#might not be able to catch up next week since I have a basketball tournament coming soon

[vien05]

AvA/M Sticktober Day 3 : "Drama"

pff I think this is my favorite piece so far for sticktober

I kinda wanted to render it just a slight bit so the light on Blue is visible but my screentime limit for ibis paint ran out so... ovo"

also I guess the hand sucked a little

[pink-tonic]

Eye-Catching📰

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Warnings: None

"I have an idea for a new article!" Taeko exclames.

I tilt my head, "What do you have in mind?"

"The leader of the Sports Club just came back from a swimming tournament, and he won! I think that it would be an interesting article to write," she explains to me. Her eyes are practically begging me to give her my approval.

"Sure! I think it would be interesting to hear how he won. When do you want to interview him?" I ask her, and in that moment, I can see a smile form on her face.

"Let's do it right after school!"

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

"I'm kind of nervous," Taeko shyly admits to me. We're already heading to where the Sports Club meets, but I guess she's starting to get more nervous as we approach them.

"Don't worry about it! It'll be really quick! And I'll be asking the questions, so you just have to record his voice," I tell her, hoping that what I say will ease her nervousness.

"Yeah, that's fine. It doesn't seem too bad."

After a minute or two of further walking, we make it to where Rito is. He's currently waiting for the rest of the members to come out of the locker room, but in the meantime, he is doing short stretches to prepare himself for the exercise he is going to do.

"Um... excuse me!" Taeko calls out to the blond athlete.

Rito stops his stretching and looks over towards us. He waves at us, and we return it back.

"Hey, there! What brings the two of you here?" Rito asks us as he looks at the both of us.

"We're here from the Newspaper Club, and we're wondering if we could interview you? If we can do it quickly right now, that would be great!" I explain to Rito, hoping that he would accept my interview.

"Yeah, of course! I would totally love to do an interview! Go ahead and ask," he tells us.

"Oh! Can we record your voice? It would be easier than to write every word you say," Taeko asks him. I can see that she's still nervous even after asking him such a simple question.

"Yeah, that's fine with me!" Rito agrees.

Taeko takes out her phone and taps on the recorder app, and starts recording Rito. I then open my notebook and look for the questions that I already made ahead of time.

"Okay, the first question is how did the tournament go?" I ask the star athlete.

"It went amazing! And I'm saying that partly because I won, and also because I met some really great people there too. Super ambitious people, and that's what I like to see. I hope to be able to do it next year!" Rito happily answers me. A smile is present on his face with every word he says, and you can see the joy in his eyes as he thinks back about the past weeks.

"Students around the school really love your lively personality. They want to know how you got this personality?" I ask one of the questions that Taeko came up with.

"Hmmm... I don't know, actually," Rito tells us before letting out a light chuckle, "It's just who I am if I'm being honest. I've always been this way since I was a child. I guess doing what I love has made me so lively."

"And on that note, when did you find out that you liked doing sports? Did you recently get into it, or did you like doing it while you were younger?" I ask him, diverting from my original questions in order to know more about his past.

"Ever since I was a child, too! At first, I was really into basketball and running, but then I started to swim, and I basically got addicted to it! It's all I've ever been doing since I was, like, ten.

I look over to my right, and I start to notice that the other Sports Club members are starting to come out, so I decide to hurry up.

"We're almost done here. But I'm wondering what type of advice you would give to people who want to do sports or people who don't have much motivation in general?"

"When it comes to sports, I would say to try it and see what happens. Yeah, sure, you'll be new to it and you might not be that great, but the fun part is learning. The more you practice and the more you learn, you'll see how far you've come! When it comes to motivation, I usually motivate myself by reminding myself what I have to look forward to! It can be something small or something big, it doesn't matter! As long as it means something to me - and in this case to you, then that's all that matters!"

"And to end it off, what is something that no one else knows about you?" I ask him the final question, and I close my notebook.

"I have a pet goldfish! And he is my daily motivation," he answers with a heartfelt laugh.

Taeko stops the recording and saves it to her phone.

"It was great talking with you, Rito! This will get published as soon as possible! Thank you for doing it with us."

"Yeah, no problem!"

We start to leave the area, but as we leave I see a familiar face.

It's Ayato.

I notice him, but it doesn't seem that he notices me. He seems to be in some sort of daze, as if he is thinking really hard about something.

To others, it would look like he is just daydreaming, but I'm filled with concern due to how dangerous he can be. What is he planning this time?

"That went really well, actually," Taeko tells me.

I'm taken out of my thoughts, and I snap back to reality. "Yeah, it really was," I quickly respond.

"He is super nice! No wonder people like him so much," Taeko starts off, "I can't wait to publish this in the paper!"

Maybe I'm thinking too hard about this. I shouldn't worry too much, right? Maybe this week will be normal for once.

I continue to walk beside Taeko as we go back to the clubroom, so the meeting can start.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

The Team

Azula Week Day 2: Athlete 

Summary: Azula, a nerd, contemplates joining a sport. 

I see so many fics where Azula is the popular athlete (ya know, ‘cause that actually makes sense lol). So here, have a fic where Azula is a fukkin’ nerd instead. 

She wishes that she were an athlete. 

Maybe then they’d like her more. 

If she could bench press her own weight or outrun the average person. If she could catch a basketball with ease or hit a tennis ball over a net. 

Such isn’t her strong suit. What she can do is debate with words heavy enough to make a person think a hour or so after the tournament finishes and finish a test with a speed to match the school’s strongest trackstar. She can catch the subtle subtext in a novel and deflect misinformation with little trouble. 

But these aren’t the skills that win social points. In fact, they rather hate her for her intelligence. She supposes that it doesn’t matter, she can ignore them for the most part. And for the most part they just ignore her. Typically she works alone during partner activities and is only spoken to if the group next to her is stuck on a particularly difficult question. She sits alone at lunch. 

She doesn’t mind it.

It has been that way for as long as she can remember.

But she has a sneaking suspicion that if her father didn’t have an excess of cash that she’d be on the receiving end of the teasing offered to kids like Aang. 

Or maybe it is Zuko. He has a reputation for stirring up trouble and practically has a reserved V.I.P. chair in the detention all. They use to beat on him and degrade him until he lit a cigarette, drew his hood over his head, and started fighting back.

Not many people bothered him after that. 

Not many people bother her. 

Still, on the odd occasion that she does find herself the subject of harassment, she wishes that she had the athletic skills of Suki, the star of the soccer team or the energy and spirit of TyLee and her cheer squad. 

Unlike TyLee, she doesn’t want these skills to attract the attention of Chan nor Sokka. Nor any of them really. She just want the chance to dodge an unkind word or two. And those come aplenty.

Enough for her to grow used to being called a dork or a dweeb among other things. She can’t particularly disagree with them; she fits the stereotype. Ridiculously smart, yet horribly incompetent at a social funnctioning. 

She isn’t unpleasant to look at; her skin is smooth and free of blemish and her hair is styled nicely. But she is on the lanky side with glasses she thought looked nice until a few nasty comments in. She tries not to wear them if she can avoid it, but thanks to her father’s genetics, her eyesight is rather poor. Too poor to avoid using the glasses. She had, on one occasion, considered contacts. Though, after a spat with an eye infection, went back to the glasses. Perhaps that is one of the many reasons sports don’t come easily to her. If her depth perception is off and she can’t gauge the distance of a ball, how is she supposed to catch or hit it?

It has nothing to do with a lack of balance or skill, Azula realizes. But a lack of practice and perpetually blurry vision. 

She holds her lunch tray and thinks of setting it down by TyLee, but the rest of the cheer team off puts her. Even if it didn’t, things haven’t been the same between the two of them since she joined the squad. TyLee had tossed the honors program and her studies aside for ditzy trips to the mall. 

She has changed too much. 

Part of Azula wishes that she had been the one to do so. 

The same part of her that craved even a moment of popularity. Or at least a break from the verbal harassment. 

She sets her tray onto the table and waits for Chan or one of his jock friends to start in on the false invites to the upcoming homecoming dance. Even if they were real, she’d never accept them. The lot of them are too dull in the head for her tastes. 

Azula finishes her meal and then makes her way towards the tables advertising this year’s extracurriculars. Impulse carries her to the debate team and the science clubs. Like the school sports, the debate team is a seasonal commitment. She signs herself up. The team won’t start until winter hits, so she will fill her excess time with either astronomy or botany. She had part-taken in the literature clubs last year and the history clubs the year before that. This year it is time for science. 

She spares an almost longing glance to the athletics table. Before she can stop herself, she wanders over. Cue a round of snickering and snide remarks. She ignores them and ponders which sport she might have the best shot at. The dance team might work, she is the graceful sort and it would be easy to keep her glasses on. She looks at the date and mournfully accepts that they conflict with the debate team which takes precedence. She sighs. 

“The swim team is looking for more members.” Calls a voice.  

Azula isn’t much of a water person, but she supposes that she has the coordination to execute a proper stroke. “I’ve never swam competitively…”

The girl, who she recognizes as Sokka’s shier, borderline nerdy sister, shrugs. Azula isn’t sure why she hasn’t tried to talking to the girl before, they have the same love of academia. They are both on the honor program. Katara is on the student council--the one Azula would have joined had she not chosen other extracurricular. They have similar interests and social lives. She supposes that their paths simply never crossed.

Katara pulls Azula out of her musings, “we don’t mind training someone from the ground up.” She pauses. “We never have enough members.” She slids Azula a signup form. “Think about it, okay?”

She supposes that she will. 

She takes the form and looks it over. 

The dates work seamlessly. She’d even be able to fit a science club or two.

Azula gives another moment’s hesitation before signing her name and handing it back to Katara. She supposes that this autumn will be an interesting one.

[purplestar69]

