| Reebok Basketball
Create and Finish Update |
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| November Birthdays |
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Rodney Black
Delano Collins
DeMarco Cox
Anthony Fields
Demetrius Ford
Tim Frazier
Teandre Hubbard
Terence Jennings
Austin Johnson
Karron Johnson
Cody Larson
David Loubeau
J'Mison Morgan
Michael Rosario
Varez Ward |
| Reebok 101 |
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Watch For These Reebok Athletes This NBA Season:
Al Jefferson - Minnesota
Allen Iverson - Denver
Antoine Wright - New Jersey
Baron Davis - Golden State
Brent Barry - San Antonio
Brevin Knight - LA Clippers
Chris Webber - Philadelphia
Eddie House - Boston
Gabe Pruitt - Boston
Gerald Green - Minnesota
Jamal Crawford - New York
Jason Terry - Dallas
Jeff Foster - Indiana
Josh Boone - New Jersey
Kirk Snyder - Houston
Malik Allen - New Jersey
Mardy Collins - New York
Marvin Williams - Atlanta
Michale Pietrus - Golden State
Mike James - Houston
Morris Peterson - New Orleans
Quincy Douby - Sacramento
Quinton Ross - LA Clippers
Rajon Rondo - Boston
Rasual Butler - New Orleans
Reggis Evans - Philadelphia
Shaun Livingston - LA Clippers
Shawne Williams - Indiana
Thabo Sefolosha - Chicago
Willie Green - Philadelphia
Yao Ming - Houston |
| Answer XI |
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Hits stores November 9, 2007. The black/white shoe can be found exclusively at Champs with additional colors, white/blue and white/grey, found at Champs and select retailers. |
| Ten Tips To Help You Have A Great Season |
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Aicle Subheading
1. Call a meeting with your head coach and get his expectations of you for the year.
2. Do 100 pushups and crunches before you go to bed each night. Get that core tight!
3. Spend more time watching game tape and less time playing video games.
4. Make 500 jump shots every weekend. That's MAKE not TAKE!
5. Circle an away game on the schedule where you will silence the home crowd.
6. Starters- Get at least two triple-doubles this season. Role Players- Get two double-doubles. Reserve players- just stay ready.
7. Write down your individual statistic goals and put one on your bedroom mirror, one inside your game bag and one in your locker.
8. After you complete a great play, instead of bringing attention to yourself, "act like you have been there before".
9. Prior to the first game, do something nice for your mom, your dad or a sibling to thank them for all of their support.
10. Respect your teammates, Respect your opponents and Respect the game. | |
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Basketball Standout,
The High School season is quickly approaching, unless you live in Mississippi where it started a month ago. By now you should be in to a routine of balancing your studies, family responsibilities and your social life, but the serious question is, are you prepared to have a great season? No seriously, are you prepared for a GREAT season as opposed to a GOOD season. A good season is doing enough to get by. A great season is doing enough to set you apart from everyone else in your region, state or better yet, the country.
Have you put in the time since the summer to getting your game tight and improving on your weaknesses? Or have you been too lazy, checking the Internet for your rankings and fooling yourself by playing in open gym as your only form of development?
What are your individual and team goals? What do you do each day to demonstrate to your teammates and coaches that you are a leader on and off the court? Have you improved your vertical, 2 mile run, bench press, ball handling and knowledge of the game? What NBA player do you look to for motivation and inspiration? Have you made a hot new pre-game mix (which I know has Kanye and Lil Wayne on it)?
Yes, I asked a lot of questions but I hope you get the picture I am trying to paint. We all say we want to be great but sometimes we either don't know how or aren't truly committed to those little details that separate us, myself included. I struggle on occasion with staying focused on my goals. Then when I turn on the TV or read articles on Russell Simmons, Donny Deutsch or other business professionals that are changing their industry through hard work and innovation, I realize that I have a long way to go to reach my personal definition of what being successful is.
Therefore, I challenge you to step your game up on and off the court. Feel free to shoot me emails with your goals to rbkbasketball@roadrunner.com and we will post some of them in our upcoming newsletter.
