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Remember the names Jay Williams, Darius Miles or Omar Cook? How about Dejuan Wagner or Joseph Forte?
For basketball junkies, they used to be hot names, but are no longer on the NBA map.
However, this is highlight tape of their days in high school. Crazy.
Here are few stories about the Austin Toros heading into their home game tonight against the Erie BayHawks. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 EST.
Hairston's 33 pace Toros past past Tulsa
Toros fall to Flash on final shot in OT
Spurs assign Blake Ahearn to Austin
Also, I'm going to try to watch the BayHawks tonight through the D-League Web site.
Maybe I made a mistake last time. If anyone has success watching the games online, help us out would ya?
The live stream of the Erie BayHawks game is working. Check it out folks.
The Erie BayHawks led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but remember they had a 15-point lead in the second half before losing by five in their season opener at Fort Wayne.
Erik Daniels is leading the BayHawks in scoring with 14 points. Ivan Harris has 12 while Jackie Manuel has added 10 points. The BayHawks are 3-of-7 from the 3-point line.
They made two 3-pointers total in their loss at Fort Wayne.
The Erie BayHawks win their first game in the D-League tonight against a team that reached the D-League finals last year.
The BayHawks (1-1) lead by 20 points in the first half before outlasting the Austin Toros (1-2) in Austin, Tex.
Erik Daniels recorded his second double-double in as many games. Against Austin, the 6-foot-8 forward out of Kentucky scored a game-high 27 points and added 13 rebounds.
Brian Robinson and I talked today about if he had been able to see doctors in his home state of New Jersey about his heart condition.
He told me the earliest he can get checked out is the 15th of this month.
Robinson wasn't given a chance to try out for the BayHawks because he didn't receive medical clearance from the team doctors in Erie. So he went back home to Bayonne, N.J., to essentially seek a second opinion.
"Oh my God."
John Treloar just laughed when I said that after he told me about the road trip the Erie BayHawks are on right now. The BayHawks opened their first season in the D-League with five away games.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Treloar said over the phone Wednesday.
It's something, coach.
Here are a few stories on the Rio Grande Valley Vipers heading into today's 8 p.m. game against the Erie BayHawks.The Vipers are 2-0 while the BayHawks are 1-1.
Parker leads Vipers to win over Utah, 2-0 start
The Erie BayHawks trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, but are trailing by only three points at the half at Rio Grande Valley. This is the first time the BayHawks (1-1) have trailed at the half this season.
Erie actually led 32-30 in the second quarter after falling behind 13-2 to start the game, but the Vipers (2-0) went on a 7-0 run late in the first half to regain the lead.
Ivan Harris led the BayHawks in the first half with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Cliff Clinkscales came off the bench to add nine points, six rebounds and three assists.
Power forward Alton Ford scored a game-high 14 points for the Vipers in the first half. He was 5-of-5 from the field, 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Former NBA guard Smush Parker added nine.
The Erie BayHawks scored 35 points in the third quarter en route to winning at Rio Grande Valley, 101-87, Wednesday night.
The BayHawks trailed 13-2 to start the game and were down three points at the half, but responded to win back-to-back games for the first time in their first season in the D-League.
Erie (2-1) will try to extend its winning streak to three games Friday at Dakota (0-2), which lost, 128-126 at Austin in overtime Wednesday afternoon.
In beating the Vipers (2-1), the BayHawks shot 8-of-16 from 3-point range. Forward Ivan Harris led the BayHawks with 22 points on 9-of-16 shooting.
For the second consecutive game, all five Erie starters scored in double figures. Erik Daniels scored 19 points and Oliver Lafayette added 16 points.
Maureece Rice chipped in 14 points while Jackie Manuel scored 12 points. Point guard Cliff Clinkscales added 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists off the bench.
Kendall Dartez led the Vipers with 20 points while Alton Ford and Smush Parker added 18 and 17 points, respectively.
D-League editor Matthew Brennan lists D-League players we should look out for to get a call-up from an NBA team. One of them is Erie BayHawks shooting guard Oliver Lafayette.
Here are stories about the Sioux Falls Skyforce heading into today's 8 p.m. EST game against the Erie BayHawks
The Erie BayHawks were down by double digits in the first half before ending the first half trailing the Sioux Falls Skyforce by eight points. The BayHawks come into the game riding a two-game winning streak.
Forward Erik Daniels scored a team-high 10 points for the BayHawks in the first half. I would give ya'll more stats, but I'm waiting to look at the halftime box on the D-League Web site. When I get them, you'll get them ASAP.
Actually watched the first half on the Web site and it came through pretty good.
