The post In The Paint Show: NBA Season Fast Approaching, College Blue Bloods Struggling, HSBB Update! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>On Episode 89 of our In The Paint Show, co-hosts Ronnie Flores and Devin Ugland discuss a variety of basketball topics from the NBA's quick offseason, free agency winners and losers, which rookies will make an immediate impact and which teams have the biggest advantage heading into the 2020-2021 season.
Hit the PLAY button below to tune in!
Ron and Dev also breakdown the Houston Rockets situation with James Harden. Should Houston try to move Harden before the season starts? Where does one of the best offensive players the game has ever seen fit best? What should the Rockets expect to get in return for their disgruntled superstar?
The guys also discuss the early themes and surprises of the college basketball season. Why are the "Blue Blood" programs like Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina struggling? Has the balance of power evened out this season among college hoops teams? Which college freshmen have stood out the most? Finally, Ron and Dev break down what the high school sports scene looks like across the country.
The post In The Paint Show: NBA Season Fast Approaching, College Blue Bloods Struggling, HSBB Update! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>The post BIL's Top Passers in the Country! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
]]>Be sure to stay locked in on Ballislife for more content on some of your favorite passers in addition to write-ups on players across our comprehensive categorical system.
Andre Curbelo, Long Island Lutheran - Curbelo is your prototypical "true point guard." The 6-footer plays with a cool, calm and collected pace which allows him to see the floor and pick apart any defense thrown his way. Curbelo doesn't over-handle and advances the ball up the floor with the pass instead of the dribble. The Illinois-bound senior fires accurate and timely passes out of live dribble situations and can do so with either his left or right hand. What stands out most about Curbelo's passing is the versatility in which he can set up his teammates, whether it's finding a rim-running big man, hitting a three-point shooter off of a drive-and-kick or dropping a pocket-pass out of screen-roll action, Curbelo can do it all. His willingness to be a pass-first point guard, combined with being a reliable ball-handler and decision-maker, should allow him to see early playing time at Illinois next season. Check the highlights below to check out Curbelo in action against Jonathan Kuminga and The Patrick School.
Daishen Nix, Trinity International - Nix is so smooth and smart with the ball in his hands, it sometimes looks like he's going half-speed. But that's just the way the 6-foot-5 senior operates and there are very few guards in the country, if any at all, who possess a high passing IQ than that of Nix. The UCLA-bound senior, who is also the top-ranked PG in the country, knows the strengths of each of his teammates and understands when and where to get them the ball to put them in the best position to succeed. Another advantage Nix has is his size for the position allows him to go to work out of the post, where he can get smaller guards on his back, draw a secondary defender, and hit cutters for high percentage looks. The combination of size, strength and passing IQ will propel Nix to some important minutes for the Bruins as a freshman. Hit the video below to watch Nix go head to head against one of 2021's best point guards, Frankie Collins.
Isa Silva, Jesuit - Like all of the players in this initial top passers list, Silva sees the game one or two steps ahead of his opponents. The 6-foot-3 junior out of Northern California has every pass in the book down to a science, whether it's a pinpoint cross-court skip pass to an open shooter, or a simple extra pass off of good ball movement, or drawing bigs away from the basket on penetration and dropping a bounce pass to an open big in the paint, Silva makes the simple, yet effective play more often than not. Don't sleep on Silva's flair, though, as his no-look passing game ranks among the top in the country. Watch the video below to peep some of Isa's crazy vision.
Paolo Banchero, O'Dea - Court vision isn't reserved for point guards only and Banchero is one of the better passing bigs we've seen. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Washington state can pick apart teams with his vision out of the high or low-post areas of the floor. When at either elbow, the junior can face, rip and go by defenders forcing help to drop off of shooters or step up off of a teammate, allowing Banchero to use his IQ and vision to make the correct read. Another way Banchero uses his passing ability is in the middle of a press break. His ability to handle, see over the defense and play-make for others makes him a reliable option in the middle of the floor when facing a zone press.
