Potpourri, Aug 3

News Bits

Out of Bishop O'Dowd, 6-foot-10 Jalen Lewis has signed with St. Mary's. He turned pro when he was just 16 but hasn't developed his potential. Look for the Gaels to work with him as a long term prospect.

Here's a July 2021 feature.

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Dylan: "NEW: 4⭐️ PG Braxton Keathley has committed to University Of The Pacific, he tells me. Braxton will head to Florida soon to join Prolific Prep for his senior season before heading to California next year to start his college journey. Braxton leaves Kentucky the #1 ranked player in the state, a 4⭐️ Prospect ranked #90 in NextNat1on’s 2027 Top 100.

I spoke with Braxton on his decision.

Q: What were the major factors in your decision to commit to Pacific?

BK: Biggest factors was the relationship with Coach Smart that I’ve built over the last year or so. I had probably 15 coaches come to eastern Kentucky to visit me last season. Coach was the one head coach that came and spent two days. He came to my 5am workouts and that meant a lot. He believes I can make an impact as a freshman and be an all conference player right away. Coach Smart has won 17 national championships in Canada and coached some of the best players in the world on the Olympic team. NBA All stars and MVPS. I know we are going to win big at Pacific. I want to win big and at Pacific we are goin to do that. Last season they were a top 100 team in the Net rankings they will only be better this year. Gonzaga has always been the team to beat in the WCC. Pacific is changing all that and I can’t wait to hang banners in Stockton and celebrate with the fans. Coach has great coaches working with him in Coach Bridges, Coach Cole all the staff it’s the best of the best. I’m excited.

Q: How do you see yourself fitting in to the offensive system they like to run?

BK: I see my self as someone who can play multiple positions for Coach. He likes to space the floor and that only helps me as someone who can get downhill on drives and playmake for my teammates. If he needs a catch and shoot guy then I can move to that spot. Coach is big on rebounding and defending. I believe I’m a pretty good rebounder for my position. I think I’ll be able to impact the game right away and my length on defense will allow me to guard different positions. The biggest thing I want to set the tone as a leader in the locker room and do the right things. It starts with how hard I work and I believe I can help in that area right away.

Q: What are some things you need to work on the most to have an immediate impact day 1?

BK: The biggest jump a player has to make from high school to college is the speed of the game so I’ll continue to work on guarding ball screens and being more physical this upcoming season on the defensive end."

Pacific Head coach Dave Smart is a legend in Canadian Basketball and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026. He was also inducted into the Ottawa Hall of Fame in 2021. He has won 15 National Championships at Carleton University. He coached SGA when he played on the Canadian Senior National Team.

and

Pacific Men's Basketball: "Another Tiger joins the family! Welcome to the 209, Dominick!"

He has played for Gonzaga, LMU, UCLA and Loyola Chicago. Maybe he has received a 5th year senior waiver?

and

Verbal Commits: "Kansas State G C.J. Jones is transferring to Pacific."

He's a 6-foot-5 point. Here's a feature on his move to Stockton.

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Ersin Demir: "One of my favorite plus-sized ball handlers among college prospects in recent years. Miles Norris already has a year at Barcelona in the Euroleague as a 25-year-old. I expect him to have a bigger role for Bayern Münich."

Norris is out of CCSF.

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Verbal Commits: "2027 Crespi Carmelite (CA) G Isaiah Barnes has received an offer from San Francisco."

The 6-foot-2 junior is the son of longtime NBA-er Matt Barnes and has around 10 offers thus far including ones from Sacramento State and St. Mary's.

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"18 months after cutting all sports, Sonoma State brings most of them back"

Men's basketball is returning. No announcement yet about who will coach.

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Prep Hoops Oregon: "COLLEGE COMMITMENT: Max Martinov announced on his personal IG that he has committed to SantaClaraHoops."

He's a 6-foot-5 combo guard in the 2027 class.

and

Joe Mousa: "2027 6'6 Isaiah Lukusa has committed to Santa Clara. Isaiah will be coached by FIBA U18 Gold Medalist Charles Hantoumakos at Orangeville Prep this season. Charles also coached incoming SantaClaraHoops freshman Eli Jolin at Fort Erie. Santa Clara's Jason Ludwig has always recruited Canada heavy."

