The HoopHall Classic Review

Every year my father and I head out to Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College to watch some of the best High School basketball players and teams in the country square off in the HoopHall Classic. Some people may not know this but the court that future college and NBA greats take to during this tournament is the site where the game they love was first invented by Dr. James Naismith. Way back in 1891 Dr. Naismith (a gym teacher) created a game for his students during a rainy day. While the game has greatly evolved (most recently by adding the arc around the basketball and the three-point line) the roots are still there. The boys and girls who play it now a day’s though would have broken many a peach baskets with thunderous dunks. The HoopHall Classic is every Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and the best games of the tournament are on the Monday holiday. The following will be my breakdown of each game and the stars of the teams.

First game of the day was the #6 team in the country St. Anthony’s High School from Jersey City, NJ versus an unranked Tift County High School team from Tifton, GA. The crowd hadn’t quite fully arrived for the 10 am tip-off but those who were there were treated to an extremely vocal and colorful Bob Hurley, Sr., the legendary coach of St. Anthony’s. To be a referee of one of his games one must show great restraint as he yells just as much at you as he does at his own kids. Hurley’s teams are always the most disciplined in the country and turn out division 1 products year in and year out. His top two players this year were Temple University bound  Josh Brown who scored 14 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and Oregon State bound Halice Cooke who added 11 points to the 60-54 win for the Friars. Tift County was led by the #11 SG in the country who is headed to Kansas next fall, Brannen Greene. Greene was clearly not 100% since he was seen on the bench multiple times being wrapped in blankets and rubbing his chest, but still mentioned to go 4 for 6 from 3 and finished with 14 points and 5 rebounds. The star of the game for Tift was Donell Tuff who has no division 1 offers but put up 17 points and 7 rebounds. St. Anthony’s victory was their 78^th straight win and only their 9^th during that streak that was decided by single digits.

#6 St. Anthony's- Jersey City, NJ

 

Tift County- Tifton, GA

               

                The noon game was the first of 3 in a row that was aired on ESPNU and it featured the #3 team in the country, Lone Peak High School from Highland, UT taking on unranked Archbishop Mitty High School from San Jose, CA. Lone Peak was dominant while shooting lights out from 3 (13-24) en route to a 81-46 win. Lone Peak was led by BYU bound duo Nick Emery (#14 PG) who poured in 20 points on 8-14 shooting and Eric Mika (#8 C) who put up a double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds and added 3 blocks for safe measure. The MVP for the Knights though was Conner Toolson who is ranked as the #100 SG and has no division 1 offers but went perfect from 3 (6 for 6) and scoring a team high 22 points and chipping in 7 rebounds. TJ Haws, a highly touted Junior for Lone Peak was also impressive scoring 18 points with 6 rebounds. Haws is also committed to BYU. While the game was out of hand at the half seeing Lone Peak up 44-20 the real star and attraction was Archbishop Mitty’s Aaron Gordon. Gordon is the #2 PF(#7 overall) in the country and has offers from Washington, Kentucky and Arizona. Those offers are well deserved as he put on an aerial show with numerous highlight dunks including an alley-oop off an in-bounds play in which he skied over the defender and posterized him. His pure athleticism was amazing to watch but the best part of his 27 points and 12 rebounds were the range he showed hitting a 3 and multiple baseline jumpers as well as his constant hustle and encouragement to teammates. It showed true character and while briefly speaking with him after the game I could tell what a great young man he is in addition to a Blake Griffin-esque talent on the court. Whoever gets him to attend their university while have an instant contributor and great player to coach and prep for the next level.

