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Articles by Stephen Kalayil
2021 NBA Draft Profile: Ziaire Williams
Phantom Designs for Def Pen Sports Most college basketball teams had their season shortened due to Covid-19 outbreaks and Stanford was among them. Ziaire Williams, who was a consensus 5-star recruit out of the famed Sierra Canyon wasn’t able to showcase his talents to the max. But he gave a glimpse of the potential that he has for NBA scouts this season. In addition, Williams was also grieving the death of two family members that were considered cornerstones in his life.
2021 NCAA Tournament Round Two Day Two Recap
Head Coach Mark Few (Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY Sports) The second day of the second round in the 2021 NCAA Tournament is upon us, as the final eight spots remained for the Sweet 16. There were MAJOR upsets yesterday and we look to continue the madness today. Lets take a look on how day two of the second round went. No. 8 Oklahoma vs.
2020 NBA Draft Profile: Jordan Nwora
(Phantom Designs/Def Pen Sports) Coming into the 2019-2020 season, Jordan Nwora was named an All American by several publications and was the ACC preseason player of the year. He finished on the All-ACC first team and led the Louisville Cardinals to a 24-7 record with wins over UNC, Duke Michigan, and UVA. Played for the Nigerian national team in the 2018 FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers in Lagos, Nigeria. .
2020 NBA Draft Profile: Nico Mannion
Phantom Designs/Def Pen Sports Nico Mannion out the University of Arizona is one of the more polarizing prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft. Mannion was a highly regarded prep superstar that was ranked the 9th best prospect per 247 Sports. Nico has dual citizenship and actually played for the Italian National Team at the U16 European Championships where he averaged 20 PPG, 6 RPG, and 4 APG.
2020 NBA Draft Profile: Obi Toppin
Phantom Designs/Def Pen Sports Obi Toppin was the consensus national player of the year in college basketball this past season, but will that translate to NBA stardom? We believe that Toppin has all the right tools to be a starting stretch four in the NBA. Toppin came to Dayton via the prep school route and had to redshirt his freshman year due to academics. One Toppin was able to step on the court for the Flyers, the Atlantic 10 didn’t know what hit them.
Def Pen Previews: Pac-12 Conference Tournament
Nico Mannion (James Snook-USA Today Sports) Without a doubt, the Pac-12 conference tournament has the makings of being unpredictable and maddening. Oregon ended up winning the regular-season title over a red-hot UCLA team. Payton Pritchard and company clinched the title with a win over Stanford combined with USC’s thrilling win over UCLA. The Trojan’s win off Jonah Mathew’s three with one second remaining snapped UCLA’s seven-game winning streak.
UCLA, Oregon and Arizona Highlight Pac 12 Awards
Payton Pritchard (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)) The Pac 12 was a tough conference this year with loads of talent and a lot of teams fighting for NCAA Tournament bids. There were several teams that had players receive PAC 12 honors, but UCLA, Oregon, and Arizona seemed to shine the brightest among the pack this year. The PAC-12 Awards were tightly contested among each player and team. It will be the perfect warmup for March Madness.
Braxton Key Out Indefinitely with Wrist Injury
Braxton Key (Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports) The UVA Cavaliers will be without starter Braxton Key for an indefinite amount of time. Key suffered a wrist injury after coming down hard on it during the Cavalier’s win over Arizona State in the Air Force Reserve Tip-Off Tournament. Key averaged 10.3 points and a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game for the defending national champs.
2019 College Basketball Team Preview: #4 Louisville Cardinals
Louisville Cardinals (Wendell Cruz/USA TODAY Sports) The preseason expectations are high for the Louisville Cardinals in 2019-20. The Cardinals are coming off a 20-14 season, where they secured an NCAA tournament bid in Chris Mack’s first year at the helm. This was considered a minor miracle due to the NCAA sanctions which contributed to the dismissal of former head coach Rick Pitino, former athletic director Tom Jurich and former school president Dr. James Ramsey.
2019 College Basketball Team Preview: #11 Maryland Terrapins
Anthony Cowan Jr. (USA TODAY Sports/ Sandra Dukes) The Maryland Terrapins finally got back to the NCAA Tournament in 2019 after a year hiatus. After making it to the second round, the Terps look to make some serious waves in the tournament, despite losing superstar Bruno Fernando to the NBA. Maryland brings back an experienced, defensive-minded team under Mark Turgeon. A starving fanbase is looking for the Terps to break through to their first Final Four since the days of Gary Williams.
