Monday Listed: The NBA Draft’s Biggest Busts #1-5

Claim to Fame: Hopson was supposed to be an NBA star because of his athleticism. However, he was out of the league after five unspectacular seasons. #4, Chris Washburn, C, third overall, Golden State Warriors. Taken ahead of: Chuck Person, Ron Harper, Mark Price, and Dennis Rodman. Claim to Fame: Washburn struggled for three years with his conditioning and never played much with the Warriors. He ended up in Atlanta before getting kicked out of the league for drugs.#3, Ed O’Bannon, F, ninth overall, New Jersey Nets. Taken ahead of: Kurt Thomas, Brent Barry, and Michael Finley. Claim to Fame: O’Bannon was a great college player, so the expectations in Jersey were huge. However, the agile forward struggled with injuries and was playing in Europe after just three NBA seasons. #2, Sam Bowie, C, second overall, Portland Trail Blazers.

League's executives know it's vital to have nose for picks

Every year, basketball fans from Bountiful to Beijing watch the NBA draft on television to find out which young players will end up with which franchise. Every year, one question lingers long after the final pick is announced and the annual extravaganza - which this year is scheduled Thursday night - slides from the forefront of our consciousness for another 12 months. Is the NBA draft really so important? If you ask Utah Jazz chief scout Troy Weaver, you won't ever have to ask again. "I think it is the single most important way to build a team," Weaver said. "When you have a chance to help your team - whether it's with a lottery pick or at the end of the second round - it's a tremendous opportunity. If you make the right pick, no matter where that pick comes, you can take your franchise to another level."
In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers owned the first pick in the draft and took high-school sensation LeBron James.

The Top 25 NBA Players Under The Age of 25: #20 - #16

411's Matt McCready continues his countdown of the top young stars in the NBA. Last week Ben Gordon came in at number 21 and this week we look at numbers 20 through 16. Will Muggsy Bogues Jr. make the cut?

How the players are rankedTo determine the ranking of the players on this list they are evaluated equally on their performance last year and their overall potential level. For example, while Andrea Bargnani is ranked highly on potential he also had the worst season on the list last year and is graded justly. On the other hand, Gerald Wallace had a terrific season last year but the combination of his age, league experience and injury history causes his potential score to be amongst the lowest. 20. Monta Ellis SG/PG, Golden State Warriors I feel like I should be doing some lame Bob Sagat impression while looking at this picture Age: 21 Height: 6-3 Weight: 177 Scoring: 8 (out of 10) Passing/Team Play: 5 Athleticism: 8 Defense: 3 Intangibles: 5 Potential: 7 If everything goes right he could be the next Allen Iverson Favorite shot at the bar...

Yi Jianlian sets to wow NBA draft

China's latest basketball sensation, Yi Jianlian, is likely to be one of the top 10 picks at the NBA draft this Thursday. He and his national teammates are expected to leave strong marks on the world's biggest basketball league, and start a new wave of hoop craze in China.

Yi Jianlian wasn't born into a professional basketball family, but he showed signs of aptitude for the sport at the early age of three.

He appeared in the top league when he was 15, and it took him just two years to lift the first domestic title. He led his team, the Guangdong Tigers, to three championships in the past four years.

In 2002, the seven-foot-tall Yi Jianlian stood out at a training camp in the US. The young prodigy was then billed by local coaches as a potential superstar, and has since been watched closely by a number of NBA scouts.

Lesser lights get chance to shine

The Toronto Raptors held the No. 1 pick in the National Basketball Association draft a year ago, and the biggest names not yet in the NBA dutifully made their way to Toronto to prove themselves worthy of being selected first overall - an honour that eventually went to Andrea Bargnani.

With the 2007 draft coming on Thursday, the Raptors are observers only, with neither a first-round nor second-round pick to use because of previous deals.

As a result, the team's basketball staff spent the past three days auditioning potential players who are probably familiar only to scouts paid to follow them.

The free-agent camp featured 22 players hoping to work their way into the NBA the hard way - as free agents.