Archbishop Mitty High School- San Jose, CA

#3 Lone Peak High School- Highland, UT

 While the result from the noon game left a lot to be desired, the two o’clock game did not. #13 Oak Hill Academy from Mouth of Wilson, VA took on #14 Simeon Career Prep from Chicago, IL who featured the #2 player in the country SF Jabari Parker who in December committed to Duke University. Parker did not disappoint pouring in 28 points while raining in three 3 pointers and grabbing  5 rebounds. Parker’s teammate Kendrick Nunn was also extremely impressive scoring 21 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Nunn is the #16 SG in the nation and is headed to the University of Illinois in the fall. Oak Hill, who went 44-0 last season is always well coached by Steve Smith, who is a younger and redder in the face version of Bob Hurley, Sr. Smith has helped produce talents such as Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and JR Smith. His talented players this year were Sindarius Thornwell (#12 SG University of South Carolina bound), RJ Curington (#50 SG who is considering Maryland, UNC-Wilmington, UAB, and Tulane) and Troy Williams (#9 SF who is attending Indiana University next year). Williams got to play in front of his future head coach Tom Crean who was in the scouts gallery and he struggled with his shot going 4 for 12 but scored 11 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Thornwell poured in a game high 27 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists. RJ Curington was also extremely exciting to watch while draining three 3s en route to  19 points. Simeon led throughout, mostly by double digits but Oak Hill just kept chipping away only trailing 56-50 after 3 quarters. But Parker’s exclamation point dunk with a little over a minute remaining sealed the 81-68 win for Simeon. With the win, Simeon moved up to #11 in the country, Oak Hill dropped 1 spot to #14.

Oak Hill Academy- Mouth of Wilson, VA

Simeon Career Prep- Chicago, IL

                The last game I attended for the day was the premier match-up which featured a rematch of last year’s national championship game between #1 Montverde Academy from Montverde, FL and #2 Findlay Prep from Henderson, NV. Montverde led by as many as 18 in that game but Findlay came charging back to win the game and the title. This game was the revenge game for Montverde but in the end it proved to be an eerie duplicate of that fateful game. While the Pilots of Findlay were led by new coach Todd Simon, he lived up to the precedent set by now NBDL Idaho Stampede coach Michael Peck and took home yet another huge win for the prestigious school. The Pilots who after the 62-59 win took over the #1 spot, were led by University of Washington bound (#9 PG) Nigel Williams-Goss who scored 18 of his 26 points in the 4^th quarter including the game winning 3 pointer as time expired. Findlay also boasts Christian Wood (#15 PF UNLV bound) who contributed with 14 points and 7 rebounds and Allerik Freeman (#13 SG UCLA bound) added in 11 points. For Montverde the biggest problem was the foul trouble to starting guard Kasey Hill (#2 PG University of Florida bound) who fouled out with just about 4 minutes to play with Montverde still leading 56-45. Findlay had no answer inside for #1 C and #12 overall Dakari Johnson who is a University of Kentucky commit and #22 PF Devin Williams who will attend West Virginia University. Johnson had 17 points and 8 rebounds while Williams had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the losing effort. Losing Hill really hurt Montverde and their backcourt could not get the ball inside enough in the end even with Miguel Cartagena hitting four 3 pointers in the 2^nd half. Overall this comeback highlighted an amazing day of hoops with unbelievable talent gracing the Blake Arena court. According to MassLive.com it was the largest single-day crowd in the history of the tournament as the 1,700 seat arena was filled to capacity hours before this matchup.

New #1 Findlay College Prep- Henderson, NV

Montverde did not stay for photos long enough to get a good one but here is Nigel Williams-Goss getting his MVP award

I hope you enjoyed my breakdown/recap of the games. If you haven’t gotten out to a tournament such as this I greatly urge you to do so as it is amazing and worth the price of admission tenfold. 

(All pictures are my own off of my phone so sorry for the quality!)

Part Two- NBA Hall of Famers to Be?

Welcome back for Part Two of my NBA Hall of Fame posting. In Part One I tackled the players that should be enshrined into Springfield both this coming year and in the next five years. Now in Part Two I’ll discuss the plethora of players that currently star in the NBA that are surefire Hall of Fame inductees once they are eligible. In my mind there are 10 players that are no question Hall of Famers and a few that should be if their careers continue to trend upwards. First I’ll tackle the no-brainers.

