stickdog
08-12-2010, 02:41 AM
Nolan at USA BBall (http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/quote_board__usa_mens_natio_2010_08_11.html)
Nolan Smith (Duke University)
On coming back to train against the USA National Team:
Coming back here to New York is a great honor. I was very excited to have the opportunity to put on the USA jersey again. So far practices have been very good. Myself and the rest of the college guys have been playing hard, competing, playing together, just trying to help get those guys ready for the FIBA World Championship.
Do you think you’ll follow the team more than you would have, having invested two weeks into this process?
Definitely. I’ll definitely follow them a lot more. I’ll track and follow the teams they’re playing against and see if maybe we (the USA Select Team) could beat them. I’m definitely going to follow them and say that we helped get them ready.
What’s it been like being back out with USA Basketball and going up against the USA World Championship Team finalists?
I think we’ve really been trying to make them better and pressure them. We’ve obviously showed them that we can play with them if they’re not playing at their best. That’s all coach Jay Wright’s been telling us: make them better. They’re going to have to step it up. Everyday they’ve come back and been a better team against us.
How much is this experience going to help you and the rest of the USA Select Team during the upcoming season?
It’s going to help us a lot. It’s going to give us a boost of confidence. Knowing that we can play against these NBA guys, we should be able to dominate at the college level. It’s going to give us a big boost. We know what we have to work on, but we’ve learned a lot of tricks from these guys.
Adidas Nations Recap (http://www.slamonline.com/online/college-hs/high-school/2010/08/adidas-nations-championship-final-recap/)
But it became the Quinn Cook and LeBryan Nash show in the second half as both players showed why they are two of the elite players in the nation and also the best in their class.
Nash used his size, strength, and quickness to get to the basket and finish at the rim, which included some power dunks while beating his man off the dribble on attacking drives to the basket. He also showed a decent shooting stroke as he knocked down several perimeter shots.
Cook ran the show very well and basically took the game over by making sound decisions with the basketball and making timely plays when his team needed it. Whether he was setting his teammates up for easy scores at the basket or getting his own offense, he led his 2011 squad to 82-68 victory and walked away with player of the game honors by putting up 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Messing with the K (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/18936/update-from-day-2-of-team-usa-training-camp)
Also, Chris Bosh dropped by for about 30 minutes and spent five minutes chatting with Krzyzewski before departing, but he was not quite so talkative on the elevator at John Jay College when he arrived -- even failing to laugh when it was pointed out, jokingly, that he has quickly become one of the most hated players in both Canada and in every city in the United States except Miami. "I haven't laughed at some of your jokes, either. So that doesn't make him a bad guy. Actually that might make him an authority on which jokes are funny," Krzyzewski said, seizing the opportunity to turn the tables on this particular ESPN.com reporter, who has been a occasional thorn in his side since he took the Team USA head coaching job back in the fall of 2005. "How many daggers did I just hit you with?"
Eric Mussleman's take (http://center-sports.com/2010/08/11/six-guys-that-stood-out-to-eric-musselman-at-adidas-nations-camp/)
Rodney Purvis, 6-3, G, Raleigh, N.C.
Class: 2013
College choice: Hasn't narrowed list
Musselman's take: "He's a young guard that was added late. He did a great job for it being his first time in this setting and he has a bright future as a combo guard. He's quiet, doesn't say much."
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi's take: When it comes time to rank the class of 2013, Purvis is going to have to at least be discussed for the top spot. Let's be clear, he's probably more of a combo at this point. But, he's easy to project as a physical, athletic and hard charging point down the road. We'd never really seen how he reads pick and roll situations but he proved in Chicago that he's more than comfortable in those situations and a good decision maker. He appears to be the total package on and off of the floor.
Marshall Plumlee, 6-11, C, Arden, N.C.
Class: 2011
College choice: Duke
Musselman's take: "He's a five man who plays really hard. I wish I could have gotten him more minutes. He's an excellent role player and a great kid."
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi's take: "Just how he develops and how long it takes for Marshall Plumlee to make an impact on the floor at Duke will be interesting to watch. He lacks ideal length and still has work to do from a skill standpoint, but being around him for a few days it's hard not to notice his work ethic, outstanding attitude and great motor."
Shabazz Muhammad, 6-5, G/F, Las Vegas, Nev.
Class: 2012
College choice: Hasn't narrowed list
Musselman's take: "He's a three man who can really post up and has a great mid-range game."
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi's take: "He's superbly conditioned, has the demeanor to forget negative plays and is always going to compete. He hits spot up jumpers, beats the pack down the floor to make plays at the rim in transition and has a viable post game that few, if any, wings in the country can match."
http://www.premierball.com/boost-mobile-elite-24/
Quinn Cook
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 6-1/180 PG 2011
Long considered one of the best players in his class, Cook spent three years at national powerhouse DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and looks to lead Oak Hill to its first POWERADE FAB 50 title since 2007. As a junior, he earned player of the year honors on the prestigious Washington Post All-Met team, averaging 20 points, 5.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds, with DeMatha finishing 32-4 and ranked No. 40 nationally. Cook was the leading assist man on the FIBA U17 World Championship team earlier this summer, averaging 7.4 in Team USA’s eight games.