Here's a feature on the signing of the 6-foot-6 wing.

and

Tobias Bass: "NEWS: Kimario Sherman Jr. will take an official visit to Santa Clara, July 20-22nd. The 7’2 prospect has recently received offers from Ohio, Iona, Stetson and East Carolina."

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Santa RosaJC Men's Basketball: "Another Bear Cub is making the jump! 🐻 Congratulations to Vincent Jackson on his commitment to UC Merced! Thank you for everything you brought to the Bear Cubs program. We can’t wait to watch you compete at the next level and wish you nothing but success."

Jackson is a 6-foot-4, 210 sophomore out of Justin Siena High. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting 51%, 45% and 73% respectively.

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Santa Rosa JC Men's Basketball: "Another Bear Cub is headed to the next level! Congratulations to Audon Forgus on his commitment to Cal Poly Humboldt! We can’t wait to watch you continue your career at the next level. 🐻🏀"

Forgus is 6-foot-3, 195 and out of Stevenson High (Monterey County).

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Savion Daniels is 6-foot-5, 200 and out of Inderkum High. He averaged 7.8 points plus 6.5 rebounds for San Jose City College. Tennessee Southern is located in Pulaski, midway between Chattanooga and Memphis.

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Potpourri, Jul 27

News Bits

"Eric Reveno Named Men’s Basketball Head Coaching Chair"

He'll get the most from his collection of talent and likely make Brown competitive in the Ivy League.

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"San Francisco Adds Forward Gustav Knudsen"

He's a 6-foot-8 Dane.

and

"Head coach Chris Gerlufsen and the University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team announced today the signing of forward Adam Tyson (Taylor, Mississippi.)

"Adam's basketball versatility is a tremendous addition to our program here at the University of San Francisco," said Gerlufsen. Adam has turned into a two-way player who can impact the game in multiple facets under coach Julius Von Hanzlik at SoCal Academy. He is talented, competitive, and has an extremely high ceiling. We are thrilled he chose USF as his college basketball home, and are excited to see him in green and gold!"

Tyson comes to the Hilltop as a three-star recruit in the class of 2026, including being ranked the No. 15 prospect in the state of California by Rivals and the No. 69 small forward nationally by 247Sports..."

and

Phenom United Basketball: "2028 6’9 Warrensville Heights F Qwayland Howard has added an offer from USFDonsMBB‼️ Congrats Qway!!"

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"SPARTANS LAND ESTONIAN GUARD OLIVER KULLAMÄE"

The 6-foot-3 point seemingly signed earlier but it was just announced. So another foreign-born point arrives as SJSU also recently signed one out of France.

and

"SPARTANS ADD SEVEN FOOTER MOSES DAU NYANGOL FOR 2026-27"

SJSU desperately needed a true center for the upcoming season but he'll need time and practice. He's out of Sudan and currently weighs in at 215 pounds.

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"Matt Bradley Takes On New Role With Cal Men's Basketball Staff - Bradley Has Been Hired As Director Of Player Development"

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Outy of Spain, 6-foot-9, 225 freshman Jorge Carot has signed with Pacific. Has has played with the U20 Spanish National team as well as with one of the Valencia teams professionally.

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"Scott Waterman named Head Basketball Coach at New Mexico Highlands"

He's the former head coach at the now defunct Academy of Art program and always created a competitive squad.

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Zyon Pullin earned Second Team honors in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League competition. "Pullin is the outlier — he went undrafted in 2024 and has appeared in just eight NBA regular season games since then, though he’s currently under contract with Minnesota on a two-way deal. He averaged 21.0 points and 7.8 assists per game in five Summer League appearances."

Pullin played high school ball at College Park High.

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"Three Bay Area colleges are now under a serious warning. Here’s why"

St. Mary's is amazingly on the list. Take a read once you pick yourslef up off the floor.

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"Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone expressed confidence in Riley Grigsby, saying the 26-year-old earned the team’s trust after receiving strong endorsements from coaches during his stint in the NBA G League.

Cone confirmed to Fastbreak on Thursday that Ginebra has tapped Grigsby to reinforce the Kings in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup while resident import Justin Brownlee continues his recovery from multiple leg injuries.

“He’s 26 years old and has had NBA G League experience and has come with some strong recommendations from his coaches there,” Cone said. “We’re excited about working with him.”

