The Next Cream Of The Crop

The NBA has evolved over the last decade. It went from a league that Emphasized post play to a more small ball guard oriented league. Point guards in todays NBA are specimens and are doing things you never thought you would see a Point guard do. Russel Westbrook and Derrick Rose when they step on the floor are usually the most athletic guys on the floor, teammates look for them on alley-oops more then they look for their teammates on alley-oops the game has changed and the Point Guard position has become hands down the most important position in the league. The league today posses so many talented guards that it's hard to keep track of sometimes. Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rando, Tony Parker, Russel Westbrook and Deron Williams are the “cream of the Crop” as far as point guards go but there is a new wave of talent that I would like to delve into today the “2nd wave” of guards if you will, the guys that in the coming years will make the Point guard position even more competitive then it already is at this point.

When Talking about the future or guys that will take over the #1 spot for players in the league in the coming years not just point guards, you got to start with Kyrie Irving in only his 2^nd year in the league taking over the league seems to be this man's mission. Last season he joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson and Lebron James as the only No. 1 overall draft picks to average at least 18.0 points and 5.0 assists. He won the MVP of the Rising stars Challenge game at All-star weekend between Rookies and sophomores shooting 8-8 form 3 for 34 points.

This man has been a winner ever since he was playing at #6 Patrick High School in New Jersey with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. He has taken his game to seemingly a whole new level this season and has become the unquestionable leader for a Cleveland Cavaliers franchise still trying to get back on it's feet since “the Decision” Lebron James made several seasons ago. The man fears nobody and you know that when he confidently puts up money to play the likes of Kobe Bryant 1 on 1 like he did in the off season .He his very poised for someone his age and he just has that “thing” or it factor that All-Stars in this league posses and if he can stay healthy then there is no stopping Uncle Drew from leading the Cavs some place special one day.

John Wall Is a perfect example of what the point Guard position has became in the NBA he is long, explosive and athletic but Wall like Kyrie Irving is a 1^st round pick who went at the top of his draft class who has big shoes to fill in Washington. In his 3^rd season in the League John Wall has had a hard time staying on the floor. Since the day he put on a jersey Wall has been expected to be a savior for a franchise that has been struggling for some years now. He came in after one season at Kentucky and hasn't quite lived up to what I thought were unrealistic expectations, there is a maturation process that goes on when you come into the league that young especially when the team you play with surrounds you with Lazy Knucklehead ball players (Javale Mcgee, Andre Blatche).

It's year 3 and we are starting to see Wall's game Mature he plays with a much better pace and the Wiz are starting to surround him with pieces Like Bradley Beal And Nene. Once John Wall puts a full season together then we will see something special from the rookie of the year runner up.

They say Winning is a process well that is an understatement for Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats. When Walker got drafted he found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Bobcats were just a few seasons removed from a playoff appearance when he was drafted they had just traded Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson and Kemba found himself on a very young talent depleted roster. The team was beyond bad in fact they were so bad that they set the record for lowest winning percentage in NBA History going 7-59 and Walker struggled. It's crazy to think that Kemba Walker who was a Mcdonalds All-american in high school and led Uconn to a National Championship was now part of the worst team in Pro basketball history. Kemba didn't let his team's struggle get to him, when summer came he spent an ample amount of time in the gym working on his Jumpshot so he could improve his game offensively. The result is a much more improved game offensivley with a 6 percent increase from the 3 point line and 7 percent increase in his overall field goal percentage.

Kemba Walker is 20-103 in his basketball career to this point but with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as another Building block, another high pick in this years upcoming draft and 20 million dollars of cap space to play with Kemba may finally get some help and show the basketball world what he can really do when he has weapons around him. Kemba is a winner brings it every night and is a top flight talent in this league surrounded by a bunch of end of the road players.

When the Blazers made their 2013 1^st round draft selection this season and chose Damian Lillard from little known Weber State many experts called it a reach, well now with abut 20+ games left it looks like Lillard is already going to be the unanimous Rookie of the year and for good reason. He exploded on to the scene opening night vs. Lakers wasn't star struck by Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash and proceeded to collect 23 points and 11 assists in his rookie debut joining Isaiah Thomas and Oscar Robertson as the only players to get 20 points and 10 assists in their rookie deubt. He leads all rookie's in assists and points and has displayed a poise much beyond his years, Lillard is doing Weber State proud.

