Month: April 2014

Shayok Gets UM Release

Posted on by Hoops Hype Canada

Marial Shayok received his release from Marquette on Friday, according to his father Makur Shayok.

Shayok, of Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy, was recruited and signed with Buzz Williams. He asked for his release following a meeting with new Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski.

“I got the news today,” Shayok told Scout.com. “Marquette released him.”

“He has some schools that he’s interested in,” he added. “We’ll find out more in the next couple of days.”

The elder Shayok said he started hearing from schools today.

“Right now I guess Virginia is after him and Notre Dame,” Shayok said. “There are more coming the next couple weeks. Indiana and Rutgers have called.”

“Right now he hasn’t pursued anyone,” he added. “I want to give it a week or two and see what it happens.”

Marial has high basketball IQ, strong fundamentals, and a versitile skill set. He brings a little bit of everything to the court without being an elite athlete.

Think Julius Hodge NC State days.

HHC Sources: Stauskas Has Chosen Agent

Posted on by Hoops Hype Canada

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Mississauga, ON’s Nik Stauskas will enter the 2014 NBA draft and choose Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports to represent him reliable sources have told Hoops Hype Canada.

Bartelstein is the father of recently-graduated former Michigan basketball captain Josh Bartelstein. Tim Hardaway Jr, a former Wolverine selected by the New York Knicks in the 2013 NBA draft is represented by Bartelstein. Also fellow Mississauga, Ontario native Andrew Nicholson and current Raptors reserve/veteran Steve Novak. He will be the second highly touted 2014 draft prospect under Priority Sports after Creighton’s Doug McDermott chose Bartelstein too.

Stauskas camp chose Bartlestein over Bill Duffy and Rob Pelinka (a teamste of the fab 5)

A shot at the 2014 NBA draft was the focal point of a rigourous training regime in the summer of 2013 for Nik. He made necessary changes to his body that paid mega dividends.

After gathering data from the NBA draft advisory board and circles Stauskas is projected between a middle to late first round draft pick. Maturity concerns whether Stauskas is ready for a NBA lifestyle is daid to be delaying the Big 10 player of the year from officially announcing his draft declaration a source told Hoops Hype Canada Wednesday evening,

“Why ruin his college time? The NBA isn’t going anywhere,” source said.

“Your four years in college can be the best four years of your life. When you get to the NBA, every single day, someone is trying to take your spot. You’ve got to perform and be ready when you’re number’s called. College is a great steppingstone for that.”

NBA Draft Express have Stauskus going 16th overall. NBAdraft.net have him slated for 14th meanwhile Basketball Insiders have Stauskas as high as 11th overall.

Stauskas honed his shooting skills in his Mississauga backyard with the rebounding help of his dad for years in preparation for this – a chance to contribute on a contending championship college team then a shot at potential future NBA career – Future for young Stauskus folks, has finally arrived!

Kabadyundi Sweepstakes 2.0

Posted on by Hoops Hype Canada

NCAA March Madness Final Four weekend has similarities to the NFL Super Bowl. National atttention and all the media responsibilities that come with it. Almost every NCAA coach will be in North Texas to witness a 2014 National Champion crowned.

Morning after? Like the eve of free agency! Tuesday preparations for the 2014-15 season begin. Coaching staffs will be strategizing on how they can fill scholarship voids for the 2014 season — only five months away.

Montreal Quebec native 2014 7-1 C Link Kabadyundi (Alma Academy) has turned a strong senior season in to an overwhelming sweepstakes as of late.

Kabadyundi against Canadian high school competition including tournaments in the Greater Toronto Area stood out like David Robinson. Twice once in November and then again in March. Playing in front of a full house and several NCAA scouts at the 2014 National Prep School Invitational in Rhode Island Kabadyundi managed double digit rebound performances in Alma Acadmey’s two victories versus West Oaks Academy (FL) and Bridgton Academy (ME).

According to older brother Yannick, who began handling Link’s recruitment last June after returning home from abroad playing professional ball says that a large list of schools are showing serious interest now.

“We all thought at one point 2-3 months ago it was going to be all easy, we would pick up a couple schools and now were racking up close to 8 schools and all of them look very strong. We just have to take some time and re-evaluate. Let’s understand this is for Link, I’m just his facilitator here to guide him through” older brother Yannick elaborated.

One of the most popular voids to fill with window’s closing on any class are centers, big man, let alone seven footers that come around very few and far between.

Kabadyundi not only plays the position in demand, he has positioned himself to be a benefactor late in the game on the recruitment scene.

OFFICIAL VISITS

Nebraska Cornhuskers with proven program builder Head Coach Tim Miles officially hosted the Kabadyundi camp on the weekend of March 8th. The amped-up sellout crowd of 15, 998 at Pinnacle Bank Arena lived up to their reputation and the Cornhuskers knocked off the now Final Four bound Wisconsin Badgers.

“Link enjoyed the Nebraska visit. Their venue was arguably the best in college basketball last season. The hype was real.” Yannick said who with Kabadyundi witnessed their faithful storm the court.

