2013 Summer League rosters, Orlando Summer Pro League – Brooklyn
July 8th, 2013
Keith Benson Benson has spent the past two summer leagues and training camps with the Hawks, but seemingly that well has dried up. He briefly played in the NBA, managing nine minutes with the Warriors late in 2011-12, but didn’t make it back last year. Benson spent most of last season in the D-League, averaging 10.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in only 23 minutes per game in two stints with the Erie BayHawks, bookending a stay in the Philippines, where he averaged 23.6 points, 15.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game for Talk’N’Text in the Commissioners Cup. However, import big men ALWAYS put up big numbers in the Philippines, as there are very few domestic big men to compete with them. And so despite the ostensibly gaudy numbers, Benson was released for being “ineffective”, and replaced by Donnell Harvey, who was acquired to bring the “toughness, interior defence and communication” that Benson just didn’t. Therein lies the story with Benson – he’s tall, athletic, fluid, and fairly skill, but he’s just not tough enough, and shot blocking is not the same as defence. Jamelle Hagins Hagins just graduated from Delaware, where he was a three time CAA All-Defensive Team selection, and last year’s Defensive Player of the Year. As a senior, he averaged 11.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game, on an efficient 55% FG and 74% FT. Hagins was an invite to the Portsmouth Invitation Tournament, where he played extremely well in all facets of the game, demonstrating both his skills and his athleticism. In addition to this athleticism and fluidity of motion, Hagins has a strong frame, good rebounding instincts, hustle, a hook shot with both hands, and a mid range jumper. He rotates well, plays strong post defence, and, whilst not being a […]
An Unnecessarily Exhaustive Guide To The 2010/11 NCAA Tournament, Part 1: Southwestern Region
March 15th, 2011
There is no better event in the American sports calendar than the NCAA Tournament. None. Zilch. Zero. And it’s not even especially close. All the games running concurrently, and the one game knockout format, make for captivating evenings of hours and hours of entertainment. This is particularly true of the first round, where action jumps from game to game, and Greg Gumbel struggles to keep up with all the information he’s getting in his ear. It’s like the FA Cup, except it’s better. Much, much better. And I like the FA Cup. Since this post is long enough already, the intro ends here, and there follows a preview (often in the form of a recap) of all 68 of the teams taking part in this, the 2011 NCAA Tournament. In this post: the 17 teams in the Southwest region. Use the following links to skip to relevant parts. Akron – Boston University – Florida State – Georgetown – Illinois – Louisville – Kansas – Morehead State – Notre Dame – Purdue – Richmond – St Peter’s – Texas A&M – UNLV – USC – Vanderbilt – VCU Brett McKnight pulling a silly face. Akron They might be relative minnows, but Akron boast some size. 7’0 centre Zeke Marshall is rail thin and fouls on pretty much every possession, but he’s sufficiently mobile to block 2.5 shots per game, and can finish around the basket. The Zips’ best player, Nikola Cvetinovic, is a 6’8 forward leading them in scoring and rebounding, but also an aggressive and fundamental defender on the interior. Reserve forward Brett McKnight is build like a tank, and backup centre Mike Bardo is, if nothing else, big. To go with that, Akron offer a good amount of shooting, particularly from specialists Brian McLanahan and Steve McNees, and the […]