Scottie Barnes, Montverde Academy - There's no question that Barnes is one of the best passers in the country regardless of class or position. The 6-foot-8 forward, who is headed to Florida State, uses his versatility to serve a point-forward role when needed. His high energy makes him a beast on the defensive glass, while his ball skills and vision allow him to push the break and find cutters or open shooters behind-the-arc. Barnes always keeps his eyes up the floor after securing a defensive board, which results in long and accurate advance passes to streaking teammates for easy layups. Watch our video below to see Barnes in action against another high level passer mentioned in this piece, Andre Curbelo of Long Island Lutheran.
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]]>The post NEW FAB 50: 3 State Champs Enter Rankings! appeared first on www.ebooksnet.com.
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By Ronnie Flores
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State champions in all 50 states have been crowned and the only games remaining are those involving the eight FAB 50 ranked teams competing at GEICO Nationals in New York, April 4-6. The biggest news of the past week was the crowning of state champions from the largest classifications in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New York.
In Ohio, Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) repeated as back-t0-back Division 1 champions with a 52-44 victory over bubble club St. Vincent-St. Mary, as senior forward Alec Pfriem had 19 points and eight rebounds and West Virginia-bound guard Miles McBride had 13 points, six rebounds and three assists to lead the Crusaders to a come-from-behind victory. Moeller won its fifth state crown since 1999 and was able to move up to No. 7 in this week's rankings by virtue of becoming the first unbeaten OHSAA D1 state champ since Zanesville in 1995. Moeller, which defeated St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio) 72-52 in the state semifinals behind a double-double from Pfriem, will enter 2019-20 riding a 49-game winning streak.
West Virginia coach Bobby Huggins had to be estatic to see two of his WVU recruits win major state titles on the same day, as McDonald's All-American center Oscar Tshiebwe led Kennedy Catholic (Hermitage, Pa.) to the PIAA Class 6A state championship after defeating Coatesville (Pa.), 75-69, in the semifinals and needing double overtime to knock off Pennridge (Perkasie, Pa.), 64-62, in saturday's title game. Tshiebwe was the difference-maker with 16 points, 21 rebounds, nine steals, and six blocked shots, including one with just over a second remaining in double OT to preserve the victory. Coach Rick Mancino's club moved into the FAB 50 at No. 50, as it only lost one game in-state. That was against Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.), which moved up five spots to No. 33 after capturing the PIAA Class 4A title with a 67-56 win over previous No. 49 Bonner-Prendergast (Drexel Hill, Pa.). Coach Andre Noble's club won its third consecutive state crown.
With forward Donta Scott (Maryland) and guard Dahmir Bishop (Xavier) as anchors, Imhotep has had a dominant presence in the FAB 50 over the past three years. The Panthers were able to move up in the rankings because of their overall success against a difficult schedule and for closing out the season with a victory. Although their regular season did not go as well as anticipated, Imhotep gets rankings credit for wins over GIECO Nationals participants University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), which check in at No. 10 and No. 17, respectively in the FAB 50.
Another state champion moving up this week was IHSAA Class 4A state champ Carmel (Carmel, Ind.), which is up a spot to No. 15 after defeating Metro Conference rival Ben Davis (Indianapolis), 60-55, in the state title game. Pete Suder and John-Michael Mulloy led four Greyhounds players in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Carmel pulled out the close game to win the program's fourth state crown and only lost one game all season by two points (52-50) to Brownsburg (Brownsburg, Ind.).
God’s timing is perfect. A year ago was the worst experience I had ever had in athletics. Belief, perseverance, and trust brought us back to this moment. I have no amount of words that can truly express my gratitude for these young men. 2019 State Champs! pic.twitter.com/HhAZib2ISk
— John Buck (@CoachJohnBuck) March 24, 2019
Although it wasn't able to move up in the rankings, one of the most satisfying state championships of the season had to be the one No. 28 Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) captured on Saturday. The NYSAIS champ defeated previous No. 43 South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 77-53 in the New York Federation Class AA semifinals, as junior guard Andre Curbelo led the way with 31 points and five assists. In the Class AA final, the Crusaders easily dispatched bubble club Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 51-31, as Curbelo had 23 points. The Federation TOC crown was especially sweet for coach John Buck's club, which lost to Archbishop Stepinac (White Plains, N.Y.) in last year's Class AA TOC semifinal game after being called for a technical foul by the scorer’s table and officials for calling a timeout it believed Long Island Lutheran didn’t have. Coach Buck and his staff unofficially proved it indeed had a timeout left, but the clerical error was not overruled or the game replayed.
