Class of '66 Old Fart

Been scouring Brooklyn Nets sites and all I can come up with is the following for why he didn't play in last night's game: Another presumed ‘bubble guy’ Yogi Ferrell, wasn't with the team (personal reasons) for today’s game after playing a spirited 15 minutes against the Knicks. In the process I did find these 2 pieces. Will He Stay Or Can He Go written on 10/10: http://www.netsdaily.com/2016/10/10/13224252/will-he-stay-or-will-he-go-yogi-ferrell Final paragraph in the above: In the past, Brooklyn would have to keep a player like Ferrell or lose him, period, but having a D-league team now provides the Nets with a new comfort level and allows a player like Ferrell to remain in the organization if he doesn’t make the final roster. ...Three Ways Yogi Ferrell Can Make The Final Roster written yesterday: http://nothinbutnets.com/2016/10/11/brooklyn-nets-yogi-ferrell/

Since his only signal is picking his nose.......

From IU role player to NBA training camp: Why Nick Zeisloft is a Pacer Indpls. Star - Jim Ayello - October 11, 2016 INDIANAPOLIS — From the moment he left Bloomington until just a few weeks ago, the NBA had but one message for Nick Zeisloft: We don't want you. The former IU sharpshooter who averaged 6.5 points per game in his final year as a Hoosier participated in just one pre-draft workout, went undrafted in June, then failed to receive an invite to play in the NBA Summer League. If he was going to continue to his basketball career, it would have to be overseas. Maybe Europe, he thought. Or Asia. Or Australia. Wherever. Doesn't matter. As long as he has a basketball in his hands. But then, seemingly out of the blue, things changed. The NBA suddenly wanted him. Well, sort of. Zeisloft's agent called him in early August and said the Pacers wanted him to play in some open gyms. The Pacers? I'll be there, the ex-Hoosier said. So to Bankers Life Fieldhouse he went, figuring Indiana just needed a few extra bodies. Run a few drills, he thought, scrimmage some, then figure out what comes next. After all, the Pacers had made no promises. This wasn’t a tryout, he knew. Except it was. Or, rather, he turned it into one. Turns out, Zeisloft caught the eye of one man capable of twisting his fate: Larry Bird. “I got a call from Larry and (Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard),” said Steve Gansey, head coach of the Pacers Developmental League team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. “They said, ‘Hey man, you need to get down here. You need to come see (Zeisloft).’ ” And down to Indianapolis came Gansey, where he saw in the 6-4 combo guard the same overlooked prospect Bird and Pritchard saw. He was aggressive, he was attacking the basket and, of course, he was doing what he does best: shooting the lights out. “He came in and went at Monta Ellis; he went at Jeff Teague and those kinds of guys and didn’t back down,” Gansey said. “Larry and the rest of the front office saw that; they saw him making a lot of shots, and they (became) very interested in him. "That’s (the reason) he’s here. That’s why he’s going to be with us." From Hoosiers role player to Pacers training camp. Who'd have thought? Certainly not Zeisloft. "I really didn't expect anything from the NBA," he said. "Especially after how the pre-draft workouts went and then how things turned out with no summer league, either. But hey, I was prepared for the opportunity when I got one and made the most of it, I guess." Now, instead of playing thousands of miles away in a foreign country, Zeisloft will play this season in Fort Wayne, little more than a three-hour drive from his hometown of LaGrange, Ill. Zeisloft hasn't officially been handed his assignment to the Mad Ants, but the move is expected. And Zeisloft will be glad to go. Excuse the cliche, but he truly is just happy to be where he is. Content? Absolutely not. He's determined to improve, but when asked if he'd begun to map out a plan for himself or set goals about when he'd reach the NBA, Zeisloft happily answered, "No." "Not at all," he said. "Shoot, I didn’t even expect to have this. ... I’m just going keep going day by day and try to get better day by day. That's all." So while he's with the Pacers, expect him to soak in as much of the NBA as he can. He already has, actually. Though he's seen just one minute of preseason action, Zeisloft has allowed himself brief moments to marvel at the magnetic atmosphere of the NBA. "There was a little bit of (nerves) when I was warming for that (first preseason) game," he said. "The last time I warmed up was the Sweet 16. Both big-time venues, little different stages, but this is the league. This is the highest you're going to get. ... It was a great feeling to get out there again and just warm up." For the most part, though, he's simply focused on getting better every day in practice. He makes sure to be attentive, he said. He gets his work in, then absorbs as much as he can from his teammates. He admires the court control of Paul George, the pace of Ellis, the versatility of C.J. Miles, the aggression of Rodney Stuckey. There's something to be learned from everybody, he said. And when the move to Fort Wayne finally happens, his basketball education will continue. Other than working on his defense and ballhandling — aspects of his game he must improve upon to have a basketball future, he said — one of the first things he'll learn from Gansey is this: It's not NBA or bust. "In the D-League, we're trying to put guys in better basketball situations," Gansey said. "Whether that's with us in the D-League or over in Spain, where he might be able to sign for $400,000 or $500,000, it's not call-up or bust. There are a lot of good leagues overseas. What I tell our guys is to always strive to be in a better situation than you were the previous year." From IU role player to NBA training camp, Zeisloft is already 1-for-1 in that regard.