Create and Finish,
Christopher Rivers |
| Renaldo Woolridge - Future Volunteer Shows It's Not How You Start, But How You Finish |
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The Class of 2008 has seen little change in their top 20 player rankings since the 2004 14 & Under AAU Nationals in Orlando.
Several of these players had big time prep reputations before even getting their first high school locker. Standouts such as Tyreke Evans (American Christian), Brandon Jennings (Oak Hill), BJ Mullens (Canal Winchester) and Delvon Roe (St. Edward's) have held down their "Top 10"seats like their names were embellished in gold on the back.
However, every player that has risen to the national prominence entering their senior season did not enter high school with such anticipation of greatness. California's Renaldo Woolridge is one of these players.
Being the son of a former NBA player guarantees you a few things;
1. You will get to meet some NBA legends along the way.
2. The thought of playing in the NBA is usually in the back of your mind.
3. You will somehow, some way, be compared to your dad by somebody.
Renaldo has definitely experienced all three in addition to having multiple addresses growing up. He was born in Santa Monica before moving to Pacific Palisades. Shortly after, he had small stays in Denver, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Treviso (Italy), Bologna (Italy) and then back to Los Angeles. He can only hope that his basketball skills develop like the son of another NBA player who spent time in Italy as a youngster as well.
The Woolridge's would finally settle in Southern California so that he and his brother Zach could attend Harvard Westlake, one of the country's finest academic high schools. Zach graduated in 2004 and went on to play basketball at Princeton. Other Harvard Westlake alum includes Jason Collins (New Jersey Nets) Jarron Collins (Utah Jazz) and Alex Stepheson (North Carolina).
Renaldo is on pace to have similar success as those All-Americans mentioned above even though he did not earn a varsity uniform until his sophomore year where he averaged a quiet four minutes per game.
That following spring he played with Pump and Run and slowly started to get some ink as a mid-major prospect. The next 10 months Woolridge would continue to improve his outside scoring and athleticism and cemented his place as arguably the top small forward prospect on the West Coast when his junior season was complete.
This growth spurt mentally and physically landed him early scholarship interest from Oregon State, Colorado, Pepperdine and USC. But Woolridge's play was still too inconsistent for some of the nation's larger schools to offer him a scholarship. Some coaches questioned his toughness and wanted to wait until after the summer to determine whether he was a legitimate high major prospect.
Woolridge knew in his heart that he was as skilled and talented as any player at his position but it took a trip to Philadelphia to unleash the true "dawg" in him. He would finally burst onto the national scene following an outstanding performance in July at Rbk U where he had several head coaches asking their assistant's "How did we miss this kid".
At Rbk U, Renaldo teamed up with the Florida boys from Team Breakdown Kenny Boynton, Brandon Knight, Eloy Vargas and David Loubeau. Where most players of his caliber would have whined and cried about not getting enough touches Woolridge took the exact opposite approach and played his role perfectly.
While his backcourt tandem of Boynton and Knight were freezing defenders with Miami Vice like crossovers, Woolridge found a way to capitalize on scoring opportunities to show his complete arsenal. By hitting treys and finishing rebounds with tip dunks he patiently played his way into the Rbk U All-Star Game and became a circled name on the list of most college coaches looking for small forward help.
Later in July, he followed his Rbk U performance by playing a supporting role in leading Belmont Shore to the inaugural Reebok Summer Championships (RSC) title in Las Vegas. In the RSC he showed the toughness and heart that some head coaches had questioned by grabbing defensive rebounds and finishing above the rim in traffic.
One of these coaches who never doubted him was Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl. Pearl stood wherever he could during Woolridge's games at Green Valley and Foothill High School to be sure he was seen. Pearl was confident that Renaldo could come in and immediately add to Tennessee's leading SEC scoring offense at the shooting guard or the small forward position.