The Erie BayHawks had their lowest scoring output of the season in Friday night's 93-67 loss at Sioux Falls. Both teams are trailing unbeaten Iowa (4-0) in the Central Division.
Winning their first home game of the season, the Skyforce (3-1) outscored the BayHawks (2-2) by a 43-26 margin in the second half. Erie only scored nine points in the fourth quarter.
Erie shot a woeful 1-of-13 from 3-point range in defeat. The BayHawks had won two games in a row before Friday's loss.
Erik Daniels led the BayHawks with 20 points on 9-of-23 shooting. Ivan Harris and Jackie Manuel each chipped in 10. Bobby Jones scored a game-high 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Skyforce.
The BayHawks will play at Dakota on Saturday night to end the five-game road trip to open their first season in the D-League. They play their home opener Dec. 11 against Iowa.
Here are a few articles about the Dakota Wizards (1-2) heading into Saturday's 8 p.m. EST game against the Erie BayHawks (2-2). Both teams are in the Central Division.
The third story on this list is a very good one from the D-League Web site about Dakota's Renaldo Major, who missed last season with heart surgery.
He's leading the Wizards in scoring this season, averaging 21 points a game. Major hit two free throws with a second left to give Dakota an 100-98 win at Rio Grande Valley on Thursday.
Vipers can't pull out win over Wizards
The Erie BayHawks (2-2) are looking to get back on the winning track as they are leading the Dakota Wizards, 56-42, at the half Saturday night at Bismarck, N.D.
This is the final of a five-game road trip for the BayHawks, who are coming off a 92-67 loss at Sioux Falls on Friday night. This is the first of a back-to-back for the BayHawks.
Four of Erie's five starters have already reached double figures. Oliver Lafayette leads all scorers with 13 points. Maureece Rice has 12 points while Erik Daniels and Ivan Harris scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
After shooting 1-of-13 from 3-point range against Sioux Falls, the BayHawks are 2-of-3 from behind the arc in the first half against the Wizards (1-2).
The BayHawks and Wizards are in the Central Division. Dakota has won divisional titles in each of its first two seasons in the D-League. This is Erie's first year in the D-League.
The Big Ten did its thing today.
First off, Michigan stunned No. 4-ranked and previously unbeaten Duke, 81-73, at home. This is the second Top 5 team the Wolverines have beaten this season. Earlier this season, Duke beat Michigan by 15 points.
When Michigan upset UCLA last month, the Bruins were ironically ranked fourth in the country.
Then Ohio State put it on No. 7 Notre Dame, 67-62, in Indianapolis, Ind. That was essentially a home game for the Irish, who came into the game with one loss to top-ranked North Carolina.
Don't know if ya'll caught this last night, but Kevin Love just threw one down in Vince Carter's mug. Now I know Carter has a higher vertical and is a better player, but the rookie of out UCLA just dropped the hammer on him on this one.
Now just for the record, Vince is one of the all-time greats at dunking on folks.
Just ask Alonzo Mourning.
The Erie BayHawks ended their five-game road trip to open the season with a 102-87 win at Dakota against the Wizards on Saturday night.
Erie (3-2) opened the season with a five-game road trip and finished it with a convincing win in which it lead by as many as 23 points in the second half. Coach John Treloar and assistant Ben McDonald deserve a ton of credit for Erie coming off a difficult road trip like that to open the season of an expansion franchise nonetheless with a winning record.
The BayHawks will finally play their home opener Thursday against unbeaten Iowa (4-0). Erie trails the Energy and Sioux Falls (3-1) in the Central Division.
On Saturday night, Erik Daniels lead the BayHawks by recording his fourth double-double, going for 26 points and 12 rebounds. Oliver Lafayette went for 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while Ivan Harris and Maureece Rice added 19 and 18 points, respectively.
Maurice Baker lead the Wizards (1-3) with 15 points. The Wizards are in the Central Division as well.
Last month, Dick "It's awesome baby with a capital 'A,'" Vitale said Florida and Oklahoma will end up playing in the BCS title game to decide this year's national champion in Division I-A college football.
I'm sitting here and watching No. 2 Oklahoma put the smack down on Missouri in the Big 12 title game. Earlier today, Florida knocked off No. 1 Alabama in the SEC title game.
So even though Texas is third in the BCS rankings, the No. 4 Gators will likely leap frog the Longhorns and play Oklahoma for all the marbles.
And Dickie V called it a month ago.
He's awesome baby.
The Erie BayHawks are home.
Coach John Treloar said they arrived in Erie around midnight after taking an 7:30 p.m. flight from Detroit to Cleveland on Sunday. The team rented vans from Cleveland and drove to Erie.
