JBC Notebook: Shabazz finishes strong

By Jason Jordan | ESPN.com

April, 14, 2012 9:49 PM ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It didn’t really dawn on Shabazz Muhammad until he walked into Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C., to play in the Jordan Brand Classic on Saturday, but when he thought about the fact that this was the last time he’d get the chance to lace 'em up as a high schooler, he could think of only one thing.

“It was important for me to finish strong,” said Muhammad, a UCLA-bound swingman at Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas). “This was the last time to go out and showcase what you can do with all of your friends, so it was important to finish strong and have fun.”

Muhammad had a ball leading the West past the East 99-95. He scored 20 points and grabbed four rebounds en route to claiming the West’s MVP trophy.

Kelly KlineN.C. State-bound guard Rodney Purvis scored a game-high 22 points to earn co-MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic.

Rodney Purvis, a shooting guard at Upper Room Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), was named MVP for the East after scoring 22 points in the loss.

“We all had a lot of fun this week, but it was definitely important to go out with a strong performance,” Purvis said. “You want to set the tone for what you’re gonna do next season. Since I was playing in front of my hometown fans from NC State, I wanted to put on a good show.”

Noel’s Influx Of Followers

So much for the myth that once you commit to a college, you lose Twitter followers due to the fans of the schools you didn’t pick clicking the “unfollow” button.

When Nerlens Noel, a center at Tilton (Tilton, N.H.), announced Wednesday night on ESPNU that he was going to Kentucky, his Twitter-follower numbers skyrocketed from 23,000 to 38,000 that very night.

As of Saturday, he was up to 44,000 and counting.

“That’s the power of Big Blue Nation,” said Noel, who suited up for the East. “I knew they would have my back. That’s a major reason that I picked Kentucky. You can’t find better fans anywhere else on the planet.”

Parker Ready To Decide

Looks like we’re finally going to find out where Tony Parker is headed for college.

Parker, who is considering Duke, Ohio State, Georgia, UCLA, Georgetown, Kansas and Memphis, said he’ll make his decision late next week at his school.

“I haven’t worked out all of the details yet, but next week is the week,” said Parker, a forward at Miller Grove (Lithonia, Ga.) who suited up for the East. “I’m just ready to get it over with. It’s been a long process, and I’m ready for it to be over. I’m still weighing things out, but I gave myself 'til next week. That’s when it’s happening.”

______________________

 

JORDAN BRAND CLASSIC

The 2011-12 prep hoops season finished in style at the Jordan Brand Classic.
• Replay the 2012 Jordan Classic
• Muhammad leads West to victory
• Chat wrap: Relive the Jordan Classic
• 2012 Jordan Classic rosters
• JBC Notebook: UNC recruits ready
• All-Stars' favorite MJ moments
• JBC stars reveal No. 2 schools
• Kiwi import Adams ready for JBC
• JBC stars on their favorite Jordans
• Telep: What I learned from JBC

______________________


Bennett For Three
On April 7, after Team USA battled back from an 18-point deficit, World Select forward Anthony Bennett buried a 3-pointer, which was deep by NBA standards, to thwart any chance of a USA win. World Select went on to win 84-75 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.

At practice for the Jordan Brand Classic, Bennett, a senior forward at Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), re-enacted the big shot during water breaks, taunting the eight All-Americans who had suited up for Team USA.

“It was a pretty good shot, huh?” Bennett said. “That thing was pretty!”

None of the other players agreed. Go figure.

Harrell Leads East
Hargrave Military Academy (Chatham, Va.) forward Montrezl Harrell scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the East past the West 84-82 in the Jordan Brand Regional game.

Wesleyan Christian (High Point, N.C.) forward Montay Brandon led the West with 12 points, 12 rebounds and four assists.

Jason Jordan is the basketball editor for ESPNHS. He can be reached at jason.x.jordan.-ND@espn.com. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @JayJayESPN.

Anderson, Bazz selling Parker on Final Four in Atlanta

Thanks to LakerFanForLebronNotKobe on BZ. Five Star Basketball on You Tube.

