Victor Oladipo

Editor’s Note:
This is a guest post by Ron of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.Com. For more fantasy basketball updates, you can follow Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ Page or like it on Facebook.

The 2014 NBA Playoffs are not yet over but if you are an owner of a fantasy basketball team, chances are you have already started cooking up your plan for the fantasy team of the upcoming season. Here are 5 fantasy basketball sleepers for the upcoming season which could help you make the difference.

Mike Scott
Normally, one should get much affected by the playoffs, when it comes to fantasy basketball. The regular season is so much different than the postseason in the NBA. Nevertheless, the case of Mike Scott seems to be different. After being a non – factor for the biggest part of the 2013 – 2014 campaign, Mike Scott made headlines with his superb performance in the first round of the playoffs. The 25 – year old forward will most probably have a big role in the Atlanta Hawks’ rotation next season. He will see more minutes and thanks to the confidence he gained this season he could be a great steal for your fantasy team.

Nerlens Noel
Do you remember who was supposed to be the top pick in last year’s NBA Draft? The 7 – footer Nerlens Noel was heavily rumored to get selected at one of the top three spots but he eventually fell to No.6. Noel missed his entire rookie season due to a knee injury but he will most probably be back at his 100 percent next season. Noel can be a 10 PPG, 10 RPG and 55 FG% type of player and also one of the best sleepers you might find.

Greg Monroe
Greg Monroe is a great player but we already know that right? He finished the 2013 – 2014 season with 15.2 PPG, 9.3 RPG and 0.6 BLKPG. The catch here lies in the fact that the Detroit Pistons three pillars will no long exist next season. Monroe will be a restricted free agent this summer and the Detroit Pistons might seek a trade for him. Playing without Josh Smith and Andre Drummond on his side, Monroe could reach a whole other level with his performance. He could emerge as a star. Keep a close eye on him and the news about his potential trade.

Victor Oladipo
Michael Carter-Williams won the Rookie of the Year award but Victor Oladipo also made his presence felt. The 22 – year old guard still has much work to do and he has room for improvement in almost any aspect of his game. What Oladipo also showed, though, is that he is extremely talented. He is a leader figure and he has superstar talent. Look for him to be even better and record even greater numbers. A fantastic sleeper for your fantasy basketball team.

Lance Stephenson
I simply can’t form a fantasy basketball sleepers list and not include Lance Stephenson. He was Goran Dragic’s runner up for the Most Improved Player of the 2013-2014 and although he didn’t win the award, he took his performance to a whole different level. Stephenson is now a star and in fact, he is the co-leader of the Indiana Pacers alongside Paul George. As a fantasy owner, you should definitely keep him in your scope and try to add him in your fantasy team. I bet those of you who had him onboard this season were very happy with his outputs.

Replay of the 17U Championship game at the 2014 David Rose Memorial Day Classic AAU basketball tournament, broadcast from Proehlific Park in Greensboro, NC. Originally broadcast by NetCastSports.com and features commentators Marcus Shockley and Chase Vaden.

Rosters:

Brand X

Number Name
22 Ricky Council II
11 Nubian Spann
15 Josh Kumba
24 Jack Costigan
3 Jalen Burnette
4 Tyrick Gattis
12 Brandon Goldsmith
12 Ricky Council III
14 Clif Conley
32 John Lamot
33 Ricardo Bullock
55 Jalen Robertson

UBA

Number Name
11 Xavier Mills
32 Quincy Jackson
2 Antonio Watson
13 Romeo Ferguson
4 Ajay Sanders
22 DaQuan Lilly
20 Josh Siler
10 Jared Joyner
34 Christian Taylor
32 Quincy Jackson

Southeast Summer Showcase Logo 2014

By Marcus Shockley

After years of watching high school basketball players struggle to get recruited for college, I set out to build something better. Last year we had our most successful year, with 8 of the seniors going on to Division I schools, many more heading to Division II and our dunk contest landed at #2 on ESPN for the weekend (we would have been number one, but we were up against the NBA Finals). The Southeast Summer Showcase is the only showcase I do all year, and my entire focus is making this event the best I possibly can make it. This year’s event is June 15, 2014 at Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, NC.

