Jalen Hill Commits To 2017 Class For UCLA Basketball.

-Hill joins LiAngelo Ball as the second commit of the 2017 recruiting class.

Jalen Hill announced his commitment to UCLA tonight and, in so doing, became UCLA's second commit for the 2017 basketball recruiting class.

Hill attends Corona Centennial HS and also plays for the Compton Magic AAU team. Hill was a part of the USA Basketball U16 team which won the FIBA Americas gold medal just two weeks ago.

The USA Basketball website lists Hill as 6'9" Forward weighing 210 lbs. This past season, Hill led Centennial to a 26-6 record and the CIF Southern Section Regional title while averaging 6.5 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game and 1.3 blocks per game.


                                             //youngertime//

-Te Maryland women's basketball team added a new player to its arsenal in 5'10" wing Ieshia Small who will transfer to the Terps from Baylor. Small, was granted her release by the Bears and announced her decision via Twitter (@ieshaismall24) Saturday.

Small, who played for Florida High School in Miami, was the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year in Florida and was the 19th ranked player in the class according to ESPN's HoopGurlz.com. Although she was selected as the preseason Freshman of the Year in the Big 12, it appears that Small never got comfortable in Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey's system.

She played in all 37 games with two starts as a freshman playing about 11.5 minutes per contest and averaging three points per game. She averaged a similar number of minutes in her sophomore season but played in only 28 games as Baylor saw its season end in a second consecutive Elite Eight loss to Notre Dame. Although her scoring dropped by about a half point per game, she did average nearly 2 assists in her limited minutes.


                                          //youngertime//

Casa Grande basketball coach James Forni, 35, dies after battle with cancer

-Even when Casa Grande High School coach and teacher James Forni became ill, he continued to focus on his students and kept his positive attitude that belied a serious battle with cancer.

Colleagues and students recalled his dedication in the face of an eight-year fight with melanoma that took his life Sunday morning. He was 35.

“He was truly in a life-and-death struggle and you would never know it,” Casa Grande Principal Linda Scheele said. “It was all about his teaching and coaching, and he wanted to be there for the kids.”

Scheele said it was impossible to calculate the impact Forni, the varsity basketball coach and physical education teacher, had in his dozen years working at Casa Grande.

“He has touched so many students, faculty members and members of the community,” she said.

Role model, inspiration, loved and respected and ultimately a fighter. Those were some of the descriptions that poured forth Sunday as news of Forni’s passing spread quickly through Petaluma, where he was a member of a well-known family with longtime ties to the community.

76ers Legitimately Concerned About Joel Embiid's Right Foot

-Sam Hinkie said selecting Jahlil Okafor third overall was not connected to the situation with Joel Embiid's injured foot.

But the Philadelphia 76ers appear to be legitimately bewildered and worried about Embiid's injury.

"I'd like to think we'd have had the courage to do it anyway," Hinkie responded when asked if he would have still selected Okafor. "I knew and it's hard to unknow where things stood with Joel, but I'd like to think we'd have the courage anyway."

A CT scan of Embiid's foot about a week ago led to the Sixers making the Saturday night release saying things weren't as healed as "anticipated."

"[Embiid] feels really good," Hinkie said. "That's part of what makes this, um, maybe confusing is the right word.



                               //youngertime//

Nemanja Bjelica, Timberwolves Discuss Three-Year Deal While Exploring Options

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Euroleague star Nemanja Bjelica is in serious discussions with the Minnesota Timberwolves on an approximate three-year, $12 million-plus deal, but the two sides have been exploring all options, league sources told RealGM.
Bjelica, 27, has moved toward breaking into the NBA after being named the Euroleague MVP this past season. At 6-foot-10, Bjelica is a skilled forward who could play three positions at the NBA level.

Report: 76ers Ordered To Send $3M To Pelicans For Not Disclosing Holiday's Injuries

-The Philadelphia 76ers were ordered to send the New Orleans Pelicans $3 million in compensation for not fully disclosing the injury history of Jrue Holiday, according to sources.

The 76ers traded Holiday on draft night of 2013 to the Pelicans for Nerlens Noel.

The sources said Holiday played with stress fractures in his lower right leg during his final season with the Sixers. However, the sources said, those injuries weren't fully disclosed to the Pelicans.

Sam Hinkie declined to comment, but a Sixers team source disputed the allegation.

"That's not true," the Sixers source said.

According to the other two sources, the Sixers are now trying to receive a payment from the Los Angeles Lakers for allegedly misinforming them about Andrew Bynum.


                             
                                              //youngertime//

Dunc'd On Podcast: Offseason Previews For Spurs, Blazers, Nets, Pacers.

-Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) and Daniel Leroux of RealGM (@DannyLeroux) preview the upcoming offseason for the Spurs, Trail Blazers, Nets and Pacers.

-Lopez, young opt out with strong probabilitty of re-signing with Nets

-Brook Lopez has opted out of his contract for the 15-16 season with the Brooklyn Nets.

Lopez is seeking a three-year, $60 million contract with the Nets, though the agreement could include some financial protections for the team if there is a recurrence of his foot issues.

Lopez could agree upon a deal that includes a player option for the third season.

Both Lopez and Thaddeus Young opted out with strong intentions of reaching new deals with Brooklyn.
 

 
                                             //Youngtimer//

Young, 27, who opted out of $10.2 million owed him next season, is on course for a four-year, $48 million-plus deal in free agency.

//YoungerTime\\

-Paul Pierce opts out of $5.5M deal for next season 

-Paul Pierce opted out of his player option with the Washington Wizards on Saturday.

Pierce reportedly will decide between returning to the Wizards or joining the Los Angeles Clippers.

                                         //Youngertime//

-Marc Gasol has no interest in Signing wiith Lakers.

-Marc Gasol will be a free agent this offseason but he has no interest in the Los Angeles Lakers.

Sources familiar with the situation indicate Gasol's lack of interest is due to "uneasy" final few years his brother, Pau Gasol, spent with the organization.

Gasol has spent his entire career with the Memphis Grizzlies.

//YoungerTime\\