News Bits
This is our last post of the season. We'll start back up in November, possibly October. We'll likely post some player 'signing' articles between now and then. KM
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"The NAACP’s boycott call is a wake-up moment for the American Black athlete" Howard Bryant
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San Francisco Men's Basketball: "Congratulations to our guy Aidan on graduating summa cum laude with a BSBA in finance. Proud to call you a Don!"
Aidan Braccia is also a graduate of Sacred Heart Prep and attended Belmont University (TN) prior to USF. What an academic achievement!
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Modesto Junior College Men's Basketball: "Congrats to sophomore Daniel Huerta on his commitment to Division II Menlo College (PacWest). Daniel earned First Team All–Big 8 honors this season. Wishing you the best moving forward, Daniel!"
Huerta is 6-foot-5, 180 and also out of St. Mary's High in Stockton.
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TJ Filkins: "Next chapter!! Great day with Feather River College Coach Derek Jensen. Blessed to say I have committed to Feather River College."
Filkins is a 6-foot-5 swingman out of Franklin High.
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Sam Lancr: "Tulane transfer Scotty Middleton has committed to San Jose State, he told TheFieldOf68. Averaged 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Green Wave last season."
In 33 games at 6-foot-6, 195, he made 19 starts, shot 37% from three-point range overall, 41% in conference play. Middleton began at Ohio State, then Seton Hall and Tulane. He did block 26 shots.
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West Valley College Men's Basketball: "Let’s welcome Angelina College (D1 NJCAA) 6’10 Cheikh Diebakhate to WV! Cheikh will give WV an immediate boost in the Front court, coming off a freshman campaign where he averaged over 3 points & 3 rebounds per game. Having all the tools, Cheikh is poised for a big year!"
He shot 49% overall and blocked 18 shots, playing 8.1 minutes a contest. Diebakhate weighs 235 pounds.
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Jaylan Virgil: "New chapter. Excited to announce that I’ll be attending Coronado High School (Las Vegas) for my senior season. Grateful for everyone who helped me get to this point. Ready to work, compete, and prove myself every day."
A 6-foot-1 point out of Laguna Creek High plus high school in San Diego, his 6-foot-6 brother Ty attended Sheldon High before moving on to a couple of prep schools in Arizona prior to entering the college ranks.
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"Andrej Stojakovic’s silence is becoming deafening for Illinois basketball"
The NBA draft deadline has passed and Stojakovic is returning to Illinois.
Andrej Stojakovic announced on Twitter that he will take his name out of the draft pool and return to Illinois for his senior season. Stojakovic said at the combine that he had “both feet in” regarding the draft process, but he also never gave up on the idea of staying in school and helping the Illini return to the Final Four in 2027, Colleen Kane of The Chicago Tribune writes in a subscriber-only piece.
“That’s the goal — go back to the Final Four and then strive for a national championship,” Stojakovic said during combine week. “Understanding what we have back at Illinois is extremely special, I’ve just got to make the right decision.”
Another year in college could improve Stojakovic’s draft prospects, Kane adds. The 6’7″ guard averaged 13.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in his first season at Illinois after transferring from California, but while he shot 50% from the field he only connected at 24.4% from beyond the arc. He was projected to go 50th in ESPN’s latest mock draft, and Kane states that he’ll have to expand his scoring range if he hopes to receive first-round consideration next year.
“Another year of proving what I can do, coming back even more ready next year if I do decide to go to school,” Stojakovic said during the combine. “One thing I showed this year is being able to adjust my role and make an impact when I’m not having the ball constantly like I’m used to it.”
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In this NBA draft preview, two Bay Area college talents go back to back:
"19. Toronto Raptors. Ebuka Okorie, PG, Stanford. Playing for the Cardinal meant that Okorie has been largely overlooked, but he is a candidate to rise up some boards in the coming weeks. The 6-foot-8 wingspan he registered at the combine will help. He averaged 23.2 points in the ACC last year, though there are questions about how his game translates to the NBA. The Raptors need backcourt depth and if they keep this pick, expect them to look at point guards."
Okorie is in the draft.