In his first season as an Assistant Coach at Nebraska is Kenya Hunter. Former Georgetown Hoyas coach of six seasons. He has an extensive development history working alongside NBA draft picks Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe and most recent Otto Porter. Hunter is reportedly spearheading the Cornhuskers pursuit.

UNOFFICIAL

February 22nd former NBA coach now head coach at Oklahoma Lon Kruger hosted Kabadyundi on an unofficial. As an Oklahoma Sooner Link could join a fraternity with Clippers Blake Griffin a Sooner alumni.

DEVELOPMENT

Kabadyundi’s camp understand the learning curve can be steep in college, especially on the defensive end. Red shirting a year is a possibility but aggressive schools are willing to deal with Link’s freshman mistakes.

Days of standing in the lane in a high school game, daring opposition to come down the lane and blocking their shots are over. Kabadyundi has to worry about screening action, being screened, guarding pick-and-rolls, guarding big guys who shoot and being in the right spot. There’s a lot that goes into that.

HIGH INTEREST

#-1 ranked Final Four bound Florida Gators according to Yannick have expressed interest. A program led by a future hall of fame coach Billy Donovan where developing big man is their sweet spot.

“SEC is a very good conference. I would be thrilled to see Link play in that conference and develop. Florida have a good history developing big guys such as the Noah’s, Horford and those guys. They showed great interest and I think being at an institution like that for four years would definitely develop a good young man and definitely a good basketball player considering their history with big guys and how they are consistently playing in the post season, those are opportunities of a life time.” Yannick explained.

“After their finished their post season run assistant coach Burno from Florida said he was definitely interested in linking up and having us come in for an official visit ” Yannick explained.

NIT Championship finalists SMU coached by Hall of Famer Larry Brown is another program on the rise after Link. Coach Brown has a staff filled with NBA experience such as former Sixers George Lynch and Eric Snow also a 5-star recruit Emmanuel Mudiay headed their next September.

UNLV dealing with draft concerns surrounding fellow Montreal native Khem Birch and Roscoe Smith, have allready begun expecting the best and preparing for the worst. Rebels have reportedly identified Kabadyundi on their radar as a target to potentially replace Birch if indeed he decides to go pro.

TCU, Georgia, Fresno State, Indiana and UMASS have all expressed interest. Assistant coaches Kenny Johnson at Indiana and Shyrone Chapman from UMASS have both recently exchanged dialogue w/Links’s camp.

“We welcome all kinds of schools. Were open to it. We need to be able to compare something. In order for us to compare we need to be open to anything and every opportunity that’s out there. The race is not over yet, its wide open. Show us what you have set up. Academically primarily because we need him to have a good support system pushing for him to graduate. Link has got ways to go. Were trying to put him into a position to maximize his ability and we’ll go from there. “

From the beginning stages Buffalo University (losing senior Javon McCrea to graduation) and New Mexico State (set to lose 7’5″ Sim Bhulllar to 2014 NBA draft ) have been in the fold trying to fill a void at their center positions respectively. Tulane too established a relationship with Link early on in his recruitment process

“Buffalo we heard got a kid from North Carolina and things turned around with them but we haven’t heard back so we wont draw conclusions. I promised Tulane and New Mexico State we would visit there. I like to stand firm with my word. Those were the programs that came in early.” Yannick told Hoops Hype Canada.

Kabadyundi & co will weigh the the pros and cons of each programs particulars over the next couple weeks and that should separate the pretenders from contenders. Older brother Yannick did verify a time table, “Week of April 16th”.

MOUNT ROYAL TOWERS

Yannick and Link also have a younger brother Jordy Tshimanga who is a 6’11 sophomore at MacDuffie in Massachusetts. Together they are nicknamed the Mount Royal Towers after an infamous hill in the beautiful town of Montreal. Keep tabs on this brother duo from Montreal both flirting with high major potential.

Follow 2014 7’1″ Link Kabadyundi (Alma, QC) on Twitter

More on Link read Link Kabadyundi Sweeptakes 1.0 here

Follow 2016 6’11″ Jordy Tshimanga (MacDuffie, MA) on Twitter

More on Jordy check out: Oh My Jordy! 6’10″ Southpaw Surfaces

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Kaza Keane Sweepstakes

Posted on by Hoops Hype Canada

Illinois State sophomore Kaza Keane, who hails from Ajax, Ontario has verified he will transfer from the ISU Redbirds.

Keane was selected as a member of the Junior Men’s National Team that represented Canada at the 2013 U19 World Championships. Keane donning the red and white flirted with a triple-double in a game versus Iran after a 25 minutes played, 9 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assist performance.

Keane told American media he desired to find a school closer to home after not having played in front of his family for the last three years.

“The experience (at ISU) has been great, but not being able to see my family is a burden,” Keane told the Penatgraph.com.

The 6-1 point guard graduated high school from Ro Russell’s Christian Faith Center Academy in Creedmoor, N.C. He also played with Grassroots Canada on the AAU circuit. On both fronts for Coach Russell, Keane averaged 20 plus points per game and parlayed it into a D1 career.