2019 College Basketball Team Preview: #14 Seton Hall Pirates
Myles Powell (Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports) The buzz around the Seton Hall Pirates basketball team is high and for good reason. Head coach Kevin Willard is back for his 9th season after a brief flirtation with the Virginia Tech job opening. In addition, national player of the year candidate Myles Powell decided to come back to South Orange after testing the NBA draft waters.
2019 College Basketball Team Preview: #24 Xavier Musketeers
Naji Marshall (Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports) The Xavier Musketeers are loaded in veteran leadership and look to take the next steps in claiming a Big East title away from projected league leaders Villanova, Seton Hall, and Marquette. In his second year as head coach, Travis Steele looks to establish his own identity and take Xavier back to the NCAA tournament.
2019-20 NCAA Preview: Top-10 Big East Players
Markus Howard (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports) Def Pen Sports continues its 2019-20 NCAA preview series this week with a focus on the Big East. As a conference, the Big East underachieved in the NCAA Tournament and looks to make an improvement in the 2019-2020 campaign. There is some serious upperclassmen star power this year in the Big East which features some the strongest guard play of any league. Let’s take a look at our 2019 Top 10 Big East players.
Top Ranked JUCO Jay Scrubb Commits to Louisville
Jay Scrubb, the number 1 junior college player in the country has ended his recruitment and committed to the Louisville Cardinals. The 6-6 shooting guard out of John Logan Community College also considered Alabama, Texas Tech, Xavier, Memphis and West Virginia amongst others. Scrubb averaged 19.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists per game in his freshman JUCO season. Top-rated junior-college wing Jay Scrubb posts on Instagram that he has committed to Louisville.
2019-2020 NCAA Preview: Mid-Major Conferences
Nicole Sweet/USAToday The 2019-2020 NCAA Basketball season is right around the corner and DefPen will take a weekly focus on each Power-6 Conferences plus the Mid Majors. The Mid-Majors have always had a special place for college basketball fans. In the past 10 years, Mid-Majors have been represented by seven different teams from a myriad of conferences. We’ll take a closer look of who DefPen predicts will win each Mid-Major conference.
2019-2020 NCAA Preview: Top Mid-Major Storylines
Penny Hardaway (Justin Ford/USAToday) The 2019-2020 NCAA Basketball season is right around the corner and Def Pen Sports will take a weekly focus on each Power-6 Conference plus the Mid-Majors. The Mid-Majors have always had a special place for college basketball fans. In the past 10 years, Mid-Majors have been represented by seven different teams from a myriad of conferences. We’ll take a closer look at the top five storylines in Mid-Major basketball, as we continue our 2019-2020 NCAA Preview.
Four-Star Center Mady Sissoko Commits to Michigan State
Mady Sissoko has ended his recruitment and picked the Michigan State Spartans. The announcement came on Tuesday evening. His other finalist were BYU, Kansas, and Memphis. Sissoko is ranked as the number 36 ranked overall player by 24/7 Sports. The Utah native just finished a visit to MSU last weekend and canceled previously planned trips to Memphis and Kansas. The Spartans are gaining physical specimen who comes in at 6’9″, 230lbs.
Five-Star Prospect Terrence Clarke Cuts list to 6
Terrence Clarke (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports) Terrence Clarke, the number two ranked recruit in the 2021 recruiting class has narrowed his choices to six schools. Clarke is now only considering Kentucky, Boston College, Duke, Texas Tech, Memphis and UCLA. Thank you to all the coaches that have been recruiting me through this process. I cannot stress the amount of appreciation! These are my final 6 schools ??
2019 NBA Draft Profile: Duke Forward Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson (Phantom Designs / Def Pen Sports) 2019 NBA Draft’s top prospect Zion Williamson has arguably been the most discussed talent since LeBron James. The South Carolina native created quite a buzz before he stepped foot on Duke’s campus with his wide array of jaw-dropping dunks for a player his size. He was rated the #7 prospect overall by 24/7 Sports and was part of one of the highest rated recruiting classes of all time that included RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, and Tre Jones.
2019 NBA Draft Profile: Duke Forward RJ Barrett
RJ Barrett (Phantom designs for Def Pen Sports) RJ Barrett was the consensus number 1 ranked recruit coming into the 2018-19 college basketball season. The Canadian lived up the lofty expectations set after he led Monteverde Academy to the High School National Championship and helped lead the Duke Blue Devils to an appearance in the NCAA tournament’s Elite Eight. In addition, he took home numerous player of the year awards as a high school junior and reclassified into the 2018-2019 class.
