Post by ironlions on Nov 8, 2006 21:01:30 GMT -5
We have pretty good incoming class.
Tim Diedrichs(Snohomish Senior HS)
Snohomish, WA 6-8/- 09/14/2006
SF NR Orlando Johnson(Palma HS)
Salinas, CA 6-5/- 09/12/2006
SF NR Brandon Walker(Bishop O Dowd HS)
Oakland, CA 6-3/185 09/07/2006
Articles post below:
August 15, 2006
WALKER REAPS REWARD FOR HARD WORK
Kevin McCarthy and Lee Hubbard
Rabbi Harold Kushner is famous for the book When Bad Things Happen To Good People. Brandon Walker of Bishop O' Dowd is writing his own book of sorts, on the basketball court and in the classroom. The 6-foot-3,
185 pound shooting guard's book is fittingly entitled "When Good Things Happen To Good People."
Walker raised his grade point average at the end of his junior year to 3.5 and scored 1310 on the SAT but the real testament to Walker's character is he plans to retake the SAT in order to achieve an even higher score.
Basketball consumed Walker during the month of July.
He competed in several events with both his high school locally and on the road with his club team, the Oakland Soldiers. After his performance at the Big Time and Best of Summer tournaments, Loyola Marymount came calling with a scholarship offer, which Brandon readily accepted.
"I got back from playing in LA with the Soldiers at the Best of Summer tournament and I was looking at all of my options," said Walker. "LMU was my #1 school and the school I wanted to go to. They ended up calling me and offering me a scholarship a week or so after LA and I accepted it right away."
Other schools that were also interested included Portland, Portland State, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, UC Davis, Washington State, San Diego State, Pepperdine, St. Mary's and San Francisco.
Lou Ritchie coach of the Oakland Soldiers I team and Assistant Varsity Basketball coach at Bishop O'Dowd High School, has been training and coaching Walker since the 7th grade. The #7 ranked senior prospect by NorCalPreps.com lauds Richie, Tony Freccero (Triple Threat Academy proprietor and Bishop O'Dowd assistant), his father, mother and his family for influencing his success to date. "They have all taught me how to carry myself on and off the court, to be the best that I can be not just on the basketball court but also in the classroom and at home." Walker humbly omits the time and effort he has put in towards realizing his potential as both a player and person.
"[Brandon] had a goal, mapped out a plan, stuck to it, received a lot of support," Richie stated, adding "he's a very deserving, well-spoken young man." Richie calls Walker "a sponge, someone whose listening skills are better than anyone else. His coachability is off the charts."
A lefty, Walker is a wing/two guard who offers that his best skills are "rebounding, being physical, defending and committing few turnovers." Conversely, he adds that he is working on bettering his explosiveness, ballhandling and shooting."
Asked why he went with Coach Rodney Tention and Loyola Marymount as his college choice, Walker said: "I was looking for a program with a family atmosphere and Coach Tention told me he wants to build a family.
Plus, I want to have a relationship with my professors and not be in a class with 300 others." Class size at LMU is generally around 20 students.
Loyola assistant coach Calvin Byrd was instrumental in Walker's decision. Byrd and Walker first met a few years ago at a University of Pacific (UOP) basketball camp. "He was nice to me and my family (at the camp),"
Walker remembered. Byrd grew up in the Bay Area and has coached at UC Irvine, San Francisco and UOP.
Richie added that both Tention and Byrd will be great role models for Walker on and off the court. "These guys will help in Brandon's transition to manhood,"
Richie said.
Tention, hired in April 2005, has quickly turned around the long dormant LMU program, finishing second last season in West Coast Conference play with an 8-6 record. The Lions beat St. Mary's in the semifinals of the conference tournament before falling at the buzzer to Gonzaga in the final. LMU will graduate wings/backcourters John Montgomery, Brandon Worthy and Adoyah Miller after this upcoming season, leading to possible early playing time for Walker who said: "I'll work hard and hopefully play some right away."
