SB Nation - Kevin Love

Something Special Brewin? Malcolm Jones Honored As Gatorade National Player Of The Year

Nestor — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:08:15 -0000

Many of us have followed college athletics long enough to know that we shouldn't always get too excited about hype around big time recruits. It is especially true these days in the world of college basketball. Sometimes recruits in hoops such as JF, AA, and KL live up to all the hype. Other times, well I don't think I have to go through the details of the Ben Ball ~~warriors~~ class of 2008 (you can also read the comments in this thread which will go back much further).

Same dynamics also play out in football to a certain extent (even though in football it takes recruits traditionally a year or two to make discernible impact in the program). I think we can write post after posts on who has worked out (MJD, Brian Price, Akeem Ayers, Rahim Moore, XSF) and who hasn't (Ben Olson, Aundre Dean ) in recent years in Westwood. Yet, every once in a while we read and hear about a recruit in football or hoops, and we can't help but hope for something special when everything looks and sounds right about his arrival to Westwood. Well, if you haven't yet then meet Malcolm Jones. He just became the first UCLA football recruit ever to be honored as the Gatorade National High School Player Of The Year:

The LAT writeup provides the eye popping numbers:

Jones, a running back-linebacker, has scored 109 touchdowns in his four-year prep career. This season, he has rushed for 2,156 yards, putting him 40 yards short of tying the single-season school record held by Marc Tyler. He has 36 touchdowns and is nearing 6,000 yards rushing in his career.

Jon Gold from the Daily News had the following comment from MJ's team-mate on how emotional he was yesterday:

"You should have seen the expressions on his face when he was walking out of class," Oaks Christian quarterback Nick Montana said with a wide smile. "He was with his family, biggest smile on his face; I haven't seen him smile like that in a while. He was tearing up a little bit - it was awesome to see."

Well congrats to Malcolm from the entire BN. We have a little more on him after the jump.

Gold sheds a little more light on Malcolm as a student and person off the field:

Jones maintains a 3.46 grade-point average and announced in early October that he would play for UCLA, choosing the Bruins over expected front-runner Stanford. Additionally, Jones is a peer tutor and a youth basketball volunteer referee.

"He's realizes I think that he's really blessed," Marshall Jones Sr. said. "He takes his blessings as something he should utilize for the good of himself and others. And that's what makes me proud of him.

"He's a better person than he is a football player."

He also has the right perspective heading into UCLA next season:

"I really wanted to go to a school where I can really make a name for myself, not just be the "next" star running back at a USC or one of those big-time colleges," Jones said. "I want to prove to everyone that I can really help turn the program around, get them back on top."

Sounds like a Bruin already. lol Here he was few weeks ago reflecting on his team's season, his commitment to UCLA, and the looming CIF playoffs:

Well, Malcolm is going to lead his 13-0 Oaks Christian team into tonight Northwest Division championship game against Gardena Serra. He has played on three consecutive section championship teams.

In terms of some previous history on this award, I should note in hoops it was KL and Jrue Holiday who were also honored as Gatorade NPOY (as I said in my opening grafs, we have mixed records). Previous honorees as Gatorade NPOY includes names such as Peyton Manning, Emmitt Smith and Jeff George. The list also includes Matt disrespected Barkely (won the award in his junior season), who hasn't really done all that much considering the talent he was surrounded with at Southern Cal.

All that said, it's still a big deal. As noted above Malcolm is the first Bruin recruit to win this award. As excited as we all are about him, what I am even more excited is listening to him, he comes as as the perfect Bruin in the mold of ATV. Keeping my fingers crossed, Malcolm experiences the same level of success as our current senior captain both on and off the field starting next year at UCLA.

GO BRUINS.

Why John Wall could be bad for college basketball

SFBE.NF — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:39:02 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

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When Carmelo Anthony was a freshman at Syracuse, and captivated the nation by single-handedly bringing the 2003 NCAA National Championship to upstate New York, there were no blogs, Billy Edelin was a budding star, and my thoughts on the state of college basketball took a back seat to my careful planning of clandestine meetings replete with hard alcohol to be shared among my high school friends.

But now I am older, blog on an aging laptop, get drunk with my parents, and am realizing that John Wall is severely exposing a sad truth: the overall talent on display in college basketball is unimpressive.

Tonight Wall put up 25 points along with six steals in a fantastic win over UCONN, all part of an electrifying atmosphere at MSG. The problem here is Wall has come in to poop on his peers for one season, all with the intent of peacing to the pros come springtime, forgetting that college basketball even exists. It stinks, but has just become part of the deal for us fans.