Replacing South Shore in this week's FAB 50 is Center Hill (Olive Branch, Miss.), which won the MHSAA Class 5A state crown on March 8 after defeating an Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Miss.) team that spent a majority of the season FAB 50 ranked, 75-73, in the title game. Center Hill and Olive Branch split four games, with the Mustangs' third loss a 63-62 setback to Class 6A state champ and No. 37 Starkville (Starkville, Miss.).
The newcomers this week is rounded out by Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.), which checks in at No. 49 after capturing the Class 4A state crown in Minnesota courtesy of its 55-40 victory over Lakeville North (Lakeville, Minn.), a team that downed previous No. 45 Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) in the state semifinals. Kerwin Walton and 17 points and Zeke Nnaji had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Hopkins, which captured its second state crown in four years and its eighth since the 2001-2002 season.
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Updated FAB 50 National Team Rankings
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(Sixteenth poll of 2018-19 regular season; Through games played on Sunday, March 24; *Indicates forfeit wins, forfeit losses not included; **Indicates forfeits and defaults not included; ***Indicates scrimmages and foundation games not included; ****Indicates season not complete)
| No. | Prev. | High School (City) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | La Lumiere (LaPorte, Ind.) | 28-0**** |
| 2 | 2 | McEachern (Powder Springs, Ga.) | 32-0 |
| 3 | 3 | Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) | 21-2**** |
| 4 | 4 | IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) | 28-1**** |
| 5 | 5 | Ranney School (Tinton Falls, N.J.) | 31-3 |
| 6 | 6 | Mountain Brook (Mountain Brook, Ala.) | 31-3 |
| 7 | 8 | Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) | 29-0 |
| 8 | 7 | Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) | 32-3 |
| 9 | 9 | Sunrise Christian Academy (Bel Aire, Kan.) | 23-5**** |
| 10 | 10 | University School (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) | 27-4**** |
| 11 | 11 | Shadow Mountain (Phoenix, Ariz.) | 26-3 |
| 12 | 12 | DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, Md.) | 33-5 |
| 13 | 13 | Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah) | 26-3**** |
| 14 | 14 | South Central (Winterville, N.C.) | 30-1 |
| 15 | 16 | Carmel (Carmel, Ind.) | 26-1 |
| 16 | 15 | Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.) | 28-4 |
| 17 | 17 | Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) | 32-4**** |
| 18 | 18 | Belleville West (Belleville, Ill.) | 34-4 |
| 19 | 19 | Duncanville (Duncanville, Texas) | 32-7 |
| 20 | 20 | Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) | 27-9 |
| 21 | 21 | Nicolet (Glendale, Wis.) | 27-1 |
| 22 | 22 | Guyer (Denton, Texas) | 32-5 |
| 23 | 23 | St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) | 37-7 |
| 24 | 24 | Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) | 28-9 |
| 25 | 25 | Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) | 28-4**** |
| 26 | 26 | Gonzaga Prep (Spokane, Wash.) | 25-2 |
| 27 | 27 | Vashon (St. Louis, Mo.) | 25-5 |
| 28 | 28 | Long Island Lutheran (Glen Head, N.Y.) | 25-2 |
| 29 | 29 | Southwest Guilford (High Point, N.C.) | 32-0 |
| 30 | 30 | Federal Way (Federal Way, Wash.) | 26-3 |
| 31 | 31 | Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.) | 34-4 |
| 32 | 32 | Legacy Early College (Greenville, S.C.) | 34-5 |
| 33 | 38 | Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 27-6 |
| 34 | 33 | Gill St. Bernard's (Gladstone, N.J.) | 26-5 |
| 35 | 34 | Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) | 29-5 |
| 36 | 35 | Mansfield Timberview (Arlington, Texas) | 38-2 |
| 37 | 36 | Starkville (Starkville, Miss.) | 30-1 |
| 38 | 39 | Salesian (Richmond, Calif.) | 31-1 |
| 39 | 40 | Rancho Christian (Temecula, Calif.) | 25-6** |
| 40 | 41 | Haverford School (Haverford, Pa.) | 28-0 |
| 41 | 42 | Meadowcreek (Norcross, Ga.) | 26-6 |
| 42 | 37 | Roman Catholic (Philadelphia, Pa.) | 26-5 |
| 43 | NR | Center Hill (Olive Branch, Miss.) | 31-3 |
| 44 | 44 | Curie (Chicago, Ill.) | 34-2 |
| 45 | 46 | Booker T. Washington (Tulsa, Okla.) | 26-2 |
| 46 | 47 | Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.) | 28-3 |
| 47 | 50 | Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.) | 28-3 |
| 48 | 48 | Scotlandville (Baton Rouge, La.) | 35-2 |
| 49 | NR | Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minn.) | 27-4 |
| 50 | NR | Kennedy Catholic (Hermitage, Pa.) | 27-3 |
Dropped Out: Previous No. 43 South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.), No. 45 Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.), No. 49 Bonner-Prendergast (Drexel Hill, Pa.).
