Potpourri, Jul 27

News Bits

"Eric Reveno Named Men’s Basketball Head Coaching Chair"

He'll get the most from his collection of talent and likely make Brown competitive in the Ivy League.

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"San Francisco Adds Forward Gustav Knudsen"

He's a 6-foot-8 Dane.

and

"Head coach Chris Gerlufsen and the University of San Francisco (USF) men's basketball team announced today the signing of forward Adam Tyson (Taylor, Mississippi.)

"Adam's basketball versatility is a tremendous addition to our program here at the University of San Francisco," said Gerlufsen. Adam has turned into a two-way player who can impact the game in multiple facets under coach Julius Von Hanzlik at SoCal Academy. He is talented, competitive, and has an extremely high ceiling. We are thrilled he chose USF as his college basketball home, and are excited to see him in green and gold!"

Tyson comes to the Hilltop as a three-star recruit in the class of 2026, including being ranked the No. 15 prospect in the state of California by Rivals and the No. 69 small forward nationally by 247Sports..."

and

Phenom United Basketball: "2028 6’9 Warrensville Heights F Qwayland Howard has added an offer from USFDonsMBB‼️ Congrats Qway!!"

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"SPARTANS LAND ESTONIAN GUARD OLIVER KULLAMÄE"

The 6-foot-3 point seemingly signed earlier but it was just announced. So another foreign-born point arrives as SJSU also recently signed one out of France.

and

"SPARTANS ADD SEVEN FOOTER MOSES DAU NYANGOL FOR 2026-27"

SJSU desperately needed a true center for the upcoming season but he'll need time and practice. He's out of Sudan and currently weighs in at 215 pounds.

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"Matt Bradley Takes On New Role With Cal Men's Basketball Staff - Bradley Has Been Hired As Director Of Player Development"

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Outy of Spain, 6-foot-9, 225 freshman Jorge Carot has signed with Pacific. Has has played with the U20 Spanish National team as well as with one of the Valencia teams professionally.

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"Scott Waterman named Head Basketball Coach at New Mexico Highlands"

He's the former head coach at the now defunct Academy of Art program and always created a competitive squad.

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Zyon Pullin earned Second Team honors in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League competition. "Pullin is the outlier — he went undrafted in 2024 and has appeared in just eight NBA regular season games since then, though he’s currently under contract with Minnesota on a two-way deal. He averaged 21.0 points and 7.8 assists per game in five Summer League appearances."

Pullin played high school ball at College Park High.

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"Three Bay Area colleges are now under a serious warning. Here’s why"

St. Mary's is amazingly on the list. Take a read once you pick yourslef up off the floor.

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"Barangay Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone expressed confidence in Riley Grigsby, saying the 26-year-old earned the team’s trust after receiving strong endorsements from coaches during his stint in the NBA G League.

Cone confirmed to Fastbreak on Thursday that Ginebra has tapped Grigsby to reinforce the Kings in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup while resident import Justin Brownlee continues his recovery from multiple leg injuries.

“He’s 26 years old and has had NBA G League experience and has come with some strong recommendations from his coaches there,” Cone said. “We’re excited about working with him.”

Grigsby arrives with experience in the NBA G League after suiting up for the Santa Cruz Warriors and later the Sioux Falls Skyforce during the 2025-26 season. Before that, he played professionally in Luxembourg following his collegiate career at Seattle University."

Out of Archbishop Mitty, the 6-foot-6 Grigsby wasted no time making his presence felt, erupting for 42 POINTS, 13 REBOUNDS, and 2 BLOCKS in his debut with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association.

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"Josh Pastner reveals unique pitch to investors involved with NBA's Las Vegas franchise: 'Buy the college basketball team'"

Has it come to this? Really?

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Caleb Asante Makes His Call

Facing his final college recruitment process, 6-foot-5, 210 Caleb Asante's sense tilted heavily towards remaining in California for his upperclassmen years, and that was fine with him, a continuation after four years at Leigh High in San Jose and two attending Saratoga's West Valley College.

