10 Feet High

For whatever reason, I woke up today with a peculiar desire to watch old basketball videos on YouTube. You know what I mean right? Like all of a sudden - and you don't know why - you just have to watch sick hoop clips? Well, in my deranged state of mind full of oddities, here is what stood out.



My Memory:

Stanford was undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country. Arizona was still Arizona, and these two fought back and forth all game long. One of my best friends was a freshman at U of A, so I kind of adopted the Wildcats as a semi-favorite team capable of winning another title. A few years later, a friend of mine whom I later met, informed me he was at the game as a student of Stanford, sitting three or four rows behind Tiger Woods, who infamously stormed the court along with the rest of Cardinal nation. All of these elements combine to make this one I'll never forget.

USC comeback:



My Memory:

I couldn't have been more than 13 or 14, but I remember seeing these highlights on SportsCenter in my room, absolutely shellshocked. I know this because I specifically recall holding off on my Sega Dreamcast "Madden 2K" exploits for at least 15 minutes, which is something to be said at that stage of my life (later that year I actually held a birthday party in which I hosted a 12-man 2K tournament in my basement, complete with brackets and seeding. How in the hell we determined seeding for such a thing boggles me to this day). Needless to say, I didn't make it past the second round, not because of "stick skills," but rather because of sleep deprivation. Hey, 3 a.m. for a 14-year-old is pretty damn late! By the way, how about the announcer's call? "Oh, ohhh, ohhhhhh, a miracle!" Great stuff. Also, how badly were you hoping the camera would break to show that kid's cutthroat sign to the Ducks student section?

Kentucky dunk:



My Memory:

There is none. I wasn't alive yet, but when I came across this dunk, I had to share it with you. Also, and I hesitate to say this, but how talented was Dick Vitale's call? "Secretariat out of the gate!" Love that.

Okay, all for now, but more coming soon. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. If not, then you're simply not as much a junkie loser as I am. Probably not a bad thing.

Sometimes the rare talents have a way of falling through the cracks. It’s easy enough to know about the McDonald’s and Parade All-Americans who commit to the Kentucky’s, Carolina’s, and Duke’s of the world. But how about that special player who goes to a smaller school and makes it big? How cool is that?

We witnessed it with Stephen Curry at Davidson and Eric Maynor at Virginia Commonwealth; both first-round draft choices last summer. Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash – who went to Santa Clara – is another example. Certain kids just don’t get the hype during their prep days. Maybe they grow late or develop their games after high school. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, I like to say, “I told you so.”

Keion Bell may be one of these kids. The Los Angeles native out of Pasadena High School went virtually un-recruited by the local powerhouses UCLA and USC, and accepted an offer to attend West Coast Conference cellar dweller Pepperdine, a small school that rests beautifully on the Malibu coastline.

Bell, now a sophomore with the Waves, has an unusual blend of power, speed and athletic ability from the point guard position. He is a confident player who attacks the rack with a vicious mentality, and uses his strength to absorb contact and finish around the rim. At 6-3, Bell was the leading guard rebounder in the conference last season, showing he isn’t afraid to mix it up down under with the trees.



The explosive athlete isn’t a consistent outside shooter yet but displays good technique and the ability to develop into one down the road. He must cut down his turnovers (nearly four a game), but this is not uncommon for a young player, especially one who was thrust into the starting point guard position as a true freshman. A source tells me that he is one of the hardest workers he’s ever seen, a true gym rat committed to reaching his ultimate destination – the NBA.

In his first season with the Waves, Bell averaged 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. In two games against national powerhouse Gonzaga, he totaled 37 points and 21 boards. Another encouraging sign was that Bell produced even more in the postseason, averaging 17 points in the WCC Tournament. Bell understands the game really well as a young point guard, and knows how to control a game on both ends of the floor. He is a tenacious defender who welcomes the opposition’s best guard, even if it means he has to sacrifice some of his offense – something very challenging for players at every level.

Pepperdine is in the midst of a major rebuilding phase. Despite producing 16 NBA players,and having gone to 13 NCAA tournaments, the proud program has fallen on hard times lately, consistently finishing at the bottom of the West Coast Conference. Having to compete with Gonzaga, St. Mary’s, Santa Clara, and San Diego for recruits is difficult, but in the case of Keion Bell, they may have found lightning in a bottle. It’s no stretch to say he could lead them right up the totem pole to the top of the league once again.

Keion Bell still has three years remaining, but if he continues to improve at his current rate, he without question has the natural ability to become the 17th Wave to make it to the league.

Don’t say you weren’t warned…