Sounds a lot like this!

In preseason action the Grizzlies pounded the 76ers 121-91. Troy with an impressive night -- 27 min.; 22 pts. on 8-13 FG's; 2-3 on 3's; 4-6 FT's; 7 reb; 1 asst; 2 stls; 1 TO; team was +16 while he was on the court. And unlike the last game where he picked up 4 fouls in 22 minutes, tonight he didn't have a single foul. Making a strong case to make the opening day roster. Next preseason game is Thursday at Oklahoma City against Vic and the Thunder.

It figures, the Nets are the featured game on NBATV and the Nets coach decides that Yogi will sit this one out. And the Nets lost so maybe if the coach had played Yogi, the Nets might have won!! Unfortunate for Yogi but not all that unexpected because it is the preseason and the Nets, along with all the other NBA teams, face roster decisions very soon. Next game for the Nets is back home against the Celtics on Thursday night.

Yogi and his Brooklyn Nets teammates are the featured game this evening on NBATV at 7:30 ET. They're in Miami to face the Heat.

Correct you are. Jaelynn Penn is the young lady's name. Originally committed to Dayton but decommitted after the Dayton head coach left.

Gotta be tough developing players at Illinois when so many seem to have troubles with the law. On the flip side, they get more used to wearing orange uniforms! LOL From HoopDirt: Dee Brown Resigns as Director of Player Development at Illinois Dee Brown has resigned as the men’s basketball Director of Player Development and Alumni Relations at the University of illinois. Brown, who starred at Illinois from 2003-2006, Tweeted the following yesterday: “After much thought, I’ve made the tough decision to leave my position. I will always have love for my school and basketball program. I have grown so close to the coaches and players and want nothing more than to see them have a successful season. I hope everyone understands this can be a difficult time for my family right now. We thank you in advance for respecting our privacy.” Brown scored 1,812 points during his career at Illinois. He had been a special advisor to the athletic director since July 2015, and became the Director of Player Development and Alumni Relations this past April. Brown was the Big Ten Player of the Year as well as the Sporting News College Player of the Year in 2005. He was a second round pick of the Utah Jazz in the 2006 NBA draft, and also spent time with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns.

My starting 5 is like most everyone's since Colin went down with the knee injury: Newkirk, Rojo, JBJ, TB, OG. But will that be the same starting lineup when B1G play opens? I'm not about to speculate but to me the only guaranteed starters come January are TB and OG. I think any of the 3 guard positions could be up for grabs.

You may be correct but I just took it as these were the schools that had been in contact with her and had expressed interest; not necessarily a "final __".