Underclassmen Corey Counts, Chris Kanne, Damian Minor, Jon Ziri and Sean Deadwiller will be Walker's competition come 2007-08.
"Brandon can give leadership, consistency and knowledge of the game," continued Richie. "He is the type of player that will give you scoring, rebounding and the ability to make plays on the court."
Walker will visit the Loyola campus on September 15 on an official visit after which, he plans to enjoy a fruitful senior season. Walker averaged 15 points and
5 rebounds a game and the Dragons were 19-9 last year, a record most coaches and players would revel in but not the storied O'Dowd program. New Coach Doug Vierra plans to revert back to an aggressive style of play, trapping and pressing--music to Walker's ears.
"We have all of the pieces in place to have a great team," said Walker.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No doubt, a chance to contribute the minute he sets foot on campus was appealing.
At least a dozen Division I universities made that pitch to Orlando Johnson.
Yet, it wasn't so much who the Palma senior chose to believe as where he felt most comfortable.
First impressions go a long way and Johnson stuck to his instincts Monday when he verbally committed to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles on a full-ride basketball scholarship.
The 6-foot-6 guard will make it official Nov. 5 when high school athletes can sign their letters of intent.
'I'm breathing again,' Johnson said. 'It's a weight lifted off my chest. The calls were coming daily. I was starting to feel the pressure. It's a sense of relief.'
Johnson, a starter since his freshman year, averaged more than 20 points a game last winter for the Chieftains, who reached the Central Coast Section Divisional semifinals.
'Last season I was nowhere near where I'm at right now,' said Johnson, who battled injuries and a new system. 'I wasn't myself.'
Johnson missed nearly six weeks of the season last year after Palma's football team reached the CCS Open Division Championship.
While football had become an option as well, Johnson elected to focus his full attention this year on basketball, choosing not to put the pads on again.
'I miss it a lot,' said Johnson, a receiver last season. 'But basketball is where my heart is at. Football isn't what I saw myself doing at the next level.'
It's hard to argue with Johnson's decision.
Last season Loyola Marymount finished second in the West Coast Conference in basketball, and has been regarded as one of the stronger programs on the West Coast.
One visit to the campus, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the greater Los Angeles area, and a meeting with the coaches had Johnson prepared to suit up. He elected not to make any of his other scheduled visits.
He was sold.
'I really bought into them and what they were trying to do with their system,' Johnson said. 'It made me want to become a Lion.'
As Johnson demonstrated last winter, he is versatile. Over the course of a game he could play any of the five positions.
The ability to penetrate past smaller players or spot up and shoot a jump shot made him appalling to Loyola Marymount, which runs an up-tempo offense.
'I can do a lot of different things as a scorer,' Johnson said. 'What the coach told me is he sees me as a player that could be that go-to guy.'
While Johnson has a body built more like a college tight end, he's agile in the open court with deceptive quickness and the ability to beat his defender on the first dribble.
'I like to get up and down the floor,' Johnson said. 'I like being on the fast break and getting the dunks. But I can shoot. They seem to really like my shot.'
Make no mistake, Johnson isn't interested in sitting and waiting his turn. He believes he can be an impact player and contribute immediately.
And while a commitment was made to him, he understands a lot will depend on him and how hard he works to earn that spot.
'I want to make a name for myself,' Johnson said. 'I just want to come in and make things happen. It's important for me to play right away.'
Johnson, who transferred to Palma last year after two years at North Salinas, spurned offers from bigger colleges for the smaller environment that Loyola Marymount will present.
'It's in a great area,' Johnson said. 'I really like the campus. I like the players. And I've got family down there.'
And while Johnson listened to other coaches make their pitches, he didn't see any reason to look elsewhere.
'I wasn't interested in living in Wisconsin or going somewhere where it snows in the winter,' Johnson said. 'This was almost too perfect.'
With the pressure lifted off his shoulders, Johnson is turning his attention to taking Palma back to a place it hasn't been since 1992 -- the state finals.
'I would say football hurt me last year,' Johnson said. 'My knee was sore. I didn't bring my best to the table. This year you'll see the Orlando Johnson of old.'