So there you have it the next wave of Point guards in the league all talented and all ready to lead their teams to the top.

Q&A with ESPN Top 100 recruit and Virginia Tech Recruit Donte Clark

@D_Clark4

Donte Clark is a 6'4 180 pound jack of all trades can play Point guard from Hargrave Military Academy. He is committed to play his college basketball in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech next season as one of their top recruits. Clark is a 4 star recruit according to Rivals.com and ranked as high as #82 in the ESPN Top 100 and for good reason. Clark like I said is a jack of all trades, posses the ability to facilitate an offense, shoot the basketball and stuff that stat sheet like he did against in a 135-117 Hargrave win over Kiski School with 18 points 6 Rebounds 7 assists and 5 steals. I recently got a chance to sit down with the Clark and ask him a few questions. Make sure you follow him on Twitter @D_Clark4 he is a real humble dude.

  

                      1.For those who don’t know who is Donte Clark?

I'm just a young kid from Charlotte that is blessed with the ability to be able to play basketball, I'm real laid back, and I like hanging and goofing with my friends.

2.describe your game what are some things you like and some you could improve on?

My game is similar to Lorenzo Brown's because I'm a 6'4 point guard who can see the floor well, get to the basket, pull up in traffic, knock down a three but i feel like i need to work on getting stronger and my ability to guard.

3.your a 6’4 combo guard by trade but I hear your working more toward playing point do you feel more comfortable in that role as a facilitator?

Yeah i feel comfortable with that position, because what people don't know is before i got noticed that’s the position i played

4. you had offers from Miami, Memphis and N.C State, what made you choose Virginia Tech?

I chose Tech because that was the school i felt most comfortble with, I got along well with the players, coaches, and the athletic director

5.what can we expect from your freshman season at Virginia Tech?

You can expect me, someone who wants to win and will do anything to get the win

6.who are some guys you enjoy watching in the NBA Today or enjoyed watching growing up? why?

I like a few guys, Chris Paul, John Wall, Russell Westbrook. I enjoy watching Cp3 because he knows the game so well and he is a smart player, I like Russell and John because they are tall point guards and they play so explosive & hard at all times on def and off

7. I know your a Charlotte boy what do you think about the Hornets name returning to the city next season?

Hopefully they will start winning more games, that’s pretty much it

8. on game day what are you listening to on your ipod

I listen to some R&B, Wale, Chief Keef, Juelz Santana, Fabalous, and of course some J.cole

9.what are your favorite shoes to play in?

     I would have to say Kobe s, because i like low tops

10. out of all the places you have had the chance to play at where do you enjoy playing the most? which courts do you look forward to playing at in the future?  

I really enjoy playing in Florida at the WorldWide of Sports Complex, and i would say I'm looking forward to playing at Duke and Unc because i know it's going to be crazy

11.last but not least what are you majoring in? 

I haven't made my mind up yet, I have three things in mind though

Youtube Channel

Hey everybody hope your Sunday is a blessed one. Just wanted to let all of you know that i recently purchased a new camcorder so i'll have a much more of a presence visually through videos touching on a number of different things. To stay up to date with everything you can follow me on my new youtube channel at youtube.com/Truschoolsports make sure you hit that "Subscribe" button while your at it to

If you haven't seen already check out my 1st video on The Charlotte Bobcats rebranding to get the Charlotte Hornets name back....Remember to subscribe again!

Vlog: Why the Charlotte Bobcats need to get the Hornets name back

When Will we let go of Michael Jordan (the player)

Recently Michael Jordan's 50^th Birthday was Celebrated and by celebrated I mean celebrated to the point where we started asking if he could play Shooting guard for the Charlotte Bobcats. This and countless retrospective segments documenting his Career from a variety of different perspectives led me to ask the Question “when will the fans let Go of Michael Jordan the player”?

MJ is one of the most important and in some cases the Most important figure in the game of basketball but as a player he is not coming back. He was the central figure in the branding of basketball, from a financial perspective there isn't a more significant player in the league. The reality is that it's over he isn't going to be Sticking his tounge out while gliding in the air towards an acrobatic shot. He won't be dunking over the likes of Ewing, Mutombo and Alonzo Mourning. If this comes as news to you then I will assume that you are a very delusional person and probably a huge MJ lover.

