POSTERIZED: The lowdown throwdown

NC-State is a program headed in the right directon. If the Wolfpack are to continue to improve off a successful first season under Mark Gottfried, it will be in large part to the efforts of superstar C.J. Leslie.

In the first round of the ACC Tournament, Leslie showed why he is going to be that guy.



Who doesn't love a good baseline reverse jam. I feel like I haven't seen one of these since I threw away all my mid-90s NBA Dunks and Basketball Bloopers VHS tapes.

But was it as good as these?

Rondey Williams, Minnesota vs. Nebraska, 3/3
Isaiah Sykes, Central Florida vs. Memphis, 2/28
Brandon Mitchell, Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 2/28
John Henson, North Carolina vs. Virginia, 2/25
C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's vs. Temple, 2/25
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, 2/25
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. UConn, 2/25
Weekend Recap, 2/18
Tony Wroten Jr./Aziz N'Diaye, Washington vs. Arizona, 2/18
Chris Czerapowicz, Davidson vs. Wichita State, 2/18
Darius Miller, Kentucky vs. Ole Miss, 2/18
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. Ohio State, 2/16
Darrion Pellom, Hampton vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore 2/15 (DotY Candidate)
Trency Jackson, Northwest Florida vs. Chipola, 2/15
Kwame Alexander, Cal St. San Bernadino, 2/12
Tahj Tate, Delaware State vs. Coppin State, 2/11
Weekend Recap, 2/10 - 2/12
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech, 2/9
Joshea Singleton, Bucknell vs. Colgate, 2/8
Kelsey Barlow, Purdue vs. Ohio State, 2/7
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, 2/7
Roscoe Smith, UConn vs. Louisville, 2/7
Weekend Recap, 2/2 - 2/5
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State vs. TCU, 2/4
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse vs. St. John's, 2/4
Kwame Alexander, Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills (D-II), 2/3
Bradley Beal, Florida vs. South Carolina, 2/2
Doug Anderson, Detroit vs. Valparaiso, 2/2
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Oklahoma, 2/1
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
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)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 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 Continue reading...

CJ Leslie one of three players get three games suspensions

Just hours before NC State took the floor in the season-opener against UNC-Asheville, the school announced that sophomore forward CJ Leslie would be suspended for first three games.

The suspension is the result of $410 worth of impermissible benefits that Leslie and a relative received. The NCAA declared Leslie ineligible, but he will be reinstated if he donates $410 to charity and sits out these three games.

What did Leslie do that was so bad? He had a fellow student front him $260 so his brother could pay an application fee for an apartment. While I don't necessarily agree that act should result in a suspension, its at least understandable that it would draw a suspicious eye from the NCAA. The other $150 in impermissible benefits? Leslie borrowed a car from a fellow student for a week after he got in an accident. The $150 is what the NCAA determined it would have cost to rent a car for a week.

That's a violation now, too?


Granted, I don't know the whole story. Maybe the car he "borrowed" was a brand new Ferrari, which makes this a different story. But if Leslie was truly using a friend's car to get around, that should not merit a suspension. What's next, getting suspended for bumming a ride from a neighbor to campus? Having a friend spot you four dollars at Taco Bell because you forgot your wallet? Watching football on Sundays in someone else's apartment because they have NFL Redzone and you don't?

Sometimes it seems like the people that make the rules at the NCAA never actually went to college. One of the most important things you do when you are a freshman is to figure out which kids have a car. Then you make it a point to befriend them just in case you ever need a ride.

Impermissible benefits exist because the NCAA wants to keep the idea of amateurism in college sports intact. They want the athletes to be like any other student.

But if everything is an impermissible benefit, the players are just getting more and more isolated and alienated.

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Leslie wasn't the only player suspended on Friday.

Marquette freshman Juan Anderson will miss the first three games of the season as well. He accepted a ticket to a Brewers playoff game. Its unclear where the ticket came from, but it wasn't from a parent or legal guardian.

You can't do that. And Anderson learned the hard way.

"My college eligibility is much too valuable for me to risk," Anderson said. "I should have been more aware, but I have learned from my mistake."

He sat out last night's opener against Mt. St. Mary's. Anderson has made some headlines in the preseason with his play. He's expected to be Marquette's next great combo-forward, following in the footsteps of Lazar Hayward, Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder.

Georgia Tech junior Glen Rice Jr. was also suspended three games. His punishment came from within, however, as Brian Gregory opted to hold him out following a violation of team rules.
Continue reading...

CJ Leslie is headed to NC State, only Terrence Jones is left

CJ Leslie, a 6'8" forward and a top 20 recruit, and finally decided on where he will go to school.

And it was a bit of a surprise.

The Raleigh, NC, native will be staying at home and playing for Sidney Lowe and NC State. Leslie committed to NC State back in 2007, but reopened his commitment as he began to garner more interest. He picked the Wolfpack over UConn and Kentucky.

CJ Leslie is now a member of the Wolfpack.
(photo credit: News Observer)

"It's a great school, they have a great coach, and I think we can do some things next season," Leslie told Jeff Borzello of March Madness All Season shortly after his commitment. "I think I can make a major impact next season. Coach [Sidney Lowe] was excited when I told him."

