News Bits
Derek Murray: "2026 Elias Obenyah (6’4 G) of Salesian (CA) & teamlillardaau has earned an offer from UNLV."
It was Montana offering last week.
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Chase Rawlins: "Thank you to Lafayette Men's basketball staff for having me out this week."
He was just in attendance at the Princeton Elite Camp.
So when is any Nor Cal D1 program going to offer even one of these two? C'mon, it's getting annoying.
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Jake Lieberman: "2026 PG McKae Amundsen out of Clovis North HS (CA) & Lakeshow 17U has heard from the following since June 15:
- UC San Diego
- Cal State East Bay
- Fresno Pacific University"
Yes, he's just 5-foot-8 but he's chock full of skills.
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Ersin Demir has Jalen Tyson and Jaylen Wells going late in the first round of the NBA draft which takes place this week (Wednesday and Thursday). Draft predictions are such a crapshoot but this is the first draft preview having both NorCal-connected talents landing in round one.
"27. Minnesota Timberwolves — Jaylon Tyson (Junior, SG) California
The Wolves will address their need for scoring depth in the second unit. In Tyson, they are getting an advanced pick-and-roll playmaker and scorer who has shown a scalable game from serving as a floor-spacer and shooter at Texas Tech, while also being capable of running the offense and leading his time during his days at California.
Tyson’s size, handles, defensive toughness, and feel for the game will do wonders for their offensive rating, keeping production on the floor even with their second unit. His strength and size advantage will eventually translate into him serving as a multipositional defender in the future."
and
"28. Denver Nuggets — Jaylen Wells (Junior, SF) Washington State/Sonoma State/Folsom High
Wells is one of the best shooters in this class. He transferred up after being an All-American at the Division II level last year. As the season progressed, he improved in utilizing his shooting gravity by improving his passing game, leading to his assist numbers increasing in the last ten games.
As a team defender, he gives NBA decision-makers the most value. After he turned himself into one of the Cougars’ most important players, Wells got more comfortable in taking his role as a leader on the court. His awareness as an off-ball defender combined with his decision-making make it feasible for him to be able to become an above-average team defender in the future.
The Nuggets can afford to slowly bring him to their rotation while filling their shooting needs on the wings while banking on Wells’ team defense to complement their stars."
San Francisco forward Jonathan Mogo is at #34 in round two.
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6-foot-6 Shemar Morrow has signed with Allen University, a DII program at a private historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina with a 600+ student body.
Morrow may have made some Bay Area AAU appearances (possibly the Oakland Soldiers?) during his high school days but I don't think he ever attended high school here. It's interesting that his hometown is listed as Sacramento.
So why write about him? Because he is a member of the John Mosley-coached East Los Angeles community college team made a media hit by the Last Chance U Netflix series. Plus, Morrow first first entered the national basketball consciousness by dunking the basketball as a sixth-grader in Akron, Ohio and thus being dubbed "the next LeBron." Another title bestowed on him: "the No. 1 middle schooler in the country."
But later on, Morrow wasn't going to graduate from his high school or earn a GED so he needed to go the community college route and earn his A.A. degree. He played in he 2021-22 season at ELAC but it looks like he redshirted his second year, getting back on the court in 2023-24 and averaging 6.7 points per game. The NBA will not be calling his name on draft night and it's likely he won't earn money anywhere as a professional. Academics has been a lifelong struggle for him. Periods of homelessness certainly also hasn't helped.
So it appears he has graduated from ELAC and that is his greatest victory to date in his life. Forget the early hoops accolades as well as the claims of him being a failure for not achieving what was predicted of him on the court. Morrow will be attending a four-year college, one with a small student body and thus hopefully receiving any academic assistance he requires. For him now, a B.A. is in reach. Let's hope there is a second positive ending to his story.
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"Fardaws Aimaq Scouting Report/Ersin's NBA Draft Newsletter
June 17, 2024
His combination of fundamentals and strength makes him an interesting pro prospect with enough areas that are NBA translatable. Will we see him continuing his career in the States?
Physical Profile
At 6’10.5” in socks, Aimaq is one of the strongest big men in the last few draft cycles. While measured at 251 pounds, he has broad shoulders and a strong upper body. His frame overall developed well throughout the years, which is expected as he turned 25 in January. His biggest area of impact is on the glass, where he's one of the best rebounders in the country.
With a 27-inch vertical, Aimaq doesn’t stand out with his bounciness, but he makes up for his with his good lateral quickness. He has great defensive footwork but lacks overall foot speed due to his strength-based body. His strong upper-leg area and decently fluid hips make him surprisingly mobile when he’s defending, mostly due to his history as a swimmer in his youth.
However, for the NBA, being able to guard away from the paint will be a challenge as he doesn’t project to play the same 32 minutes a game in a faster-paced NBA game..."
Hit this link for more and/or to sign up for Ersin Demir's emails or to move into his paid section. His analyses to date are insightful and lengthy.
