Hawaii Basketball

Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) caught on video working out with the Phoenix Suns. (Watch his interview about 6 minutes in. Thanks, Jon).

Projected to be a late second round pick, at best, Low has worked out for the New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Seattle Sonics and the Dallas Mavericks and, should he go undrafted, could be signed as free agent by any one of those five teams. Whether he makes a regular season roster is yet to be seen, but there’s a good chance that he’ll be on a team this summer in one of the various NBA summer leagues that open in July.

Just nasty… Like MJ over Ewing back in the day. At least KG knew better than to jump.

From The Big Lead, Portland Trailblazers’ #1 pick Greg Oden rockin’ a Superbad tee and sipping some high-quality boxed wine at a house party on the Penn State campus. (Can someone check his ID… You think he has the Hawaii Driver’s License too?)

Or tries to… Check out TNT commentator, and former 1990 NBA Slam Dunk Runner-up, Kenny Smith as he attempts to jump over an Aston Martin.

“The Converse Weapon… The #1 Weapon in the NBA.” Commercials (and hip-hop) have come a long way… Haha. If NIKE remade this commercial (since they now own Converse), who do you think would replace Magic, Isiah, McHale, Aguirre, King and Bird?

Check out this new promo of Kobe jumping over a moving Aston Martin in the soon-to-be-released Nike Hyperdunk, touted as the lightest and strongest basketball shoe ever.

The Hyperdunk weighs in at just 13.0 ounces and features two new Nike technologies — Flywire, extremely lightweight and strong footwear construction, and Lunarlite, an extremely lightweight foam cushioning system.

The fact that he only plays basketball professionally is disappointing…

Steve Nash, the two-time NBA MVP, could be doing so much more. Besides being a decent tennis player and skateboarder, the guy is apparently good enough in soccer to play for the Canadian National Team.

On top of that, he’s also an avid filmmaker. Last summer, Nash wrote, pitched and produced this commercial for Nike on a $30K budget… It’s legit!

T.J. Ford of the Toronto Raptors drops the Knicks’ Jared Jeffries on an inside-out dribble… then sticks the “J”.

Not much to say… its just plain ugly. Ughhhh. He’s in the NBA for goodness sake. You’d think the Rockets could find someone to fix him.

With a strong performance at the 2007 Pan American Games, Derrick Low (Iolani ‘04) has improved his draft status, being placed in the latter part of the second round as the 53rd pick of the Chicago Bulls in NBADraft.net’s most recent mock draft for 2008.

While the site has no actual bearing on when or by whom he will be drafted (if at all), his being mentioned does show that he’s at least “on the radar.” At 53rd, Low is listed behind several other point guards including Darren Collison of UCLA, Drew Neitzel of Michigan State, Ty Lawson of UNC and a few incoming freshman phenoms - Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon, though they are more shooting guards than point guards.

Low’s experience, toughness and shooting ability should draw some interest from NBA scouts who will be looking for a reliable player at the point who can handle the ball, defend and hit the open shot…

View the 2008 NBA Mock Draft »

ESPN, in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granted the wish of one Honolulu youngster earlier this year when they sent Noa Ornellas to Chicago to meet Dwyane Wade in the first segment of the five-part Sportscenter series “My Wish”.

Ten year-old Noa, an avid basketball player and lifetime Miami Heat fan, was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver defect that primarily affects newborns. At birth, he was given very little chance of surviving, but finally made it out of the hosipital after receiving a new liver and fighting off a life-threating infection. To this day, Noa remains on anti-rejection medication and is kept out of high-contact sports (to protect his liver), but loves to play basketball where he tries his best to emulate his hero, Dwyane Wade.

Watch the ESPN Video »

The Seattle Times released the test results from the NBA Pre-Draft Camp held this past weekend in Orlando, Florida and, apparently, Kevin Durant, the 2005 Iolani Classic Most Oustanding Player and expected #2 pick in next month’s NBA draft, isn’t quite the physical speciman many expected him to be.

What was most astounding was the fact that the 6-9, 210 lb freshman phenom couldn’t manage to lift the 185 lb weight in the bench press. Not even once. Though he also performed below average in the vertical jump (33.5 max) and every other performance category, Durant did manage to show that he is extremely long, recording a wingspan of 7 feet 4.75 inches, a half inch longer than expected #1 pick Greg Oden (Oden didn’t attempt the bench press due to his previous wrist injury, but performed fairly well in other tests).

All players at the camp were measured, weighed, tested for body fat percentage, vertical leap and 185lb bench press, and timed in the lane agility drill and 3/4 court sprint. In the “Lane Agility Drill”, cones are setup on each block and at the elbows (4 cones total) and players timed as they sprint, slide, backpedal and slide to each cone in one direction and then back again in the other direction.

[Photo: The Washington Post]

Ever wonder what kind of athletes make the NBA?…

Continue Reading »

Former BYU Hawaii standout, Yuta Tabuse (photo, Star Bulletin) is a reserve for the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA’s Development League, the NBDL. He is currently a backup guard to former Syracuse sharpshooter Gerry McNamara and Michigan State standout Mateen Cleaves. The Jam are coached Jim Harrick, the former UCLA head coach who led the Bruins to an NCAA National Championship in 1995.

After leaving BYUH, Tabuse went home to Japan to play for the Toyota Alvark of the Japan Basketball League and went on to win Rookie of the Year honors for the 2002-2003 season. In 2004, he returned to the United States, playing in the ABA, the NBA summer league and finally landing on the opening day roster for the 2004-05 Phoenix Suns.

Tabuse played in 4 games for the Suns before being waived, but, with that appearance, became the first Japan-born player to ever play in the NBA.

NBA Player Profile: Yuta Tabuse »
Nike Japan Commercial: Yuta Tabuse »
Star Bulletin article, “Jordan of Japan living up to nickname” »

For those that have seen Keone Reyes play for the Kaimuki Bulldogs, you may have been reminded of former NBA star and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, known to many as the “Round Mound of Rebound” for his plump stature and rebounding prowess. Much like “Sir Charles”, Reyes (5-11, 240lbs) played as an undersized big man using a wide array of skills to score both inside and out - grabbing an offensive board for an “and 1″ on one possession then pulling up for a 16-footer on a sagging defender the next.

While he’s not quite as athletic and will never make the NBA, Reyes was able to take his team where “Sir Charles” never could. Throughout his career, Barkley was unable to capture the ultimate prize on any level - high school, college, and the NBA. He did, however, win a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics as a member of the “Dream Team“.

Earlier this week, Keone Reyes was named the KHON2 Athlete of the Week »