Michael gave you his comeback already with the Washington Wizards let's leave it at that. 50 is a benchmark age for anybody and I hope Michael had a Happy 50^th birthday and i'm glad the Media took a great amount of time to acknowledge what he did for the game but Let him go the only way your going to see that man in a Bulls Jersey is playing NBA 2K13. Do I doubt that he is in better shape then most 50 year old retired NBA Players? Not at all Mike is still Mike and still posses the better basketball IQ then easily 90% of the league today but Jordan isn't god even though we put him on the pedestal Father time will catch up to him on the court if it hasn't caught up already.

Did he Beat Michael Kidd-Gilchrist one one? Yes obviously if MKG admitted it but that in no way validates that Jordan can still play at a high level in the NBA.

So enjoy his commercials,Collect his cards, Buy his new Retro's coming out and proudly rock any MJ throwbacks in your possesion but Jordan fans (ESPN included) Let Michael The player go.....IT'S OVER!!!!

on that note happy belated 50^th To Michael Jordan!

A day at the Rink: Lightning vs Panthers

This past Saturday i spent my afternoon watching my struggling Division Champion Florida Panthers take on Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay lightning at the BB&T Center in Sunrise. Although exciting and high scoring the game ended in a heartbreaking 6-5 Overtime loss. Despite all that still had fun my team picked up a point and my friend experinced the excitement of NHL Hockey...Here are some pics from Saturday,Enjoy!

Getting up early for the Panthers game..gotta get them while they're young (my  friends lil bro Danne)

Outside the BB&T Center home of the Florida Panthers

my bestfriends 1st hockey game

Our seats

My handsome self on the left and my bro Hamiyd chilling after the game

Why Uncle Drew Needs To Coach Youth basketball

In Today’s ever Evolving world of basketball kids are becoming much more flamboyant, flashy and Athletic then ever. Media Outlets such as And 1 Basketball,Hoopmixtape.com and Sportscenter’s top 10 plays have always give kids motivation and incentive for exposure so in turn it leaves little to no wiggle room for fundamentals.

“These young bloods don’t practice fundamentals no more, to them its about fancy dunks and the jibby jaby fade away jumpshots…its about Buckets”. This quote was eloquently stated by fictional basketball phenomenon Uncle Drew. He has a point it really doesn’t matter if you break somebody’s ankles if you can’t hit a simple floater or bank shot. Kids Growing up in my generation these days are more unfundamentally sound then ever.

People appreciate the grace and sometimes uncontrollable inefficiency that Kobe Bryant plays with but don’t appreciate the Productivity and Longevity of Tim Duncan because he doesn’t have the flare and doesn’t fit the “showtime” description. It’s “boring basketball” but what is boring about 2 MVP’s 4 Championships and being regarded as the best to ever play the power forward position? If that’s boring then the City of Charlotte could use a large dose of boredom in it’s frontcourt.

“It’s about Buckets” Uncle Drew keeps things in perspective and doesn’t get lost in all the hype of today’s top media outlets or trends. It is these Reasons that Uncle Drew should be coaching our nation’s youth at every level from peewee, High School, AAU And College. Picture the most undisciplined kids on your son or daughters Basketball teams feeling the wisdom of an Uncle Drew, it would change the landscape of youth basketball for the next few decades. Things are getting to political in this new age of basketball and just the world in general there aren’t many people that have a no nonsense “Old School” mentality anymore, that’s a dying breed. Kids who are playing ball these days are more worried about when the new Jordan’s are coming out or where they can find the cheapest pair of Dr.Dre headphones He stays focused on what’s really important and that is getting Buckets…..By any means necessary

Uncle Drew isn’t real he is a fictional character in a Pepsi Commercial played by All-Star Cavaliers Point Guard Kyrie Irving but I’m sure there plenty coaches out there that have some Uncle Drew in them so Use that and help these kids learn how to really hoop it up!!

Watch the Uncle Drew series in the videos below

Tru School of Kicks:A.I Reebok Questions (Georgetown

Another new segment this year is called “Tru School of Kicks” where I show you a pair of upcoming or throwback sneaker that I’m really feeling or maybe you should look into buying if your a sneaker head every month. So here we go, today’s Shoe is the A.I Reebok Question Georgetown with the Hoya Colorway.