However, Pearl had to keep working hard from Knoxville, Tennessee by making weekly calls and writing letters hoping that Tim Floyd and the USC Trojans would not persuade Woolridge to stay home and play in front of his family the next four years. In August, Woolridge began to take unofficial visits, one to Southern Cal envisioning himself as a Trojan student-athlete. But after an impressive home visit by Coach Pearl and a fantastic official visit to Knoxville, Woolridge knew he would be wearing Orange and White next year.
So with his college plans locked down, Woolridge is now focused on just becoming a better and more consistent player. He knows that he will be asked to do a lot to lead his young team this year and that double teams will become as common as sending a text message. Yet no matter what happens this high school season, Renaldo's best basketball is straight in front of him. With his mother around him every step of the way to keep him grounded and big brother Zach a phone call away as a reminder of how far he has come, you can expect great things from Renaldo no matter where he lives. |
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| Rbk U All-Star Team 2007 - Will You Make The Grade In 2008? |
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Many of you have been asking will there be an Rbk U next year....well, the answer is YES! As the same for 2007, there are only two ways to earn an invitation:
1. Get voted in by the Rbk U National Selection Committee (made up of scouts, coaches and media)
2. Earn your spot at a Headliner Try-Out Camp this coming Spring
More information on Rbk U will be coming in the next few issues, but until then, keep "ballin" and check out the Create and Finish roster from this year's Rbk U All-Star Game. All these players definitely Made The Grade!
Black Team Orange Team
Isaiah Armwood 2009 Baltimore, MD Quincy Acy 2008 Mesquite, TX
Olu Ashaolu 2008 Brampton, Ontario Kenny Boynton 2009 Pompano, FL
Will Buford 2008 Toldeo, OH Justin Brownlee 2008 Tifton, GA
Olek Czyz 2008 Reno, NV Brandon Jennings 2008 Temecula, CA
Kevin Dillard 2008 Homewood, IL Karron Johnson 2009 Richmond, VA
Eric Frederick 2008 San Antonio, TX Kevin Jones 2008 Mt. Vernon, NY
Terence Jennings 2008 Sacramento, CA Malcolm Lee 2008 Moreno Valley, CA
Jeremiah Kelly 2008 Chicago, IL Dwight Miller 2008 Sugarland, TX
Darius Miller 2008 Mason, KY Romero Osby 2008 Toomsuba, MS
J'Mison Morgan 2008 Dallas, TX Renardo Sidney 2009 Lakewood, CA
Mike Rosario 2008 Jersey City, NJ Tyshawn Taylor 2008 Jersey City, NJ
Ari Stewart 2009 Marietta, GA Isaiah Thomas 2008 Tacoma, WA
Elston Turner 2008 Roseville, CA Eloy Vargas 2008 Plantation, FL
Maalik Wayns 2009 Philadelphia, PA John Wall 2009 Raleigh, NC
Elliot Williams 2008 Collierville, TN Renaldo Woolridge 2008 Sherman Oaks, CA
All-Create Team: Will Buford, Brandon Jennings, Malcolm Lee, Tyshawn Taylor and John Wall
All-Finish Team: Quincy Acy, Olu Ashaolu, Olek Czyz, Terence Jennings and Renardo Sidney
Best Performance Coming From Headliner Tryout Camp: Dwight Miller was given the Dante Anderson Memorial Award |
| Baller Circuit Top 25 Pre-Season High School Rankings - By Alonzo Weatherby |
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1. St. Anthony's, Jersey City NJ (Mike Rosario, Dominique Cheek, Jio Fontan, Tyshawn Taylor, Travon Woodall)
St Anthony's returns virtually EVERYONE from last years 28-1 team, meaning they have the chemistry to have similar success this year. Mike Rosario, who is headed to Rutgers, is one of the premier shooters on the East Coast, and can get buckets with the best of them. His supporting cast rounding out their starting 5 will all play high major hoops as well...
2. St. Benedicts, Newark NJ (Samardo Samuels, Greg Enchinique, Tamir Jackson, Tristan Thompson)
St. Benedicts strength is in their frontcourt. Samardo Samuels is one of the most imposing figures on the low block on the High School level. He's headed to Louisville next year, and should see immediate minutes. 6'9" PF Tristan Thompson is easily among the top 10 players nationally in the class of 2010. He's the next in a long line of Canadian imports (Via Ro Russell's Grassroots Canada) to bring their game to the US.