Random Waluigi Headcanon

 just a random idea, it all starts after the first Mario Tennis, Waluigi comes home, grabs some food in his... less than neat fridge, but what he didn't know was that his game on a court with pirannha plants, that and a um, less than desirable first contact with one of them (his hand still hurts thinking about it to this day), would result in a little seed staying on his hat, seed that he'd dust off near his kitchen, catching between the cracks. Now, back then, Waluigi had a pretty crappy house from being all, unknown to the rest of the world, heck, it took Wario meeting and "convincing" waluigi to play along with the tennis plan to actually do something with his sport skills at all. Wich meant that the house was still built on dirt, wich meant that the seed fell right under the cracks of the wooden floor of his kitchen. After that, Waluigi had a simple meal and just dozed off to sleep. He woke up to well, a miriad of sounds coming from his kitchen, but it sure sounded like someone was raiding his fridge! At first waluigi thought of a stray animal, then of a homeless man, then waluigi just thought that wario came to "visit", wich calmed him down, until he saw a small Pirranha Plant with leaves forming a sort of collar around his root doing all it could to stuff as much of whatever was still left in the fridge into his tiny mouth! Startled, Waluigi's first idea was to call the only person he knew who could deal with this, being Wario, it took him quite a while, Waluigi wasn't really keen on getting any closer to it, already having his fill of plant bites for his life (spoiler alert : it won't be his last), it took him a bit of calming down and looking at it from his banged up couch, but Waluigi eventually connected the dots, and he soon realized where this plant came from, and why he was so famished, and so small, then he heard the front door being knocked down (again), quickly seeing who it, and smelling who it was all the way from the kitchen, Wario must've ran all the way there judging by the smell. When Wario came up to the kitchen, to get rid of the flowery pest that Waluigi bothered him about while he was busy with, *ahem*, *important business* (eating garlic and lounging around's important for relaxation before risking your life treasure hunting!), when he got there, he couldn't believe what he saw, Waluigi was feeding that weed the food himself ! After Waluigi's explanation he couldn't believe his ears either ! He wanted to *keep* a piranha plant in his own house?!? During the next few years, Waluigi tended to it as a pet, got him a foodbowl, a pillow to sleep on, he even did some "adjustments" to the house for letting the little guy roam about (little paths were dug on the floor, leading to various parts of the house, Waluigi was meeting up with the rest of what he could now call his friends and managed to get himself to improve the house quite a bit, as well as just generally be a more positive person, and the new fella who was always there for him at home sure did help. Obviously he gave him a name, "Wally", fitting enough. Now during those times, and quite probably because of Wally, Waluigi took up Gardening as a hobby, getting a greenhouse built near his house, and quite literally filling it with plants of all sorts, Pirannha plants having their own section, now, while they were all still nice, in general, all of them never really were ever any different than Wally was on his first morning with Waluigi, though he did notice that they never had as much appetite as Wally, even to this day the little guy's a glutton! They were still nice playmates for Wally, but the little weedster was always quite keen on coming back to his owner when he was done with tending to the other plants. At this time, nobody exept Wario really still knew about the fella, Waluigi preffered to keep quiet about raising the same kinds of plants that the princess's two favourite goody two shoes got their butts nipped by enough times to cringe just seeing them on the sport or kart fields. Around what you could, i suppose call the Wii era, Wally, felt a bit... different. Smarter for one, he was always a smart guy for a plant, but not to the point of being able to use the tv remote! Then, it was him growing two leaves on his root that he started to use as makeshift limbs, it was kind of awkward in the first few weeks, but eventually he got the hang of it, still, it was better than waluigi going back from whatever trip to see the remote drenched in drool... all that just made waluigi jollier than even Wario ever saw him, then, the weird pattern at the base of his root started to appear, purple and yellow polka dot pattern, strange, definitely, but nothing else, after that a few days later, near where the polka dot pattern was, Wally started to somehow swell up? This left Waluigi at shock, and with a miriad of questions, what could he do? Was something wrong? Did he get sick? Can plants even get sick? Where could he bring him? He surely couldn't barge into a vet's office with a plant known for being ravenous and ferocious all around, and there was certainely now way that he could contact anyone in the botanist circle about that either, he didn't want his good pal turned into some sideshow! So, he did what he thought was best, he didn't show up to karting, parties or sporting events to take care of his buddy. At that point, things stagnated for a while, he ignored Wario's calls during that period, Wario might bring some unwanted attention, and *he*'s the flower expert, not him! And so, one night, after he made sure that Wally was firmly asleep, he dozed off too. The next day, he woke up to Wally "staring" at him, sitting on the bed next to him, startled, Waluigi fell out of the bed, and realized something, his pal grew legs! Well, little ones, but he sure could move around anyways. Finally Waluigi made the connection like he did many years ago, the collar of petals around him, the sudden growth of limb like leaves, the polka dot pattern, the higher than average intelligence, his palnt was a petey! well, whatever kind of species petey is anyways. It was strange at first, now he surely didn't need those dirtpaths all around his house anymore for one. Though the most important one was something he realized during dinner, now that he could actually get onto a chair and use knives and forks like anyone else could, that he was definetely smarter than a dog for sure! and he could just, follow Waluigi wherever he wanted without needing a pot or something of the sort, wich Wally hated anyways, his pet status wasn't really warranted anymore so, with whatever money he had, he got him a nice little bed next to Waluigi's, sat with him at dinners, got to relax on the couch, heck, the little guy even managed to use a computer quite well, plus, sure, normally, while Wally's quite good at communicating through motions, in terms of actual sentences, he never could muster up more than weird gurgles and gargles, being able to type (well, somewhat, leaves aren't the best for that, but he does what he can), ever since he became an "adult" (Waluigi sure still felt like he was a kid, and really in terms of behaviour he wasn't wrong), it just felt like Waluigi had... a son? Waluigi finally presented him to everyone after that day, who were for one relieved to finally see him come back, heck, ever Wario was crying! Oh, and luigi too, whatever... While not actually signing up to the big events, Waluigi's been training him to be one day, hopefully even better than his "papa Waluigi", he's actually quite good at it, though he's not really a fan of seeing Petey play, he's... not a fan of petey, one time, waluigi actually asked him back home while they were watching a replay of a basketball tournament that happened recently, Wally got up from the couch, and after a minute or two of fiddling with the computer's keyboard, he simply wrote "i dont like him, he gives me a bad rap, that bozer guy raised him like a spoiled brat!!!!!!". Eventually, Waluigi got to set up an audience with Peach to actually legally consider Wally a citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom, Wally's cheeks hurt after that, but the tea was the best he ever had, and she agreed! He actually gets along quite well with most guys, he doesn't really get why Waluigi hates Luigi so much, but tends to be nice to him when he can, but he sure has made pals with Diddy! They're always eager for a match together, and won't miss a mark! Dk also kind of reminds him of "uncle Wario". Wario himself warmed up to him after all that, he usually didn't really like having a carnivorous plant going around after a hard time treasure hunting and having to avoid *other* carnivorous plants, even if he was pretty docile! But now, seeing him play around with Waluigi, he's actually quite nice to him, usually giving him some garlic or money he "found under his couch" to go buy something if he wants, Waluigi usually buys the stuff Wally wants for him though, he's um, a big spender. I think that about wraps it up, hope you guys liked it

[junker-town]

The first college basketball weekend after the Super Bowl lived up to the hype

Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

Duke-North Carolina was nuts, but it was far from the only noteworthy event of the weekend.

As is usually the case, the first college basketball weekend after the Super Bowl was loaded with high-profile matchups, rivalry showdowns, and some ridiculous finishes.

Here are the 10 things you need to know from the most jam-packed weekend of the 2019-20 college hoops season to date.

1. Duke-North Carolina

We don’t need to rehash the two buzzer-beaters or the comedy of hours that set the stage for both to take place. We also don’t need to dive too deeply into how Saturday’s loss probably doomed any hope North Carolina had of salvaging something out of this mess of a season. What does need to be discussed is how the top-16 reveal earlier in the day showcased why this win for Duke might wind up being massively important.

Ever since the NCAA tournament Selection Committee abandoned the standard S-curve in favor of geographical preference for the top four seeds, the top line has typically been a battle for the East, South and Midwest regions, typically in that order. That’s looking like it won’t be the case in 2020. All four teams currently pegged as No. 1 seeds are schools located west of the Mississippi River. This resulted in a situation where on Saturday we found out that if the tournament began today, San Diego State, by virtue of being the “worst” No. 1 seed would be forced to play its Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at Madison Square Garden in New York.

We also discovered on Saturday that Duke is currently regarded as the strongest of the No. 2 seeds, which would also result in the Blue Devils heading to the Big Apple for the tournament’s second weekend. The Garden is like a second home for Coach K’s program, and the Dukies would almost certainly have a crowd advantage at MSG over whatever two teams it would play inside the building.

Duke already has two non-Quad 1 losses on its resume. Adding a third — North Carolina is currently No. 89 in the NET Rankings — would have almost certainly put the Devils behind at least Dayton and Louisville on the Committee’s updated seed list.

Winning round one with UNC may not ultimately wind up the difference between Duke getting New York and San Diego State as its one seed vs. Duke getting sent to the Midwest and having Baylor as its one seed, but for now at least, that’s precisely the situation.

2. Bob Knight back in Bloomington

On a college basketball weekend that saw nearly all of its ranked teams take care of business, the sport’s biggest upset may have been Bobby Knight finally returning to an Indiana game at Assembly Hall for the first time since being unceremoniously fired two decades ago. The eight minute halftime ceremony was touching, it was awkward, and it would have taken on a completely different tone had Knight punched Dick Vitale in the face, which seemed like it might happen for a brief moment.

Definitely thought Bob Knight was going to knock Dick Vitale smooth out on national television. pic.twitter.com/Osv25c3XKb

— Kyle Boone (@Kyle__Boone) February 8, 2020

Oh, by the way, Purdue dominated its arch-rival and won a pretty big game for both teams, 74-62.

3. Seton Hall is running the Big East

Three weeks ago, the Big East appeared to have a strangle-hold on the title of “top to bottom, the most competitive conference in college basketball.” Instead, the league now has a 10-1 team at the top and a 1-10 team at the bottom.

The team at the bottom, of course, is DePaul. At the top is Seton Hall, which went on the road Saturday and took down Villanova, 70-64. The result of that win is that the Pirates are now a full three games ahead of everyone else in the Big East, and remain undefeated in conference road games.

Not only do Myles Powell and company look capable of becoming the first Seton Hall team since 2000 to make the Sweet 16, they look like they have the potential to be the Final Four-caliber squad Pirate fans have spent more than two decades waiting for.

Villanova, meanwhile, has suddenly dropped three straight and is in desperate need of finding its footing before this slide becomes a free fall.

4. Michigan State is reeling

Speaking of high-profile slides, preseason No. 1 Michigan State has now also lost three in a row following Saturday’s 77-68 setback at Michigan.

The good news if you’re a Sparty fan? MSU went through a three-game slide at almost this exact point in the season a year ago. They responded by winning 14 of their last 16 games on their way to winning the Big Ten regular-season title, the Big Ten tournament title, and a trip to the Final Four.

We’re likely going to know pretty quickly if recent history is going to repeat itself in 2020. The Spartans will hit the road to face Illinois — currently tied for second-place in the Big Ten — on Tuesday, and then host league-leading and ninth-ranked Maryland on Saturday.

5. Madness in the Missouri Valley

With all due respect to both of Duke’s buzzer-beaters, this from Southern Illinois was the most impressive finish to a game of the weekend.

MARCUS DOMASK @SIU_Basketball wins a thriller over Missouri State with this buzzer-beater from the freshman! pic.twitter.com/bSkJjOxzrm

— MVC Basketball (@ValleyHoops) February 9, 2020

That’s Ronnie Suggs with the ridiculous pass and Marcus Domask with the even more absurd catch and shoot to lift Southern Illinois past Missouri State. The Salukis continue to be one of the most pleasant surprises in all of mid-major basketball. Picked to finish dead last in the Missouri Valley Conference before the start of the season, they’re now 9-3 in the league, all alone in second place, and just one game behind first-place Northern Iowa.

6. Louisville breaks its Virginia curse

After losing nine straight games to Virginia, Louisville finally got over the hump against the reigning national champions on Saturday. As is typically the case when these two get together, the game was weird.

Virginia entered Saturday having not scored more than 65 points all season and ranked 348th in the country in three-point percentage (27.2 percent). It promptly canned 11-of-22 from beyond the arc and hung 73 points on a Louisville team that entered the day No. 18 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency. None of it was enough, as the same Cavalier team that came into Saturday allowing opponents to score just 50.4 PPG let Louisville go off for 80. The previous high for an ACC foe against Virginia had been 63.

On Ken Pom, where massive ranking shifts are typically limited to the first two months of the season, Virginia’s offense jumped from No. 274 in the country to No. 228. Louisville’s offense moved from No. 15 to No. 8, and its defense fell from No. 18 all the way down to No. 31.

The projected final score for the game going into the day had been Louisville 59, Virginia 49.

7. Humanity in the Pac-12

Early in the second of what would ultimately be an 81-74 Colorado win, Stanford’s Oscar da Silva was momentarily knocked unconscious after being inadvertently elbowed by the Buffaloes’ Evan Battey. The elbow sent da Silva to the floor, where his head slammed against the court and began bleeding.

Battey, who suffered two seizures and a stroke in 2017, immediately broke down and began crying. Seconds later, players from both teams and both head coaches huddled on the floor to say a prayer for da Silva.

It was humanity, not just sportsmanship, that took center-stage this past weekend. Must-read from @TheAndyKatz: https://t.co/dA8nMrJ2jH ( - @Pac12Network) pic.twitter.com/4jkMRjc2w6

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) February 10, 2020

“I saw how shook up Evan was,’’ Colorado coach Tad Boyle told NCAA.com’s Andy Katz. “I told McKinley (Wright) to get them together. It was spontaneous, not choreographed. Both teams connected. Everybody who knows Evan knows how special person he is, a caring human being. He’s like that in his everyday life. Nobody appreciates being on the basketball court like him.’’

“Sportsmanship isn’t the right word (for what happened),’’ said Stanford coach Jerod Haase. “It was human decency. This was a human story, not sportsmanship. There were real emotions with real people. There was so much high character on both teams.’’

Da Silva, who is Stanford’s leading scorer, was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a head laceration and stitched up. There’s been no initial word on when he’ll be able to return to the court.

8. Auburn-LSU gets nuts

Until Duke-North Carolina happened, it didn’t seem like anything was going to be able to surpass the madness we saw in the battle for first place in the SEC between Auburn and LSU.

Though each team tried to give the game away at the end of both regulation and overtime, it was Auburn, which trailed by as many as 15, which walked away with the 91-90 OT win. The winning basket came off the hands of J’Von McCormick, who needs to practice his post-shot celebration for the next time this happens.