Bubble Teams: Abington (Abington, Pa.) 28-2; American Fork (American Fork, Utah) 24-3; Atrisco Heritage Academy (Albuquerque, N.M.) 23-7; Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.) 32-5; Ben Davis (Indianapolis, Ind.) 20-8; Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.) 27-4; Bishop Montgomery (Torrance, Calif.) 24-7; Bonner-Prendergast (Drexel Hill, Pa.) 23-6; Blue Valley Northwest (Overland Park, Kan.) 23-2; Bogan (Chicago, Ill.) 30-4; Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.) 28-2; Buford (Buford, Ga.) 29-2; Carmel Christian (Matthews, N.C.) 31-3; Cedar Falls (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 21-3; Centennial (Corona, Calif.) 27-6; Central Plains (Claflin, Kan.) 28-0; Christ the King (Middle Village, N.Y.) 20-11; Clark (Las Vegas, Nev.) 25-6; Cox Mill (Concord, N.C.) 28-3; East Catholic (Manchester, Conn.) 27-1; East St. Louis (East St. Louis, Ill.) 29-6**; Evanston (Evanston, Ill.) 32-5; Fairfax (Los Angeles, Calif.) 27-2; Gilbert (Gilbert, Ariz.) 29-1; Grandview (Grandview, Mo.) 29-2; Greensboro Day (Greensboro, N.C.) 30-5; Jefferson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 23-8; Keenan (Columbia, S.C.) 30-1; Lawrence Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 22-4; Lewis-Palmer (Monument, Col.) 28-0; Lincoln (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 23-4; Memorial (Tulsa, Okla.) 25-3; Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.) 26-9; Millbrook (Raleigh, N.C.) 27-2; Minnehaha Academy (Minneapolis, Ky.) 29-2; Morgan Park (Chicago, Ill.) 29-5; Norcross (Norcross, Ga.) 22-9; North Scott (Eldridge, Iowa) 23-2; Olive Branch (Olive Branch, Miss.) 26-8; Omaha South (Omaha, Neb.) 21-6; Park Center (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) 30-2; Patterson (Baltimore, Md.) 25-3; Pleasant Grove (Pleasant Grove, Utah) 24-3; Poly (Baltimore, Md.) 22-4**; River Rouge (River Rouge, Mich.) 23-3; Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.) 35-4; Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) 28-7**; South Shore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 27-5; St. Vincent-St. Mary’s (Akron, Ohio) 24-4; Teays Valley Christian Prep (Scott Depot, W. Va.) 24-5; Trinity (Louisville, Ky.) 30-8; Trinity Catholic (St. Louis, Mo.) 25-4; Unity Christian (Hudsonville, Mich.) 26-2; University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.) 25-3; Wagner (San Antonio, Texas) 33-6; Warren Central (Indianapolis, Ind.) 23-3; Westchester (Los Angeles, Calif.) 24-5.
Note: The FAB 50 powered by www.ebooksnet.com is a continuation of the National Sports News Service ratings that began in 1952. These were the first national high school rankings and the late Art Johlfs of Minnesota compiled them. They were compiled for many years by the late Barry Sollenberger of Phoenix, who merged them into the FAB 50 19 years ago.
Ronnie Flores is the national Grassroots editor of www.ebooksnet.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
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