3. American Christian, Aston PA (Tyreke Evans, Jerimiah Kelly, Lamont Jones)
Led by Tyreke Evans with the additions of Jerimiah Kelly and Lamont Jones, American Christian will definitely be one of the top teams playing on the High School level this season. They will be tough to beat, and entertaining to watch. As has been said over and over, Tyreke Evans may be the best SG in this class nationally.
4. Montrose Christian, Rockville MD (Tristan Spurlock, Isaiah Armwood, Terrell Vinson)
They boast 3 top 50 talents from the 2009 class in 6'9" Isaiah Armwood, 6'7" Terrell Vinson, and 6'6" Tristan Spurlock, as well as two near 7' Footers in Temadayo Odebayo and Brian O'Kam on the low block. When you can throw a group with that size and talent on the floor it could get scary for rival squads. They are talented enough to contend for the top spot.
5. South Kent Academy, South Kent CT (Isaiah Thomas, Maurice Creek, Christian Morris, Jin Soo Kim, Assane Sene, Dion Waiters)
With one of the nations best scorers and most exciting playmakers in Washington bound Isaiah Thomas and one of the most intimidating inside presences in Rutgers bound Christian "Beast" Morris, look for South Kent to be among the nations top 10 teams all season long. They've added stud Jr Guard Maurice Creek, top notch 2010 guard Dion Waiters (Syracuse Commitment), and an athletic 7' Footer from Africa in Assane Sene.
6. St. Patricks, Elizabeth NJ (Quintrell Thomas, Dexter Strickland)
Dexter Strickland has waited patiently to get his time in the spotlight, and this is his team for the next 2 years. After playing Tito Jackson to All American Corey Fisher for the last 2 years, it's Dexter's turn to run the show for the always talented St. Patricks squad. He will have help down low from talented big man Quintrell Thomas.
7. American Heritage, Plantation FL (Eloy Vargas, Kenny Boynton)
Led by one of the nations best scorers regardless of class in Kenny Boynton and one of the most versatile bigs in the country in Eloy Vargas, American Heritage will be extremely fun to watch this season. They're 2 stars hail from not only one of the country's best Travel Teams (Team Breakdown), but they were also members of this year's Elite 24! Look for big things this season from thsi duo.
8. The Patterson School, Lenoir NC (Courtney Fortson, Nate Miles, Varez Ward, Will Brown, Isaiah Rusher, Freddy Aspirilla, Matt Simpkins)
As usual the Patterson School is stocked heavy with D-1 talent. Courtney Fortson and Nate Miles will be the guys with the ball in their hands making things happen in the backcourt, with Rusher, Brown, and Aspirilla manning the low blocks. Their entire starting 5 will be playing D-1 ball next season.
9. Fairfax, Los Angeles CA (Renardo Sidney)
Fairfax was already a talented team, but with the addition of Renardo Sidney, the nations top Jr, they are even more talented. Renardo is the 6'10" do everything man child, whose ready to bring home his 2nd state title albeit with a new school/team. As many of you know he can shoot the rock like a Wing, dominate the block whenever he wants, and handle the rock on the break. There's not much he can't do.
10. Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson VA (Brandon Jennings, Keith Gallon, Malik Story)
Although they lost their starting SG Willie Warren, they added one of the top Soph's in the country in 6'3" PeShon Howard. I still expect Oak Hill to be a scary team. Brandon Jennings can take things over and put this team on his back whenever he wants, and he will be called to do so this season, especially with the surprising loss/transfer of Willie Warren. Malik Story will need to step up his contribution and will be looked to score much more. The BIG question surrounding their success this season will be their frontcourt...