All of a sudden, NC State looks like they may be a factor in the ACC. They return Tracy Smith, their leading scorer and rebounder last season, as well as Javier Gonzalez and Scott Wood. Leslie joins what already was a good recruiting class, as Lowe has already signed Ryan Harrow, a 6'0" point guard and top 25 recruit from Georgia, and Lorenzo Brown, a 6'4" four star recruit (top 50 according to most outlets) from Hargrave Military Academy.

While there are a few red flags -- it will be interesting to see how NC State handles having three point guards that will deserve minutes, and it is always risky to rely on freshman for major minutes -- this Wolfpack team has the talent to compete for a spot in the NCAA tournament.

With Leslie's commitment, there is now just one five star recruit left uncommitted. Terrence Jones, a 6'8" power forward and a top 15 recruit, is still undecided. He visited Kansas earlier this week, but some believe he may follow high school teammate Terrence Ross, himself a top 50 recruit, to Washington, where he committed on Sunday night.

According to Rivals, there are just five of the top 100 recruits left for the taking -- Jones (#13), Luke Cothran (#33), Shaquille Thomas (#77), Julian Washburn (#95), and Neiko Hunter (#96).

Below are mixtapes of CJ Leslie (top) and Terrence Jones (bottom):





Continue reading...

Where does Kentucky go from here?

As we mentioned earlier, it is being widely reported that five Kentucky Wildcat underclassmen -- freshmen John Wall, Eric Bledsoe, DeMarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, and junior Patrick Patterson -- have all declared for the draft (although KSR is reporting that Patterson still hasn't made a decision).

This may be the last time you see these four in a Kentucky uniform.
(photo credit: iSportsWeb)

All five are expected to be first round picks. John Wall is almost a lock to be the first pick. Chad Ford tweeted that he expects DeMarcus Cousins to go in the 3-5 range, Patterson and Orton to go in the 10-18 range, and Bledsoe to fall to somewhere between 12-20, but that his stock may rise with the lack of point guards in the draft. Draft Express has Cousins going third, Patterson 11th, Orton 26th, and Bledsoe 17th in 2011 (although that is sure to change with this announcement). NBADraft.net has them going fifth, ninth, and 24th, respectively, with Bledsoe slotted at 17th this year.

Whatever the case, the exodus of ability from the Kentucky roster is nothing short of incredible.

Five first round picks, with all five possibly going in the lottery? That is unheard of, literally. There have been four occasions where one team had four players go in the first round -- Duke in 1999 (Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, William Avery, Trajan Langdan), UNC in 2005 (Marvin Williams, Sean May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants), and UConn in 2006 (Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, Josh Boone, Marcus Williams). UConn also had Denham Brown go in the second round, becoming the first team to have five players taken in a two-round draft. UNLV had six players drafted in eight rounds in 1977.

But this Kentucky team could have five players taken in the lottery. Most schools are lucky when they happen to have five lottery picks come through their program in a decade. Not a season.

The only issue with have this much talent get drafted is that the talent needs to be replaced.

Assuming they all decide to leave -- including Patterson, who probably should go (ask Da'Sean Butler) -- and factoring in Kentucky's three seniors, there are only five Wildcats left on the roster: Josh Harrellson, Jon Hood, Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, and Darnell Dodson, and Dodson may end up transferring.

All hope is not lost for the Wildcats. Enes Kanter, a five-star, 6'9" center from Turkey, is committed to UK while Stacey Poole, a 6'5", athletic small forward that is a consensus top 50 recruit, has already signed. Add those two to what Kentucky is already returning, and the Wildcats have a solid base.

That said, whether or not Kentucky can be a Final Four contender next season may be decided in the next 10 days or so. PG Brandon Knight, the No. 1 recruit in the country, is expected to announce his decision on where to attend college play basketball for a year on April 14th. The Wildcats are widely considered the favorite.

Brandon Knight is this year's John Wall.
(photo credit: SLAM)

Josh Selby, another point guard and a top 10 recruit out of Baltimore, will make his decision public on April 17th during the Jordan All-American game. There was some speculation that 6'9" CJ Leslie, a top 25 recruit and former HS teammate of John Wall, would also announce on the 17th, but he has since scheduled a visit with UConn after the game.

The Wildcats are also still in the mix for Cory Joseph and Doron Lamb, both point guards.

If Kentucky can land Leslie, Selby, and Knight, don't be surprised to see them right back in the preseason top 10.

Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: Three for your money

Umm, people are not supposed to be able to do that...



Seriously, whoever gets CJ Leslie may as well have won the lottery. Two more after the jump.


As good as that Leslie dunk is, Jake Hottenstine's is better.




Former George Mason PG Tony Skinn dunks on a defender AND kicks him in the nuts.




No video online for this one yet, but has anyone else seen this Lance Stephenson dunk on Sportscenter?
Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: Yea, you probably want CJ Leslie on your roster

So when you get embarrassed by a cross over, you have your "ankles broken". When someone dunks on you, you have been "posterized".

What's the term when you get your shot blocked?

And not just blocked, when someone blocks your shot, and jumps over you in he process?

Go to the :10 second mark, then meet me after the jump.



That, ladies and gentlemen, was CJ Leslie. No matter when you look, Leslie is one of the top 20 recruits in the country, and being pursued by, well, any school with a basketball team.
Continue reading...