Fluff piece about Watford's weekend at the Colorado Springs mini-camp. http://highschoolsports.al.com/news/article/-7645084097211376147/trendon-watford-spends-weekend-at-usa-basketball-minicamp/?platform=hootsuite

NBC Sports B1G preview: http://collegebasketball.nbcsports.com/2016/10/11/big-ten-conference-preview-michigan-state-and-wisconsin-fight-for-the-top-spot/ Predict IU to finish 4th. League POY - TB Breakout Star- OG

I just laughed when I saw the picture of the 4 of them but only 3 of them identified by name. It just struck me as funny - warped sense of humor I guess. I have no idea if Gelon's on Twitter or not.

This was the caption: Devonté Green, De'Ron Davis and Cujo

The official roster lists Green at 6'3" / Davis at 6'10" / Gelon at 6'5" / Cujo at 6'4"

I'm assuming you got this from the tweet from IndianaMBB. If so, go back and look at the caption again. Is it a 'freudian slip'?

Jordan starting a blog of his European experience. First entry at: http://albersangle.com/index.php/2016/10/10/inside-life-jordan-hulls-journal-entry-1/

Possibly transferred to Blair Academy in Brick, NJ in May of this year. Regardless of where she's currently attending high school, this is a girl you'd definitely like to have on your team. Found this on the Blair Academy website: Honesty Scott-Grayson ’18 Makes Blair Debut New sophomore Honesty Scott-Grayson '18 made her much anticipated Blair debut this past week in contests against ASA Junior College and Life Center Academy. Scott-Grayson is a 5'11" combo guard who is ranked as the number-one player in her class in Prospects Nation. She also played for team USA this past year in Mexico, where she showcased her talents as a scorer, creator, defender and leader. Scott-Grayson is being recruited by most of the top programs in the country, including Notre Dame, UConn, Duke, Maryland and South Carolina.

Jon Rothstein ‏@JonRothstein Northwestern freshman forward Rapolas Ivanauskas will undergo shoulder surgery and will miss the upcoming 2016-17 season, per release.

Jordan J Wilson , IndyStar Former IU star has 163 yards from scrimmage vs. Colts A little bit of Hoosier bled into the Indianapolis Colts’ 29-23 win over the Chicago Bears at home Sunday afternoon, but it didn’t come from the home team. The ties to crimson and cream came instead from Bears rookie running back Jordan Howard, who has replaced injured starter Jeremy Langford (ankle) in the Chicago backfield the past two games. In his only season for IU after transferring from Alabama-Birmingham, Howard finished with the Big Ten’s second-highest rushing average (134.8 per game) as a junior, despite missing 18 quarters battling injuries. He declared for the draft after his junior season and was selected by the Bears with the 150th overall pick. Even though the on-field results might seem to say otherwise, Howard said being down the road from his alma mater didn’t add “any extra juice” to his performance Sunday. That’s just the guy his Bears teammates have known him to be. “He’s a guy that almost seems like a Year 5 or 6 guy just because of his demeanor,” Bears starting right guard Kyle Long said. “He doesn’t say a whole lot. Less is more with him, and you see that translate on the field. I mean, the guy just runs hard. There’s nothing flashy. Next thing you know, you look up and he’s 15 yards downfield.” Howard didn’t exactly fly under the radar against the Colts. He carried the ball 16 times for 118 yards, including a 57-yard bolt down to the Colts’ 18-yard line that set up the Bears for a game-tying touchdown in the second quarter. Howard also caught three passes — all three of his targets — for 45 yards and a touchdown, running into the end zone untouched from 21 yards out for a go-ahead score, the first of his career. “I was very excited, like ‘Where is everybody at?’ ” Howard said of his touchdown, adding that he is “definitely not surprised” by logging a pair of 100-plus-yard rushing games in his first two career starts. “I felt very comfortable out there,” Howard said. “The O-line did a good job; tight ends, receivers, so they made my job easy for me. I didn’t really have to do all too much work.” Howard seems to be fitting right in with the Bears' zone-running scheme, one he is familiar with from his time at Indiana. When he finds his hole, he becomes a tough man to bring down at a compact 222 pounds. He piled up 111 rushing yards against Detroit last week and had 92 yards from scrimmage in Week 2 at Dallas. For the season, Howard has rushed for 296 yards on 51 carries, an average of 5.8 yards per carry, and caught 12 passes for 122 yards. “He’s a good, young player,” Bears coach John Fox said. “He is big and physical. He has good vision. He has a bright future.”