1.      Kobe Bryant- The Black Mamba is an easy choice to start with seeing as he has 30588 points and counting in his career which is good enough for 5^th all-time. The 14 (soon to be 15) time All-Star Game selection also has won 5 NBA Championships and been named to 9 All-NBA Defense First-Teams. Bryant is also 11^th in made 3pt field goals, 4^th in made free throws, and 17^th in steals. He was also MVP of the league in 2007-08 season and is a 10-time All-NBA First Team selection.

2.      Tim Duncan- The Big Fundamental is 2^nd to no one when it comes to a sure first ballot Hall of Famer. Duncan has 13 (soon to be 14) All-Star Game selections to his name as well as 9 All-NBA First Team selections. Duncan has won 4 NBA Championships and was MVP of the league in 2001-02 and 2002-03. He is 16^th all-time in rebounds (5^th in defensive rebounds), 24^th in points, and 8^th in blocks. Duncan was also named to 8 All-NBA Defense First-Teams. 

3.      Kevin Garnett- The Big Ticket spent many years toiling in Minnesota putting up huge numbers and was finally rewarded by winning an NBA Championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. KG is a 14 (soon to be 15) time All-Star selection and is a 9-time All-NBA Defense First Team selection. Garnett ranks 12^th in rebounds, 18^th in steals, 19^th in blocks, and 17^th in points in 18 seasons. KG was also MVP of the league in the 2003-04 season. 

4.      LeBron James- King James is a sure-thing in my book since he is a 3-time NBA MVP and won an NBA Championship in 2012 with the Miami Heat. LeBron has been selected to 8 All-Star Games and will soon make it 9. LBJ is a 6-time All-NBA First Team selection and currently ranks 38^th in points, 55^th in assists, 67^th in steals and 36^th in made free throws. Oh and don’t forget he’s only 28 years old and in his 10^h NBA season. His place is reserved in Springfield, all that is left to decide is how high he will rise amongst the names like Jordan, Magic, Bird, Kareem and Bryant. 

5.      Dirk Nowitzki- The Big German has played 15 years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and has been named to 11 All-Star Games. He has won 1 NBA Championship in 2011 and also has 1 MVP award to his name in the 2006-07 season. Dirk is a 4-time All-NBA First Team selection and ranks 48^th all-time in rebounds, 19^th in points 13^th in free throw percentage and 30^th in made 3pt field goals. 

6.      Paul Pierce- The Truth has been a favorite of mine for years seeing as he has played his entire 15 year career for the Boston Celtics, winning the NBA Championship in 2008. Pierce is a 10-time NBA All-Star selection and ranks 12^th in made free throws, 7^th in made 3pt field goals, 32^nd in steals and 23^rd in points all-time. 

7.      Jason Kidd- J-Kidd has now played in 19 NBA seasons and won 1 NBA Championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd is a 10-time All-Star selection and a 4-time All-NBA First Team selection. Kidd ranks 3^rd all-time in made 3pt field goals, 53^rd in rebounds, 2^nd in assists, 74^th in points and 2^nd in steals. He was also named to 4 All-NBA Defense First Team teams. 

8.      Ray Allen- Allen is in his 17th season in the NBA and has won 1 NBA Championship in 2008 with the Boston Celtics. Ray is best known for the purest shooting stroke in the game and has made 10 All-Star games. Ray ranks 1^st in 3pt field goal attempts and 1^st in 3pt field goal makes as well as ranking 22^nd in points and 5th in free throw percentage.

9.      Dwayne Wade- Wade while only 30 has done enough already to be included in this group. D-Wade has been named to 8 (soon to be 9) All-Star games and has won 2 NBA Championships with the Miami Heat. He is a 2-time All-NBA First Team selection and ranks 105^th in points, 58^th in free throws made, and 108^th in assists. As long as Wade stays healthy these numbers will only help his case to get into the Hall.

10.  Steve Nash- Nash is the last member of this group in my mind. Many don’t think of him as a sure-thing Hall of Famer but how can you argue with the following numbers: 5^th all-time in assists, 82^nd in points, 8^th in 3pt field goal percentage, 1^st in free throw percentage, and 10^th in 3pt field goals made. Don’t forget the 8 All-Star game selections, 3 All-NBA First Team selections and 2 NBA MVP awards to his name. The only thing that still escapes Nash in his 17^th season is an NBA Championship. 