With Shabazz Muhammad on board, Kyle Anderson eyes calendar

Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad, both of whom played in the Jordan Brand Classic, are headed to UCLA. (Albert Dickson/SN)


With Shabazz Muhammad on board, Kyle Anderson eyes calendar


By Ryan Fagan
Sporting News
PUBLISHED 4 hours and 37 minutes ago
LAST UPDATED 3 hours and 45 minutes ago



CHARLOTTE—Kyle Anderson has the important dates memorized.

One of those came and went last week, when top recruit Shabazz Muhammad made his college choice live on ESPNU on April 11. That was a decision Anderson, the 6-foot-8 do-everything player from New Jersey who committed to UCLA last September, was watching very closely.

Anderson and Muhammad first played together two years ago at the adidas Nations camp, and they clicked from the very start of this mutually beneficial relationship.

Anderson is maybe the best playmaker in the class of 2012, and Muhammad just might be the best finisher of the group. “He made me look good there,” Anderson said, with a touch more humility than probably was required.

MORE SPORTING NEWS

— Will elite recruit Tony Parker head to UCLA as well?
— Who will be next year's instant-impact freshmen?
— UK's class ready to lead Wildcats to another title


Anderson was in studio for Muhammad’s announcement last Wednesday, along with the rest of the elite players in Charlotte for the Jordan Brand Classic event. When the 6-foot-6 wing, who’s the No. 1 overall prospect as rated by Rivals.com, revealed that he would be heading to UCLA, Anderson—the No. 3 overall prospect by the website—had to excuse himself for a brief moment or two.

“I was right behind the cameras,” Anderson said. “Once I heard, I had to step outside the room because I was so excited. If I would have yelled where I was sitting, everybody on TV would have heard me, so I had to step outside.”

 

Anderson’s recruiting pitches worked. Or, to put it more accurately, his recruiting passes worked. “That’s the main reason why I came to UCLA, to play with him,” Muhammad said. “He’s just so cerebral, so smart. The guy knows what he’s doing. I’m just happy to have a player like that on my team. I know he’s going to make me look good next year.”

So, Muhammad feels that Anderson makes him look good, and Anderson feels Muhammad makes him look good. It’s easy to see why UCLA fans feel good about their chances to rebound from an utterly forgettable 2011-12 campaign.

The next important date on Anderson’s calendar, May 11, is about looking good, too, but in a completely different way. That’s when he’s finally trimming his hair, which is usually close-cropped but is rather unkempt at the moment. “I’m letting it go until prom,” he said with a laugh. “Then, I’ll have to cut it. I’m just enjoying the long hair now.”

That’s probably right around the time he’ll dive back into basketball, too. The Jordan Brand Classic is the last stop of a hectic run for the elite high school hoopsters, after the McDonald’s All-American game and the Nike Hoops Summit.

For Anderson, that means it’s time to finally rest a nagging injury to his left thumb. “My dad’s making me stop for a few weeks because my thumb is really messed up,” Anderson said. “When it gets better, I’ll get back in the gym. I hurt it during the high school season, and it just keeps getting bumped. It’s cool, though.”

FROM SI.COM

— Muhammad, Noel could have huge impact on 2012-13 season


In the actual JBC game, the two future Bruins teammates turned in outstanding performances. Anderson had 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two turnovers for the East team, while Muhammad was named MVP of the West squad after scoring 20 points in 22 minutes. “This was the last time we’ll go against each other,”

Anderson said. “From now on we’ll work with each other, so we’ve got everything out of the way now.”

Which leads Anderson to the next big date on his calendar: June 23. That’s when he’ll arrive on the UCLA campus to begin his new life in Southern California, and work toward becoming the facilitator of a revamped basketball program.

“I’m excited to play with the guys there,” Anderson said. “I think they’re really going to help us freshmen coming in. I think we’re going to add the spark to them, and they’re going to help us with the maturing. I think it’s going to work out really well together.”