The BayHawks were scheduled to arrive in Erie on Sunday afternoon on a flight out of Detroit, but were unable to land earlier in the day in Erie due to the weather. Beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday, the BayHawks flew from Bismarck, N.D. to Minneapolis, Minn., to Detroit.
Treloar said most of team's bags didn't make it to Cleveland, but is expecting them to arrive in Erie around 10 a.m. today.
The BayHawks (3-2) concluded a five-game road trip with a victory Saturday night against the Dakota Wizards. The BayHawks will play their home opener Thursday at 7 p.m. against unbeaten Iowa (4-0).
Erie BayHawks forward Erik Daniels was named the D-League player of the week for helping the BayHawks start the season with a 3-2 record in their first season in the league.
A first-round draft pick fopr the BayHawks, the 26-year old Daniels averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds last week as Erie has won three of its last four games. He's had four double-doubles in Erie's first five games of the season.
When asked about it, the 6-foot, 8-inch, 214-pound forward credited his teammates for how he played last week.
Sweating. Teaching. Instructing.
Bryant Moore was doing his thing at the Erie BayHawks' practice on Monday.
An advance scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Moore stopped by Erie after being in Toronto to show the BayHawks how Cleveland plays defense.
We all know Cleveland has been one of the NBA's best defensive teams under head coach Mike Brown. The BayHawks are pretty sound defensively in their own right as they are only allowing 89.2 points a game in their first season in the D-League.
Teams are only shooting 43.8 percent from the field on them, but the BayHawks will improve on those defensive numbers if they take heed to Moore's instructions.
Did ya'll see Stephen Curry tonight against West Virginia?
I did.
I love watching this guy play. Like I said before, he can take every shot for Davidson and I wouldn't care. The guy came up money tonight in Davidson's 68-65 win against the Mountaineers at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Check the numbers
Continue reading "I told ya'll Stephen Curry is ridiculous..." »
The Erie BayHawks are sixth in the latest D-League power rankings. They were ninth last week.
Their Thursday opponent, Iowa, is first, but seriously, what's up with the Energy's road jersey colors? Someone call Crayola to help them coordinate.
Ugh.
Here are a few stories about the Iowa Energy heading into Thursday night's game against the Erie BayHawks at Tullio Arena in Erie.
One particular story of interest is the second one about how Iowa beat the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The Skyforce beat Erie last week.
The Erie BayHawks haven't been fortunate enough to have either of their NBA affiliates - the Cleveland Cavaliers or Philadelphia 76ers - assign one of their players to suit up for them.
Other teams have, though.
The Austin Toros, Bakersfield Jam, Dakota Wizards, Tulsa 66ers and Utah Flash have each received players from their NBA affiliates.
Some have fared well. Others have not.
Continue reading "The good and bad of assigning NBA players.." »
Take a look at the sweet seats Erie BayHawks majority owner Steve Demetriou has for the Cleveland Cavalier games. A season ticket holder, Demetriou is courtside right beside the Cavalier bench.
When this clip goes to the replay mode, the guy behind a dancing LeBron James with a blue tie and dark suit, that's Demetriou.
Sweeeeet.
Remember Vernon Hamilton? The name should ring a bell.
The Erie BayHawks drafted the point guard out of Clemson in the third round of the D-League draft and then proceeded to cut him last month before the season began.
When he got cut, the move was kind of surprising because Hamilton had just tried out for the Cleveland Cavaliers, an NBA affiliate of the BayHawks.
Well, yesterday, Fort Wayne announced that they had waived point guard Brian Morrison and acquired Hamilton.
Crazy right?
What's crazier is Hamilton's first game for Fort Wayne will be against the BayHawks on Saturday night in Erie.
See, D-League teams can make up to nine roster moves during the season. So you have to be pretty strategic when making a move.
So the Mad Ants obviously took some time to consider this. Fort Wayne is 2-3, but have lost three of its last four games after beating the BayHawks in the season opener.
We at least know Darnell Jackson knows how to get to Erie if the Cleveland Cavaliers ever decide to assign him to play for the Erie BayHawks.
Wearing a red Cincinnati Reds fitted cap, the rookie forward was at the BayHawks opener last night. He's really slimmed down from what I saw of him in the summer league. We talked for a minute before the game started.
He said the Cavaliers haven't talked to him about coming down to play for Erie anytime soon.
He likely won't at this point because Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is expected to miss at least two games with an ankle injury he sustained against Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Jackson didn't play against the 76ers, who play at Cleveland tonight.
Jackson and I talked about other things too. Thank goodness the band stopped playing long enough so I could hear him.
