Zags get ’08 big with ton of potential

[GreatLakeState]

From the Oregonian:

Westview's Poling commits to Gonzaga

Another one of Oregon's coveted prep basketball recruits removed his
name from the available list this week -- and it's not Kyle Singler.

Seven-foot Westview High School center Andy Poling, who will be a junior
during the upcoming season, orally committed to Gonzaga on Wednesday
night, passing up offers from virtually every school in the Pacific-10
Conference, including Oregon and Oregon State.

Poling is the second prominent Oregon big man in the past week to offer
an oral pledge to an NCAA Division I school. Lake Oswego's Kevin Love
committed to UCLA last week.

Poling selected Gonzaga because of its coaching staff, the school's
proximity to Portland and his family, and the Bulldogs' ever-growing
success and tradition.

"It was a tough decision, but I know it's the right place for me," Poling
said. "I decided to go ahead and announce my decision because I didn't
see the point in making other schools waste their time recruiting me. I
know things are not going to change."

The commitment is non-binding, and Poling is not allowed under NCAA
rules to make it official until November 2007, when he signs a letter of
intent during an early signing period.

The announcement is surprising, however, because it comes so early;
most elite recruits do not commit until their senior season or the summer
proceeding their senior season.

But Westview coach Pat Coons said the recruiting climate has changed in
recent years, and the process begins so early that Poling had ample time
to explore each of his suitors and determine the right school for him.

"You can say the announcement is early, but the fact is that Andy has
gone through the recruiting process for two years already, so this isn't
really that early," Coons said. "He just felt really comfortable with the
whole coaching staff at Gonzaga and the program. It was the perfect fit."
Poling was a Class 4A second-team all-state selection last season after
averaging 17.6 points per game.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

as this is the only Gonzaga thread that i noticed... Casey Calvary is one of my all-time favorite basketball players. he was talented, strong, incredibly tough, and completely fearless. Casey is the main player that put Gonzaga basketball on the national radar, leading his unheralded, and nearly all-white, team to an Elite Eight run in 1999. Gonzaga head coach Mark Few has made several negative remarks about the NBA for its treatment of Casey, but he stopped short of saying it was bacause Casey was white.

Casey had MAJOR hops, and looked for an excuse to dunk on people at every opportunity. he was built a lot like UNC's Tyler Hansbrough but had the leaping ability of Duke's Josh McRoberts. and at 6'9", that makes for an imposing guy coming at you. here's a couple of links if anyone is interested in seeing the exploits of a true caste system victim. the first is some still shots of when Casey broke a backboard... the second goes straight to a media viewer clip of Casey dunking all over kenyon martin. i love the stare afterwards! that dude was bad ass!

still photos

http://espn.go.com/media/ncb/1999/1204/video/991204gz1v.avi

currently Casey is making his bucks in Australia.

 

[Deadlift]

Zags land Sudanese athelete via Canada


Anyone surprised? Apparently, another coach that believes in the "magic negro."


Just imagine if some College coach got a commitment from the next Andris Biedrins or Andrei Kirilenko; Say for 2 seasons!!


ESPN and the cultural Marxists always have wet dreams over -- "What If" Kobe, Lebron, McGrady, etc played NCAA College ball. Well, what if Biedrins, Ginobili, Nocioni, Gasol, Kirilenko, Stojakovic, Ilgauskas, Nesterovic, Radmanovic, etc played NCAA College ball? I predict Hollywood would be forced to make a movie, or 2, to capture such dominance!! Yes, FORCED....Edited by: Deadlift

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

Gonzaga appears to be going in the wrong direction, contrary to what i had hoped to see.

despite 2 white players out of their 3 incoming freshman for 08-09, the Zags have offered ZERO scholarships to white players for the class of 2009.

at least, after Brock Osweiler backed out of his commitment to play football (quarterback) at Arizona.

it's a shame that Gonzaga built their program on a strong recruiting core of hungry, under-rated white players, but now that the white men built it they are being forsaken for "real" affletes.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