Tony Parker: Basketball star denies UCLA rumors, will sign on Friday

TP throws down an absolute rim rocker. Video cred CLHTV2 on You Tube

Tony Parker: Basketball star denies UCLA rumors, will sign on Friday

by Michael Carvell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (ajc.com)

10:01 pm April 14, 2012, 
Published at 1:05 p.m. Sunday

Tony Parker’s coach denied a report that the AJC’s Mr. Georgia basketball has decided to sign with UCLA.

“That’s something that got started at [an all-star game] … it doesn’t have any legs to it,” Miller Grove High School coach Sharman White told the AJC on Sunday.

“Tony has not committed yet. That’s the best and only way I can put it.”

However, there are a couple of new developments with Parker: He will make his highly-anticipated college decision on Friday, and his finalists are UCLA, Duke, UGA, Kansas and Ohio State.

“Tony is ready for it to get over with,” White said. “He’s planning on doing it on Friday. We haven’t set a time yet but when we do, we’ll let everybody know.”

Unless something changes, Parker is also unlikely to make a return trip this week to visit any of his finalists, according to his coach.

The 6-foot-9, 280-pound Parker is ranked as the nation’s No. 26 overall prospect by ESPNU. He led Miller Grove to four straight state championships.

On Saturday, the website BruinsBall.com, which covers UCLA basketball and recruiting, created a Twitter frenzy by writing “Some of our sources very close to the situation have notified BruinsBall.com that as of now, Tony Parker is planning to commit to UCLA.”

On the same day, Parker played in the The Jordan Brand Classic all-star game with two UCLA recruits, Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson. Parker was 5 of 15 from the field, finishing with 8 points and 12 rebounds.

UCLA, as with other schools, has a few things working in its favor with Parker: His former AAU coach with the Atlanta Celtics, Korey McCray, was hired last summer as an assistant at UCLA; his Atlanta Celtics teammate, Jordan Adams, signed with UCLA in the early period; Parker enjoyed his official visit there, loves the weather, and is impressed with the program’s tradition.

The negatives about UCLA? Playing so far away may hinder his family’s opportunities to see games; Out of all of Parker’s finalists, UCLA would likely be the most challenging for Parker to make an instant impact with the team’s depth and talent in the post area.

There's quite a buzz about Shabazz Muhammad

Thanks to jrbruin2001 on BZ/PrepHoopsTV on You Tube


There's quite a buzz about Shabazz Muhammad


UCLA is excited to have one of the top basketball recruits in the country. Muhammad's father denies that Adidas had anything to do with it.

By Ben Bolch and Baxter Holmes

The Times of Los Angeles

April 12, 2012

When news of Shabazz Muhammad's college decision reached the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house on the UCLA campus, there was jubilation.

"Everybody was screaming down the halls," Kumar Nadhan, a psychobiology student, said Thursday of the reaction to one of the nation's top two recruits announcing that he would become a Bruin.

Dan Chikanov, another psychobiology student, said his roommates "were jumping up and down and we were all chanting 'Sha-bazz!' for five minutes straight."

Chikanov also heard similar chants from nearby fraternities — which is saying something. "I'm hard of hearing," said Chikanov, who uses a cochlear implant, "but I could hear that."

Outside Westwood, there were some whispers.

Why would a player said to be NBA-ready pick a team that missed the NCAA tournament twice in the last three years, the skeptics wondered. Did the family's ties to Adidas play a role in Muhammad's choosing a program affiliated with the shoe company?

Cynics pointed out that Muhammad's sister, Asia, a professional tennis player, has a contract with Adidas, which also sponsors Shabazz's club team, Dream Vision.


"Adidas, um I mean UCLA, wins the Shabazz Muhammad Sweepstakes," wrote CBSSports.com's Jeff Goodman. "Shabazz stayed loyal to adidas entire way."

Ron Holmes, Muhammad's father, heard some of the remarks that accompanied his son's college choice. He wasn't laughing.

"I don't understand when they say Adidas had a presence here," Holmes said in a telephone interview from his Las Vegas home. "Adidas didn't tell us where to go to school. … If they're saying that Adidas is giving me money, that is a downright lie."


