January 4th
ESPN Article: Amari Powell
January 8th
Clyde Braxton to be suspended indefinitely
Mississippi State
PG Clyde Braxton has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested for misdemeanor battery outside of a bar in Jackson, Mississippi. Braxton was watching a college football game with friends when an argument broke out between Braxton and another customer at the bar. Police report that Braxton can be seen initiating physical contact with the man before throwing multiple punches in the surveillance video. He was arrested and is expected to be released on bail. The Mississippi State basketball organization called the whole incident "Unacceptable" and "Embarrassing".
January 12th
Georgia slips past Illinois
The Georgia Bulldogs rallied to comeback and defeat Illinois 69-74 after going into the locker room at halftime with a 19 point deficit. Georgia
C Derek Overton finished the game with 9 points and 14 rebounds with
SF Daquan Marshall pitching in 24 points. Illinois freshman
SG Jack Nichols also had a good game, finishing with 18 points.
January 16th
Stirbling's draft stock continues to rise
Duke is having an outstanding season with an undefeated record of 18-0, and while most people are contributing this success to their freshmen players
Chris Wallgren,
Khalil Winter and
David Gamble, their sophomore
C Peter Stribling is also having a great season. Stribling is reportedly up to 260 pounds now, which is a huge step up from when he came out of High School weighing only 235 pounds. The Canadian big man isn't putting up as high of a scoring average as he was last year, as he's currently averaging 10.8 PPG, but this is likely due to the very deep offense of Duke. Even with his scoring numbers taking a dip, Stribling has seen his draft stock slowly rising as he's starting to look more like a lottery pick.
January 20th
Kentucky guard goes insane on record breaking night
Kentucky
SG Terry Dentmon went crazy against Connecticut, scoring 60 points in a single game where he played all 40 minutes. This is a new Kentucky Wildcat record, as Dentmon shatters the record previously set by Jodie Meeks in 2009 where Meeks scored 54 points against Tennessee. Not only did Dentmon break the scoring record, but he also broke Kentucky's single game three point record, which was also set by Jodie Meeks. Dentmon took 21 three pointers and made 14 of them. He finished the game 12-12 on free throws and 17-29 from the floor. This will without a doubt go down as one of the best performances by a player in Kentucky history as the Wildcats easily beat the Huskies 106-68. Other players who impressed were Kentucky
SF Calvin Poole who had 16 points,
PF Jim Wooden who had 12 points and 8 rebounds and Connecticut
SF Isaiah Burke who had 15 points.
January 24th
#6 High Schooler chooses Missouri
C Malik Sharman from Westlake High School in Atlanta, GA has decided that he will play college ball for Missouri next year. Sharman stands at 6'11" and 240 pounds with a 42.0 Inch Max Vertical and the speed of a point guard. Although he has little shooting ability outside the paint, he has a good post game and hook shot. He has outstanding athleticism and can twist and turn in all sorts of ways in order to finish alley-oop plays and get putback dunks. Scouts are already saying that Sharman could be the insanely talented and athletic big man that North Carolina
PF DeMarre Thompson has yet to prove himself as.
January 31st
Who could the top steals be in this years draft?
1. Amari Powell
Position: SG
School: Indiana
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 220
Mock Draft Projection: Lottery - Late 1st
Player Summary: Currently leading the nation in scoring, Powell has NBA level scoring ability and is a good athlete with great size and strength for a guard. He can consistently score inside and out and has shown the ability to play both guard positions. His defense isn't his biggest strength, but with more discipline, he could become a decent defensive player.
2. Daquan Marshall
Position: SF
School: Georgia
Height: 6'8"
Weight: 210
Mock Draft Projection: Late 1st - Early 2nd
Player Summary: Not only is Marshall the best three point shooter in the nation, currently shooting a scorching 57.4% from the three point line on 5.8 attempts per game, but Marshall is also one of the best defensive players in the nation. He has the ability to guard positions 1-4 and has amazing lateral quickness and defensive instincts. He's not a jaw-dropping athlete, and the rest of his offensive game could use some work, but Marshall has the potential to be a starting caliber forward during his rookie season.
3. Darian Joseph
Position: C
School: North Carolina
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 260
Mock Draft Projection: Late 1st - Early 2nd
Player Summary: Joseph is currently leading the nation in blocks at 4.8 BPG, and he uses his seemingly endless 8'1" wingspan to terrorize offenses in the paint and grab rebounds, even when he's out of position. He has a good post game and is great at scoring in the paint, but his overall offensive game is still an unpolished work in progress.