Writers Wanted

We are looking for writers as the school year gets closer. We are especially interested in people who want to write for some of the other sports besides football and basketball but we are not limiting your writing to those sports. If you are interested use the contact page to let us know. Let us know a little about yourself and submit a piece or two so we can judge your writing.

What Are Patterson and Orton Doing With Hell’s Trainer?

Frank Matrisciano. The mental and fitness expert that has earned the moniker of “Hell’s Trainer.” Who is he? What does he do? And why in the world would a highly regarded freshman center and arguably the best frontcourt player in the country seek out such a secretive man to prepare them for the season?

Because they want to experience the same results Blake Griffin, this year’s #1 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma experienced.

I did a lot of research for this post, and it really amazed me just how little information I was able to find. But what I could find was very interesting. Either this guy is a complete basket case, which I do not believe, or he is one of the few innovators left. His methods are definitely different, but anyone who witnessed Blake Griffin terrorize the Big 12 and the rest of the country, realizes they bring results.

Matrisciano is half-italian, half-spanish, and was raised in northern New Jersey. (Couldn’t find a town). He is the youngest of four, has no kids himself, and has never been married. Reportedly he is 43 years old but that hasn’t been confirmed. Frank has been training basketball players since 1992, and though he doesn’t like to talk about the athletes he trained, the list includes the Wizards’ Gilbert Arenas, Celtics’ Leon Powe, the Pacers’ Kareem Rush, and Arron Afflalo of the Pistons.

“I look at them like robots.”

“I take them to a level they’ve never been.”

“I’m just a shadow in the background.”

All quotes from a man that has coined a personal phrase “Law-7.” What that means is for every ten athletes that enlist his help, seven of them leave within the first half-hour. He does not advertise his services, you must know someone within his training circle to get hooked up with him. Matrisciano addresses everyone “sir” and expects the same in return. He admits that in the past he was saddled with nicknames like “Mental Patient” and “Genetic Freak.”

“You don’t know how many say they want to do it,” Frank says. “But it’s easy to say when you’re on the couch. It’s another thing to get up at 5 a.m. and get out there on the sand hills.” He does not accept payment from high school or college players. They are responsible for paying their living expenses and bringing the will and desire to follow through with what they started. Four to eight hours per day five days a week for four to six weeks is what the newbies have to look forward to. Basketball doesn’t get neglected either as part of that time is spent in skills training under former NBA coach Bob Hill.

Survival of the Fittest training. Chameleon training. Two of the terms Matrisciano uses to describe his workouts. Stairmasters, ellipticals, treadmills, and even traditional free weights mean nothing to this man. His playground is San Francisco. Adapting to one’s surroundings and overcoming any obstacle is the mantra he preaches as his charges labor up stairs carrying medicine balls, jog up sand hills in harnesses he tugs at from behind, and run in the soft, sandy beaches while wearing a 65-pound weighted vest. The workouts are held almost exclusively outside and never on a flat or hard surface.

Hell’s Trainer has pushed many to their absolute limits which some say is his ultimate gift: the ability to identify exactly where each of his client’s “limit” is. He has trained boxers, MMA & Martial Artists, Federal Marshalls, Firemen, Policemen, Pro Athletes, and Military Personnel.

So did Patrick and Daniel make the right choice? Only time will tell, but if Blake Griffin’s domination last year is any indication, Wildcat fans will appreciate the time and hard work our two big men are putting into the team’s success. After all, when you have ran stairs, sand dunes, and inclines of every sort, how hard could it be to sprint up and down a 94′ basketball court?

 http://sewildcatreview.com/blog2.php?p=105&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

World Champions

Congratulations to Darius Miller and the USA U19 team for winning the U10 world championship for the first time since 1991.

Darius Miller had 8 points and 3 steals in the 88-80 win over Greece. He averaged 5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks (5th in his position in blocks), 1.6 steals (3rd in his position in steals), 1.3 assists and shot 73% from the field while playing 14.4 min. a game. Playing like that against teams in a world competition shows how dependable he is going to be for the Cats.

Jamie Dixon had this team primed to win and even surrendering big leads a couple of times during the last two games didn’t faze the team a bit. Dixon had the kids playing the way you have to play to beat the European champions. Dixon “This team was unique in terms of US teams, in that it was best suited for international play. We may not have had as many name guys as other (US) teams but it really was suited, and I think we selected guys who were suited to the international style of play.” Thinking like that shows that we have learned to compete on the world stage again. These kids were fundamentally sound in their skills rather than being flashy.

A panel of accredited media representatives covering the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship selected the MVP and the All-Star Five of the Tournament. The All-Star Five of the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship featured Taylor (Kansas / Jersey City, N.J.) and Gordon Hayward (Butler / Brownsburg, Ind.) of the USA, Toni Prostran (Croatia), Nikos Pappas (Greece), and Mario Delas (Croatia), who was also selected MVP of the championship.