(Don’t want to read all the reasons why this event is awesome, and just want to sign up? Sure, you can go here: events.BasketballElite.com.

Here’s what we do:

– we bring in several Division I rated prospects so that the competition level is set high right away. This means that players who play well at the event are proving that they are also college prospects. Coaches love being able to see players they like and watch them play against solid competition to see if their instincts about the player are correct.

– all games at the event are filmed and DVD copies are available to all players and coaches.

– this year, the event is specifically during a DII ‘live’ period, and it’s on June 15, which is the first day that DII schools can contact sophomores. In other words, it’s the perfect time for players to have an ‘arrival party’ where coaches can see them play and contact them right away.

– Our guest speaker is Tim Ryerson of Student Athlete World. Tim is a former college basketball coach with experience at 5 different schools and a recruiting expert. He is currently who I consider to be the #1 recruiting expert in the country and he will be available all day after speaking to answer questions from parents and players.

– Our drills are elite level. We bring in drills from other top level events such as the Lebron camp, CP3 camp, NBA combine and USA basketball. These are drills that many high school players will never get the chance to participate in at the high school level, but we make them available to all attendees and really put them through the workouts.

– We not only have a camp MVP award, but we also have a ‘Coaches Award’ which is given out to the player who all of the camp coaches pick as their personal favorite. This award goes to players who do a lot of things that coaches love but may not get noticed.

– Our events are covered by multiple scouting services and past events have been covered by national media such as MaxPreps and Dime Magazine.

I’d like to invite any high school player from the classes of 2018, 2017, 2016 or 2015 to attend this year if they are serious about getting better on the court and getting recruited for college.

For more information, and to sign up, please visit events.BasketballElite.com.

Carlee Clemon’s dunk that landed him on ESPN’s Top 10:

Southeast Summer Showcase

On Saturday, May 17, 2014, Coach Dwight Miller is hosting a one-day tournament at Freedom Sportsplex located at 3126 Gillespie Street, Fayetteville NC . The event will start at 9 a.m. He needs teams that are looking to play three (3) games then return home. The cost of the event is $100 per team for ages 12u – 17u. If you are interested then please contact him as soon as possible!

Contact Coach Miller on Twitter: @millerd777

Andrew Wiggins Kansas Dunk Jabari Parker Duke NBA draft

Editor’s Note:

This is a guest post by Ron of FantasyBasketballMoneyLeagues.Com. For more fantasy basketball updates, you can follow Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ Page or like it on Facebook.

The 2014 NBA Draft is one of the most talked–about of the last decade and it is also considered to be loaded with stars. Most GMs, especially from teams which are not currently active in the postseason, are already planning their next moves during the post season. We already know which players will be at the top spots of the upcoming NBA draft. What we don’t know just yet is what impact those players can have in your fantasy team. Let’s examine the top prospects of the upcoming draft from a fantasy perspective.

Andrew Wiggins

Wiggins is a controversial player with no doubt. He has received loads of criticism during his college days and although he was rumored to make it to the top of the draft, at present this doesn’t seem to be the case. However, Wiggins can still have a big impact to your fantasy team. He averaged 17.1 PPG and 5.9 RPG during his last season in college and although we might see those numbers dropping a bit when he enters the NBA, he is still considered to have tons of potential. As a fantasy owner, if you decide to draft him, you will most probably not regret it.

Jabari Parker

Parker is one of the top prospects for the upcoming draft and he has made it to the top of the list of several draft analysts. He stands lots of chances to make it to the No.1 of the 2014 NBA Draft. He seems to be the most NBA – ready player of his class, maybe together with Joel Embiid. Last season he averaged 19.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 47.3 FG% and 35.8 3P%. If those numbers seem too good to be true for a 19 – year old kid, you will be surprised to hear that most analysts project Parker to record around 20.0 PPG as soon as he enters the league. So is there any question about his potential?