But a call from the NCAA D2 Southern Nazarene University (SNU) coaching staff last September after he participated in JUCO showcase, morphed into a visit to SNU in Bethany, Oklahoma (a city of 20,000 and part of the Oklahoma City metro area).

That trip broadened Asante's horizons. "I visited and the people at the school were so nice and welcoming," Asante recalled. "I also got to see the athletic facilities, they told me about their future plans and I saw the city."

Combining that with being told what the coaching staff liked about his game plus what he could add to their program, and Asante was sold. Now he will be part of the Southern Nazarene Crimson Storm basketball team this coming school year.

Asante averaged 11.4 points per game in 26 contests/24 starts this past season at West Valley while shooting a team best 57% from the floor, 44% on three-point attempts and 66% at the foul line. He grabbed 4.4 rebounds nightly alongside dishing out 1.4 assists and this production earned him All Coast Conference South honors. He also nabbed that status as a freshman.

Regarding what Asante does best on the basketball court, he explained, "my ability to get to the basket, to create for others, my rebounding and leadership." Regarding the latter, "I lead more by example but I'm working on getting more verbal like pulling teammates aside and giving them tips I learned when I was in their position."

Asked if he had a West Valley College best basketball moment in mind, Asante offered, "I would say winning the NorCal (Regional Final) championship this year (against Yuba College) when we were spraying our coaches with water afterwards in the locker room." It was a 75-58 victory for the Vikings.

Asante as a freshman

What's fascinating is that coming out of high school, Asante initially preferred to attend a community college out of the Bay Area in order to gain a different experience. But once he talked with the West Valley College coaches, he was all in for heading the five miles to Saratoga.

After posting a 3.8 grade point average while at Leigh High and repeating that mark during his two-year tenure at West Valley College, Asante is looking to major in economics at SNU with the idea of possibly entering the real estate field upon graduation.

He expressed gratitude to the multitude of those who have aided his hoops journey thus far. "I want to thank Coach Yosh (WV Head Coach Danny Yoshikawa), (his assistants) Coach Trent, Coach Dustin, Coach Patrick, Coach Jackson and Coach Sean as well as (the West Valley trainers) Gianluca, Steven, and Katie." He also thanked "my parents, my brothers, my (personal) trainers Coach Ameer Shamsud-din (Elite Basketball Performance) and Coach Ant (Anthony Gardner), my teammates and my friends for all their help and support."

Asante back in his Leigh High days

Asante's goals over the remainder of the summer include "getting better by (practicing) shooting a lot, working on my speed and my weight. I've got to get my body into tip top shape because it's going to be a long season. I'm working as hard as I can." His sense is "I’ll still be playing wing/forward but playing more like a 3 guard" and that the opportunity for court time is available to be earned as the team has graduated a number of seniors.

Once he arrives in Oklahoma, it's going to be "I just want to win and be a leader." But also with these challenging additions: "Being named to the conference first team and the most valuable player because our team wins the conference and the national championship."

Team Rampage Is Back and Ready to Battle

Brandon Bracy Solano College Associate Head Coach, Vallejo High boys basketball coach and Team Rampage 17U Elite Head Coach has assembled a new edition of his Team Rampage 17U National Roster. It's a 10 player collective consisting of:

(commentary via Coach Bracy)