Do you remember that incredible class of 2007? Freshman Michael Beasley and Kevin Love were first-team All-Americans, Derrick Rose dominated the second and third weekends of the tournament, and Eric Gordon led the Big 10 in scoring. Just one year before that, Kevin Durant casually averaged 29 points-per-game during conference play and logged 20 games of 30 points or more. Meanwhile, Greg Oden showed up in Columbus for just two-thirds of the season and led the Buckeyes to the title game against Florida. Each one of these players, as you know, came to college for one season with no interest in returning for a second taste. And the whole gig was far too easy for them.

We're relying on 17- and 18-year-old players to generate the majority of excitement and hype for this great sport. You know there was another explosive point guard on the floor tonight? His name was Kemba Walker, a sophomore. Nobody seemed to care. After being ignored by his teammates for the first 25 minutes of the game, Patrick Patterson showed he's one of the country's best big men. But he's a junior, which is so "out" this season. Why aren't we looking to market the players we know are in this relationship for the long run?

If the NCAA bigwigs are watching, I hope they recognize their brand of basketball is in trouble. They need to get on the phone with The League and have a say in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Somehow, someway, we need to ensure that blue chip freshman committing to play college basketball stick around for two seasons. That's all I ask. If they can't summon themselves to do that, then effyou! Go play in Europe, wait to turn 20 and get drafted by the Sacramento Kings, a dismal franchise never seen on national television.

We need help, because Blue Jesus and his disciples will continue to betray fans of the college game.

Tracking the future: Washington prep hoops better than ever

Zach B — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:00:15 -0000

Gary Bell Jr. looks to lead Kentridge to another successful season. (Photo courtest of WaPrepSports.com)

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For many years, Mark Few led his Gonzaga Bulldogs into battle with a roster chalk full of local high school stars. Guys like Richie Frahm, Matt Santangelo, Casey Calvary, and Dan Dickau were all local pacific northwest high school studs that, one way or another, wound up at Gonzaga. In recent years, the number of local Washington or Oregon players coming to Gonzaga has dwindled. Only three scholarship players, Steven Gray, Will Foster, and Andy Poling, hail from the Pacific Northwest. What this would typically suggest is that the quality of basketball has gone down in the area but that could not be any further from the truth. The Seattle/Tacoma area has become one of the hotbeds of college basketball recruiting in recent years. Portland has also consistently produced solid recruits and even some gems like Kyle Singler and Kevin Love. This year, the quality of basketball will be as high as ever in Seattle and Portland and you can bet that the eyes of the Gonzaga coaching staff will be on some of these players. We've covered a number of players during our time at TSSF and we definitely have our list of favorites but with every new year, there is a fresh crop of players to keep an eye on.

In the past few months, it has become clear that Gonzaga has little interest in adding someone in their 2010 class. With only two scholarships available after this season and loaded 2011 and 2012 classes, it is almost assumed that the Zags won't actively pursue anyone this cycle. Only one player still stands out to us at this point in 2010 and that is LaBradford Franklin, a guard from California. Franklin is an excellent scoring point guard and would be a nice addition to the squad. However, with G.J. Vilarino and Grant Gibbs showing glimpses as freshmen, you have to wonder if the guard position is really a need right now. With that being said, we are focusing on 2011 and beyond.

In this particular piece, we will be discussing high school players to watch in the state of Washington. Continue reading after the jump for an in-depth look at the best of the 2011 and 2012 classes.

2011:

Gary Bell Jr. -- Point Guard -- Kentridge High School

The Skinny: Gary Bell Jr. was probably the most underrated player in Washington prep hoops last year. After leading Kentridge in scoring a year ago, Bell took to the AAU landscape by storm with Seattle Rotary Select. He's only a junior this season but is already getting recognized as a legit player of the year candidate throughout the state. With Tony Wroten tearing his ACL playing football this year, Bell will get increased attention at Kentridge and will be expected to make a huge jump. At 6'1'', Bell already has a nice frame for a point guard but needs to add weight to play at the next level. He's got great basketball instincts however and will be one of the most exciting players to watch in Washington.

Recruiting Interest: Offers from Cal, Washington, and Gonzaga. Has been quoted as saying Cal and UW are his current favorites. Mostly all of the Pac-10 is showing interest.

Live in the Seattle area? Here is a link to Gary's schedule at Kentridge. Check him out and report back!