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New South Salem High girls basketball coach accused of rape

The incoming coach for South Salem High girls basketball has been arrested on rape charges out of Medford, where he used to coach and still lives part-time.

Medford detectives arrested Victor Matoush, 40, in South Highs main office on Friday, Medford police Lt. Tim Doney said. Salem officers assisted in the arrest.

Matoush has been coaching girls basketball at South High on a volunteer basis during the Salem-Keizer School Districts summer season, which started earlier this month, district spokesman Jay Remy said.

Matoush is accused of raping a 38-year-old acquaintance the weekend of June 16, Medford police Lt. Tim Doney said. The incident was reported to police on June 17.

He is being held at the Jackson County Jail on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree sex abuse and coercion, jail officials said.

NBA Draft News: Celtics Eyeing Yi Jianlian at No. 5?

According to league and team sources, the Celtics are very interested in selecting Yi Jianlian with the fifth pick in Thursday's draft, if GM Danny Ainge does not trade it. Ainge and coach Doc Rivers watched Yi work out at the Home Depot Center 18 days ago and talked at length with the prospect. It's been said that his combination of size, agility, and quickness leads to comparisons to Andrea Bargnani, Pau Gasol, and Tyson Chandler.

The Celtics are desperate for superstar talent after the lottery balls didn't fall one or two in this year's draft lottery. At seven feet, 248 pounds, and the ability to hit shots from anywhere on the floor, Yi may be the only prospect that has the potential to be a star equal to Kevin Durant and Greg Oden.

"I'm ready for the NBA," Yi says to the Boston Globe through a translator.

Nichols Ready To Wrap Up NBA Draft Workouts

Jun 26, 2007 - Former SU basketball player Demetris Nichols will conclude his NBA Draft workouts Tuesday in Dallas. Thursday he'll watch the draft at home with his nine siblings in Boston. Nichols has been on a nationwide tour of NBA teams for the past three weeks. It started in New York City and took him to 11 places in all including Seattle, Houston, Dallas, Portland and Miami. Nichols won't say which of those teams he'd like to play for but says he thinks he made a good impression on at least half of those teams. The Dallas Mavericks will be the last team to work him out. The Mavericks have three second round picks. Most mock drafts have Nichols going early or midway through the second round. He calls that an insult.
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Disney, China, NBA

The Mouse House is negotiating for a slice of NBA China, which could turn out to be a full-fledged league after the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The league would be self-contained, which means no interleague play with the U.S. NBA teams. It's all pretty tentative, but Disney's interest is not surprising. The company opened Hong Kong Disneyland in 2005 and has more than 4,000 merchandise outlets throughout China. That's a lot of branding possibilities. Sports Business Journal, which has the story, reports that the deal would involve around a 10 percent stake in NBA China.

While controlled by the NBA, the new division will have its own chief executive and its own base of operations in China. Realizing a return on its international business has created a difference of opinion among NBA owners, some of whom want to see some cash from the leagues investment while others want to hold off on selling an equity stake in order to maximize the value from a minority share.

Underaged Oklahoma State Basketball Player Arrested For Being In A Bar

Stillwater, OK (AHN) - Oklahoma State basketball player Obi Muonelo was arrested late Saturday on a misdemeanor charge of being in a bar while under the age of 21.

Police said the 19-year-old guard got inside the Dirty Dog Tavern by sneaking into the bar but added he cooperated fully once authorities stopped to question him.

After admitting his age, Muonelo was booked into a Stillwater jail and released on bond.

Oklahoma State head coach Sean Sutton released a statement concerning his player's run in with the law.

"Obi used poor judgement," he said. "We will handle this situation internally."

Muonelo just finished his freshman year at Oklahoma State and he played in 17 games basketball games for the school

He averaged an impressive 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists a game.