A+ shot by J’Von McCormick. F- celebration. pic.twitter.com/Q4acKE78ag

— Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) February 8, 2020

“Never leave your feet without a plan” is solid basketball advice for both in-game action, and break in the action celebrations. If you’re going for the mid-air bump, you better be damn sure your leaping partner is just as committed to the act as you are. If he’s not, you’re gonna end up looking like a small fish leaping out of water.

9. Gonzaga makes its case

We’re into the heart of the annual national debate over Gonzaga basketball. With the Zags once again sitting as a top contender to be a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday, the “they’re actually good” and the “they don’t play in a real conference” sides have once again loaded themselves down with all the familiar ammo and are set to fire back and forth for the remaining few weeks of the regular season.

The “they’re actually good” side received a jolt late Saturday when Mark Few’s team went into UCU Pavilion and absolutely hammered arch-rival Saint Mary’s by 30. Gonzaga had five players score in double-figures, it led by 25 at halftime, and was never remotely threatened by a Gaels team that is No. 39 in the NET.

The Zags are now 25-1 overall, 11-0 in the West Coast Conference, and have won those 11 league games by an average of 20.6 points per contest.

10. Darrell Walker can dance

One of the best stories in college basketball right now outside of the power conferences is what Little Rock is doing in the Sun Belt. Picked to finish 11th in the 12 team conference before the start of the season, the Trojans are currently 12-2 in the league and in first place by a full three games.

After winning a 90-87 nail-biter over rival Arkansas State on Saturday, Little Rock head coach Darrell Walker had to let his guys know that he can still move.

Had to show the young fellas some real moves after a rivalry win. pic.twitter.com/rIHduCoOmh

— Darrell Walker (@CoachWalker_LR) February 9, 2020

That’s the look of a head coach who hasn’t lost since Jan. 11.

[shervonfakhimi]

The Nerdtastic Blog Boy Unscientific NBA Mock Draft 1.0.

The NBA Draft takes place a little more than a week from now, where craziness and madness will surely ensue. Trades and draft picks will be made in hopes to catch the Golden State Warriors. No one knows what will happen and no one knows who is going to be great or who will bust. It is the ultimate guessing game, and I’m going to do my best at guessing it all.

1. PHX - DeAndre Ayton C Arizona: Chill, Devin Booker. It’s going to be a while before you become the next Shaq and Kobe, but you alongside DeAndre Ayton will be a killer duo that will finally bring Phoenix alive from the dead. Ayton is a 7 footer who runs like a gazelle and can score potently from anywhere on the floor. Protecting the rim could be a potential issue, as he dumbfoundedly spent the majority of his season in Arizona not playing his primary position as center (we call this the Sean Miller special), but showed some skill guarding on the perimeter. The hometown kid should be a homerun for Phoenix.

2. SAC - Luka Doncic PG/SF Real Madrid/Slovenia: It would be very Kings-y to pass on who I believe to be the best player in the draft, but there are reports he can possibly slip and that Sacramento is willing to trade back. Nevertheless, I’m willing to give Sacramento and Vlade Divac the benefit of the doubt of not messing this up, even though they’ve lost almost all credibility for me to do so. Luka is averaging over 20 points per 36 minutes in the 2nd best professional league in the world along with over 6 assists and 7 rebounds, per basketball reference. He is capable of creating a shot from anywhere on the floor for himself or others and can guard multiple perimeter positions with his size. He’s a steal even at 2, let alone anywhere below this spot. Don’t mess it up Sacramento!

3. ATL - Mo Bamba C Texas - Take care people. This man is over 7 feet tall with a 7’10” (an NBA record!) wingspan, is faster than Russell Westbrook and is equipped with a now smooth 3 point shot. Granted, everyone looks like Steph in an open gym, but not many are rim protecting extraterrestrials like this man is. If his appearance on ESPN’s ‘The Jump’ is any indication, Mo Bamba’s an extremely bright, hard-working, interesting person who seems more likely to improve than bust at the next level. He needs to get stronger, and I wish he played with a little more nasty at Texas, but if he keeps improving, Rudy Gobert with a legit 3 point shot seems nowhere near out the question with Mo Bamba.

4. MEM - Marvin Bagley III C Duke - Ahh Mike Krzyzewski. You had many to believe Jayson Tatum was not a good defender and made all us look silly. This year, you raised the stakes and forced Duke to run a zone all season long after getting shredded repeatedly defensively. Bagley is a streaky shooter (39% but in the 60s% from the free throw line) who should theoretically be able to guard about anybody in the now-positionless NBA, but did not showcase that as often. He is a menace finishing around the rim and would make a perfect fit alongside Marc Gasol in hi-low sets being set up for easy dunks.

5. DAL - Jaren Jackson Jr. PF Michigan State - Defense is not the question with Jackson, who showed potential of being able to guard everybody on the floor defensively and stretch the floor offensively from 3 (39.6% on 2.3 attempts per game, 79.7% from the Free Throw Line). Jackson struggled making the correct reads on the move and finishing in the lane, but should benefit from boosted spacing in the NBA instead of inexplicably playing with one or even two centers at Michigan State (this, we call, the Tom Izzo special), where he might be the nominal center on the floor. Jaren Jackson is exactly the personification of the positionless game the NBA has trended towards and should be able to fit in any situation from the jump. Keep in mind he’s one of the youngest players in the draft as well (born 9-15-1999). Maybe that’s why teams are trying to trade up to be able to draft him.

6. ORL - Trae Young PG Oklahoma - Trae Young was every NBA2K player’s dream, controlling the ball at all times and continuously jacking Curry-esque 3s from anywhere on the floor. Orlando is desperate for excitement and Young should bring that. Certainly his defense will need work and Orlando must create a scheme to fully maximize his skill set, but Orlando is in dire need of a point guard capable of creating offense from anywhere on the floor, and Young can certainly do that.

7. CHI - Wendell Carter Jr. C Duke - Contrary to popular belief, Wendell Carter Jr. is actually younger than fellow Devil teammate Marvin Bagley III, who reclassified to become eligible for this upcoming draft. Carter’s game is more complete than Bagley’s, perhaps without as high an upside. Like Bagley, Duke’s zone, limited spacing and, for some reason, excess in centers didn’t let Carter unleash his full repertoire, which he should do in the NBA. He and Lauri Markkanen would make a lethal big man duo.

8. CLE - Collin Sexton PG Alabama - Ok, who the hell knows what is going to happen here. Cleveland could trade for help now, maybe they could trade back to get more picks since LeBron excised almost all of them. Collin Sexton is the happy medium. The Young Bull can help right away with rugged defense (if Cleveland’s red carpet defense in the Finals was any indication, they need help there) and another ball handler who can create and give LeBron some rest.

9. NYK - Michael Porter Jr. SF Missouri - Michael Porter Jr. was supposed to be a lock inside the Top 5, but then injured his back and played all but two minutes in the regular season. He returned in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments, but looked more like a fullback rumbling into the end zone than the fluid scoring machine he is. Perhaps it is risky to draft another player with injury concerns after Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL while baptizing Giannis Antetokounmpo, but this type of talent normally doesn’t come around with the 9th overall pick. Maybe redshirt him too?

10. PHI (via LAL) - Mikal Bridges SG Villanova - Mikal Bridges is probably my favorite player in this draft. He’s smart, plays hard, defends the best playmaker on the opposing team and can really stroke it from deep. He’s the perfect player for today’s NBA and would fit seamlessly as a guy who doesn’t need the ball on a team trying to win now.

11. CHA - Kevin Knox II SF UK - Get this: another player was hurt by the lack of spacing in the college. Surprising, I know. This hurt as Knox struggled a bit in traffic, but he has a smooth shot and game overall, as he became a maven running off screens and hitting spot up shots at Kentucky. Knox should be able to kill bigger defenders as a shot making stretch 4, though will have to add muscle to defend some of them.

12. LAC (via DET) - Lonnie Walker IV PG/SG Miami (FL) - This might end up being the steal of the draft. Lonnie Walker’s fit in Miami wasn’t the cleanest with a like-minded player in Bruce Brown running the show with him, but was still able to showcase an ability to hit spot up shots on the perimeter, get after it defensively and play make out of pick and rolls. Pair him next to a pass first point guard, and Lonnie could be this year’s Donovan Mitchell. Which leads to the next pick...

13. LAC - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG Kentucky - Shai came on in Kentucky’s postseason run, controlling the tempo of games the opposite way you’d imagine freshman point guards would. He’s a skinny Kyle Anderson with a better ability to make shots. He could easily end up being the best point guard in this draft, and the Laker fan in me hates the idea of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lonnie Walker IV running together in the same backcourt.

14. DEN - Miles Bridges SF Michigan State - If you were taking drinks for each time it was mentioned a player was used improperly, well get ready for another one. Tom Izzo stuck Bridges as a small forward and go to optio in the half-court offensively when that isn’t his strong suit. Picture him as an Aaron Gordon-Julius Randle hybrid running down the floor slamming outlet passes from Nikola Jokic. Pretty lethal if you ask me.

15. WSH - Robert Williams C Texas A&M - Get ready for another drink! Robert Williams is a Capela-esque rim running lob threat who amazingly was used in 16 pick and rolls all season! Only 9 (yes, 9!) of those possessions did Williams roll to the rim, per Mike Schmitz of ESPN. John Wall is one of the better pick and roll facilitators in the NBA, meaning Williams could feast on more of these in the NBA with spacing surrounding him.

16. PHX (via MIA) - Aaron Holiday PG UCLA - This dude is a baller. Similar to his brother Jrue, Aaron is a hound defensively who can also play both on or off the ball offensively. He’d make for a perfect fit alongside DeAndre Ayton, Devin Booker and Josh Jackson.

17. MIL - Zhaire Smith SF Texas Tech - With reports Jabari Parker may not get re-signed, it would be prudent for Milwaukee to draft his replacement. He only shot 1 3 a game, making 45% of those, but can switch seamlessly across the floor. He’s a great complement alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.

18. SA - Kevin Huerter SG Maryland - Doesn’t he just seem like the ultimate Spur? Huerter showed at the combine some sneaky athleticism and playmaking along with his lethal jumper. He just had thumb surgery, but should not drop Huerter’s stock much, if at all.

19. ATL (via MIN) - Troy Brown SF Oregon - Troy Brown is one of the youngest players in the draft as well, turning 19 in over a month from now. He’s a little raw as a creator with the ball, but fits the bill of a wing in today’s NBA. There’s a lot to work with him for Atlanta.

20. MIN (via OKC) - Jacob Evans III SF Cincinnati - Evans is a tough, quintessential ‘3-&-D’ wing the NBA is starved for. I just hope Tom Thibodeau doesn’t run his knees to the ground so Jacob Evans sustains a long, fruitful career.

21. Utah - Keita Bates-Diop SF Ohio State - Bates-Diop is a mismatch nightmare as a long 6’7” wing who can score from either forward position and switch across the floor. Utah is a team that needs scoring from anywhere they can find it to help ease the load off Donovan Mitchell, and Keita should fit like a glove and contribute on both ends immediately.

22. CHI (via NOLA) - Chandler Hutchison SF Boise State - Chicago has reportedly promised Hutchison they’d take him at 22. Yes, I somehow took the time to watch Boise State basketball (no, the court isn’t blue too) and he resembled Tobias Harris; Hutchison showed he can score in isolation situations and play off the ball as well. Him rounding out a Dunn-LaVine-Hutchison-Lauri-Carter lineup could go a long way in Chicago.

23. IND - Bruce Brown PG/SG Miami (FL) - In the playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers this last April, Indiana was held back by a lack of competent offensive creators outside of Victor Oladipo and Darren Collison. Enter Bruce Brown, who didn’t mesh alongside Lonnie Walker due to the similar games those two possess. Brown can slash and hit spot-up shots and gets after it defensively. He can play now and help Indiana immediately.

24. POR - Jerome Robinson PG/SF Boston College - Portland is desperate for wings who can playmake and stretch the floor to give Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum room to operate. They could’ve gotten one last year (Kyle Kuzma) but took Caleb Swanigan instead after previously taking another big man in Zach Collins (thanks Portland!) Robinson could be exactly what Portland hoped to get out of Evan Turner and can play now to help get the Blazers into the Western Conference Finals.

