimmy is one of the guys you&rsquo;d love to have on your team.&rdquo;
Over the offseason, there was <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/story/_/id/30335854/nba-free-agency-winners-losers-wild-week">a report from ESPN</a> that some people around the NBA viewed Miami&rsquo;s Finals run as a fluke and that you guys aren&rsquo;t viewed as a threat to contend this season now that you&rsquo;re no longer playing in the bubble and benefitting from that set-up. What would you say to that?
KN: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s always going to be haters. When we came to the bubble, we knew that there was an opportunity to win a championship. That&rsquo;s our mentality every year -- that we&rsquo;re going to try to win the championship. Fluke or not, we went to the Finals and we&rsquo;re going to try to do it again this year.&rdquo;
How have you enjoyed living in Miami? KN: &ldquo;I love Miami. It&rsquo;s been very different to get away from the cold weather because, as you know, I&rsquo;m from Chicago. The weather here is perfect year-round. I can go down to the beach in December and get a workout in. That&rsquo;s the best part of why I love living here. It&rsquo;s just a great workout spot. Like, who doesn&rsquo;t want to go out to the beach and work out in the sand year-round?! You can go outside and enjoy yourself whenever!&rdquo;

Kendrick Nunn opens up about his development, finishing second in ROY voting, trade rumors, lessons from Miami's Finals run and more.

Kendrick Nunn Q&A: 'My No. 1 goal is running it back to the NBA Finals'

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving finally played together on the Brooklyn Nets and looked spectacular. LeBron James and Anthony Davis sat out for the Los Angeles Lakers, but Talen Horton-Tucker gave Laker Nation a heck of a diversion. John Wall made his debut in Houston, but Russell Westbrook did not suit up for Washington. However, the player of the weekend league-wide may just have been Harry Giles III of the Portland Trail Blazers, who averaged 18.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks in a pair of games against his former team (the Sacramento Kings).
The NBA workweek is beginning with plenty to talk about and plenty to wonder about, most notably the uncertain future of James Harden, who has led the NBA in scoring the past two seasons but is currently out as he goes through the NBA's six-day COVID-19 protocol after his shenanigans last weekend when we all became familiar with the cost of a top-of-the-line Prada bag.
The start of the regular season is only eight days away, the long dark winter is almost upon us, a COVID-19 vaccine is finally being shipped and administered, and we are all trying to make sense of it from the comfort of our homes while wondering when some semblance of normalcy will return to our lives and 2020 will finally be behind us.
(Less than three weeks until New Year&rsquo;s Eve, folks. Less than three weeks. So hang in there.)
The best thing all of us can do is focus on the positives and tune out the negatives, and that brings us to the New York Knicks. Yes, they are going to be horrible this season, but RJ Barrett made a three-pointer on Sunday, making him 1-for-9 from behind the arc this preseason. On the downside, Obi Toppin had a 1-for-9 night of his own, but hey, the Knicks won a meaningless game!
On the other side off the East River, Durant and Irving were anything but rusty as they played their long-awaited first game together for the Nets. Durant&rsquo;s first basket was a dunk, the Nets scored 38 points in the first quarter with their first unit in the floor and the returning former MVP even took a charge early in the game against Rui Hachimura.
"When you have that type of injury, it is kind of remarkable he's at the level he's at," Nets head coach Steve Nash said of Durant after the game. "It's amazing. This is an injury that very few people have conquered, so to speak. It's beautiful to see him back on the baksketball court. I think the world missed him -- I certainly did."
It was the first appearance for Durant since he tore his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors when he was still with Golden State. Almost nobody was in attendance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as New York remains a ghost town, but it was still somehow worth the wait.
All coaches are wearing masks, which is making it difficult for players to hear shouted-out instructions. Golden State&rsquo;s Draymond Green and No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman were held out of Sunday&rsquo;s game against Denver on Saturday night, leading to the assumption that they are among the dozens of NBA players who have tested positive for COVID-19 since players began reporting for training camp late last month.&nbsp;
The Lakers are the league&rsquo;s only 2-0 team at this point in the preseason, and the Clippers are the only 0-2 team. Giannis Antetokounmpo is sitting on a pile of pens, none of which have been used to sign his supermax contract; meanwhile, Harden is sitting on the sidelines in Houston as Rockets general manager Rafael Stone tries to find a deal sending the defending scoring champ elsewhere (though he'll have to run any deal by chairman Tilman Fertitta). On the bright side, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins look to be healthy and raring to go. 
That situation could linger or be resolved in an instant, depending on the urgency of the teams out there trying to acquire him. Most have pointed to Brooklyn and Philadelphia as the two most likely destinations for Harden, but the Nets look perfectly fine as is, and the Sixers will likely not get a deal done if they aren't willing to part with Ben Simmons. In the East, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-houston-rockets-james-harden-trade-destination-eastern-conference-rafael-stone-tilman-fertitta-brooklyn-nets-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-philadelphia-76ers-miami-heat-chicago-bulls-new-york-knicks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that opens up possibilities</a>&nbsp;for Danny Ainge in Boston, Kevin Pritchard in Indiana and Pat Riley in Miami, should they be so inclined.
The sample size is small, but Talen Horton-Tucker and Nikola Jokic are tied for the league lead in scoring this preseason at 26 points per game. Rookie Deni Avdija of Washington has not missed any of his six shots; it's a small sample size, but he leads the league in field goal percentage. Deandre Ayton is the league leader in rebounds per game (14), and Ja Morant of Memphis leads in assists per game (11).&nbsp;
This week will bring a New Orleans-Milwaukee game tonight, a Boston-Philly game tomorrow and a pair of televised Lakers-Suns games Wednesday and Friday. By next weekend, perhaps we&rsquo;ll have a resolution of the Harden situation. Or perhaps not.&nbsp;
Best to expect the unexpected and roll with it.&nbsp;
Just ask Trevor Ariza, who has now gone 17 days without being traded but no doubt is keeping an extra bag packed. He did not play in Oklahoma City&rsquo;s first preseason game.

Chris Sheridan details the standout moments and performances from the first weekend of NBA preseason action.

The NBA is back: Surprises from the preseason weekend

Fans of the New York Knicks have been frustrated for a long time. It&rsquo;s been one emotional rollercoaster after another. Don&rsquo;t believe me? Just ask any New Yorker how they feel about the team. You won&rsquo;t get a simple answer like, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking forward to next season.&rdquo; You&rsquo;ll get a long-winded, emotional, triggered, overly passionate, hand-gestures-filled, voice-cracking response. They may even start sweating. It&rsquo;s time for Knicks fans to get a win.&nbsp;
After recent reports that Russell Westbrook is ready to move on from the Houston Rockets, there has been a lot of speculation as to where his landing spot would be. In fact, our Nekias Duncan <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-russell-westbrook-trade-demand-deal-possible-destinations-houston-rockets-los-angeles-clippers-indiana-pacers-dallas-mavericks-charlotte-hornets-out-request">broke down four possible destinations</a> for the former MVP.
Kevin Wildes from "First Things First" said <a href="https://youtu.be/oZih7ko-Pos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on yesterday&rsquo;s show</a>: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s in the weird spot where he doesn&rsquo;t necessarily need to win a championship. [James] Harden needs to win a championship. I&rsquo;d like if CP3 won a championship. But because he&rsquo;s such an electric player, Russ doesn&rsquo;t&hellip; I think it would be better if Russ just got the keys to the car, could drive it as fast as he wants, could crash it into a few trees if he wanted to (which will happen). But do it in New York with the bright lights. That&rsquo;s what he needs and that&rsquo;s what would be better for his legacy moving forward -- not to championship chase.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Chris Broussard added: &ldquo;When we think of Oscar Robertson, what&rsquo;s the first thing we think of? He averaged a triple-double for an entire season&hellip; It&rsquo;s the same thing with Russ. Unless triple-double seasons become commonplace and Luka [Doncic] does it and LeBron [James] does it, his legacy will be that this guy is the only guy to average three-straight triple-double seasons. It&rsquo;s not going to be about any championship he wins later in his career.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Then, they started breaking down potential landing spots for him such as Portland, Cleveland, Sacramento, Indiana, Philadelphia, etc. But as a lifelong Knicks fan, I would like to see Westbrook take his talents to New York.&nbsp;
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Admittingly, I am one of those emotional Knicks fans that I described earlier and, yes, I have been frustrated for years (and rightfully so).&nbsp;
I grew up a Knicks fan. I was born in Harlem and although I moved to Tulsa, OK, when I was young, I spent all of my summers in Harlem. I would watch the Knicks with my grandfather, who loved all things New York. He loved the Yankees, Giants, St John&rsquo;s, Syracuse; he even (lightly) cheered for the Mets and Jets. He had the Yankees fitted cap, yelled at the TV screen and everything.&nbsp; My grandmother would routinely come in and tell us to keep it down because we were going to disturb the neighbors (although we could clearly hear people all throughout the building cheering, yelling, fussing and carrying on just like we were).
I remember my grandfather always taking me to the park to watch the older guys play and I would just listen to all of them talk about the Knicks daily. They&rsquo;d say that the team was full of bums and then, the very next day, be fully convinced that they were going to take down Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. They talked about how much they respected how hard certain players played and how the one thing they didn&rsquo;t tolerate was a lack of effort.&nbsp;
I too fell in love with the Knicks&rsquo; style -- the grittiness, the physical play. I loved seeing Greg Anthony run down from the stands in street clothes to defend his teammates. He had on church shoes and everything! I loved watching Charles Oakley bully people every night. I loved when Coach Jeff Van Gundy grabbed Alonzo Mourning&rsquo;s leg when he and Larry Johnson got into a fight (which still makes me laugh to this day). It was all for one and one for all, no matter what. Seeing all of that made me become a diehard Knicks fan alongside my grandfather. And we were proud of it.&nbsp;
Now, the Knicks have been a constant stream of frustration. It has literally been one catastrophe after another -- from Oakley being accosted by the team&rsquo;s security during a game, to the way former Knicks executive Phil Jackson disrespected Carmelo Anthony, to trading Kristaps Porzingis only to see him blossom into a star with the Dallas Mavericks, to missing out on Zion Williamson, to hearing that the Knicks didn&rsquo;t aggressively pursue Kevin Durant (after the media spent months making it sound like KD to New York was virtually a done deal). I could go on and on.&nbsp;
But Russell Westbrook could change all of that.&nbsp;
Now, a lot of people have scoffed at the thought of bringing Westbrook to their team because of his performance in the playoffs (since he averaged just 17.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from three-point range). However, many people are forgetting that right before play in the bubble began, Westbrook tested positive for COVID-19, which could have accounted for his timing being so visibly off.&nbsp;
Recently, Rockets forward Jeff Green joined me on my show (&ldquo;The Rematch&rdquo;) and said that he saw the same thing.
&ldquo;I saw it firsthand,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;He missed a handful of practices and then he comes back and he just didn&rsquo;t have it. Not [that he didn&rsquo;t] have it, but he didn&rsquo;t have a rhythm -- the rhythm of the game and where his shots were gonna come from. And it was a different game in the bubble. He came back and he was energetic, but the shots [weren&rsquo;t falling] and his legs weren&rsquo;t there. Then, he gets hurt and he misses the seeding games and he comes back after Game 4 of the first round against OKC, and he still didn&rsquo;t have the rhythm.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We had a Russell who [wasn&rsquo;t 100 percent]. The athleticism and the quickness were still there, but the rhythm and the legs just weren&rsquo;t there. And you know Russell, he&rsquo;s gonna fight it but there just wasn&rsquo;t enough time to get him reps to have his legs, to have his rhythm, because we played every other day. It started to feel like [we were playing] back-to-back-to-back-to-back and we just didn&rsquo;t have enough time to get him established with the rhythm of the game. And you know Russell would say, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re not gonna make excuses about it, we&rsquo;re gonna go with the results.&rsquo; But it was really tough for him.&rdquo;
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Westbrook is exactly the kind of player who would be embraced by New York fans. He&rsquo;s someone who will leave it all on the floor no matter what. No complaints, no excuses, no crying to the media -- he just works extremely hard and plays with all his heart. That&rsquo;s why Knicks fans loved Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason, John Starks and Larry Johnson. Even when they were dealing with injuries, they all played with a ton of heart and emotions, and they always gave 110 percent effort. 
That&rsquo;s exactly who Russell Westbrook is. He has John-Starks-level intensity all the time and the New York crowd would eat that up and he would feed off of their energy. Instead of &ldquo;Fire Dolan&rdquo; chants, the Knicks fans would passionately chant Russ&rsquo; name.
Not to mention, this would only add to the rivalry between the Knicks and Nets, with KD and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn. Can you imagine the energy of those games? Westbrook and Durant -- once teammates, now foes -- would be crosstown rivals too. Imagine the Durant vs. Westbrook billboard in Time Square!
Not only would adding Westbrook be good for the Knicks, it would be good for basketball.

Etan Thomas, a lifelong Knicks fan, explains why he would love to see New York trade for disgruntled star Russell Westbrook.

Why Russell Westbrook would win over New York Knicks fans

The seven-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors have been awarded a WNBA expansion team, it was announced today by WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
The team will begin play in the 2025 season, making it the first new franchise to join the league since 2008.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The new team will be owned and operated by Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO Joe Lacob and co-executive chairman Peter Guber, and will play home games at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Additionally, Golden State&rsquo;s Oakland Facility, which served as the Warriors&rsquo; practice facility and front office from 1997-2019, will be the WNBA team&rsquo;s headquarters, housing a world-class practice facility and the team&rsquo;s front office staff.
&ldquo;We are thrilled about expanding to the Bay Area and bringing the WNBA to a region with passionate basketball fans and a strong history of supporting women&rsquo;s basketball,&rdquo; said Engelbert. &ldquo;Joe Lacob, Peter Guber and their leadership team know how to build and operate a world-class organization, as witnessed by the immense success the Warriors&rsquo; franchise has enjoyed from both a business and basketball perspective over the last decade. Their interest in joining the WNBA family is yet another sign of the league&rsquo;s growth potential.&rdquo;&nbsp;
The Warriors become the sixth NBA franchise to have a WNBA team, joining the Indiana Pacers (Indiana Fever), Minnesota Timberwolves (Minnesota Lynx), Brooklyn Nets (New York Liberty,) Phoenix Suns (Phoenix Mercury) and Washington Wizards (Washington Mystics).
&ldquo;The Bay Area is the perfect market for a WNBA team, and we are thrilled this opportunity has finally come to fruition,&rdquo; said Lacob. &ldquo;We have been interested in a WNBA franchise for several years, due in part to the rich history of women&rsquo;s basketball in the Bay Area, and believe now is the ideal time to execute that vision and build upon the legacy. The WNBA continues to solidify itself as the preeminent women&rsquo;s professional basketball league, and we look forward to supporting the best women&rsquo;s basketball players in the world and our team starting in 2025.&rdquo;
The 2023 WNBA regular season delivered record-breaking viewership, attendance and digital engagement as the league continues its business transformation. The offseason featured the most-viewed WNBA Draft since 2004, followed by a sold-out preseason game in Toronto, the most-watched regular season in 21 years and a digital transformation centered on the WNBA App and WNBA.com.
Other highlights this year included the addition of CarMax as a WNBA Changemaker and ION as a broadcast partner.
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

The seven-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors have been awarded a WNBA expansion team, the WNBA announced today.

Bay Area, Golden State Warriors awarded WNBA expansion team

The 2023 NBA Draft could go down as a special class, with talented prospects such as Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller and the Thompson twins as well as some interesting depth pieces.
But will it ever be considered one of the best draft classes in NBA history? That remains to be seen.
Today, we're going to identify the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of NBA draft classes.
The 2003 NBA Draft
The 2003 NBA Draft featured multiple generational talents that would come to define the NBA for the next two decades. Led by LeBron James, this class also included household names such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Not only did this draft have star power, it was also very deep. Twenty-seven players from the 2003 class played at least 10 seasons in the NBA: James, Wade, Anthony, Bosh, Kyle Korver, David West, Zaza Pachulia, Nick Collison, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, James Jones, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, Dahntay Jones, Steve Blake, Mo Williams, Luke Ridnour, Willie Green, Matt Bonner, Travis Outlaw, Keith Bogans, Darko Milicic, Mickael Pietrus, Sasha Pavlovic, Josh Howard and Luke Walton. This class featured nine All-Stars and plenty of quality role players.
The 1984 NBA Draft
The 1984 NBA Draft stands as a legendary class, and some might argue that it's the greatest draft of all-time. Two of the top three picks &mdash; Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon &mdash; would ultimately etch their names in the annals of basketball history and redefine greatness. In addition to Jordan and Olajuwon, players like Charles Barkley, John Stockton and Alvin Robertson showcased their immense talent as well. This class produced five Hall-of-Famers and seven All-Stars.
The 1996 NBA Draft
The 1996 NBA Draft changed the landscape of the league, heralding the arrival of future Hall-of-Famers and icons. Led by the legendary Kobe Bryant and the enigmatic Allen Iverson, this class boasted an array of talent that reinvigorated the game. This class also featured Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Stephon Marbury, Peja Stojakovic, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antoine Walker, Marcus Camby, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Derek Fisher. The 1996 NBA Draft was deep, producing 10 All-Stars and five Hall-of-Famers. Jon Finkel recently revisited this star-studded class in his book "1996," and he <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/revisiting-the-starstudded-1996-nba-draft-kobe-bryant-ray-allen-steve-nash-allen-iverson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ran a terrific excerpt on Basketball News</a>.
The 1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft was certainly special. This class featured 10 All-Stars including Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, Joe Dumars, Detlef Schrempf, Xavier McDaniel, Charles Oakley, &nbsp;AC Green, Terry Porter and Michael Adams. The class also featured Arvydas Sabonis, an overseas legend and terrific Portland Trail Blazer. Like the 1996 NBA Draft, this class has the star power and depth to be considered one of the best drafts in NBA history.
The 2009 NBA Draft
While not as immediately illustrious as some of the other classes on this list, the 2009 NBA Draft proved to be a treasure trove of talent. This class exemplified the importance of patience and player development, as Stephen Curry, James Harden, Blake Griffin, DeMar DeRozan, Jrue Holiday and Jeff Teague would all go on to become All-Stars. Griffin missed his rookie year with an injury, but dominated as soon as he stepped on an NBA court. Curry battled injuries early in his career, but would become a four-time champion and two-time MVP. Harden went from being an elite sixth man to an MVP once he got the opportunity in Houston. This class also featured Brandon Jennings, Ricky Rubio, Tyreke Evans, Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, Patty Mills, Danny Green, Taj Gibson and Patrick Beverley among others.
Which class is the greatest in NBA history? <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tweet us your thoughts</a>!&nbsp;

Basketball News examines the crème de la crème of draft classes throughout NBA history.

Exploring the 5 best draft classes in NBA history

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; There was plenty of debate in the weeks leading up&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-draft-2023-wembanyama-updates-00f52206057df4b872898010243d3bd8">to the NBA draft</a>&nbsp;over whether the Charlotte Hornets preferred Alabama&rsquo;s Brandon Miller or the G League Ignite&rsquo;s Scoot Henderson with the No 2 pick.
In general manager Mitch Kupchak&rsquo;s mind there was never a debate.
&ldquo;Brandon was our favorite all along,&rdquo; Kupchak said. &ldquo;There was a lot of spirited discussion in the last three days, which I welcome. ... But I think he&rsquo;s the player that is the best player.&rdquo;
Miller gives the Hornets&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F7obl-vfp4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an athletic 6-foot-9 wing</a>&nbsp;with a smooth shooting stroke who can knock down shots from the perimeter. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game last season for the Crimson Tide, who entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed before making an early exit.
But the Southeastern Conference&rsquo;s player of the year as a freshman comes with some baggage.
Miller is tied to a case that led to former Tide player Darius Miles and another man&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-darius-miles-fatal-shooting-indictment-jamea-harris-887b6419c4b576da778b710a58b8acf7">being indicted</a>&nbsp;on capital murder charges.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/Nate-Oats-Brandon-Miller-Alabama-Basketball-4efc92362b106b01ab0d0a2ee9a4ea6c">A police investigator testified in February</a>&nbsp;that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun that night. Miller hasn&rsquo;t been charged with wrongdoing, though&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-darius-miles-murder-charge-533386c46d0822a56878b3d3d07717c9">the ongoing case</a>&nbsp;brought&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-alabama-crimson-tide-top-25-college-basketball-today-darius-miles-a32a922ed4e9a483dde15bd24445ce83">intense scrutiny</a>&nbsp;during the second half of the season for&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brandon-miller-alabama-ncaa-tournament-security-guard-7104ab515dfaf81ae09abf94f0bd3165">Miller and the Alabama program</a>.
Kupchak said the Hornets conducted an extensive background check on Miller, including a trip to Alabama about two weeks ago.
&ldquo;We are comfortable with Brandon on and off the court,&rdquo; Kupchak said.
Miller has said he can&rsquo;t discuss the case.
On much a lighter note, Miller made news last week when he said he considered Paul George his personal GOAT, or the greatest of all-time.
He didn&rsquo;t back off that Thursday night even after being drafted by&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-sale-michael-jordan-527087d134136ef38cae1da8d1c95b01">outgoing Hornets majority owner and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan</a>, considered by many the best player ever.
&ldquo;I think I made it clear that Paul George is still my GOAT, but Mike is definitely up there when in his prime,&rdquo; Miller said with a laugh. &ldquo;Mike does everything. We wear his shoes and he jumps from the free throw line. But Paul George is my GOAT.&rdquo;
Miller appears to be a better positional fit for the Hornets than Henderson, who would have joined a crowded backcourt that includes LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, last year&rsquo;s leading scorer.
As a wing, Miller has a good chance to see significant playing time.
Gordon Hayward, who has struggled with injury issues, is in the final year of his contract and it&rsquo;s unclear if the team will try to re-sign restricted free agent Miles Bridges, who missed all last season while dealing with a domestic violence case. Bridges will&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/miles-bridges-suspension-charlotte-hornets-ca37e404209b6298ced4c1a46d5d59d6">serve a 10-game suspension to start the season</a>&nbsp;after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-los-angeles-miles-bridges-cfb86b443b52ad43038886363feeedc4">pleading no contest last November</a>&nbsp;and being sentenced to serve three years of probation.
Miller feels he should benefit from playing with Ball, who is an above-average ball distributor.
&ldquo;Melo is my guy,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;I think with Melo, as good of a point guard as he is, I just kind of fill in the place (on the court). And I know he is going to be the big brother for me away from home.&rdquo;
The 20-year-old Miller is also considered a much better shooter than Henderson, addressing an area of concern for Charlotte.
The Hornets finished 29th in the league last season on 3-pointers at 33%. Miller shot 38.4% from beyond the arc at Alabama. Henderson shot just 27.5% from deep last season for the Ignite, although the 3-point line is deeper in the G League.
At the Spectrum Center in downtown Charlotte, the Hornets&rsquo; decision to take Miller over Henderson was greeted with a mixed reaction by about 5,000 fans gathered for a draft party.
Before the pick, fans cheered loudly when Henderson was shown on the big screen.
Miller joins a Hornets team that hasn&rsquo;t reached the postseason in an NBA-worst seven straight seasons and finished with the fourth-worst record in the league last season at 27-55. Charlotte managed to move up two spots in the lottery, barely missing out on the No. 1 pick and Victor Wembanyama.
Kupchak said a handful of teams showed significant interest in trading up to the No. 2 spot, but added &ldquo;we never got to the point where we seriously considered moving the pick.&rdquo;
The Hornets selected 19-year-old guard Nick Smith Jr. from Arkansas with the 27th overall pick. Smith had been projected as a potential top-five pick before a knee injury caused him to miss 19 games last season.
Charlotte also added James Nnaji, a 6-foot-11 center from FC Barcelona, and UCLA guard Amari Bailey in the second round.

The Charlotte Hornets preferred Alabama’s Brandon Miller over the G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson with the No 2 pick.

Hornets select Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick in NBA Draft

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Everything from the history books to the way they&rsquo;ve played through most of the postseason suggests the Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league.
The goal now for Denver is to not let up against the Miami Heat on Monday in what will be the first title-clinching opportunity in franchise history.
&ldquo;My biggest concern going into any close-out game is human nature and fighting against that,&rdquo; coach Michael Malone said Sunday after practice. &ldquo;Most teams, when you&rsquo;re up 3-1, they come up for air.&rdquo;
Malone&rsquo;s mission to keep the Nuggets thinking about hoops, not that trophy, could be helped by the fact that Miami&rsquo;s only win in this series came a week ago in Denver. Also, the Heat have won seven road games during the postseason and are 2-0 when they&rsquo;ve faced elimination &mdash; against Chicago in the play-in tournament and at Boston in Game 7 of the conference finals.
When the teams left Denver a week ago, the series was tied at 1 and Malone was grilling the Nuggets over effort after a 111-108 loss. Now that it&rsquo;s 3-1, after two double-digit wins in Miami, it&rsquo;s clear Nikola Jokic and Co., received the message.
On Sunday, the coach tapped into his own team&rsquo;s recent history &mdash; the Nuggets overcame 3-1 deficits twice to win two series in the bubble in 2020 &mdash; to emphasize that this series isn&rsquo;t over yet.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been down 3-1. We&rsquo;ve come back and won. We know anything is possible,&rdquo; Malone said.
Nobody needed to convince the Heat of that.
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-75 apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-card-id="sovrn-article-midarticle">
Coach Erik Spoelstra called his team &ldquo;a very stubborn and defiant group.&rdquo; And when asked about the confidence the Heat players had in each other, even after putting themselves in what has historically been a near-impossible situation, Jimmy Butler said: &ldquo;At an all-time high.&rdquo;
Only one of 36 teams that have fallen behind 3-1 in the history of the finals has come back to hoist the Larry O&rsquo;Brien Trophy. That was the 2016 Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, who trailed Golden State 3-1 before running off three straight, including the finale in Oakland in a game that goes down as one of the best in finals history.
The 1993 Suns and 1998 Jazz were down 3-1 and both managed to win Game 5 in Chicago. In both instances, Michael Jordan and the Bulls wrapped up the series in Game 6s on the road.
Among the few hints revealed about Xs and Os during these day-before news conferences was the effectiveness of Denver&rsquo;s improving D around the 3-point line. Malone tore into his team after Miami made 17 3-pointers in Game 2, many of them unguarded after the Heat exploited confusion in the Nuggets&rsquo; switching defense.
Miami made 11 3s in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-f15a5273ea2e05117142ee65953284c2">Game 3</a>&nbsp;(when the Nuggets got triple-doubles from both Jokic and Jamal Murray) then only eight in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-b0f83f7baccd425dbf8aba440e3e210c">Game 4</a>&nbsp;(when Aaron Gordon showed off the team&rsquo;s depth by leading the team with 27 points).
&ldquo;You have to have an aggressive mindset to be an effective defensive team,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;But if you don&rsquo;t have communication and discipline to go along with that, I think you&rsquo;re going to be missing some really key components.&rdquo;
Spoelstra said Denver&rsquo;s shift in defense &mdash; having players fight through picks instead of switching on the perimeter &mdash; did, in fact, make a difference. Still, he insisted, it&rsquo;s nothing Miami hasn&rsquo;t seen a hundred times by now.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what the deal is,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;They are trying to take away certain things. We are trying to get to certain things. (It&rsquo;s about) how can you get to it and how can you get to it on your terms.&rdquo;
Spoelstra offered no clues regarding the recurring mystery in this series &mdash; whether 20-point-a-game scorer Tyler Herro might be returning from a broken hand.
&ldquo;No new update,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing another contact workout today. I probably won&rsquo;t have anything for you tomorrow morning.&rdquo;
Even with all their focus on unfinished business on the court, the Nuggets front office spent the weekend looking toward the future. ESPN reported&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37826075/sources-nuggets-get-package-picks-deal-thunder" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">an under-the-radar trade</a>&nbsp;involving draft picks, in which Denver gave up a protected 2029 first-rounder in exchange for one of Oklahoma City&rsquo;s first-rounders in 2024.
It was a subtle acknowledgment that the Nuggets, with Jokic, Murray, Gordon and Michael Porter Jr., all signed to big contracts, are looking at adding affordable talent sooner rather than later in an effort to keep their current championship window open.
Never in their history &mdash; which dates back to the founding of the ABA in 1967, then their move to the NBA nine years after that &mdash; has anyone on the Nuggets been caught thinking about multiple titles, let alone one.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just nice to see us be a big family and understand what it takes to win,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;But yeah, it&rsquo;s been a journey, a lot of fun. We have got more work to do.&rdquo;
</div>

The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of capturing their first NBA title in 47 years in the league. They just need to win one more game.

