POSTERIZED: Olek Czyz wants style points

You probably know the name "Olek Czyz". He played at Duke from 2008 til 2010 before transferring out west to Nevada.

But what you probably didn't know is that the Polish big-man could throw down something like this.

God bless YouTube. This dunk took place a week ago, and we almost missed out on viewing one helluva slam-dunk.




Gotta love the slow-mo



Far too often we highlight the mean-muggings, the facials, and the tip-jams. But #POSTERIZED is all about the style and finish.

This dunk certainly accomplished both.


But was it as good as these?

Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26



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Nation's No. 1 recruit looking at Nevada?

Reports are starting to leak out that Nevada is in the mix to get Scout's and 247Sports' No. 1 player in the class of 2012.

It just so happens to be the wrong sport.

Arik Armstead is a behemoth of a young man. The rising senior is 6'8", 280 lb, and committed to play football at USC. The problem? He wants to play college basketball.

“I’ve been playing basketball since I was 5 years old,” Armstead told Silver and Blue Sports. “So yes, it was my first love. I’ve always been around college and NBA guys ever since I can remember.”

USC has offered Armstead, who is arguably the best two-sport prospect in the country -- ESPN ranks him as the 33rd best power forward in the country, the opportunity to play both sports in college. At USC, he would be able to play football alongside his brother, Armond.

Guss Armstead, Arik and Armond's father, is known as one of the best basketball trainers on the West Coast. He also happens to be very close with Nevada head coach David Carter, whose program was the first to offer Arik a basketball scholarship. That still resonates with the youngster.

“Nevada was my first basketball offer, and like I said my Dad has a great relationship with Coach Carter,” Armstead told Silver and Blue Sports. “They’ve been friends a long time. College basketball is something I’ve always wanted to play, so why not? That’s one of the best matches I could imagine for me.”

If Armstead, who will make an official visit to Nevada, does decide to rescind on his commitment to USC and play basketball at Nevada, I wonder in the Wolfpack's football coach will try to convince Armstead to throw on some pads and hit the gridiron?


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Nevada loses two recruits

The Nevada Wolfpack will be a bit shorthanded in this season's first semester as Devante Elliot and Jerry Evans - two Southern California recruits - were deemed academically ineligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse.

According to Mark Fox, the two will not enroll at Nevada, instead staying at home for the fall semester to try and improve their test scores. But Jeff Goodman is reporting that the two players will look to head elsewhere.

From the Reno Gazette-Journal:

Elliott, a 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward, averaged 10 points, nine rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game last season for Paramount (Calif.) High.

Evans, a 6-7, 180-pound wing, averaged 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game last year for Leuzinger High in Lawndale, Calif.

Nevada will still have nine scholarship players, including returning starters Luke Babbitt, Armon Johnson, and Dario Hunt, as well as former starter Brandon Fields.

Continue reading...

WAC Tournament Preview

Schedule (all games at the University of Nevada):

Tuesday, March 10th / First Round
- Game 1: #8 Hawaii vs. #9 Fresno State

Thursday, March 12th / Quarters
- Game 2: #4 Boise State vs. #5 New Mexico State
- Game 3: #1 Utah State vs. Game 1 Winner
- Game 4: #2 Nevada vs. #7 San Jose State
- Game 5: #3 Idaho vs. #6 Louisiana Tech

Friday, March 13th / Semis
- Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner
- Game 7: Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner

Saturday, March 14th / Finals
- Game 8: Game 6 Winner vs. Game 7 Winner

Favorite: The favorite for this year's WAC tournament has got to be Utah State. The Aggies coasted through most of the regular season, posting a 24-1 record before dropping three of their last six games. Their gaudy record is buoyed a bit by playing a weaker schedule. No 27 win team has ever been kept out of the NCAA tournament, but I think it will be tough for Utah State to grab a bid with an SOS of 134 (although their RPI of 27 is impressive, think back to Missouri State a few years ago who was left out with an RPI of 21). USU is led by 26 year old senior Gary Wilkinson (who is an interesting story), whose 16.9 ppg and 7.1 rpg were enough to earn him conference player of the year honors. Wilkinson does have some talent around him, namely perimeter players Jared Quayle and Tyler Newbold and Wilkinson's front court mate Tai Wesley.