Next up are the players that still have work to do to get into the Hall but are trending in the right direction.

1.      Chris Paul- CP3 is definitely on course to be amongst the all-time greats seeing as he already has been named to 5 (soon to be 6) All-Star games and was Rookie of the Year in 2005-06. He is a 2-time All-NBA First Team selection and currently ranks 52^nd all-time in assists, 64^th in steals, 34^th in free throw percentage and 3^rd in assists per game at a whopping 9.8. Paul is only 27 years old and just joined a legitimate contender in the Los Angeles Clippers last season so his titles may come at some point soon. 

2.      Chris Bosh- Bosh is an interesting case here seeing as he is just 28 years old and was the number one option on a decent team in Toronto for years and now is 3^rd fiddle to James and Wade in Miami. His ppg dipped from 24.0 to 18.7 once he moved to South Beach and if he continues to have issues rebounding like last night (1 rebound in 27 minutes) it will be hard to consider him seriously for a spot here. But if he trends upwards and the Heat win another title or two it will be hard to overlook him. Bosh has been named to 7 All-Star games and won the NBA Championship in 2012 with the Heat. Bosh’s stats are not impressive yet since he only has 13,336 points(168^th) and 6120 rebounds (143^rd) in 9 seasons. 

3.      Tony Parker- TP is a great example of a solid player with great teammates but hasn’t received personal accolades like others previously mentioned. Parker has been named to 4 NBA All-Star games and has won 3 NBA Championships with the Spurs in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Parker is already 30 but still ranks 54^th all-time in assists and 142^nd in points. 

4.      Dwight Howard- D12’s only limitation is health. His raw talent and young starting age make him a candidate to reach the upper echelons of stardom as long as his body allows him to get there. Howard is only 27 and already in his 9^th year in the league. He has been to 6 (soon to be 7) NBA All-Star games and won 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards already. Howard also has been named to 5 All-NBA First Teams and 4 All-NBA Defensive First Teams. His current ranks are 54^th in rebounds, 35^th in blocks and 219^th in points. 

5.      Carmelo Anthony- Melo is a 5-time (soon to be 6) NBA All-Star game selection and has consistently been in the top 10 in scoring each of his 10 seasons. Melo is an excellent scorer of the ball but the rest of his game leaves a lot to be desired. The true test will be to see if Melo can lead the New York Knicks to a championship at some point in the near future. He currently ranks 57^th all-time in made free throws, 81^st in points and 14^th in points per game average (24.9). 

6.      Pau Gasol- Gasol is having a terrible year this season for the Lakers but has been consistent over his previous 11 years in the NBA. He, like Bosh starred alone on a decent team then moved to a team where he is the second or third option. The Llama has been named to 4 NBA All-Star games and has won 2 NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s already 32 but ranks only 71^st all-time in rebounds, 42^nd in blocks, 83^rd in free throws made and 120^th in points. 

7.      Kevin Durant- The last player in this list is the youngest and the one with the most upside. Durant is only 24 and already has 11078 points in only 5 ½ seasons. He already has been named to 3 (soon to be 4) NBA All-Star games and 3 All-NBA First Teams. He currently ranks 7^th all-time in points per game at 26.5. Durant’s ceiling is unbelievably high and has already been to one title game only to lose to James, Wade and Bosh but he will be back sooner than most expect. His scoring will continue and the rest of his game will round into form to make him one of the all-time greats who have ever played the game, that is, as long as he stays healthy. 

The last list is of players who might have a chance to make the Hall of Fame but are past their primes and can’t improve their status much more than winning championships.

1.      Vince Carter- Air Canada, Vinsane or whatever somewhat clever nickname you can think of is the best example of this class. Carter has now played in 15 NBA seasons and has been named to 8 NBA All-Star games. Vince currently ranks 13^th all-time in made 3pt field goals, 54^th in made free throws, 81^st in steals, and 30^th in points but certainly is best known for his gravity-defying dunks like the ones he performed in the dunk contests as well as his posterizing of 7’2’’ Frederic Weiss during the Olympics. 