25. LAL (via CLE) - Mitchell Robinson C Western Kentucky - The Lakers don’t have the 10th pick in this draft because of the botched Steve Nash trade, but got Cleveland’s pick back for Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson’s suit shorts (thanks Cleveland!). The Lakers lone centers on their rosters are Ivica Zubac and Thomas Bryant, and that doesn’t even include the fact that Julius Randle might end up becoming a roster casualty in their pursuit for 2 max free agents. Mitchell Robinson did not play college basketball in a rather befuddling saga involving him, but is a prototypical rim-running, rim-protecting center the NBA values from their centers these days. He’d fit perfectly along the Lakers’ young, roast heavy core.

26. PHI - Khyri Thomas PG Creighton - You want Patrick Beverley? You got it. Khyri is a hound defensively and would instantly bring a defensive skill set they lack at the guard position. He can play alongside both Markelle Fultz (if his shot is revived this summer) and Ben Simmons. Both Thomas and Mikal Bridges would do all the dirty work for Philly.

27. BOS - De’Anthony Melton PG USC - Marcus Smart might become too pricey for Boston to keep this summer. Should that be the case, why not prepare for that scenario and draft his replacement, a near carbon copy with a better shot? That’s what De’Anthony Melton needs, though he needs more seasoning after being ineligible for the FBI investigation that loomed over NCAA Basketball.

28. GS - Donte DiVincenzo SG Villanova - On April 2, 2018, the basketball world was introduced to a hot, rising star: Donte DiVincenzo’s twitter acc- uh, oh shit, no, I meant Donte DiVincenzo! Yes, the Villanova guard torched Michigan in the NCAA Championship game, securing me a win in our bracket pool. (*someone yells from the crowd: ‘No one gives a damn!’*) Ok fine, I’ll get to Donte DiVincenzo. He is very similar to fellow champion Mikal Bridges; he competes extremely hard, is very smart defensively, can hit tough shots from 3 and even create with the ball in his hands. As Golden State looks to trim the 6 million centers off their roster, they should search for more two-dimensional wings, which is what DiVincenzo is. He can play now and look for a repeat of championships of his own.

29. BKN (via TOR) - Josh Okogie SF Georgia Tech - Okogie took off at the NBA Combine. He’s big and feisty as a wing, able to guard anyone in his path. He’s raw with the ball in his hands, but still just 19 and could learn the ropes from DeMarre Carroll, who Brooklyn took on to extort this pick from Toronto. This would be a great pick for the Nets.

30. ATL (via HOU) - Anfernee Simons PG IMG - To close out the first round, we go to someone who was not even in college last season. Simons is sort of like a baby Markelle Fultz with less seasoning. His feel is not quite Fultz’, but possesses similar scoring ability from all levels of the court. Should Simons have gone to college, he likely would’ve gone higher next year. But nothing wrong with getting your money now. Atlanta is the perfect type of situation for him to enter to go through the growing pains of the NBA on a team right in the middle of their rebuild.

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CANTLON'S CORNER: XL CENTER REMAINS ALIVE AND KICKING

CANTLON'S CORNER: XL Center Remains Alive and Kicking

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Despite a never-ending drama replete with plenty of dire predictions about the future of the XL Center, the building continues to live and breathe - for at least two more years. Despite all the existing problems, the CRDA acknowledges they have been able to secure the short-term future of the building after getting all the current parties to sign new contracts despite the building's future remaining as nebulous as ever. In a wide-ranging interview with CRDA Executive Director, Mike Freimuth, he remains pragmatic and sanguine about the building. It has been a major emphasis for the CRDA in its entire tenure and without an elusive final resolution, they are doing their best to maintain the facility and improve it as best they can. The first deal was in getting MSG to agree to a five-year deal, but just the first two years are locked in. There are three option years in the deal, all of them controlled by MSG and that depends on the building’s status. There is a re-negotiation clause should the building be sold. Both the UConn men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s hockey programs do not as of yet have a done deal in place. We're still in discussions," Freimuth said. "We have a lot of areas of agreement and there are some details still to be hammered out. Its really about what their rights and obligations should be if the building is sold. Every party had a different viewpoint, so, it has been a lot to address and the only unique twist to it.” UConn signed an LOI (Letter of Intent) agreement nearly two years ago, It only goes into effect if the building is fully renovated. “Unless the legislature grants the money to be appropriated, the deal doesn’t go into effect. If it was granted, and the $250 million is approved, they would have a twenty year and at least 30-game commitment. "The key word is IF the legislature makes the commitment. The word IF is a very big word here and it hasn’t manifested itself at all. "Any investor would want to see how that could play out.” "The RFP (Request For Proposal) process that will seek to open to the wider business community to come in to purchase the XL Center as per the last bonding issued for the building. Not that the state and city will sell its interest but they're seeking to find a majority owner with deep pockets to deal with the gargantuan task of rebooting the arena who's plan is now nearly three years old and has only gotten a fraction of the revenue they need and the clock is ticking on the XL Center. “The target date to get it on the street is at the end of April. The request will be for private investment that could manifest itself as a sale or could manifest itself as a public-private partnership which we attempted last summer (and received just one response). The question still outstanding is, 'how this will take shape?' The idea is we'll have it out for sixty-days and by mid-summer, so over the summer period we can review the applicants and go forward sometime in the fall.” When asked if his preference was a public-private route, Freimuth was indifferent. “I’m pretty agnostic on that. Either pathway is going to be complicated financially and legally. Neither looms as an easy pathway, any way you look at this. We'll wait to see what materializes first and move forward from there.” The time frame was slightly extended. “People have to go through the books, review the building and the application. In reality, we hope to catch some people’s attention, like I said review things in the summer and hopefully and put something in place in the fall. "We have some complicating factors, like an election in the fall, because in all likelihood, there will be legislative changes required on this, regardless of which we way we go, and whoever is here (both the new governor and legislature). "We have to play it by ear as to how much public money might be available or necessary. Right now, we really have more questions than answers at this point. These are notoriously difficult deals, generally very complex. It takes a learning curve, not only at the management level, and it would require legislative approval and/or changes to the statute. "It will take major work and will take place in a transition period in leadership (in state government).” It will take a company or individual with very deep pockets to get this project across the finish line. Companies like an MSG or a Comcast would certainly qualify as prospective suitors. Freimuth was asked if they have had any contact with the CRDA. “We have had inquiries, but neither from MSG or Comcast. We have been approached by groups that do investments in public projects and several large ones from across the country. It’s an unconventional investment and its different from the standard public-private partnership. Things like investment strategies, risk tolerance, and the nature of the business they want to get into and is it a complementary business-like business or entertainment and these play out on a variety of platforms. That all doesn’t show on the mast of the building. "It's real estate 101. Those that are probing on this realize we want to know about them and have conversations with them. At this point, the conversations are very, very preliminary and superficial.” The other contract that was finalized was on the naming rights of the XL Center. It will remain that way and they too wanted a re-negotiation clause in their renewal. Read about that HERE. The other elephant in the neighborhood is the atrium portion of the XL Center. It's still owned by Northland Corporation and its been in the discussion stage for two years and still with no resolution in sight. “We haven’t spoken in a bit, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been any activity. We have completed the two appraisals (one from each side) the second one (of the CRDA’s) just came in last week. The board met last Thursday (in executive session) and voted for me to proceed with a formal offer, so that’s what we're about to do." The chances though the two sides might come to a quick, equitable agreement look bleak at this point, with a thorny dispute ongoing about the YMCA building that has now gone public.  Read about that HERE. The Wolf Pack attendance numbers are down to 3,500 per game, and that's boosted by a recent wave of strong crowds. Prior to that, it was hovering around 2,700 per game for most of the season. The Pack presently sit 22nd  in attendance in the AHL. They are at a 4,132 per game average with three home games left. UConn men’s basketball attendance sits at around 7,200 with some good crowds such as Wichita State and the new national champion, Villanova. The women’s squad, who went to the NCAA semi-finals before losing to the eventual champion, Notre Dame, comes in at 8,600 per game with good dates against ND and Cincinnati. UConn hockey attendance was at 2,300 per game with a peak at 4,300 per game for the last quarter prior to their last three home games at the close of the books in February. “We made some progress late in the season with the hockey (Wolf Pack and UConn). The per caps are up on all events." Per caps refers to the concession side of the attendance ledger. "We have seen an improvement in the food and beverage area. There has been some creativity and performance increase there,” Freimuth said. Freimuth was referring to the introduction of the Meriden-based, "Ted’s Nationally Renowned Cheeseburgers," and the "Chick-Fil-A" stand. “The biggest problem over the last year was that we had some poor performing teams. The Wolf Pack, men’s basketball (and UConn hockey for a period of time). The women’s basketball numbers are actually up.  It’s a mixed bag on performance on the sports team front. You can’t fault any one person or management group for that. The other thing is we didn’t land any big concerts this year of consequence. Next year is a different story. We lost a lot of concerts and there are other factors that hit our operating budget hard.” The big concerts set to come for 2018 and 2019 to the XL Center include the Eagles, Journey, Def Leppard, Maroon 5, and the Elton John’s Farewell Tour. “That’s a very nice calendar to have, but to be honest, we lost quite a few shows because of the state admission tax. It really hurt us. While next year promises to be a very good one, and we did secure an NCAA Round 1 men’s basketball tournament. That will be of help, and with an improved men’s basketball team performance (under the guidance of new head coach Dan Hurley), I have a lot  more of an at ease feeling about next year’s budget than where our current one is going to end,” Freimuth said with a duly noted level of sarcasm and laughter. “So, with us securing some good concerts and a trending forwards in our sports team's performances next season, those combinations bode well. All of those are measured up against our breakdown in equipment and other repairs as they crop up and that you really can’t forecast that either. Since he mentioned the state admission tax, Freimuth was asked how much impact that has on the bottom line. "The tax takes $500 million out of our pockets every year." Freimuth, XL Center GM, Chris Lawrence, and Live Nation Connecticut president, Jim Koplik, recently testified before a legislative committee to the draconian and onerous nature of the 10% tax. “The right hand and left hand are working against each other. There is no doubt to the presence of it. It affects our budget and creates a hole in it which in turn forces us to subsidize some of the operations here. It's counter-intuitive, to say the least.” The CRDA budget loss of $800K last year will likely surpass a million this year. “Easily sail north of a million.” Potentially between $1.4 to $1.6 million? “That’s a fair assumption.” U2, the famous Irish rock band on tour and who have played the XL Center their entire thirty-year career, will now be playing at Mohegan Sun in early July is indicative of a number of things. The tax does hurt and the future of the marketplace will only get tighter. They will soon also be competing against the MGM casino in Springfield when it comes online in September, not to mention the marriage between the Mohegan Sun and Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport that starts on July 1st. “You can never really tell why you might gain or lose a show. However, casinos, generally speaking, have the ability to write checks and present guarantees that we can’t. They can use that as a way to invest in getting people into gaming rooms and they don’t have the admission tax. "Throw what it takes to bring a show in and out and, the man-hours involved in those areas alone, the sound systems, the light systems. Throw in having to rewire a place for a new show or concert. It's easier in a new state of the art building than an old one. Building obsolesce issues play a part here. Complicating it is having just one loading dock and the costs they present and put the old building with a 10% admission tax side-by-side with a new building and no 10% tax making most of its money down the hall, not in the concert hall, it doesn’t take a hell of a lot of thinking. The XL is at a serious disadvantage.” For Freimuth, the future looking forward is clear. “Future budgets can’t count on concert revenue. We can count on maybe one or two concerts, maybe (like this year) and get half a dozen. We're not getting the concerts by the dozen like we did years ago. The marketplace has changed and will be changing. You always had certain size shows play Springfield, Bridgeport and when we had New Haven. Now, New Haven is gone. Springfield is owned by the casino, and you have the relationship at Webster with Mohegan. The market is now slicing and dicing into different parts. "What is different is when Springfield was just another building up the street or Bridgeport is the casino’s, they can underwrite things. There are more places to hold shows like the Meadows, the new place in Bridgeport, and we can offer 15 or 16,000 seats. We pickup 50% more revenue because we have 50% more seats. They aren’t putting those kinds of shows on anymore. We caught some lightning in a bottle for next year.” Spectra’s relationship with Live Nation is critical to this small wave of concert good fortune. “Chris Lawrence (XL Center's GM) has developed a good relationship with Live Nation. They have tilled the soil very well over the last three-or-four years. Maintaining this relationship that we have had concerts three or four years in the pipeline. That has helped us make a nickel and kept us in the picture for shows and that is a lot of investment and ground work and it's starting to pay off in securing shows in our portfolio. However, it doesn’t change the reality of dealing with and competing with a casino checkbook.” The recent budget announcement with the CRDA requesting a $100 million dollars, follows last year’s similar request that was whittled down to a $40 million dollars, might seem a bit crazy. “It’s a big ask in an election year, but we need the money. I can spend $25 million on an electrical upgrade tomorrow morning. That is the type of money and issues were dealing with here. I have no idea where the private partnership RFP process is going to end up. Honestly, the building is going to need some heavy cash one way or the other. The larger macro picture is as important of all the micro stuff we have just been talking about. "The macro economics of the building plays a very important role in Hartford. People are just not prepared to say, 'shut it down.' There is a hope that direct private capital can complement public capital to maintain this facility. It's going to require some public investment and that’s what we have been doing over the last four or five years. We wouldn’t be asking for it if we didn’t need it." Freimuth elaborated more on his public testimony regarding the building's structural issues. “It’s just not we need to replace a 40-year-old roof, we need a new kind of roof. These are the things we are up against in seeking shows and other events." Anybody with a flat roof knows how limited a lifespan they have. "(The CRDA) added a lot of extra Arnold Schwarzenegger muscle to the roof 40-45 years ago and water still gets in. Its liners are torn and broken hoses need to be replaced, not as a super structure, but the basics. It leads to some unique issues. We had rigging for the (the recently departed Ringling Brothers) circus but today you need a certain type of rigging system for certain shows and it can be designed and added, but you have have a roof that can support and handle it. That makes you ask, 'Does getting those shows or shows to pay for that addition of a new system?' "If you had 30 of those shows, and you were making money, it changes the rationale of doing the work and pursuing those shows or somebody comes along an outbids you for those shows and that is the fundamentals built into this business. "There are constant changes in this business. In fact, at the Comcast Center in Philly, which is half the age of the XL, they're rebuilding their systems to accommodate the new shows and their requirements. Over at the Convention Center, every week we're going over changes; plugs, wirings, adapters, and all the components to keep it operating. It just was never done at the XL Center over the years.” The $250 million figure of three years ago clearly had to change given the ever-rising costs of construction, materials, and labor. Adding in the interest rates to borrow the money must be an additional cost. “Well, if I had a crystal ball, I could give a full forecast, but the question was  valid number three years ago. It could creep up in some spots. We have never gotten to the hard construction phase yet. It was just bare bones. It was strategic in what we wanted to accomplish. We just haven’t gotten down to hard construction data to take this out and add this in. When you have a budget you always have a contingency there. The longer it sits on the shelf, naturally it will cost more.” With the $40 million in bonding, the CRDA received, they're now working on using it to address serious long term pieces of the XL puzzle that have been ignored. New elevators, LED lighting for the arena, and the purchase of a new modern chiller system for the ice surface will turn force them to find a new and larger spot to house the newer and bigger chiller to replace the present vastly outdated one. “We have a lot of things in the pipeline, things that just have to get done. We put off LED lighting and we put off this capital investment, but we're at the point where lights are failing and to put the same old lighting back in doesn’t make sense. Now you can’t find stuff or complimentary pieces (in some cases its classified under EPA guidelines as light pollution and are no longer available).  Whenever we get the new building, they're going to have to live with it.” So, while the short-term future of the XL Center is secure, the long-term remains very unsettled. Related articles