NBA Brings in GSI As E-Commerce Partner for Stores

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Thursday that it has brought on GSI Commerce to handle the e-commerce operations for its online stores. The deal means GSI is now in business with every major professional sports league in the U.S. GSI has several top CE companies as clients, including Palm, RadioShack, and Tweeter. With the deal, GSI will handle all e-commerce for the NBA's online store, including online merchandising, order processing, customer service, and other services. The deal also covers the NBA-affiliated WNBA and NBA Developmental League. .

Men's Basketball, Kevin Durant nominated for trio of ESPY awards

AUSTIN, Texas -- The University of Texas Basketball program and former UT standout Kevin Durant have been nominated for a combined total of three awards at The 2007 ESPYs co-presented by HUMMER and Under Armour, ESPN announced Monday.

The Texas Basketball team is nominated in the "Best Game" category for its triple-overtime classic at Oklahoma State. The other nominees in that category are the AFC Championship Game (Indianapolis Colts' win against the New England Patriots) and the Fiesta Bowl (Boise State victory against Oklahoma).

Durant is nominated along with Devin Hester (Chicago Bears), Ryan Howard (Philadelphia Phillies) and Morgan Pressel (women's golf professional) under the category of "Best Breakthrough Athlete." He also is nominated along with Ben Askren (Missouri wrestling), Greg Oden (Ohio State basketball) and Troy Smith (Ohio State football) under the category of "Best Male College Athlete."

For the fourth consecutive year, fans will determine the winners in all contested categories by voting June 25 through July 7 at www.espys.tv.

Hawks get new look

Atlanta, GA (Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks displayed a new look on Monday. The organization unveiled new uniforms and color changes to its primary and secondary logos.

"A great deal of planning and collaboration went into the creation of this classic yet sleek, modern design," team president Bernie Mullin said. "We engaged our players early in the process and they are very excited about the look and feel of the new uniforms. The color scheme harkens back to the St. Louis Hawks and early years of the Hawks in Atlanta."

While in St. Louis, the team colors were red, white and blue.

The new uniforms feature a color scheme of red, white, navy blue and silver. The home uniforms will be predominantly white, while navy blue will be featured on the road.

Horizon's Withey to play basketball at Arizona

Two weeks after announcing he had changed his mind about playing college basketball at Louisville, Horizon High center Jeff Withey has accepted a scholarship offer to the University of Arizona.

The 7-foot center, an all-state Division IV selection, is the third local player to commit to Wildcats coach Lute Olson in three years.

Withey, who averaged 14.9 points as a junior, follows La Costa Canyon's Chase Budinger and San Diego's Jamelle Horne to Tucson.

Citing a desire to stay closer to home, Withey considered Pac-10 schools, including UCLA, and also talked to San Diego State and USD.

In the end, Withey said Arizona "was where I felt most comfortable."

– NICOLE VARGAS, STEVE BRAND
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MEN'S BASKETBALL: Ed Kohtala Resigns as Head Basketball Coach

Alma, Mi- Today Alma College loses one of its finest people and a valued member of its Athletics Staff as the Men's Basketball Head Coach, Ed Kohtala, officially resigned to take a position as an Assistant Coach under newly hired Head Coach, Matt Brown, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kohtala worked with Brown when they both served under Billy Donavan at the University of Florida. Coach Kohtala joined the Alma College family in 2001 when he was named the 23rd men's basketball coach. During his six seasons as head coach, Kohtala took a basketball program that was down and made it competitive again by instilling his work ethic and values into players he recruited to not only be valuable to the Scots on the court, but in every facet of the college community. Coach Kohtala came to Alma after spending three seasons with the University of Texas men's basketball program as an assistant.

Portland hopes to wipe away sins of past NBA drafts

The Portland Trail Blazers are scratching their heads, trying to figure out which player to take with the No. 1 pick at Thursday's NBA draft.

The pressure is on to make the right choice.

Portland's decision could make or break not only the upcoming season, but could have a major impact on the team's success for the next 10 years.

There are plenty of examples for the Trail Blazers to study. They can just look in their own backyard for an example of missing out on the big one.

