News Bits
Basketball Recruitment: "2025 6'3 SG Gavin Sykes has committed to Long Beach State. Sykes chose The Beach over Sam Houston, San Jose St, Sacramento St, Montana, California, UC Riverside, Pepperdine, Vermont, and Southern Utah."
Did Cal go cool after commits from a pair of guards or is this choice simply a decision to head elsewhere? Sykes likely broke a few coaching hearts with one. He officially visited The Beach in late September.
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Team Supreme: "Congratulations to 2025 Ty Virgil on his commitment to Pepperdine!! The WCC just got a great one! Ty is a special talent."
Malibu versus Stockton as Pacific offered almost simultaneously. The 6-foot-6 Virgil once was attending Laguna Creek High but is now at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona.
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Kelly Hallinan: "Anthony (Dublin High) Roy has 46 points in UW Green Bay’s exhibition game against St. Norbert. He’s been lethal from beyond the arc including a logo three. (Coach Doug) Gottlieb has had him on the bench most of the second half but just checked him back in."
"Obviously really proud of our group mostly proud of myself I credit myself for cooking Anthony Roy a steak dinner last night, that was a spectacular performance but what makes it even more special to me is we butted heads a lot in the summer about mid range jump shots, not a fan, I have a rule, you can take a mid range jump shot but you better make it so he's really embraced it and instead of those shot fakes and getting to a middy a 17 foot pull up he's really disciplined himself and I can't be more effuse in my praise in him not because not because he made shots but he's doing what we want," said (Coach Doug) Gottlieb.
Granted it was St. Norbert College but 46 points and nine treys (especially the latter), wow. The 6-foot-5 senior was at USF as a freshman.
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Here's a William Jessup preview from the Kat's Paw Substack fan site covering University of the Pacific men's basketball (but not affiliated with the school.) Here's how to support the site if you so wish.
"Scouting William Jessup Warriors
The Warriors come off an 18-12 season, their final campaign as an NAIA program as Head Coach Mark Darnall completed a successful first season at the helm. This is Darnall’s first head job after stints as an Assistant Coach at Eastern Washington (under new Washington State Head Coach David Riley), Chico State (D-II) and UC-Davis.
Jessup loses their top two scorers from last season’s team that was an at-large selection to the NAIA tournament: 6’0” Miles Corey, the program’s all-time leading scorer who transferred to South Alabama (Sun Belt conference) and 6’1” graduated senior Ty Artis. The pair of guards each averaged over 31 mpg, took almost 40% of the Warriors threes and averaged a combined 35 ppg.
Jessup does return 6’1” Ja’Maris Blackmon (13.6 ppg including 38 3’s) who started 29 games last season after transferring in from Seattle Pacific (NCAA Division II). Blackmon also shot 38% from downtown on a team that averaged 26.5 threes attempted per game.
Up front, the Warriors feature 6’5” SR Aydan Janssan (Australia) who averaged 10.6 ppg while averaging 35% from beyond the stripe. Off the bench come 6’6” Nigeria native SO Anthony Enoh (5.2 ppg/4.7 rpg as a freshman) and 6’9” Duke Gipson, entering his sophomore season after prepping at Junipero Serra High School in Los Angeles.
A potential minute-eating transfer joining this season’s roster is 6’6” Josh Lincoln (Australia - 15.5 ppg/6.4 rpg) who played the past two seasons at Portland Community College.
A plethora of freshmen also arrive highlighted by 6’3” TJ Latu (Jefferson H.S./Portland, OR), who was a two-time Oregon All-State selection, 6’3” Murphy Rodgers, part of the New Zealand Tall Blacks U-19 program this past summer, 6’6” FR Noah Roth (Christmas Valley, OR), 6’3” Cayden McDaniel (Silas H.S./Tacoma, WA/1st Team All-State) and 6’5” Spanish forward Curro Segura, who played this past season in Greece for Olympiacos Piraeus U18 team.
Jessup was a perimeter-oriented team offensively last season with no starter over 6’5” so a “five-out” offensive philosophy predominated. The Warriors took 42.5% of their field goal attempts from beyond the arc, shooting 35% as a group from that range and averaged over 80 points per game.
The Tigers staff will be able to have a first look at the Warriors who open their season on October 31st, 2024, hosting Pacific Union College (NAIA/Cal Pac Conference)."
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PD Web: "2026 Caeden Hutcherson of Archbishop Mitty and Team Lillard has earned an offer from Saint Louis."
He's a 6-foot-5 shooting guard.
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Fridrik Leo Curtis: "Happy to receive a Division 1 offer from Stanford University!!"
Out of Iceland, he's a lean, 2025 7-foot-1 talent currently at a school near Boston. Indiana has offered as has Xavier, Arizona State (visit), Alabama, West Virginia and Central Florida.
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HS Top Recruits: "(6-foot-4) 2026 4⭐️ Marcellous Jackson tells me he has scheduled the following unofficial visits.
- Oklahoma St - 10/2
- California - 10/16"
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24/7 High School Hoops: "NEWS: 2025 4⭐️ Nicholas Randall is down to three schools, he told
LeagueRDY:
- Missouri
- San Francisco
- Creighton
Randall will make his college announcement this coming Monday. He’s playing his senior season for AZCompass_Prep."
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"How Warriors’ Gary Payton II was shaped by 2 years at Salt Lake Community College"
Gotta loves guys who make it on hustle, grit and smarts.
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The Toronto Raptors defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 115-107 on Friday. From the game report: "(Jonathan (USF) Mogbo finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds (team-high 5 offensive), 5 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks, and was a game-high +21 ... Mogbo was flying around defensively, at one point, blocking a Maxey three-point attempt(!). On another possession, he flew in out of nowhere to grab the offensive rebound, then feed an open Dick for a triple. Mobgo then jumped the passing lane at the logo and eventually earned a pair of free throws. Speaking of free throws..." Mogbo shot 6-6 after finishing the season with the Dons at 52%.
Mogbo was the 31st selection, going in round two of the NBA draft.
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6-foot-8 Panola Junior College (TX) wing Travis Torain will visit University of Pacific on Thursday. He's out of Tracy. San Jose State University has also offered.
Zach Smart: "Highly skilled floor stretcher with efficiency from 3-point range, smooth middy, length and versatility."
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Ryder Bush: "After a great visit, I am grateful to have received a D1 offer from Fresno State University! Thank you to Coach Harris and the rest of the staff for believing in me!"
Bush is a 6-foot-2 2025 guard attending Archbishop Riordan and known for his plus athleticism and defensive effect.
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