In Keane’s freshman year he started 10 games averaging 18 minutes per game. After returning from the U19 Worlds (averaging only 17 minutes and shooting only 29 percent over nine games) Keane wasn’t really given the reigns at running an offense for ISU. As a sophomore Keane only averaged 12 minutes per contest and didn’t start a single game. His shooting percentage dropped from 35 percent to 30 from year one to two.

Kaza Keane in action for Illinois State

Despite defense’s sagging in on Keane for two years as evident by the low shooting percentages, going for him is still the fact he was among the top 5 across the MVC after his freshman year in the assist to turnover ratio category.  Perhaps the true point guard Keane pushed it too hard as a sophomore but now he officially wont have the opportunity to win his job back next season.

One NCAA scout told Hoop’s Hype Canada Tuesday, “Kaza will definitely be a D-I player. He is not a step to slow, he got in the lane plenty of times. Just too often he didn’t have a plan once he got there. That will improve with experience.”

Keane became the first Canadian in ISU program history when he joined the team two years ago. He chose Illinois State over Penn State.

Now let the Kaza Keane Sweepstakes begin.

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Tutu Stock Turning Up

Posted on by Hoops Hype Canada

2015 Munis Tutu (La Lumiere/Canada Elite) is the #1-ranked point guard in the Canadian 2015 class.

Munis Tutu (LaLumiere IN) the No.1-ranked point guard in the 2015 Canadian class will travel with the Canada Elite U17 squad scheduled to participate on the Under Armour AAU circuit this summer.

Fresh off a 22-2 campaign with La Lumiere the 6’0″ Tutu reiterated via telephone with Hoops Hype Canada staff that he hopes to let his Spring time performances to do his talking,

“Really just talking to a lot of schools. Im not really going to foucs on all the schools until the summer time and AAU season.” When asked what his dream school growing up was the Windsor, Ontario native said something Hall of Famer and former UCONN head coach Jim Calhoun would love to hear, “I really like UCONN. Thats kind of a dream school I would love to go to”. said Tutu.

Kevin Ollie take notice!

Regarding the AAU season which is fast approaching Tutu verified reports of him participating with Toronto, Ontario based, Under Armour sponsored, Canada Elite. Tutu was being courted by Chicago’s Meanstreets and The Family from Detroit. CIA Bounce the Nike flagship program from Toronto, who do have a plethora of point guards in their ranks never reached out.

“I would have liked to play at CIA Bounce but they never contacted me. I wanted to play for a Canadian team so I will play with Canada Elite this summer. I chose them because of the coaching staff. I’ve known a coach there since third grade. I also wanted to play with them because I feel I can play, lead and win with them. I hope we can attract coaches in the gym to watch us. With Canada Elite hopefully we can become one of Canada’s great AAU programs.” Tutu said.

Reportedly set to join him at Canada Elite is Mr. Toronto Basketball for 2013-14 Chase Vassell who scored 25+ points or more in 17 games this season playing for Pine Ridge in Toronto. Together Tutu and Vassell should wreak havoc south of the border, Solid starting back court pick ups for the Under Armour sponsored squad from Toronto.

What does his high school coach La Lumiere head Alan Huss think about his AAU decision for Tutu’s last hurrah,

“It was important he found a fit that’s comfortable for him. He had lots of options if he wanted to playing the EYBL he could have. He did last season with the Family in Detroit close to home. Its critical he has a strong showing this spring and he continues to build on a solid high school season” Coach Huss told Hoops Hype Canada.

“Munis maybe undersized at his position and because of that people like to see what he cant do. He’ll continue to prove himself this spring. Once one or two high level programs offer him I think a lot more stuff will pour in. He has some great programs on his list now, I don’t think he’s overly concerned with it. I know he’s going to be smart and pick a right fit. Just want him to get better and he’s going to be just fine.” Coach Huss said about his recruitment.

DICKS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

An under-the-radar point guard in the class of 2015, Munis Tutu is about to breakout in a big way. He’s a gifted passer in the half-court set, showing impeccable vision, and the ability to create high percentage looks for his teammates. He operates the pick & roll to perfection, displaying poise and composure, and consistently found an open teammate on the kick-out. Defensively, Tutu uses his lateral quickness to lockdown on the perimeter, and he did a good job of guarding Gonzaga signee Josh Perkins at the Dicks National High School Tournament, preventing Perkins from turning the corner, and forcing him to take contested looks from beyond the arc. Tutu’s height will always be the biggest detriment to his value as a prospect, but with his awareness, versatility and ability to lead an offense, he has earned his spot among the Top 150 players in his class.

That’s the type of dymanic player Munis Tutu is. Keep tabs on this recruitment. Its about to sizzle up for Tutu as the focal point on Canada Elite.

Follow 2015 PG Munis Tutu on Twitter by clicking here

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PG Munis Tutu (2015) – La Lumiere – 5’11” 160 Pounds a representing Windsor, Ontario.