And boy what a miss it was in 1984 when Portland, with the No. 2 overall pick, selected University of Kentucky center Sam Bowie, and the Chicago Bulls with the very next pick took Michael Jordan.

Bowie was hampered by numerous injuries during his 10-year career, while Jordan went on to lead the Bulls to six NBA titles, and established himself as the best player ever.

It's time to change NBA postseason

AT&T Center in the middle of the third quarter Sunday night, you might have found the circle of power of U.S. basketball eating nachos and drinking beer.

Hey, you came here to read about the drama left in the NBA Finals, right?

Well, there was a guy leading a half-hearted "Go, Spurs, go!" cheer at the bar. And at a round table, vibrant Spurs fans were playing a drinking game in which they took a gulp every time guard Tony Parker made a basket. And there was a woman walking around wearing a dress she'd fashioned out of a couple of authentic San Antonio jerseys.

Also, on the court, down the tunnel, it was San Antonio 103, Cleveland 92.

That's Spurs 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. But if you're looking for the real action, you had to peer to the far corner of the Club Level, at the table where commissioner David Stern hung out.

2007-08 UCF Men's Basketball Summer Preview Knights looking ...

ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team posted one of the best seasons in school history this past year, going 22-9 overall and finishing second in the 12-team Conference USA. In 2007-08, the Knights will be seeking another impressive finish in C-USA as the team moves into its new home, the 10,000-seat Convocation Center on campus.

Head coach Kirk Speraw, the conference coach of the year last season, welcomes back three starters and nine letterwinners from last year. The 2006-07 campaign was the Knights' second in C-USA.

Construction on the Convocation Center is expected to be completed in July or early-August. The Convocation Center will have double the seating capacity of the UCF Arena, where the Knights played from 1991-2007. The new building is located directly in front of the current arena.

NBA's Spurs solid from top to bottom

They are far from the most entertaining NBA team to watch. They don't have one flashy superstar filling up the seats at the AT&T Center. Heck, the most exciting part of their games is watching Eva Longoria cheer on Tony Parker. Yet here are the San Antonio Spurs, the reigning NBA champions for the fourth time in the last nine seasons.

They are the definition of a true sports dynasty. Four titles in nine years? Wow. Sure there have been teams before them win two or three titles in a row. But these Spurs have done even more than that, putting together one of the most consistent, dominant runs in NBA history.

Only four other teams have won that many titles over a span of nine years: George Mikan's Minneapolis Lakers, Bill Russell's Boston Celtics, Magic's L.A. Lakers, and Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls.

'84 draft set standard for NBA

The NBA draft comes every June, only this time it's more like once a generation. Talent evaluators rate it the deepest in years, with about half the lottery adding to the buildup by playing into the Final Four, and league brass benefiting from no longer having to introduce their fans to high school kids.

So Ohio State center Oden is audaciously compared to the greatest winner in team sports history, Texas small forward Durant gets a grandiose ranking, and team executives speak of both as future stars with a certainty unheard since the mania of LeBron James in 2003. The first-round depth is an equal selling point.

The league at least has its bounce after the San Antonio-Cleveland Finals played in secrecy. Now all everyone has to do is wait 10 years and reconvene to judge how the Class of '07 actually held up to time and the proven-great drafts.

NBA: Sonics interview Jazz assistant Corbin

Corbin, a former Jazz player who has been a member of Jerry Sloan's coaching staff for the last three years, went to Seattle on Saturday to discuss the job with Sam Presti, the Sonics' new general manager.
"It was a good interview," Corbin said Monday. "We had a good talk. . . . It was a good experience for me."
Other known candidates for the Seattle job are former Minnesota coach Dwane Casey, San Antonio assistant P.J. Carlesimo and Sacramento assistant Scott Brooks.
Seattle is not expected to name a coach until at least next week, said Corbin, who played for the Jazz from 1991-94. Seattle fired coach Bob Hill after the Sonics went 31-51 last season. They finished last in the Northwest Division, 20 games behind the Jazz.