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"20. San Antonio Spurs (from Atlanta Hawks). Allen Graves, PF, Santa Clara. The Spurs are an obviously well-built bunch, but would like to add young frontcourt depth. Graves is a late climber who is a candidate to go back to college. But he is the kind of do-it-all contributor that the analytics folks will love, and a glue-type guy for an organization that knows how to use them. Scout: “If he comes out, he is probably going to move up, because he is so efficient, he makes winning plays, he is young and he got better as the year went on. Get him in workouts and interviews and he is the kind of kid someone is going to fall in love with."
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Jonathan Givony: "NEWS: Santa Clara's Allen Graves is staying in the 2026 NBA Draft, he tells DraftExpress. Graves, a projected top-20 pick, swept WCC Freshman, Sixth Man and Defensive Player of the Year honors, turning down significant NIL offers to start his pro career."
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"Maxime Raynaud Named to 2025-26 NBA All-Rookie Second Team"
The former Stanford big enjoyed a successful initial season.
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"...By the end of his recruiting process, he estimates that he sent nearly 1,000 total emails. Not a single one of those emails got a response..."
Very good read.
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Simply Basketball: "Amare Chandler (2028) has received an offer from Virginia Tech."
Chandler is 6-foot-5, 180 and attending Livermore High. He is the son of former Newark Memorial High and San Jose State University player Marquin Chandler.
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Simple Basketball: "Parks Weaver (2028) has received an offer from High Point after an impressive 3SSB session."
The 6-foot-4 Weaver attends Folsom High and plays AAU ball with Team Lillard. California offered in November 2025.
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Marc J. Spears: "The Bulls have received permission to interview Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant for their head coach job, a source said. The former University of Utah guard has 12 years of NBA assistant coaching experience and has also been an associate head coach with the Knicks."
Bryant is Oakland born and out of City College San Francisco.
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College of the Sequoias Men's Basketball: "Please welcome Matthew Wright to the GIANTS family! Matt played for one of the top programs in Northern California, Vanden HS. Strong, physical, and athletic, Matt will impact the game on both ends of the floor. Bright future ahead. Got a good one coming to the 559!"
Wright is a 6-foot-8 power forward.
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Modesto Junior College Men's Basketball: "Congrats to sophomore Prince Oseya on his commitment to Division II Biola University (PacWest). We appreciate all the sacrifices you made for the program and wish you nothing but the best moving forward, Prince!"
The 6-foot-10, 230 sophomore averaged 11.0 points plus 8.6 rebounds a game this past season.
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Mike Reynoso: "Super proud of this young man. On to the next. That’s another Owl on the move. Nothing promised…everything earned. Being promised things seems like what most these guys want now-a-days. But the ones that want to work, that’s what we do."
Will Ambidge is a 6-foot-7, 200 sophomore out of San Ramon High.
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"The shocking cost of youth sports in New Jersey"
"New investigation reveals a predatory industry leaving parents broke, exhausted and wondering how the games of their childhood took over their adult lives."
Tony Soprano needs to step in and fix it. But come to think of it, he might be causing the problems.
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CCCMBCA: "Shasta coach Kele Fitzhugh announces his retirement. Congrats coach, enjoy your retirement years!!"
Here is Fitzhugh's Shasta College bio.
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"SAC STATE SIGNS GREEK NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER GIANNIS ASIMAKOPOULOS"
He's a 6-foot-9, 220 sophomore out the the JC ranks.
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Brayden Harris: "I'm excited to announce my commitment to Fresno Pacific! I am grateful for this next chapter and want to thank Coach Orlich for the last four years and for developing me into the player I am today."
Harris stands 6-foot-9,carries 210 pounds and is finishing up/graduated from Buchanan High in Fresno. He sports a 4.0 grade point average.
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Coach Guido / Windmills Recruitment: "𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐃 | Quincy Jeremiah ➡️ City College of San Francisco! Wishing Quincy all the best with the next step!"
Jeremiah is a 6-foot-7 lefty high school senior in The Netherlands with demonstrated scoring and physical boarding prowess.
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