2019 NBA Draft Profile: Maryland Center Bruno Fernando
Bruno Fernando (Phantom Designs for Def Pen Sports) Bruno Fernando is one of the more intriguing 2019 NBA Draft prospects. Fernando really established himself as a future prospect by leading Angola to the FIBA Africa Under 18 championship and took home the MVP honors. After playing at Montverde Academy in Florida, he eventually committed to Mark Turgeon’s Maryland Terrapins.
2019 NBA Draft Profile: Purdue Guard Carsen Edwards
Carsen Edwards (Phantom Designs for Def Pen Sports) Carsen Edwards has always been an intriguing prospect to college hoops fans across the country, but he proved himself to the casual basketball fan during the 2019 NCAA Tournament. During the tourney, Edwards had masterful performances against defending champion Villanova, highly ranked Tennessee and nearly knocked of eventual champ Virginia.
LSU Forward Naz Reid Declares for 2019 NBA Draft
Nazreon Reid going up at the 2018 McDonald’s All American Game at Philips Arena (Source: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) LSU freshman forward Naz Reid has declared for the NBA draft. The New Jersey native was a Freshman 1st team All-SEC selection and started 32 out for 34 games. Reid was a game changer for the Tigers as he averaged 13.6 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. Formerly a 5 star recruit, Reid shot 46.8 percent from the field and was a 72.7 percent free throw shooter.
2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Day 1 Recap
Rui Hachimura (Ezra Shaw/Getty) Without a doubt, the kickoff of the 2019 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 was full of defensive prowess and an overtime thriller in the South region. Let’s dive right into the March Madness. Gonzaga handles Florida State The west region #1 seed, Gonzaga Bulldogs controlled the game against Florida State. The uber-athletic Florida State team didn’t have an answer for the Zags as they led nearly the whole game.
Def Pen Previews: 2019 Big East Conference Tournament
Myles Powell (Anthony J. Causi, New York Post) Without a doubt, the Big East Tournament has often been regarded as the best postseason conference tourney. Certainly, this year will be exciting, but may not live up to some of the classic battles in Madison Square Gardens. The tournament has three definite NCAA tourney teams in Villanova, Marquette and St. Johns. Seton Hall and Creighton have some work to feel secure about their NCAA bid and Georgetown is currently on the wrong side of the bubble.
Texas A&M Will Move On From Head Coach Billy Kennedy
Robin Buckson (Detroit News) After eight seasons, the Billy Kennedy era has come to an end in College Station. Texas A&M has decided to let Kennedy go after the end of the SEC tournament. Under Kennedy, Texas A&M was 150-115 overall and made the NCAA tourney only twice. His predecessors, Mark Turgeon, and Billy Gillespie were a bit more successful and A&M’s brass wanted to get back to that standard.
Def Pen Picks: 2019 Big East Conference Awards
Markus Howard (Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports) The Big East Conference this year was a two-team race between defending NCAA champ, Villanova and Marquette. As the season closed, the Wildcats captured the Big East regular season outright over the Golden Eagles. Despite a slow start to the season, Nova’ was able to find their stride and win their 5th conference title in 6 years. Jay Wright navigated Nova to this title after losing 4 NBA draft picks.
16-Year-Old International Prospect Oumar Ballo Commits to Gonzaga
Oumar Ballo (Twitter/@ElTimeout) Gonzaga’s 2019 recruiting class gained a major piece with the commitment of Oumar Ballo. The native of Mali made waves in international play and has been dubbed as “Baby Shaq” due to his physical stature. Ballo gained popularity as a recruit when he averaged 25.7 points and 22.8 rebounds at the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in 2018 in Argentina. His efforts helped Mali to an 8-0 record as they cruised to a championship.
Cam Newton Could Miss 2019 Season, Says Carolina Panthers Owner
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton injured his shoulder towards the end of the 2018 season. Now speculation about how long it will keep him out in 2019 has begun. (Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports) The timing of the shoulder injury to Cam Newton couldn’t have been worse. First, it was a major reason the Carolina Panthers dropped out of the playoff race.
REPORT: Dallas Working Trade Options for Dennis Smith Jr.