FINALLY Gonzaga signed a white player for the 2009 class! jeez.

i've not seen him play, but Kelly Olynyk is said to be the top prospect in Canada. i don't know how much truth there is to that, but he's reported to be a 6-10 guard-forward who has point guard skills. in fact, before a tremendous growth spurt he was the starting point guard for his high school team as a 10th grader. it's said he still runs the point most of the time, even now. impressive.

some quotes from recent articles on Olynyk:

Olynyk is averaging about 35 points and 13 rebounds at South Kamloops Secondary School, which is 20-1 and ranked No. 1 in the B.C. provincial rankings, Ken said.

"He's a great passer, he sees the floor," Ken said. "He also has a very versatile game. He can score inside, mid-range and has range well outside the 3-point line. He shoots the ball effortlessly ...."

Their big star is Kelly Olynyk, who came into the tournament averaging 33 points per game, he is 6 feet 10 and generally acts as the team point guard. When I first heard about this guy I thought it was some sort of gimmick move but it turns out he's got some excellent point guard skills ... THIS GUY CAN PLAY.

Players to watch:
Kelly Olynyk (Grade 12, 6-foot-10 guard-forward) -- How's this for a resume heading into his senior year: Young Men's National Cadet Team; NEDA; U17 Provincial Team. Actively being recruited by several prominent NCAA Division I schools, he is big but can play inside or outside. Big hit he took as quarterback of the Titans in a Nov. 2007 Subway Bowl playoff game at New Westminster cost him his entire 2007-08 basketball season, but there might not be a better player in B.C. this season. Played as the team's point guard in Grade 10.

the "funny" thing is, he's on the same team as one of the black "canadians" that have already committed to Gonzaga, but was only targeted AFTER the black kid despite being both bigger and better.

 

[j41181]

I took a good look at both this Olynyk dude and Andy Poling, and they both look very promising, with Olynyk possibly Canada's BEST basketball prospect, minus the Canadian Negroes.

But unlike some of you folks, I'm not very optimistic about the chances of these two in playing college ball, even if they are going to traditionally white Gonzaga.

The reason is because, many college whites make a poor transition to the NBA these days (Love, Morrison, Redick, Hawes....etc., even Collison, Murphy, Dunleavy, Hinrich, and Ridnour are barely established players) and even though they both might become a force in college ball (even I have my doubts on that one), the NBA is a whole different kind of culture and "level" all together.Edited by: j41181

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Love is just a rookie and already is playing well now; He's around 44% from the field which isn't very good for a PF, but he's getting to the line a lot and rebounding like a beast. Collison, Murphy, Dunleavy and Hinrich are all good and efficient players, but none of them are comfortable being featured go-to scorers partly due to the culture and maybe the players around thems' ball distribution.

Ridnour is a solid starter. Hawes is young and improving after tearing a ligament in his rookie year; so I really don't agree with the above post that they aren't established players.

The only guys you mentioned who haven't transitioned well are Morrison, who probably never will IMO, and Redick who isn't getting the playing time to do so.

I think white players are doing fine. Sometimes it's a good thing to be the second scorer on your team rather than chucking up shots like shooting Starbury! Be a team player first. If your teammates try to force the ball in to the black star; fighting and complaining will get your team nowhere. Shoot when you're open and a white players gift is often his selflessness (ie. assists).Edited by: ToughJ.Riggins

 

[j41181]

ToughJ.Riggins, your absolutely right that white hoopsters are very unselfish and team-oriented players.

What irritates me is that every now and then when I watch a B-ball game, whites hardly receive a pass from black teammates, I've seen a number of prominent whites suffer a big decline in productivity from last season (Andrew Ogilvey and Mike Miller example).

Even Dirk Nowitzki is an unselfish and team-oriented player, who is forced to take many shots. Ridnour is a decent starter, and Hawes is young with a very bright future. Collision, Murphy, Dunleavy, and Hinrich are all solid players. But one obvious thing remains: none of them (except for Dirk) are considered All-Star caliber players, no white college hoopster appears to be these days.

