Richard Howell is not for the hype. So his standing as an overlooked prospect heading into Thursday night’s NBA draft suites him just fine.
Ask him if he thinks he should be rated higher though and like any confident ball player, he thinks so but relishes avoiding the radar.
“I feel like l could be but at the same time I kind of like the under the radar type of look that I’m getting right now,” Howell said. “I feel I can be a huge surprise to people. That’s the kind of feedback that I’m getting so I have no problem with people not really talking about me. I’m cool flying under the radar.”
These moments don’t come around too often. It’s the excitement of the where, when and how and the fulfillment of a dream.
From Utah to New York, Lorenzo Brown is chasing his hoops dreams. At this moment he is hoping to find the right landing spot that will enable him only to ascend ever higher at the next level.
The particulars of it all will come to fruition for the former North Carolina State floor general Thursday night at the 2013 NBA draft at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Continue reading →
“What Chester Makes Makes Chester”. Such was the slogan erected on 6th and Crosby Streets in Chester, Pennsylvania for all residents to see. For over 40 years (up until it was taken down in 1973) that saying was a source of pride and inspiration for the city located a few miles south of Philadelphia along the Delaware River.
The oldest city in Pennsylvania has experienced its share of challenges dating back to the 1950s with the exodus of shipyard and automobile manufacturing jobs. Nevertheless, that classic Chester pride maintains a stranglehold among residents. The reason for this is a commitment to excellence from a basketball program often overlooked by bigger name schools and locales.
Lacking the big city sheen and major professional sports flash of Philly, the Chester community has cultivated and maintained a basketball culture that stacks up against any on the high school level. Check the numbers; Chester High has won a Pennsylvania record eight state championships. Since 1982 they have qualified for the state tournament every year except in 1992. The Clippers have also won 75 straight games over in-state opponents.
How does one explain such fertile ground for hoop greatness? Continue reading →
It’s 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February sixth. The countdown is on. Sort of like a New Years day for college football. The center of attention, Robert Nkemdiche, is soon to drop the ball on hopes and dreams of the faithful in Gainesville, Oxford and Baton Rouge. Surrounded by gazing eyes and flashing lights, the 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive end from Georgia will soon undergo the traditional picking of the hat representing his choice of Ole Miss. And let the hype begin.
It’s when grown men fawn over teenage athletic talents. It’s where the hopes of fan bases and school communities hang in the balance of a few signatures, hoping to become more than just a piece of head wear left on a table. Friendships and even family relationships will reach crossroads. It’s wall-to-wall national coverage. You either love it or hate it. It’s national signing day. Continue reading →
A national title football game was played Monday night in Miami. After a few minutes ticked off the clock in the opening quarter however, a showcase was on hand for college football’s preeminent program and head coach. Alabama’s big boys up front broke Notre Dame’s will in the trenches. Eddie Lacey and T.J. Yeldon broke ankles and arms while racking up 248-yards and two scores on the ground. Amari Cooper busted coverage. AJ McCarron’s national reputation and love life busted out all over the paying and home-viewing audience.
The final result of an Alabama win (seventh straight national title for the SEC) was not a surprise, yet the undeniable dominating route taken was every bit the shocker. The Irish were the feel good story. The barrenness for a proud program was expected to continue if you were to check their preseason temperature among media and fans alie. It was a season however where the Notre Dame love and hate were in full force. Led by the impressive Manti Te’o, the Irish headed into the national title game with an unblemished 12-0 record complete with nail biters and goal line stands. They had a freshman signal caller in Everett Golson who had overcome in-game benchings. There was a highly-touted defensive front, some would dare compare to that of an SEC outfit. Surely they would run, pass and tackle like it was 1988. Continue reading →
It’s a fickle society we live in. You know the mantra, “what have you done for me lately?” We’re quick triggers with our emotions. This basis of judgment runs rampant in professional sports where we create premature legends and busts. Perhaps no other position in sports represents this up and down battle to capture the hearts of onlookers better than the quarterback. Take a look at Cam Newton. At 6-5, 245-pounds, the franchise quarterback for the Carolina Panthers represents the envy of decision makers and fear of opposing defenses. Newton’s rookie season in 2011 was one of the best we’ve seen, throwing for a rookie record 4,051 yards and rushing for a quarterback high of 14 touchdowns.