Things I learned from the games. Darius Miller is going to have a good year. Washington St. and Butler are probably going to be real good teams if their representatives in the games are any example of their teams. Toni Prostran (Croatia), Nikos Pappas (Greece) are possible future NBA players. Mario Delas (Croatia) who was selected MVP of the championship is a future NBA player. World basketball is worth watching if ESPN can get their foot in the door with FIBA for telecast rights. Jamie Dixon is a smart coach and is one of the best coaches in the county and I hope coaches the USA again.

Is it time to worry yet

Looking at the 2010 recruits signed so far you have to wonder if its time to worry yet. There is a lot of time before we need to worry but from looking at the SEC schools so far we should at least think about worrying. Its been said that we are recruiting players who are ranked higher than we normally do and they tend to sign later so there is no need to worry yet. Here is what scout.com is showing about the SEC teams recruiting so far.

Alabama: 16 HS players. 7 ranked top 150, 7 ranked in the 70′s and 2 ranked 40′s. They also have 2 JC commitments.

Arkansas: 8 HS players. 1 ranked top 150, 4 ranked in the 70′s and 3 ranked in the 40′s. They have 1 JC commitment.

Auburn: 8 HS players. 2 ranked top 150, 5 ranked in the 70′s and 1 ranked in the 40′s.

Florida: 14 HS players. 9 ranked top 150. 1 ranked in the 80′s, 2 ranked in the 70′s and 3 ranked in the 40′s.

Georgia: 13 HS players. 7 ranked top 150, 4 ranked in the 70′s and 1 ranked in the 40′s. They have 1 JC commitment.

Kentucky: 1 ranked in the 70′s and 1 ranked in the 40′s.

LSU: 14 HS players. 7 ranked top 150 and 7 ranked in the 70′s. They have 1 JC commitment.

Mississippi: 2 HS players. 1 top 150 and 1 in the 40′s.

Mississippi St: 5 HS players. 2 top 150 players and 3 ranked in the 70′s. They also have 1 JC player.

South Carolina: 12 HS players. 4 ranked in the top 150, 5 ranked in the 70′s and 3 ranked in the 40′s. They also have 1 JC commitment.

Tennessee: 9 HS players. 3 ranked in the top 150 and 2 in the 40′s. They also have 3 JC commitments.

Vanderbilt: 13 HS commitments. 1 top 150 commitment. 11 ranked in the 70′s and 1 in the 40′s.

Scouts.com shows 84 players still considering the Cats including 4 top 150 players who are being recruited by teams we should be able to out recruit. Given the odds we should sign some good players but still we need to start worrying a little.

Supplemental draft pool features three top candidates

The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place July 16, and three players who have a chance of being selected are Kentucky DL Jeremy Jarmon, Florida State WR Corey Surrency and Central Michigan OT Joe McMahon.

Here’s how the supplemental draft works. Teams make bids to the league for players in the supplemental draft pool. However, any team that makes a pick in the supplemental draft will forfeit a corresponding selection in the following year’s draft. For example, if a team were to win the rights to Jarmon with a fourth-round bid, it would forfeit a fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.

Jarmon is the most likely of the three players to be drafted, and he worked out at Kentucky on July 9. He also participated at the Kentucky Pro Day before the draft, measuring in at 6-foot-3 and 280 pounds with a 4.76-second time in the 40-yard dash.

Surrency, a big receiver with good hands, played only one season at FSU and caught 12 passes for 237 yards and four touchdowns. He’ll work out in Tallahassee on June 30.

Prior to his time at FSU, Surrency played at El Camino Junior College in Los Angeles. Surrency, who’s originally from Miami and played at Southridge High School, was heavily recruited by LSU, California, Oregon State and Oregon, among others.

A former junior-college player, McMahon transferred to Iowa State but never played there before ending up at Central Michigan. McMahon was a two-time Golden Gloves champion in boxing, and his high school teams in Chicago won state championships in football and rugby.

The supplemental draft began in 1977 as a way to accommodate players who weren’t eligible for the upcoming college football season. That year, Notre Dame RB Al Hunter flunked out of school after the NFL draft but before his senior season in college. Because Hunter wouldn’t have been eligible to transfer, the supplemental draft was created. The Seattle Seahawks landed Hunter with a fourth-round bid.

-Gil Brandt

Darius Miller playing great at U19 games

Darius Miller is continuing to improve his play and build his confidence at the U19 World Championships. His defensive play has been outstanding according to Purdue coach Matt Painter.

His ability to block shots and make steals is evident with him leading the team with 11 blocks and 11 steals several coming at critical times in a game. His stats in 16 min. or so of play a game show he is gaining confidence every game. He is shooting over 60 percent while averaging 5 points, almost 4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals a game. Coach Calipari and his teammates have to be ecstatic over his play.

You can see highlight video at the fiba tv site.

Cats in preseason top 25

The Cats are ranked 25th by Vegas Insider in their Preseason Top 25. SEC teams Florida #1, Ole Miss #6, Alabama #8, LSU #10 and Georgia #18 are also ranked.