• Dom Johnson 5-foot-11 Frontier High (Bakersfield) 2027: "A freak athlete already with a college build, he's great at slashing, getting downhill and playing above the rim as a man-child. Owns a 3.5 GPA."
• Eddie Ramey 6-foot-1 South High (Bakersfield) 2027: "Eddie has played with us since his sophomore year, he's a Gary Payton-type who shoots the three ball pretty well and excels on defense (similar to Donavyn Hernandez). Has a 4.0 grade point average."
• Bryce Busam 6-foot-2 Oakdale High 2027: "He can really shoot it, has a quick release on his shot and shoots well on the move.
• Jonah Jackson 6-foot-1 Antelope High 2027: "Jonah started at Antelope High, then transferred to Fairfield High and is now back at Antelope High. He's a sniper, close to a three-level scorer and one of the top scorers in his area who averaged 25 points per game."
• Bryce Ademayo 6-foot-6 St. Patrick-St. Vincent High 2028: "A great scorer, he was 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4 a year ago and is having a great summer. I'm really high on him. He and Joenathan (Jones) have the most upside."
• Nasir Callahan 6-foot-4 Rodriguez High 2028: "Nasir is in his first year with us and he and Bryce (Ademayo) are major downhill players. He's a decent shooter with wing skills who really runs the court and is best in the open court .He's a long athlete, a late bloomer and we're expecting another growth spurt from him."
• Samson Helsby 6-foot-0 Ben Holt High (Stockton) 2028: "Has a crazy motor and is really physical, a Josh Hart-type with a nose for the basketball. I call him our X factor. You know what effort you will get from him."
• Donavyn Hernandez 5-foot-8 Oakdale High 2028: "He's tough and doesn't back down, a very steady guard.
• Silas Hightower 6-foot-2 St. Patrick-St. Vincent High 2028: "One of our babies, we've had him since the sixth grade. He's a great mid-range scorer and will be playing a prominent role at St. Patrick-St. Vincent High.
• Joenathan Jones 5-foot-10 Jesse Bethel High 2028: " Another one we've worked with since sixth grade, he was a scorer but is now accepting the role of a true point guard, knowing what his team needs from him. Also a good defender, I know what I'm going to get out of him every game."

According to Bracy, "we're not tall but have a lot of guards who are physical." He added, "I really appreciate the parental support me and my staff receive. We're now playing in the Recruit/Look Boys Basketball Circuit which focuses on events in Midwest cities." Team Rampage just finished participating "Nashville Summer Live" which ran from July 9-12.

Potpourri, Jul 13

News Bits

Player Performance Evaluation

“What Serious Evaluators Actually Look For At Camps Like Pangos”

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"Most Influential High School Coaches in Northern California"

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"Jock Landale Agrees to a One Year Deal to Stay with the Atlanta Hawks"

and

"Four-Year Gael Harry Wessels Signs with San Antonio Spurs Summer League Team"

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6-foot-10, 180 Shaqere "Shaq" Kizzee out of  Dallas' Carter High has been offered by San Jose State University. He's a 2027 prospect.

and

"SPARTANS SIGN FRENCH GUARD AURÈLE BRENA-CHEMILLE FOR 2026-27"

He's a 6-foot-4 point who is 22 years old.

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"Former Bulldogs basketball manager charged. How Fresno State gambling scandal unfolded"

Robert Kuwada breaks down the Fresno State basketball betting scandal. Proof that it's not just power programs who face such situations.

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"MEN’S BASKETBALL SIGNS PENN STATE TRANSFER SASA CIANI"

"Sacramento State head coach Mike Bibby announced the signing of 6-10, 240-pound forward Saša Ciani, who will transfer from Penn State.

A native of Slovenia, Ciani is the Hornets' 11th and final signee for the 2026-27 season. He joins the following players who have signed with Sacramento State:

• Larry Hughes II • G • CSUN
• Chidi Nwigwe • G/F • Wasatch Academy
• Giannis Asimakopoulos • F • Colby JC
• João Das Chagas • C • UAB
• Marcus Wilson • G • UC Davis
• Osiris Grady • F • UC Riverside
• Ridvan Tutic • F/C • Stonehill
• Mason Hunt • F • Pima JC
• Melvin Stubbs Jr. • G • Sandra Day O'Connor HS
• Ashton Pierce • G • North Mecklenburg HS"

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"St. Mary's Men's Basketball 2026-27 Roster Breakdown"

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