One win away from first title, Nuggets try to avoid letdown

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Bob Myers is departing as president and general manager of the Golden State Warriors after building a championship team that captured four titles in an eight-year span and reached five straight NBA Finals from 2015-19.
One of the most successful GMs over the past decade in any sport, Myers&rsquo; contract was set to expire in late June and there has been speculation for months about his future, given the sides had yet to reach agreement on an extension or a new deal. A team spokesman confirmed the departure Tuesday.
The 48-year-old Myers grew up in suburban Danville, played basketball at UCLA and learned key skills on the other side of the business when he became an agent before switching careers and emerging as a top NBA executive with a personable nature who regularly attended practices to chat with players, coach Steve Kerr and his assistants.
Kerr has loved working alongside Myers in a collaborative way, something that can be unusual in professional sports between the front office and head coach. Kerr said the week after the season ended that decisions about whether to keep the roster together weren&rsquo;t his to make.
&ldquo;Ultimately it&rsquo;s not my job; it&rsquo;s really more Bob&rsquo;s job to construct the roster, but the great thing about Bob and the way we&rsquo;ve operated here is that we&rsquo;ve always collaborated, so there will definitely be a lot of collaboration this summer on putting together the best possible roster for next year,&rdquo; Kerr said.
Myers has been known to talk to players during games, rare for a GM to do. That included working to calm down fiery forward Draymond Green at times.
He has long supported Green through his mistakes, technical fouls and suspensions. In 2016, Green was suspended for a crucial Game 5 loss to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals after accumulating too many flagrant fouls in the playoffs that season. The Warriors wound up losing in seven games. Myers sat with Green next door to Oracle Arena at the Oakland Coliseum for that game Green missed.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in March credited good friend Kerr and Myers for their commitment to acquiring players who want to be team-first and not just focus on individual success.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a purist in the sense that he wants all five players to play together, and that&rsquo;s at both ends of the floor, understanding how it works, how the rotations work, and he&rsquo;s been fantastic in being consistent in that regard,&rdquo; Popovich said of Kerr. &ldquo;And he and Bob have been bringing guys in that can understand that. Every player can&rsquo;t play that game, they just can&rsquo;t do it. But they&rsquo;ve brought in guys that understand it and that will play their roles for the sake of winning, and winning big.&rdquo;
It was Myers who only a couple of months later signed eventual two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who played for Golden State from 2016-19 and helped the Warriors win repeat championships in 2017 and &rsquo;18.
Myers was promoted to GM in 2012 and constructed the roster that won the 2015 championship for the franchise&rsquo;s first title in 40 years.

Bob Myers is leaving the Golden State Warriors after building a championship team that captured four titles in an eight-year span.

Bob Myers departing as Warriors president, GM after 4 NBA titles

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion, the NBA announced today.
Curry was selected from a group of <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2023-kareem-abdul-jabbar-finalists-revealed" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nba.com/news/2023-kareem-abdul-jabbar-finalists-revealed&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1684950559417000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0yR7wPqL_AlyY9Kx217W6h">five finalists</a>&nbsp;for his dedication to pursuing social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar&rsquo;s life mission to engage, empower and drive equality for individuals and groups who have been historically marginalized or systemically disadvantaged.
Curry prioritizes uplifting communities by fostering equity and creating access to opportunity. As a co-chair of former First Lady Michelle Obama&rsquo;s &ldquo;When We All Vote&rdquo; initiative, Curry uses his platform to drive voter registration, education and turnout, most recently during the 2022 election season. His role encouraged millions of new voters to participate in the political process and make their voices heard through civic engagement. As part of his ongoing voting-related efforts, Curry participated in the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition&rsquo;s &ldquo;Freedom to Vote&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/representus/status/1470182428547244034?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/representus/status/1470182428547244034?s%3D20&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1684950559417000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2xr1diKYJYDyNGBlgPRMQb">social-media campaign</a>&nbsp;to help advocate for the passage of the&nbsp;Freedom to Vote Act in the U.S. Senate. Curry is also committed to raising awareness around issues of community safety, utilizing the Warriors&rsquo; 2023 White House visit to engage directly with President Biden and participate in a White House press briefing with head coach Steve Kerr to publicly address the matter.
Much of Curry&rsquo;s work also focuses on supporting underrepresented groups and reducing barriers to opportunity. In 2022, he graduated from Davidson College and wrote his final thesis on gender equity in sports, an issue that anchors his progressive and innovative ventures across the consumer, entertainment and non-profit spaces. Through UNDERRATED, Curry&rsquo;s lifestyle brand that empowers underrated and underrepresented individuals by opening doors for often-overlooked student-athletes, he creates equity, access and opportunity for basketball and golf athletes around the world to be seen by college recruiters, sports agents and other industry leaders. UNDERRATED has also enabled female athletes to access the same opportunities as their male counterparts, provided scholarships for athletes and offered personal development programming for young people. Among these efforts, Curry committed $6 million in funding to the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s golf team at Howard University, which hadn&rsquo;t been active for 50 years.
Unanimous Media, Curry&rsquo;s multimedia company rooted in the mission to inspire audiences through authentic storytelling, is dedicated to collaborating with underrepresented filmmakers, creators and writers across the entertainment industry.
Through Eat. Learn. Play., Curry&rsquo;s nonprofit co-founded with his wife Ayesha, Curry works to ensure every child in Oakland has access to nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive, resources to foster a love for learning and reading, and safe places with equitable opportunities to play. With a mission to address and overcome the systemic socio-economic barriers facing underserved communities, Eat. Learn. Play. and its partners continue making a positive impact in the lives of children and families in need. Over the last year, Eat. Learn. Play. has provided over two million meals and 500,000 books to Oakland students, funded over 1,500 teacher-led classroom literacy projects, remodeled four new playspaces complete with multi-sport courts, playgrounds, gardens and murals, and more.
Curry has selected University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice, which investigates, illuminates, and advances the theory and practice of transformational nonviolence to confront and overcome injustice and systemic violence and contribute to the just resolution of communal conflict, to receive a $100,000 contribution from the NBA on his behalf.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m passionate about the work of the University of San Francisco Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice and its commitment to overcoming injustice and systemic violence through peace,&rdquo; said Curry.&nbsp; &ldquo;As an athlete, I consistently leverage my platform to amplify advocacy and address the pervasive issue of systemic racism. I firmly believe that we must be vocal both on social media and in real life, taking tangible actions to effect real change in our society and for generations to come. Together, with the organization's co-founder and director, Dr. Clarence B. Jones, we have initiated meaningful conversations around social justice with the school's student body, doubled the charity&rsquo;s donations through my foundation Eat. Learn. Play.'s gift matching initiatives, and continued building on its mission in my personal and professional life by holding people accountable and promoting the principles of justice, fairness and equality today, tomorrow and in the future.&rdquo;
The four other finalists &ndash; Memphis Grizzlies forward-center Jaren Jackson Jr., San Antonio Spurs guard Tre Jones, Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams &ndash; will each receive $25,000 donations from the NBA to the following social justice organizations of their choosing: VisionC (Williams), The Girls Opportunity Alliance/The Obama Foundation (Jackson), Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas (Jones) and the Social Change Fund United (Paul).
The winner of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award was determined by a selection committee comprised of Abdul-Jabbar and notable social justice leaders Director of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport Dr. Richard Lapchick, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murgu&iacute;a, Rise Founder and CEO Amanda Nguyen and NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum. This year&rsquo;s youth representative and Jr. NBA Court of Leaders member was Leah Harmon.&nbsp;

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has been named the 2022-23 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion.

Stephen Curry named Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has won the 2022-23 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, as voted on by the Professional Basketball Writers Association.
Named after the NBA&rsquo;s second commissioner, the honor is presented annually by the PBWA to a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.
Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP, was one of four finalists for the 2022-23 award, along with Los Angeles Lakers center Wenyen Gabriel, Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George and Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams.
The finalists were chosen by a committee of PBWA members from nominees submitted by NBA teams.&nbsp; The winner was determined by a vote of the entire PBWA, which is composed of more than 200 writers and editors who cover the NBA regularly for newspapers, magazines and online news outlets.
&ldquo;Few athletes have as great a reach or as powerful a platform as Steph Curry, and he has used it to the fullest to benefit others,&rdquo; said PBWA President Howard Beck. &ldquo;The members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association salute him and the other nominees for their exemplary work.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Stephen Curry has won the Professional Basketball Writers Association's 2023 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, for his inspiring work in the community.<a href="https://twitter.com/StephenCurry30?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StephenCurry30</a>'s efforts include promoting youth literacy, fitness and nutrition, and fostering gender equity in sports. <a href="https://t.co/SuXnUcxPBB">pic.twitter.com/SuXnUcxPBB</a>
&mdash; The PBWA (@ProHoopsWriters) <a href="https://twitter.com/ProHoopsWriters/status/1659256844387328007?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 18, 2023</a></blockquote>

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A 14-year veteran and member of the NBA&rsquo;s 75th&nbsp;Anniversary Team, Curry is being honored for his work promoting youth literacy, fitness and nutrition, as well as his commitment to fostering gender equity in sports.
The Stephen &amp; Ayesha Curry&rsquo;s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation has helped thousands of children in Oakland, Calif., building playgrounds across the city, promoting literacy and distributing meals and produce.&nbsp; The foundation hosted more than 1,000 children from various community organizations at an Oakland Athletics game last summer, in an event that promoted movement, exercise and literacy.&nbsp; In December, the foundation hosted more than 500 Oakland families as part of the 10th annual Christmas with the Currys. The foundation, which provides weekly meals throughout the city, also recently unveiled a new schoolyard at Global Family Elementary.
While visiting the White House to celebrate the Warriors&rsquo; 2022 championship, Curry used his platform to speak on the importance of equality in sports, another cause that he has championed both individually and through his corporate partnerships. The Underrated Tour, a collaboration between Curry and Under Armour, provides a showcase for high school golfers from traditionally overlooked communities.
Curry always makes time for fans and community groups over the course of the season. In March, he met in Oklahoma City with the Wichita West girls basketball team &ndash; which had to forfeit its season due to lack of players yet continued to practice every day &ndash; to call attention to and honor its persistence in the face of adversity.
Curry, 35, averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists in 56 games this season, making both the All-Star Game and the All-NBA Team for the ninth time.

Stephen Curry has won the 2022-23 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award for his outstanding service and dedication to the community.

Curry wins  J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship award for work in community

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) &mdash; In an empty gym on a small campus deserted for spring break, one of the NBA&rsquo;s top future prospects receives shooting guidance from coaches on Stephen Curry&rsquo;s training team.
Scoot Henderson goes through some of the same drills as the Golden State superstar himself &mdash; one-footed free throws, catch-and-shoots from around the perimeter, two dribbles between the legs then let it fly from the top of the 3-point arc.
On the other end of the court in the Laney College arena is Henderson&rsquo;s younger sister, Moochie, who has committed to play guard for Georgia State.
The Hendersons, teenagers and the youngest of seven children, are receiving a one-of-a-kind opportunity partnering with Curry&rsquo;s company, SC30 Inc., to gain support and guidance as the family develops its brand &mdash; on and off the court.
&ldquo;Just getting this early training and early knowledge from Steph mentoring me and the people around him, it&rsquo;s a blessing,&rdquo; Scoot Henderson said. &ldquo;Me just turning 19, just getting that knowledge early, it&rsquo;s really cool.&rdquo;
Curry is helping Henderson build his business model and will offer his resources to the rising star and his family as the point guard makes the transition to the next level. He finished his high school coursework more than 1 1/2 years early to play two seasons for the G League Ignite and has established himself as a projected top-three draft pick.
Curry&rsquo;s involvement includes opening his network to connect Henderson with shooting coaches, the two-time MVP&rsquo;s strength and conditioning team and others leading up to the NBA draft next month.
They spent some time getting to know each other in late March, when Scoot and Moochie went through a training session with Curry&rsquo;s coaches for a morning at Laney College.
What appeals to Curry beyond Henderson&rsquo;s talent, which makes him one of the most athletic point guards in the 2023 class, is the commitment to community he has demonstrated at home in Marietta, Georgia.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve developed a perspective on the blessings from the game of basketball and the doors that it&rsquo;s opened and the platform that you&rsquo;re given. The resources you have access to can all lead to a sense of purpose outside of just putting the ball in the basket,&rdquo; said Curry, whose&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-playoffs-2023-warriors-lakers-lebron-curry-470bae4da1526ce6b86be6b1bfb1b442">Warriors were eliminated Friday by the Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals</a>. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re obviously wise beyond their years on that front and understanding that you can do both.&rdquo;
Henderson is grateful he can lean on Curry, whose off-court work with children and aiding the less fortunate includes his Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation focused on fighting childhood hunger, supporting education and providing safe places for kids to be active.
Five years ago, Henderson&rsquo;s parents, Chris and Crystal, opened a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.nextplay360.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">gym called Next Play 360</a>&nbsp;near their home to offer an inclusive space with an emphasis on academics, athletics, leadership and community outreach.
Henderson himself has helped plan holiday gift and food drives &mdash; aiding 75 families last year with the next goal being 360 families, then 3,600 and eventually 36,000 &mdash; among other projects, and he hopes to keep doing more.
The Hendersons partner with schools in Cobb County to identify those in need.
&ldquo;Helping my community strive, that was always the vision,&rdquo; Henderson said. &ldquo;If I was going up, my family was going up with me. That was the vision for all my siblings.&rdquo;
Moochie is also benefiting from having access to Curry&rsquo;s team of experts, acknowledging, &ldquo;Being a 17-year-old coming out here and getting this experience is really important.&rdquo;
The Hendersons realize how fortunate they are to be getting a head start thanks to Curry&rsquo;s resources.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s almost unreal, actually, Steph Curry is probably my favorite player in the world,&rdquo; said Chris, who has coached Moochie&rsquo;s teams teams for years. &ldquo;They benefit from it but I benefit, too. It&rsquo;s a blessing for my kids just to be a part of it.&rdquo;
They got connected through some of Curry&rsquo;s longtime colleagues who thought the two might make great partners given their shared commitment to balancing basketball and philanthropy.
&ldquo;To be a support system for that and how that&rsquo;s going to evolve over time, that&rsquo;s the exciting part and it reinvigorates another energy to what we&rsquo;re doing because you understand &mdash; I&rsquo;m the old guy &mdash; the next generation is about that life as well,&rdquo; Curry said.

Stephen Curry and his company, SC30 Inc., are providing support and guidance to top NBA prospect Scoot Henderson and his family.

Steph Curry offers support, resources to top NBA prospect Scoot Henderson

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Zach LaVine scored 39 points, DeMar DeRozan had 23 against his former team and the Chicago Bulls overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Toronto Raptors 109-105 in a play-in tournament game Wednesday night.
Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who trailed 66-47 in the third quarter before LaVine carried them back. He scored 17 points in the third as Chicago cut the gap to nine, then added 13 more in the fourth to help the Bulls advance.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said LaVine was &ldquo;phenomenal&rdquo; against the Raptors.
&ldquo;His performance was extraordinary,&rdquo; Donovan said. &ldquo;It gave us life and it gave us hope.&rdquo;
The Bulls will visit the Miami Heat on Friday night for the chance to earn the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, and a first-round playoff matchup with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Chicago went 3-0 against the Heat this season. The Bulls won in Miami twice, including on opening night.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Bulls were down 19 POINTS and came back to eliminate the Raptors 😳 Zach LaVine: 39 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST DeMar DeRozan: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST <a href="https://t.co/ys7wUVThcs">pic.twitter.com/ys7wUVThcs</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1646329837567582211?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 13, 2023</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;They&rsquo;re going to make adjustments. We are, too,&rdquo; LaVine said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be whoever wants it more. I think it comes down to that.&rdquo;
The Bulls shot 3 for 19 from 3-point range through the first three quarters but LaVine connected twice as Chicago made four of seven from distance in the fourth.
Fred VanVleet had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Pascal Siakam scored 32 points, but Toronto&rsquo;s season ended in disappointment as the Raptors &mdash; with DeRozan&rsquo;s nine-year-old daughter, Diar,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shout-it-out-derozans-daughter-goes-viral-in-playin-game" target="_blank" rel="noopener">screaming when they shot</a>&nbsp;&mdash; went a dismal 18 for 36 at the free throw line. Toronto missed six attempts from the line in the fourth quarter.
&ldquo;I thought we played well enough to win tonight but it just didn&rsquo;t go our way,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Scottie Barnes had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Raptors, and O.G. Anunoby scored 13 points. Toronto didn&rsquo;t win three straight until January and never won more than four in a row in a season that struggled to generate any momentum.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have to be better,&rdquo; Siakam said. &ldquo;Not consistent enough and that&rsquo;s got to change.&rdquo;
Chicago&rsquo;s Alex Caruso connected from the corner to tie the score at 91-all with 7:08 left in the fourth quarter and Patrick Beverley&rsquo;s 3 with 5:07 remaining gave the Bulls a 96-93 lead. It was Beverley&rsquo;s first basket of the game.
VanVleet&rsquo;s 3 with 3:11 to go knotted it again at 100-all, but LaVine and DeRozan replied with baskets for the Bulls.
Barnes and Siakam each made one of two at the line inside the final two minutes, and VanVleet missed a 3 that would have tied the game.
Siakam&rsquo;s driving dunk with 19 seconds left cut it to 105-104. After a timeout, LaVine pushed the lead to three with a pair of free throws. Caruso fouled Siakam on a 3 but the Raptors star missed his second and third attempts.
The Raptors led 28-23 after one and 58-47 at the break after VanVleet connected on a halfcourt heave at the halftime buzzer.
VanVleet&rsquo;s 3 with 9:09 left in the third gave Toronto a 19-point edge, but LaVine and the Bulls trailed 81-72 heading to the fourth.
SHOWING HIS COLORS
Former NBA All-Star Charles Oakley, who played for both the Bulls and Raptors, sat in a courtside seat. Oakley wore a black hoodie with Toronto Raptors printed in gold letters on the back.
TIP-INS
Bulls: LaVine shot 13 for 15 at the free throw line. The Bulls went 18 for 22. &hellip; Patrick Williams scored 10 points.
Raptors: VanVleet had eight assists. &hellip; Siakam had nine rebounds.

Zach LaVine scored 39 points, and the Bulls overcame a 19-point deficit to beat the Raptors 109-105 in a play-in game on Wednesday.

Zach LaVine scores 39, Bulls beat Raptors 109-105 in Play-In Game

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; March has gone from madness to unprecedented.
With Miami&rsquo;s win over Houston and San Diego State&rsquo;s takedown of Alabama on Friday night, the men&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament will not have a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight for the first time since seeding began in 1979.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s not a lot of difference between the best team in the country and the worst team in the country,&rdquo; San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re seeing that on this stage.&rdquo;
Purdue, Kansas, Houston and Alabama are all gone, ensuring the Final Four will not have a No. 1 team for the first time since 2011 and the third overall. The four teams deemed by the NCAA to be the best in the country combined to win five tournament games this year, the fewest by three among No. 1 seeds since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Texas is the lone No. 2 seed remaining after bouncing Xavier out of the bracket 83-71 Friday night under interim coach Rodney Terry. The fewest combined No. 1-2 seeds in the Elite Eight before this year was two (three times).
How crazy has it been? The national title game is guaranteed to have at least one of these teams: San Diego State, Creighton, Florida Atlantic or Kansas State. The Aztecs, Bluejays and Owls have never been to the Elite Eight. The Wildcats were picked to finish last in the Big 12.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also a lock the winning coach will be a first-time champion.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot of really good programs in the country that have lost &mdash; I mean, we could go down the list of them,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s what makes the NCAA Tournament the NCAA Tournament. They&rsquo;re all good teams.&rdquo;
The madness started in the opening round of the East Region, when fairytale Fairleigh Dickinson wrecked brackets around the world by becoming the second No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1.
Goodbye, Purdue.
Arkansas was the next giant killer, taking down reigning national champion and West Region No. 1 seed Kansas in the second round.
The Sweet 16 turned sour on Friday for Alabama, the bracket&rsquo;s No. 1 overall seed. The Crimson Tide were no match for Dutcher&rsquo;s ball-and-body-hawking San Diego State Aztecs in a 71-64 South Region loss in Louisville, Kentucky. San Diego State is the first Mountain West Conference school to reach the Elite Eight.
Miami capped the No. 1 carnage in the Midwest Region by taking apart one of the nation&rsquo;s stingiest defenses in a 89-75 win over Houston in Kansas City, Missouri that had Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga dancing in the locker room.
&ldquo;Unfortunately, one off-night and you go home in this tournament,&rdquo; Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson said.
On to an Elite Eight unlike any other.
___
AP Sports Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.

The Men’s NCAA Tournament will not have a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight for the first time since seeding began in 1979.