11. Wheeler HS, Marietta GA (Dequan Jones, Ari Stewart, Richard Howell, Phil Taylor)
They lost a McDonalds All American PF in 6'9" JJ Hickson to NC State, but Wheeler is still the avorite for the State Championship and it's possible they'll be even better than they were last year. They are athletic enough to play with anyone, and talented enough to beat anyone. With arguably the nations most athletic swing man in Miami bound Sr Dequan "DJ" Jones, and with two of the class of 2009's top forward prospects Ari Stewart, and Richard Howell, Wheeler will be extremely tough to beat and a highlight reel waiting to happen. Watch for the emergence of 2010 PG Phil Taylor into a National Name.
12. Mater Dei, Santa Ana CA (Travis Wear, David Wear, Gary Franklin)
With the 6'10" Wear twins (Travis & David Wear) patrolling the lane, Mater Dei will be one of the West Coast's best teams. They also have one of the top PG's in the 2010 class in Gary Franklin, making them one of the top teams Nationally. As you can see Mater Dei is looking like their usual self...
13. Montverde Academy, Montverde FL (Dashan Harris, Steve Tcheingang, Marcus Capers)
After an undefeated season in 06/07, Montverde returns a solid group of players looking to try to repeat their success in 07/08. Even though they lost Solomon Alibi, their anchor in the post, they still have Texas A&M pledge Dashan Harris one of the top 10 PG's Nationally. They also bring in recent Vanderbilt commit Steve Tcheingang, and also have the services of recent Wash State commit Marcus Capers. Look for them to be very competitive.
14. Hargrave Military Academy, Chatham VA (Demarquis Bost, Eshaunte Jones, Chris Braswell, Roscoe Davis)
15. Lincoln, Brooklyn NY (Lance Stephenson, Darwin Ellis, James Padgett, Justin Green) Lance Stephenson!
16. Campbell Hall, North Hollywood CA (Jrue Holiday) Jrue Holiday!
17. Dunwoody, Dunwoody GA (Chris Singleton, Delwan Graham, Pierre Jordan)
18. Notre Dame Prep, Fitchburg MA (Terrence Jennings, Troy Guillenwater)
19. Rice, New York NY (Kemba Walker, Durand Scott)
20. Findlay Prep, Las Vegas NV (DeAndre Liggins, Clarence Trent)
21. Norcross, Norcross GA (Al Farouq Aminu, Taariq Muhammed)
22. Dominguez HS, Compton CA (Jordan Hamilton, Aaron Moore)
23. White Station HS, Memphis TN (Joe Jackson, Ferrokhan Hall)
24. Bishop O'Connell, Arlington VA (Kendall Marshall, Frank Ben-Eze)
25. Helen Cox HS, Harvey LA (Greg Monroe) |
| Coach's Corner - Mitch Malone Instrumental In Making Texas More Than Just A Football State |
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 To those of you who have been on the competitive 17 and under travel basketball scene nationally or in Texas, you have probably at one point noticed a coach dressed so clean that it looks like he was going to a photo shoot more so than a tournament game. Some years his travel teams have more sets of uniforms than they do championships. And yes, he and his wife Lorna have occasionally been seen courtside sporting matching outfits from head to toe.
Well America's best dressed summer coach is named Mitch Malone and he is the founder and Executive Director of the Tx. Blue-Chips. At age 46, residing in the Dallas suburb of McKinney, Texas, Malone has been a pioneer in the development and growth of basketball in Dallas and the entire state of Texas as a whole.
He originally formed the North Dallas 1 on 1 in 1991 as a way to get involved with high school players after making his name as an above average semi pro player and trainer after gaining recognition for helping Dallas Maverick players Rolando Blackmon and Bob McCann evolve their games in the off season.
After a couple of years he changed his program's name to the Tx. Blue-Chips realizing that in order to have the best talent possible, he would have to recruit players from the entire state of Texas and not just Dallas. To this day, he can make the four hour drive from Dallas to Houston virtually in his sleep.
During these many nights on the road Malone realized that his insights and expertise on evaluating high school players could help division one collegiate programs. This vision inspired him to form a scouting service which at its peak was being utilized by more than 125 college programs. Malone's ability to project talent especially with big men made him a very valuable resource in college coaching circles.