2.      Tracy McGrady- T-Mac is Carter’s cousin and was extremely talented but was constantly bitten by the injury bug during his 15 year career in the NBA. McGrady was a 7-time NBA All-Star selection and 2-time All-NBA First Teamer. T-Mac ranks 57^th all-time in points, 87^th in assists, 94^th in steals and 56^th in 3pt field goals made. He probably doesn’t deserve to make the Hall but deserves some recognition. 

3.      Grant Hill- Hill has played 20 years in the NBA and played 4 years at Duke University. Hill was named to 7 NBA All-Star games, was a NBA Rookie of the Year in 1994-95 and an All-NBA First Team selection in 1996-97. He’s never won a title but ranks 79^th in assists, 68^th in steals and 78^th in points all-time. He falls into an odd category since he was never really a superstar but was always a solid contributor even through injury woes. 

4.      Gilbert Arenas- Agent Zero really hurt his chances with his outburst over the last few years but during his prime was one of the best scorers of the basketball in the NBA. The Hibachi was named to 3 NBA All-Star games and ranks 57^th in 3pt field goals made and 44^th in points per game at 20.7. Arenas is a long shot but worth a mention.

5.      Chauncey Billups- Billups is now in his 16^th season in the NBA, and has been named to 5 NBA All-Star games. Chauncey won 1 NBA Championship in 2004 with the Detroit Pistons and currently ranks 5^th in 3pt field goals made, 47^th in free throws made, 39^th in assists and 6^th in free throw percentage. Billups has been a great player but left a lot to be desired during his career. 

Thanks for reading part two of my NBA Hall of Fame blog post, I hope you enjoyed it and I will write again soon.

-Matt

The Basketball Hall of Fame's Future (Part 1)

Well, I took a little over a year off from writing but have really missed it lately. As I continue to search for a career I have returned to sports journalism and blogging in particular. So here goes my return blog... I hope you all enjoy it!

In the wake of the debacle of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting, I thought it only appropriate to jump sports but stay on the same topic. Who deserves to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame? In part one I will delve into players who are currently eligible for enshrinement as well as players who have retired but aren't yet eligible and provide statistics and accomplishments as well as my personal opinion on whether they deserve to be inducted. But part two of this post is where I will dissect who of the current NBA players I believe deserves to be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA.

For those unfamiliar with enshrinement processes, players must be retired from play for at least five years to be considered. From the massive list of around 175 names on this years ballot, I found a few who could be inducted either this year (2013) or at some point in the near future.

1.      Gary Payton- "The Glove" most certainly will be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. Payton lived up to his 2nd overall pick potential after starring at Oregon State University by posting 16.3 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 6.7 apg with 1.8 spg being where he was gifted his nickname. His lock-down defense earned him 9 first team All-NBA Defensive Team awards as well as Defensive Player of the Year in 1995-1996. Payton made 9 NBA All-Star teams and finally won a title with the Miami Heat in 2006. Lastly Payton is 28th all-time in scoring, 8th in assists, and 4th in steals. 

2.      Tim Hardaway- Hardaway was the 14th pick of the 1989 Draft after four years of college at UTEP. While Hardaway never won an NBA championship he did make 5 All-Star teams and 1 First Team All-NBA team. Hardaway averaged 17.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 8.2 apg and 1.6 spg during his career. He is 45^th all-time in steals, 14^th in assists but only 114^th in points. He has about a 50-50 shot of entering the Hall. 

3.      Vlade Divac- The big Serbian played 16 NBA seasons mostly with the Lakers and Kings. While Divac only averaged 11.8 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.1 spg and 1.4 bpg, he was a key contributor on many playoff contenders throughout the years. Divac may best be known for being traded from the Lakers to the then Charlotte Hornets for a young man named Kobe Bryant. Divac did make 1 All-Star team and is currently 48^th all-time in rebounds and 28^th in blocks. While Vlade was a fan favorite and a great glue guy, he does not deserve Hall of Fame induction but just having his name on the ballot should be an honor.

