Vancouver Metro Basketball League

Vancouver Basketball’s Clint Lomax goes one-on-one with diarist Clayton Crellin. Crellin was a former stand out at Kitsilano High School and has won three Metro League championships and a Metro League MVP award. He is currently playing college ball at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology for the Ooks.

CL: When did you start playing basketball and why?

CC: I started playing when I was 14. Why I started, well I wouldn’t say it was so much of a why. It was more basketball just found me, I never knew what it was growing up, but it was never round for me when i was younger. I played hockey and soccer and baseball then got into football.

CL: When did you know you were going to be good at basketball?

CC: I can’t really say when I knew I was going to be good. I just knew if I was going to have to do it, I had to be good. I grew up in small towns and where ever I went or whatever I did I wanted to be the best no matter how big they were, or how old they might have been. If someone told me that you might be better than I was, I would do whatever I could do to prove to everyone else that was not the case.

CL: When was the first time you dunked?

CC: I first dunked soon after I started. I never really knew/understood what the NBA or NCAA was until I finished from the 11th grade. I started off watching street ball, and saw a lot of dunkers. So I would go the YMCA or the False Creek if it was sunny, and I would try to touch the rim everyday for hours then when I couldn’t jump anymore, I would take my ball and dribble home. I didn’t have a bus pass or anything like that, so sometimes I would have to walk for hours to get home or to the basketball court. The good thing about that is that my handles got better with every step.

CL: Which player(s) influence your game, and how do they motivate you?

CC: Well when I first started, Joey Haywood was big for me. We would play one-on-one for days! I would leave my house with no cell phone no bus pass, and just walk court to court looking for this dude. I wouldn’t let him leave till I beat him, which back then never happen. Jawaun (Akbar) states he might have had the biggest impact on shaping my game. Most of the moves I use I got from Joey. I would work with him for hours just trying to get one move down. Brian Lee, Pasha Bains and the whole Drive league was big for me. Not just from a basketball stand point, but in life, as they help me become a man. I never had the family like most had, or the stability that many others had. I grew up in and out of group homes, sometimes not staying in one home for more than a week. I met B-Lee (Brian Lee) when I was 14. He was the first coach I ever had. He has without a doubt made the biggest impact in my life. Without him and basketball I would be back in jail or even dead, god only knows. Mr. Lee was and is like a big brother/ father to me.

CL: What message would you give to the young hoopsters coming up now, who may have doubts on how good they can be?

CC: If i could say anything to the hoopsters it would be to use basketball to get somewhere. To see the world, to get a job, to get free schooling, or make money playing the game you love. Lastly, please don’t let basketball use you.

Look out for more diary entries from Clayton throughout the year.

Get at Clint on Twitter

We were way behind posting this up, but better late than never.

Rookie man-child Blake Griffin going off on the Knicks last weekend.

Pure nastiness. Enjoy!

Here’s a look at the preseason rankings for British Columbia high school boys basketball. In the AAA standing reigning champions Yale slip in at the 10th spot while Van-City is represented by powerhouses Kitsilano (fifth) and last year’s city champions Sir Charles Tupper (eighth) both in the top ten.

AAA

1. Burnaby South (Burnaby)

2. R.C. Palmer (Richmond)

3. Vancouver College (Vancouver)

4. Terry Fox (Port Coquitlam)

5.Kitsilano (Vancouver)

6.Kelowna (Kelowna)

7. Claremont (Victoria)

8. Sir Charles Tupper (Vancouver)

9. W.J. Mouat (Abbotsford)

10. Yale (Abbotsford)

AA

1. Britannia (Vancouver)

2. South Okanagan (Oliver)

3. Lambrick Park (Victoria)

4. Clarence Fulton (Vernon)

5.St. Michael’s University (Victoria)

6. Southridge (Surrey)

7. Holy Cross (Surrey)

8. Sa Hali (Kamloops)

9. Brentwood College (Mill Bay)

10. GW Graham (Chilliwack)

A

1. Langley Christian (Langley)

2. Bodwell (North Van)
3. West Point Grey Academy (Vancouver)

4. Osoyoos (Osoyoos)

5. St. Ann’s Academy (Kamloops)

6. Unity Christian (Chilliwack)

7. Glenlyon Norfolk (Victoria)

8. Immaculata (Kelowna)

9. Maple Ridge Christian (Maple Ridge)

10. McBride (McBride)

For info on the BC Boys High School Basketball happenings check out BC Boys High School Basketball\'s website

Vancouver Basketball is proud announce that former Metro League MVP Clayton Crellin will be entering diary updates on his season playing for the Ooks at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
Here`s a glimpse into some of his work.