Crazy Eight: No top seeds among last 8 in March Madness

On Wednesday afternoon, Ed Cooley was introduced as the new head coach for the Georgetown Hoyas.&nbsp;
This move follows 12 successful seasons at Providence, including seven NCAA tournament bids in the past nine years it has been held and a Big East regular-season championship in 2021-22.
"I am excited for the opportunity to lead the men's basketball program at Georgetown University," Cooley said in a statement. "I plan on hitting the ground running, getting to work on the court and cultivating relationships in and around the District. Accepting this opportunity with Georgetown is not a decision I took lightly."
In an <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-basketball/exclusive-ed-cooley-on-why-he-left-providence-for-georgetown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive interview with John Fanta of FOX Sports</a>, Cooley described his reasons for leaving Providence.
"When I did a deep dive of what's important &mdash; I always said yes to everybody, and I always said no to Ed. Coach Cooley did everything, but Ed needed a change," Cooley said. "I thought Georgetown was the place for me to make that change. As hard as it was because it's in-conference, and because a lot of people look at that as villainous or betrayal, I hope people give me an opportunity to serve Ed. And it sounds selfish, it sounds real selfish, but sometimes change is need on both sides and I felt for me change was needed...
"The Big East has a lot to do with the change even though it's tough because it's in-conference. I love the Big East. I love basketball-centric places. They're the recruiting fertile ground of the DMV area that expands.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I caught up with two Georgetown Hoya legends in Jerome Williams (a.k.a. Junk Yard Dog) and Michael Sweetney to discuss their thoughts on the changing of the guard at their alma mater and the direction of the program.&nbsp;
Jerome Williams (JYD)&nbsp;
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Etan: Talk to me about your first thoughts on the new hire Ed Cooley for Georgetown.
JYD: "From first impressions, he hit the ball out the park. He really ushered in the alumni. He even got people like Reggie Williams commenting positivity about him taking over the reins of Georgetown&rsquo;s basketball program, and that&rsquo;s a long-term Hoya alumni who helped bring a national championship to the hilltop. So right now, all of the alumni, myself included, we're very excited.
"We&rsquo;ve always supported every regime that has been at Georgetown since I&rsquo;ve been here, and that includes Coach Patrick (Ewing), Coach JT3 (John Thompson III), Coach (Craig) Esherick. And obviously, I was blessed to have Coach John Thompson. So Ed Cooley is no different in terms of the support that he will receive from me, and the Junk Yard Dog Dogg Pound. I&rsquo;m here to support this alma mater through thick and thin. But like I said, Ed Cooley&rsquo;s first impression has really gone over well with everyone. And add to that &mdash; he has the resume of what he accomplished at Providence that has really energized this entire Georgetown community, with him being a Big East Champion and Coach of the Year, so that all helps. So yeah, we&rsquo;re all definitely excited."
Etan: Yeah, people are really buzzing here in the DMV. This seems like this was the coach that a lot of people wanted. You heard the chatter even during the tournament before Providence lost. But the electricity around the program seems to have been reignited. Would you say that&rsquo;s an accurate description?&nbsp;
JYD: "Definitely, the electricity is back. When he says he wants to sell out the arena which holds 20,000 [people], that&rsquo;s exactly what needs to happen. And that starts with the alumni, it starts with the students and it starts with the overall community. So that&rsquo;s the key."
Etan: Now, of course, programs don&rsquo;t turn around overnight and it&rsquo;s been a tough few years for Georgetown just as far as wins and losses. So what would your advice be to Hoya fans as far as patience?&nbsp;
JYD: "My advice would definitely be that everything is a process and Rome wasn&rsquo;t built in a day. But, with the world the way it is around college sports and the transfer portal, you look at teams like Missouri, who transformed very quickly into a winning program. And that was largely due to the transfer portal."
Etan: Yeah, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-the-ncaas-transfer-portal-getting-out-of-control" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transfer portal is definitely a game changer</a>, but it&rsquo;s like musical chairs; you lose four players and then you get four new players. It&rsquo;s an interesting dynamic right now that we&rsquo;re in with college basketball.
JYD: "That's absolutely correct. In some ways it&rsquo;s damaging, and in other ways, it can be transformative."
Etan: Very true. So let&rsquo;s talk about the history of Georgetown and why it&rsquo;s so historically special as a program and what it means to the DMV area and really all of college sports.
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JYD: "Well, it helps when the Georgetown University basketball program is in a good place. It helps all of college basketball. And Georgetown has meant so much to the Black community from what Coach Thompson has built not only as an individual for himself, not only as a program and a university, but for what he has done for other Black coaches who helped build other programs. The John Chaneys and Nolan Richardsons and countless others who he has helped open doors for, including Ed Cooley. So that&rsquo;s where, when Georgetown is in a good place, they represent a larger piece to the masses."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great. So are we going to see you at some of the games? Can fans expect to see you and the Junk Yard Dog Dogg Pound representing on the sidelines this season?
JYD: "Yes sir, you saw me at many of the games this season supporting Patrick (Ewing) and the program. I was able to move back to the area this year. My son [Jeremiah] goes to St. Albans now and plays for Team Takeover, so I&rsquo;m here ready to continue to support the program. My daughters [Gabby and Giselle] are playing volleyball for Georgetown, so I&rsquo;m here."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great, and what year is your son? I&rsquo;ve seen some of the clips you&rsquo;ve posted on social media. He looks like he&rsquo;s gonna be good&nbsp;
JYD: "Thanks I appreciate that, and your son [Malcolm] as well. But my son is a little younger. He&rsquo;s [in the] 2029 [class] and he is just loving the game, working hard, and getting better and better. And that&rsquo;s all you can ask at this age. But let me say, thank you for writing this and showing some love to your school&rsquo;s biggest rival historically."
Etan: No problem, it&rsquo;s always been nothing but respect for Georgetown.
Michael Sweetney&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/97028325_3148150111902658_5846889772051595264_n.jpg" alt="" width="517" height="641" />
Etan: Okay, so how do you feel about the new hire of Coach Ed Cooley and the new direction that Georgetown is going in? What were your first initial thoughts?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Well, first let me say that it was sad for me personally to see how it went for Patrick (Ewing) these last couple of years. Winning trumps everything, and we&rsquo;ve had it tough for his last few years, so I was definitely sad to see Patrick struggle the way that he did. He loves Georgetown so much and had such a special relationship with Coach Thompson, and I know he really wanted to be successful. So that part was definitely sad for me to see."
Etan: Yeah, I grew up a Patrick Ewing fan. I was a Knicks fan. I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-48-nba-hall-of-famer-patrick-ewing-talks-knicks-days,-turning-the-hoyas-around,-charles-oakley,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed him on The Rematch last year.</a> It was just an honor to be able to sit down with him. I mean, Patrick is a legend.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Exactly, I definitely feel the same way. And he&rsquo;s a great guy all around. But to answer your question about the Ed Cooley hire, I think everyone is excited about what&rsquo;s to come. I personally really respected the way he immediately connected with the alumni and made a concerted effort to make the point clear that he wanted the alumni to be involved, and that&rsquo;s important. It&rsquo;s no secret that, for a long time, a lot of the guys felt distant from the program. So for him to come in and that&rsquo;s one of the first things on his agenda was to reach out to the alumni, it made a lot of ears throughout the Georgetown community perk up. It was a great first impression for all of us, so we&rsquo;re all excited about that aspect for sure."
Etan: Now, I&rsquo;ve heard that from a few guys that over the last decade or so, there has been distance from the program. I don&rsquo;t understand why, but I&rsquo;ve heard quite a few former players mention that.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Yeah, that&rsquo;s pretty accurate, because a lot of guys have been feeling like that. I don&rsquo;t think it was intentional. It&rsquo;s just a lot of people from the program never reached out and said, 'Hey guys, come to the games,' or, 'We&rsquo;re going to have this special program to bring the alumni back together and back into the fold of the program.' It was really no interaction. It was almost like, 'Hey if you want to come to the game, you have to jump through hoops.'
"Luckily for me, I had direct access. So I would just call Pat Jr. and he would always look out. But it was never anyone from Georgetown who ever contacted me and said, 'Hey, come around. We have this event.' I don&rsquo;t even know if they had anyone assigned to do that &mdash; not really sure why. I don&rsquo;t think it was personal. But yeah, a lot of guys felt they weren&rsquo;t embraced the way alumni who have given so much to the program should be."
Etan: And what did Coach Cooley do differently? You and JYD both mentioned this, so I'm just curious. What exactly did he do?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Well, for example, he held a Zoom [meeting] just yesterday and JYD was on there. But it was just with a lot of Georgetown former players and he introduced himself to us, told all of us how honored he was to be given this opportunity for a program he has so much respect for. He was knowledgeable of the history of the program, and he specifically told us, 'Hey, I want you all to be involved. This is a family thing and whatever I have to do to make things comfortable for you all, just let me know because I want you to be a part of this entire process.'
"And a few players &mdash; I don&rsquo;t want to say their names because it wasn&rsquo;t a public meeting &mdash; but a few guys specifically said that, for years, they thought the program didn&rsquo;t like them or respect them, so this was a breath of fresh air. So yeah, Coach Cooley definitely started off on the right foot with all of us."
Etan: You know, the DMV is really excited about the direction of the program. Do you get that same feeling?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Definitely. And a large reason for that is because Cooley is saying all the right things. And what he did at Providence, when he got there, the program was where it was, and he&rsquo;s shown that he can turn programs around. He has the resume to support that, and people in the DMV are hoping that he can do the same thing here. And also, with the DMV being a hotbed as far as recruiting, it&rsquo;s one of the top places in the country for high school players going on to play Division I. So hopefully, he can get in and develop those relationships in the DMV and get some of this local talent."
Etan: So you mentioned that, and that&rsquo;s something else that&rsquo;s always brought up. One of the biggest criticisms you hear around the DMV is that two of the biggest schools in the area &mdash; Georgetown and Maryland &mdash; haven&rsquo;t kept the local DMV talent local. You saw Coach Kevin Willard came in on Day 1 last year and made a concerted effort to recruit guys from the DMV: Jamie Kaiser, Deshawn Harris-Smith and Jahnathan Lamothe. All of them are from the area.
Do you expect that same level of focus from Coach Cooley? People don&rsquo;t understand the level of talent in this area, but for a long time, so many have left to play somewhere else. I just watched Jordin Hawkins for UConn light up Arkansas for 24 points last night. They&rsquo;re headed to the Sweet 16 and he&rsquo;s from right here and went to DeMatha.
Sweetney: "Definitely, that&rsquo;s one of the things Coach Cooley mentioned. He&rsquo;s definitely aware of it and he told us specifically that he wanted to focus on and develop those relationships in the DMV and get some of this local talent to stay home. And I hope that&rsquo;s the case because there is so much talent in this area."
Etan: There definitely is. It&rsquo;s really amazing. KD made that documentary a few years ago &mdash; "Basketball County: In The Water.&rdquo; So I think that really showed the world how special the DMV is.
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Sweetney: "Now, let me ask you a question if you don&rsquo;t mind?"
Etan: Oh, you&rsquo;re gonna take over the interview? (Laughing) Sure, go ahead.
Sweetney: (Laughing) "No, but seriously. Because we were discussing the DMV talent and I&rsquo;ve seen your son Malcolm play, he is a tremendous talent and can do a lot on the basketball court. But would you be open to him coming to Georgetown? I know we&rsquo;re a rival school and you&rsquo;re Syracuse royalty, but 'What If' you know?"
Etan: Oh, you just gonna put me on the spot huh? (Laughing) Well honestly, and people ask me this all the time, that&rsquo;s one of the reasons <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-malcolm-thomas-qa-dematha-stags-season-acit-championship-recruiting-maryland-dmv-etan-thomas-prospect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I did an article with Malcolm</a>. We sat down and discussed this because so many people say to me, "So Malcolm is definitely going to Syracuse?" And I always respond with, "He&rsquo;s going to whatever situation is best for him, whether that&rsquo;s Syracuse or somewhere else." Of course, both his parents went there, so yes, there is history there. But I was glad to hear him echo that he wants to go to the best place for him.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "So it wouldn&rsquo;t be weird for you to cheer for Georgetown if he came to us?"
Etan: Not at all. Listen, I bleed Orange, make no mistake, but I genuinely want him to go to the situation that&rsquo;s best for him. My situation at Syracuse worked out for me, but it has to be the right situation for him.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "That makes total sense."
Etan: I mean, Malcolm grew up here. He&rsquo;s a PG County kid. Although he has his love for Syracuse because both his parents went there, he grew up watching Georgetown, Maryland and all the DMV schools and surrounding schools like all of the other kids who grew up here. What do you think with your sons? I know they&rsquo;re a little young now, but when they get older.
Sweetney: "It&rsquo;s funny because people always say that to me too. They say they&rsquo;re future Hoyas and I&rsquo;m like, 'Well I don&rsquo;t know, we&rsquo;ll see.' But like you said, I want them to do whatever is best for them. Whatever fits their needs and their happiness. So I get it. Just had to ask you that, and honestly, that&rsquo;s good to hear because your son can play. So I'm glad to hear that you&rsquo;re open to it.
"But yeah, we&rsquo;re in a good place as a program and going in a good direction, so I think fans can expect an entire wave of local talent coming to Georgetown and exciting times in the near future."

Etan Thomas talks to Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams and Michael Sweetney about their first impressions of Ed Cooley at Georgetown.

Georgetown legends Jerome Williams, Michael Sweetney on Ed Cooley hire

March Madness has begun and top teams are already heading home.
By Saturday night, two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia were all gone &mdash; and gone with them were <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/zero-perfect-brackets-remaining-after-march-madness-upsets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">millions of busted brackets.</a>
Here is what to know, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key games to watch:
TOP SEEDS
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-kansas-alabama-12476411b0da681b21df9281a8332196" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The top four seeds in the tournament</a>&nbsp;were given to Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-alabama-kansas-fc3932edb7323b0cd5f9db3e1cbb82fe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Each had its share of headaches</a>&nbsp;to set up what is already proving to be a chaotic tournament. The Boilermakers were the first to fall, ousted in a first-round stunner, and the Jayhawks followed the very next day.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-east-region-purdue-marquette-8a7c268ac0e763368c602be51359928e">EAST REGION:</a>&nbsp;The Boilermakers got a No. 1 seed for the fourth time, but Purdue was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-fairleigh-dickinson-purdue-16-seed-715e3e361344928ea10880dd9a9d8a58" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dumped by Fairleigh Dickinson in a near-historic upset.</a>&nbsp;The region appears to be wide open for the likes of No. 2 seed Marquette, Kansas State, Tennessee, Michigan State and more. No. 5 seed Duke was ousted by the Volunteers. FDU or FAU will advance to the Sweet 16 in the bracket&rsquo;s biggest underdog matchup.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-south-bracket-alabama-005db4413ccdad1b00bcd38f879ac5df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOUTH REGION:</a>&nbsp;Alabama,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-nate-oats-alabama-2738775dfbf0006eee54eb3bca39fdf9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led by coach Nate Oats in a challenging season,</a>&nbsp;is a No. 1 seed for the first time behind SEC player of the year Brandon Miller,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/brandon-miller-alabama-ncaa-tournament-security-guard-7104ab515dfaf81ae09abf94f0bd3165" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who has armed security on hand</a>&nbsp;after being the subject of threats. The Crimson Tide opened the tourney with an&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-alabama-miller-texas-corpus-christi-9f904c350cbb1d3e84f085a8ca782a5e">easy win.</a>&nbsp;Potential hurdles could include Baylor and Creighton.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-princeton-missouri-upset-c53ede0847d5669af9fc19e18dab67eb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Princeton is heading to the Sweet 16</a>&nbsp;out of the South.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-midwest-ba5f567eee97af8eb848e229694b8b9b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MIDWEST REGION:</a> Houston got a top seed and won its opener before a rugged victory over Auburn even with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-houston-sasser-a327324228d43a8792f496890a5e7bc9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-American Marcus Sasser hobbled</a>&nbsp;by a groin injury. Potential hurdles could include No. 2 seed Texas, No. 3 seed Xavier or the winner of a 4-5 matchup between Indiana and Miami.
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-kansas-jayhawks-ucla-de98b2f3866d40f3b00d40e59c373b5c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WEST REGION</a>: Kansas, the defending national champion that was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-bill-self-norm-roberts-fbb2c52dc34fa02235d1dbc3177ced01" target="_blank" rel="noopener">without coach Bill Self</a>&nbsp;in the tournament following a heart procedure,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-arkansas-upset-dfbf9716af7de6e346e47c6edeb87277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blew an 8-point halftime lead and lost to 8-seed Arkansas.</a>&nbsp;Like the East, the West is now open for the likes of&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-ucla-unc-asheville-4c5ead60091b98be87a72ffa91a14e97" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No. 2 seed UCLA,</a>&nbsp;No. 3 Gonzaga and the winner of a juicy 4-5 matchup between UConn and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-gonzaga-saint-marys-8bee98936cfde7eba11bf367cc507c9d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saint Mary&rsquo;s.</a>
SHINING MOMENTS
The unforgettable plays are piling up.
Princeton used a late run to earn its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-ncaa-arizona-princeton-4b28e0acabe2b75ccdbac81d40a6fd66" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years</a>&nbsp;by ousting No. 2 seed Arizona and then answered any skeptics by&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-princeton-missouri-upset-c53ede0847d5669af9fc19e18dab67eb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rolling Missouri</a>&nbsp;to lock in its regional semifinal spot. Furman celebrated its first tourney appearance since 1980 with&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/furman-virginia-march-madness-upset-1b4e3c5c8b1ce5896eea85ba9fd42761" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a win over No. 4 seed Virginia</a>&nbsp;on&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1636439857127129088?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a deep 3-pointer by JP Pegues with 2.4 seconds</a>&nbsp;left.
Then came 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson&rsquo;s win over Purdue as the 22 1/2-point underdog stifled 7-4 center Zach Edey to advance and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ncaa-tournament-umbc-no-1-seeds-march-madness-df6c353dc4ff76ec99278efd69a8b454" target="_blank" rel="noopener">join UMBC in the record books.</a>
All that happened before the Razorbacks and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-arkansas-upset-dfbf9716af7de6e346e47c6edeb87277" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shirtless coach Eric Musselman</a>&nbsp;celebrated their win over top-seeded Kansas.
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson (21-15) vs. No. 9 seed FAU (32-3), Sunday, 7:45 p.m. ET (truTV)
One of these unheralded teams is going to the Sweet 16. The underdog Knights of FDU may be the smallest team in the tournament, but after knocking out All-America 7-foot-4 center Zack Edey and Purdue they will now face the ninth-seeded Owls. Florida Atlantic is coming off&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-florida-atlantic-memphis-ncaa-3438cd0c1d171f3a70d0997b3671bad5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a thrilling win over Memphis</a>&nbsp;and coach Penny Hardaway.
No. 6 seed Kentucky (22-11) vs. No. 3 seed Kansas State (24-9), Sunday, 2:40 p.m. ET, (CBS)
Wildcats abound!&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kentucky-providence-8e98ee16b0c81318780c871adf2365f7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds,</a>&nbsp;the second-most in the tournament since 1973, as Kentucky beat Providence. That&rsquo;s only four fewer rebounds than Kansas State grabbed in its 77-65 win over Montana State. K-State&rsquo;s victory was its first in the tournament since 2018, when it beat ... Kentucky.
No. 7 seed Michigan State (20-12) vs. No. 2 seed Marquette (29-6), Sunday, 5:15 p.m. (CBS)
Quick, name two coaches you think are terrific. Tom Izzo and Shaka Smart need to be in your top 10, but only one will reach the Sweet 16 this tourney.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-michigan-state-usc-izzo-87b1b2b8f14b10dba38819ca6c3d4482" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Spartans ousted Southern Cal</a>&nbsp;behind 17 points from Joey Hauser, and will face a Marquette team to got&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-vermont-marquettencaa-tournament-f95c79547ea1ba0c37043e6a2ca01760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">18 straight points from Kam Jones</a>&nbsp;in the second half of a 78-61 victory against Vermont.
GO DEEPER
Gun violence&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-guns-campus-violence-05a4962cd59264a997b9cdfb5256763f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">has cost lives and disrupted college sports all season</a>, touching some of the top programs in college basketball, including Alabama. Coaches have been thrust into uncertain and unwelcome roles in trying to navigate the topic &mdash; as well as the fallout from the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/abortion-coaches-womens-sports-athletes-46c0f942b76f07427a6effd75a4a54d7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.</a>
On a lighter note, if you feel you know March Madness pretty well,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-trivia-ncaa-basketball-262d129aea8867ff0643b439ca9af349" target="_blank" rel="noopener">try this 25-question trivia quiz</a>&nbsp;put together by AP.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
The NCAA Tournament is filled with great players and the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/all-america-mens-basketball-team-aa5e6381567b1d4732a0f0e17e60036b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AP All-America team</a>&nbsp;is a good place to get familiar with the names. It&rsquo;s also an event where&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-drake-oral-roberts-colgate-asheville-bc17594044376c9e2b2ebbc69c64d44a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guys you&rsquo;ve never heard of</a>&nbsp;can take a star turn.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-players-to-watch-dcb64a292147a92e425ca8d162792b5a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Guard play is always going to be important</a>&nbsp;(see: Baylor, 2021 title winner) and there are&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-nba-draft-picks-9fe43406a0d09256c7070c39c503805f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some NBA prospects</a>&nbsp;in the mix.
Bet on this, too: Some player &mdash; maybe more than one &mdash; will have a chance to join&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-social-media-edert-ef5fe8ef3e482d0f36a4d6cc3bdf2b89" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the mustachioed Doug Edert</a>&nbsp;(remember Saint Peters&rsquo; inspiring run last year?) and find a way to cash in on their celebrity.
HOW TO WATCH
Every game of the men&rsquo;s tournament will be aired &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/mens-final-four/broadcast-info" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">here is a schedule</a>&nbsp;&mdash; either on CBS, TBS, TNT or TruTV and their digital platforms. CBS,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/2023-march-madness-tv-schedule-announcers-how-to-watch-ncaa-tournament-tipoff-times-tv-channels-stream/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">which also has a handy schedule that includes announcing teams,</a>&nbsp;will handle the Final Four and national title game this year.
The NCAA is streaming games via its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/watch" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">March Madness Live</a>&nbsp;option and CBS games are being streamed on&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.paramountplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Paramount+</a>. Fans of longtime play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz should soak up every moment: It&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-cbs-jim-nantz-c09aa9f68af918fdc613dfd2e01191a1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his final NCAA Tournament.</a>
BETTING GUIDE
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-betting-favorite-odds-149e49842f90412a306dcbd1f0279a6c">Who&rsquo;s going to win the national championship?</a>&nbsp;The betting favorites as of Saturday to reach the Final Four are (in order) Houston, Alabama, UCLA, Texas, UConn and Tennessee, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab?tab=national-champion" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FanDuel Sportsbook.</a>

By Saturday night, No. 1 seeds Kansas and Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia were out of the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness recap: Top seeds fall in battle for Sweet 16 berths

The overall No. 1 seed for March Madness is No. 1 in the final AP Top 25, too.
Alabama, fresh off an SEC Tournament title to go with its regular-season crown, ascended to the top spot Monday, earning 48 of 61 first-place votes to jump Houston, which lost in the American Athletic Conference final without star guard Marcus Sasser. Alabama also spent a week at No. 1 last month.
&ldquo;We set goals over the summer: regular season, (league) tournament, obviously a national championship,&rdquo; Crimson Tide guard Jahvon Quinerly said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to make sure our guys are ready to go no matter who we match up with.&rdquo;
That will be Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi or Southeast Missouri State, who meet in a First Four game Tuesday night. The winner will play the Crimson Tide on Thursday in Birmingham, an hour down the road from their Tuscaloosa campus.
The top seed in the South Region, Alabama would face West Virginia or Maryland for a spot in the Sweet 16 with a win.
And how sweet that would be for a team that&rsquo;s gone through the ringer: former teammate Darius Miles and another man have been indicted on capital murder charges for a January shooting, an investigator has testified star freshman Brandon Miller was asked by Miles to bring the gun that night and police have also said Jaden Bradley was at the scene.
&ldquo;To beat the teams we had to beat to get here was not easy,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said last week. &ldquo;So proud of the guys, proud of their effort, proud they were able to get really focused. Got a lot of mental toughness.&rdquo;
Houston still received nine first-place votes and was No. 2 after losing to Memphis in the final of the AAC tourney, where Sasser hurt his groin in the semifinal round. He did not play in the championship and his status will be watched closely leading up to the Cougars&rsquo; NCAA opener against Northern Kentucky.
Purdue, seeded first in the East Region, earned three first-place votes and was third in the AP poll after the regular-season Big Ten champion won its conference tournament, too. Kansas, which expects to have Bill Self back for the NCAA tourney after a medical scare, was fourth after receiving the No. 1 seed in the West.
Texas routed the Jayhawks in the finals of the Big 12 Tournament and rounded out the top five.
Marquette remained at No. 6 after its Big East tourney title. UCLA earned one first-place vote and was seventh after losing in the Pac-12 Tournament final to Arizona, which was No. 8. Gonzaga and UConn rounded out the top 10.
&ldquo;We have a special team. We&rsquo;re not going to do what our past teams have done, which was to maybe get caught up in the wallow of losing,&rdquo; said Huskies coach Dan Hurley, whose team fell to the Golden Eagles in the Big East tourney semifinals. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to get our minds right very quickly and get ready to make a run next week.&rdquo;
RISING AND FALLING
Duke made the biggest jump in the final poll after beating Virginia for the ACC Tournament title, climbing nine spots to No. 12 &mdash; the highest the Blue Devils have been since the third week of the season. First-year coach Jon Scheyer has them seeded fifth in the East in the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA, seeded second in the West, fell five spots to No. 7 in the final poll.
IN AND OUT
Memphis was hardly receiving votes last week, but rolling to the AAC tourney title put Penny Hardaway&rsquo;s crew into the poll for the first time this season at No. 24. Florida Atlantic, the Conference USA regular-season and tourney champ, returned at No. 25 after spending the first four weeks in the poll in school history in January and February.
The Tigers and Owls made the AP poll at the expense of Creighton, which was routed by Xavier in the Big East semifinals, and Kentucky, which fell to Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament quarterfinal round.
CONFERENCE WATCH
Widely considered the toughest league in the nation, the Big 12 had two teams in the top five and five in the Top 25. The league has seven schools heading to the NCAA Tournament after Oklahoma State was left on the bubble.
The SEC, which tied the Big Ten for the most NCAA bids with eight, had four teams in the final Top 25. The Big East and ACC had three apiece, though the Big East had two in the top 10 and the leading ACC team was Duke at No. 12.

The Crimson Tide, fresh off an SEC Tournament title to go with their regular-season crown, ascended to the top spot Monday.

Alabama, Houston top men's final AP Top 25 ahead of March Madness

Kansas and Alabama are no strangers to playing for national championships.
For the Jayhawks, another high-expectations trip to March Madness is a rite of spring. For the Crimson Tide, well, this path to glory travels through some unfamiliar ground &mdash; the basketball court.
Alabama rolls in as the top overall seed in an NCAA Tournament that feels both familiar and foreign this season. Yes, there are plenty of heartwarming stories and unbelievable upsets to come when the action begins Tuesday with the first of four play-in games.
But this was also a season clouded with police blotters at Alabama and Texas, injuries at Houston and UCLA, some unsightly losses at Kansas, and enough twists and turns at the top of the field to make this as unpredictable a bracket as ever.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure we would&rsquo;ve predicted this,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said of the top seeding that belongs to the Crimson Tide for the first time.
Alabama&rsquo;s ability to set aside distractions &mdash; namely, the inevitable questions that will be directed at its star, Brandon Miller, and others about an ongoing murder case against a former member of the team &mdash; could have as big an impact on the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s chances as anything.
But all these teams, especially at the top, have their issues.&nbsp;
It starts with Houston, the 1 seed in the Midwest, which was cruising along until Saturday, when its star guard, Marcus Sasser, fell awkwardly and left the game with a groin injury.
Sasser didn&rsquo;t play in his team&rsquo;s conference title game and Houston lost. How quickly he gets back to form could dictate whether the Cougars make the Final Four, which will take place at NRG Stadium, not far from their home arena.
Or take the Jayhawks, who looked like the top overall seed for a time. Two double-digit losses to Texas knocked them down a few notches. They are top seeded, but will play in the West, not the Midwest &mdash; one of those rare teams that might have preferred a possible trip down the road to Kansas City over a flight to Las Vegas for the Sweet 16. Not helping the situation was the recent illness of coach Bill Self, who was feeling chest tightness and checked himself into the hospital before the Big 12 Tournament. He was released Sunday and is expected to be with the Jayhawks this week.
&ldquo;They mark it how they feel and we&rsquo;re just going to do what we need to do to get where we need to be,&rdquo; Kansas forward KJ Adams said.
There are issues one notch down the bracket, too.
No. 2 UCLA has been dealing with injuries all season. Most recently, guard Jaylen Clark (Achilles) and big man Adem Bona (shoulder) have gone down. Clark won&rsquo;t be back; Bona might. It takes a hunk out of a team that still has the core of a roster that lost to Gonzaga on a buzzer-beater from near midcourt at the Final Four two years ago.
Another 2 seed, Texas, has had months to bounce back from the firing of coach Chris Beard, whose fiancee called in a domestic dispute that led to the coach&rsquo;s arrest. Charges were eventually dropped. By then, Rodney Terry had taken over the team and it found its footing, though the ugliness of the episode is bound to be rehashed during basketball&rsquo;s biggest month.
Back among the No. 1 seeds, Purdue has a 7-foot-4 playmaker, Zach Edey, leading the way and also has a little baggage of its own. Coach Matt Painter&rsquo;s program has now made the tournament 14 times in his 18 years but has advanced as far as the Elite Eight only once. This is the first time one of Painter&rsquo;s teams has come in as a top seed, though.
The coach is as aware as anyone how a trip to the Final Four might just cover up a lot of those old blemishes.
&ldquo;Obviously, I know,&rdquo; Painter said, &ldquo;you get judged on what you do in the tournament.&rdquo;

Despite their successes to get to this point, there are a number of top-seeded teams with issues heading into the NCAA Tournament.

March Madness top teams bring talent and, for some, baggage

The top overall seed, Alabama, has been on a roll despite being entangled in a&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-darius-miles-fatal-shooting-indictment-jamea-harris-887b6419c4b576da778b710a58b8acf7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murder case</a>. Another No. 1 seed, defending national champion Kansas, is coming off a blowout loss and has a coach coming out of the hospital. Yet another, Houston, just watched its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-houston-march-madness-ncaa-hardaway-329475213b5f98fb6a436cfefdc51390" target="_blank" rel="noopener">best player go down in a heap</a>&nbsp;with a scary injury.
This year&rsquo;s&nbsp;March Madness&nbsp;frontrunners are anything but perfect, but the presence of these teams and all their questions at the top of the bracket could make for precisely what the NCAA wants its tournament to be &ndash; a perfectly unpredictable mess.
Most of the drama in picking this year&rsquo;s bracket was resolved far before Selection Sunday.
Arizona State and Nevada made it off the bubble and into the 68-team field. Rutgers and Oklahoma State did not.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/purdue-big-ten-tournament-penn-state-zach-edey-3b17ff7c31380552d3707784339fed7e" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Purdue, with 7-foot-4 Zach Edey leading the way,</a>&nbsp;edged out UCLA for the fourth and final No. 1 seed.
And in a decision most everyone saw coming, the selection committee&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-north-carolina-left-out-16e5709c3c1f97a1d52f485d292715e0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left North Carolina, last year&rsquo;s national runner-up, out of the tournament.</a> It made the Tar Heels the first team since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to start the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and finish it by not making the Big Dance.
The team they lost to, Kansas, is trying to become the first back-to-back NCAA champion since Florida in 2007.
The Jayhawks earned the top seed in the West Region, but only the third overall, behind the Crimson Tide and the Cougars. The Jayhawks are awaiting the return of coach Bill Self, who went to the hospital last week complaining of chest tightness and concerns with his balance.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kansas-bill-self-hospital-ncaa-coach-jayhawks-2053ffeb102c7dfb418109215dab554b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He has been discharged</a>&nbsp;and is expected back this week.
The head of the selection committee, Chris Reynolds, said it took every injury, and every absence, into account.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s certainly something the committee talked about during the course of the year, and certainly played a factor in seeding and selection,&rdquo; said Reynolds, the athletic director at Bradley.
He said the committee also did not ignore lopsided losses: Two of Kansas&rsquo; seven Ls came in March to Texas, a No. 2 seed, by 16 and 20 points.
&ldquo;They mark it how they feel and we&rsquo;re just going to do what we need to do to get where we need to be,&rdquo; Kansas forward KJ Adams said.
The tournament begins Tuesday with two First Four games. The full madness starts Thursday with 16 first-round games, then 16 more the next day.
Kansas&rsquo; loss to Texas in the Big 12 semifinal Saturday likely played into&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab?tab=national-champion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>&nbsp;setting the Jayhawks at 10-1 to win the title, behind both Alabama of the South Region (8-1 odds) and the overall favorite, Houston (5-1 odds), which would be playing the Final Four in its hometown if it wins the Midwest Region. The semifinals and finals are set for NRG Stadium on April 1 and 3.
The Cougars lost their conference title game Sunday, <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-bracket-midwest-ba5f567eee97af8eb848e229694b8b9b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in large part because they were without Marcus Sasser,</a>&nbsp;the leading scorer who left the previous day&rsquo;s game early after sliding awkwardly and hurting his groin.
Purdue likely found its way onto the &ldquo;1&rdquo; line when it won the program&rsquo;s second Big Ten tournament title Sunday, less than 24 hours after UCLA, also dinged-up this season, fell by two to Arizona in the Pac-12 title game.
For Alabama, the SEC tournament was a relative breeze &ndash; nobody stayed within double digits of the Tide -- unlike the past two months,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-south-bracket-alabama-005db4413ccdad1b00bcd38f879ac5df" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which have been met with a near constant flow of headlines</a>&nbsp;about a former player, Darius Miles, who is accused of capital murder In the Jan. 15 killing of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure we would have predicted this,&rdquo; said coach Nate Oats of the Tide, which is a No. 1 seed for the first time. &ldquo;Being the No. 1 overall seed is great. It says what an unbelievable regular season we&rsquo;ve had. You&rsquo;ve still got to go win the games.&rdquo;
The SEC and Big Ten led the way by placing eight teams each in the 68-team field. Duke won the ACC for the 22nd time and was one of five teams from that conference in a relatively weak year.
But this tournament is always about more than big schools with big pedigrees.
Some teams to watch for include&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/marist-iona-maac-64c60cf20f61ade2159022b1c113e77c">13th-seeded Iona</a>, coached by the legend, Rick Pitino, who has the Gaels in the show for the second time in three years &ndash; with some people wondering if he&rsquo;ll be heading over to a vacant job at St. John&rsquo;s soon. Iona got a brutal draw &ndash; a first-round meeting against fourth-seeded UConn.
There is Southern Conference champion Furman, back in the tournament for the first time since 1980, and MEAC champ Howard, back in the tourney for the first time since 1992.
There is Kennesaw State,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kennesaw-state-ncaa-tournament-2f0a9c43ce247215832b429a520f580e">the program that went 1-28 in 2019-20 and now finds itself in the bracket.</a>&nbsp;For the rest of the dreamers, there is Texas Southern &ndash; the team that won its conference tournament as a No. 8 seed and comes to March Madness at 14-20 for a play-in game against Fairleigh Dickinson.