Grigsby arrives with experience in the NBA G League after suiting up for the Santa Cruz Warriors and later the Sioux Falls Skyforce during the 2025-26 season. Before that, he played professionally in Luxembourg following his collegiate career at Seattle University."

Out of Archbishop Mitty, the 6-foot-6 Grigsby wasted no time making his presence felt, erupting for 42 POINTS, 13 REBOUNDS, and 2 BLOCKS in his debut with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association.

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"Josh Pastner reveals unique pitch to investors involved with NBA's Las Vegas franchise: 'Buy the college basketball team'"

Has it come to this? Really?

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Caleb Asante Makes His Call

Facing his final college recruitment process, 6-foot-5, 210 Caleb Asante's sense tilted heavily towards remaining in California for his upperclassmen years, and that was fine with him, a continuation after four years at Leigh High in San Jose and two attending Saratoga's West Valley College.

But a call from the NCAA D2 Southern Nazarene University (SNU) coaching staff last September after he participated in JUCO showcase, morphed into a visit to SNU in Bethany, Oklahoma (a city of 20,000 and part of the Oklahoma City metro area).

That trip broadened Asante's horizons. "I visited and the people at the school were so nice and welcoming," Asante recalled. "I also got to see the athletic facilities, they told me about their future plans and I saw the city."

Combining that with being told what the coaching staff liked about his game plus what he could add to their program, and Asante was sold. Now he will be part of the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm basketball team this coming school year.

Asante averaged 11.4 points per game in 26 contests/24 starts this past season at West Valley while shooting a team best 57% from the floor, 44% on three-point attempts and 66% at the foul line. He grabbed 4.4 rebounds nightly alongside dishing out 1.4 assists and this production earned him All Coast Conference South honors. He also nabbed that status as a freshman.

Regarding what Asante does best on the basketball court, he explained, "my ability to get to the basket, to create for others, my rebounding and leadership." Regarding the latter, "I lead more by example but I'm working on getting more verbal like pulling teammates aside and giving them tips I learned when I was in their position."

Asked if he had a West Valley College best basketball moment in mind, Asante offered, "I would say winning the NorCal (Regional Final) championship this year (against Yuba College) when we were spraying our coaches with water afterwards in the locker room." It was a 75-58 victory for the Vikings.

Asante as a freshman

What's fascinating is that coming out of high school, Asante initially preferred to attend a community college out of the Bay Area in order to gain a different experience. But once he talked with the West Valley College coaches, he was all in for heading the five miles to Saratoga.

After posting a 3.8 grade point average while at Leigh High and repeating that mark during his two-year tenure at West Valley College, Asante is looking to major in economics at SNU with the idea of possibly entering the real estate field upon graduation.

He expressed gratitude to the multitude of those who have aided his hoops journey thus far. "I want to thank Coach Yosh (WV Head Coach Danny Yoshikawa), (his assistants) Coach Trent, Coach Dustin, Coach Patrick, Coach Jackson and Coach Sean as well as (the West Valley trainers) Gianluca, Steven, and Katie." He also thanked "my parents, my brothers, my (personal) trainers Coach Ameer Shamsud-din (Elite Basketball Performance) and Coach Ant (Anthony Gardner), my teammates and my friends for all their help and support."

Asante back in his Leigh High days

Asante's goals over the remainder of the summer include "getting better by (practicing) shooting a lot, working on my speed and my weight. I've got to get my body into tip top shape because it's going to be a long season. I'm working as hard as I can." His sense is "I’ll still be playing wing/forward but playing more like a 3 guard" and that the opportunity for court time is available to be earned as the team has graduated a number of seniors.

Once he arrives in Oklahoma, it's going to be "I just want to win and be a leader." But also with these challenging additions: "Being named to the conference first team and the most valuable player because our team wins the conference and the national championship."