Thanks to the good peeps at the The Basketball Jones for doing this hilarious video about former Raptor and current Miami Heat all-star Chris Bosh.

Like Bosh or not, this is still too funny.

TBJ exclusive: Like A Bosh from The Basketball Jones on Vimeo.

Thanks to the good people at His Aura was Orange blog for posting this. Some really funny photos of some of your favorite NBA players as kids.
Check out this young KG! Click the link below to see more.

NBA Childhood Photos

By Andrew ‘Soda’ Wadden

New Jack City

Just like the nickname coined for him by Raptors play-by-play host Matt Devlin, Jarrett Jack is a new jack, in a new city after getting shipped to New Orleans this past weekend along with teammates Marcus Banks and David Andersen in exchange for Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless. Jack spends just 95 games in a Raptors uniform after joining the club as a free agent in the summer of ’09, reuniting himself with college teammate Chris Bosh. Thus far Jack’s second season in Toronto hasn’t been spectacular. His field goal percentage is below .400 and from behind the arc he’s a dismal .167. At times it’s looked as though the Raptors had acquired the second coming of T.J. Ford as Jack’s shot selection and general disinterest on the floor looked all too familiar to the Raptors. So General Manager Bryan Colangelo did what was necessary and shipped the disgruntled point guard to New Orleans in exchange for a former all-star- with an expiring contract – Peja Stojakovic and a potential talent in young point guard Jerryd Bayless.
The deal is essentially Jack for Bayless which works out well for both teams. New Orleans gets a veteran who wants to win and has the heart to win – when he’s happy that is. In New Orleans, Jack will get plenty of opportunity to prove he’s the right sub for when all-star point guard Chris Paul needs a rest.
Toronto get’s a young point guard in Jerryd Bayless who desperately needed to join a young team like the Raptors to find his fit in this league. While in Portland, Bayless was buried on a team that was stacked in the guard position and a coach who was reluctant to give the former Summer League MVP a chance to run. When the Blazers shipped Bayless to the Hornets less than a month ago, it looked as though this would be Jerryd’s best shot at showing his game. But once again Bayless was buried on a veteran team and was playing behind one of the best point guards in the NBA in Chris Paul. Toronto will be a better fit for the third year guard, as his minutes will increase as Jose Calderon’s back up and he’ll be given more of an opportunity to make mistakes and to learn from them. The Raptors will be hard pressed to make the playoffs this year and look to be headed back in the draft lottery, so potentially the Raptors could fair as the winners of this deal as Bayless is a low risk and comes much cheaper than Jack, while Stojakovic comes off the books this summer, giving Toronto some room to tinker their line up next summer. However, with the way the Hornets have been playing this year the addition of Jack should help keep them playing atop the Western Conference and possibly relieve some stress in the Hornets front office about the future of Chris Paul in New Orleans. Anything that keeps the Hornets prized possession happy in the grand scheme of things will make New Orleans the overall big winner.

Risky Business

The Carmelo Anthony trade saga continues. Melo and his Nuggets traveled to New York and New Jersey this past week picking up wins at both stops. While Melo is rumoured to be possibly headed to either the Knicks or the Nets, the reality is Melo will be anywhere but Denver by this year’s trade deadline. Even though Melo wants out of Denver, one has to admire how Anthony is handling the situation. Anthony is doing everything on the court to prove otherwise. He sits tied with Mavericks all-star Dirk Nowitzki for fifth in league scoring with 24.4 per game and has Denver a game over .500 in the red hot Western Conference. It is rumoured that the only way teams will go after Anthony is with the stability that he will sign an extension with whomever pursues him, however, with the CBA up this summer and the uncertainty of whether or not there will be a season next year, you can bet that there will be many teams that would risk the gamble of trading for Anthony, especially if it gives them that extra key to a long playoff run (see Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls). Denver could make use a deal for Melo to help them build for a future that like it or not is not going to include Anthony. The right deal for Melo could keep Denver a winning franchise despite losing one of the best players to ever play for the franchise. In the case of the Nuggets this may be an unwanted risk that is worth taking.

One last thought
Am I the only person that forgot Tracy McGrady was still in the NBA?
Where did this come from?