March Madness is underway! Here's a look at the No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament.

March Madness: Alabama, Houston, Kansas, Purdue are No. 1 seeds

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Former Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and another man have been indicted by a grand jury on capital murder charges for the January shooting death of a 23-year-old woman near campus, defense lawyers confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday.
Miles was charged with capital murder in the shooting death of Jamea Harris, his defense lawyer Mary Turner told the AP. Michael Davis, who police investigators said was the triggerman, was also indicted, his lawyer, John Charles Robbins, said.
Tuscaloosa County District Attorney Hays Webb&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.al.com/alabamabasketball/2023/03/former-ua-basketball-player-darius-miles-friend-michael-davis-indicted-in-the-strip-shooting-death-of-jamea-jonae-harris.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told AL.com that the indictments against Miles and Davis, who&rsquo;ve been held without bond since their arrest, were issued on Wednesday</a>.
Harris was sitting in a car when she was struck by a bullet. A police investigator testified last month that Miles provided the handgun Davis allegedly used in the shooting.
During a court hearing last month, Turner suggested Miles was in a defensive posture when he told Davis where the gun was located.
But prosecutors maintained there was ample evidence to pursue charges in the shooting, which happened early Jan. 15 on &ldquo;The Strip,&rdquo; a district of bars and restaurants near the Tuscaloosa campus. Testimony at the hearing last month indicated there had been some type of verbal altercation before the shooting.
The Turner Law Group, which is representing Miles, issued a statement Friday, saying they were disappointed by the decision to pursue capital murder charges &ldquo;considering the evidence uncovered during our investigation and the obvious weaknesses in the government&rsquo;s case brought to light during the preliminary hearing.&rdquo;
Davis maintains he is innocent, Robbins, his attorney, said. &ldquo;I look forward to the opportunity to vigorously defend Michael at trial and to defend his right to protect himself when somebody points a gun at him and shoots him,&rdquo; Robbins said.
Miles was a reserve on the Crimson Tide, but an ankle injury sidelined him for the rest of the season.&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-sports-crime-alabama-crimson-tide-top-25-college-basketball-today-b7fb03d271a2fb7a99076f34e2565b08" target="_blank" rel="noopener">After he was charged in January, Alabama said he was &ldquo;removed from campus&rdquo; and the team.</a>
During the February court hearing, Tuscaloosa Police investigator Brandon Culpepper testified that Miles texted Tide freshman basketball star Brandon Miller to bring him his gun. Police have said another player, guard Jaden Bradley, also was at the scene.
Neither Miller nor Bradley have been charged with anything.
&ldquo;This whole situation is just really heartbreaking, but respectfully that&rsquo;s all I&rsquo;m going to be able to say on that,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/alabama-brandon-miller-8180ff86600e1204bcb80a222d2144ad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miller told reporters</a>&nbsp;Wednesday in his first public comments about the case.
Both Miller and Bradley have continued to play as the No. 4-ranked team in the country makes its way through the Southeastern Conference Tournament ahead of the NCAA Tournament. Miller scored 18 points and had nine rebounds in Friday&rsquo;s SEC quarterfinal win over Mississippi State.
In the postgame news conference, Miller was asked his thoughts on the indictment. He said, &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t &mdash; I&rsquo;m not going to be able to say on that.&rdquo;
Coach Nate Oats was asked whether he has a weapons policy for his team, and said that &ldquo;our players are required to follow the university policy on guns, which essentially bans them on campus.&rdquo;
He also was asked who was involved in deciding whether Miller and Bradley could continue to play.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a difficult situation, as you understand. I mean, we&rsquo;re dealing with a criminal matter,&rdquo; Oats said, adding that as the school received &ldquo;facts from law enforcement as they do their investigation,&rdquo; &ldquo;this was a decision made, based on all the facts we had, with, obviously, my boss, (Director of Athletics) Greg Byrne; his boss, (President) Dr. (Stuart) Bell; and the Board of Trustees.
&ldquo;And everybody was comfortable, and based on the information we had, Brandon didn&rsquo;t break any school policy or team policy, so ... I was comfortable with the decision that was made.&rdquo;
Harris&rsquo; mother told reporters last month that she is frustrated by the focus on basketball instead of her daughter&rsquo;s death. She said her daughter was a beautiful person who was trying to have a night out with friends when she was killed.
&ldquo;She has a 5-year-old son that is still waiting for his mother to come home,&rdquo; DeCarla Heard told reporters. &ldquo;I want justice for my grandson.&rdquo;
Oats was asked Friday whether he has spoken to Harris&rsquo; family.
&ldquo;Listen, this whole situation has been, obviously, as you know, hard to deal with, tragic, to have any involvement in a young woman losing her life. What you ask is a private matter. I&rsquo;m not going to discuss publicly with everybody,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;A lot of this is just hard to deal with, to be honest with you. But it&rsquo;s a private matter.&rdquo;

Former Alabama player Darius Miles was indicted by a grand jury on capital murder charges after shooting a 23-year-old lady in January.

Ex-Alabama player Darius Miles indicted on capital murder charges

The top five spots in The Associated Press men&rsquo;s college basketball poll remained the same. The rest of the AP Top 25 was a big jumble.
Houston was No. 1 for the second straight week in the poll released Monday, receiving 49 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel. No. 2 Alabama had five first-place votes and No. 3 Kansas received eight.
UCLA and Purdue rounded out the top five. The Boilermakers held at No. 5 despite losing to No. 15 Indiana.
In the rest of the poll, only No. 20 Providence kept the same position from last week as teams get ready for conference tournaments next week and the start of March Madness.
Alabama held its spot after winning two games despite a challenging week off the court. Brandon Miller had a pair of huge games since police alleged that he brought a gun to former teammate Darius Miles, who is charged with capital murder in a fatal shooting.
Against Arkansas on Saturday, Miller&rsquo;s regular pregame introduction with a Crimson Tide staffer giving him a pat down didn&rsquo;t sit well with coach Nate Oats &mdash; or anyone else.
&ldquo;I can assure you it definitely will not happen again the remainder of this year,&rdquo; Oats said.
Miller had 24 points in the 86-83 win over the Razorbacks after scoring 41 in a two-point win over South Carolina.
SOARING EAGLES
Marquette has made a quick rise under coach Shaka Smart.
The Golden Eagles wrapped up a share of their first Big East regular-season title in a decade with a 90-84 win over DePaul on Saturday and climbed four spots in this week&rsquo;s poll to No. 6. It is Marquette&rsquo;s highest ranking hitting No. 1 in 1977-78.
HOUSTON ON TOP
Houston moved into the top spot last week and held onto it after a pair of routs last week. The Cougars&rsquo; 76-57 win at East Carolina on Saturday clinched the American Athletic Association regular-season championship, the fourth time in five seasons they&rsquo;ve at least shared the conference title.
&ldquo;Our kids know how to win &mdash; I say that a lot,&rdquo; Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. &ldquo;But we&rsquo;ve figured out how to play our system, be unselfish.&rdquo;
RISING/FALLING
Marquette matched No. 14 UConn and No. 18 San Diego State with the week&rsquo;s biggest jump among teams in the poll, each climbing four spots.
No. 13 Virginia took the biggest tumble, losing seven spots following losses to Boston College and North Carolina last week.
IN AND OUT
No. 21 Maryland is back in the AP Top 25 after wins over Minnesota and then-No. 23 Northwestern.
No. 23 Kentucky returned to the poll after a seven-week absence. The Wildcats had a rapid fall from being No. 4 in the preseason poll, but reeled off wins over No. 12 Tennessee, Florida and Auburn.
No. 25 Pittsburgh is ranked for the first time since 2016 after beating Georgia Tech and Syracuse last week.
Northwestern&rsquo;s return to the poll for the first time in two years didn&rsquo;t last long. The Wildcats dropped out this week after losses to Maryland and Illinois.
Iowa State fell out from No. 23 after three straight losses and consecutive losses knocked out Creighton from No. 19.

The top five spots in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll remained the same. The rest of the AP Top 25 was a big jumble.

Houston, Alabama top men's AP Top 25; Marquette climbing, Pitt in

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 24 points and Mark Sears made seven of eight free throws over the final 1:04 to help No. 2 Alabama top Arkansas 86-83 on Saturday.
Miller delivered his second straight huge game for the Crimson Tide (25-4, 15-1 Southeastern Conference) since police alleged in courtroom testimony that he brought a gun to former teammate Darius Miles, who is charged with capital murder in a fatal shooting.
The week&rsquo;s details cast a different light on Miller&rsquo;s regular pregame introduction, which is a Tide staffer giving him a pat down. Coach Nate Oats said after the game that intro for Miller is now over.
Fellow freshman Nick Smith Jr. of Arkansas (19-10, 8-8), another potential NBA draft lottery pick who helped keep the Razorbacks in it with a late 3-pointer, scored 24 points. Davonte Davis added 21 points for Arkansas, Council scored 20, and the rest of the team combined for 18 points.
Jahvon Quinerly had 16 points and seven assists for the Tide, and Noah Clowney had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
NO. 1 HOUSTON 76, EAST CAROLINA 57
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 22 points to help Houston clinch outright possession of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Tramon Mark added 20 points for the Cougars (27-2, 15-1), while J&rsquo;Wan Roberts had 17 points and 12 rebounds in Houston&rsquo;s ninth straight victory.
East Carolina (14-14, 5-10) had an energetic home crowd for the first-ever visit from a No. 1-ranked team to Minges Coliseum, as well as the program&rsquo;s first game against a top-ranked opponent in more than 31 years. But the Cougars never trailed and led for all but 56 seconds. Ezra Ausar scored 15 points to lead the Pirates.
NO. 3 KANSAS 76, WEST VIRGINIA 74
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Dajuan Harris was one point shy of a career high, scoring 17 points to help lift Kansas over West Virginia.
The Jayhawks&rsquo; stifling defense kept West Virginia from attempting a shot in the final 20 seconds. The Mountaineers&rsquo; Joe Toussaint traveled on their final possession of the game. Baskets by K.J. Adams and Kevin McCullar extended the Jayhawks&rsquo; lead to 75-68 late as they grinded out the victory.
Harris led Kansas (24-5, 12-4 Big 12) with 7-of-9 shooting from the field and had six assists and six steals.
Erik Stevenson led West Virginia (16-13, 5-11) with 23 points. Tre Mitchell scored 20, Kedrian Johnson scored 15 and Emmitt Mathews Jr. had 13.
NO. 17 INDIANA 79, NO. 5 PURDUE 71
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 35 points and Trey Galloway added 10 of his 13 in the second half to lead Indiana over Purdue.
The Hoosiers (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) snapped a seven-game losing streak in West Lafayette and pulled their first season sweep in this bitter rivalry since 2012-13.
Zach Edey led the Boilermakers with 26 points and 16 rebounds and Fletcher Loyer added 14 points. Purdue (24-5, 13-5) has lost three of four and blew a chance to clinch a share of the conference crown in front of its home fans, who stood outside in chilly temperatures and snaking lines for hours before tip-off.
NORTH CAROLINA 71, NO. 6 VIRGINIA 63
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Pete Nance scored 22 points to lead North Carolina past Virginia.
Nance shot 7 of 10 from the floor and was 4 of 4 from behind the arc, the most 3-pointers the fifth-year forward has made in ACC play. He added two assists and four blocks.
R.J. Davis notched the fourth double-double of his career with 16 points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina (18-11, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), which got a much-needed boost to its NCAA Tournament resume with a Quadrant 1 win &mdash; the first of the season for the Tar Heels.
Jayden Gardner had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Virginia (21-6, 13-5), which lost its second in a row. Armaan Franklin added 14 points.
ARIZONA STATE 89, NO. 7 ARIZONA 88
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit a 60-foot shot at the buzzer and Arizona State rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat Arizona.
The Wildcats (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12) built a 10-point lead midway through the second half before going more than six minutes without a field goal as Arizona State pulled ahead by one.
The Sun Devils (20-9, 11-7) went up 86-85 on Warren Washington&rsquo;s layup with just a minute left, but Pelle Larsson put Arizona back up on a layup with 29 seconds left. Arizona State&rsquo;s DJ Horne missed a jumper with 4 seconds left and the Sun Devils had a final shot after Oumar Ballo hit one of two free throws.
Catching the ball with 2.4 seconds left, Cambridge launched a shot from beyond half-court to finish with 19 points and give the Sun Devils a big boost in their bid to make the NCAA Tournament.
NO. 9 BAYLOR 81, NO. 8 TEXAS 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges had 17 points for ninth-ranked Baylor, which overcame a huge deficit with an impressive run right after freshman standout Keyonte George left injured early and beat Big 12 co-leader Texas.
Adam Flagler had 14 points for the Bears (21-8, 10-6). Dale Bonner added 13 points, including seven in an quick spurt after halftime while Flo Thamba had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Dylan Disu had a season-high 24 points for Texas (22-7, 11-5), which twice got even early in the second half but never could regain the lead.
NO. 10 MARQUETTE 90, DEPAUL 84
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek each scored 22 points while helping Marquette clinch a share of its first Big East regular-season championship in a decade.
Kolek also had 14 assists as Marquette (23-6, 15-3) rolled to a 49-28 halftime lead and hung on after DePaul (9-20, 3-15) got close down the stretch. Marquette has won nine of its last 10, while DePaul has lost 10 straight.
This is Marquette&rsquo;s first conference title in 2013, when the Golden Eagles shared the Big East crown with Georgetown and eventual national champion Louisville.
Umoja Gibson led DePaul with 20 points and eight assists. Nick Ongenda added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 85, SOUTH CAROLINA 45
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James came back from missing four games with an injury to score 18 points to lead Tennessee to a rout of South Carolina.
James, who suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt on Feb. 8, shot 4 of 7 on 3-pointers for the Volunteers (21-8, 10-6 Southeastern Conference). Jahmai Mashack scored 14 points, Zakai Zeigler had 13 points and 11 assists, and Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic scored 10 each.
Hayden Brown led the Gamecocks (10-19, 3-13) with 18 points.
NO. 12 GONZAGA 77, NO. 15 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S 68
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 19 points and Gonzaga earned a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title with a win over Saint Mary&rsquo;s.
Anton Watson had 17 points and Malachi Smith added 13 off the bench for the Bulldogs, who have won or shared the conference title in 11 straight seasons. Gonzaga (25-5, 14-2) also reached the 25-win mark for the 16th season in a row &mdash; and avenged a loss to the Gaels earlier this month in Moraga.
Logan Johnson led the Gaels (25-6, 14-2) with 27 points.
Because the teams shared the regular-season title, the WCC will use the NCAA&rsquo;s NET rankings to determine the top seed for the conference tournament.
FLORIDA STATE 85, NO. 13 MIAMI 84
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Matthew Cleveland&rsquo;s 3-pointer as time expired capped Florida State&rsquo;s comeback from a 25-point second-half deficit and a win over Miami.
Jordan Miller had given Miami the lead on a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left. But Cleveland let fly from about 25 feet and the ball swished to give the Seminoles (9-20, 7-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) their best moment of the season.
Cleveland and Darin Green Jr. each had 20 points for Florida State, which also got 13 from Caleb Mills and 11 from Jalen Warley.
Miller led Miami (23-6, 14-5) with 21 points. Norchad Omier had 15, Isaiah Wong scored 14 and Bensley Joseph added 12 for the Hurricanes, whose seven-game winning streak and perfect home season were ended.
NO. 18 UCONN 95, ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 86
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points, Adama Sanogo added 18 points and nine rebounds, and UConn beat St. John&rsquo;s.
Andre Jackson Jr. had 15 points, Joey Calcaterra also scored 15 to lead a strong effort by Connecticut&rsquo;s bench and the resurgent Huskies (22-7, 11-7 Big East) avenged an 11-point loss to St. John&rsquo;s at home last month.
UConn won for the sixth time in seven games, closing in on a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.
AJ Storr had 20 points and Posh Alexander added 18 for the Red Storm (17-13, 7-12), who had won three of four.
NO. 14 KANSAS STATE 73, OKLAHOMA STATE 68
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 22 points, eight assists and four steals in Kansas State&rsquo;s third straight win, beating Oklahoma State.
Keyontae Johnson added 17 points for the Wildcats (22-7, 10-6 Big 12), who swept the regular-season series.
Kalib Boone scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half on Senior Day for Oklahoma State. Caleb Asberry scored 13 points and John-Michael Wright added 12 for the Cowboys (16-13, 7-9), who have lost four straight.
VILLANOVA 79, NO. 19 CREIGHTON 67
PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Eric Dixon scored 18 of his career-high 31 points in the first half, Cam Whitmore added 17 and Villanova defeated Creighton.
Dixon also set a career high with six 3-pointers for Villanova (15-14, 9-9 Big East), which has won five of six.
Arthur Kaluma scored 19 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 18 for Creighton (18-11, 12-6). The Bluejays have lost three of four following an eight-game winning streak.
NO. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE 73, NEW MEXICO 71
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) &mdash; Lamont Butler&rsquo;s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave San Diego State a win at New Mexico.
After Jaelen House&rsquo;s steal and end-to-end run for a layup with 5.6 seconds left gave New Mexico a 71-70 lead, Butler unhurriedly brought the ball up court before dropping his shot, giving him 10 points for the Aztecs (23-5, 14-2 Mountain West).
Darrion Trammell scored 18 points to lead the Aztecs. Matt Bradley added 11 as San Diego State won its sixth straight.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. finished with 20 points for New Mexico (20-9, 7-9) and House had 15.
OKLAHOMA 61, NO. 23 IOWA STATE 50
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Jacob Groves led Oklahoma with 16 points as the Sooners knocked off Iowa State.
The Sooners (14-15, 4-12 Big 12) had lost nine of their previous 11 games but erased an early 11-point deficit and seized control with a 17-2 run in the second half.
Groves shot 4 of 5 from the 3-point line. Tanner Groves added 9 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
The Cyclones (17-11, 8-8) shot just 31%. Gabe Kalscheur led Iowa State with 12 points.
NO. 24 TCU 83, TEXAS TECH 82
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; JaKobe Coles made two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining, and TCU beat Texas Tech despite blowing a 12-point lead in the final eight minutes.
After De&rsquo;Vion Harmon&rsquo;s steal and layup put the Red Raiders in front by one with 12 seconds remaining, Coles caught a pass from Emanuel Miller in the lane and was fouled by Fardaws Aimaq going up for the shot. The Horned Frogs (19-10, 8-8 Big 12) weren&rsquo;t in the bonus.
Harmon&rsquo;s desperation 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded wasn&rsquo;t close, ending a four-game winning streak Texas Tech (16-13, 5-11).
Mike Miles Jr. scored 24 points for the Horned Frogs, who had lost five of six and were coming off a loss to No. 3 Kansas at home. Miller had 14 points and 12 rebounds for TCU.
Aimaq scored 19 points, Harmon had 18 and Kevin Obanor finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for Texas Tech.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 69, NO. 25 TEXAS A&amp;M 62
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 17 points and Shakeel Moore had 14 as Mississippi State knocked off Texas A&amp;M.
Cameron Matthews had 11 points for the Bulldogs (19-10, 7-9 Southeastern Conference), who held the Aggies to one field goal in the final 14 minutes and outscored them 34-18 during the same time period.
Wade Taylor IV led Texas A&amp;M (21-9, 13-3) with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and Henry Coleman III and Andersson Garcia each had 11.

A recap of Saturday's slew of action in top 25 NCAA men's college hoops.

Miller has another big game as No. 2 Alabama tops Arkansas

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Alabama standout freshman Brandon Miller <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-virginia-cavaliers-marquette-golden-eagles-top-25-college-basketball-today-atlantic-coast-conference-82200ec00836019097d99c4a4c318222" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was in the starting lineup and had a career-high scoring game</a> in a win over South Carolina on Wednesday night &mdash; one day after police said he delivered a gun ahead of a fatal shooting that took place near campus in mid-January, and hours after the university said he&rsquo;d remain an &ldquo;active member&rdquo; of the No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide and is not considered a suspect.
Alabama&rsquo;s support for the Miller, one of college basketball&rsquo;s top players, made little difference to Gamecock fans at Colonial Life Arena, who focused on the 6-foot-9 forward even before the Southeastern Conference game started. The crowd booed each time Miller touched the ball. Members of the student section chanted, &ldquo;Lock him up,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Guilty!&rdquo; several times as Miller played.
Miller, who finished with 41 points, scored the decisive basket with 0.9 seconds left in OT as SEC-leading Alabama beat South Carolina 78-76.
The game capped an eventful few days for Miller, who authorities say is allegedly connected to the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris last month. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/Nate-Oats-Brandon-Miller-Alabama-Basketball-4efc92362b106b01ab0d0a2ee9a4ea6c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuscaloosa Police investigator Brandon Culpepper testified this week</a> that Miller brought a gun to now-former teammate Darius Miles on the night of the shooting after Miles texted him and asked him to do so.
Earlier Wednesday, an attorney for Miller said his client never handled the gun officials say was involved.
&ldquo;Based on all the information that we have received, Brandon Miller is not considered a suspect in this case, only a cooperative witness,&rdquo; the university said in a statement released before Wednesday&rsquo;s game. &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s statement from Brandon&rsquo;s lawyer adds additional context that the University considered as part of its review of the facts. Based on all the facts that we have gathered, Brandon remains an active member of the team&rdquo;
Alabama coach Nate Oats acknowledged that some of his players may have let the past few days affect their game against South Carolina. But not Miller.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most mentally tough kids I&rsquo;ve ever coached,&rdquo; Oats said.
Neither Miller nor other players were made available to the media after the game.
Miller was on the court about 80 minutes before tipoff, warming up with teammates before fans were allowed in the building. Once the doors opened, students filled several areas around the court and focused on Miller, who didn&rsquo;t react while continuing his pregame drills.
He started the game slowly, missing two wide-open 3-pointers, and the Crimson Tide found themselves in a battle against the Gamecocks, trailing 35-31 at the half. Miller warmed up near the end of the half, scoring on a 3-pointer and a pair of high-flying jams and accounting for almost half of his teams points. He finished the half with a team-high 15 points, three rebounds, a block and a turnover.
It was a highly charged atmosphere and at least two fans were led out of the arena by police as the South Carolina crowd cheered.
Miller&rsquo;s attorney, Jim Standridge, said his client never handled the gun owned by Miles, who prosecutors say is accused of providing his gun to Michael Davis, who fired it and killed Harris.
&ldquo;Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur,&rdquo; Standridge said in a statement.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/alabamas-brandon-miller-delivered-gun-in-shooting-police-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miller&rsquo;s alleged involvement in the death of Harris</a> was detailed Tuesday at a preliminary hearing for Miles and Davis, who both face capital murder charges in Harris&rsquo; death. Culpepper testified that Miles texted Miller to bring him his handgun.
Oats has said the team was aware Miller allegedly brought the gun to Miles.
Standridge said in the statement that Miles asked Miller for a ride to a club. Standridge said Miles&rsquo; brought his &ldquo;legal handgun and left it in the backseat of Brandon&rsquo;s vehicle. Brandon never saw the handgun nor handled it.&rdquo;
Miles later texted Miller to bring him the gun. Miller never got out of his vehicle, was not part of the exchange with Davis and did not interact with anyone in Harris&rsquo; party, according to Standridge.
Miles quickly drove off when gunfire took place, Standridge said. When Miles was told someone was hurt and police wanted to speak to him, &ldquo;he has fully cooperated with law enforcement&rsquo;s investigation,&rdquo; Standridge said.
Standridge said the events of the shooting were captured on video. &ldquo;There is no dispute about Brandon&rsquo;s activities during this evening,&rdquo; Standridge said.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, on the ESPN College GameDay podcast, said the school learned new information in the case this week that it used to make its decision to let Miller play. He said Oats did not have all facts when he first addressed the media on Tuesday &mdash; Oats described Miller&rsquo;s situation as &ldquo;Wrong spot at the wrong time&rdquo; &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t handle things in the best way.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve addressed that with him,&rdquo; Byrne said.
Miller leads the Crimson Tide, averaging 18.7 points and eight rebounds per game entering Wednesday&rsquo;s action. He&rsquo;s considered a possible lottery pick in June&rsquo;s NBA draft.&nbsp;

Miller, who finished with 41 points, scored the decisive basket with 0.9 seconds left in OT as Alabama beat South Carolina 78-76.