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Tidjan Keita Is an Intriguing Project Who's More Raw Than Bruno Caboclo

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

Three years and change after being selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the draft, Bruno Caboclo remains as much of a "what if" as he did on draft night. What if that length portends real defensive potential? What if a nice looking shooting stroke starts to fall regularly? What if the development plan for a hyper-raw teenager, one with little professional basketball experience, was better served under the eye of an NBA team rather than a college program or international outfit?

Even as Caboclo enters his fourth season, the "what ifs" remain. What if the Raptors had done things differently? What if they had been able to develop him in the G-League initially, without burning time off of his rookie-scale deal because they didn't have their own affiliate yet? And, of course, what if it all falls into place as Caboclo inches closer to contributing, his defense nearly NBA-ready and his body looking more the part of a power forward every day?

That there are still questions can be frustrating for the impatient, to be sure. It's easy to second-guess things as Caboclo approaches his 22nd birthday, though there's still plenty of time for things to click (like his defense last season suggests they might). Even the Raptors seem to wonder if the path taken was the right one.

"I want to almost blame myself for bringing him too soon to our team," president Masai Ujiri said Tuesday. "But we wanted to see his development, and it's the price we paid. It's the price I paid. I said I wanted to see his development. It's almost like he's gone through college on our team."

Caboclo did not participate in Las Vegas Summer League this year. Still, the Raptors' roster contained a pair of interesting Caboclo-adjacent what ifs: What if there were a player even more raw than Caboclo at draft time, and what if the Raptors could do things differently with him this time around?

Enter Tidjan Keita, the almost entirely unknown 20-year-old who saw eight minutes of action with the Vegas Raptors.

To call Keita an unknown is perhaps an understatement. After entering the 2017 draft, no service other than DraftExpress had him ranked in the top-100 prospects. Even DraftExpress' player page had next to no information on him, and their internal database was just as bare. One independent scout told VICE Sports he had been told not to bother digging too deeply, because there was nothing to find beyond a couple of YouTube workout videos, anyway.

The scarcity of information is due to Keita's relative infancy as a basketball player. It was only in 2014 that he even started playing in his home of Paris, France, and after a year there, he transferred to Thetford Academy in Quebec (the same prep school Chris Boucher, now a Golden State Warrior, played at). Thetford's coaches, Igor Rwigema and Ibrahim Appiah, saw only one practice and one game while recruiting Keita, deciding that glimpse was enough to gamble on. Keita's statistics from Thetford aren't readily available, as his two years at the prep school came on a strong team focused more on bringing along his development than anything else.

In the time since, he's been living and training in Toronto with fellow Raptors summer leaguer Troy Caupain (an interesting prospect in his own right, a former three-sport track athlete with great size for the point guard position). The two have bonded quickly despite the language barrier—Keita is still learning English—spending the bulk of their time together and even attending workouts around the country together, hitting the road with their shared agent, Gary Durrant. Caupain and Keita are on drastically different points on the development curve, but they've forged a quick bond in an attempt to help make each other better.

"I never really had a brother, I'm an only child. As soon as I met him, I knew it was gonna be tough, me being English and him being French," Caupain says. "I was more in a teaching standpoint when I first got around him. I know that he is shy. You gotta get around him, get to know him more. And as I got to know him, once we got to Toronto, it was like it clicked."

Caupain understandably had more interest entering the draft as a four-year point guard who's still just 21. But at 6'10" with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Keita's measurements alone are enough to intrigue, and so five different teams brought him in for a pre-draft workout, too. That included the Raptors, who called Keita in on short notice as an injury replacement.

His performance in that setting was enough to warrant a longer look, and the Raptors moved to bring him in for Vegas.

Keita jacking shots at Las Vegas Summer League. Photo by Blake Murphy

"You know, for him, he's an amazing story," says Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, who usually runs the pre-draft workouts. "He's someone who was a replacement player for one of our draft workouts. We didn't even have him tagged at that level and someone got injured or whatever it was, and he sort of shows up, and he just played with a tenacity and a ferocity that sparks your interest. His size, his length, is really impressive.

"He's super raw, but as he learns the game, there's an excitement of what he could potentially do. Because you see his ability to jump, to block shots, his length, that's special. Finding those special things is a coach's dream. And then working with it over time to develop it into a basketball player is the next step."

Catching the attention of the Raptors was step one. While he didn't get to show a ton in limited minutes, his length is obvious, and he glides effortlessly in the air. In practices and shootarounds, he shows consistent range out to the corners, has a nice one-step-in short-corner push shot, and Caupain says behind closed doors, he's coming along as a pick-and-pop threat above the break. Keita played primarily at the five even though he prefers playing the stretch-four role, but his size dictates he'll probably be a center in the modern NBA, and banging with bodies like Jalen Reynolds and Kennedy Meeks was a quick lesson in how far his body will have to come. Coaches (and one-man orientation committee Lucas Nogueira) were impressed with how Keita picked things up over the course of the two weeks, and he spent the bulk of the time with a smile on his face, embracing the challenge.

"I think it's just fun for him," Mahlalela said. "We had a practice and DeMar [DeRozan] practiced with us and played a little bit. And Tidjan got matched up with DeMar for a second. To me, that's magical, that's incredible. That's an experience that he's gonna walk away with, and that's really good."

In Keita's first action in Vegas, Caupain fed him for a dunk, a fitting nod to their relationship. He missed his only other field-goal attempt in the tournament, a three, and picked up a pair of fouls.

"I learned a lot of the game," Keita said in Vegas. "It feels good. First dunk in the NBA."

There's still a long ways to go for Keita, which is why the situation is so interesting. The comparison between he and Caboclo is perhaps unfair given that they are somewhat dissimilar players stylistically at this point, but it's an easy one to draw given the attributes that make them attractive prospects, some of the roadblocks they face at the same point, and because Caboclo is sort of the benchmark for rawness in a prospect.

"He's a guy, he's been playing basketball for three years. Like, literally. He makes Bruno look like he was far along in the process when we got Bruno," Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman says. "That's not in a negative way, it's just that it's gonna take work. It's, who knows where it goes from here? He's shown enough flashes that it's kind of like, wow, for a guy who's playing for three years to get to this point in NBA summer league, it's pretty impressive."

Where Keita goes from here is an intriguing question. Normally a player this inexperienced coming out of prep school would be headed to college or an international pro team, either playing small minutes or landing in a lower division. Keita's camp wants him in North America, though, where he can continue picking up the language and learning the NBA system, and they're hopeful he can land in a situation where a team wants to continue to track his progress from up close. (There was second-round interest in Keita as a draft-and-stash pick, but Durrant was forthright that they didn't want Keita overseas.)

Where the Raptors kept Caboclo on the NBA roster for lack of a G-League affiliate at the time, Keita would seem to be a fit for development at that level, off the NBA books (the a risk of another team plucking him on a two-way contract would be minimal given his distance from the NBA at this stage). If the Raptors are interested after that extended look, they could invite him to Raptors camp and make him a G-League Affiliate Player, select him in the G-League draft, or hope he goes undrafted and add him as a local tryout player.

There are options, and it sounds as if the Raptors are at least intrigued by Quebec's latest mysterious basketball export.

"He has all the athletic tools, he's long, he's athletic. He's young, he just needs to continue to work fundamentally, learning the game, because he has all the skills," head coach Dwane Casey says. "I don't know that he's ready to be an NBA player right today, but he has all the physical skills. That jumping ability, running the floor. Most young players have to learn how to play without the ball, play with four other guys on the court, spacing, defensive rotations. All of those things will come, and he has all the tools, the size, the length to play at a high level."

Given that it's taken Caboclo three seasons to get to the precipice of potential NBA minutes, the timeline for Keita will probably be a longer one. They're not the same player, but the message will be similar: Keita will need to add plenty of size, to learn the game, the language, how to translate skills and tools into actual production, to, above all else, get minutes. If that's with Raptors 905, he'll be free from the pressures of an NBA contract, of "two years away from being two years away," and, eventually, of comparisons to Caboclo.

He's his own prospect, a unique blend of length and touch and eagerness, and as the NBA puts more and more of an emphasis on long-term player development, he might be the next big "what if."

Tidjan Keita Is an Intriguing Project Who's More Raw Than Bruno Caboclo published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[junker-town]

A guide to the 2017-18 college basketball season for diehard college football fans

So you’ve been too distracted by football to pay attention to college basketball. That’s ok. You’ve missed a lot, but there’s still plenty of time to catch up.

I know why you’re here. I don’t really understand it, I absolutely don’t approve of it, but I accept it.

I know you only watched bits and pieces of the Maui Invitational because it was an alternative to Thanksgiving family interaction. I know you’ve only seen Trae Young in brief highlight videos on YouTube. I know you have, at best, a very limited understanding of who Pantelis Xidias is.