Michael Gbinije
Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) 6-6/195 SF 2011
Following a standout NBPA Camp, Gbinije helped Team Takeover win the Nike EYBL with 19 points in the Peach Jam title game. This Duke recruit was one of ESPN RISE’s top five performers at the AAU 17U Super Showcase. If he has a big game at the Elite 24, it would be difficult to say any player in the country had a better summer. Last season, he averaged 17.8 points and 6.0 rebounds for a 23-7 team.
Quincy Miller
Westchester Country Day (High Point, N. C.) 6-9/210 PF 2011
The Chicago native had a standout junior season at Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.), averaging 25.5 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. He led QEA to a 22-8 mark and the National Christian Schools Athletic Association title, earning second team ESPN RISE All-American honors in the process. Ranked No. 4 in the ESPNU 100, Miller has as much upside as anyone in the 2011 class. He will join Elite 24 teammate Quddus Bello at Westchester Country Day next year.
Shabazz Muhammad
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 6-5/195 2012
One of the country’s young stars, Muhammad is eager to showcase his talents at Elite 24. With two years to go, he could develop into one of Nevada’s all-time best preps. As a freshman, Muhammad was key to a miracle state title team. And as a sophomore, he averaged 19.5 points and 10 rebounds on a loaded Gaels’ team that won another Class 4A state crown. Muhammad’s athletic talent seems to run in the family, too. His father played basketball at USC; his mother was Olympic-caliber in basketball and track; and his sister is a pro tennis player.
Alex Murphy
St. Mark’s School (Southborough, Mass.) 6-8/215 SF 2012
With the graduation of Nate Lubick, Murphy will be the main man at St. Mark’s and heads back to school carrying the positive momentum of a standout summer with the New England Playaz. The Venice Beach crowd might fall in love with his throwback game, because the Rhode Island native can do so many things well offensively, including stroke the 3-ball. Ranked No. 10 in the ESPNU Super 60, he’s the younger brother of Florida forward Erik Murphy.
Austin Rivers
Winter Park (Winter Park, Fla.) 6-4/190 SG 2011
The bigger the stage, the better Rivers plays as evidenced by his performances at this year’s ESPN RISE NHSI and the City of Palms Tournament last December. The son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, this gifted shooting guard averaged 24.3 ppg and 4.3 rebounds, including a 45-point outing in the Wildcats’ win over FAB 50 No. 4 St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.). He also went for 41 points in a win over Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). Rivers was named ESPN RISE National Junior Player of the Year.
Nolan Smith (Duke University)
On coming back to train against the USA National Team:
Coming back here to New York is a great honor. I was very excited to have the opportunity to put on the USA jersey again. So far practices have been very good. Myself and the rest of the college guys have been playing hard, competing, playing together, just trying to help get those guys ready for the FIBA World Championship.
Do you think you’ll follow the team more than you would have, having invested two weeks into this process?
Definitely. I’ll definitely follow them a lot more. I’ll track and follow the teams they’re playing against and see if maybe we (the USA Select Team) could beat them. I’m definitely going to follow them and say that we helped get them ready.
What’s it been like being back out with USA Basketball and going up against the USA World Championship Team finalists?
I think we’ve really been trying to make them better and pressure them. We’ve obviously showed them that we can play with them if they’re not playing at their best. That’s all coach Jay Wright’s been telling us: make them better. They’re going to have to step it up. Everyday they’ve come back and been a better team against us.
How much is this experience going to help you and the rest of the USA Select Team during the upcoming season?
It’s going to help us a lot. It’s going to give us a boost of confidence. Knowing that we can play against these NBA guys, we should be able to dominate at the college level. It’s going to give us a big boost. We know what we have to work on, but we’ve learned a lot of tricks from these guys.
Adidas Nations Recap (http://www.slamonline.com/online/college-hs/high-school/2010/08/adidas-nations-championship-final-recap/)
But it became the Quinn Cook and LeBryan Nash show in the second half as both players showed why they are two of the elite players in the nation and also the best in their class.
Nash used his size, strength, and quickness to get to the basket and finish at the rim, which included some power dunks while beating his man off the dribble on attacking drives to the basket. He also showed a decent shooting stroke as he knocked down several perimeter shots.
Cook ran the show very well and basically took the game over by making sound decisions with the basketball and making timely plays when his team needed it. Whether he was setting his teammates up for easy scores at the basket or getting his own offense, he led his 2011 squad to 82-68 victory and walked away with player of the game honors by putting up 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Messing with the K (http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/18936/update-from-day-2-of-team-usa-training-camp)
Also, Chris Bosh dropped by for about 30 minutes and spent five minutes chatting with Krzyzewski before departing, but he was not quite so talkative on the elevator at John Jay College when he arrived -- even failing to laugh when it was pointed out, jokingly, that he has quickly become one of the most hated players in both Canada and in every city in the United States except Miami. "I haven't laughed at some of your jokes, either. So that doesn't make him a bad guy. Actually that might make him an authority on which jokes are funny," Krzyzewski said, seizing the opportunity to turn the tables on this particular ESPN.com reporter, who has been a occasional thorn in his side since he took the Team USA head coaching job back in the fall of 2005. "How many daggers did I just hit you with?"