25-KENTUCKY…Rich Brooks has been looking for a playmaker in Lexington and might have found one in versatile soph Randall Cobb, who sparked the Wildcat “O” on occasion at QB last fall, but appears ready to make a bigger impact in ’09 at WR or perhaps in direct-snap situations. Cobb’s presence might also make it a bit easier for mechanical QB Mike Hartline to become involved in more big plays this fall. But it’s on defense where the Wildcats ought to excel, with several honors candidates still in the fold (including potential NFL draftees LB Micah Johnson & CB Trevard Lindley) despite star DE Jeremy Jarmon being declared ineligible in spring. A forgiving non-conference slate makes a fourth straight bowl trip very likely.

http://www.vegasinsider.com/college-football/story.cfm/story/871681

MWC signs agreement with BCS

OK I admit my first thought when I saw the headlines was that the BCS gave in over fear of congress and a antitrust violation. Didn’t take long to realize that they signed because they had no choice but to sign after the WAC voted to sign.

Here is what the MWC said.
Today, the Mountain West Conference has executed the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) agreement and the attendant rights agreement with ESPN. While the Mountain West has expressed serious concerns with the various fundamental flaws in the current BCS system, our various good faith initiatives to generate reform have thus far not been accepted.

Therefore, the Mountain West believes it has no choice at this time but to sign the agreements. If a conference wishes to compete at the highest levels of college football, and the only postseason system in place for that is the BCS, no one conference can afford to drop out and penalize its football programs and student-athletes.

The Mountain West will continue its efforts for change, including a request for dialog with representatives of the BCS. Our goal is to ensure the eventual outcome of these endeavors is what our universities and student-athletes need, what the vast majority of American sports fans want, and what is long overdue: an equitable system.

Four years from now if the MWC and WAC continue to go to BCS bowls the BCS will have no excuse to exclude them.

Darius Miller doing good USA website not so good

Darius Miller had his best game with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks and 3 steals in 15 min. of play against Lithuania.

Darius Miller (Kentucky / Lexington, Ky.) provided the U.S. with a much need spark early in the fourth quarter. With the USA clinging to a 59-56 lead and 9:18 left, Miller pumped in six straight points while making a momentum shifting steal and blocking a shot as the U.S. moved out to a 65-56 lead with 6:26 to be played.

“They didn’t play a lot of guys so I think they got tired so when I came in and just tried to play with a lot of energy and it just worked out for us. My teammates did a good job of getting me the ball when I was open,” said Miller. “I think we played with a lot more intensity in the second half, we came out ready to play and ready to go. They we’re playing with a lot of intensity and we had to match it in the second half to come out with the win.”

USA Basketball on the other hand isn’t doing so good. I’m not going to post the links to the USA Basketball site any more since I’m getting the below now when I visit it.

Safe Browsing
Diagnostic page for usabasketball

What is the current listing status for usabasketball?

Site is listed as suspicious – visiting this web site may harm your computer.

What happened when Google visited this site?

Of the 315 pages we tested on the site over the past 90 days, 8 page(s) resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. The last time Google visited this site was on 2009-07-06, and the last time suspicious content was found on this site was on 2009-04-20.

Malicious software is hosted on 3 domain(s), including paylayos, habrion, tixwagoq.

2 domain(s) appear to be functioning as intermediaries for distributing malware to visitors of this site, including habrion, tixwagoq.

This site was hosted on 1 network(s) including AS19916 (ASTRUM).

Has this site acted as an intermediary resulting in further distribution of malware?

Over the past 90 days, usabasketball.com did not appear to function as an intermediary for the infection of any sites.

Has this site hosted malware?

No, this site has not hosted malicious software over the past 90 days.

How did this happen?

In some cases, third parties can add malicious code to legitimate sites, which would cause us to show the warning message.

Safe Browsing
Diagnostic page for AS19916 (ASTRUM)

What happened when Google visited sites hosted on this network?

Of the 7008 site(s) we tested on this network over the past 90 days, 28 site(s), including, for example, d26toastmasters, tahoemountainsports/, polinsys, served content that resulted in malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent.

The last time Google tested a site on this network was on 2009-07-08, and the last time suspicious content was found was on 2009-07-08.

Has this network hosted sites acting as intermediaries for further malware distribution?

Over the past 90 days, we found 2 site(s) on this network, including, for example, d26toastmasters, sonicxpressmail, that appeared to function as intermediaries for the infection of 2 other site(s) including, for example, dawnyawntoastmasters, irbinskas.

Has this network hosted sites that have distributed malware?

Yes, this network has hosted sites that have distributed malicious software in the past 90 days. We found 4 site(s), including, for example, stunninghairstyles, d26toastmasters, vicwebhosting, that infected 4 other site(s), including, for example, r63.org/, dawnyawntoastmasters, socalcamping.

The software doesn’t harm your computer and shows up and deletes with a malewear program but it does shows that either the USA site has been hacked or way less likely since its been on the site so long they are partnering with them for money.

Darius Miller and confidence

Darius Miller had 9 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 20 min. against Egypt in the U19 teams second romp in 3 games. After the first 3 games Darius is averaging 5 rebounds and shooting 66% while averaging 16 min. So far he has led the team with 6 steals against Iran and 9 rebounds against Egypt and if Darius needs a confidence booster this has got to be a big one. Bringing home a championship will be a bigger one.

« Previous Page — Next Page »