Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
"He looks good for now," point guard Norris Cole said at the autograph session. "He's moving along; he's progressing every day. And that's all that counts."
While Drew has been invited to camp after going undrafted following uneven runs at North Carolina and UCLA, the Heat likely again will go with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole as the only point guards on the roster.
While their styles differ, Chalmers and Cole both have had issues with consistency, Cole both brilliant and bland during last season's playoff run.
Ultimately, there again will be plenty of ballhandling responsibilities for James, Wade and even Ray Allen. A move to greater consistency from Chalmers and Cole, however, could ease concerns.
• The skinny: The Kings dealt their former point guard of the future (Tyreke Evans) and landed Vasquez, a pass-first point guard with good size (6-foot-6) and the leadership intangibles needed in the locker room. Vasquez was third in the NBA with 9.0 assists per game for New Orleans last season. Vasquez's addition means a new role for Thomas. The Kings tried to supplant Thomas as the starter last season but eventually conceded he was the team's best floor leader. Most league observers view the 5-9 Thomas as a backup. The Kings are intrigued by the possibility of their new point guard tandem, too. Ever the competitor, Thomas won't concede playing time to Vasquez or McCallum, a second-round draft choice. But the Kings are definitely better with Vasquez on the roster.
Jason Calliste is a senior who averaged 14.4 points and 3.3 assists per game last year at Detroit. He joins a veteran backcourt.
“He can help us in a number of ways,” Altman said. “His experience level, his toughness. We are going to play a lot of three-guard sets this year, maybe almost exclusively. Jason is going to be a big part of that.”
89 Wright State Billy Donlon @CoachDolon 2,094
92 Oakland Greg Kampe @KampeOU 1,971
111 UIC Howard Moore @Howard_Moore 1,215
125 Detroit Ray McCallum @CoachMcCallum 961
126 Milwaukee Rob Jeter @CoachJeterUWM 943
Both Valparaiso and Detroit lost almost all of their talent (although with Bryce Drew I am still not willing to count out Valpo) but Wright State brings back everybody, that’s right, everybody, from a team that finished third in the league and had the conference’s best defense. They’ll also have a full year of Cole Darling, who missed the team’s final two months with an injury.
4. Wright State: Ah, what a difference a year makes. Last preseason, Wright State was picked to finish last in the Horizon League. Heading into this season, the Raiders are the clear-cut favorites to win the conference. Billy Donlon, one of the youngest coaches in college basketball at the ripe old age of 36, enters his fourth season at the helm, bringing back nearly his entire roster — all five starters and last year's top nine scorers return. Wright State fell in the championship game of the Horizon League tournament to Valparaiso, settling for a postseason appearance in the CBI. Being that close will be a surefire drive for this year's veteran-laden squad, which also welcomes Butler transfer Chrishawn Hopkins.
The 13 players under fully guaranteed contract for 2013-14 heading into camp are Chris Bosh, Chris Andersen, Greg Oden, Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Rashard Lewis, Shane Battier, LeBron James, James Jones, Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen and Norris Cole.
Drew becomes the third point guard on the camp roster, along with Chalmers and Cole. The Heat carried only two true point guards last season because of the ballhandling versatility of James, Wade and Allen.
Howard Moore’s UIC Flames are looking to improve on their 18-16 campaign of a season ago, with forward Hayden Humes (10.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and Purdue transfer Kelsey Barlow being two of their key players. UIC and San Diego will meet in the first round, and that could be an entertaining contest. The other match-ups are Louisiana Tech/UNCG, Wagner/Stetson and St. Bonaventure/Southern Illinois.
Bubble First Rounders
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Alec Brown, 7-0, 235, PF, Wisconsin Green Bay, Sr.
Brown was the biggest breakout star of the event. After receiving a lot of hype from us heading into his sophomore year, he has struggled to live up to it. He lacked the necessary strength and aggressiveness to flourish.
But he appears to have put in serious work in the weight room, and he now looks more comfortable absorbing contact. Coming from a mid-major school, many of the other college counselors didn't know how prolific of a shooter he was, but by the end of the camp, all of his opponents knew better than to give him any space.
He was probably the top overall shooter among the college guys, guards included, knocking down numerous outside jumpers. He also showed a willingness to play physically under the basket.
He should have a career in the league as a face-up, pick-and-pop stretch forward. Going against the aforementioned group of bigs and consistently outscoring them in front of NBA scouts certainly did nothing to hurt his stock. He displayed good agility at his height and a strong understanding of his offensive strengths. He can run the floor , which makes him a very dangerous trailer hitting top-of-the-key jumpers or the occasional dunk on the break.
His obvious weakness is his lack of brute strength. He had difficulty creating shots for himself in the post and was not much of an intimidating force on the defensive end. He will need to improve his strength and defensive ability to become a rotational player at the next level.