Joel Embiid

Another very capable youngster who will enter the NBA through the upcoming draft and the best center of his class is Joel Embiid. Health will always be an issue for Embiid and in fact, his injury issues might be the only thing stopping him from making it to the top of the 2014 draft. However, if he manages to stay healthy, he will certainly make his impact felt in the upcoming draft. Last season he averaged 11.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 2.6 BLKPG and 62.6 FG%. Will these numbers fall once he makes it to the NBA? For sure, as he will have to match against the best centers in the league. But still, he will be a good fantasy option at center.

Julius Randle

Randle is characterized by many as a double – double machine. He is a very strong forward who averaged 15.0 PPG, 10.4 RPG and 50.0 FG% last season. You should expect him to stay close to these numbers once he enters the league. He is a player to watch for your fantasy team.

The “Hang the Net Celebrity Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest” is a special event created by Art Blevins in 1986 when he was the supervisor at South Fork Gymnasium. It was designed as a basketball contest comprised of a 3-point shootout and a slam dunk contest. In the shootout portion, children, local athletes and celebrities shoot from outside the 3-point line with the objective of not only hitting, but also hanging the net over the rim for extra points. Thus you have the event name. Still, the objective of the contest is to give children a chance to demonstrate their three-point shooting skills while also affording them the opportunity to meet local celebrities, legends and heroes.

“Hang-The-Net” started with about 100 participants and spectators, 2 local sponsors and 1 local celebrity, news anchor Cameron Kent of WXII-TV12. When Art moved from South Fork to Hanes Hosiery in 1992, the event moved with him. In 2001, “Hang-The-Net” was put on hold for a few years as Hanes Hosiery was demolished in order to replace it on the same grounds with the cities’ newest facility which opened back up in 2004. After the Grand Re-Opening, plans were made to host the 16th edition in 2006 and have continued every year since. Since the beginning days in 1986, it has grown to include 12 or more local sponsors, media coverage from 3 local television stations, 2 local newspapers and 2 local radio stations, with more than 500 people in attendance.

Over the years, the list of local celebrities and college stars taking part in “Hang the Net” has grown to include such names as: former University of South Carolina All-American B.J. McKie; former WFU Women’s Basketball Coach Charlene Curtis; former WSSU and Fayetteville State coach Sam Hangar; former WSSU and South Carolina Assistant Coach Rick Duckett; the late great WFU Coach Skip Prosser and the Deacon coaching staff; former WFU and NBA All-Star Josh Howard; former UNC Lady Tar Heel and WNBA Star Camille Little; former College of Charleston Southern star Natalie Caldwell; former UNC-Wilmington star Joel Justus; former Wake Forest star Porsche Jones; current and former WFU stars C.J. Harris, Ty Walker, L.D. Williams, Willie Griffin, Jerry Braswell, Taron Downey and Randolph Childress; former WSSU stars Tim Grant, Carlos Mumford, Monty Gray, Darryl “Big Dog” Hardy, and Brandon Hobbs; former LSU star Sean Gipson; former Florida star Jermaine Carlton; local media personalities Dave Goren, and Marlo Klain (now with ESPN) of WXII-12, Scott Pryzwansky of WFMY-2, Danny Har nden of Fox 8, Brian Formica of WFMY-2, Austin Caviness WXII-12 Suzy Stark of News 14, DJ Buster Brown of radio and television fame, Columnist Sam Davis, Columnists Kim Underwood, John Dell, Lisa O’Donnell and Michael Huie of the Winston-Salem Journal; former NFL players James Clyburn, Richard Huntley, and Jack Cameron; former UNC Tar Heels ReyShawn Terry, Quentin Thomas, Mike Copeland, and Terrence Petree. We also have local stars Flagge Stanfield, Travis Holcomb-Faye, Whit Holcomb-Faye, Walt Baxley, Danny Gathings, “Popbottle” Thomas, and many more! With such an extensive guest list, it’s no wonder why the “Hang the Net Celebrity Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest” is one of the biggest and hottest special events of the summer.