Last year the Reebok brand had a lot of success with the release of the Retro Questions by Allen Iverson. The fact that he hasn't been in the league for a few seasons and is still carrying a brand virtually by himself speaks volumes to his popularity and what a star he was when he was a player. Iverson's shoes are Classic and when you wear them you are wearing apart of History. Back in November Reebok released photos of the new limited edition Questions in his Alma maters colorway which is Georgetown. When you look at these shoes they Are a must buy to me if you have the money and are a fan of the Iverson Brand Reebok’s. A.I was one of the guys who really got me into basketball when I was a child, I was a huge fan had his jersey and Reebok Head ban but I never had the shoes. So you best believe come March 8^th I will have the one hundred and twenty-five dollars ready for those classics coming out not to far after my Birthday.

Hockey is back!

It's been only a few weeks into the season but it's great to have the NHL back in my life. The skill and precision coupled with the toughness of blue collar play is refreshing from the “Organized theatrical” Feeling I get watching the NBA.

Seeing the great players the league has to offer such as Patrick Kane, Jagr, Malkin made me realized how much I really love the sport and miss it. Hockey is a team game and the parody in the league always keeps you on the edge of your seat. Last year the 8^th seeded Kings won the Stanley Cup, Where do you see that? Certainly not in the NBA

The best part about the lockout being over though is that I get to watch my Panthers play, look forward to making it out to Sunrise for some games this year,thats tradition in my family around this time of year. We struggled early on due to injuries but now we are starting to come together as a team and I like our chances of returning back to the playoffs. So with a month into the season I can say Happy Hockey season!!!!

Throwback Thursday: Vince Carter 2000 Dunk Contest

Just wanted to wish everybody a Happy Throwback Thursday it's been awhile since I did this but the time was right. With All-Star Weekend coming up next Saturday many people have begin the yearly talks of greatest Dunks ofAll-time mainly Michael Jordans Free Throw Line dunk in his bout with Dominique Wilkins at Chicago Stadium 25 years ago but today We will flashback to the One man spectacle known as “Half man Half man Amazing” Vince Carter in 2000 at the arena in Oakland.

When I was little I used to play NBA Live 2005 a lot and in Dunk Contest mode when your dunk was on point the sideline would go crazy with NBA players jumping up and down with Camcorders. I always wondered when I was younger if that really happened and where EA Sports got that from. When you watch this Dunk Contest you know where that comes from.

The term “Set the tone” seemed appropriate when speaking about Vince Carters reverse 360 dunk which may be the best dunk in the history of the contest. The way he just seemed to hang in the air for so many seconds, spin around, Cock the ball back and throw it down with so much authority all in one motion was beyond ridiculous.

We all knew something special was in the works that night in Oakland. Vince added to his legend on his 3^rd dunk where then Toronto Teammate Tracy Mcgrady threw him an alley where Vinsanity then proceeded to put the ball between his legs and then Jam it home like the rim owed him Money. Kenny Smith as we all Know shouted through the TNT airwaves “ITS OVER” We were watching History. Vince obviously won the Contest by a landslide.

This years Dunk Contest features Eric Bledsoe, James White, Kenneth Fareid, Terrence Ross, Gerald Green and Jeremy Evans. If any of these guys give us top 10 material thats anywhere near Vince or Jordan level we are in for a treat this year. I'm looking at my guy Bledsoe to give us something to talk about this year.

Watch the video down below to relive the Vin-Sanity of the dunk contest in 2000!

Ravens fly towards a 2nd Super Bowl Ring

i know i'm late with the post but Congratualtions to the Baltimore Ravens on winning the 2nd Super Bowl in franchie history beating the San Francisco 49ERS 34-31!! Special shoutouts to Joe Flacco,Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Joe Flacco became a Superbowl MVP which was something i'd never thought i would say. Kudos to him for having the confidence to say he IS a franchise QB and then going out and proving myself and the rest of the world he is by performing like on e in the postseason. Ray Lewis will end is career a Champion and Ed Reed is finally what he has always played like year in and year out and that is a CHAMPION!!