I know you’re only here because college football is over. It’s cool. You’ve been missing out, but it’s cool. That overtime was crazy.

Thankfully, we at SB Nation college basketball have been living and dying with every dribble that has occurred since the evening of Nov. 10, and we’re here to answer every question you would have asked if you hadn’t been so consumed with SEC rage for the last five months.

Hit me with some questions.

Ok so who is good?

Uh, well you’re actually joining the fray at a bit of an awkward time for that. Sixty percent of the teams in the AP poll lost at least once last week, including four of the teams ranked in the top five. We’ve had three different No. 1 teams, and all three have been knocked from that pedestal after being beaten by an unranked team.

Villanova is 14-1 and back on top of both the polls for the second time this season. West Virginia and Virginia, two teams that also have just one loss, each got votes for the top spot from the AP this week as well. Duke and Michigan State have each lost twice, but both are still safe bets to be in contention for No. 1 seeds a couple months from now.

So what’s the deal with this Trey Young guy?

It’s actually “Trae.”

That doesn’t seem right.

It is.

You’re the expert. So, whatever, go ahead. I guess.

A freshman point guard at Oklahoma, Trae Young has been the biggest thing in college basketball for the season’s first two months. Even though he wasn’t a top 20 player in the class of 2017, Young enters the second week of January leading the country in both points (29.4 ppg) and assists (10.2 apg). The only player in the history of Division I to lead the nation in both those categories at the end of a season was Dick Groat, who averaged 26.0 points and 7.6 assists per game at Duke during the 1951-52 season.

Because of his size, feel for the game, lightning quick release and propensity to pull up from just about any spot on the court, Young has already drawn numerous comparisons to Stephen Curry. Like Curry, Young also figures to have an opportunity to make an even bigger name for himself come March. Oklahoma went just 11-20 last season and wasn’t supposed to do anything overly significant this year. Thanks in large part to Young’s play, the Sooners are currently 12-2, ranked in the top 10, and looking like they’ll be a top five seed come NCAA tournament time.

Weren’t there supposed to be some other really good freshmen though?

Yes. Young’s brilliance has taken some attention away from just how good freshmen like Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Arizona’s DeAndre Ayton have been.

Bagley, the top-ranked player in the class of 2017, has been every bit as good as advertised. The versatile 6’11 big man is averaging 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game for Duke, and has had four games this season where he’s scored 30 or more points and grabbed 10 or more rebounds.

Ayton is a physical freak who is also averaging better than 20 and 10 (20.4 ppg, 11.6 rpg). He might be getting more attention if Arizona, the No. 2 team in the country to start the year, hadn’t gone 0-for-3 at the Battle 4 Atlantis in November. They ripped off a nine-game winning streak after that, but were dealt an upset loss by Colorado over the weekend. Still, yeah, Ayton is really, really good.

Wasn’t there another kid, though? Fultz or something?

Markelle Fultz is a rookie in the NBA now. He was the No. 1 pick in the draft last year.

But I don’t remember him playing in college at all.

That is completely understandable. You’re not alone.

Who am I thinking of?

My guess is Michael Porter Jr. of Missouri, the guy who was the No. 1 player in the 2017 class before Bagley reclassified.

Reclassifying is so weird to me. Like, you can just decide that you’re done with high school before you even start your senior year and everyone is just, like, “cool, go get ‘em in college?”

Yes, reclassifying is very weird, but we don’t have time to get into that.

So what’s Porter’s deal? How good has he been?

Well, it’s a little tough to explain.

Porter started Missouri’s first game of the season, but played just two minutes before being pulled because of a mysterious injury. That injury kept him out for the next week and then later kept him from even sitting on the bench because Missouri said it was too uncomfortable for Porter to sit, so he had to watch the games lying down in the locker room.

Eventually, it was announced that Porter would have microdiscectomy surgery of the L3-L4 spinal discs. It was also announced that the procedure would keep him off the court for three to four months, basically meaning that Porter’s college career lasted an entirety of two minutes.

ALTHOUGH, for the last couple of weeks, Porter has been making vague social media posts hinting that he might be back for Missouri before the end of the season. It could be a worthwhile cause for Porter. The Tigers are 11-4 with a couple of decent wins and no atrocious losses. Porter’s return could be what gets them back into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2013.

Show me come cool dunks.

Ok. Unnecessarily demanding and also not a question, but ok.

So how bad is the SEC this year? SEC basketball fever, right? haha.

Umm, actually the SEC sort of might be pretty good at basketball this year. Kentucky doesn’t look quite as formidable as they have in years past, but Florida, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama all have the potential to make the tournament and potentially make some noise once they’re there. It should be an extremely competitive conference, and one of the most fun leagues to follow for the next two months.

So it’s the best conference?

I wouldn’t go quite that far.

The Big 12 currently has four teams ranked in the top 12 and five in the top 16. The league posted the best combined record in non-conference play, and each member of the league is currently at least four games above .500.

Kansas gonna win it for the 7,000th year in a row?

It does not appear to be a sure thing this year, but if Kansas does win at least a share of the Big 12 regular season for the 14th year in a row, it would break a tie with UCLA for the most consecutive league titles all-time.

So they’re gonna do it?

Yeah, probably.

Hey show me some buzzer-beaters.

We’ll start with William & Mary’s Oliver Tot, who had played 18 minutes without recording a single stat before doing this:

And then we’ve got a little bit of Stanford’s Daejon Davis for your brain:

And then we’ll wrap things up with this different buzzer-beater from Florida’s Chris Chiozza:

How’s Rick Pitino’s team doing?

Pitino was fired just before the start of the season after an FBI probe into college basketball revealed that one of his assistants had been working with adidas to funnel money to a recruit. Former player and assistant David Padgett is serving as Louisville’s interim head coach.

FBI probe into college basketball? Tell me more.

We don’t have time. Here’s a summary of every team, coach and player that has been affected.

Gonzaga good again? I bet Gonzaga’s good again.

Gonzaga’s pretty good.

Wichita State?

Even better.

DePaul?

Nope.

Ahh, I was just testin’ ya. Any chance the Big Ten breaks that national championship drought?

It’s possible. The conference on the whole isn’t especially great, but both Michigan State and Purdue would seem to have a realistic chance at winning six straight in March. They’ll also have an extra week to prepare for the Big Dance. The Big Ten is playing its conference tournament at Madison Square Garden a week earlier than the other power conferences are playing their league tournaments.

Only in New York.

Only in New York.

What about the West Coast streak? Any chance a team out there can win it all and break that streak?

Also possible, but less likely. Arizona State has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, but lost its first two Pac-12 games. Arizona is still one of the most talented teams in the country, but hasn’t been able to put it all together just yet. Gonzaga, as mentioned earlier, is good again, but they don’t seem to be quite as built for March as they were a year ago.

So what’s your Final Four?

We’re not doing this.

Why not?

It’s pointless to pick a Final Four when so much of who makes up the Final Four is based on tournament draw. I could wind up picking three teams that all end up in the same region on Selection Sunday.

Just do it.

Duke, Michigan State, Villanova and ... someone wild ... give me Seton Hall.

Did Rumeal Robinson really get fouled in 1989?

We’re done here.

[flauntpage]

Tidjan Keita Is an Intriguing Project Who's More Raw Than Bruno Caboclo

This article originally appeared on VICE Sports Canada.

Three years and change after being selected with the No. 20 overall pick in the draft, Bruno Caboclo remains as much of a "what if" as he did on draft night. What if that length portends real defensive potential? What if a nice looking shooting stroke starts to fall regularly? What if the development plan for a hyper-raw teenager, one with little professional basketball experience, was better served under the eye of an NBA team rather than a college program or international outfit?

Even as Caboclo enters his fourth season, the "what ifs" remain. What if the Raptors had done things differently? What if they had been able to develop him in the G-League initially, without burning time off of his rookie-scale deal because they didn't have their own affiliate yet? And, of course, what if it all falls into place as Caboclo inches closer to contributing, his defense nearly NBA-ready and his body looking more the part of a power forward every day?

That there are still questions can be frustrating for the impatient, to be sure. It's easy to second-guess things as Caboclo approaches his 22nd birthday, though there's still plenty of time for things to click (like his defense last season suggests they might). Even the Raptors seem to wonder if the path taken was the right one.

"I want to almost blame myself for bringing him too soon to our team," president Masai Ujiri said Tuesday. "But we wanted to see his development, and it's the price we paid. It's the price I paid. I said I wanted to see his development. It's almost like he's gone through college on our team."

Caboclo did not participate in Las Vegas Summer League this year. Still, the Raptors' roster contained a pair of interesting Caboclo-adjacent what ifs: What if there were a player even more raw than Caboclo at draft time, and what if the Raptors could do things differently with him this time around?

Enter Tidjan Keita, the almost entirely unknown 20-year-old who saw eight minutes of action with the Vegas Raptors.

To call Keita an unknown is perhaps an understatement. After entering the 2017 draft, no service other than DraftExpress had him ranked in the top-100 prospects. Even DraftExpress' player page had next to no information on him, and their internal database was just as bare. One independent scout told VICE Sports he had been told not to bother digging too deeply, because there was nothing to find beyond a couple of YouTube workout videos, anyway.

The scarcity of information is due to Keita's relative infancy as a basketball player. It was only in 2014 that he even started playing in his home of Paris, France, and after a year there, he transferred to Thetford Academy in Quebec (the same prep school Chris Boucher, now a Golden State Warrior, played at). Thetford's coaches, Igor Rwigema and Ibrahim Appiah, saw only one practice and one game while recruiting Keita, deciding that glimpse was enough to gamble on. Keita's statistics from Thetford aren't readily available, as his two years at the prep school came on a strong team focused more on bringing along his development than anything else.

In the time since, he's been living and training in Toronto with fellow Raptors summer leaguer Troy Caupain (an interesting prospect in his own right, a former three-sport track athlete with great size for the point guard position). The two have bonded quickly despite the language barrier—Keita is still learning English—spending the bulk of their time together and even attending workouts around the country together, hitting the road with their shared agent, Gary Durrant. Caupain and Keita are on drastically different points on the development curve, but they've forged a quick bond in an attempt to help make each other better.

"I never really had a brother, I'm an only child. As soon as I met him, I knew it was gonna be tough, me being English and him being French," Caupain says. "I was more in a teaching standpoint when I first got around him. I know that he is shy. You gotta get around him, get to know him more. And as I got to know him, once we got to Toronto, it was like it clicked."

Caupain understandably had more interest entering the draft as a four-year point guard who's still just 21. But at 6'10" with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Keita's measurements alone are enough to intrigue, and so five different teams brought him in for a pre-draft workout, too. That included the Raptors, who called Keita in on short notice as an injury replacement.

His performance in that setting was enough to warrant a longer look, and the Raptors moved to bring him in for Vegas.

Keita jacking shots at Las Vegas Summer League. Photo by Blake Murphy

"You know, for him, he's an amazing story," says Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, who usually runs the pre-draft workouts. "He's someone who was a replacement player for one of our draft workouts. We didn't even have him tagged at that level and someone got injured or whatever it was, and he sort of shows up, and he just played with a tenacity and a ferocity that sparks your interest. His size, his length, is really impressive.

"He's super raw, but as he learns the game, there's an excitement of what he could potentially do. Because you see his ability to jump, to block shots, his length, that's special. Finding those special things is a coach's dream. And then working with it over time to develop it into a basketball player is the next step."

Catching the attention of the Raptors was step one. While he didn't get to show a ton in limited minutes, his length is obvious, and he glides effortlessly in the air. In practices and shootarounds, he shows consistent range out to the corners, has a nice one-step-in short-corner push shot, and Caupain says behind closed doors, he's coming along as a pick-and-pop threat above the break. Keita played primarily at the five even though he prefers playing the stretch-four role, but his size dictates he'll probably be a center in the modern NBA, and banging with bodies like Jalen Reynolds and Kennedy Meeks was a quick lesson in how far his body will have to come. Coaches (and one-man orientation committee Lucas Nogueira) were impressed with how Keita picked things up over the course of the two weeks, and he spent the bulk of the time with a smile on his face, embracing the challenge.

"I think it's just fun for him," Mahlalela said. "We had a practice and DeMar [DeRozan] practiced with us and played a little bit. And Tidjan got matched up with DeMar for a second. To me, that's magical, that's incredible. That's an experience that he's gonna walk away with, and that's really good."