Embattled Miller scores 41 as No. 2 Alabama beats South Carolina

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; University of Alabama basketball star Brandon Miller brought a teammate the gun that was used in a fatal January shooting near campus, an investigator testified Tuesday.
Miller, a freshman standout, brought Darius Miles&rsquo; gun to him on the night of the shooting after Miles texted him and asked him to do so, Tuscaloosa Police investigator Brandon Culpepper testified, according to news outlets.
The allegation of Miller&rsquo;s involvement on the night of the Jan. 15 shooting came during a preliminary hearing for Miles and Michael Davis, who face capital murder charges for the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Former Tide player Miles is accused of providing his gun to Davis, who fired it and killed Harris, prosecutors say.
Alabama coach Nate Oats told reporters Tuesday the team has been aware that Miller allegedly brought Miles the gun, but the team&rsquo;s leading scorer is not in &ldquo;any type of trouble.&rdquo; He has started every game since the shooting.
Miller was just in &ldquo;the wrong spot at the wrong time,&rdquo; Oats said, later clarifying what he termed his &ldquo;unfortunate remarks&rdquo; after receiving criticism on social media.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve known the situation,&rdquo; Oats said in a news conference Tuesday. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been fully cooperating with law enforcement the entire time. I mean, the whole situation is just sad. The team closed practice with a prayer for the situation today, knowing that we had this trial today. You think of Jamea and her family,&rdquo; Oats said.
Miller has not been criminally charged. A team representative did not immediately know if Miller had an attorney.
&ldquo;We knew about that,&rdquo; Oats said. &ldquo;You can&rsquo;t control everything everybody does outside of practice. Nobody knew that was going to happen. College kids are out. Brandon hasn&rsquo;t been in any type of trouble, nor is he in any type of trouble in this case. Like the wrong spot at the wrong time.&rdquo;
Oats acknowledged in his later statement that those remarks &ldquo;came across poorly&rdquo; and sought to clarify,
&ldquo;We were informed by law enforcement of other student-athletes being in the vicinity, and law enforcement has repeatedly told us that no other student-athletes were suspects,&rdquo; Oats said. &ldquo;They were witnesses only. Our understanding is that they have all been fully truthful and cooperative.
&ldquo;In no way did I intend to downplay the seriousness of this situation or the tragedy of that night. My prayers continue to go out to Jamea Harris&rsquo;s family.&rdquo;
The 6-foot-9 Miller is the biggest star of the second-ranked Tide team that had its first AP Poll No. 1 ranking in 20 years last week. He is projected to be an NBA Draft lottery pick.
The shooting occurred on the Strip, a business district of bars and restaurants that cater to students near the Tuscaloosa campus. Harris was sitting in the passenger seat of a car when she was struck by a bullet, police said.
Investigators wrote in a court document that Miles, who had been a junior reserve forward on the team, admitted to providing the gun used in the fatal shooting, but Davis fired the weapon.
Culpepper said Tuesday that Miles told Davis where his gun was in Miller&rsquo;s car.
Prosecutors and defense lawyers presented diverging accounts of the shooting. Chief Deputy District Attorney Paula Whitley told the judge that there was ample evidence to proceed with the case against Miles and Davis.
A defense lawyer suggested during Tuesday&rsquo;s hearing that Miles was reacting defensively when he told Davis where the gun was located.
&ldquo;The reason that the gun was provided to Michael Davis was for protection,&rdquo; Mary Turner argued.
Defense lawyers asked for Davis and Miles to be released on bond. District Judge Joanne Jannik did not immediately issue a decision on the bond request.
Both Davis and Miles wiped away tears as their mothers&rsquo; took to the stand to testify that they would make sure their sons would follow rules if granted bond.
After court, Harris&rsquo; mother told reporters that she is frustrated by the focus on basketball when the shooting claimed the life of her daughter.
&ldquo;She has a 5-year-old son that is still waiting for his mother to come home,&rdquo; DeCarla Heard told reporters. &ldquo;I want justice for my grandson.&rdquo;

Brandon Miller has not been criminally charged, but is accused of providing his gun to Darius Miles prosecutors say.

Alabama's Brandon Miller delivered gun in shooting, police say

Alabama got the best of Houston in a nonconference matchup. That has Crimson Tide holding an early lead on the Cougars for the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, too.
The committee that will select the field of 68 revealed its preliminary list of top teams Saturday, with the Crimson Tide taking the top spot over the Cougars due to a head-to-head road win in December &mdash; which committee chairman Chris Reynolds said &ldquo;put them over the top.&rdquo;
Otherwise, there isn&rsquo;t much difference when it comes to the teams&rsquo; resumes. They&rsquo;re 1-2 in some order in the AP Top 25, NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) and KenPom rankings. Alabama entered the weekend with seven wins in Quadrant 1 compared to four for Houston, while both teams were unbeaten against Quadrant 2 opponents.
If the order holds, it would mark the first No. 1 regional seed for Nate Oats&rsquo; Crimson Tide in program history. Alabama climbed to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll earlier this week for the first time since 2003, though the Tide lost to Tennessee on Wednesday in its first game with that ranking.
Houston hasn&rsquo;t held a No. 1 seed since 1983, during the &ldquo;Phi Slama Jama&rdquo; era of the early 1980s.
Purdue and reigning national champion Kansas were the other No. 1 seeds, with the Boilermakers spending a national-best seven weeks at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this season. The Jayhawks are trying to become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006-07 and entered the weekend with a national-best 12 Quadrant 1 wins, while no other team had reached 10.
The nationally televised reveal of the top 16 seeds offers a snapshot of where things stand with a little more than three weeks remaining until the field is set.
Since the first reveal in 2017, the NCAA said 65 of 80 teams have remained in the top 16, while three of the four No. 1 regional seeds each year have stayed there.
Texas, Arizona, Baylor and UCLA were the preliminary No. 2 seeds, followed by Tennessee, Virginia, Iowa State and Kansas State as 3-seeds. Indiana, Marquette, Gonzaga and Xavier rounded out the list as No. 4 seeds.
Reynolds said Creighton, Miami, Saint Mary&rsquo;s and Connecticut were the top teams to miss the cut.
The selection committee also sorted the top 16 seeds into four regional groupings, starting with Alabama headlining the South bracket that goes through Louisville, Kentucky. Baylor, Virginia and Indiana joined the Tide in the South.
Houston topped the Midwest bracket running through Kansas City, Missouri, followed by Texas, Tennessee and Xavier.
Purdue was the No. 1 seed in the East bracket running through New York, joined by UCLA, Iowa State and Marquette.
Kansas was the top seed in the West bracket running through Las Vegas, followed by Arizona, Kansas State and Gonzaga.
The Big 12 finished with a national-best five teams in the top 16. The Southeastern, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big East conferences each had two as the only other leagues with multiple teams.
Selection Sunday is March 12, with First Four games beginning two days later. The Final Four will be held in Houston, with the semifinals set for April 1 and the championship game two days later.

The committee that will select the field of 68 revealed its preliminary list of top teams Saturday.

Alabama headlines early list of top NCAA Tournament seeds

Alabama is the new No. 1, rising to the top spot in The Associated Press Top 25 men&rsquo;s college basketball poll for the first time in 20 years.
Purdue&rsquo;s loss to Northwestern last week caused a jumble at the top of the AP Top 25 and that helped the Crimson Tide.
Alabama received 38 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday, moving up two spots to leapfrog No. 2 Houston. The Cougars had 22 first-place votes to remain at No. 2 and Purdue, down to No. 3, still had two first-place votes.
UCLA and Kansas rounded out the top five.
Alabama has made a name for itself as more than just a football school since coach Nate Oats arrived from Buffalo in in 2019. The Crimson Tide reached the NCAA Tournament&rsquo;s Elite Eight two years ago and Oats pulled in one of the nation&rsquo;s best recruiting classes last year.
Alabama is No. 1 for the first time since spending two weeks atop the poll midway through the 2002-03 season. Alabama (22-3, 12-0 Southeastern Conference) beat Auburn and Florida last week, with its only loss since mid-December coming at Oklahoma in a nonconference game on Jan. 28.
&ldquo;Our team is playing good basketball right now,&rdquo; Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said after a 77-69 loss to the Crimson Tide on Saturday. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re playing well. We&rsquo;re just not playing well enough to beat the best team in the country.&rdquo;
BOUNCING BOILERMAKERS
Purdue managed to remain at No. 1 last week despite losing to No. 14 Indiana. The Boilermakers weren&rsquo;t so fortunate after a 64-58 loss to Northwestern on Sunday.
The Wildcats swarmed 7-foot-4 Purdue center Zach Edey, who had 24 points but committed six turnovers. The Boilermakers shot 36% from the field and missed their final 13 shots from 3-point range.
&ldquo;Just got to show more poise and toughness than we did,&rdquo; Purdue coach Matt Painter said.
RISING/FALLING
No. 9 Baylor and No. 18 Creighton made the biggest moves of the week, each gaining five spots.
The Bears beat Oklahoma and picked up a road win at No. 22 TCU last week. The Bluejays beat Seton Hall and eked out a 56-53 win over No. 20 UConn to stretch their winning streak to eight games to remain in contention for the Big East regular-season title.
No. 19 Iowa State had the biggest drop, losing eight places following losses to West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
IN AND OUT
Florida Atlantic was the only team to move into the poll, returning at No. 25 after dropping out last week. The Owls beat Rice and Louisiana Tech last week after being ranked for the first time in school history earlier this season.
Rutgers fell out of the poll for the second time this season, dropping from No. 24 after losing to Indiana and Illinois.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Big East and Big 12 conferences had the most teams in this week&rsquo;s poll with five each. The ACC, SEC and Big Ten each had three ranked teams, with the Pac-12 and West Coast conferences two each.
Conference USA, the Mountain West Conference and American Athletic Conference had one apiece.

The Crimson Tide beat Auburn and Florida last week, with their only loss since mid-December coming at Oklahoma on Jan. 28.

Alabama hoops No. 1 in AP Top 25 for first time in 20 years

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Alabama coach Nate Oats has agreed to a new six-year, $30 million contract amid the program&rsquo;s best regular season in decades.
Oats will average $5 million plus incentives over the deal running through the 2028-29 season under a deal approved Friday by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees Compensation Committee.
It makes him the fourth-highest paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference and among the Top 10 nationally, athletic director Greg Byrne said.
Oats, who is in his fourth season, will make $4.5 million for the first year with $200,000 annual raises. The fourth-ranked Crimson Tide (19-3, 9-0 SEC) has the team&rsquo;s highest ranking this deep into a season since 1976-77.
&ldquo;I am honored and humbled to receive a contract extension from the University of Alabama,&rdquo; Oats said in a statement. &ldquo;As I have said many times, my family and I love this community, the city of Tuscaloosa and the university.
&ldquo;I am incredibly proud of what we have been able to build during our time at UA which is a direct reflection of the student-athletes, coaches and staff who have all played a big part in our success. I am excited for what&rsquo;s happening in the future of our program and the direction we are heading.&rdquo;
Alabama has gone 80-39 under Oats, winning the 2021 SEC regular season and tournament championships.
&ldquo;Coach Oats has done an outstanding job leading our men&rsquo;s basketball program, and we want him to continue doing so for many years to come,&rdquo; Byrne said in a statement. &ldquo;He and his staff have lifted the program back to national prominence and built a product that is exciting to be a part of for our team and for our fans.
&ldquo;We were confident Nate was going to be an outstanding coach for us when we hired him, and he is not only that, but also a great leader of our young men.&rdquo;
The new contract comes nearly three weeks after Alabama basketball player Darius Miles and another man were charged with capital murder following a fatal shooting near campus. Miles, a reserve forward, was removed from the team and suspended from the university following his arrest.&nbsp;

Nate Oats is now the fourth-highest-paid basketball coach in the Southeastern Conference and among the top 10 nationally.

Alabama coach Nate Oats gets new 6-year, $30 million deal

Purdue became this season&rsquo;s first unanimous No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 men&rsquo;s college basketball poll Monday after wins over Michigan and Michigan State last week as chaos ensued behind the Boilermakers among other ranked teams.
More than half of Top 25 teams lost, including second-ranked Alabama, which was routed by Oklahoma in the Big 12-SEC Challenge. That allowed Purdue to grab the remaining No. 1 votes and tighten its grip atop the poll, while Tennessee jumped two spots to second and Houston held onto third in voting by 62 national media members.
The Boilermakers (21-1) have won eight straight since a one-point loss to Rutgers on Jan. 2.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re the No. 1 team in the country because of how unselfish we are as a team,&rdquo; Purdue guard David Jenkins Jr. said. &ldquo;We had a lot of people doubting us in the beginning because, you know, we may not be the most talented team or whatever, but we&rsquo;re close on the court and off the court and it&rsquo;s really translating to how we&rsquo;re winning.&rdquo;
The Volunteers climbed to their highest perch since reaching No. 1 for four weeks during the 2018-19 season. They routed Georgia before becoming one of three SEC teams to beat Big 12 opponents on Saturday, knocking off No. 10 Texas 82-71 for their fifth consecutive win over a top-10 team.
Perhaps this is the year Rick Barnes finally gets the Vols through the Sweet 16 for the first time as their coach.
&ldquo;We have a chance to be as good as we want to be,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s up to one thing: Are we tough enough to embrace the daily grind? And not worry about going to the Final Four or worry about going to the NCAA Tournament, but can we build a team that can be successful that time of year? It starts with truly embracing the grind.&rdquo;
The Crimson Tide dropped to fourth after the blowout loss to the Sooners, when Alabama fell behind by 17 at halftime in an eventual 93-69 defeat. The Tide edged fifth-ranked Arizona by just two points in this week&rsquo;s poll.
&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t have any effect on SEC standings, which is the only good thing to come out of this,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said of the lopsided loss. &ldquo;Hopefully we&rsquo;ll recover from a loss out of conference, but you know, it&rsquo;s not good.&rdquo;
Virginia was sixth and Kansas State, which rebounded from a narrow loss at No. 13 Iowa State by pummeling Florida on Saturday, fell two spots to seventh; the Wildcats face eighth-ranked Kansas in a top-10 showdown Tuesday night.
UCLA dropped to ninth after losing to Southern California and Texas rounded out the top 10.
Baylor continued its climb from unranked to No. 11 following wins over the Jayhawks and Arkansas. The Bears were followed by Gonzaga, Iowa State, Marquette and league rival TCU &mdash; the sixth Big 12 team in the top 15.
Xavier, Providence, Saint Mary&rsquo;s, Florida Atlantic and Clemson completed the top 20, while poll returners Indiana and San Diego State joined Miami, UConn and Auburn in rounding out the Top 25.
RISING AND FALLING
The No. 11 Bears and No. 17 Providence made the biggest leaps, each climbing six spots from last week.
&ldquo;I think our defense is better. Our turnovers are better. When you don&rsquo;t give people easy transition baskets, now its five-on-five in the half court,&rdquo; said Baylor coach Scott Drew, whose team had a date with the Longhorns on Monday night.
&ldquo;We execute at a pretty high rate,&rdquo; Drew said. &ldquo;It really comes down to taking care of the ball, making sure we get shots up and when you don&rsquo;t make them, you&rsquo;ve got to get rebounds. And our guys are buying into that.&rdquo;
Auburn took the biggest hit of those still in the poll, dropping 10 places after losses to unranked Texas A&amp;M and West Virginia.
IN AND OUT
The Hoosiers returned to the poll at No. 21 and the Aztecs rejoined it right behind them. They took the place of Charleston, which fell out from No. 18 after losing to Hofstra, and New Mexico, which lost to Nevada in double overtime last week.
CONFERENCE CALL
The Big 12&prime;s dominance of the SEC in the final year of their head-to-head challenge was rewarded in the poll, where the league led the way with six ranked teams and all of them in the top 15. The Big East has four teams in the poll but none higher than No. 14 Marquette, while the SEC and ACC have three teams apiece.

The Boilermakers (21-1) have won eight straight since a one-point loss to Rutgers on Jan. 2.

Purdue a unanimous No. 1 in AP Top 25; Vols up to No. 2

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117 on Friday night.
The high-scoring affair was close until the Warriors pulled away with a 31-point fourth quarter, securing a sweep in the season series.
&ldquo;It feels like we took better care of the ball tonight,&rdquo; Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;When Steph plays like that, the whole game opens up. The whole floor opens up.&rdquo;
Klay Thompson added 29 points, knocking down six 3-pointers despite beginning the night 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Though Thompson played in the Warriors&rsquo; 126-110 victory in Toronto on Dec. 18, the game Friday was his first time facing the Raptors at home since he tore his ACL in his left knee in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals won by Toronto in Oakland.
Kevon Looney returned to the starting lineup and had 12 points and eight boards as six Warriors players scored in double figures.
The Warriors have won consecutive home games after dropping four straight at the Chase Center.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been teetering on either side of .500 for a very long time. I&rsquo;m kind of sick of it at this point,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;(We&rsquo;ve) got to figure out how to keep moving in the right direction and stack wins no matter how we can get &rsquo;em.&rdquo;
Golden State&rsquo;s bench outscored Toronto&rsquo;s 39-26, highlighted by 15 points from Jonathan Kuminga. The 20-year-old missed his first three shots from deep before making four straight 3s in the final three minutes of the third quarter, giving the Warriors a 98-94 lead they did not relinquish.
&ldquo;He just showed another element to his game that some might have doubted,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;To get on the hot streak he did was very impressive, and for that man, the sky&rsquo;s the limit for his talent.&rdquo;
Donte DiVincenzo had a career-high 11 assists and the Warriors outscored the Raptors by 24 points in his 33 minutes off the bench.
&ldquo;We knew what we were coming up against, and we&rsquo;ve had fairly good success guarding and executing, and tonight we just didn&rsquo;t do it,&rdquo; Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;We missed a lot of communication, we just got beat physically.&rdquo;
Fred VanVleet had 28 points and 10 assists for the Raptors, who began their season-high, seven-game road trip 1-1. Scottie Barnes had 24 points and Pascal Siakam had 21, while Gary Trent Jr. added 17.
Precious Achiuwa contributed 17 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
CURRY FINED
Curry was fined $25,000 by the NBA on Friday for throwing his mouthpiece into the stands in a moment of frustration during the Warriors&rsquo; 122-120 win over the Grizzlies on Wednesday. Curry was whistled for his fifth technical foul of the season and subsequently ejected from the game.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Achiuwa&rsquo;s double-double was his third in his last four games. ... Entering Friday, Toronto ranked second in the league in opponent turnovers &mdash; forcing 16.8 per game &mdash; but only induced 12 Golden State turnovers. ... The Raptors have gone 2-7 in the first game of back-to-backs and 3-5 in the second game this season after posting winning records in both categories in 2021-22.
Warriors: F Andrew Wiggins missed his second straight game with a non-COVID illness. ... Golden State logged a season-high 40 assists. ... G Jordan Poole scored a career-high 43 points on Dec. 18 vs. Toronto but was held to just nine on 4-of-8 shooting Friday. ... Curry received his ninth All-Star nod Thursday and is the only player in franchise history with nine starts in the league showcase.

Stephen Curry had 35 points and 11 assists, and the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors 129-117.

Curry’s 35 points send Warriors past Raptors, 129-117

Purdue is back at No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Alabama is right behind the Boilermakers.
Purdue returned to the top spot in The Associated Press men&rsquo;s college basketball poll on Monday, moving up two spots after Temple knocked off No. 1 Houston over the weekend. The Boilermakers received 39 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel after a volatile week where just two teams kept the same spot from a week ago.
Alabama climbed two spots to No. 2, picking up 23 first-place votes for its highest ranking since reaching No. 1 in 2002-03. Houston, Tennessee and Kansas State round out the top five.
Purdue (19-1, 8-1 Big Ten) had dropped to No. 3 after four weeks at No. 1 following a loss to Rutgers on Jan. 3, but has since won six straight.
Alabama (17-2, 7-0 SEC) has made a steady climb since being ranked No. 20 in the preseason AP Top 25, moving into the top 10 in early December. The Crimson Tide had lopsided wins over Missouri and Vanderbilt after Darius Miles was dismissed from the team as he faces a murder charge in a fatal shooting near campus.
Alabama coach Nate Oats reached out to Ray Lewis before the Crimson Tide played Vanderbilt last week, sharing a Bible verse suggested by the Hall of Fame linebacker. Alabama ended up beating Vandy by 12 and rolled over Missouri by 21.
&ldquo;I did see some guys break down postgame,&rdquo; Oats said. &ldquo;I think they&rsquo;ve been bottling some stuff up. We&rsquo;ve got a job to do. We&rsquo;ve got to get to the game. We got to the game and took care of business, and then it&rsquo;s almost like a big relief. The game&rsquo;s over, and we can let out a sigh of relief.&rdquo;
COUGARS FALL
Houston moved atop the AP Top 25 for the first time since the Phi Slama Jama of the 1980s earlier this season before a loss to Alabama dropped it back to No. 5.
The Cougars returned to No. 1 on Jan. 9, but their run ended after two weeks with Sunday&rsquo;s 56-55 loss to Temple. The win was the Owls&rsquo; first over a No. 1 team since 2000.
BEATING KU
Kansas State moved up eight spots to No. 5 after outlasting rival Kansas 83-82 at Bramlage Coliseum last week. It&rsquo;s the Wildcats&rsquo; highest ranking since reaching No. 3 in 2010-11.
TCU gave Kansas consecutive losses in the state for the first time since 1989 with a 23-point beatdown at Allen Fieldhouse on Saturday. It was one of Bill Self&rsquo;s worst losses in 20 years as Kansas&rsquo; coach and ended the Jayhawks&rsquo; 16-game home winning streak.
The No. 14 Horned Frogs moved up three spots in this week&rsquo;s poll after the win. Kansas, the defending national champion, dropped seven spots to No. 9.
RISING/FALLING
Kansas State had the week&rsquo;s biggest jump, followed by No. 4 Tennessee and No. 6 Arizona each climbing five spots. No. 21 Baylor moved up four spots with wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma.
Gonzaga had the biggest fall, losing eight places to No. 14 after Loyola Marymount ended the Zags&rsquo; 75-game home winning streak on Thursday. No. 13 Xavier dropped five spots after a one-point road loss to DePaul.
IN AND OUT
No. 22 Saint Mary&rsquo;s is ranked for the first time this season after rolling over Pepperdine and Santa Clara last week. No. 25 New Mexico is back in the poll after beating San Jose State and outlasting Boise State in overtime.
A three-point loss to Michigan State knocked Rutgers out of the poll from No. 23. Arkansas dropped out from No. 25 following a loss to Missouri.

Purdue returned to the top spot in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll on Monday, moving up two spots.

Purdue back at No. 1 in AP Top 25, Alabama right behind

WASHINGTON (AP) &mdash; President Joe Biden celebrated the NBA champion Golden State Warriors at the White House on Tuesday as he expressed concern for Californians who have suffered through waves of destructive weather.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re all closely monitoring the storms, the floods, the landslides all across California, and our heart is with all of the families of the communities that are hurting,&rdquo; he said.
Biden visited the state Thursday and has approved disaster assistance.
The Warriors have won four championships in eight years, but they didn&rsquo;t visit the White House while Donald Trump was president. He made a show of publicly disinviting them after Stephen Curry, the team&rsquo;s star, said he wasn&rsquo;t interested in going.
&ldquo;The Golden State Warriors are always welcome in this White House,&rdquo; Biden said. He also honored Curry as &ldquo;one of the great sportsmen of our time.&rdquo;
He said the Warriors&rsquo; &ldquo;reflect America&rdquo; with their style of play, showcasing &ldquo;constant motion, with individual freedom and personality that comes together as one team, a team that plays with joy, with drive to be their best.&rdquo;
The Warriors beat the Boston Celtics in a six-game championship series last year, a victory that came after a difficult stretch for the team.
Although they won the championship in 2015, 2017 and 2018, their dreams of a dynasty fell apart when key players were injured. The Warriors fell to the bottom of the league.
&ldquo;The last couple of years were pretty tough,&rdquo; Biden said. &ldquo;Critics wondered if this team was gone for good as a championship team.&rdquo;
Biden has faced his share of doubters over the years, and he joked, &ldquo;Fellas, I know what it feels like.&rdquo;
Vice President Kamala Harris, a California native and longtime Warriors fan, spoke first at Tuesday&rsquo;s ceremony.
&ldquo;As a very proud daughter of Oakland, California, it gives me immense personal pride as the vice president of the United States to say, Dub Nation is in the house,&rdquo; she said.
Harris said she has a custom Warriors jersey that she keeps by her treadmill at home, calling it &ldquo;a symbol of grit, determination and teamwork.&rdquo;
Along with Biden, Harris got a new jersey from Curry on Tuesday. It had the number 1 &mdash; for No. 1 fan, she remarked &mdash; and Biden got one with 46, since he&rsquo;s the 46th president.
Curry said he hopes to see it &ldquo;on the wall of the Oval Office&rdquo;
&ldquo;Hopefully we can come back and check if it&rsquo;s up there,&rdquo; he said.
Curry and coach Steve Kerr stopped by the White House briefing room before the ceremony.
Curry thanked the administration for its work to bring home Brittney Griner, the women&rsquo;s basketball star who had been jailed in Russia on drug charges. He called her a &ldquo;big part of our basketball family.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It means a lot to know that she&rsquo;s here and home safe with her family,&rdquo; Curry said.
Kerr said he participated in a roundtable on gun violence with White House officials and two of his players, Moses Moody and Klay Thompson.
&ldquo;We learned a lot about what this administration is doing to help create a safer environment in our country,&rdquo; Kerr said.
Biden signed gun legislation last year, but he&rsquo;s pledged to keep working toward tighter restrictions, including an assault weapons ban.&nbsp;

“The Golden State Warriors are always welcome in this White House,” Biden said.

Biden welcomes the Warriors, pledges support for California

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller scored 30 points as fourth-ranked Alabama beat Vanderbilt 78-66 Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory two days after a teammate was charged with capital murder.
Reserve junior forward Darius Miles was charged Sunday, a day after Alabama already had announced he would miss the rest of the season with an ankle injury. Coach Nate Oats said Monday that the Tide was going through a &ldquo;kind of grieving process.&rdquo;
The Crimson Tide (16-2, 6-0 SEC) rebounded well against a team that beat them in the conference tournament last March. All six SEC wins have come by double digits, though Vandy threatened late with a 13-2 run.
Jordan Wright missed a 3 with 36 seconds to go with Vandy down 70-62. The Crimson Tide finished off the win at the free throw line knocking down all eight attempts, and Miller had six of those.
Jaden Bradley and Noah Gurley each added 12 points as eight Alabama players scored. Gurley capped the win with a dunk in the final seconds.
Vanderbilt (9-9, 2-3) now has lost three of its last four &mdash; all against ranked opponents. The Commodores now are 3-15 against Top 25 teams overall in coach Jerry Stackhouse&rsquo;s fourth season.
Tyrin Lawrence led Vanderbilt with 20 points, Wright added 15 and Ezra Manjon had 11.&nbsp;
Alabama opened the game scoring the first six points and went up 13-3 on a free throw by Noah Gurley. Vanderbilt answered back and took its lone lead at 22-21 on a 3-pointer by Malik Dia. Then the Crimson Tide took control, finishing the half on a 15-4 run for a 36-26 lead at the half.
The Tide just kept scoring. Miller capped a 32-8 run with a 3-pointer with 12:44 remaining for Alabama&rsquo;s biggest lead at 53-30. Vanderbilt couldn&rsquo;t have been much colder, missing 10 of its first 11 shots for the half. Wright&rsquo;s 3 with 12:28 to go was the Commodores&rsquo; second made bucket of the second half.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama showed off its speed and shooting to remain undefeated in league play. This is just the Tide&rsquo;s second 6-0 start in the SEC under Oats in his fourth season. Alabama had not opened SEC play undefeated this far into league play since a 5-0 start in the 1986-87 season.
Vanderbilt wasn&rsquo;t helped by not having fifth-year forward Liam Robbins out with an injured ankle. He had 18 points in last weekend&rsquo;s win over then-No. 15 Arkansas. Robbins will miss four to six weeks. The 7-footer ranks fifth nationally blocking an average of 2.94 shots per game and was eighth with 50 total blocks. He saved a pair of victories blocking potential game-winners at the buzzer against Temple and Pittsburgh and is a big reason the Commodores rank 19th averaging 5.3 blocked shots a game.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Crimson Tide positioned themselves to potentially gain more votes winning their first game since Miles&rsquo; arrest.
UP NEXT
Alabama continues a two-game road swing Saturday at Missouri.
Vanderbilt visits Georgia on Saturday.&nbsp;

Freshman Brandon Miller scored 30 points as fourth-ranked Alabama beat Vanderbilt 78-66 Tuesday night for their seventh straight victory.