Dennis Smith Jr. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) The Dallas Mavericks are reportedly exploring different trade options for point guard Dennis Smith Jr., according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. So far, the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns have been the two teams that have engaged in ongoing talks with the Mavs about the second-year guard. The Dallas Mavericks are escalating discussions to find a trade for point guard Dennis Smith Jr., league sources tell ESPN.
REPORT: Kings Among Teams Interested in Jeremy Lin
The Sacramento Kings are reportedly among the teams interested in acquiring Hawks guard Jeremy Lin. (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Jeremy Lin was moved by the Brooklyn Nets to the lottery-bound Atlanta Hawks this offseason after missing all but one game last season.
Vlade Divac Tells Kings' Minority Owners to Stop Leaks
Vlade Divac made sure to send a clear message to the Kings’ minority owners in a recent conference call. (Kelley L. Cox/USA Today Sports) Vlade Divac, General Manager of the Sacramento Kings, has made clear to the team’s minority owners he wants them to stop interfering with the front office and leaking team information. As first reported by Sam Amick of The Athletic, Divac held a conference call with 13 members of the team’s executive board, including Kings lead owner and chairman Vivek Ranadive.
Jusuf Nurkic "Not Worried" About Iman Shumpert
Iman Shumpert (Erza Shaw, Getty Images) After the Sacramento Kings defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 115-107 Monday night at home, NBA champion Iman Shumpert went over to the visiting locker room to chat with Portland’s Jusuf Nurkic, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s James Ham. Iman Shumpert reportedly waited by the Blazers locker room after the game to talk to Jusuf Nurkic. Jusuf’s response: “I’m not worried about it. He’s going into retirement soon. I just said what I said.
NBA Clears Cavaliers in Patrick McCaw Contract Investigation
The Cavaliers have been cleared of wrongdoing in the signing and waiving of Patrick McCaw. (David Liam Kyle/Getty Images) Patrick McCaw was the subject of an investigation into the nature of his recent signing and waiving by the Cleveland Cavaliers, which the NBA found no wrongdoing on the part of the Cavaliers. NBA says it has completed its investigation into the Cavaliers’ signing and subsequent waiver of Patrick McCaw.
GRAMMYs Tap Jennifer Hudson, H.E.R., SZA & More For Aretha Franklin Tribute
(Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images) One of the year’s more unfortunate instances, the music world lost a legend with Aretha Franklin. An influence to almost any singer that has touched the music scene after her, the legend’s impact knows no bounds. With the 2019 GRAMMY Awards show quickly approaching, Aretha has not been forgotten as an upcoming celebration is in order for the star.
Demaryius Thomas Tears Achilles, Will Miss Rest of Season
Demaryius Thomas gets carted off the field. (AP Photo/Michael Perez) Houston Texans wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will miss the rest of the season with a torn Achilles. He suffered the injury and was carted off the field in the third quarter of the Texans game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Thomas, who seemed to know that the injury was serious, was in tears as he was taken into the locker room.
Dodgers Send Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood, and Matt Kemp to Reds
Alex Wood pitching earlier this year for the Los Angeles Dodgers. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an agreement with the Cincinnati Reds on a deal that sends outfielder Yasiel Puig, pitcher Alex Wood, outfielder Matt Kemp, catcher/infielder Kyle Farmer, and $7 million to the Reds. The Reds sent pitcher Homer Bailey, infielder Jeter Downs, and pitcher Josiah Gray in return to the Dodgers.
REPORT: Rockets ‘Optimistic’ Chris Paul Will Only Miss 2-3 Weeks
Chris Paul hopes to return to the Rockets’ lineup as soon as possible following injury (David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) The Houston Rocket’s struggles continue as they lose star Chris Paul to a hamstring injury. The rockets started the season poorly falling all they way to the 14 seed in the West for a brief stint before starting the climb back to a playoff team.
Bucks Forward Ersan Ilyasova Undergoes Surgery For Broken Nose
Ersan Ilyasova will be sidelined with a fractured nose. (Noah Graham/Getty Images) As the Milwaukee Bucks continue their quest for the Eastern Conference throne, they were recently dealt a blow on the injury front that could limit their frontcourt depth. According to a team press release, forward Ersan Ilyasova has suffered a broken nose. Ilyasova had missed Milwaukee’s last couple outings due to what was initially expected to be a nose contusion but is reportedly a fracture.