Continue reading "Darnell Jackson was in the building...." »
I should discuss my personal life on here. Make some greater connections with ya'll.
That's right Duane. loosen up a bit, kid.
Alright. Will do. Hey, you know what I love to do?
"What's that?
Rock a suit.
For real?
For real. It's like wearing sweatpants. I feel so comfortable in one. Last night for the BayHawks home opener, I broke out the black pinstripe suit and check this. The pinstripes were pink.
Get out.
Oh yeah and on top of that. I had on the pink shirt and the pink and black tie. Now I walked in with the black trench coach and a hat.
You hit 'em like that?
Had to. It was opening night. Now I have to give BayHawks majority owner Steve Demetriou and lead local investor Owen McCormick credit. They looked sharp, but I was razor sharp like the remix Mary J. Blige and Method Man did for "You're All I Need."
No doubt.
You know they won a Grammy for that song?
Oh yeah, Meth and Mary killed it with that one.
You know I love that Hip Hop. Yo, I got to bounce. Get some breakfast in me. I'll hit you up later.
Alright. Be easy.
The D-League has begun its All-Star balloting for the 2009 All-Star game in Phoenix on Feb. 14.
Wouldn't it be something if someone from the Erie BayHawks made it? As fans, ya'll have something to say about it.
Erie BayHawks guard Oliver Lafayette is back on the D-League's Prospect Watch.
Lafayette is not among the top 10 guards named, though. He's on what looks like the honorable mention list. I haven't seen the other guys play in person yet so I'll hold out judgment, but all I know is Lafayette can shoot with the best of them in any league including the NBA.
Here are some articles about the Fort Wayne Mad Ants heading into tonight's game against the Erie BayHawks at Tullio Arena
Ants notch win vs. Albuquerque
Here's a Q&A on Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Darnell Jackson. It's more like him talking about about a variety of subjects, but it's interesting stuff.
Wonder if he'll ever suit up for the BayHawks, though.
It's a long season, but with Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas being out with injury, who knows when Z will be back healthy.
He's an older guy who's had his share of injuries and even though the Cavaliers lost to the Atlanta Hawks without him last night, they may keep him out longer.
The Reno Bighorns are having a press conference Tuesday to discuss them signing Patrick Ewing Jr.
Yes, the same Patrick Ewing Jr. whose dad is a Hall of Famer with the same name who starred at Georgetown in college and with the New York Knicks in the NBA.
He played in Monday's game against the Utah. Ewing Jr. scored 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting, but the Bighorns lost to the Flash, 114-108.
Just for the record, Ewing Jr. was a freshman at Indiana when Erie BayHawks coach John Treloar was an associate head coach there. Treloar left there to become an assistant at LSU after the 2003-04 season and Ewing Jr. transferred to Georgetown after the 2004-05 season.
Let's have a little fun shall we? Play a little guessing game.
This is a high school photo of a player who is playing for the Erie BayHawks. Who is he?
The Erie BayHawks remain sixth in the D-League's power rankings with a 6-2 record.
Their next two games are against teams ranked below them. The BayHawks take on Dakota (8th with a 3-5 record) tonight at home and Fort Wayne (11th with at 2-5 record) on Friday at Fort Wayne.
Here are a few stories about the Dakota Wizards heading into tonight's game at Erie against the BayHawks. The Wizards won the Central Division last season, but are 3-5 heading into their road game against Erie.
The BayHawks (6-2) began their current four-game winning streak by winning in Dakota (3-5) to end a five-game road trip.
Open your heart at Wizards games
Cold night in Dakota brings warm win
Here are a few recent stories about the Erie BayHawks heading into tonight's game against the Dakota Wizards at Tullio Arena.
I had asked readers to give their opinions about why there has been a drop off in attendance in regards to the BayHawks in their home games.
There are a few comments on it at the end of the column. Join in.
I had a chance to talk to Dakota's leading scorer, forward Renaldo Major, after the Wizards beat the Erie BayHawks, 102-79, on Thursday night.
I rarely say this, but it was a pleasure to speak to someone who has been through so much to have such an inspirational outlook on life. Major missed all of last season after having heart surgery, but has returned and you would never know he had overcome that situation.
"First off, God is amazing. That's where my power comes from. He took over. I healed because of him. I'm back healthy. I feel good. I'm blessed."
Here's the thing....
The Erie BayHawks are being viewed as a team that plays "small ball." In other words, they're considered an undersized team.
So they're going to play up tempo to utilize their quickness advantage. If they're hitting shots, very fun to watch. If they're not, then the other team can control tempo and play half-court ball.