Team Rampage Is Back and Ready to Battle

Brandon Bracy Solano College Associate Head Coach, Vallejo High boys basketball coach and Team Rampage 17U Elite Head Coach has assembled a new edition of his Team Rampage 17U National Roster. It's a 10 player collective consisting of:

(commentary via Coach Bracy)

• Dom Johnson 5-foot-11 Frontier High (Bakersfield) 2027: "A freak athlete already with a college build, he's great at slashing, getting downhill and playing above the rim as a man-child. Owns a 3.5 GPA."
• Eddie Ramey 6-foot-1 South High (Bakersfield) 2027: "Eddie has played with us since his sophomore year, he's a Gary Payton-type who shoots the three ball pretty well and excels on defense (similar to Donavyn Hernandez). Has a 4.0 grade point average."
• Bryce Busam 6-foot-2 Oakdale High 2027: "He can really shoot it, has a quick release on his shot and shoots well on the move.
• Jonah Jackson 6-foot-1 Antelope High 2027: "Jonah started at Antelope High, then transferred to Fairfield High and is now back at Antelope High. He's a sniper, close to a three-level scorer and one of the top scorers in his area who averaged 25 points per game."
• Bryce Ademayo 6-foot-6 St. Patrick-St. Vincent High 2028: "A great scorer, he was 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 a year ago and is having a great summer. I'm really high on him. He and Joenathan (Jones) have the most upside."
• Nasir Callahan 6-foot-4 Rodriguez High 2028: "Nasir is in his first year with us and he and Bryce (Ademayo) are major downhill players. He's a decent shooter with wing skills who really runs the court and is best in the open court .He's a long athlete, a late bloomer and we're expecting another growth spurt from him."
• Samson Helsby 6-foot-0 Ben Holt High (Stockton) 2028: "Has a crazy motor and is really physical, a Josh Hart-type with a nose for the basketball. I call him our X factor. You know what effort you will get from him."
• Donavyn Hernandez 5-foot-8 Oakdale High 2028: "He's tough and doesn't back down, a very steady guard.
• Silas Hightower 6-foot-2 St. Patrick-St. Vincent High 2028: "One of our babies, we've had him since the sixth grade. He's a great mid-range scorer and will be playing a prominent role at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High.
• Joenathan Jones 5-foot-10 Jesse Bethel High 2028: " Another one we've worked with since sixth grade, he was a scorer but is now accepting the role of a true point guard, knowing what his team needs from him. Also a good defender, I know what I'm going to get out of him every game."

According to Bracy, "we're not tall but have a lot of guards who are physical." He added, "I really appreciate the parental support me and my staff receive. We're now playing in the Recruit/Look Boys Basketball Circuit which focuses on events in Midwest cities." Team Rampage just finished participating "Nashville Summer Live" which ran from July 9-12.

Potpourri, Jul 13

News Bits

Player Performance Evaluation

“What Serious Evaluators Actually Look For At Camps Like Pangos”

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"Most Influential High School Coaches in Northern California"

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"Jock Landale Agrees to a One Year Deal to Stay with the Atlanta Hawks"

and

"Four-Year Gael Harry Wessels Signs with San Antonio Spurs Summer League Team"

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6-foot-10, 180 Shaqere "Shaq" Kizzee out of  Dallas' Carter High has been offered by San Jose State University. He's a 2027 prospect.

and

"SPARTANS SIGN FRENCH GUARD AURÈLE BRENA-CHEMILLE FOR 2026-27"

He's a 6-foot-4 point who is 22 years old.

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"Former Bulldogs basketball manager charged. How Fresno State gambling scandal unfolded"

Robert Kuwada breaks down the Fresno State basketball betting scandal. Proof that it's not just power programs who face such situations.

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"MEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNS PENN STATE TRANSFER SASA CIANI"

"Sacramento State head coach Mike Bibby announced the signing of 6-10, 240-pound forward Saša Ciani, who will transfer from Penn State.

A native of Slovenia, Ciani is the Hornets' 11th and final signee for the 2026-27 season. He joins the following players who have signed with Sacramento State:

• Larry Hughes II • G • CSUN
• Chidi Nwigwe • G/F • Wasatch Academy
• Giannis Asimakopoulos • F • Colby JC
• João Das Chagas • C • UAB
• Marcus Wilson • G • UC Davis
• Osiris Grady • F • UC Riverside
• Ridvan Tutic • F/C • Stonehill
• Mason Hunt • F • Pima JC
• Melvin Stubbs Jr. • G • Sandra Day O'Connor HS
• Ashton Pierce • G • North Mecklenburg HS"

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"St. Mary's Men's Basketball 2026-27 Roster Breakdown"

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