Potpourri, Apr 1

News Bits

I don't believe UConn is 25 points better than Illinois but that was the final points total. 30 straight points was a fluke. I've never witnessed the latter in person or on TV. But both are facts owned by the Nutmeg Staters. Wow.

By the way, 6-foot-4 Jase Butler of The Branson School signed with Illinois back in November. He is likely to not be in a very good mood right now.

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6-foot-10 Tallis Toure of West Park High (Roseville) is in an interesting situation which hopefully will turn out good. He committed recently to Washington State University and to Coach Kyle Smith. Yes, the same Kyle Smith who just accepted the same job at Stanford.

So WSU is now without a men's basketball coach and also an athletics director (who just jumped over to Washington).

WSU will eventually hire a new head coach but it will be someone who has never seen or talked with Toure. Will that person want to sign Toure? (He should)

Finally, will Smith re-offer Toure a Stanford scholarship? WSU and Stanford were both members of the PAC-12 seeking similarly talented prospects. Plus, Toure possesses a 4.0 grade point average.

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The Fresno State AD has just resigned leaving the athletics department without an AD and also minus a men's basketball coach. Yikes.

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365 Recruits: "Fresno Pacific (D2) transfer Kyle Monk tells us he has heard from the following schools: Holy Cross, Pacific, Cal St. East Bay, Warner, Dean, Maryville, Rochester Christian, Bellevue, + several more. Averaged 10ppg, 4rpg, and 1 apg, 34 3P%."

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Brandon Bento-Jackson: "Brandon Bento-Jackson freshman Cal Poly Humboldt - 5’10” 175 lbs. Started 15 out of 27 games. 6.4 ppg, made 45 threes at 37%. 4.0 GPA. 3 years of eligibility left."

His team wasn't very successful but he played major minutes once he began starting. Plus, he's from the area so it's an interesting choice to depart.

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Evan Oliver: "Grad portal transfer (Chico State):

• all CCAA tournament
• 2nd team all-league
• 13 ppg 3.5 rebs 
• top 10 in steals per game- West Region and Elite 8 experience
• 6’1 180 pounds

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Deundrae Perteete Jr.: "Just had an amazing time on my college visit to the Westmont Men’s Basketball program! Thank you for the warm welcome and unforgettable experience."

Westmont is located in the Santa Barbara area. Perteete Jr. attends Salesian Prep.

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SF State Men's Basketball: "The Gators had three players named to the CollSportsComm Academic All-District Team!"

The trio being Jonah (Rio Americano High/Yuba College) Roth, Devon (Dublin High) Jackson and Alex Gilat.

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Aaron Burgin: "Yuba College has an impressive and unheralded lead guard in Demarreya Lewis-Cooper (Enterprise, CA). Chiseled, crafty lead guard with solid burst off the bounce, clutch shotmaking ability and physicality on D."

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John Bynum Jr./Signal The Light Basketball selects the Nor Cal JC Player of the Year, the Coach of the Year, the First Team honorees, the Second Team honorees and the Honorable Mention honorees. Hit the link.

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CCSF Men's Basketball: "Congrats to our guys who made the All Coast Conference North All-League selections. 

• Miles Amos: League MVP & Defensive MVP
• King Jhsanni Wilhite: 1st Team All-Conference & All-Freshman Team 
• Willie Williams: 1st Team All-Conference 
• Jermaine Haliburton: 1st Team All-Conference, All-Freshman Team & All-Defensive Team

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Write For California details the transfer portal point guards drawing interest from Coach Mark Madsen.

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Game Scores

NCAA Big Dance score, Sat, Mar 30

• UConn 77, Illinois 52 full box score. Illinois big Coleman Hawkins is listed at 230 pounds and stands 6-foot-10 according to the Illini roster. 230 might be stretching it. For UConn, Donovan Clingan is listed as 7-foot-2 and 280 pounds. Hawkins had no chance of containing Clingan (and it immediately showed) but who else in the starting five or on Coach Brad Underwood's roster could? Illinois would have matched up so much better with Clemson or Alabama. Their luck of the draw was unfortunate.

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