Vaughn McClure ESPN Staff Writer Falcons' Tevin Coleman brushes off sickle cell concerns to soar in Denver DENVER -- Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman didn't go into Sunday's game thinking about worst-case scenarios. His concerns over how being a carrier of the sickle cell trait could have a negative effect in Denver's altitude were well-documented, although such a disorder is more of an issue in extreme heat. Coleman didn't have any health issues in Sunday's 23-16 win over the Denver Broncos. In fact, he racked up 163 yards on 10 touches. He hauled in his first career touchdown reception on a 31-yard pass from Matt Ryan in the third quarter, a play that gave the Falcons breathing room at 20-3. "I put it out of my mind," Coleman said of the health concerns. "I wasn't even thinking about it because I knew everybody had my back. The trainers, they had my back. Every time I came to the sideline, there was something to drink. There was oxygen. They prepared me to go out there and play." Coleman led the Falcons with a career-high 132 receiving yards on four catches (six targets). He looked like a seasoned receiver when he lined up in the slot and beat linebacker Brandon Marshall down the field for the touchdown. "I mean, yeah, right now I'm going out there and making big-time catches and running routes," said Coleman, who was not known for his hands last season. "It's kind of half and half now: half-running back/half-receiver." A hybrid, right? "You could say that," Coleman said with a laugh.

Howard with 118 yards on 16 carries and 45 yards on 3 receptions and a TD. Very good game for Jordan.

And Jordan Howard could run out of bounds into Pagano!

Kevin Ferrell impresses Nets’ head coach Kenny Atkinson Updated October 7, 2016 7:34 PM By Laura Albanese laura.albanese@newsday.com The Nets’ undrafted point guard made a strong effort to distinguish himself in their first preseason game Thursday. Jeremy Lin was pretty good, too. While most of the attention was focused on Lin during the Nets’ 101-94 win over the Pistons — Lin scored 21 — anyone who watched the fourth quarter can attest to the fact that his sub, Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell, made a fairly convincing case to be considered for a spot in the opening day roster. Granted, that’s not saying all that much. But when you have about a half dozen point guards coming to training camp every day, it’s pretty much an honor just to be nominated. “I think when making the right play happens, you have a great chance of winning,” said Ferrell, who came out of out of Indiana University as a potential late second-round pick, but didn’t get a phone call on June 23. “I feel like the more wins you can get, such as myself, trying to make the team, then you can try to make your case as a valuable asset to make the roster.” Ferrell was a dynamo off the bench, scoring five points and grabbing two rebounds in an extremely hard-nosed 12 minutes in which he ably corralled the Nets offense in a late-game surge. “He played well,” coach Kenny Atkinson said after practice Friday. “He’s got a lot of characteristics we like. We love his explosiveness, like how he shoots it. I think he’s improving defensively, but I think those roster decisions are later down the road, but he played well last night.” Either way, the Nets have shown an affinity for Ferrell, who signed a partially-guaranteed one-year contract worth $100,000. That came after an impressive summer league debut in which he averaged 8.8 points and 1.8 assists. At the very least, the contract means he’ll serve the Nets in some capacity this year, and if that happens to be in the D-League, so be it. “It’s always hard for someone not to hear their name on draft night,” he said. “But you know, I always heard a lot of cases of guys going undrafted and still making a team, whether it was a summer league team or whether it’s the D-League, it’s still called up to another team. I knew my dreams weren’t over. It was just time to go back to the drawing board and figuring out what situation I wanted to go into best and I felt Brooklyn was the best opportunity for me.”