Get at Soda on Twitter

Week Six

Feature Game

Serbia (4-1) 87 – Still Ballin’ (1-5) 66

In a game that on paper looked very one-sided, Still Ballin’, despite losing by 21 points, were actually in this game for close to three quarters. Still Ballin’ had the lead at the half 39-37 but Serbia used a 25-5 run midway through the second half to seal the win. Serbia’s high octane offense was stale in the first half but on fire in the second with four of their six players scoring in double figures including a game 28 points from Vlad Ruzic. Still Ballin’ were led by point guard Brandon Chancey who had an incredible game scoring a fearless 22 points in the loss.

Top Scorers
Serbia – Vlad Ruzic (28)
Still Ballin’ – Brandon Chancey (22)

Other Scores from Week Six

Sonic Boom (2-3) defeated Flores (2-2)

Sonic Boom earns the win due to Flores having to forfeit as they only had four players throughout the game. Metro League rules state that a team can run with four players but if the fifth doesn’t show up by halftime, it’s officially a forfeit.
However, this was possibly the game of the week. It was a dog-fight throughout with the lead flopping back and forth. Flash forward to the final play of the game. Flores has the ball with Sonic Boom up four, 94-90, with just six seconds remaining on the clock. Flores’ Brent Charleton nails a three to cut the lead to one. Sonic Boom inbound the ball right into Flores’ Erik Holm’s hands. Holm’s lays in the bucket and gets fouled on the play to give Flores the 95-94 lead and the unofficial win. An incredible turn of events that unfortunately due to league rules results in a loss for Flores.

Top Scorers
Flores – Erik Holm (37)
Sonic Boom – Seiji Suzuki (25)

Chips (3-2) 85 – East Enders (2-4) 67

Chips guard Ali Darush nailed four from the land beyond supplying a team high 21 points to the lead his squad to a win over the reeling East Enders. Sharp shooting and great ball movement in transition led to four Chips players scoring in double digits helping them cruise to victory. East Enders Russell Whitehead had a strong game leading all scorers with 34 points. The East Enders drop their second in a row and slip to two games under .500 while Chips move a game over .500 and move up the ladder in the Metro League standings.

Top Scorers
Chips – Ali Darush (21)
East Enders – Russell Whitehead (34)

Warpigs (2-3) 62 – Vancouver United (2-3) 54

Jordan Moda’s 22 points lead the Warpigs to an upset win over Metro League veterans Vancouver United. Moda hit four threes to lead his team to their second win of the season. Vancouver United’s big man Kerri Westmore had another top game scoring 25 points in the loss.

Top Scorers
Warpigs – Jordan Moda (22)
Vancouver United – Kerri Westmore (25)

Wildcats (6-0) 73 – Team 852 (2-3) 58

Kyle Watson’s 17 points led a balanced Wildcats attack which saw three players score in double figures and eight of their nine man roster all getting on the score sheet. Frank Liu led Team 852 with 19 points in the loss.

Top Scorers
Wildcats – Kyle Watson (17)
Team 852 – Frank Liu (19)

Remix (2-4) 74 – MayB (0-5) 65

Ben Holden scored 21 points while his Remix teammates Edvin Malushaga and Karim Hilali chipped in with 20 and 19 points respectively to earn Remix their second win of the season. MayB got a game high 28 points from Roman B in the loss. At 0-5 to start the year, MayB are still searching for their first win in their Metro League existence.

Top Scorers
Remix – Ben Holden (21)
MayB – Roman B (28)

Molson (6-0) 65 – SWAT (4-2) 56

By Greg Dyck

The Heat isn’t dead. They’re just getting to know each other.
Consider the first twenty games of their season the Heat’s pre-season. The roster was completely revamped from the year prior, and how often do you see immediate success in any sport after a franchise turns that route? Granted they did blow it up with two of the top five players alive right now, but the rest of the roster just isn’t there. The one and five spots on the court are extremely important, which is exclamated when you consider the point guard golden era we’re blessed to be living through (Rondo made it look way too easy against them). Pat Riley has more work to do this off season, and he knows it. In the two games with Boston it became brutally obvious they need to get stronger up front, unless Chris Bosh enrolls himself at the “Charles Oakley School for Toughness”. Unfortunately for Heat supporters Bosh will never consider himself a banger up front, even in the name of winning- which he has yet to do at any level.
Keep in mind it takes a whole team to win a championship, and the back half of this roster wouldn’t crack most teams in the NBA.