Leaders of the old school (from left, Cynthia Cooper, Tina Thompson, Sheryl Swoopes)
The weather is crisp. Summer a distant memory. The green of trees are giving way to orange leaves; colors of the season. Speaking of seasons, perhaps there is no better moment for fans of athletic ventures. Like the freshness of a cool October morning, such is the feeling resonating with a diverse collection of spectacle to select from. Football is in full swing with the college kids and paid (legally) men holding it down on Saturdays and Sundays (much love to the Friday night lights warriors). From San Francisco to New York, the race to the World Series has been riveting. The hoopers are preparing, free of CBA discourse. Hockey is…..oh yeah. Somewhere in between, the WNBA presents its playoffs. For your information, game one of the WNBA Finals between the Indiana Fever and defending champion Minnesota Lynx is this Sunday. Judging by personal experience, media exposure and economics, the league’s popularity seems to be falling like its autumn. Continue reading →
“March days in Chicago could be cold. But in 1967, a frigid March morning brought a warm spark of promise to a small bungalow on the south side of Chicago.”—Wood Harris, “Benji” narrator
The harsh realities tempered with the rise of a shooting star. The promise of happiness to come evoked with the gazing of greatness personified. Such was the meaning of the quote above narrating the onset of Benjamin “Benji” Wilson’s life. Coodie and Chike directed and Creative Control produced for season two of ESPN’s highly touted “30 for 30” series , “Benji” offers a chilling and touching narrative of Wilson, the top-ranked high school basketball player in 1984 out of Chicago’s Simeon Vocational High School.
With an exclusive screening of the documentary for on-demand cable television viewers, “Benji” may set the stage and standard for the “30 for 30” films that follow it for this season (“Benji” will officially debut on Tuesday October 23 at 8 on ESPN). Utilizing those who knew Wilson best from family, friends, neighbors, classmates, teammates, NBA players and musical stars, it helped to present the essence of the kid who handled the rock “like Isaiah Thomas” and smiled “like Magic Johnson”.
While the defending champs ease into the 2012 season relatively unannounced, one of the NBA’s frontrunners in the race atop the hype machine belongs to the Brooklyn Nets. Spearheaded by owner Mikhail Prokharov, the Nets have graduated from everlasting afterthought to the object of fans and media conversation. Talks of big money, big time talent and the Barclays Center have spurned on either excitement or skepticism. Brooklyn’s brand building blitz continued with a Jay-Z (reportedly owns one-fifteenth of one percent of the franchise) hosted eight-day concert run at the glitzy arena bringing in a host of his musical friends and family. National attention has come in the form of Deron Williams gracing this week’s Sports Illustrated cover while the team will be spotlighted for NBA TV’s “The Association” series (next Tuesday at 10 PM).
Now, on to the actual ball club. But alas, let the hype roll on. “I think we have a chance to win the whole thing this year,” Joe Johnson told the New York Daily News. “I’m not just saying it. I honestly believe it.” The bravado displayed throughout the Nets franchise is to be expected, yet the latter subject is not. This the Joe Johnson whom fans have come to know as one of the more talented shooting guards the league, yet not having the mentality, personality or production fitting for superstar status. Perhaps that statement though is the perfect illustration of the stage the 11th year veteran is at. Continue reading →
Maybe life is comfortable this way for Kevin Ollie. Always having to prove something. An omnipresent chip on the shoulder. The chase. The grind. The unknown. Such has been the professional life of Ollie, 15-year (two in CBA) professional basketball player turned newly minted head coach of the University of Connecticut Huskies men’s basketball program. Replacing Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun, he will have all of one year to prove his acumen as the leader of young men. Ollie will be evaluated at the end of the 2013 season.
Maybe a daunting proposition. Could be laughable in the mind of the 39-year old Ollie. Let’s be honest, when you think of the great UCONN guards, pillars Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Ben Gordon and Kemba Walker speak to the hearts of the Storrs and college hoops faithful. Ollie was a two-time team captain and helped lead the Huskies to a Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. He still holds his top spot as the program’s leader in dimes dished in Big East games. He was solid throughout his four year career then headed straight to the Association. The Continental Basketball Association that is. After two years suiting up for the Connecticut Pride, the show came calling in 1997. This life for him consisting of five-star hotels and 10-day contracts. Continue reading →
THE MARSHALL REVIEW 