I'll repeat my point before, the chances of a white college hoopster making a successful transfer to the NBA remains quite small.Edited by: j41181

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

But unlike some of you folks, I'm not very optimistic about the chances of these two in playing college ball, even if they are going to traditionally white Gonzaga.

The reason is because, many college whites make a poor transition to the NBA these days ...

i'm not sure i understand this post? are you saying that just because they might not make good pro players, they have no chance at being successful in college? that doesn't make any sense at all.

ToughJ.Riggins, your absolutely right that white hoopsters are very unselfish and team-oriented players.

What irritates me is that every now and then when I watch a B-ball game, whites hardly receive a pass from black teammates, I've seen a number of prominent whites suffer a big decline in productivity from last season (Andrew Ogilvey and Mike Miller example).

Even Dirk Nowitzki is an unselfish and team-oriented player, who is forced to take many shots. Ridnour is a decent starter, and Hawes is young with a very bright future. Collision, Murphy, Dunleavy, and Hinrich are all solid players. But one obvious thing remains: none of them (except for Dirk) are considered All-Star caliber players, no white college hoopster appears to be these days.

I'll repeat my point before, the chances of a white college hoopster making a successful transfer to the NBA remains quite small.

part of your statement is exactly right! whites are unselfish and are better team players. statistics even verify this. and you are also spot on about blacks not giving the ball to white teammates. Ogilvy at Vanderbilt is a fine example of this. he is by far the best all-around big man in the SEC, yet he can barely touch the ball on offense unless he gets a rebound. it is mind boggling, to say the least. i mean, as a coach how do you allow your team to play like that?!?

also, i agree that the future is not bright for American-born white players in the NBA. but i disagree that it is because there aren't any white kids good enough to make the jump. there are a lot of factors involved; the primary one being that the NBA game favors a black playing style and its accompanying black culture. it takes a VERY unique white player to be able to overcome that and become a star in the league.

what i disagree with is that there aren't any white all-star caliber players aside from Nash and Nowitzki. Troy Murphy has put up dominant numbers throughout his career, apart from when he's been injured. he's averaging 12 and 12 even as we speak. but no one seems to care. same with Hinrich. before he got hurt, he was the best young point guard in the Eastern Conference. Chris Kaman is arguably the best center in the West. of course, he's hurt at the moment. Andris Biedrins is a monster! Kirilenko is an all-NBA talent who has just never put it together, despite being possibly the best all-around defender in the league (he can guard all five positions). Ginobili should be a perenial all-star, in my opinion. David Lee should be an all-star. he's killing people every night, but no one seems to be taking notice! young Bargnani is blowing up this year, and his teammate Jose Calderon looks pretty damn good, as well. if they gave all-star invites for defense and rebounding, Chris Andersen would be there. he's a beast on the defensive end.

there are good white players out there, but sadly they're few and far between.

 

[j41181]

Jimmy Chitwood, let me things clear, there are obviously many outstanding white hoopsters in both the college and pro level.

The one thing I want to know is, even though many of these guys are the 2nd, 3rd best players of the team, or the 6th man, will there ever be the CHOSEN ONE (Bird, McHale, Stockton example)?

Dirk and Nash are superstars, as close many in CF could expect them in being considered the "chosen one," that's what I want to know, that truly special white player in basketball.

Is that person in the USA, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Europe, Russia, or Australia?

Considering there are not that many white hoopsters overall, the possibility of that special white player coming along is small.

For now, let's just enjoy Dirk, Nash, and their other contemporary white hoopsters, and pray that future white prospects of basketball (like Kelly Olynyk, Andy Poling, Tyler Hansbrough, and Luke Harangody) get as much opportunity they can get to fulfill their potential in the sport, despite the overwhelming odds that are always stacked against them. In the end, only time will tell.Edited by: j41181