Gary Wilkinson hopes to take the Aggies dancing.
(photo credit: Dean Hare/AP)

Contender: Nevada has to be considered a serious threat to win this thing. For starters, they are the best program in the league, churning out NBA players regularly. This year, they are not as good as they are used to, but the Wolfpack still managed to finish second in the league. They are led by freshman center Luke Babbit, who posted averages of 16.4 ppg and 7.1 rpg, and point guard Armon Johnson, who went for 15.0 ppg and 4.3 apg. But the biggest reason that they should scare USU is that the entire tournament is being played at the Lawlor Events Center in Reno, Nevada.

Sleeper: I'm going with Boise State. They are a balanced and experienced team (they have five guys averaging between 9.0 ppg and 12.8 ppg, four of whom are upper-classemen, and all of whom played in the dance last year). They have a possible date with Utah State in the semi's, and if you remember they ended the Aggie's 19 game winning streak on Valentine's Day, the last time these two teams met.

BIAH's Pick: Nevada. Continue reading...

Nevada: 2008-2009 Team Preview

2007-2008 Team Record: 21-12, 12-4 WAC (T-1st)

Key Losses: Marcellus Kemp (20.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.6 apg), JaVale McGee (14.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.8 bpg)

Key Returnees: Brandon Fields (12.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Armon Johnson (11.5 ppg, 3.3 apg)

Newcomers: Luke Babbitt, Mark McLaughlin, Joey Shaw, London Giles, Dario Hunt, Ahyaro Phillips

Mark Fox has turned the Nevada Wolfpack into the premier program in the WAC, consistently atop the conference standings while sending multiple players to the league (Kirk Snyder, Ramon Sessions, Nick Fazekas). That trend continued last year, as Nevada finished in a four-way tie for first and had JaVale McGee and, possibly, Marcellus Kemp (not drafted, but may get a free agent contract) reach the NBA.

Now with Kemp and Demarshay Johnson graduating and McGee jumping ship, the Wolfpack will lose a lot of production, especially inside, where they weren't that strong last year (despite his shot-blocking, McGee was one of the worst post defenders in the country). Fox did make it an emphasis to rebuild his front court, and he has done a solid job doing so. The star of this year's recruiting class is Reno native and Mickey D's all-american Luke Babbitt, who originally committed to Ohio State (Side Note: Thad Matta is the best in the country at recruiting big men: Greg Oden, Kosta Koufus, and BJ Mullens in three years. Even with Babbitt opting out that is amazing). At 6'8", 215 lb, he is not really a menacing presence defensively, but he is a smooth, left-handed combo forward with a pretty jump shot (think Troy Murphy only more mobile). Former Indiana wing man Joey Shaw will join Nevada as well after spending a year at a JuCo. Shaw is an athletic, 6'7" slasher who will be relied upon to make up for some of Kemp's production. Freshman Dario Hunt and Ahyaro Phillips and sophomore Matt LaGrone round out Nevada's small, but athletic, front line.

There were two pleasant surprises in the back court for Nevada last season. The first was sophomore Brandon Fields, who was known more as a defensive stopper as a freshman, but as a sophomore added three-point range and developed into the team's third-leading scorer. The Wolfpack also got a boost from WAC freshman of the year Armon Johnson, who took over the point guard position and had a great season. Lyndale Burleson (whose brother, Nate, is a receiver for the Seahawks and is also married to Joey Shaw's sister - why do I know these things?) is an excellent defender and should provide quality minutes off the bench. Nevada got some bad news as former Washington State-commit and top-100 recruit Mark McLaughlin decided not to enroll at Nevada for the fall semester because he had yet to be declared eligible. McLaughlin, known for his three-point stroke, could have helped spread the floor for Babbitt inside.

Outlook: Nevada's front court is going to be smaller, but quicker, than most of the other teams in the WAC. Despite the loss of McLaughlin, Nevada still has a solid back court, meaning that if Fox can use that quickness on his front line to his advantage (i.e. exploit the mismatches created by forcing bigger players to guard Babbitt), Nevada will be one of the favorites to win the conference. Continue reading...