Miller scores 30 points as No. 4 Alabama beats Vandy 78-66

Springfield, Massachusetts has been offering glimpses into the future of basketball since James Naismith put some peach baskets on a YMCA wall in 1891. Every MLK weekend, the town gives us another in the form of the HoopHall Classic, where dozens of the best high-school players in the country descend on Blake Arena.
The HoopHall Classic is also one of three high-school showcases this season that was given the green light for NBA scouts to attend. It's a prime opportunity for the elite talents to separate themselves from the pack &mdash; or for less heralded names to put themselves on the map.
I checked into the arena at 10 a.m. and caught all eight contests. These standouts, among many others, caught my eye:
DeMatha Catholic (MD) 66, Bishop Loughlin (NY) 55
Mason So, Bishop Loughlin &mdash;&nbsp;So wasn't the leading scorer of the game or the team MVP, but he really impressed with the little things he did to help the Stags keep control. The UNC Greensboro commit finished with 14 points and operated as a secondary ball-handler and spaced the floor well.
So hit 2-of-5 three-point attempts, but his best play came when he initiated the offense, passed the ball away, snuck behind the Bishop Loughlin zone to the low block and got it back for an easy layup. The senior also hustled on the glass impressively for a 6-foot-2 guard and grabbed 7 total boards.
Mount St. Joseph's (MD) 54, North Laurel (KY) 48
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Mount St. Joseph wins by 6 over North Laurel! 😤 🏀 Mount St. Joseph - 54 North Laurel - 48 🏆 MVP - Tyonne Farrell 19 PTS - 4 REB - 5 AST - 🏟️ - Hoophall Classic 2023 cc: <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Spalding?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Spalding</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MSJ_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MSJ_Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/943lF8n6bW">pic.twitter.com/943lF8n6bW</a>
&mdash; Legit Sport Stats (@LegitSportStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/LegitSportStats/status/1614685273568288768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tyonne Farrell, Mt. St. Joseph's &mdash;&nbsp;Farrell logged an awesome statement game in front of the college recruiters and NBA scouts: 19 points, 5 assists, 4 blocks and 4 rebounds. The forward (listed at 6-foot-6, though he seems taller) was a monster protecting the rim. Both squads talked trash back-and-forth throughout and Farrell's rejections made quite the statement.
"Scrappy game; they were talking a lot of smack," Farrell told Basketball News. "It was good to block shots and talk back."
He also nearly brought the hoop down with an emphatic designed alley-oop slam. But Farrell, a junior, was more than a rim-runner and cutter. He made 1-of-2 triples and was not afraid to power-drive from the perimeter. Farrell grew up playing guard but has grown and built out his frame. He lists Paul George and Jayson Tatum among his favorite pros to watch because of the way they can handle the ball and use their strength fluidly.
Farrell and Illinois-bound senior teammate Amani Hansberry teamed up for 5 assists apiece; each took turns dissecting North Laurel's zone from the middle of the half-court. Hansberry had a strong afternoon of his own with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.&nbsp;
"Me and Amani, we go well together because we both can pass," Farrell said. "So he'll catch the ball, I'll backdoor slip and he'll find me. And then, we'll set screens for each other, [and] we both can handle the ball pretty well for bigger people. So it's lovely playing with Amani. He's a great player."
Farrell didn't dive into his college situation, but he has publicly posted an offer from Rhode Island and said he's confident in the direction of his recruitment. He didn't even know NBA personnel could attend this year's Classic &mdash; but it added another boost of confidence when he learned afterwards.
"That makes me feel great; I didn't know that," he said with a laugh. "That's amazing... gotta get my name out there."
Reed Sheppard, North Laurel &mdash;&nbsp;Sheppard, a four-star senior bound for Kentucky, simply didn't have his shot falling (5-for-21 from the field, 3-for-14 from three-point range). But he still ended up with 13 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals by impacting the game just about everywhere else. He played at a rapid pace that really worked in transition, but even his drive-and-kick passes occurred at blazing speeds. Sheppard follows in the footsteps on his father, Kentucky legend Jeff Sheppard, but the younger ballplayer looks more than capable of carving out his own path.
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Ss. John Neumann-Maria Goretti (PA) 55, Vashon (MO) 45
Robert Wright III, Neumann-Goretti &mdash;&nbsp;Alright, another smaller guard with a big day! Wright, a 6-foot junior, has already committed to Baylor and he posted 17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals for Neumann-Goretti in the victory. He displayed some impressive passing reads and decision-making in the open floor. Wright didn't shoot all that well and did struggle in the half-court with some of the opposing size. But he's crafty and creative, and his 5-foot-10 teammate Khaafiq Myers helps form one of the most fun backcourts seen this weekend.
Simeon Career Academy (IL) 52, Archbishop Stepinac (NY) 39
Miles Rubin, Simeon &mdash;&nbsp;Rubin is a 6-foot-9, 3-star big man en route to Loyola Chicago. He finished with an efficient 17 points (8-for-10 from the field) plus 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, and was the beneficiary of some timely interior passing. His frontcourt partner and twin brother Wesley (7 assists) frequently caught the basketball around the elbow and threw it inside as Rubin cut to the basket.
The senior also added two blocks, one being an impressive help-defense rejection on 5-star guard Boogie Fland. Simeon tasked Rubin early with showing hard in pick-and-roll defense and it led to two fouls, so there's room to improve with his mobility on the perimeter. Still, Rubin was rock-solid inside and a safe bet as a decision-maker.
Also, I have to shout out Simeon guards Michael Ratliff and Rashard McKinnie. They took turns tracking Fland and neutralized his downhill speed and strength. Fland can get low and slide right by most defenders, but not these two.
AZ Compass Prep (AZ) 55, Oak Hill Academy (VA) 35
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Zayden High shot 100% from the field in AZ Compass&rsquo;s win over Oak Hill 55-35 🐉 <a href="https://t.co/oEPuA4L7hC">pic.twitter.com/oEPuA4L7hC</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614756786053218304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Zayden High, Compass Prep &mdash; &nbsp;Most of this high-caliber clash was pretty ugly, but High helped Compass Prep pull away late with some timely two-way moments. The 6-foot-10 power forward went a perfect 5-for-5 with 15 points, including a three, a one-dribble pull-up two and some interior scores. His one block was a monster rejection at the rim on Oak Hill big man Drayton Jones.
"I like to think of myself as a shot-blocker," High said postgame. "I'm really good at timing the ball before it goes to the rim. It's all about timing for me &mdash; timed it, blocked it, right point at the right time."
High took instruction from his coaches late in the game regarding screening angles on both sides of the ball. In his first year at AZ Compass Prep, the UNC-bound big man says he's learning a lot about the ins-and-outs of screening.
"Coming to AZ Compass, I've learned a lot about setting screens, shifting my hips and being able to re-screen," he said. "It's helped me out because I'm a pick-and-pop guy; I'm a pick-and-roll guy. So it's lethal to the defense."
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Paul VI Catholic (VA) 72, Roselle Catholic (NJ) 59
DeShawn Harris-Smith, Paul VI &mdash;&nbsp;The Maryland-bound senior absolutely rocked in a huge win for the Panthers. Harris-Smith compiled 23 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. He's quite strong for a wing listed at 6-foot-4 and used that strength to surge past defenders on his drives. Harris-Smith also showed some foresight as a vertical cutter and held his own defensively. He seems physically prepared and experienced enough to make the leap to college ball as a dynamic 4-star talent.
Simeon Wilcher, Roselle &mdash;&nbsp;Wilcher, with 21 points and 5 assists, was Roselle Catholic's scoring spark to keep this game competitive. The senior guard has all sorts of tricks in his bag, including one crab-dribble-type move that split two defenders and ended in a layup. Wilcher had a lot on his plate with 5-star teammate Mackenzie Mgbako struggling, so the 6 turnovers are understandable with the load he had to carry as a creator. He'll be the next top-notch guard to watch at North Carolina next season.&nbsp;
Prolific Prep (CA) 71, Westtown (PA) 33
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Top freshman Tyran Stokes and <a href="https://twitter.com/ProlificPrep?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ProlificPrep</a> lead Westtown 29-16 at halftime of their <a href="https://twitter.com/HoophallClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HoophallClassic</a> matchup ✅<a href="https://twitter.com/tyran_stokes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tyran_stokes</a> <a href="https://t.co/Wds1Plac2V">pic.twitter.com/Wds1Plac2V</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) <a href="https://twitter.com/SCNext/status/1614787207159504899?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Tyran Stokes, Prolific Prep &mdash;&nbsp;There was one moment late in the second half of Prolific Prep's blowout victory where Stokes caught his breath during a pause in action. A young fan exclaimed, "He's just a freshman!" from the bleachers and Stokes tossed a sly wink back.
"My game, I just come with a swag," Stokes told Basketball News. "My teammates come with it [too], so it's just a group thing."
Stokes will assuredly be among the top freshmen in the country whenever 2026 rankings drop, and he backed up his confidence with an easy 10 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. The 6-foot-7 wing threw down two alley-oop dunks from senior Aden Holloway and lobbed up one of his own to Zion Sensley.&nbsp;
Prolific Prep has several more experienced playmakers, so Stokes can get comfortable spacing the floor and cutting for the most part. He says his coaches and teammates have helped advance his overall processing speed as a cutter.
"[In] middle school it was a lot slower, but once I got to high school, it just became way faster. The game was faster, so I had to step my game up," he said.
Stokes already has swarms of colleges after him (just check his <a href="https://twitter.com/tyran_stokes/media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter</a>), and HoopHall was a big test for his maturity under the eyes of college and pro scouts. He says his mother, Kee, is his biggest source of support and helps relieve some of the stress of his impending rise.
"Me and my mom, we just work as a team to block all the noise out," Stokes said. "People come at me, people come at her, and we just stick together and don't let nobody get to us."
Zion Sensley, Prolific Prep &mdash;&nbsp;Beyond throwing down that alley-oop from Stokes, Sensley earned his game's Most Valuable Player robe with with 18 points, canning 7-of-10 shots. He knocked down threes from the corner, ran the floor for layups and even added in some mid-range self-creation. Sensley has more game off the dribble than he got the chance to show in a dominant win, and his offensive versatility at 6-foot-8 is intriguing. He's a 4-star junior worth keeping an eye on.
Imhotep (PA) 62, Cardinal Hayes (NY) 59
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Justin Edwards puts the first points on the board for Imhotep. <a href="https://t.co/z6dhGBzqYJ">pic.twitter.com/z6dhGBzqYJ</a>
&mdash; Bella DiAmore (@belladiamore) <a href="https://twitter.com/belladiamore/status/1614805998539100160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Justin Edwards, Imhotep &mdash; Edwards made his case for the top billing in the 2023 high-school class with a dominant effort in a thrilling Sunday nightcap. The 6-foot-7 wing amassed 25 points, 12 rebounds, 6 steals and 4 assists.&nbsp;
The defense particularly impressed me. Edwards took on Ian Jackson (11 points, 4-of-10 from the field, 5 assists), one of the best juniors in the country, and stuck with him throughout the matchup. He sprawled out on the floor for one steal and used some quick-twitch hands to poach other passes and get running. Edwards includes a defensive emphasis whenever he tries to cultivate a well-rounded performance.
"When I have an all-around game, it's me locking in defensively and getting my teammates going, so that was just the main thing," he said postgame.
Of course, the scoring was pretty remarkable too &mdash; a combination of emphatic driving slams and lefty mid-range pull-ups. He even snuck in an impressive entry bounce pass that turned into a layup assist. If you want to call Edwards the best senior in the country, you'll get no complaints from me.
Steven Solano, Cardinal Hayes &mdash;&nbsp;Solano's final stat line (4 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks) might not pop off the page, but his impact far transcended the box score. The lanky 6-foot-11 center was an impactful rim protector even beyond his swats and consistently thwarted Imhotep with his length and timely rotations. He only got on the scoreboard twice, but one bucket was a nifty layup spinning out of the post, suggesting he has a bit more of a bag than we saw. Solano's a 3-star center with a host of high-major offers and he could be an underrated find wherever he ends up.

Ethan Fuller recaps his standout stars from Sunday's HoopHall Classic games in Springfield, MA.

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Sunday's action

Springfield, Massachusetts has been offering glimpses into the future of basketball since James Naismith put some peach baskets on a YMCA wall in 1891. Every MLK weekend, the town gives us another in the form of the HoopHall Classic, where dozens of the best high-school players in the country descend on Blake Arena.
The HoopHall Classic is also one of three high-school showcases this season that was given the green light for NBA scouts to attend. It's a prime opportunity for the elite talents to separate themselves from the pack &mdash; or for less heralded names to put themselves on the map.
I checked into the arena at noon and spent 11 hours inside, sticking around until the penultimate contest. These standouts, among many others, caught my eye:
Boys &mdash; IMG Academy (FL) 61, Newton (GA) 52
Khani Rooths, IMG Academy &mdash;&nbsp;A 2024 wing, Rooths' impact on IMG's win far outshone his box score (11 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists). The 6-foot-6 wing kept the ball moving with some savvy passing versatility, making the right skip reads and interior decisions. He went 2-for-3 beyond the arc and seemed more comfortable spotting up and passing from a standstill versus attacking off the dribble.
Rooths also defended Newton star Stephon Castle for large portions of the game and made the 5-star guard's life pretty challenging. He can slide with relative success and deal with physicality without fouling. Rooths, a 4-star guard who is uncommitted, fits in all sorts of contexts and is a player who can thrive with today's direction of basketball.
Marcus Whitlock, Newton &mdash;&nbsp;Whitlock was one of the early head-turners of the weekend. He's a 6-foot-2 guard who plays with relentless confidence. The senior only made 4-of-12 threes but looked poised shooting off movement and spot-up attempts, finishing with 22 points.
He's not a half-court creator, but Whitlock did get chances to run and finish at the rim in transition. He also dove for loose balls on defense and wound up with three steals. Whitlock isn't ranked by most sites and hasn't chosen a school yet, so this effort might have put him on some college radars.
Girls &mdash; Sierra Canyon (CA) 67, Sidwell Friends (DC) 55
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The legend of Juju Watkins at Sierra Canyon continues to grow, as well. She missed a big stretch of the first half after tweaking her ankle, went down for a few moments again late on, and still put up 29/14/5/3/3 in 26 mins. Her physicality never wavered either. Generational. <a href="https://t.co/VGuq1TuqcT">https://t.co/VGuq1TuqcT</a> <a href="https://t.co/wVUIgv0fHd">pic.twitter.com/wVUIgv0fHd</a>
&mdash; Wilko (@wilkomcv) <a href="https://twitter.com/wilkomcv/status/1614365704995868673?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Juju Watkins, Sierra Canyon &mdash; The No. 1 senior in the country had the performance of the day. Watkins missed time twice with injuries to both ankles, but you wouldn't notice from her final stat line: 29 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals. (She said postgame that she's feeling alright).
Watkins relished the chance to beat another nationally-ranked opponent and the challenge of matching up against 6-foot-1 junior Kendall Dudley.
"It's definitely an adjustment playing against other players my size, learning how and when to get to my spots," Watkins told Basketball News in her postgame presser. "I just had to make that adjustment mentally, but when I made it, it was easier."
Though Watkins battled for rebounds and showed off limitless range, she also demonstrated a unique blend of speeds and gears, often warping time around her defenders and finishing with a teardrop floater. That's one of the young star's newest weapons.
"I worked on it a lot this summer &mdash; just learning how to change pace better and get my defender on their heels. I've been working on that a lot, and I went out there and showed it today," Watkins said.
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Mackenly Randolph, Sierra Canyon &mdash;&nbsp;The 5-star junior finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds and was critical in helping Sierra Canyon close out a 67-55 win. Randolph dominated on the glass against a physically imposing Sidwell Friends squad; it's no surprise that her dad is Zach Randolph. She also slashed through the lane for some impressive interior buckets.&nbsp;
Kendall Dudley, Sidwell Friends &mdash;&nbsp;Dudley is the No. 13 player in ESPN's 2024 rankings and she showed off the versatility that earned her the billing. The 5-star talent was cool and collected driving the basketball and kicking out. She can play physically at 6-foot-1, but doesn't need to, and her comfort off the bounce was apparent. She also led the defensive attack and did about as well guarding Watkins as her team could ask.
Dudley hasn't chosen a college yet and should be one of the most highly-anticipated commits in the coming year. She finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals in the loss.
Boys &mdash; Long Island Lutheran (NY) 64, Oak Hill Academy (VA) 56
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FLOOR GENERAL 👏 Jayden Reid always in control as LuHi beats Oak Hill 64-56 <a href="https://twitter.com/LuHiBasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LuHiBasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/jaydenreid0?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jaydenreid0</a> <a href="https://t.co/PzVFy12thm">pic.twitter.com/PzVFy12thm</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614391132728836097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 14, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Jayden Reid, Long Island Lutheran &mdash;&nbsp;A 5-foot-10 playmaker who shined is going to land on this list all day. Reid, a 3-star senior point guard, showed total command of the offense with wraparound dimes and pocket passes in the pick-and-roll. He knocked down a pair of threes and finished off one fast break with an impressive double-clutch layup. The guard play from both squads was really excellent, but Reid stood out with 16 points, 7 assists and 4 steals.
Kaden Magwood, Oak Hill &mdash; Magwood caught fire off the bench, going for 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting. He made both of his threes and finished <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614385220500725760" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a stunning layup on the fast break</a> to help keep Oak Hill in the game. Magwood is only a sophomore and not in the early class frontrunners yet; I expect that to change pretty soon. He plays with a ton of fight for a guard listed at 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds.
Boys &mdash; Montverde Academy (FL) 85, La Lumiere (IN) 63
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Cooper Flagg is that guy 😎 (No. 2 ESPN 25) put on a show in Montverde&rsquo;s 85-63 win over La Lu <a href="https://twitter.com/MVABasketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MVABasketball</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/CooperFlagg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CooperFlagg</a> <a href="https://t.co/VGOxQpkMy7">pic.twitter.com/VGOxQpkMy7</a>
&mdash; NIBC (@NIBCOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NIBCOfficial/status/1614417408323723265?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Cooper Flagg, Montverde &mdash;&nbsp;It's remarkable how polished Flagg plays despite being just a sophomore and in his first year with one of the most successful programs in the country. Flagg had 21 points in 25 minutes on 8-for-10 shooting (3-4 3PT). The shots came in all types: cutting via baseline out-of-bounds plays, spacing the floor in the corner and initiating the attack himself.&nbsp;
Then you add the defense, which included five steals and a few ticky-tack fouls that could have been blocks. Flagg is aware and active on both sides of the ball, and it's easy for him to string productive plays together regardless of whether he's getting buckets.&nbsp;
Flagg certainly matched the hype as one of the top players in the 2025 class. After leaving his hometown Nokomis High in Maine and transferring all the way to Florida, he's fit right in with the Eagles. He said approximately 100 friends and family made the four-hour drive down to western Massachusetts.
"I think it's kind of similar to my team back in Maine. We all trust each other. I think that's helped to elevate me too, is playing at the highest level and having a team [where] everybody trusts each other," Flagg said after his performance. "We know that every night it's gonna be someone else [stepping up]."
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KJ Evans, Montverde &mdash;&nbsp;The Oregon-bound senior quietly worked his way to 19 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, but punctuated his effort with a powerful putback slam. Evans found most of his success around the basket and demonstrated syngergy with Flagg and other playmakers when cutting. The 5-star forward thrived in his role as Montverde tore apart La Lumiere with its decisive passing.
Boys &mdash; Centennial (CA) 66, Camden (NJ) 62
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Off the screen. A little head fake frees up Jared McCain for a deep 3ball. It&rsquo;s his fifth 3 of the night. Corona Centennial leads Camden (NJ) 50-45 after three quarters. <a href="https://t.co/me3L1dEpYo">pic.twitter.com/me3L1dEpYo</a>
&mdash; Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tarek_Fattal/status/1614435225085304838?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2023</a></blockquote>

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DJ Wagner, Camden &mdash;&nbsp;It is all-but impossible to stop Wagner at this level when he bombards the basket. The 5-star senior slithered his way through space and sliced open double-teams with jump-stop attacks, finishing with 27 points. Though he struggled to shoot it from outside, his craft and touch around the rim are superb, and his functional strength is light-years from when I first got the chance to watch him at HoopHall as a freshman.&nbsp;
Wagner will team up with fellow 5-star classmate Aaron Bradshaw (15 points, 8 rebounds) at Kentucky, and he's excited to keep the momentum rolling with his 7-foot teammate.
"It's great. We've been playing together for a long time now," Wagner told reporters postgame. "Off the court, that's like my brother, so it's just fun to be able to go to the next level and play on the same floor with him in college."
Jared McCain, Centennial &mdash;&nbsp;McCain was money as a shooter and finished with 27 points, including six made threes. Centennial used him off of creative screening actions and as a spot-up threat, but the Duke commit also pulled up for a couple of self-created makes. He added an impressive driving layup and a fadeaway make from the free-throw line. A 4-star guard, McCain brought a really positive energy to Centennial's win with his confidence.
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Boys &mdash; Christopher Columbus (FL) 74, San Ysidro (CA) 67
Cameron Boozer, Christopher Columbus &mdash;&nbsp;Boozer was the second top sophomore to look far beyond his years on Saturday. The son of Carlos Boozer, Cameron finished with an effortless 33 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks &mdash; and still showed displeasure with his squad's defense &mdash; as Christopher Columbus led wire-to-wire. His twin brother Cayden, a guard, also had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Boozer is listed at 6-foot-9, 215 pounds online. He seems even more physically imposing in person. Yet he's not a bowling ball; Boozer calmly settled into three-pointers (3-for-5) and comitted just one foul while still battling around the basket.&nbsp;
"When I was younger, I got in foul trouble a lot swiping down," Boozer told Basketball News in his postgame scrum. "It's something I've learned: just stay vertical and contest guys so it's kind of tough to finish over me &mdash; using my size and my length to my advantage."
Boozer mentioned in the scrum that his favorite player is Anthony Davis, and he admires the Brow's full arsenal of two-way weapons.
"I feel like he can do it all," Boozer said. "He can rebound, he can pass, he can shoot it, he finishes well... When he's healthy, he's one of the best players in the league."

Ethan Fuller shares his scouting report from Saturday's action at the HoopHall Classic.

HoopHall Highlights: Top performances from Saturday's action

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; No. 4 Alabama went on a 16-4 run midway through the second half and an 11-0 run late to beat No. 15 Arkansas, 84-69, on Wednesday and stay unbeaten in the Southeastern Conference.
The Crimson Tide (14-2, 4-0 SEC) made 5 of 6 goals during the stretch in the middle of the second half while Arkansas was just 1 of 7 during Alabama&rsquo;s run as a tie game turned into a 12-point Alabama lead.
Arkansas (12-4, 1-3) pulled within two points with 4:30 left after making five straight shots from the floor to close the gap. Alabama followed with 3-pointers on each of its next three possessions, including two by Brandon Miller, to sap the home crowd and rebuild the lead to double digits.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been good in tough games,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said. &ldquo;I thought the loss to UConn really showed our guys if you&rsquo;re not tough, you&rsquo;re not going to be able to win these big games.&rdquo;
Alabama struggled during the period when its best player did, too. Miller, who entered as the top scorer in the SEC averaging 18.1 points per game, was without a shot attempt through the first half and the Crimson Tide were tied at the break.
Mark Sears did most of the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s offensive damage early and plenty late as he scored a game-high 26 points. Noah Clowney added 15 and Miller finished with 14 points.
&ldquo;Offensively, we needed someone to score the ball,&rdquo; Oats said. &ldquo;Sears can make shots. We needed him to shoot it. He got downhill and scored the ball, both.&rdquo;
Arkansas had four players in double figures as Devonte Davis and Jalen Graham led with 16 apiece, but shooting was the curse as the Razorbacks were just 2 of 10 from 3-point range against Alabama&rsquo;s 9-of-20 game from deep.
FRESHMEN MATTER
Miller and Clowney, both freshmen, made all three of Alabama&rsquo;s 3-pointers in the final run that built the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s lead back to double digits.
Arkansas was again without its top freshman as guard Nick Smith Jr. remained out with a knee injury. The Razorbacks are just 2-3 since he left during Arkansas&rsquo; win over Bradley on Dec. 17.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: Alabama looked the part of a No. 1-seed when the NCAA Tournament rolls around, showing a clear edge for the bulk of the game and using runs when things were close.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks started SEC play 0-3 last year before reeling off eight straight in league play en route to the Elite Eight. But Arkansas&rsquo; injuries and shifting substitution patterns have given 2023 a different feel.
UP NEXT
Alabama: Hosts LSU on Saturday
Arkansas: At Vanderbilt on Saturday

The Crimson Tide stayed unbeaten in the Southeastern Conference with the victory.

No. 4 Alabama uses late runs to put away No. 15 Arkansas

Over the next week, more than 200 high-school basketball teams and prep programs will travel to Las Vegas to compete in the 2022 Tarkanian Classic. The prep schools will compete from Dec. 16-18, while the high-school teams will play from Dec. 19-22.&nbsp;
Bishop Gorman High School will serve as the event's headquarters, but games will also be played at other local high-school gyms. Every game will be live-streamed on BallerTV.com.
The Tarkanian Classic is NBA-certified, meaning NBA executives and scouts can attend the games and evaluate players in-person. This is one of just three high-school-basketball events that the NBA certified this year, and most of the league has already requested credentials for their talent evaluators.
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23 NBA teams so far have requested credentials for 70+ team scouts for upcoming <a href="https://twitter.com/TarkClassic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TarkClassic</a> This year's Tark is 1 of only 3 HS regular season events that are NBA certified this season - permitting NBA teams to send their scouts <a href="https://twitter.com/FrankieBur?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FrankieBur</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DraftExpress</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RonMFlores?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RonMFlores</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/krystenpeek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@krystenpeek</a>
&mdash; Dinos Trigonis (@Trigonis30) <a href="https://twitter.com/Trigonis30/status/1602528535872212992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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For over a decade, the Tarkanian Classic has featured top high-school teams and players. In recent years, top prospects such as Deandre Ayton, LaMelo Ball, Evan Mobley, Lonzo Ball, Jonathan Kuminga, Onyeka Okongwu, Marvin Bagley III and Jaden McDaniels have competed in the Las Vegas tournament.&nbsp;
This year, the event will feature 136 high-school teams from across the nation including host Bishop Gorman (NV), Liberty (NV), Mater Dei (Santa Ana CA), Oakridge (FL), Bishop O'Connell (VA), Rainier Beach (WA), Prestonwood Christian (TX), St. Augustine (CA), Calvary Christian (FL), St. Bernard (CA), Faith Family (TX), St. Raymond (NY), St. Ignatius (OH), West Ranch (CA), Douglass (TN), Durango (NV), Putnam City West (OK), St. Mary's (AZ), Rancho Christian (CA), JSerra (CA), Buchtel (OH), Coronado (NV), Bishop O'Dowd (CA), Crossroads (CA), Sheldon (CA), Kell (GA), Redondo Union (CA), Santa Margarita (CA), Coeur d'Alene (ID), Crean Lutheran (CA), Desert Pines (NV), Alta (UT), Mater Lakes (FL), Clovis West (CA), Monterey Trail (CA), Foothill (NV), Wilson (SC), Constitution (PA), Birmingham (CA), St.Paul (CA), Oakland (CA), Cypress Bay (FL), Bingham (UT), Miami Country Day (FL), Houston Christian (TX), Brentwoood (CA), Hillcrest (CA), Peninsula Catholic (VA), Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ), Valor Christian (CO), Arbor View (NV), San Gabriel Academy (CA), Valley (NV), Coral Glades (FL), Buckeye (AZ), Mother Teresa (Canada), Canyon Springs (NV), Jones (FL), Cheyenne (NV), Layton (UT), Spring Valley (NV), Roosevelt (CA) and Centennial (AZ).&nbsp;
There are also more than 60 prep programs participating including Prolific Prep (CA), SoCal Academy (CA), Dream City Christian National (AZ), Accelerated Prep (CO), Central Pointe Christian (FL), Dynamic Prep (TX), Bella Vista (AZ), NBA Academy I, II &amp; III, SCA Post-Grad (CA), Real Salt Lake (UT), Veritas Prep (CA),&nbsp; Skyline Prep (AZ) and Colorado Prep (CO).&nbsp;

Over the next week, more than 200 high-school teams and prep programs will travel to Vegas to compete in the Tarkanian Classic.