In 1996 he officially formed a relationship with Sonny Vaccaro, and Malone began to foster and develop relationships and rivalries outside of the lone state. He has never been one to hold his tongue on the truth when dealing with players, parents, high school coaches and influential Division One Head Coaches.
To those who don't know him, Malone comes off as slightly arrogant and cocky. But if you spend time with him that perception changes to someone who is purely a driven perfectionist in everything he does. He expects the same drive and attitude from his staff and players. Malone will tell you that "Every player is not built to play for the Tx. Blue-Chips, but every player that puts on a Blue-Chip uniform improves as a person and a player.
Malone takes personal pride in the work he does in the gym pushing his players that want to be great to new heights. This does not mean that every player he coaches will have a chance at playing in the pros, however there is no debate that 90 percent of his players' college options increased after wearing a Blue-Chip uniform.
Malone has made developing post players his specialty as he confidently states "Players that train with me get the best skill teaching in the country". By looking at the names of his former students that are now in the NBA such as Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets), Brian Skinner (Phoenix Suns), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trailblazers) and Ike Diogu (Indiana Pacers) who can argue that claim. In total, Malone has eight former Tx. Blue-Chips playing in the league with the others being: Ronnie Price (Sacramento Kings) Desmond Mason (New Orleans Hornets) and Acie Law (Atlanta Hawks).
This past summer season, Malone played more of a role of a General Manger than bench coach as he orchestrated up to 5 teams at a time to various tournaments. Malone says "What truly separates our program from others in Texas and nationally is our coaching staff. Our staff is full of coaches who are high school coaches and high school teachers. This gives us an advantage because 12 months per year we have a team of adults that not only understand the necessary balance between the travel and high school seasons but that are committed to the academic and athletic development of his players".
Malone knows how important the balance of books and ball is as he was a heavily recruited star coming out of Waco, TX on his way with a full ride to Baylor University. But immaturity and lack of focus academically squandered that opportunity.
Today, Malone uses that experience to preach life lessons to his players and sometimes uses tough love as the only message that gets heard. He clearly understands that the path to a college degree does not start at the same place for every player. Therefore, he keeps numerous relationships with coaches at the junior college, NAIA and Division I, II and III levels.
When not involved in basketball operations Malone loves being a dad. He has three children, Kaelen 12yrs, Antoine 21 and Brazgette 25. Kaelen is a 7th grader with all around athletic ability and Malone says he will stop coaching when he graduates or once Kaelen can beat him one on one. Only time will tell which one will occur first. In addition, he is a music fanatic. He stays up on all the latest hip hop and R&B jams via the internet, from his players, and likes to test bump new tracks in his 2007 fully loaded Lincoln Navigator. Malone's third personal passion is dining out in fine restaurants. I have firsthand experience since I have picked up the tab on more than one occasion. On a Monday night you can find him running the wait staff crazy at Houston's, Pappadeux's or the Cheesecake Factory with his custom orders. But Malone always says "If I work hard all day, I deserve a great meal at night".
Heading into 2008, Malone will be trying to upgrade the Blue-Chips so that they can maintain their 2007 success. This year's team lead by Eric Frederick (Oklahoma City, OK) and Quincy Acy (Mesquite, TX), had a national Top 15 ranking as they won championships at the Reebok Pearland Classic in Houston, Grand --- in Dallas and ended the season winning 9 games straight to win the Best of the Summer event in Los Angeles.
Recently, Malone was selected to the executive Board of the Grassroots Basketball Coaches of America (GBOA. www.GBOA.com) and is using his 16 years in the business to help create policy and influence change that will better the game of summer basketball while also giving summer coaches a strong and unified voice to the NCAA.
As the high school season begins, be on the lookout for Malone in a Texas gym looking for the next 6'9 raw talent who just needs a little Malone seasoning to get his game straight. And if you are not sure who he is, he will be the gentleman in the tailor made custom fitted Reebok sweat suit looking clean. |
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