In Keita's first action in Vegas, Caupain fed him for a dunk, a fitting nod to their relationship. He missed his only other field-goal attempt in the tournament, a three, and picked up a pair of fouls.

"I learned a lot of the game," Keita said in Vegas. "It feels good. First dunk in the NBA."

There's still a long ways to go for Keita, which is why the situation is so interesting. The comparison between he and Caboclo is perhaps unfair given that they are somewhat dissimilar players stylistically at this point, but it's an easy one to draw given the attributes that make them attractive prospects, some of the roadblocks they face at the same point, and because Caboclo is sort of the benchmark for rawness in a prospect.

"He's a guy, he's been playing basketball for three years. Like, literally. He makes Bruno look like he was far along in the process when we got Bruno," Raptors assistant general manager Dan Tolzman says. "That's not in a negative way, it's just that it's gonna take work. It's, who knows where it goes from here? He's shown enough flashes that it's kind of like, wow, for a guy who's playing for three years to get to this point in NBA summer league, it's pretty impressive."

Where Keita goes from here is an intriguing question. Normally a player this inexperienced coming out of prep school would be headed to college or an international pro team, either playing small minutes or landing in a lower division. Keita's camp wants him in North America, though, where he can continue picking up the language and learning the NBA system, and they're hopeful he can land in a situation where a team wants to continue to track his progress from up close. (There was second-round interest in Keita as a draft-and-stash pick, but Durrant was forthright that they didn't want Keita overseas.)

Where the Raptors kept Caboclo on the NBA roster for lack of a G-League affiliate at the time, Keita would seem to be a fit for development at that level, off the NBA books (the a risk of another team plucking him on a two-way contract would be minimal given his distance from the NBA at this stage). If the Raptors are interested after that extended look, they could invite him to Raptors camp and make him a G-League Affiliate Player, select him in the G-League draft, or hope he goes undrafted and add him as a local tryout player.

There are options, and it sounds as if the Raptors are at least intrigued by Quebec's latest mysterious basketball export.

"He has all the athletic tools, he's long, he's athletic. He's young, he just needs to continue to work fundamentally, learning the game, because he has all the skills," head coach Dwane Casey says. "I don't know that he's ready to be an NBA player right today, but he has all the physical skills. That jumping ability, running the floor. Most young players have to learn how to play without the ball, play with four other guys on the court, spacing, defensive rotations. All of those things will come, and he has all the tools, the size, the length to play at a high level."

Given that it's taken Caboclo three seasons to get to the precipice of potential NBA minutes, the timeline for Keita will probably be a longer one. They're not the same player, but the message will be similar: Keita will need to add plenty of size, to learn the game, the language, how to translate skills and tools into actual production, to, above all else, get minutes. If that's with Raptors 905, he'll be free from the pressures of an NBA contract, of "two years away from being two years away," and, eventually, of comparisons to Caboclo.

He's his own prospect, a unique blend of length and touch and eagerness, and as the NBA puts more and more of an emphasis on long-term player development, he might be the next big "what if."

Tidjan Keita Is an Intriguing Project Who's More Raw Than Bruno Caboclo published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[junker-town]

NBA mock draft 2017: The Knicks get lucky and land the No. 1 pick

Markelle Fultz goes to the Knicks in our latest mock draft.

Phil Jackson wants a fresh start for the Knicks. If the ping-pong balls in the NBA draft lottery bounce like they did for this mock draft, he’ll get his wish.

We’re using ESPN’s lottery machine to randomize the draft order for every mock leading up the lottery on May 16. Last week, the Lakers landed the No. 1 spot. This time, the Knicks cash in a 5.4 percent chance at the top pick.

This exercise shows just how much a little lottery luck can change the future of a franchise. The Lakers fell to No. 6 on the lottery machine this time, which means their pick conveyed to the Philadelphia 76ers. In this mock, the Sixers now have two top-six selections, while the Lakers lose this year’s pick plus another first rounder in 2019.

For more on the 2017 NBA Draft, check out our running list of who’s in, who’s out and who’s still on the fence. We miss you, Miles Bridges and Robert Williams. Let’s mock!

1. New York Knicks - Markelle Fultz, PG, Washington

Landing in New York would be a major change of pace for Fultz. He’s been flying under the radar about as much as a future No. 1 overall pick can over the last few years.

Fultz was a late riser as a recruit who couldn’t even make varsity as a sophomore at D.C. powerhouse DeMatha Catholic. Once he ascended to five-star status as a junior, he picked the Washington Huskies over all of the blue bloods. Washington finished 9-22, missed the NCAA tournament and played most of their games while the rest of the country was asleep.

It’s a safe bet that Fultz will be able to make the adjustment. He’s the total package as a point guard and should be a future superstar. Pairing him with Kristaps Porzingis would be trouble for the rest of the league. The Knicks deserve to catch a break once every three decades.

2. Orlando Magic - Lonzo Ball, PG, UCLA

The Magic have been joyless and terrible since trading Dwight Howard in 2012. Can one player really change that? If anyone is up to it, it’s Lonzo Ball.

Throw Evan Fournier and Mario Hezonja on the wings, Aaron Gordon at the four and Bismack Biyombo at the five, and suddenly Orlando looks like a team that could push the tempo and put shooting around the perimeter. That’s how Ball played at UCLA. It worked wonders for the Bruins.

3. Philadelphia 76ers - Josh Jackson, SF, Kansas

The Sixers have needed a two-way wing for years. Jackson is the best one in the draft. He does his best work defensively, but he should also thrive getting out in transition next to Ben Simmons. Basketball-wise, the big question will be his jump shot. It doesn’t look pretty, but Jackson hit a hot streak at the end of the year that boosted his three-point percentage up to a respectable 37.8.

NBA teams will have to investigate a troubling episode where he allegedly attacked a teammate’s ex-girlfriend’s car.

4. Boston Celtics - Jonathan Isaac, SF, Florida State

Falling to No. 4 would be the worst case scenario for Boston. If it happens, swinging for the fences with Isaac would be an interesting move.

The 6’10 wing from Florida State looks like the highest upside player on the board. He projects as a great, versatile defender with a burgeoning offensive skill set. If his jumper is for real, the Celtics will have a perfect power forward for the modern NBA.

5. Phoenix Suns - Jayson Tatum, SF, Duke

The popular sentiment is that Ball is the most polarizing talent in the draft, but Tatum is a close second. He was considered a top-2 recruit from the moment his class started being evaluated, but he showed some holes in his skill set even during a productive freshman year at Duke. Namely: who does he defend and how deep is his shooting range?

Still: there’s never been a better time to be a versatile 6’8 wing in the league. It’s easy to think Tatum has a high floor even if his ceiling isn’t as high as others in this range.

6. Philadelphia 76ers - Malik Monk, SG, Kentucky

The Sixers need shooters around Ben Simmons and Monk is possibly the best shooter in the class. If Philly ends up with two picks in this range, he’s an easy selection alongside a player with a more complete skill set like Jackson.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves - Lauri Markkanen, PF, Arizona

The Wolves would be in a tough spot if the board broke this way. They don’t need a point guard with Kris Dunn and Ricky Rubio on the roster, so De’Aaron Fox and Dennis Smith Jr. don’t fit. Miles Bridges might have worked here as an explosive wing, but he opted to go back to school. Same goes for Texas A&M power forward Robert Williams.

Markkanen comes with major question marks about his defense, but he’s an incredible shooter at 7-feet tall. He and Karl-Anthony Towns would form a unique front line in Minnesota.

8. Sacramento Kings - De’Aaron Fox, PG, Kentucky

Fox turned in the signature performance of the season when he dropped 39 points on Lonzo Ball in Kentucky’s Sweet 16 victory over UCLA. His game is defined by speed: from the moment he enters the NBA, Fox will be one of the fastest players in the league. He’s aggressive on both ends of the floor and a thrill to watch when he’s cooking. The only question is his jump shot.

9. Dallas Mavericks - Dennis Smith, PG, NC State

Smith is talented enough to go in the top five. If he falls to No. 9, the Mavs will have a steal.

The NC State freshman is an ultra athletic lead guard who has drawn comparisons to Eric Bledsoe. Please watch him drop 32 points in a win over Duke in January.

10. Sacramento Kings - OG Anunoby, SF, Indiana

The Kings have already invested a lot of first round picks in the front court with Willie Cauley-Stein, Skal Labissiere and Georgios Papagiannis. Buddy Hield — big like Klay and shoots like Steph! — will be entrenched at off-guard. After taking a point guard in Fox with their first pick, the Kings need a wing.

Picking Anunoby requires a leap of faith. He tore his ACL in January, and didn’t have the breakout offensive season many expected before that. Still, he projects as the best and most versatile defender in this class if he’s healthy. His defensive upside and athleticism is worth the risk.

11. Charlotte Hornets - Frank Ntilikina, PG, France

We had Miles Bridges pegged at this pick last week. So much for that. Ntilikina — still only 18 years old — works for Charlotte too because he has the length to defend either backcourt spot and shoot from three.

12. Detroit Pistons - Zach Collins, C, Gonzaga

Two years ago, Collins was the third string center at Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman High School behind Chase Jeter and Stephen Zimmerman. Now he’s a certified lottery pick after breaking out in the Final Four for Gonzaga. Stan Van Gundy loves a versatile big man and Collins fits that profile.

13. Denver Nuggets - Justin Jackson, SF, North Carolina

It seems like there’s a fringe first rounder who decides to go back to school and turns himself into a lottery pick every year. Last season, it was Buddy Hield. This year, it’s Justin Jackson. Both players led their teams to the Final Four, but Jackson’s North Carolina Tar Heels finished the job by winning the national title.

Jackson was always a three-point shot away from turning into a first rounder. He found it as a junior and it changed everything for his NBA hopes.

14. Miami Heat - Jarrett Allen, C, Texas

Allen has quick feet and long arms. He might not be an instant impact rookie, but the Heat are in a position to draft a player with the best long-term potential. Allen fits the billing.

15. Chicago Bulls - Donovan Mitchell, SG, Louisville

Mitchell has the most interesting stay-or-go decision in the draft. If he goes back to Louisville for his junior season, the Cards will be a top-five team in the preseason polls and a trendy pick to make the Final Four. This spot would be on the optimistic side of his draft projection, but the Bulls could use an athlete and defender of his caliber.

16. Portland Trail Blazers - Isaiah Hartenstein, PF, Germany

The Blazers got a chance to see what Hartenstein looked like on the Moda Center floor at the Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored 10 points for the World team. He’s a big body and fluid athlete with a nice face-up game.

17. Indiana Pacers - T.J. Leaf, PF, UCLA

The Pacers have been looking for a shooter at the four for two years now. Pairing Leaf with a young center in Myles Turner would give the Pacers great front court spacing for years to come.

18. Milwaukee Bucks - D.J. Wilson, PF/C, Michigan

Wilson is projected at No. 34 on DraftExpress right now, but I’m sticking with my wildest first round prediction. Here’s what I wrote last week:

No one has Wilson rated this highly, but that didn’t stop the Bucks from drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thon Maker. At 6’10, 240 pounds, Wilson hit 41 threes (at 37.5 percent) and blocked 51 shots for Michigan as a junior. If Milwaukee is looking for an insurance policy for Jabari Parker, Wilson might be worth a shot.

19. Portland Trail Blazers - Terrance Ferguson, SG, Adelaide (NBL)

Ferguson hit six threes at the Moda Center last year in the Nike Hoop Summit. Portland could use a bigger wing and more shooting. Ferguson would be a steal if he falls this far.

20. Atlanta Hawks - Justin Patton, C, Creighton

The Hawks are in prime position to groom a young center behind Dwight Howard. Patton projects as a two-way big man with good speed and a soft touch around the rim. He exploded on the college scene this season after being hit with a redshirt last year as a true freshman at Creighton.

21. Oklahoma City Thunder - Luke Kennard, SG, Duke

Kennard is a ruthless scorer who ascended from a role player to No. 1 option as a sophomore at Duke this year. He’d add some much added shooting to OKC’s perimeter.

22. Brooklyn Nets - Harry Giles, PF, Duke

Giles is the hardest player to project in this class. The former No. 1 overall recruit has an unfortunate history of knee injuries and it slowed him down this year at Duke. Drafting him is essentially a medical decision at this point.