The BayHawks have trouble defending the paint to begin with, but if the game isn't up tempo and they're not playing from out front, then other teams can pound it on the inside, draw fouls, get in the penalty early and take control.
Remember, you only need five fouls to get in the penalty and it's two shots at the line each time after that. If a team gets it the penalty early, they can really pad a lead quickly.
It's going to be interesting to see how Erie coach John Treloar tries to adjust throughout the course of the season.
The Erie BayHawks have lost two in a row for the first time this season after falling, 96-87 at Fort Wayne tonight.
The BayHawks (6-4) had won four straight games before losing at home to Dakota on Thursday night and to the Mad Ants (3-5) tonight.
Erie shot a woeful 3-of-15 from 3-point range in defeat. Its starting shooting guard, Oliver Lafayette, went 1-of-8 from behind the arc.
Fort Wayne's Walker Russell and Erie's Erik Daniels lead their respective teams in scoring with 23 points each.
The Mad Ants, who had lost two straight games to the BayHawks, lead 50-39 at halftime.
The BayHawks will not play again until Dec. 27 when they play at home against Reno in a game between the D-League's two expansion teams.
When the Dakota Wizards left Erie after beating the Erie BayHawks on Thursday night, they were scheduled to play at home Saturday against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Then mother nature took over.
The Wizards had trouble getting out of Cleveland and ended up not playing Saturday and had to have the game rescheduled.
Crazy huh? Here's the release.
LeBron James or Kobe Bryant?
Who's better?
Well, Kobe is older, wiser, plays more efficient and is more skilled but LeBron is bigger, stronger, faster and can do more with the ball than Bryant.
Kobe has three rings. LeBron has none, but Kobe played with Shaquille O'Neal when he won three straight NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron took a Cleveland Cavalier team that didn't nearly have the same talent that the Lakers did back then to the NBA Finals in 2007.
Those are just a few of the variables to consider, but what about Dwyane Wade?
He's leading the NBA in scoring this season and unlike LeBron, D-Wade has a ring with the Miami Heat that he won playing along side, uh, Shaq-a-licious.
Wonder how many rings LeBron could win with a dominant big man in the paint? No disrespect to Big Z in Cleveland, but Shaq changed how the game is played.
So considering what he's done under those circumstances, I'm going to say LeBron is the best right now, but I'd take Kobe or D-Wade over him.
Why?
During the Erie BayHawks' practice Sunday, I got a chance to watch them receive instructions and tips from D-League shooting consultant, Bruce Kreutzer.
My bad.
Kreutzer, a New York guy who lives in Atlanta, said they are referred to as vendors even though he wasn't selling anything Sunday.
He was just showing the BayHawks the proper way to shoot.
Kreutzer is an instructor for the Mark Price Basketball Academy in Suwanee, Ga. For those who don't know or don't remember, Price was one of the coldest shooters to ever play the game when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Very underrated as player.
Need proof?
It's Christmas time.
For me, it's not about the gifts. It's about celebrating the life we've all been blessed with. It's about seeing old friends. It's about getting that warm hug from your grandmother.
So as I take a break from the hustle and bustle of the bouncing ball, there are five things I'm looking forward to doing when I go home to West Virginia.
1. Seeing my family and friends. Me and my crew usually hang for a night and then just seeing everybody you know and love makes this long drive home all worth it.
2. Eating my mother's dressing. It's like plush, court-side seats to watch Game 7 of the NBA Finals between Magic's best L.A. Lakers' team and Michael's best Chicago Bulls' team at the Forum in Los Angeles. Don't get no better than that.
(We interrupt this program to announce the following. The Lakers and Boston Celtics go at it Christmas Day. It's the game of the year. Now back to our regularly scheduled program).
3. Eating my grandmother's lemon cake. There are people who come over her house just for the cake. It's got this frosting on top that's not thick, but it just makes you want to hook up the old Nintendo, play Tecmo Bowl and eat lemon cake with a tall glass of milk.
4. Ordering Gino's Pizza and Monty's Pizza. My goodness. I better run six miles a day instead of three while I'm home huh?
5. Just driving into Huntington. I know it sounds crazy, but whenever I drive back home, you see those familiar places you used to go. You see people walking on the street you knew from back in the day. No matter what the situation is there, it just feels safer there. It's a peaceful place for me and always will be.
Now, let me go get my hair cut.
I know, I know, I don't have any hair. It's more like get my beard shaped up. Hope everyone has a safe and blessed holiday. Take care.
Duane Rankin
This page contains all entries posted to Give and Go in December 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.
November 2008 is the previous archive.
January 2009 is the next archive.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