Christian Behrens -- Small Forward -- Tahoma High School

The Skinny: Christian is an interesting prospect. Standing at 6'8'' and a bit less than 200 pounds, Behrens is a low post forward right now that projects as a small forward in college. He's got the Gonzaga-typical big frame with not a lot of weight but is skilled and is a nice scorer. Behrens averaged 21 points a game last season at Tahoma, one of the worst 4A schools in the state. Like Gary Bell, Behrens played his AAU ball for Seattle Rotary which was one of the most talented teams in the country. Christian does most of his damage in the low post and will have to improve his outside game to be a success in the college ranks. I expect him to really blow up this season at Tahoma which may have another rough season.

Recruiting Interest: Christian hasn't had a whole lot of recruiting interest yet but is hearing from a number of Pac-10 schools and Gonzaga. A solid season at Tahoma and a more versatile skill set will net him a number of big offers.

Live in the Seattle area? Here is a link to Christian's schedule at Tahoma. Check him out and report back!

Brett Kingma -- Point Guard -- Jackson High School

The Skinny: Brett Kingma has been described as the best shooter in Washington in years maybe since former Washington star Ryan Appleby came out of high school. He's a very thin guard that stands at about 6'. Kingma and Gonzaga have been linked since his freshman year at Jackson and I would have sworn he was destined to be a Zag. With the recruitment of Gary Bell and the arrival of GJ Vilarino, it seems like Brett has faded to the back but we can never be sure. Everyone expected Kingma to blow up a year ago but he broke his arm early in the season after a hard foul as he went up for a layup. It's pretty easy to fall in love with Kingma's shot just by watching this highlight reel.

Recruiting Interest: At this point all we have really heard is interest from Gonzaga and Washington. But I'd expect teams like Portland, Portland State, Washington State all to have interest in Brett. A big junior year could go a long way. Shooters like him don't come around too often.

Live in the Seattle area? Here is a link to Brett's schedule at Jackson. Check him out and report back!

2012

Anrio Adams -- Point Guard -- Franklin High School

The Skinny: Franklin High School has produced some of the best talent in the Seattle area for years. In recent years, guys like Venoy Overton and Peyton Siva have gone on from the school to play major roles in big time basketball. The next big time guard to come out of Franklin could be Mr. Anrio Adams. Adams, who came to Franklin and played varsity right away stands at about 6'2" but, obviously, is still very skinny. Along with his Franklin team, Anrio came to Gonzaga's team camp over the summer and got a chance to play against guys like Meech Goodson and Steven Gray and did a hell of a job. He's an extremely athletic guard with great length that has a knack for getting to the hoop. His shot will need improvement but Anrio should be an elite prospect very soon. Only a sophomore, look for Adams to make huge waves this year at Franklin.

Recruiting Interest: Only a sophomore, Anrio has flown under the radar and thus his recruitment is mostly local. That'll change soon after a good season at Franklin.

Live in the Seattle area? Here is a link to Anrio's schedule at Franklin. Check him out and report back!

Darien Nelson-Henry -- Center -- Lake Washington High School

The Skinny: I can't express enough how excited I am for 2011 and 2012. Looking at the list of players that are in the state and should have Gonzaga interest, I don't think their is really any need to look beyond the state for solid talent. Nelson-Henry is another example of the great young talent in the state. A full-bodied center that stands around 6'9'', Nelson-Henry has already started to get some huge comparisons. Guys like Kevin Love, JP Batista, and Cory Violette have all been referred to when discussing Darien. He's already got a great feel for the game as a center and he's only a sophomore. Ever since JP Batista left, I think most Gonzaga fans have had a desire for another big bodied, smooth center. Nelson-Henry fits this to a T but, like the other Washington prep studs, he's about to become a very hot commodity on the national scene.

Recruiting Interest: Was at Gonzaga's Kraziness in the Kennel and also has interest in Washington. 2012 is still a ways away so recruiting has still yet to materialize for Darien.

Live in the Seattle area? Here is a link to Darien's schedule at LW. Check him out and report back!

New faces are bound to pop up in the state this season and we'll always keep you up to date on anyone who could be a Zag. Obviously, there are a great number of prospects from the state of Oregon and elsewhere in the country and we'll have a post soon dedicated to those players. Hopefully some of our dedicated readers can get out and see some of these kids and others in the Seattle area. Like I said, there aren't many better places for high school hoops that Western Washington and while Mark Few has gone away from the area a bit in recent years, I'd wager that he is well aware of the outstanding young players in the Sea-Tac region.