NBA-certified Tarkanian Classic set for this weekend in Las Vegas

Purdue picked up wins over West Virginia, No. 15 Gonzaga and No. 12 Duke in consecutive weeks to win the Phil Knight Legacy tournament earlier in the season.
Wins over Hofstra and Nebraska last week, combined with a loss by Houston, were enough to move the Boilermakers to No. 1 the AP Top 25 for the second straight season.
Purdue moved up three spots in The Associated Press men&rsquo;s college basketball poll released on Monday, receiving 27 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel. No. 2 Virginia received 19 first-place votes to move up a spot, No. 3 Connecticut received 15 and No. 6 Tennessee also got one.
Alabama and Houston rounded out the top five.
Purdue (10-0, 2-0 Big Ten) has made a steady climb after being unranked in the preseason, moving up to No. 5 by winning the Legacy tourney in Oregon. The Boilermakers were No. 4 last week, then blew out Hofstra and scratched out a 65-62 overtime win over Nebraska despite poor shooting and a quiet scoring afternoon by 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey.
&ldquo;Can you can you find a way to win a game when you don&rsquo;t shoot the ball well? We were able to do that,&rdquo; Purdue coach Matt Painter said.
The Boilermakers hope this run at No. 1 will last longer than their last one. Purdue went to No. 1 for the first time in school history in Week 4 last season and promptly lost to Rutgers.
RISING TIDE
Alabama had to replace three of its top four scorers and started the season without dynamic guard Jahvon Quinerly while he recovers from knee surgery.
None of it has slowed the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s ride to a second top-five ranking in three seasons.
Alabama knocked North Carolina off its top-ranked perch in four overtimes on Nov. 27 and became the second team &mdash; with Oklahoma in 1990 &mdash; to beat two No. 1 teams in the same season with its 71-65 win over Houston on Saturday.
The Crimson Tide moved up four spots in this week&rsquo;s poll.
&ldquo;Huge program win,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said. &ldquo;Not sure how many teams get the chance to play two No. 1 teams in nonconference, let alone beat them, but I think that shows where we&rsquo;ve gotten this program to that we can play with anyone in the country at this point.&rdquo;
RISING AND FALLING
No. 18 Mississippi had the biggest jump in the poll, moving up five spots after beating Minnesota.
No. 19 Auburn had the biggest drop, losing eight spots following an 82-73 loss to Memphis. No. 20 Maryland dropped with consecutive losses to No. 22 Wisconsin and No. 6 Tennessee.
No. 7 Texas lost a chance to move up to No. 1 after its overtime loss to Illinois, dropping five spots instead.
IN AND OUT
No. 22 Wisconsin moved into the poll for the first time this season following wins over Maryland and Iowa. No. 24 Virginia Tech is ranked for the first time since 2020-21 after wins over Dayton and Oklahoma State.
No. 25 Miami beat Cornell and North Carolina State to get ranked for the first time since 2017-18.
Creighton dropped out of the poll after reaching No. 7 earlier this season. The Bluejays, ranked 21st last week, have lost four straight.
Iowa State dropped out from No. 20 after a lopsided loss to Iowa while San Diego State fell out from No. 22 after losing to Saint Mary&rsquo;s in Phoenix.
CONFERENCE WATCH
The Southeastern and Big Ten conferences led the way with six ranked teams each. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 had four each and the Pac-12 three.
The Big East, American Athletic and West Coast conferences had one ranked team each.

Purdue moved up three spots in the AP men’s college basketball poll released on Monday, receiving 27 first-place votes.

Purdue moves to No. 1 in AP Top 25, Alabama cracks top 5

HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; No. 8 Alabama could have called it a day when it was trailing by double-figures early in the second half.
The Crimson Tide didn&rsquo;t, and earned another marquee win this season.
Alabama rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to stun No. 1 Houston 71-65 on Saturday, becoming just the second men&rsquo;s team to beat two top-ranked teams in the same season.
Noah Clowney had 16 points and 11 rebounds, Jaden Bradley added 12 points and Mark Sears scored 11 points, including nine in the second half for the Crimson Tide (8-1). Alabama shot 50% from the field in the second half and 41% for the game. The Tide went 20 of 32 on free throws, including 15 of 21 in the second half.
&ldquo;This is one of those character wins that shows that our guys are going to keep fighting no matter what the score is,&rdquo; Alabama coach Nate Oats said. &ldquo;We could have easily given up down 15. The start of the second half wasn&rsquo;t great. We made some changes with the bench guys. Hung in there, kept clawing away at the lead, finally able to take the lead and then we pulled away from them.&rdquo;
The Crimson Tide beat North Carolina 103-101 in four overtimes on Nov. 27 and joins the 1990 Oklahoma team to take down two No. 1s in a season.
&ldquo;Huge program win,&rdquo; Oats said. &ldquo;Not sure how many teams get the chance to play two No. 1 teams in nonconference, let alone beat them, but I think that shows where we&rsquo;ve gotten this program to that we can play with anyone in the country at this point.&rdquo;
Jamal Shead had 19 points and six rebounds, and Tramon Mark scored 10 points before fouling out with 8:10 remaining for Houston (9-1).
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the No. 8 team in the nation,&rdquo; Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. &ldquo;No shame losing to a really, really good Alabama team. Disappointing obviously. We haven&rsquo;t lost a lot in this building.&rdquo;
The Cougars shot 39% from the field, including going 1-of-8 to end the game. Houston was 3 of 13 on 3-pointers and 12 of 22 from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;We just couldn&rsquo;t guard,&rdquo; Shead said. &ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t stand in front of the ball for like four or five straight possessions and that&rsquo;s how they got back into it. And we just weren&rsquo;t tough enough to finish it out.&rdquo;
The game was tied at 63 following a Marcus Sasser free throw with two minutes left. Then Clowney put the Tide up by two with a layup with 1:12 remaining, Shead missed a jumper with 48 seconds left and Brandon Miller made two free throws five seconds later to push the lead to four.
After Reggie Chaney missed two free throws, Miller made two more free throws to give Alabama a 69-63 lead with 27 seconds remaining.
Trailing 57-49 with 8&frac12; remaining, the Tide went on an 11-3 run to cut the lead to 61-60 on a layup by Clowney with five minutes to go.
Houston used an 18-2 run to end the first half and start the second half to take a 44-29 lead with 17:13 remaining on a steal and layup by Jarace Walker, but Alabama responded with a 15-5 spurt to cut the led to five on a 3-pointer by Sears with 11 minutes left.
BIG PICTURE
Alabama: Alabama outrebounded Houston 44-39 and got 27 points from its bench. The Tide improved to 3-1 this season against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.
Houston: The Cougars missed a chance for a resume-building win and fell to 1-1 this season against Quad 1 teams. Houston forced Alabama into 15 turnovers but turned it into only 18 points.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Houston, which has been No. 1 for two weeks, will likely fall in the AP Top 25 poll, while Alabama should rise.
UP NEXT
Alabama: Hosts Memphis on Tuesday.
Houston: Hosts North Carolina A&amp;T on Tuesday.

Alabama rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit to stun No. 1 Houston 71-65 on Saturday.

No. 8 Alabama mounts comeback, beats No. 1 Houston 71-65

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Rookie Andrew Nembhard scored a season-high 31 points and added 13 assists and eight rebounds to lead the undermanned Indiana Pacers to a 112-104 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.
A second-round draft pick, Nembhard made a key 3-pointer with 4:26 to go and another jumper less than two minutes later. Indiana played without starting point guard Tyrese Haliburton for a second straight game as he nurses soreness in his left groin.
Klay Thompson scored 28 points and made eight 3-pointers on the six-year anniversary of his 60-point masterpiece against the Pacers.
Thompson finished 9 of 23, but Stephen Curry was held to 12 points on 3-for-17 shooting. Jordan Poole scored 23 starting in place of Andrew Wiggins as he sat out with tightness of the adductor muscle in his right leg.
Nembhard hit five 3s while Buddy Hield added 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists as Indiana snapped a three-game losing streak with just its second win in six games.
Golden State had its 10-game home winning streak snapped.
Curry went 1 of 7 in the first half, missing all four of his 3-point tries and was 2 for 10 from deep overall. Curry finally connected from long range with 5:13 left in the third after missing his first five.
The Pacers, missing six players with injuries or illness, jumped out to a 22-12 lead as Golden State started 5 for 17.
Thompson knocked down three straight 3-pointers &mdash; all from the right wing &mdash; to tie the game at 42 at the 4:51 mark of the second quarter before a Pacers timeout. Thompson also dished out an assist on Jonathan Kuminga&rsquo;s layup before his trio of 3s and nearly had another when Kuminga was fouled and made both free throws to cap a 20-2 run 3:40 before halftime.
60-POINT MEMORIES
Thompson scored 60 against Indiana over three quarters on Dec. 5, 2016. On Monday, he passed Jason Kidd (1,988) for 13th place on the NBA&rsquo;s career 3-pointers list and now has 1,990.
&ldquo;I remember people being mad at me for not keeping him out there on the floor so that he could try to get 70, but we had a big lead and at the end of the third it was clear cut we were going to win the game,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;It was an easy decision. I just remember, we&rsquo;ve seen Klay get hot a lot over the years, but there&rsquo;s a few games that stand out and that&rsquo;s one of them.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pacers: Indiana matched the Warriors in rebounding with 47 and led 34-21 after the opening quarter. ... The Pacers also were without Myles Turner (sore right hamstring), James Johnson (sprained right elbow), T.J. McConnell (non-COVID illness), Chris Duarte (left ankle sprain) and Daniel Theis (right knee surgery).
Warriors: Kuminga fouled out in the final minute. ... The Warriors have lost four straight at home to Indiana since a 112-89 win March 21, 2019, at old Oracle Arena in Oakland. ... Golden State dropped to 11-2 at home and the 10-game unbeaten run was the best for the team on its home floor since 11 in a row from Oct. 30-Dec. 3, 2021.
UP NEXT
Pacers: At Minnesota on Wednesday night to conclude a seven-game trip over 12 days that is the team&rsquo;s longest in 37 years.
Warriors: At Utah on Wednesday night having won two straight and six of seven vs. the Jazz.

Andrew Nembhard scored a season-high 31 points and added 13 assists and eight rebounds to lead the undermanned Pacers.

Rookie Nembhard has 31, leads Pacers past Warriors, 112-104

Spencer Davies details Jamal Cain's climb from Pontiac, Michigan to the NBA level through the lens of longtime friend Mychal Covington.

Outwork everybody: Two-way Heat rookie Jamal Cain catches you sleeping

Offenses have never been more lethal than they are in this era. With primary ball-handlers becoming larger, the collective shooting range expanding and teams leaning further into the importance of spacing, it&rsquo;s becoming even more difficult to keep the ball out of the basket.
With the game expanding, screening has become even more important. A well-placed off-ball pick can free a movement shooter for a triple or a catch-and-drive. On-ball screens can make shifty ball-handlers even harder to deal with in pick-and-roll and open the door for dump-offs, lobs and fruitful catch-and-shoot opportunities.&nbsp;
Screeners come in all sizes these days, ranging from the burly centers to mismatch-causing smalls. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I can&rsquo;t overstate how important guard-screening has become</a>, especially late in games.
This season, I want to keep tabs on who is &mdash; and isn&rsquo;t &mdash; getting the job done as screeners. Every week, I&rsquo;ll be highlighting a handful of the most powerful or shameful screen-setters in the league.
Let&rsquo;s get into volume three.
*All stats are through games played between November 5 and November 11, unless noted otherwise.*
BIG OF THE WEEK: GRANT WILLIAMS
This man's getting paid.
Grant Williams is in the midst of a career-year, averaging highs in virtually every category. His on-court overview consists of ridiculous efficiency from deep (50% on 3.1 attempts), added juice and craft as a driver, some short-roll playmaking, and stout defense across multiple positions.&nbsp;
What I've really enjoyed as of late are his cinderblock screens. He's valuable off the ball, as part of sets &mdash; think of the Celtics' pindown kink &mdash; or more improv looks. Not many players in the league point harder than he does when he's setting up a flare or a pin-in screen.
On the ball, you really get an idea of his value. He's sturdy enough to move players, dutiful enough to hold and force mismatches for his stars, and timely enough to create the aforementioned short-roll situations by getting out of his screen early. He just gets&nbsp;it.
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Possessions featuring a Williams on-ball screen generated a ridiculous 1.38 points per possession (PPP) this week, per Second Spectrum. The off-ball screen possessions weren't at&nbsp;that&nbsp;level, but they were plenty fruitful (1.15 PPP).&nbsp;
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SMALL OF THE WEEK: REGGIE JACKSON
When you think of Reggie Jackson, you typically think of bucket-getting &mdash; or baseball, or tossing a hat up in the air while dancing. Ignore that last one.
Something that's popped this week has been his screening, particuarly his partnership with Paul George. Normally, Terrance Mann soaks up the guard-screening reps; he leads all non-frontcourt Clippers in on-ball picks (51) this season, 15 more than Jackson (36).
But Jackson has gotten more into the mix as of late. He set 18 this week, with 16 of those being for George. It hasn't just been the hug-and-hold variety to force a mismatch either; Jackson's getting busy, and his 77.8% contact rate this week proves it!
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If you're getting this kind of buy-in, the positives are easy to see. Jackson doesn't have to create from a standstill, and he gets to make easier reads against scrambling defenses.
The Clippers blazed the nets (1.27 PPP) on trips featuring a George-Jackson ball screen this week. We've seen 29 hookups between the two this season, which puts them on pace to obliterate their volume from last year (59). I'm here for the sample growing.
YOU SHOULD HAVE THE FACILITIES FOR THIS, BIG MAN: ISAIAH STEWART
Parsing through the season Isaiah Stewart is having would take an entire article. That can extend to the Pistons at large, honestly.
One thing that has annoyed me a bit has been Stewart's screening chops. Watching him when the Pistons want to run Veer action &mdash; a big setting an on-ball screen before swinging to the corner to set a pindown &mdash; has been infuriating in a basketball sense. The timing is weird; his&nbsp;timing and angles have been weird.
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Aside from the actual screening, it doesn't feel like his roll angles have been great &mdash; at least not recently. He's flipping and rolling in a straight line without really stressing the big or giving his ball-handler &mdash; often Cade Cunningham &mdash; much of a pocket to fit a pass into.&nbsp;
Stewart made contact at a decent rate this week (62.2% contact rate), but he's down a good bit from last year's overall mark (69%). There seem to be a combination of little things holding him back from being an effective screening partner right now. Hopefully, corrections are made soon.
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WE SEE YOU TOO: JULIUS RANDLE
If you're not a fan of the New York Knicks, Julius Randle is honestly pretty funny to watch off the ball. That man simply isn't interested if he's not directly involved in an action. Of course, that's not exclusive to him; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/screen-time-vol-2-highlighting-the-nbas-best-and-worst-screeners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I just wrote something similar</a> about Giannis Antetokounmpo last week. But like the Giannis point, all I'm asking is for him to sell it a little bit.
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It doesn't have to be a chore, man.
Screen Time will be back next Saturday! <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/screen-time-vol-2-highlighting-the-nbas-best-and-worst-screeners" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out last week's edition of Screen Time here</a>.

Nekias Duncan takes a look at some of the best — and worst — screeners in the NBA this week.

Screen Time Vol. 3: Highlighting the NBA's best and worst screeners

Offenses have never been more lethal than they are in this era. With primary ball-handlers becoming larger, the collective shooting range expanding and teams leaning further into the importance of spacing, it&rsquo;s becoming even more difficult to keep the ball out of the basket.
With the game expanding, screening has become even more important. A well-placed off-ball pick can free a movement shooter for a triple or a catch-and-drive. On-ball screens can make shifty ball-handlers even harder to deal with in pick-and-roll and open the door for dump-offs, lobs and fruitful catch-and-shoot opportunities.&nbsp;
Screeners come in all sizes these days, ranging from the burly centers to mismatch-causing smalls. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I can&rsquo;t overstate how important guard-screening has become</a>, especially late in games.
This season, I want to keep tabs on who is &mdash; and isn&rsquo;t &mdash; getting the job done as screeners. Every week, I&rsquo;ll be highlighting a handful of the most powerful or shameful screen-setters in the league.
Let&rsquo;s get into it.
*All stats are through games played on October 29.*
BIG OF THE WEEK: STEVEN ADAMS
Assuming you&rsquo;re not a student of the James Harden School of Internet Consumption (JHSIC), you&rsquo;re likely aware of Ja Morant&rsquo;s MVP-level tear to begin the season.&nbsp;
He&rsquo;s once again living in the paint, making up finishing moves in midair. If that wasn&rsquo;t enough, he now has the audacity to bomb away from three with blistering efficiency (56.5% on 4.6 attempts).&nbsp;
Morant is nearly impossible to deal with in his own right; his blend of speed, ball-handling, leaping ability and body control is frankly unfair. With an oak tree like Steven Adams clearing a runway, there really isn&rsquo;t much you can do with him.
Among bigs who have set at least 75 on-ball picks, nobody has done a better job of laying down the law than Adams, connecting on 83.8% of his screens, per Second Spectrum. The Grizzlies have generated 1.04 points per possession (PPP) on trips featuring a Morant-Adams ball screen, one of the better marks in the league among high-volume pairings.
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That value extends off the ball, with his partnership with Desmond Bane being especially fruitful (1.24 PPP). Oh, he&rsquo;s generated contact on 75% of those screens too.
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Adams may not get many buckets off his rolls, but he makes the Grizzlies better. Keep it up, big fella.
WE SEE YOU: AL HORFORD
We won't talk about the defense right now, but the Celtics have generally been fun offensively. They rank first by a decent margin in half-court offense (107.5 ORTG), according to the good folks at Cleaning The Glass.
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The off-ball movement of this group has hit differently since the turn of the calendar. With Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both comfortable attacking off screens, the Celtics often opt to have one &mdash; or somtimes both of them at the same time &mdash; coming off pindowns from the corner.
If you're watching a Celtic game and see that setup developing, keep an eye on the side with Al Horford on it. He gets wide and sturdy, consistently prying guys open for shots or drives.
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SMALL OF THE WEEK: FRED VANVLEET
If the Raptors need a half-court bucket &mdash; which is pretty often, considering they rank 26th in half-court offense right now &mdash; you can expect them to turn to Pascal Siakam. And if they need want to torture defenses in the process, they'll have Fred VanVleet set a screen for Siakam.
The benefits are obvious. You generally don't want to switch your point guards onto a mid-post bully like Siakam. If you're caught trying to stay attached, you run the risk of opening a driving window for Siakam, a three-point window for VanVleet or an open shot for someone else while you try to recover.&nbsp;
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A quick stat: the Raptors are generating a blistering 1.28 PPP on trips featuring a Siakam-VanVleet ball screen. There really isn't much you can do against it.
YOU SHOULD HAVE THE FACILITIES FOR THIS, BIG MAN: ANTHONY DAVIS
There's an argument to be made that grace should be afforded here. Anthony Davis has once again been dealing with body ailments, and it isn't like there's a ton of space to roll into within the Lakers' half-court offense.
But, man, some of the whiffs or lapses in effort are pretty loud, even with that context.
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I only went with three clips. You can find <a href="https://twitter.com/_JasonLT/status/1583529558115876864?s=20&amp;t=ymXCTvnbZWFno1opCuSZ5Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener">others elsewhere</a>. He's connected on less than half of his on-ball picks (47.7%) to this point of the season. He needs help going off in this context, but he has to help himself at a certain point. Commit to getting guys downhill and see what may open up.
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WE SEE YOU, TOO: ALEKSEJ POKUSEVSKI, MYLES TURNER
Poku, brother, I beg. We understand you're a slight guy, but at least pretend to set an angle and give your guards something to work with. Getting in the pocket doesn't mean as much if the ball-handler's defender doesn't have to think about you at all.
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Among 53 players to set at least 70 on-ball picks, Pokusevski ranks 52nd in the percentage of screens he generates contact on (41.7%). It simply won't do, especially if the Thunder actually want to sprinkle in some Poku-at-5 minutes.&nbsp;
Who's 53rd on that list, you ask? Well, that honor would belong to Myles Turner (33.8%).
I'm giving a little grace because he's has only played two games this season. I emphasize "little" here, because this is a multi-year trend with him. There's a thin line between slipping a screen to keep the defense off balance or honest, and slipping because you want the back &mdash; and leaving your ball-handler out to dry in the process.
It's only been a couple of games, but these aren't the reps you want to see to kick off the year.
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Screen Time will be back next Saturday!

Nekias Duncan takes a look at some of the best — and worst — screeners in the early portion of the 2022-23 NBA season.

Screen Time Vol. 1: Highlighting the NBA's best and worst screeners

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim won&rsquo;t forget last season, and not because it was the only losing one in more than four decades on the job at his alma mater.
He coached his two sons &mdash; Buddy and Jimmy &mdash; and said that was the most enjoyable of his 46 seasons in spite of the record (16-17, 9-11 Atlantic Coast Conference).
&ldquo;It was great coaching them,&rdquo; said Boeheim, who turns 78 in November. &ldquo;I miss them.&rdquo;
The Boeheim brothers and swingman Cole Swider have moved on, and their offensive contributions were significant. The trio combined to average nearly 47 points a game and made 205 3-pointers. The Orange, who averaged 77.4 points, return two starters &mdash; guard Joe Girard and center Jesse Edwards &mdash; along with guard Symir Torrence and forward John Bol AJak to help guide six incoming freshmen.
&ldquo;I like this team in the sense that we may not shoot it as well as we did last year ... but we&rsquo;ve got guys that can get to the basket better and I think maybe get to the foul line better, so I think our offense will be different,&rdquo; Boeheim said. &ldquo;I think it can still be very high level.&rdquo;
Girard will move from point guard to shooting guard, replacing Buddy Boeheim, who averaged 19.2 points in his final year. Girard averaged 13.8 points and led the Orange with 89 3-pointers, shooting a team-best 40.3%.
As the new season looms, the disappointment of not making the NCAA Tournament is still on players&rsquo; minds.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been using that motivation every day in practices,&rdquo; Girard said. &ldquo;In every single drill and every single rep, the coaches are getting on us and making sure we&rsquo;re going 110% just because of the way things went last year. They want to make sure there&rsquo;s no chance of that happening this year.&rdquo;
Boeheim said the six freshmen &mdash; guards Judah Mintz, Justin Taylor and Quadir Copeland, forwards Maliq Brown and Chris Bunch, and center Peter Carey &mdash; and Duquesne transfer Mounir Hima, a 6-foot-11 forward, will play.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve been really good so far, all the new guys,&rdquo; Boeheim said. &ldquo;Their mindset is in the right place.&rdquo;
BENNY&rsquo;S BACK
Highly touted forward Benny Williams had a disappointing first season, scoring just 56 points in 333 minutes over 29 games. But he gave a glimpse of his talent at home against Duke in February, scoring 14 points and snaring six rebounds in 30 minutes. That he came back says a lot.
&ldquo;I think it shows perseverance,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;A lot of guys in my situation would have transferred, coming in as a highly touted high schooler, not playing that much, not scoring that much, not doing anything, really. I feel back to myself. I&rsquo;m very confident of what I&rsquo;m going to bring this year for my team.&rdquo;
JESSE&rsquo;S JOURNEY
The 6-11 Edwards was coming into his own last season when he suffered a season-ending injury in early February. Over a five-game span, he shot 31 of 42 (73.9%) and grabbed 33 rebounds, then broke his left wrist in a fall at Boston College. He&rsquo;s healthy again and ready to go.
&ldquo;The team was going so good at that point, so the timing was terrible,&rdquo; Edwards said. &ldquo;But I think it gave everybody out here extra motivation. Whoever falls out, we&rsquo;re still going to battle.&rdquo;
ZONE OUT
Boeheim said the Orange will have something of a new look on defense, using more man-to-man to complement the 2-3 zone.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve done that,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;In my first 30 years we did that, so it&rsquo;s not like this is new for me.&rdquo;
MINTZ&rsquo;s MOJO
The 6-3 Mintz, a product of Oak Hill Academy, has been playing alongside Girard in practice and figures the sky&rsquo;s the limit.
&ldquo;I want to be freshman of the year in the ACC,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Just having coach have confidence in me makes everything five times easier. I think I&rsquo;ve grown as a player since I&rsquo;ve been here.&rdquo;
SCHEDULE
Syracuse, picked for eighth in the ACC, plays in the Empire Classic in New York City on its first road trip, with an opening game against Richmond. The home slate includes Georgetown, Notre Dame, top-ranked North Carolina, No. 18 Virginia and No. 7 Duke.
___
Freelance writer Mark Frank contributed to this report.

The Boeheim brothers and swingman Cole Swider have moved on, and their offensive contributions were significant.

Syracuse looks to rebound after Boeheim’s first losing season

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Duncan Robinson scored 29 points to lead the Miami Heat to a 111-108 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Robinson shot 7 for 11 from the field, including 5 for 7 on 3-pointers. Jamal Cain, an undrafted rookie who played his last college season at Oakland University, scored 19 points, and Nikola Jovic &mdash; the 27th overall pick in the draft &mdash; scored 13 points as the Heat played the game with their reserves.
Dillon Brooks led Memphis with 18 points, while Ja Morant and Desmond Bane each scored 17 with four assists.
The Heat, playing on the road for the second night of a back-to-back, sat their starters, including Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo.
Meanwhile, Memphis was at full strength, except for forward Jaren Jackson Jr., who is out for a couple of more months recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot.
While the Grizzlies played their regular starters, there were some reserves who took the night off, tightening the rotation. Bane played 28 minutes, while Morant and Brooks logged 26 minutes each.
The Heat took their lead with a rally spanning the second and third quarters and held on at the end when both teams had bench players in the game. Memphis missed a pair of 3-point attempts to tie the game in the closing 10 seconds
CELTICS 112, HORNETS 103
In Greensboro, North Carolina, Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, Derrick White finished with 18 points and six assists to lead Boston.
Justin Jackson added 16 for the Celtics, and Payton Pritchard scored 15. Noah Vonleh had 14 points and 13 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball had 23 points and nine assists to lead the Hornets, and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Terry Rozier added 14 points as Charlotte remained winless in three preseason games.
The Celtics sat some of their starters, including Jayson Tatum, Al Horford and Marcus Smart. However, Blake Griffin &mdash; signed this week &mdash; finished with seven points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes in his Celtics debut.
MAGIC 110, MAVERICKS 105
Top draft pick Paolo Banchero scored 19 points and Terrence Ross added 16 to led visiting Orlando.
Banchero, the 6-foot-10 forward out of Duke, shot 6 for 13 from the field and had five rebounds. Mo Bamba had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Magic.
Christian Wood scored 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Luka Doncic had 16 points in 18 minutes, making 6 of 8 shots from the field, and also had five assists.
KNICKS 131, PACERS 114
Obi Toppin scored 24 points on 10-for-14 shooting to lead host New York.
Toppin was 4 for 7 on 3-pointers as the Knicks improved to 2-0 in the preseason. RJ Barrett scored 18 points, while Jalen Brunson and Immanuel Quickley finished with 17 points each.
Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points. Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft, had 19 points and Buddy Hield added 13 points.
BULLS 131, NUGGETS 113
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting to lead host Chicago.
Coby White and Javonte Green added 15 points each for the Bulls, while Nikola Vucevic finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Bones Hyland had 24 points for Denver, while Michael Porter Jr. scored 20 points. Aaron Gordon added 14 points.
ROCKETS 116, RAPTORS 100
Tari Eason, the seventh overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft out of LSU, had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead host Houston.
Jalen Green added 23 points for the Rockets, while Kevin Porter Jr. had 15.
Pascal Siakam scored 18 points for the Raptors. O.G. Anunoby scored 13 points, but missed all five of his 3-point attempts. Dalano Banton had 14 points. Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucer each scored 10 points in the game.
PELICANS 107, PISTONS 101
Jose Alvarado scored 28 points and Zion Williamson added 13 for host New Orleans.
Naji Marshall had 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting, including just 3 for 12 on free throws for the Hornets. Alvarado shot 12 for 18 from the field.
Saddiq Bey led the Pistons with 23 points, while Isaiah Steward and Jaden Ivey finished with 14 apiece.