Holmes pointed out that his son played for Bishop Gorman High, a Nike-sponsored school, and that the amount Adidas gave Dream Vision covered only a portion of the team's travel needs.

"What they end up giving us is usually half the budget for the summer," said Clayton Williams, coach of the Las-Vegas based club team. "It's a struggle. If you're looking for the hidden whatever, you're not going to find it …"

Williams said that although Dream Vision is sponsored by Adidas, most of the team's players end up at colleges affiliated with other shoe companies. "Ninety percent of our kids wear Nikes in the winter [with their high school teams]," Williams said. "But no one wants to speak to that."

Holmes said his son's future prospects played no role in the contract Asia Muhammad signed with Adidas when she turned pro.

"She was a standout junior tennis player and she got a contract off those merits," Holmes said. "Shabazz Muhammad wasn't on the lips of Adidas at that time. He was 5 [feet] 11 and coming out of the eighth grade. Bishop Gorman didn't even want him."


Holmes said Asia, currently ranked No. 386 in the world according to the WTA, is negotiating a new contract commensurate with her ranking, one that could be 85% less than her original deal.

Adidas representatives haven't broached the topic of a possible contract with Muhammad once he enters the NBA, Holmes said.

"Those conversations don't come up because I don't allow them to come up," Holmes said. "No coach throughout his whole recruitment offered me a penny because I didn't represent that."

Holmes, who was a wing player at USC from 1981-85, said his son picked UCLA hoping to restore the faded luster on a onetime juggernaut.

"I think the biggest thing was the challenge of bringing a storied program back to prominence," Holmes said. "At the end of the day, Kentucky didn't have that. At the end of the day, Duke didn't have that. Those programs are so great, but Shabazz and [incoming freshmen] Kyle [Anderson] and Jordan [Adams] and the Wear twins and Josh [Smith], if they can bring this program back to prominence they will go down in UCLA lore and college basketball lore."

Bruins fans apparently believe in Muhammad's ability to revive the program.


A UCLA spokesman said the school experienced an increase in men's basketball season-ticket purchases and memberships in the Wooden Athletic Fund since Muhammad signed his letter of intent Wednesday, although specific numbers were not immediately available.

Web traffic to UCLA's main athletic site, UCLABruins.com, increased 30% between Monday and Wednesday, according to the spokesman, who also said web traffic to the university site where men's basketball tickets are sold nearly quadrupled.

"The last couple [of] years, UCLA has had a few ups and downs," said Chikanov, the psychobiology student, "but we're really excited to be back."

More Shabazz celebrations!!!

More Shabazz celebrations!!!

Thanks to JosephineBruin on Bruin Gold/tjmmclean on You Tube.



Thanks to TheProfessor on BZ/Colin Davis on You Tube. At Sepi's Westwood.



See Coach Howland and staff celebrate (link).

Howland devising plan for Muhammad



Thanks... Puffdaddy... BZ.

Howland devising plan for Muhammad

By Peter Yoon | ESPNLosAngeles.com

April, 13, 2012 4:50 PM PT

 

Ben Howland has pocket aces and might possibly get another on the flop, now he's got to decide how to play the hand.

Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson, two of the top five national recruits, have signed with UCLA along with No. 41 Jordan Adams and No. 26 Tony Parker could very well join them in Westwood next season as UCLA reopens Pauly Pavilion in front of what is sure to be a full house.

With that kind of recruiting class comes pressure to win and it's up to Howland to decide the best course of action.

He could slow play this talented lineup, letting them grow into their own as the season progresses, or he could go all in on his fabulous freshmen, letting them loose from the beginning and trying to ride them to prominence knowing that they could very well be one-and-done players at UCLA.

"We have to have a good plan as to what we're going to put in right away offensively and defensively," Howland said. "We've got to move quickly because the games come so fast."

[CLICK THIS LINK TO HEAR Ben Howland on 710 ESPN radio with Mason & Ireland]

Howland's coaching philosophy has long centered on the team-first mentality. He prefers to have three or four players score in double figures every night instead of having two players with 25 each and that balanced philosophy coupled with his slow-down motion, offense and tough-nosed defensive style tends to hide the explosive offensive talents of star players.