Tim Diedrichs(Snohomish Senior HS)
Snohomish, WA 6-8/- 09/14/2006
SF NR Orlando Johnson(Palma HS)
Salinas, CA 6-5/- 09/12/2006
SF NR Brandon Walker(Bishop O Dowd HS)
Oakland, CA 6-3/185 09/07/2006
Articles post below:
August 15, 2006
WALKER REAPS REWARD FOR HARD WORK
Kevin McCarthy and Lee Hubbard
Rabbi Harold Kushner is famous for the book When Bad Things Happen To Good People. Brandon Walker of Bishop O' Dowd is writing his own book of sorts, on the basketball court and in the classroom. The 6-foot-3,
185 pound shooting guard's book is fittingly entitled "When Good Things Happen To Good People."
Walker raised his grade point average at the end of his junior year to 3.5 and scored 1310 on the SAT but the real testament to Walker's character is he plans to retake the SAT in order to achieve an even higher score.
Basketball consumed Walker during the month of July.
He competed in several events with both his high school locally and on the road with his club team, the Oakland Soldiers. After his performance at the Big Time and Best of Summer tournaments, Loyola Marymount came calling with a scholarship offer, which Brandon readily accepted.
"I got back from playing in LA with the Soldiers at the Best of Summer tournament and I was looking at all of my options," said Walker. "LMU was my #1 school and the school I wanted to go to. They ended up calling me and offering me a scholarship a week or so after LA and I accepted it right away."
Other schools that were also interested included Portland, Portland State, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, UC Davis, Washington State, San Diego State, Pepperdine, St. Mary's and San Francisco.
Lou Ritchie coach of the Oakland Soldiers I team and Assistant Varsity Basketball coach at Bishop O'Dowd High School, has been training and coaching Walker since the 7th grade. The #7 ranked senior prospect by NorCalPreps.com lauds Richie, Tony Freccero (Triple Threat Academy proprietor and Bishop O'Dowd assistant), his father, mother and his family for influencing his success to date. "They have all taught me how to carry myself on and off the court, to be the best that I can be not just on the basketball court but also in the classroom and at home." Walker humbly omits the time and effort he has put in towards realizing his potential as both a player and person.
"[Brandon] had a goal, mapped out a plan, stuck to it, received a lot of support," Richie stated, adding "he's a very deserving, well-spoken young man." Richie calls Walker "a sponge, someone whose listening skills are better than anyone else. His coachability is off the charts."
A lefty, Walker is a wing/two guard who offers that his best skills are "rebounding, being physical, defending and committing few turnovers." Conversely, he adds that he is working on bettering his explosiveness, ballhandling and shooting."
Asked why he went with Coach Rodney Tention and Loyola Marymount as his college choice, Walker said: "I was looking for a program with a family atmosphere and Coach Tention told me he wants to build a family.
Plus, I want to have a relationship with my professors and not be in a class with 300 others." Class size at LMU is generally around 20 students.
Loyola assistant coach Calvin Byrd was instrumental in Walker's decision. Byrd and Walker first met a few years ago at a University of Pacific (UOP) basketball camp. "He was nice to me and my family (at the camp),"
Walker remembered. Byrd grew up in the Bay Area and has coached at UC Irvine, San Francisco and UOP.
Richie added that both Tention and Byrd will be great role models for Walker on and off the court. "These guys will help in Brandon's transition to manhood,"
Richie said.
Tention, hired in April 2005, has quickly turned around the long dormant LMU program, finishing second last season in West Coast Conference play with an 8-6 record. The Lions beat St. Mary's in the semifinals of the conference tournament before falling at the buzzer to Gonzaga in the final. LMU will graduate wings/backcourters John Montgomery, Brandon Worthy and Adoyah Miller after this upcoming season, leading to possible early playing time for Walker who said: "I'll work hard and hopefully play some right away."
Underclassmen Corey Counts, Chris Kanne, Damian Minor, Jon Ziri and Sean Deadwiller will be Walker's competition come 2007-08.