Alvin Gentry Says Pelicans Won't Trade Anthony Davis: 'That's Not An Option'
Alvin Gentry says there’s no way the Pelicans would consider shipping away Anthony Davis. (Isaiah J. Downing/USAToday Sports) As rumors surrounding Anthony Davis and his future with the New Orleans Pelicans continue to gain traction, a number of teams have been pinned as possible trade destinations. However, the belief within the Pelicans organization can’t differ more from the recent speculation.
Ex-Cavaliers Assistant Jim Boylan Suing Team for Age Discrimination
The three Cavaliers coaches in question, current “voice” Larry Drew (left), Jim Boylan (center), and recently fired head coach Tyronn Lue (right). (Brock Williams-Smith/NBAE via Getty) Former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jim Boylan is suing the team for age discrimination, via Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. Boylan says that his age was the reason the team did not pick up his contract this past offseason.
Luke Walton Under Fire from Lakers GM Magic Johnson
Luke Walton of the Lakers may be on the hot seat after a slow start to the season (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images) Luke Walton, in his third year as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, has different expectation put on him and his team this season from previous iterations. With the acquisition of LeBron James the rules are suddenly different and the Lakers are expected to be a top their team by both their fans and their management.
Clayton Kershaw Agrees to 3-Year, $93 Million Contract
Clayton Kershaw pitching in the World Series against the Red Sox. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) The Los Angeles Dodgers and Clayton Kershaw beat the 4 o’clock deadline and have announced that Kershaw will be returning to the Dodgers on a 3-year $93 million contract with the Dodgers. Kershaw’s original deadline to decide was earlier this week on Wednesday but the two sides agreed to push it back until today to further extension talks.
Kevin Love Undergoes Left Foot Surgery, Will be Re-Evaluated in 6 Weeks
Kevin Love will miss at least six weeks after foot surgery. (Liam Kyle/Getty Images) After a rocky 1-7 start to open their 2018 campaign and post-LeBron James era, the Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a devastating blow on the injury front. Kevin Love, who has only played in four of Cleveland’s first eight outings due to injury, underwent foot surgery on Friday. According to an update from the Cavs, Love will be re-evaluated in six weeks.
REPORT: LeBron James Never Planned on Meeting With 76ers During Free Agency Decision
LeBron James reportedly had no interest in joining the 76ers. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images) When speculation was running rampant around LeBron James’ looming free agency decision, the Philadelphia 76ers were one of few teams mentioned as a potential destination. In the end, James opted to take his all-time great talents to Los Angeles and become a Laker, but there were plenty of rumors linking him to the Sixers and close friend Ben Simmons.
GAME OF THE DAY: Oklahoma City Thunder Vs Washington Wizards Preview
(Phantom Designs for Def Pen Sports) Featured Pick #1: Will there be a free throw miss in the first quarter? (Yes) Both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards feature a slew of aggressive players that have a nose for getting to the rim and drawing contact. The teams both fall in the NBA’s top five when it comes to free throw attempts per game, something that could become a theme early on in this one.
Lena Dunham To Write True Syrian Refugee Story
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP/REX/ShutterstockLena Dunham Lena Dunham who is best known for creating, writing and starring in HBO series Girls, will write and bring the true story of a Syrian refugee stranded at sea to life.
Box Office: 'Halloween' Continues Dominating in Second Week
After a record-breaking performance last week, ‘Halloween’ stayed at the top of the box office this weekend in its second outing. (Universal) After smashing franchise records with $77.5 million last week, Halloween stayed on top this week. It added $32 million to push its domestic haul over $125 million. The rest of the top 5 this week looks suspiciously familiar. Coming in second again, A Star is Born continued its Oscar push with $14.1 million. Pushing its total to $148 million.
Natalie Portman starring in an upcoming film 'Vox Lux'
Courtesy of BBC Natalie Portman lands a role as a pop star in this American musical drama film written and directed by Bradey Corbet. In the trailer, she’s a glittering pop star that also overcame a tragedy in her childhood. The film begins in the 90s where younger Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) and her sister Elanor (Stacy Martin) writes a song about their traumatic experience which draws attention to a manager (Judy Law).
REPORT: Cavs Fire Head Coach Tyronn Lue After 0-6 Start
Tyronn Lue (Getty Images North America) Tyronn Lue was the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach that helped lead the team to three straight NBA Finals. But seemingly in a blink, Lue has lost his job before he really got a chance to turn things around in a post-LeBron James era. The Cavs have reportedly fired Lue in his fourth season with the team. Following comes from Shams Charania of Watch Stadium and The Athletic. The Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to fire head coach Ty Lue, per league sources.
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