A “Living Legends” Award has also been presented over the years to area icons including the late Clarence “Bighouse” Gaines, the late, great Hall of Fame Sportswriter Mary Garber, Hall of Fame Hanes Hosiery Industrial Women’s Basketball stars Eckie Jordan and the late, great Eunice Futch, WSSU All-CIAA Basketball standout William English; former New York Knick Luther “Ticky” Burden, the late Mr. James “Catfish” Sprinkle, Claudette Weston, Coach Tom Muse, former Harlem Globetrotter Robert Little, former All American and WFU stars Charlie Davis and Skip Brown, local high school coaching legends Howard West and Brian Robinson, NFL head coach and former WFU Coach Jim Caldwell, former Detroit Lion star Germaine Crowell, current WFU Football Head Coach Jim Grobe, former local star Jamie Wilkes Claudette Weston , WXII news anchor Cameron Kent, John Dell with the Winston-Salem Journal, UNC Lady Tar Heel and WNBA star LaQuanda Barksdale, and WSSU and NBA Hall of Fame star Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, WS Prep Coach Andre Gould, Mt. Tabor Coach Andy Muse, Former UNC Tar Heel Star Reyshawn Terry, & Sports Writers Dave Goren & Sam Davis.

The best part about the “Hang the Net” Contest is that is FREE to the public. To ensure that each youngster receives something for their participation, Art Blevins, his loyal staff and volunteers go out into the community and knock on doors, write letters and call on friends and sponsors in an effort to help secure posters, coupons, drinks, snacks, T-shirts, basketballs and various other door prizes. The amount of man hours Blevins puts into this events is immeasurable yet it doesn’t keep him from doing it year after year.

Throughout the history of “Hang the Net” Art Blevins has also enlisted the services of a great supporting cast to aid with his effort. Special Thanks go out to these loyal friends, supporters and volunteers:

“DJ Diamond” Jones; Denise Scott-Johnson and Tim Grant; Kim Underwood; Sam Davis; Kenny Ferris; Claudette Weston and Joel Weston; Gary Lash; Jeremiah Hawks, Brandi Ingram ; Emerald Bowman; Kasey Taylor; Lisa Meadows; John Justus; David, Adam, and Mr. Kevin Walker, Rick and Julia Page, Avery Faucett, John Dell & Patrice Johnson ,Glenn Stuart, and Kenny Ferris..

McDonald’s, Powerade, Pepsi-Cola, Pages Sports, Papa John’s Pizza, The Finish Line, Omega Sports, Wendy’s, Weston & Associates, ISP Sports Marketing, Jamie Wilkes Trophies and the Winston-Salem Chronicle., Burger King, and Chick-Fil-A

If you would like to help sponsor this year’s event or know of a local or national superstar that would like to participate, please contact Art Blevins.

Event: “Hang the Net Celebrity Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest”
Date: July 24, 2014
Time: 2:00pm
Contact: Art Blevins, Recreation Center Supervisor
Location: Hanes Hosiery Community Center
Address: 501 Reynolds Blvd.
Winston-Salem, NC 27105
Phone: (336) 727-2428 or (336) 659-9691

We invite everyone to come out see what “Hang the Net” is all about and what it means to the children of Winston-Salem. Help make a difference by supporting the “Hang the Net Celebrity Shootout and Slam Dunk Contest.”

Pacers Wizards NBA Playoffs 2014

By Marcus Shockley

For the life of me, I can’t figure out what has happened – and, continues to happen – to the Indiana Pacers.

By all rights the Pacers should have already won a title. Over the past two seasons, they consistently outplayed the Miami Heat, but just couldn’t close the deal when it was in their grasp. This is not to take anything away from the Heat; they got the job done when it mattered and the Pacers didn’t. But that’s all history, anyway.