"Brandon can give leadership, consistency and knowledge of the game," continued Richie. "He is the type of player that will give you scoring, rebounding and the ability to make plays on the court."
Walker will visit the Loyola campus on September 15 on an official visit after which, he plans to enjoy a fruitful senior season. Walker averaged 15 points and
5 rebounds a game and the Dragons were 19-9 last year, a record most coaches and players would revel in but not the storied O'Dowd program. New Coach Doug Vierra plans to revert back to an aggressive style of play, trapping and pressing--music to Walker's ears.
"We have all of the pieces in place to have a great team," said Walker.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No doubt, a chance to contribute the minute he sets foot on campus was appealing.
At least a dozen Division I universities made that pitch to Orlando Johnson.
Yet, it wasn't so much who the Palma senior chose to believe as where he felt most comfortable.
First impressions go a long way and Johnson stuck to his instincts Monday when he verbally committed to attend Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles on a full-ride basketball scholarship.
The 6-foot-6 guard will make it official Nov. 5 when high school athletes can sign their letters of intent.
'I'm breathing again,' Johnson said. 'It's a weight lifted off my chest. The calls were coming daily. I was starting to feel the pressure. It's a sense of relief.'
Johnson, a starter since his freshman year, averaged more than 20 points a game last winter for the Chieftains, who reached the Central Coast Section Divisional semifinals.
'Last season I was nowhere near where I'm at right now,' said Johnson, who battled injuries and a new system. 'I wasn't myself.'
Johnson missed nearly six weeks of the season last year after Palma's football team reached the CCS Open Division Championship.
While football had become an option as well, Johnson elected to focus his full attention this year on basketball, choosing not to put the pads on again.
'I miss it a lot,' said Johnson, a receiver last season. 'But basketball is where my heart is at. Football isn't what I saw myself doing at the next level.'
It's hard to argue with Johnson's decision.
Last season Loyola Marymount finished second in the West Coast Conference in basketball, and has been regarded as one of the stronger programs on the West Coast.
One visit to the campus, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and the greater Los Angeles area, and a meeting with the coaches had Johnson prepared to suit up. He elected not to make any of his other scheduled visits.
He was sold.
'I really bought into them and what they were trying to do with their system,' Johnson said. 'It made me want to become a Lion.'
As Johnson demonstrated last winter, he is versatile. Over the course of a game he could play any of the five positions.
The ability to penetrate past smaller players or spot up and shoot a jump shot made him appalling to Loyola Marymount, which runs an up-tempo offense.
'I can do a lot of different things as a scorer,' Johnson said. 'What the coach told me is he sees me as a player that could be that go-to guy.'
While Johnson has a body built more like a college tight end, he's agile in the open court with deceptive quickness and the ability to beat his defender on the first dribble.
'I like to get up and down the floor,' Johnson said. 'I like being on the fast break and getting the dunks. But I can shoot. They seem to really like my shot.'
Make no mistake, Johnson isn't interested in sitting and waiting his turn. He believes he can be an impact player and contribute immediately.
And while a commitment was made to him, he understands a lot will depend on him and how hard he works to earn that spot.
'I want to make a name for myself,' Johnson said. 'I just want to come in and make things happen. It's important for me to play right away.'
Johnson, who transferred to Palma last year after two years at North Salinas, spurned offers from bigger colleges for the smaller environment that Loyola Marymount will present.
'It's in a great area,' Johnson said. 'I really like the campus. I like the players. And I've got family down there.'
And while Johnson listened to other coaches make their pitches, he didn't see any reason to look elsewhere.
'I wasn't interested in living in Wisconsin or going somewhere where it snows in the winter,' Johnson said. 'This was almost too perfect.'
With the pressure lifted off his shoulders, Johnson is turning his attention to taking Palma back to a place it hasn't been since 1992 -- the state finals.
'I would say football hurt me last year,' Johnson said. 'My knee was sore. I didn't bring my best to the table. This year you'll see the Orlando Johnson of old.'