I can’t remember the last time there was this many bad teams in one season.
Last year we saw only two teams win less than twenty five games (Nets + T`Wolves). It`s not uncommon to see four or five teams go under that sad plateau at season’s end, but this year, could we see even one or two more than that? Assuming the Heat, Bulls, Thunder pick up the pace a little, and the Hornets keep up their winning ways, we could see a real dog fight in the race for the Tar Heels Harrison Barnes with the first overall pick. Would anyone bee surprised if we see the Timberwolves (despite Kevin Love`s freakishly efforts), Raptors, Pistons, Wizards, Rockets (should have known better going into the season thinking they were better, any time you write “If Yao stays healthy!” It`s a bad omen), Clippers, and 76`rs all finish under twenty five wins?

Who`s the frontrunner for ROY: Griffin or Wall?
If Blake Griffin can stay healthy, this is going to be a tight race. They`re one-two in efficiency rating among rookies, dominating all other rookies statistically, (to nobodies surprise) and along the way providing a glimmer of hope to their very sad franchises. If it comes down to flash and just the amount of buzz created when traveling to opposing cities, hands down Wall takes it, and I wouldn`t argue, but the way Griffin has been pushing around opponents this young season can`t be ignored. He`s averaging 16-11 while wetting his feet on the pro level. If John Wall really wants to solidify his campaign, he has to get his turnovers down. Only Stephen Curry has higher turnovers per game ratio amongst guards.

Kobe`s taking a back seat, and the rest of the league should be scared.
Pau Gasol has emerged as the number one guy in LA… For now. Don`t be mistaken- it`s Kobe`s team, but since the Phoenix series of last year, it looks like he really believes in his teammates for the first time in his career, and doesn`t mind if the whole damn offence doesn`t run through him truly. Keep in mind these number: Pau`s averaging six more minutes than Kobe a game, Kobe went over forty minutes for the first time this season in the loss to Denver, Pau`s gone over forty in all but four games. Come playoffs expect (obviously) Kobe`s role to become much bigger, but it`s interesting to see him hand the reins over a little, he even looks to be enjoying it. What`s even scarier is the Big Catalonian is becoming more vocal, and a better leader in the process. The team is a two headed monster evoking fear into opponents. Which is more than can be said about what`s going on in South Beach.

Follow Greg Dyck on www.twitter.com/gregs_moustache

by Clint Lomax

I thought I’d write a quick article on Paul “The Truth” Pierce enlight of the 2 game mini sweep of the Miami Heat (so far).  I probably would not have if it wasn’t for his recent tweet mocking Lebron’s infamous “The Decision” quote:  “It’s been a pleasure to bring my talents to south beach now on to Memphis.”  There has not been a day that I have not liked Paul Pierce since he hit the NBA.  I followed him at Kansas, but he reminded me of Ohio State standout Evan Turner.  With a bumper crop of Kentucky Wildcats already on the storied Boston Celtics (Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Walter McCarty), Pierce was the 3^rd leading scorer his rookie year with 16 points per game (ppg).  For the next 11 years Pierce would go on to average 22.5 ppg along with 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.  Pierce has been known as one of the most complete NBA players going today.  Hence the nickname “The Truth”.  I don’t know when he received that nickname, but in my opinion it fits! 

On other little known fact is Pierce is one of only seven players to play more than 10 years with the same team as of 1995.  The other players (off the top of my head): Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Adonal Foyle, Jeff Foster, and Michael Redd.  I know what you’re thinking…….ADONAL FOYLE!  LOL, I was thinking the same thing.  As time went on for Pierce, he became the poster child for all that was wrong with the Celtics Win/Loss record.  Even with all the clutch shots and ironman-type performances, he was being saddled as a superstar that will never win a ring.

Enter Doc Rivers and what would be known as the modern day “Big 3” (Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen).  The first two season under Rivers, the Celtics did not break the 40 win mark!  Going into the 07-08’ season, the choice was fire Doc Rivers or trade Paul Pierce to a contender for quality players.  Thankfully for Doc Rivers and Boston Celtic fans, Danny Ainge pulled the trigger on a trades that brought Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston.  The rest is history! 

The last thing I can leave you doubters with is….. don’t sleep on Paul Pierce!

Twitter: mjlover23

Facebook: Clint Lomax