November 2013 – Page 2 – Basketball Elite

Integris Wayman Tisdale Award Preseason Watch List Announced

ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – The U.S. Basketball Writers Association has selected ten outstanding first-year players for its 2014 Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award Preseason Watch List. Members of the association’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as initial contenders for the national freshman of the year award. All NCAA Division I freshmen are eligible to win the award.

The award is to be presented to the national freshman of the year at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 14, 2014, at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins, the association’s preseason selection for Freshman Player of the Year, is joined by teammate Wayne Selden on the watch list. But it’s Kentucky that dominates the list with four players — twin guards Aaron and Andrew Harrison, forward Julius Randle and guard James Young.

Rounding out the list are Syracuse guard Tyler Ennis, Arizona guard Aaron Gordon, Florida guard Kasey Hill and Duke forward Jabari Parker. The Southeastern Conference boasts five of the 10 players on the list. Seven of the 10 players are guards.

Following is the complete watch list:

2014 WAYMAN TISDALE AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Pos. Player, School (Ht., Wt., Yr., Hometown)
G Tyler Ennis, Syracuse (6-2, 180, Fr., Brampton, Ont.)
F Aaron Gordon, Arizona (6-9, 225, Fr., San Jose, Calif.)
G Aaron Harrison, Kentucky (6-6, 218, Fr., Richmond, Texas)
G Andrew Harrison, Kentucky (6-6, 215, Fr., Richmond, Texas)
G Kasey Hill, Florida (6-1, 181, Fr., Eustis, Fla.)
F Jabari Parker, Duke (6-8, 235, Fr., Chicago, Ill.)
F Julius Randle, Kentucky (6-9, 250, Fr., Dallas, Texas)
G Wayne Selden, Kansas (6-5, 230, Fr., Roxbury, Mass.)
G Andrew Wiggins, Kansas (6-8, 200, Fr., Vaughan, Ont.)
G James Young, Kentucky (6-6, 215, Fr., Rochester Hills, Mich.)
By conference: SEC (5) ACC (2) Big 12 (2), Pac-12 (1).

The USBWA has chosen a national freshman of the year since the 1988-89 season when LSU’s Chris Jackson was the recipient. Last season, Oklahoma State’s Marcus Smart became the third winner of the Wayman Tisdale Award. Other notable previous winners of the national freshman of the year award include Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd and Chris Webber.

The Tisdale Award winner will receive a statuette designed by nationally-recognized sculptor Shan Gray. The April 14 banquet will also honor the recipient of the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award.

The late Wayman Tisdale was a three-time USBWA All-American at the University of Oklahoma. Following a stint on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team, he played 12 seasons in the NBA before retiring in 1997 to focus on a blossoming jazz music career. In March 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer and, following a courageous and difficult battle that included the amputation of his right leg in 2008, he passed away in May 2009.

The Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award is produced by Access Sports, an Oklahoma City-based 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation responsible for creating the Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award. Access Sports produces all events associated with the award, including the annual awards dinner. Proceeds from the activities affiliated with the award are used to support various worthy charitable causes, including providing opportunities for disadvantaged youth to participate in basketball leagues, clinics, and training throughout the state. In addition, Access Sports supports the Wayman L. Tisdale Foundation which helps fund prosthetics for those who cannot afford the cost on their own and may not be covered by insurance.

Tickets and sponsorship information for the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards are available at collegebasketballawards.com or by contacting Scott Hill (405-749-1515, scott.hill@access-sports.net).

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With more than 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

NC Coyotes Fall to Fayetteville Flight in ABA Debut

By Marcus Shockley

Durham, NC – The freshly minted NC Coyotes opened their ABA career with a home loss against the Fayetteville Flight on Sunday, in a game that featured differing styles of play. The Flight have solid backcourt play with multiple ballhandlers while the Coyotes are loaded with strength and size in the paint.

Fayetteville’s guards pressured the ball consistently from the opening tip, with Brandon McRae handling most of the point guard duties; McRae is a solid true point guard, quick and with a deft handle. He not only has the ability to run the offense as a pass-first guard, but can break down his man off of the dribble, spin in the lane around bigger defenders and finish. McRae finished with 28 points.

The Flight also have a scoring weapon with combo guard Bryan Calloway, who can shoot from deep, finish with contact, and the Coyotes really had no answer for him for most of the game. He finished with 42 points, even though he played very little of the fourth period.

The backcourt pressure of the Flight built a 33-22 lead at the end of the first period, and really never relinquished control of the game. The Coyotes were able to tie it 45-45 on a Shamar Bowden 3 pointer, but the pressure of the backcourt continued to create problems and the Flight were able to secure the road win 132-121.

Bright spots for the Coyotes were Julius Brooks, a 6’9″ power forward/center who is explosive around the basket and despite early foul trouble, finished strong in the second half. Brooks led the Coyotes scoring with 32 points and I had him down for at least 14 boards and 4 blocks. Brooks played in college at Loyola(Maryland). Curtis Withers, a 6’8″ big man, also had a solid outing and had a monster dunk that shook the rafters. Withers played college ball for Charlotte and has played in the NBA Summer League as well as having overseas experience.

The Coyotes will travel to Virginia Beach on November 10 to take on the Seven City Knights before returning home on November 16 to host the Charleston City Lions. Home games for the Coyotes are played at Neal Middle School in Durham. See the full schedule at this link.

The Fayetteville Flight will host the Seven City Knights on November 9 at Freedom Courts in Fayetteville, NC. Full schedule for the Flight can be found at this link.

A rematch of the Coyotes and Flight will be played on November 17 in Fayetteville.

D-League Draft Holds Several Promising Prospects

By Marcus Shockley

Yesterday the NBA D-League held their 2103 draft, and here are some notes of the potential developing stories:

Grant Jerrett, was taken #1 overall by the Tulsa 66ers. Jerrett is a 6’10” versatile player who was notably cut last week by the Oklahoma Thunder, a move that led many to hold him up as an example of players entering the NBA draft too early. Jerrett played one season at Arizona last year before declaring for the draft.

James Johnson, the second overall pick, looked like a future NBA starter during his two years at Wake Forest, but has never found traction in the pros after being a first round pick in 2009. Johnson was waived last month by the Atlanta Hawks after, frankly, abysmal showings in the Hawks preseason games.

DeAndre Liggins, taken #7 overall by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, is a former Kentucky standout who played sparingly for Orlando and Oklahoma City during his two years in the NBA. Over the past two months Liggins ran afoul of the law in a domestic assault charge and was waived by the Thunder during the same week. Liggins will need to show maturity and consistency in order to make an impact.

Reggie Johnson, a 6’10” center who played for Miami in the ACC, was taken in the second round by the Delaware 87ers. Johnson is a solid post player who can be a force inside, but has battled injuries and conditioning issues throughout his career. He should see significant floor time.

Aquille Carr, a high school standout who had his own off-the-court issues, was committed to Seton Hall but opted to sign a short contract overseas in an effort to find his way to the pros. It’s still not clear if Carr is more hype than substance, but he’ll get his chance for the Delaware 87ers.