Eric Mussleman's take (http://center-sports.com/2010/08/11/six-guys-that-stood-out-to-eric-musselman-at-adidas-nations-camp/)
Rodney Purvis, 6-3, G, Raleigh, N.C.
Class: 2013
College choice: Hasn't narrowed list
Musselman's take: "He's a young guard that was added late. He did a great job for it being his first time in this setting and he has a bright future as a combo guard. He's quiet, doesn't say much."
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi's take: When it comes time to rank the class of 2013, Purvis is going to have to at least be discussed for the top spot. Let's be clear, he's probably more of a combo at this point. But, he's easy to project as a physical, athletic and hard charging point down the road. We'd never really seen how he reads pick and roll situations but he proved in Chicago that he's more than comfortable in those situations and a good decision maker. He appears to be the total package on and off of the floor.
Marshall Plumlee, 6-11, C, Arden, N.C.
Class: 2011
College choice: Duke
Musselman's take: "He's a five man who plays really hard. I wish I could have gotten him more minutes. He's an excellent role player and a great kid."
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi's take: "Just how he develops and how long it takes for Marshall Plumlee to make an impact on the floor at Duke will be interesting to watch. He lacks ideal length and still has work to do from a skill standpoint, but being around him for a few days it's hard not to notice his work ethic, outstanding attitude and great motor."
Shabazz Muhammad, 6-5, G/F, Las Vegas, Nev.
Class: 2012
College choice: Hasn't narrowed list
Musselman's take: "He's a three man who can really post up and has a great mid-range game."
Rivals.com's Eric Bossi's take: "He's superbly conditioned, has the demeanor to forget negative plays and is always going to compete. He hits spot up jumpers, beats the pack down the floor to make plays at the rim in transition and has a viable post game that few, if any, wings in the country can match."
http://www.premierball.com/boost-mobile-elite-24/
Quinn Cook
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) 6-1/180 PG 2011
Long considered one of the best players in his class, Cook spent three years at national powerhouse DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) and looks to lead Oak Hill to its first POWERADE FAB 50 title since 2007. As a junior, he earned player of the year honors on the prestigious Washington Post All-Met team, averaging 20 points, 5.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds, with DeMatha finishing 32-4 and ranked No. 40 nationally. Cook was the leading assist man on the FIBA U17 World Championship team earlier this summer, averaging 7.4 in Team USA’s eight games.
Michael Gbinije
Benedictine (Richmond, Va.) 6-6/195 SF 2011
Following a standout NBPA Camp, Gbinije helped Team Takeover win the Nike EYBL with 19 points in the Peach Jam title game. This Duke recruit was one of ESPN RISE’s top five performers at the AAU 17U Super Showcase. If he has a big game at the Elite 24, it would be difficult to say any player in the country had a better summer. Last season, he averaged 17.8 points and 6.0 rebounds for a 23-7 team.
Quincy Miller
Westchester Country Day (High Point, N. C.) 6-9/210 PF 2011
The Chicago native had a standout junior season at Quality Education Academy (Winston-Salem, N.C.), averaging 25.5 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. He led QEA to a 22-8 mark and the National Christian Schools Athletic Association title, earning second team ESPN RISE All-American honors in the process. Ranked No. 4 in the ESPNU 100, Miller has as much upside as anyone in the 2011 class. He will join Elite 24 teammate Quddus Bello at Westchester Country Day next year.
Shabazz Muhammad
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) 6-5/195 2012
One of the country’s young stars, Muhammad is eager to showcase his talents at Elite 24. With two years to go, he could develop into one of Nevada’s all-time best preps. As a freshman, Muhammad was key to a miracle state title team. And as a sophomore, he averaged 19.5 points and 10 rebounds on a loaded Gaels’ team that won another Class 4A state crown. Muhammad’s athletic talent seems to run in the family, too. His father played basketball at USC; his mother was Olympic-caliber in basketball and track; and his sister is a pro tennis player.
Alex Murphy
St. Mark’s School (Southborough, Mass.) 6-8/215 SF 2012
With the graduation of Nate Lubick, Murphy will be the main man at St. Mark’s and heads back to school carrying the positive momentum of a standout summer with the New England Playaz. The Venice Beach crowd might fall in love with his throwback game, because the Rhode Island native can do so many things well offensively, including stroke the 3-ball. Ranked No. 10 in the ESPNU Super 60, he’s the younger brother of Florida forward Erik Murphy.
Austin Rivers
Winter Park (Winter Park, Fla.) 6-4/190 SG 2011
The bigger the stage, the better Rivers plays as evidenced by his performances at this year’s ESPN RISE NHSI and the City of Palms Tournament last December. The son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers, this gifted shooting guard averaged 24.3 ppg and 4.3 rebounds, including a 45-point outing in the Wildcats’ win over FAB 50 No. 4 St. Benedict’s (Newark, N.J.). He also went for 41 points in a win over Pine Crest (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.). Rivers was named ESPN RISE National Junior Player of the Year.