The college statistics of players such as Kevin Love (17.5 points per game) and Russell Westbrook (8.3) don't exactly foreshadow NBA all-star selections. Former national high school player of the year Jrue Holiday is now a starting point guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, but didn't make so much as second-team all-conference during his year at UCLA.

His style has proven successful over the long haul, with three consecutive Final Four appearance as evidence, but that doesn't mean Howland is oblivious to the need to use talented players.

"We definitely have to try to take advantage of their abilities," Howland said. "They're going to be great in the open court and hopefully we're going to have the depth where we can play faster and get up and down."

Still, don't expect Muhammad to lead the nation in scoring. No UCLA player in the Howland era has averaged more than Dijon Thompson's 18.4 points in 2004-05 and the team scoring leader has been under 15 points per game since Love averaged 17.5 in 07-08.

Muhammad, a 6-foot-6 small forward, is a dynamic, athletic talent whose scoring prowess is well-documented and an offensive game thought to already be NBA ready. He can slash and drive to the rim, pull up for a jump shot and has three-point range. Scoring is the name of his game and he can dominate the offensive end.

With that kind of a talent coming, it would be a mistake for Howland not to make him the focal point of the offense and Howland is well aware of that.

"He's going to definitely score," Howland said. "What numbers? I don't know, but he's definitely going to have the ability to put the ball in the basket."

Anderson is the perfect compliment to Muhammad who has the ability to make Muhammad a 25-points-per-game scorer. A 6-7 "point forward," he has excellent court vision, a knack for finding the open scorers, is among the top passers in the game and has the unselfish attitude you want in a skilled ball handler. They could put on quite a two-man show if Howland lets them, but it's doubtful any one or two players would become that much of a focus on a Howland-coached team.

"Twenty-five points? Those are lofty numbers," Howland said. "You still want to have balance and we'll have balance. We're going to have a lot of guys who are going to be able to score."

Sharp shooter Adams is one of them. He will add the type of consistent outside scoring threat the Bruins have lacked since Michael Roll graduated. And then there are the returning players such as Joshua Smith, David Wear, Travis Wear, Tyler Lamb and Norman Powell.

Smith, a 6-10, 305-pound center, has indicated he would put in the work to shed some excess weight and get in shape this offseason. If he does, he has the potential to become one of the nation's premier post players.

"A key for us still is going to be Josh," Howland said. "All these new kids are going to be outstanding players, but Josh is still going to be a key. If he gets himself into really good physical condition, I don't think there are too many people that can match up with him."

The improving Wear twins, both returning starters, have already added about 13 pounds of muscle since the end of the season and while Lamb and Powell have enough athleticism to hold their own against anyone. Depth was a major concern for UCLA last season, but the Bruins, who will also have point guard Larry Drew eligible next season, will be overcrowded meaning the fantasy of a dominant two-man game with Muhammad and Anderson will likely never materialize.

"We're going to have the depth I've enjoyed in the past," Howland said. "The competition every day in practice is going to be great and that helps everybody improve every day. Having that level of competition in practice on a daily basis is really going to help our team and that kind of competition is important."

With so many weapons, UCLA becomes that much more difficult to defend. Depending on one or two players to carry the team every night makes little sense from a strategic standpoint, so depending on Muhammad and Anderson to carry the load every game is a risk not worth taking when the deck is stacked at UCLA's could potentially be next season.

"There is nothing that is going to substitute hard work, discipline, sacrifice for one another and most importantly, playing as a team," Howland said.

Later, he added that the incoming recruits all share a team-first, unselfish mentality. He noted that Muhammad has won three state titles at Bishop Gorman high in Las Vegas, Anderson's St. Anthony's team in New Jersey has gone 65-0 over the last two seasons and Adams was part of an Oak Hill Academy team in Virginia that went 44-0 this season.

"All these kids are about winning," Howland said.

And if Howland plays his cards right, that means UCLA will be, too.