Duncan Robinson scored 29 points to lead the Heat to a 111-108 victory over the Grizzlies on Friday night.

Duncan Robinson scores 29 as Heat beat Grizzlies 111-108

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Bam Adebayo scored 17 points and undrafted rookie Jamal Cain added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Miami Heat defeated the Brooklyn Nets 109-80 on Thursday night.
Kevin Durant led Brooklyn with 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting in 26 minutes. Ben Simmons had four points and 10 rebounds for the Nets.
Miami star Jimmy Butler played for the first time in the preseason, scoring two points in the first half and then sitting in the second half. Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo didn&rsquo;t play for the Heat.
The Nets were minus Joe Harris, who was resting an ankle that left him out most of last season, and Kyrie Irving, who had the night off after the birth of his child. Seven Heat players scored in double figures.
Kyle Lowry had 15 points and Dru Smith, Duncan Robinson and Jamaree Bouyea each added 12 for Miami. Cain signed with the Heat in July after playing for Marquette and Oakland University.
Cam Thomas scored 13 points and Markieff Morris 10 for the Nets.
Through the first half, the teams tried various combinations, mixing the starters with some key bench players. Both sides seemed to stretch their stars for some extra minutes in the shortened NBA preseason.
Durant played 19 minutes in the first half and scored 18 points, making six of seven shots. Simmons and backcourt mate Royce O&rsquo;Neale each played 18 minutes.
MAGIC 102, SPURS 99
Paolo Banchero, the overall No. 1 pick in the June draft, had nine points and five rebounds as Orlando beat San Antonio.
Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Magic. He shot 8 of 13 as most of the Orlando starters played between 20 and 23 minutes. Franz Wagner had 12 points and Moritz Wagner scored 10.
Doug McDermott led the Spurs with 14 points, and Keita Bates-Diop added 12.. Devin Vassell and Tre Jones scored 11 points each.
THUNDER 131, ADELAIDE 36ERs 98
Tre Mann scored 26 points, including hitting 8 of 10 on 3s, as Oklahoma City beat a team from the Australian National Basketball League.
Lindy Waters III scored 23 points and Eugene Omoruyi added 19 points for the Thunder.
Craig Randall II, who had 35 points in the 36ers' 134-124 win over the Phoenix Suns earlier in the week, led Adelaide with 27 points. Robert Franks scored 20 points and Antonius Cleveland had 19 points.
Adelaide used torrid 3-point shooting, hitting 56% from beyond the arc, to defeat the Suns in the opening game of their preseason tour. But the accuracy was not the same against Oklahoma City as the 36ers went 11 of 36 from distance.

Bam Adebayo scored 17 points and undrafted rookie Jamal Cain added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the Heat beat the Nets 109-80.

Adebayo, Cain lead Heat over Durant, Simmons and Nets

Welcome to Basketball News' 10-part mini-series, Blazing the Trail, where Mat Issa breaks down the most revolutionary players of the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout this series, we'll examine how these players changed basketball and pioneered their respective skills.
In this third installment, Mat goes in-depth on two-time All-NBA Defensive Team selection Shane Battier and his role as a next-generation defender on the "Moreyball" Houston Rockets. It features insights from his former coach in Miami, David Fizdale, his high school coach, Kurt Keener, and Battier himself.&nbsp;
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"One of these pieces doesn&rsquo;t fit."
A statement commonly elicited from viewing the <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1546891748433084420?s=20&amp;t=Adu5q3cY1tX3H88KopKNig" target="_blank" rel="noopener">list of players</a> featured in our "Blazing the Trail" series.&nbsp;
"Shane Battier was a fine defender. But revolutionary? I&rsquo;m not sure someone who only made two All-Defensive Teams can be considered revolutionary."
Even after New York Times writer Michael Lewis famously dubbed him the "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No-Stats All-Star</a>" in Feb. 2009, outside observers have failed to accurately appraise Battier's unique value.
But what if Lewis' moniker for Battier wasn&rsquo;t just a clever name? What if the captain of data impacted the game in a way we couldn&rsquo;t measure at the time? And what if, through his courtship with Daryl Morey, Battier became the most groundbreaking trailblazer of them all?
Let's find out.
What Made Battier Special&nbsp;
On offense, Battier was the quintessential role player. He could shoot, maintain spacing and make quick decisions, and he hardly ever committed turnovers &mdash; the perfect piece to pair with elite scorers and creators. But that&rsquo;s not why we&rsquo;re discussing him.
Battier made his bones on the defensive end.&nbsp;
There, he possessed an unorthodox toolkit for a player of his archetype. He was a &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; wing without picking players' pockets too often. From 2006 to 2011, his steal rate never eclipsed the 50th percentile, per Cleaning the Glass.
However, Battier did create positive events through his weak-side shot-blocking and timely charge-drawing. And he also refrained from causing negative sequences by avoiding fouls (remember, preventing free throws &mdash; the most efficient shot in the game &mdash; is an immensely valuable skill).
&ldquo;He was always on time when the <a href="https://medium.com/thebasketballactiondictionary/low-man-f3db4d20f4ea">low-man</a> was required,&rdquo; said David Fizdale, Battier&rsquo;s former coach in Miami and now-associate general manager for the Utah Jazz.
&ldquo;Whether it was to take a charge, steal/deflect a pass, discourage [a driver], trap the box &mdash; he was going to be there every single time. He was the king of the charge.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Battier's game was basketball minutiae, predicated on the intricate subtleties that make or break a possession. He fronted goliaths in the post, swiped at the ball when it was still low to bypass challenging shots vertically and utilized the hand-in-the-face contest to hinder his adversaries' efficiency even further.
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With that said, he didn&rsquo;t reach his full innovator form until he crossed paths with a data wizard in July 2006 &mdash; then-Houston Rockets assistant general manager Daryl Morey, who assumed full-GM duties the following season in May 2007.
&ldquo;The Rockets were the first team in basketball to adopt a data-centric philosophy,&rdquo; Battier explained to Basketball News. &ldquo;Daryl had a thesis that [he] wanted to run his entire organization based on what the data says.
&ldquo;I was their first major acquisition when Daryl became the general manager because the algorithms they used identified me as a player that provided outsourced value at a very reasonable price,&rdquo; recalled Battier, who was acquired by the Rockets just months after Morey's hiring.
(In exchange for Battier, the Memphis Grizzlies received Stromile Swift and Rudy Gay)
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Like <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Nash</a>, Battier&rsquo;s approach made him the perfect test subject for his mentor&rsquo;s dissertation.
&ldquo;He was just curious about how everything worked,&rdquo; said Kurt Keener, Battier's high-school coach at Detroit Country Day in Oakland County, Michigan. &ldquo;In basketball, he was curious about, 'If I do X, Y, and Z, can I improve in ways that make a big difference?'"
&ldquo;When I got there, I was very curious about how they thought about data,&rdquo; Battier said of the Rockets. &ldquo;And I really became enamored with it. This is like having the answers to the test before taking the test.&rdquo;
In Houston, Battier &mdash; a player accustomed to surface-level scouting reports that were commonplace at the time &mdash; was exposed to more nuanced, data-driven preparatory materials.
&ldquo;Before analytics, [the scouting report] would read, &lsquo;Kobe Bryant: Great first step, capable three-point shooter, will attack the rim, fadeaway shot in the post and a great competitor.' It&rsquo;s like, yeah, thanks. I don&rsquo;t need a scouting report to know that Kobe is a great competitor,&rdquo; Battier laughed. &ldquo;It was completely qualitative. With the quantitative report that the Rockets produced for me, I knew who exactly a player was down to the percentile.
&ldquo;Instead of saying, 'Kobe Bryant has a great right hand,' I knew that Bryant drives right 65% of the time, and when he does, it&rsquo;s basically a 62% shot. When he goes left, he only goes there 35% of the time, and it&rsquo;s a 42% shot.&rdquo;
Here are a couple of illustrations of that data in practice:
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On-Court Production
These insightful scouting-report nuggets became dangerous weapons in the capable hands of Battier. Similar to "Revis Island" &mdash; a desolate wasteland that star wide receivers were banished to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/379511-where-is-revis-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">when they faced the New York Jets in the late-2000s</a> &mdash; Battier&rsquo;s stomping grounds became a torturous venue for the superstars who occupied his position.
From 2006 to 2009, every All-Star small forward/shooting guard who played primarily on-ball saw a sizable dip in efficiency when matched up against Battier (with the lone exception being Josh Howard):
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/battier-chart.jpg" alt="" width="550" height="520" />
Visual Created by Daniel Bratulić
&ldquo;The secret for all these volume scorers: the places those guys absolutely crushed you were at the rim and the free throw line,&rdquo; Battier revealed.
&ldquo;As long as I did two things &mdash; kept them out of transition and didn&rsquo;t foul them &mdash; I could live with any other shot those guys would take. Where a lot of people go wrong is they get caught up in the results. I don&rsquo;t care about results. I just care about the process.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
With Volume 3 of Blazing the Trail coming out tomorrow over <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a>, I figured I'd do a thread of some of my favorite Battier plays from some of the games I watched. These clips are mostly from his 07-08 matchups against DEN, ATL, CLE, and NJN. <a href="https://t.co/HTDCmeEVEH">pic.twitter.com/HTDCmeEVEH</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1554950928184365057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Battier&rsquo;s process consisted of seducing his opponents into a high volume of mid-range shots. From 2006 to 2008, the Rockets surrendered the highest frequency of mid-range jumpers in the league (per Cleaning the Glass).
&ldquo;The mid-range jump shot is actually a really hard shot to hit,&rdquo; Battier said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a sub-50% shot; a good mid-range jump shooter, like 45%. That&rsquo;s not great. You&rsquo;re not going to win a ball game by making that shot a ton.&rdquo;
And although he didn&rsquo;t emphasize the results, the ones his methods yielded were fruitful. Going back to the &ldquo;No-Stats All-Star&rdquo; designation we alluded to earlier, it felt like an All-Star-caliber performer was occupying the court whenever Battier graced the hardwood.
From 2004 to 2009, Battier's teams finished top-five in Defensive Rating (both in Memphis and Houston). And there&rsquo;s reason to believe he was the driving force behind those machines, despite being a non-big man (centers typically have the largest footprint on defense because of their ability to protect the paint).
In 2005-06, the Grizzlies finished second in the league in DRTG. When Battier was traded to Houston the following season, they plummeted to dead-last, despite returning all their coaches and best defenders (except Lorenzen Wright).
Meanwhile, after finishing nearly three points below the league average on defense in 2005-06, the Rockets improved to almost six points below the league average in 2006-07 when Battier arrived.
(Note: The more points below average the better when it comes to defense. For context, the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors were only five points below the league average this season, per Basketball-Reference.)
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What&rsquo;s more, in 2007-08 &mdash; when the Rockets&rsquo; primary rim protector Yao Ming missed the final 26 games of the season with a foot injury &mdash; Houston's DRTG remained the same, so you can&rsquo;t chalk up Battier's success to great backline help.
Fizdale agreed with the sentiment that Battier&rsquo;s data-driven style made him his team&rsquo;s most important defender, and enabled him to contribute at an All-Star level.
&ldquo;Back then, when you&rsquo;re looking at All-Stars, [people] just looked at Shane as a pest. But for the guys that were on his team, he was an All-Star," Fizdale said. "For us, we saw him as an All-Star."
Weaving the Thread
Keener speculates that Battier's selflessness may have developed from hearing tales of the great egalitarian himself, Magic Johnson.
During practice, Battier's high-school coach would tell fables of Magic from his days in East Lansing at Michigan State University. They were stories about how, during scrimmages, Johnson would intentionally select his least talented teammates to prove that great teamwork could usurp deficiencies in other areas. These narratives had a substantial effect on Battier.
&ldquo;With Shane, he didn&rsquo;t have the flair of Magic, but he understood the importance of getting your teammates involved,&rdquo; Keener reminisced. &ldquo;[Like Magic,] Shane was tremendous at making sure the other guys on his team were successful.&rdquo;
A Michigan native, Battier also credits his precious Detroit Pistons for playing a role in his formative years.
&ldquo;For me, the Pistons were the ultimate team. My dad grew up in a blue-collar job. If you live in Michigan, you understand the importance of the assembly line and teamwork,&rdquo; Battier reminisced.&nbsp;&ldquo;For me, it wasn&rsquo;t about what I did. It was about what did we do. Being from Detroit impacted how I thought about sports and basketball, and was the hallmark of my entire career.&rdquo;&nbsp;
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Coincidentally, the Pistons team he&rsquo;s referencing once famously concocted their own <a href="https://youtu.be/NLv2F33snCE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carefully curated</a> strategy for <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1554554706483101696?s=20&amp;t=ghbmH8N4W0CTQAwSSSfovg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decreasing the potency</a> of a prolific superstar. That set of instructions is known as "The Jordan Rules.&rdquo;
Due to in-depth game plans he leaned on with regularity, Battier had a leg up on his idols. But while teams like the Pistons only resorted to these tactics in dire situations, Battier prepared for every game like it was the postseason.
&ldquo;The cool part about Shane is he gets into those layers in the regular season,&rdquo; Fizdale explained. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s tough to play teams on a one-day prep&hellip; but when you have a guy like Shane Battier, he prepares every game like it's a playoff game.&rdquo;
Impact on Today&rsquo;s Game
&ldquo;Draymond [Green] is probably the ultimate example of modern-day Shane Battier,&rdquo; Fizdale said.&nbsp;"They both could guard everyone, could switch on everyone, could guard post-ups, could guard guards. They were [both] most likely the smartest person on the court most nights.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I love watching Draymond. Draymond is great," Battier agreed. "He sees the defense and plays two or three passes ahead, which I always thought I could do.&rdquo;
Battier will be the first to point to Green&rsquo;s superior passing and paint protection as major distinctions between their games. However, the two bear a resemblance to one another in that they are both <a href="https://www.landofbasketball.com/player_comparison/shane_battier_vs_draymond_green.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">career 8-point-per-game scorers</a> whose impact often can't be quantified by traditional box scores.
PJ Tucker is another obvious descendant. Tucker is an elite man defender who shares Battier&rsquo;s process-over-results philosophy (see: Tucker's defense on Kevin Durant in the 2021 playoffs). Also, both players suited up for the Rockets and Heat.
Battier even sees a bit of himself in the human defensive vortex that is Matisse Thybulle: &ldquo;Defensively, his instincts are amazing, and when he figures out his shot, he&rsquo;s going to be a handful.&rdquo;
Putting one-to-one comparisons aside, Battier&rsquo;s true legacy is that there&rsquo;s a little bit of him buried inside of most modern NBA players.
&ldquo;Today, every team has an analytics department. Every team is looking for a player who jumps off the charts analytically,&rdquo; Fizdale said.
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The "Moreyball" movement that Battier helped pioneer in Houston has become common practice in today&rsquo;s ever-changing NBA landscape. Hell, even the 2022 NBA Finals were determined by a quantitatively-informed decision on the part of the Warriors.&nbsp;
After the Celtics scored <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/06/nba-finals-golden-state-warriors-boston-celtics-points-in-the-paint/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">52 points in the paint</a> in Game 3, Golden State regained control of the series in part by borrowing one of Battier&rsquo;s old tricks for defending Bryant.
As Battier did with Bryant, the Warriors realized that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were less effective when driving to their left, so they <a href="https://streamable.com/qpu89i" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forced the tandem to do just that</a>.&nbsp;
For reference, here are Tatum&rsquo;s numbers for the regular season and postseason driving from his left and his right (and <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/13Ig3U3hGeeXcdJSrYSs4_pIzIjMQPSN95p8R0M9yYs0/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here are Brown&rsquo;s</a>):
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tatum-right.gif" alt="" width="550" height="349" />
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tatum-left.gif" alt="" width="550" height="349" />
Data Provided by InStat
Even this level of tendency awareness was mincemeat for Battier. He knew not only which direction to push you, but how many dribbles to make you take in the process.&nbsp;
Regardless, the point remains the same: Battier influenced not only the way the game is played, but also its preparation &mdash; a feat that few players in NBA history have ever attained.
It looks like the piece fits, after all.
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Tune in for Part IV of Blazing the Trail on Aug. 17, which focuses on Reggie Miller &mdash; the moving target.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-rashard-lewis-all-star-stretch-four-orlando-magic-stan-van-gundy-dwight-howard-hedo-turkoglu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part II: "Rashard Lewis, the All-Star stretch 4."</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-blazing-the-trail-steve-nash-phoenix-suns-mike-dantoni-raja-bell-steph-curry-all-time-great-point-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to read Part I: "Steve Nash, the magician who danced in the paint."</a>

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa focuses on two-time All-NBA defender Shane Battier and his role as a next-gen defender.

Blazing the Trail: Shane Battier, the data-ball defender

Dallas Wings forward Isabelle &ldquo;Izzy&rdquo; Harrison earned the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of May for her continued efforts to help marginalized communities and advocate for mental health, the WNBA announced today.
Harrison has a passion and commitment to community service. At the start of her 2022 season with the Wings, she participated in the Dallas Wings' Fresh Kicks Giveaway in collaboration with national non-profit&nbsp;HaveASole&nbsp;benefiting youth at&nbsp;For Oak Cliff, a local nonprofit," said the WNBA's press release. "At the event, they provided 55 children living in a marginalized community with free shoes, valued at over $5,500. Harrison engaged with the youth and served as a &ldquo;personal shopper,&rdquo; offering encouragement, inspiration and fashion tips. She went above and beyond, answering questions, taking pictures and signing autographs with the event attendees.
In addition to her dedication to working with marginalized communities, Harrison is also a mental-health advocate. She consistently finds way to use her platform for good and find a way to inspire those in the community.
Almost two years after attempting suicide, an WNBA fan reached out to Harrison to thank her for providing hope and encouragement during a very dark time when he was struggling with mental health. Last May, she reached out to the fan with an all-expenses paid trip featuring courtside seats to a Wings game against the New York Liberty at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. After the game, Harrison gifted the fan a pair of sneakers.
The WNBA Cares Community Assist Award is presented by State Farm and awarded monthly during the season to the player who best reflects the WNBA&rsquo;s passion to make a difference in the community.

Dallas Wings forward Isabelle “Izzy” Harrison earned the WNBA Cares Community Assist Award for the month of May.

Isabelle Harrison receives WNBA Cares Community Assist Award for May

ATLANTA (July 27, 2022) - Overtime Elite announced the signing of two elite prospects today - point guard ZZ Clark and small forward Tyler Bey. Keeping the momentum of OTE Signing Week, both players bring dynamic skills and athleticism to the league as it prepares for its second season of elite basketball. Clark and Bey join other highly-coveted prospects including Naas Cunningham, Trey Parker, Kanaan Carlyle, Jahki Howard and Bryson Tiller as OTE&rsquo;s newest signees. Both players signed a scholarship option preserving their NCAA basketball eligibility.
With season two on the horizon, Clark and Bey will compete against some of the best teenage basketball players including Ausar and Amen Thompson, Jazian Gortman, and Alexandre Sarr. Building on the success of OTE&rsquo;s historic first season, Clark and Bey&rsquo;s games will be showcased for millions of fans this season across social media channels and YouTube.
Clark is a 6&rsquo;2&rdquo; point guard from Brentwood, Tennessee. He committed to Illinois after a standout sophomore season at Windermere Prep in Orlando, Florida. The strong, explosive guard averaged 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.3 steals leading his team to a 20-8 record before losing in the FHSAA Class 3A regional semifinals to the eventual state champions during his sophomore season. He played AAU for The Skill Factory this summer. His brother, Skyy Clark, will be a freshman at Illinois this fall.
&ldquo;If you&rsquo;ve seen ZZ play, you know he&rsquo;s an electric playmaker in the open court,&rdquo; said Tim Fuller, OTE Vice President of Recruiting and Player Personnel. &nbsp;&ldquo;His unparalleled discipline makes him a true floor general, and the competition in our program is going to help maximize his potential to be a lockdown defender.
&ldquo;ZZ is joining a group of elite ball handlers at OTE and I&rsquo;m excited to see him thrive in our league,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Director of Player Development. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be pushed daily to be the best playmaker, and I&rsquo;m looking forward to seeing his confidence on the court translate into competition.&rdquo;
Bey is a 6&rsquo;8&rdquo; small forward from Newark, New Jersey. Last year, he played at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California and helped lead them to a city championship. Being from New Jersey, he&rsquo;s played for the NY Rens with former OTE, and current San Antonio Spurs player Dominick Barlow and new OTE signee Naas Cunningham before playing for the Oakland Soldiers this summer. &nbsp;Long, athletic and capable of hitting shots from deep, he has three and d potential at the next level and has seen his recruitment take off this summer. Bey plays hard and is very active on the offensive glass.
&ldquo;The striking thing about Tyler is his tremendous size and skill for his position,&rdquo; said Tim Fuller, OTE Vice President of Recruiting and Player Personnel. &ldquo;His activity on the glass makes him a valuable rebounder who will bring a scrappy energy and unmatched work ethic, and his consistency will add skill and depth to our league.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;The first thing I noticed about Tyler is his size and his potential for development,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Director of Player Development. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s committed to the work and has seen the benefits of our OTE resources through his relationship with Dominick Barlow. I&rsquo;m excited to see him follow in Dom&rsquo;s footsteps and take advantage of all the development opportunities in our league.&rdquo;
Every contracted OTE player is offered a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs. Starting this season, players have the option to choose a scholarship or salary option.&nbsp;
ABOUT OTE
Overtime Elite (OTE) is a professional basketball league featuring top 17-20-year-old domestic and international players. There are three teams in the league, and games are played primarily at the OTE Arena in Atlanta. OTE, owned and operated by Overtime, brings fans as close as possible to the action through broad digital distribution on accounts that have millions of followers.&nbsp;
While playing in the league, players receive innovative, cutting-edge education and training to prepare them for college and professional basketball. OTE's three founding sponsors are State Farm, Gatorade and Meta Quest.

Both ZZ Clark and Tyler Bey add elevated talent to an already top-tier class ahead of OTE's second season.

ZZ Clark and Tyler Bey Sign with Overtime Elite for Season 2

The Washington Wizards are planning to hire James Posey as an assistant coach on Wes Unseld Jr.&rsquo;s staff, sources confirm to Basketball News.
Posey will return to the NBA sidelines for the first time since 2019, when he ended a six-season tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach. In Cleveland, Posey worked closely with head coach Tyronn Lue and played a pivotal role in the Cavs&rsquo; four-straight Finals appearances, including the team&rsquo;s championship run in 2016.
Last season, Posey served as an assistant coach under Tina Thompson with the University of Virginia women&rsquo;s basketball program. He also coached NBA Draft prospects at the Tampa Bay Pro Combine over the last two years, going undefeated in back-to-back years.
Prior to coaching, Posey played 12 seasons in the NBA and won two championships as a player &ndash; with the Miami Heat in 2006 and Boston Celtics in 2008.&nbsp;
In addition to the Heat and Celtics, Posey had stints with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets and Indiana Pacers. Over the course of his career, he averaged 8.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.2 threes and 1.1 steals across 864 games.
In recent years, Posey has also had success in the media space, becoming a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/james-posey">podcast host and columnist with Basketball News</a>. His podcast (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-posecast-hosted-by-james-posey/id1529937541">"The Posecast"</a>) features great conversations with notable guests such as Ray Allen, Clyde Drexler, David West, Antoine Walker, Zach Randolph, Chamique Holdsclaw, Charles Oakley, Bonzi Wells and more.

The Washington Wizards are hiring James Posey as an assistant coach on Wes Unseld Jr.’s staff, sources confirm to Basketball News.

Washington Wizards hire James Posey as assistant coach

Damian Lillard's new contract with the Trail Blazers is a point of pride for the six-time All Star who has spent his entire career in Portland.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think that you earn something like this just by going out there and scoring a bunch of points," he said. "Something that&rsquo;s missing in our league is character, and the fight and the passion and pride about, you know, not just the name on the back, but the name on the front, and how you impact the people that you come in contact with."
Lillard agreed to a two-year extension through the 2026-27 season. A person with knowledge of the negotiations said the deal is worth $225 million.
Lillard formally signed the extension with his son on his lap and his grandmother watching by phone from Oakland. He spoke at a news conference Saturday evening at the NBA's summer league in Las Vegas.
Lillard will make about $59 million in 2025-26, then about $63 million the next year, said the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the extension has not been announced.
He&rsquo;ll make about $137 million over the next three seasons, before the extension begins.
&ldquo;There are two kinds of teams: teams that are looking for superstars and teams that are looking for one. We&rsquo;re lucky enough to have one,&rdquo; Blazers coach Chauncey Billups said. &ldquo;One who wants to be here.&rdquo;
Lillard was limited to 29 games this past season because of a core injury that required surgery. The Blazers finished 27-55, their worst record since 2005-06.
While Lillard was sidelined, the team cleaned house, pulling off a number of trades before the February deadline &mdash; including sending backcourt teammate CJ McCollum to New Orleans &mdash; that got the Blazers under the luxury tax and freed up cap space.
The Blazers then made a series of offseason moves to build around Lillard. Portland acquired Jerami Grant from the Detroit Pistons and signed free agent Gary Payton II, who was key to Golden State's championship run.
Lillard played with Grant on the gold medal-winning U.S. team at last year&rsquo;s Tokyo Olympics. Grant averaged 19.2 points in 47 games last season with the Pistons.
Lillard said he believes the team is headed in the right direction.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m as anxious as I&rsquo;ve ever been to get out there and make something happen," he said. "I&rsquo;m in a great space mentally and physically. I&rsquo;m gonna come into this season comfortable and ready to do me, and do me at the highest level.&rdquo;
Lillard, who turns 32 on July 15, said that in addition to healing his body over the past several months, he also got a mental break that he believes will make his a better player going forward.
&ldquo;In my entire career, I haven&rsquo;t been injured. I&rsquo;ve had one injury that put me out, and that was when I was in college and I broke my foot. And that was the last time that I got to step away,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t recreate myself, I just charged back up and I came back and I was better than I had ever been.&rdquo;
He has averaged 24.6 points in his career. He was selected as a member of the league&rsquo;s top 75 players as part of the NBA&rsquo;s 75th anniversary celebration this past season.

Damian Lillard signed a two-year extension with the Blazers, and he's excited about the franchise's offseason moves.

After extension, Damian Lillard looks forward to re-tooled Blazers

Keep track of where the top 2022 undrafted free agents are headed after draft night.

Menlo Oaks