Potpourri, Oct 18

Idaho Coach Alex Pribble has set up a Nor Cal basketball outpost of sorts up in Moscow for his first year. Check out his 2023-24 roster:

  • Quinn Denker, 6-foot-3, junior, guard, San Jose, CA (Bellarmine College Prep, West Valley College, Cal State San Marcos)
  • EJ Neal, 6-foot-5, junior, guard, San Francisco CA (Balboa Prep, City College San Francisco
  • Takai Hardy, 6-foot-7, freshman, forward, Fairfield, CA (Vanden High, Sunrise Christian Academy)
  • Miles Klapper, 6-foot-3, freshman, guard, Hillsborough, CA (Serra High School, Bridgton Academy)

This quartet will provide a solid competitive core.

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"Position Rankings: Top Five Point Guards in the NBA   The position is loaded with players who have very different styles"

Interesting selections.

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"Bill Self vs. The NCAA: The Inside Story that Nearly Changed KU Hoops History Part one of a series looking behind-the-scenes at the NCAA's IARP investigations"

Not necessarily Nor Cal-related but a fascinating read.

and

"The FBI, IARP and corruption in men's college basketball, explained"

Ditto.

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NCAA to discuss NIL changes allowing more school involvement

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"Rookie Brandin Podziemski learns important lesson in first start for Warriors

Podziemski got the start at point guard with Steph Curry and Chris Paul resting on Sunday"

Time will still be necessary  as ups and downs  are still forecast but Podziemski looks like he will become an all-around contributor.

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Basketball Recruitment: "2023 6'8 SF Osiris Grady has committed to Utah Valley. Grady chose the Wolverines over Ole Miss, Arkansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, California, USC, Nevada, UNLV, Washington St, New Mexico, San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Howard, and Cal Poly."

I don't know Osiris Grady but wish him all the best. The same for Utah Valley. Grady is out of the Las Vegas area and played his senior season at Wasatch Academy in Utah. 

My quibble, however minor it may be, is that it's difficult to believe Grady truly chose to attend a Western Athletic Conference school over say Final Four contender Arkansas or likely PAC-12 Conference winner USC or even his hometown school of UNLV. Were offers from that trio still in effect at the time of his final decision? 

Granted, UVU is coming off an extremely successful 28-9, 15-3 season under now California Coach Mark Madsen. New UVU Coach Todd Phillips worked for five season as Madsen's Associate Head Coach. It is a program on the rise but not yet nationally known.

My take: an offer is an offer when it is made, but is not always current, meaning a school may have pulled its offer and signed or is pursuing a similar-sized different prospect. That information is rarely announced.

Anyway, good decision on Grady's part.

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Washington State Coach Kyle Smith extended an offer to 6-foot-8 wing Jaylen (Folsom High) Wells, then finishing up his sophomore season at D2 Sonoma State. It became a mutual admiration society and Wells is expected to be among the top scorers for the Cougars this season despite the leap in competition. Check out our early May article on Wells' move to the Northwest.

6-foot-9 sophomore AJ Rohosy is the other northern Californians on Smith's current roster. He walked on last season.

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