TerryVandrovec

Larson leftovers

A few more notes and thoughts on ex-Roosevelt High star and top-100 recruit Cody Larson joining the South Dakota State men’s basketball team:

Would Larson have joined the Jackrabbits if the post-season departure of Taevaunn Prince hadn’t opened up a scholarship? Maybe, said coach Scott Nagy. Because being a walk-on at SDSU would have been much cheaper for Larson than paying out-of-state tuition at Florida.
Then again, he had offers from plenty of other area schools.

One of the ways Larson stayed in shape during a season out of organized hoops: CrossFit. He picked up that activity in addition to lifting, running and playing pick-up games.
Still, he’s looking forward to resuming offseason team activities next week.
“I love structure,” he said, “so once we start school and workouts again and being around the time - I love the team environment and especially with my friends up there. It’ll be a really great experience.”

Once summer classes start, Larson and the Jack can begin the process of applying for an NCAA waiver in the hope that he can play immediately and for more than one year. Neither Nagy nor Larson seemed sure of what sort of outcome to expect. But a ruling should be issued in relatively short order - certainly before official team workouts start for 2013-14. 
“I’ve heard of it happening for coaching changes and stuff,” Larson said. “We’ve got people who know what they’re doing.” 

One recruiting service had Larson as the No. 88 recruit in America as a senior. He was ahead of Syracuse wing C.J. Fair and a few spots behind Jeremy Lamb, a current NBA player.
You’ve probably heard of the top four in that class: Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving, Jared Sullinger and Brandon Knight. Here’s the full list.

There’s no telling how this story will end. But Larson caught me off guard with several comments during our maybe 20-minute conversation Tuesday. There was no talk of having a chip on his shoulder or being an all-league player or changing the program. Instead, he came across as humble and introspective. If that approach holds, he’ll do fine - regardless of basketball.
Larson also made a couple of jokes, cracking that his sister, Wagner, a volleyball player at SDSU, turned down an invitation to be his roommate. He also acknowledged that younger sister and current Roosevelt hoops and volleyball standout, Tagyn, has a scholarship offer from the Jacks.
“She’s the athlete of the family,” he said. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Live chat 5/23

So much for the spring slowdown - there’s a ton of legitimately interesting stuff going on in South Dakota State sports right now.

We covered most of it during the weekly live chat. Here’s the replay.

Next week, I’ll have a list of the top 5 moments in Jackrabbits sports from 2012-13. Feel free to weigh in on that in advance in the comments section below.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Too Much TV: Timberwolves

The NBA Draft Lottery was held Tuesday night and, once again, the Minnesota Timberwolves were not helped by the ping-pong balls.

Still, they’re prepping to host a bunch of NBA prospects for a workout next week - including Nate Wolters, more than likely - and are getting up to speed with new director of basketball op Flip Saunders.

Mark Remme, web editor and reporter at Timberwolves.com, stops by Too Much TV to discuss that (and more!). 

Here’s the link. And another.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Tuesday Tidbits

Finally saw “Life of Pi” over the weekend. Still not sure which story told at the end was the “true” version:

Former SDSU standout Caleb Thielbar made his MLB debut Monday night just hours after getting called up, working two scoreless innings for the Twins in a 5-1 loss at Atlanta. Did the 26-year-old expect to see such immediate action?
He didn’t sound like it during an interview earlier in the day.
“I’ve done pretty much every role in the last couple years - I don’t know what the plan is,” he said. “At least I’ve done all the different things so it isn’t going to be a mystery to me when they really throw me in there.” 

As for the importance of finally getting a grad to reach the bigs, Jacks coach Dave Schrage said it’s a testament to the growth of the program.
“When you want with recruits is to show that guys do get drafted, they do make the big leagues and they do develop,” he said.

The current SDSU players are facing a key moment, too: The Summit League tournament. The four-team event starts Thursday at outgoing member Oakland.
Fifth-year senior Layne Somsen is expected to start on the hill in the opener against Western Illinois. It will be his first section in the conference tourney since 2009 - when Thielbar was still on the roster. Somsen missed the next two seasons due to injury and the Jacks failed to qualify last spring.
“It’s nice to be back in the conference tournament and playing for something,” the Yankton High grad said. 
Look for a more extensive preview in the Thursday edition. 

From the I-knew-this-forever-ago-and-forgot-to-report-it file, walk-on Joey Feilmeier has decided not to return to the SDSU men’s basketball team in order to focus on academics. Coach Scott Nagy was understanding of the decision, noting that Feilmeier is well-liked on the team.
The 6-foot-2 Dakota Valley grad played in four games in 2012-13 as a redshirt freshman. 

In football news, the Jacks expect to start conducting interviews this week for the vacant spot on the defensive side.
Meanwhile, they’re unlikely to seek out another quarterback even though No. 2 Eric Kline has transferred out. There are still three returners plus one incoming freshman at that spot. Plus, coach John Stiegelmeier pointed out that SDSU hasn’t fared especially well with insurance-policy QBs in recent years.

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Combine leftovers

Last day of coverage of the NBA Draft Combine - I promise:

South Dakota State point guard Nate Wolters will not be attending the multi-team event in Brooklyn this week due to the hip flexor issue that popped up this week, he said Sunday night. However, Wolters claims to be feeling better and instead will return to IMG Academy for the week to get treatments.

It was odd to see Wolters wearing shoes that were not part of the SDSU uniform. He was wearing some red Adidas - the Derrick Rose signature model. Does Wolters already have a deal with the company? No - they were given to him last summer at the Adidas Nations Camp in L.A. 