Let’s talk about right now.

The Pacers have a team that is deep, physical, and built to win in the grueling postseason. Everyone is well aware that they stumbled down the home stretch of the regular season, and had to fight to keep their number one seed in the playoffs.

In the first round, the Atlanta Hawks – the eighth seed – pushed the Pacers to brink of elimination, and frankly, looked better than the Pacers for most of the series. Only via a gutty fourth quarter performance by David West in game seven are the Pacers in the second round. After their poor performance in the first round, no one would be surprised if they were eliminated in the second, as they take on the Wizards. The Wizards are not really young, but they do have two very young elite talents in the backcourt.

The first game looked like what most of us would expect, given what we’ve seen so far from both of these teams. The Wizards looked better than the Pacers, even playing on Indiana’s home court. John Wall and Bradley Beal looked unstoppable, especially Beal, and the Pacers look like they don’t even want to be there. Pacers fans have to be discouraged and in a bit of shock of what they are seeing unfold right in front of them.

To be clear, the Wizards have some talent, but it’s not the kind of team you would expect to look like they clearly outmatch the number one seed. One the surface, they have elite wings in Wall and Beal. Nene is a top center and they have depth in the post with Gortat and Drew Gooden. Trevor Ariza has done some nice things. But no one would expect that they (or, frankly, the Hawks) would be making the Pacers look like they shouldn’t have even have made the playoffs.

In an NBA playoff year that been one of the best in some time, the Pacers no longer look like the dark horse. It’s somewhat baffling – is it locker room issues? Has the roster aged to a point where it looks better on paper than in reality?

Will Frank Vogel, who up until a month ago, was being heralded as one of the brightest coaching lights in the NBA, be able to keep his job if the Pacers can’t suddenly start looking like, well, the Pacers?

One thing is certain: as of this moment the Pacers cannot be considered a serious title contender and, while the Heat are the number two seed, they clearly look like the East’s strongest candidate thus far. The Pacers may be on the brink of becoming yet another team that was built for success but could never get over the hump. As a basketball fan, I’m much more excited by what Washington is doing than Indiana, and I would wager most NBA fans feel the same.

For more basketball nonsense, you can follow Marcus Shockley on Twitter, right now.

Josh Level Classic basketball game 2014

By Marcus Shockley

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been over a year since we lost Josh Level, who collapsed on the court during a regular season basketball game in 2013. Level, who was playing for Christ School, was a Division I prospect who I felt was underrated and poised for a breakout summer. He had the size, the demeanor, and the physical tools to play college ball. And, he was a good kid.

Tonight, many of his friends, players who have now committed to big name schools or are on their way, are joining together to honor the memory of their fallen teammate and raise money in his name for a good cause.

The first annual Josh Level Classic charity basketball game will be held tonight at Dudley High School in Greensboro, NC. Starting at 6pm EST, there will be a dunk contest and three point shootout, and the game will follow immediately after (approximately 7PM EST), and it’s a loaded set of rosters.

Expected rosters include:

Theo Pinson (UNC)
JaQuel Richmond (Houston)
Harry Giles
Ikenna Smart
Ty Graves
Joey McLean
Jeremy Harris
Sadeeq Bello
Kanayo Obi-Rapu
Donovan Gilmore (College of Charleston)
Kai Shaw
Alec Wnuk
James Demery
Jalen Hudson
Cody Martin
Ikenna Smart
Malik Wright
Ryan Johnson (Rutgers)
Jalen Gavin
Lamont Robinson
Dennis Smith
Keyshawn Woods (Charlotte)
Shelton Mitchell
Deshaunte Carelock
Caleb Martin (NC State)

If you can make the game, it will be a great event and a great cause. But for those who can’t make the Greensboro gym tonight, the games will be broadcast live online at NetCast Sports Network, starting with the dunk contest at 6pm.