Here is Demir's look-in-brief of another Bay Area talent:
"25. Jaylen Wells (JR.) — Washington State
After scouting him intensively at the end of February, I dedicated an in-depth piece on his NBA role before the NCAA Tournament. While growing to a crucial part of a winning high-major team, Wells earned All-American honors at the Division II level. In a nutshell: NBA teams are buying a potentially elite shooter late in the first round here.
Despite the jumper-heavy scoring diet, Wells’ three-point shot is one of the most consistent and reliable in the whole country. As the season progressed, he improved in utilizing his shooting gravity by improving his passing game, leading to his assist numbers increasing in the last ten games of the season.
As a team defender, he gives NBA decision-makers the most value. After he turned himself into one of the Cougars’ most important players, Wells got more comfortable in taking his role as a leader on the court. His awareness as an off-ball defender combined with his decision-making make it feasible for him to be able to become an above-average team defender in the future..."
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Colby Christensen: "110% committed, let’s get to work."
Out of Palm Desert High (close to Palm Springs), he is a 6-foot-1 combo guard who will play the point for the next two years under the guidance of Las Positas College Coach James Giacomazzi.
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The Portal Report: "After leading the program to its second consecutive Final Four appearance in just his first season at the helm, CSU San Bernardino head coach Gus Argenal and Co. have rebuilt this roster to contend once again come March!
- 5️⃣ 10+ PPG Transfers
- 3️⃣ Former D1 Recruits
- 2️⃣ Top-100 Rebounders
- Multiple All-Conference Selections
- Camren Pierce, 5-11 G - CSU San Marcos
- Josh Adoh , 6-4 G - Bucknell
- Evan Oliver, 6-0 G - Chico State
- Giordan Williams, 6-5 G - Montana
- Charlie Henderson, 6-8 F - CSU San Marcos
- Nic Welp, 6-10 F - Western Washington
- Fallou Cisse, 6-7 F - CCSF
- Drew Henderson, 6-5 G - Sonoma State"
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Portal Updates: "Marist center Max Allen II will be pursuing a professional career with the Danang Dragons in Vietnam. Allen, a 6’9” sophomore averaged 11.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and was named to All-MAAC Second Team this past season. Was previously in the transfer portal."
Out of Las Vegas, he played at San Jose State University as a freshman.
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Verbal Commits: "2026 Rock (FL) G Joseph Hartman has received an offer from California.
He stands 6-foot-5.
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Devin Aye: "Congratulations to Jags sophomore, Jurrien Sparks on signing his athletic scholarship to Warner Pacific University (Portland, OR)."
Out of Castro Valley High and San Jose City College, Sparks stands 6-foot-7.
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Recruits Zone: "Top-55 2026 prospect Imahri Wooten has been BUSY since the June 15th Initial Contact Period. 📞 Has heard from 24 schools, including Michigan, Rutgers, Auburn, Virginia, Syracuse, & more. Received offers from Seton Hall, Bryant, Rhode Island, St. John’s, Stanford, ODU, & MSU."
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Jake Lieberman: "2026 6’ PG BJ Powell out of Georgia Stars AAU has recently heard from Western Michigan, Stanford, Columbia & St. Louis. Powell holds a couple of early offers."
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Recruits Zone: "Top-110 2026 6-1 prospect Archie McFadden tells me that he has heard from the following schools since the initial contact period began:
| • California (offered) | • Cal State Bakersfield (offered) |
| • Bryant (offered) | • Jacksonville |
| • Gardner Webb | • Mercer |
| • High Point (offered) | • Wake Forest |
| • Colorado" |
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Bryan Rooney: "Great to have Coach DK at camp! Headed to Iceland to begin his professional basketball career-well deserved opportunity. Excited to follow his pro journey and thankful he will always be a Pioneer!"
That's 6-foot-6 senior Dimitrios Klonaras who transferred from California to Cal State East Bay.
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Delta Men's Basketball: "Congratulations to Julian Brown on signing with Pacific Lutheran University."
Brown is a 6-foot-4, 190 guard out of Gregori High. PLU is located in Tacoma, WA.
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Florida has an incoming freshman named Olivier Rioux who measures up at 7-foot-9 and 290 pounds. He stood 6-foot-11 by sixth grade.
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"Gary Payton II reportedly staying with Warriors, opts in to $9.1 million option"
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"2024 NBA draft profile on Washington State forward Jaylen Wells"
Wells is out of the Sacramento area, graduated from Folsom High and blew up as a sophomore at Sonoma State before transferring to Washington State.
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Prolific Prep's Winters Grady has received offers from West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Michigan.
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Jake Lieberman: "6'6 Junior College prospect Chol Deng out of Grayson College has committed to Cal State Monterey Bay. Stats: 13.6 points (50% FG), 6.6 rebounds & 1.8 assists."
Looks like a solid pickup for Coach Isaac Williams.
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