How close was Yankton High grad Colton Iverson to ending up playing alongside Wolters at SDSU upon deciding to transfer out of Minnesota? The 7-footer said he “considered” SDSU - plenty of friends were on board with the idea - and spoke with Wolters about the possibility at the time, although he didn’t take a campus visit.
“I didn’t know if I wanted another high-major or mid-major or South Dakota State - stay in state,” said Iverson, who wound up at Colorado State. “South Dakota State’s a great school, a great program and it would have been a lot of fun playing with Nate. Just didn’t work out in the end.” 

Meanwhile, the YHS Class of 2008 may end up with two draft picks in two sports. Iverson is rising up the NBA prospect lists, while prep teammate Layne Somsen is getting interest from scouts as a senior pitcher at SDSU. 
Iverson said the two are close friends, and have been comparing notes on the process on a fairly regular basis.

Wolters said that he was disappointed to hear that Oakland is leaving the Summit League this summer. He enjoyed competing against the Golden Grizzlies despite going 0-4 in visits to the OU gym.

Flip Saunders was at the event, one of his first public outings since taking control of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Where are things at with the Wolves potentially entering into a hybrid situation with the Skyforce, the team Saunders used to coach?
“We’ve looked into that,” he said. “I think Sioux Falls has to talk to a couple different people and situations. The NBADL is basically the second generation of the CBA. I would say that’s always positive having that kind of developmental situation.”
Minnesota is one of three NBA franchises that the Skyforce have pitched about a hybrid relationship. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

The Combine crowd

There’s a saying about the NBA Draft Combine: “Everybody is there.” OK. But who is everybody? As of Thursday, I’m able to expound upon that for you.

First, the logistics: The event is open only to NBA folks and approved media - no fans and no agents. But once you get in the door, things are pretty loose - folks just standing around watching hoops action spread out over as many as three courts. Two rows of folding chairs are reserved for NBA personnel, but the main bleachers and everything else is up for grabs.

There are a lot of NBA executives that you’ve never seen or heard of or seen. Ditto for nameless media types (like myself). That’s a good chunk of the room.
But there are also execs (Flip Saunders, Rod Thorn and John Hollinger) and media members (Seth Davis, Andy Katz, Fran Fraschilla, Ryen Russillo) that you do know.  

There’s the young former pros crew - guys like Tim Hardaway, Rod Strickland, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

A few select guys represent the best of both worlds - former players and high-powered execs: Danny Ainge, Danny Ferry, Mitch Kupchak and Kiki Vandeweghe.

Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was hanging out - he really does look like Jim Carrey – along with Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni, who continues to walk with a pronounced limp from knee replacement surgery. Jerry Sloan’s presence isn’t doing much to kill reports that he’s looking to get back in the game. 

There are bunch of D-League coaches, too, some with jobs for next season and some without like Skyforce coach Joel Abelson and former Skyforce great Randy Livingston.   

Needless to say, it’s an accomplished and eclectic mix, and everybody seems to know everybody. No wonder so much information is leaked via anonymous sources.

I’ll be back in the mix Friday for the second and final round of workouts. Except copious tweeting. 

And now for the official combine measurements of South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters and Yankton’s Colton Iverson:
Wolters
Height without shoes: 6-3.5
Height with shoes: 6-4.75
Weight: 196.4
Wingspan: 6-3.75
Reach: 8-2
Body fat: 5.5 
Hand length: 8.25
Hand width: 8.75

Iverson
Height without shoes: 6-10.5
Height with shoes: 7-0
Weight: 262.8
Wingspan: 7-2
Reach: 9-2
Body fat: 9.6 
Hand length: 9.25
Hand width: 9.5

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Live chat 5/16

Another live chat in the books - this one focusing on the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. 

Here’s a replay.

More coverage on Nate Wolters and Colton Iverson forthcoming. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.

Making sense of the NBA Draft Combine

This much we know: It has nothing to do with farm equipment. Beyond that, the NBA Draft Combine is a mystery. Or it’s at least not nearly as familiar to sports fans at the NFL version.

Personally, I think I’ve only watched a couple minutes of it - pretty sure Kemba Walker was sprinting between orange cones. That will change today and Friday when I attend the event in person in Chicago to cover South Dakota State guard Nate Wolters and former Yankton High big Colton Iverson.

Here’s some general event info that I’ve pieced together:

Per Mike Perrelli of the NBA’s basketball communications department, the event began in 1983 and was called the NBA Pre-Draft Camp. Over the years, it has bounced around to several locations in the Chicagoland area and has changed formats, most notably adding league-organized interviews of players by teams and the elimination of 5-on-5 play.
Workouts are not open to the public. In fact, videotaping of workouts is prohibited and there are rules about where agents can and can’t be. 

The current location is the Harrison Street Athletics Venue (pictured above via Chad Ford of ESPN). You’re probably more familiar with its former name: Attack Athletics. That’s the state-of-the-art gym built by super trainer Tim Grover, the man behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade.
Reportedly, the facility (or the people behind it, more specifically) filed for bankruptcy in 2012. 

Wolters faced a surprisingly high number of combine invitees during his time at SDSU. Among them: Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., (Michigan), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Georgia), Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Robert Covington (Tennessee State), Pierre Jackson (Baylor), Trevor Mbakwe (Minnesota), Tony Snell (New Mexico) and Iverson when he was at Minnesota.
It remains to be seen what players will or won’t do what activities. Some will opt to be measured and that’s it. 

How rare is it to have South Dakota prep or college players at the combine? That’s hard to say because there doesn’t seem to be a comprehensive list of participants. However, Mitchell’s Mike Miller attended in 2000 and was drafted fifth overall by the Orlando Magic out of Florida. In 2004, Jared Reiner of Iowa by way of Tripp attended. He was not drafted, but wound up playing parts of three seasons in the NBA.
Anybody aware of any others?

Finally, a programming note: Stop back here at 4 p.m. Thursday for a live chat on the first day of measurements and activities at the combine. 

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.