23. Utah Jazz - Rodions Kurucs, SG, Barcelona II

Kurucs is a draft-and-stash option at a premium position who combines size (6’8) and shooting. He could go higher than this.

24. Toronto Raptors - Ivan Rabb, PF, Cal

Rabb hurt his draft stock by deciding to go back to Cal for his sophomore season. He still projects as a quality role player in the front court with a soft touch around the basket.

25. Orlando Magic - Tyler Lydon, PF, Syracuse

The Magic have needed shooting in the front court for years. Lydon didn’t get a ton of attention as a sophomore for a Syracuse team that missed the NCAA tournament, but he has first round talent.

26. Portland Trail Blazers - Devin Robinson, SF, Florida

Robinson is an elite athlete with a high defensive ceiling. His NBA success will likely come down to his jump shot. He made major strides as a junior at Florida this past season, hitting 39.1 percent of his shots from deep.

27. Nets - Jawun Evans, PG, Oklahoma State

Evans led the country’s most efficient offense as a sophomore at Oklahoma State. He’s short (6-foot) but can shoot, pass and dribble while providing pesky perimeter defense.

28. Lakers - John Collins, PF, Wake Forest

Collins put up 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds this season on 62.2 percent shooting from the floor as a sophomore at Wake Forest. The man can score the ball. His defense is a question mark. He could go 10 spots higher than this.

29. Spurs - Jonathan Jeanne, C, France

Jeanne is a long big man who projects as a rim protector. When in doubt, give the Spurs an international player.

30. Jazz - Wesley Iwundu, SF, Kansas State

A big wing defender with a good feel for the game, Iwundu’s NBA chances depend on his jump shot.

[junker-town]

College basketball schedule 2017: Times, TV coverage, and scores for Feb. 3

A Pac-12 showdown between Oregon and Arizona headlines what should be another wild Saturday in college hoops.

Last week, college basketball gave us just one Saturday showdown featuring a pair of top 25 teams. What was supposed to be a mild day and night of hoops turned into a wild 14-hour span loaded with upsets.

This week has the potential to give is our fill of both. There are a heavy dose of dangerous games featuring ranked favorites, but also three showcase tilts with two top 25 teams going head-to-head.

That number would be four, but the North Carolina-Notre Dame game has been pushed back to Sunday because of a water-main break of 1.5 million gallons in the towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill on Friday afternoon. The game will now be played in Greensboro on Sunday at 1 p.m., and will be televised on ESPNews.

Here are a bunch more games that will be nationally televised, but all of them will be played on Saturday.

MUST WATCH

No. 23 Purdue at No. 17 Maryland (12 p.m./ESPN)

It’s a bit mind-boggling that a program as high-profile as Maryland could be off to the best start in school history (20-2) and still be ranked no higher than 17th. The biggest reason for that is that the Terps haven’t beaten, or even played, a top-25 team yet this season. One of those facts is guaranteed to change Saturday afternoon. Maryland fans hope both of them do.

No. 5 Arizona at No. 13 Oregon (4 p.m./ESPN)

This is the only time these two will meet in the regular season, which means the game will have even larger implications for both the Pac-12 championship and a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament than it would otherwise.

No. 8 Kentucky at No. 24 Florida (8:15 p.m./ESPN)

It’s hard not to view this game as a referendum on Florida, a team the computers love, but which has just one win over a team that appears to be a lock to make the tournament. If the Gators are able to win, it will also make the SEC race among the three teams at the top of the league standings awfully interesting for the next month.

SHOULD WATCH

No. 9 Virginia at Syracuse (12 p.m./ESPN2)

What the committee chooses to do with Syracuse seems destined to be one of the most interesting storylines of Selection Sunday. The Orange of a handful of just inexplicable losses, but they also seem more likely than not to finish in the top half of the best conference in the country. Racking up a few quality wins like this one would make everyone’s job at least a tad easier.

Pittsburgh at No. 21 Duke (1 p.m./CBS)

Coach K back.

Iowa State at No. 3 Kansas (2 p.m./ESPN)

Whatever the hell is going on off the court in Lawrence seems to be the only thing capable of derailing the work the Jayhawks are putting in on it. The distractions keep piling up, but so do the wins. Only time will tell if that trend can continue.

Kansas State at No. 2 Baylor (3 p.m./ESPNews)

What is up with Baylor always playing on ESPNews? The sports world rarely needs to remember what channel ESPNews is anymore, and 99.9 percent of the time we do, it’s because Baylor is playing a close game against somebody. The Bears are the real deal. Bump whatever crap game is on ESPN2 or ESPNU and let’s end this trend before the public starts catching on.

Xavier at No. 22 Creighton (3 p.m./Fox)

It’s a Big East battle between the league’s biggest first-half disappointment, and what had been the league’s most pleasant surprise before Mo Watson Jr. went down. Creighton appears to be settling into life without Watson, posting back-to-back wins, the most recent of which being a monster road upset of No. 16 Butler. Xavier, meanwhile, finds itself out of the rankings for the first time all year and in desperate need of building some momentum in order to avoid this season being remembered as a massive letdown.

Illinois State at Wichita State (8 p.m./ESPN2)

It’s the game of the year in the Missouri Valley, as 11-0 Illinois State hits the road to take on 10-1 preseason favorite Wichita State. You should watch. That’s why the game is under this subheading.

Santa Clara at No. 1 Gonzaga (10 p.m./ESPN2)

Who cares if Gonzaga is a 22-point favorite? It’s the No. 1 team in the country and they’re 23-0. You should at least check in.

WORTH WATCHING UNLESS YOU HAVE A VALID EXCUSE

Georgia at No. 19 South Carolina (2 p.m./ESPN2)

Georgia already squandered a huge opportunity against a depleted Kentucky team earlier this week. They need this one or the game against Florida Tuesday night to keep any realistic shot of earning an at-large bid alive.

Connecticut at No. 14 Cincinnati (4 p.m./ESPN2)

UConn is really bad and Cincinnati is really good, but sometimes cool stuff happens when these two meet.

Ohio State at Michigan (6 p.m./ESPN2)

I’m told there is some animosity between these two programs.

St. John’s at No. 4 Villanova (8 p.m./CBS Sports Network)

St. John’s has spent the whole season sprinting between two extremes — “Is this the worst power conference team in the country?” and “These guys might actually be okay.” Who knows what they’re going to do in Philly Saturday night.

No. 11 UCLA at Washington (10:30 p.m./Pac-12 Network)

It’s a big game, so Washington will try, which is always a good thing. And even if they stop trying in the second, there are going to be a lot of talented players scoring a lot of points, which is also always a good thing. For us, at least.

IF YOU WANT TO JUST CHECK THE BOX SCORE THAT’S FINE ... BUT CHECK THE BOX SCORE

Wagner at Fairleigh Dickinson (11 a.m./ESPNU)

It’s nationally televised pre-noon college basketball on a Saturday, which means you have an excuse to drink before lunch. Don’t let anybody tell you any differently.

Seton Hall at Georgetown (12 p.m./FS1)

Seton Hall is the first team out in Chris Dobbertean’s latest bracket projection, so this is sort of a big deal for Kevin Willard’s team.

Akron at Ohio (12 p.m./CBS Sports Network)

It’s a battle of the top two teams in the MAC’s East Division, which is a bit misleading since Akron is 9-0 and Ohio is 5-4.

Duquesne at Dayton (12:30 p.m./NBC Sports Network)

These are the types of games Dayton can’t afford to slip up in if they want to have a relaxing Selection Sunday.

Rutgers at Penn State (1 p.m./ESPNU)

Rutgers comes into this game 340th out of 347 Division-I teams in three-point field goal percentage. It’s not the only reason the Scarlet Knights have lost 10 of their last 11, but it’s up there.

Texas at TCU (1 p.m./ESPNews)

At this point you have to assume that Pitt fans are watching every TCU game with same confusion, focus and despair as an ex-boyfriend scrolling through his old girl’s pictures with “new friends” on Facebook.

Marquette at DePaul (2 p.m./FS1)

I wrote about Marquette finally regaining its old mojo last week, and the Golden Eagles promptly dropped two in a row. If they lose to DePaul, then yeah, that’s entirely on me.

Indiana State at Northern Iowa (2 p.m./CBS Sports Network)

Not the game of the week in the Valley, but that’s okay.

George Washington at Richmond (2:30 p.m./NBC Sports Network)

Is it possible for a college basketball game to be too America? Watch and find out.

Ole Miss at Vanderbilt (3 p.m./ESPNU)

You don’t need to check the box score. I’m just being nice here because the game is on TV.

Miami at NC State (3 p.m./ACC Network)

After briefly holding the ACC’s “I have no idea what to make of this team” flag for about a week, NC State is now firmly back in the “they’re bad” camp. Miami is currently second in the “I have no idea what to make of this team” standings, sitting just behind Syracuse, and just ahead of Georgia Tech.

No. 6 Louisville at Boston College 3 p.m./ACC Network)

Every time we all agree that a team in the ACC is really good, they seem to tank that weekend. Louisville is that team heading into February, which means the Cardinals might be on upset alert in Chestnut Hill. Or they might win by 50. It’s the bleeping ACC, nobody knows.

Minnesota at Illinois (4 p.m./Big Ten Network)

After looking like the Big Ten’s most pleasant surprise, Minnesota has now lost five in a row. A February season recovery has to start Saturday.

VCU at St. Bonaventure (4 p.m./CBS Sports Network)

Will Wade quietly continues to do a fantastic job at VCU, which enters the weekend tied atop the A-10 standings with Dayton.

William & Mary at Towson (4 p.m./NBC Sports Network)

After a disappointing first half of conference play, preseason Colonial favorite William & Mary appears to be hitting its stride. The Tribe is averaging 95.0 ppg over its last four contests, all blowout victories.

Utah at Stanford (4:30 p.m./FS1)

The Utes have not won a game at Maples Pavilion since 1971. Larry Krystkowiak’s club has been close in recent years, losing there by a point in 2014, and in overtime last season.

Memphis at Central Florida (5 p.m./ESPNews)

Memphis, which has some work to do if it wants to make the tournament in Tubby Smith’s first season, gutted out a 70-65 win over UCF just two weeks ago.

Oklahoma State at No. 7 West Virginia (5 p.m./ESPNU)

Brad Underwood suddenly has the Cowboys rolling. OSU has won four straight, and will be out for revenge against a West Virginia team that embarrassed them at home on Dec. 30.

Arkansas at Missouri (6 p.m./SEC Network)

Postseason idea for college basketball: force the eight worst major conference teams to play in a single elimination postseason tournament. Here’s the catch: losers advance and keep playing.

Can you imagine the level of pissed off that you’d see in a Missouri-Oregon State or LSU-Rutgers semifinal game? You can’t tell me that wouldn’t me more entertaining than the CIT.

Colorado State at UNLV (6 p.m./CBS Sports Network)

It has been a rough go for Marvin Menzies in his first season with the Rebels. The good news is that the Mountain West is wide open, so there’s still some hope for both these teams to get hot at the perfect time and make some March memories.

Oklahoma at Texas Tech (7 p.m./ESPNU)

It’s been a year to forget for the Sooners. One bright spot has been freshman Kameron McGusty, who could become the first Oklahoma player since 1991 to score in double figures in 10 consecutive games if he hits the mark on Saturday against Texas Tech.

SMU at Tulsa (7 p.m./ESPNews)

We should talk more about Shake Milton. All of us. Semi Ojeleye too.

No. 18 Saint Mary’s at San Diego (7 p.m./Spectrum SportsNet)

Can we not get this top-20 team on a real channel? Why does this keep happening? Gonzaga’s always playing on real channels.

Auburn at Alabama (8:30 p.m./SEC Network)

It’s just like the football rivalry except completely different in every conceivable way.

Texas A&M at LSU (9 p.m./ESPNU)

Your weekly LSU DGAF Meter update:

Extremely high.

UC Irvine at Long Beach State (11 p.m./ESPNU)

This is a very down year for the Big West, which features just two teams with records above .500. The best of that elite group is UC Irvine, which sits atop the standings with a 6-2 mark. Plus, their nickname is the Anteaters, so if they make the tournament we all win.