4.      Bernard King- King was the 7^th overall pick in the 1977 draft by the then New Jersey Nets. King played 3 outstanding years at the University of Tennessee before entering the NBA. In 14 NBA seasons King averaged 22.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.3 apg. King was named to 4 All-Star games and 2 All-NBA First Teams. Bernard played his best years in New York for the Knicks and finished his career with 19655 points which is good enough for 44^th all-time. I put King’s odds around 40% to get into Springfield. 

5.      Maurice Cheeks- Mo Cheeks will be the last player that is eligible for enshrinement that I will discuss here and he might be the 2^nd most deserving player available. Cheeks was a mid-2^nd round draft pick by the 76ers in 1978. Cheeks played 4 years at West Texas A&M University where he played well but did not shout future Hall of Famer from his statistics. Cheeks like Payton made his career on the defensive end and in the assist categories. Cheeks was named to 4 All-NBA Defensive First Teams as well as 4 All-Star games. Cheeks also like Payton won 1 NBA Championship, with the Sixers in 1983. Cheeks finished his career with mediocre averages of 11.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 6.7 apg but excelled by averaging 2.1 spg. Mo is currently 11^th all-time in assists and 5^th in steals. While he might be a long shot my guess is about a 25% chance of getting into the Hall. 

Other notables are Detlef Schrempf, Bill Laimbeer, AC Green, Shawn Kemp, Glen Rice, Mitch Richmond, and Mark Jackson. (None of which I believe will be close to enshrinement.)


Now that we’ve tackled the current players eligible to be inducted, let’s take a quick glance at a few players who will be eligible within the next 5 years.

2012 was not much of a year for retirements since the only one to even crack a glance would be Brad Miller. Miller was a 2-time NBA All-Star but only averaged 11.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 2.8 apg which are mediocre but similar to Divac’s numbers discussed earlier.

2011 saw many more players who would be eligible, none more so than Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq averaged 23.7 ppg, 10.9 rpg and 2.3 bpg over his 20 year career. Shaq won 4 titles, was an NBA MVP in 2000, was named to 15 All-Star games and 8 All-NBA First Teams. To sum it all up, Shaq is currently 8^th all-time in points, 14^th in rebounds, 8^th in blocks and 2^nd in field goal percentage.

2011 also saw two International superstars retire in Peja Stojakovic and Yao Ming. Peja averaged 17.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 2.2 3pt field goals made a game over his 18 year career. Stojakovic was named to 3 All-Star games and is 6^th all-time in made 3 point field goals. But the real discussion will be with Yao. Yao was an exceptional player when healthy… but injury cut his career very short. Over 8 NBA seasons, Yao averaged 19.0 ppg, 9.2 rpg and 1.9 bpg while making 7 All-Star games. My guess is that neither of these men get inducted but certainly will get votes.

2010 had no major retirements since Rasheed Wallace came out of retirement to play with the New York Knicks this season.

2009 had 2 major retirements in Dikembe Mutumbo and Sam Cassell. Mutumbo played 18 seasons and averaged 9.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 2.8 bpg (aka finger waves per game). Dikembe made 8 NBA All-Star games, 4 NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and finished 20^th all-time in rebounds but 2^nd in blocks only trailing Olajuwon. Cassell played 15 NBA seasons and averaged 15.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg and 6.0 apg. Sam made 1 All-Star game but won 3 NBA titles and finished his career 31^st all-time in assists. I would assume Mutumbo gets in easily but Cassell gets left out in the cold.

2008 had only one major retirement in Alonzo Mourning. Zo played 15 seasons in the NBA, and averaged 17.1 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.8 bpg. He made 7 All-Star games, won 2 NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards, was All-NBA 1 season and won 1 NBA title in 2006. Mourning played 4 years at Georgetown University at a high level and finished his NBA career 12^th in blocks and 97^th in rebounds. His chances are about 75% to get into the Hall of Fame.

So while the immediate future isn’t so bright with stars joining the all-time greats at least we have a handful of future Hall of Famers in the NBA today to admire. Check back tomorrow to read about which stars of today I believe will join the all-time greats in Springfield, Massachusetts.