gotpitbull
G-League
I searched the forum and did not see that this had been posted, so I apologize if it has. I found it an enjoyable read. I used to go to high school with Isaac Fontaine, I'm glad to see he's still involved.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13102182p-13946928c.html
Sacramento summer league helps some stay sharp
by Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, June 21, 2005
The guy decked in Kings garb jammed his thumb so bad the other night - think the sound of watermelon hitting pavement - that it brought him to tears. At about the time half the patrons winced and shook their own thumbs as if to relieve some of that profound hurt, an ice bag was applied and three sticks of licorice were stuffed into the Bibby fellow's mouth.
That would be the younger Michael Bibby, 8 years old, whose famous father, Mike Bibby, stood by muttering, "He's always doing that."
The elder Bibby was in the midst of a Sacramento Professional Developmental League game at Capital Christian Center. He wandered over during a stoppage of play, patted the lad on the head and then went back to inflicting his own harm with a flurry of 28-foot three-pointers. That Bibby, the Kings guard, was even in the house going head-to-head against Bobby Jackson on this night - he had 49 points and Jackson 52 - speaks volumes of the quality of play in the SPDL.
In Year 20, the league has emerged as one of the premier summer league sessions in the country. It has changed names and venues a half-dozen times, but one thing remains: The SPDL has become a magnet for regional high school and college players, past and present, looking to sharpen their craft.
Or, ultimately, to earn a basketball paycheck somewhere - anywhere - with the ultimate gauge coming in the form of the periodic NBA talent.
For Bibby, Jackson and 2004 Kings first-round pick Kevin Martin, the SPDL might be their only run for a good while if there's an NBA lockout.
The glue to the operation and the man who ensures that the SPDL thrives is Guss Armstead.
He's a local hoops guru who makes a living in a T-shirt and shorts, a ball and a workout plan never far away. A native of Lompoc who played at Sacramento State in the early 1980s, Armstead mentors high school and college players, boys and girls, in individual workouts.
The SPDL is an invitation-only, no-pay deal. Games are high-scoring and frenetic, officiated by some of the same men who referee Kings training camp scrimmages. So this isn't your smackdown at the local park.
"No one's out here trying to kill anyone," Armstead said. "Guys respect each other too much."
Jackson and Bibby said they'd much rather work up a sweat passing and shooting (there isn't much defense in this league) in this venue than labor over a StairMaster in solitary torture.
"I can't stand working the machines," Bibby said. "This is much better."
Jackson lured Martin, assuring the forward that the SPDL was competitive and the experience necessary.
"As a young guy, he needs to play as much as he can," Jackson said. "The whole key here is Guss. He does a great service for a lot of guys. He'll work with anyone, guys looking to get into college, guys with big contracts, guys lookin' for contracts."
Said Martin: "You can always get better, and I need to get better."
Matt Barnes is here to polish a refined shot. One of four former Bee Players of the Year in the SPDL, Barnes has been a regular since his Del Campo High School and UCLA days, parlaying the experiences into NBA employment with the Kings and Philadelphia 76ers last year.
"I wouldn't have made it without Guss or this," Barnes said.
Others, such as former Jesuit and Washington State great Isaac Fontaine and Phil Ricci of Galt and Oregon State, make annual returns. Fontaine has been in five NBA training camps over the years and has played overseas.
Ricci is trying to shed any "tweener" label, a man seemingly NBA ferocious and determined, but a dime a dozen at 6-foot-7. Ricci was in the Kings' training camp two years ago and played in Spain last summer.
The Bee's Player of the Year this past season was Kevin Galloway of Sacramento High. Rare was it a night that the swingman didn't dominate. A senior-to-be, he's been brought to earth a bit in the SPDL.
"I found out in the first minute how much faster these guys are, how much stronger," Galloway said. "It really woke me up."
And there is Sam Luong. A guard from McClatchy and tiny Dominican College in the Bay Area, he plays below the rim, feeds the finishers and longs for a contract in China. "I got better every year because of this league," Luong said.
There are scoring runs and dunks in the SPDL, which makes high flyers such as Jameel Pugh and Zach Andrews naturals. Pugh of Grant and Sacramento State had a Kings workout last month and craves another, from anyone, anywhere. Andrews of Cordova and Yuba College is using the SPDL as a launching pad to Bradley University, where he will play on scholarship for Jim Les, the former Kings guard who used to light up the SPDL with three-pointers.
Doug Cornelius, the Yuba coach, coaches one of the SPDL teams that includes a host of his college players.
"This is great for our guys," Cornelius said. "You get humbled real quick. You don't want to look bad out there guarding guys, but you will look bad. It's a fact."
Before it was the SPDL, it was the Kings Pro-Am.
George Putnam, a local attorney, oversaw the league in the early days when it was common for Kings players to make appearances, including Otis Thorpe and LaSalle Thompson once going for 61 and 55 points in a game, respectively.
Putnam handed the reins to Armstead after four years, though he still keeps involved as a referee.
It was during this time that Armstead was an assistant coach at Sac State. He would open the gym for Thompson, Thorpe and a host of others to work out.
"The first year we had it, we had the summer league finals at Arco, and LaSalle saw all these fans and said, 'We've got more here than we did when we played in Kansas City,' " Putnam said. "It was good then, then dipped a little, and since Guss took over it's really flourished."
And it's remained a pretty healthy experience. Arthur Holt, the SPDL trainer, recalled only one frightening injury, in 1991 when former Kings center Ben Gillery slipped and fell hard on his back.
"Had to haul him away on a stretcher, with his feet hanging over the end, but he came back a few days later to play," Holt said.
Harold Pressley, the one-time Kings first-round pick, logged eight summers in the SPDL.
"This is what you have to do to keep in shape, and Bobby and Bibby and Kevin Martin are a perfect example," Pressley said. "They'll be in better shape for this. Look at Peja Stojakovic last season. He came into camp heavy. This is what you have to do to maintain because you can't just do it in the weight room."
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13102182p-13946928c.html
Sacramento summer league helps some stay sharp
by Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Tuesday, June 21, 2005
The guy decked in Kings garb jammed his thumb so bad the other night - think the sound of watermelon hitting pavement - that it brought him to tears. At about the time half the patrons winced and shook their own thumbs as if to relieve some of that profound hurt, an ice bag was applied and three sticks of licorice were stuffed into the Bibby fellow's mouth.
That would be the younger Michael Bibby, 8 years old, whose famous father, Mike Bibby, stood by muttering, "He's always doing that."
The elder Bibby was in the midst of a Sacramento Professional Developmental League game at Capital Christian Center. He wandered over during a stoppage of play, patted the lad on the head and then went back to inflicting his own harm with a flurry of 28-foot three-pointers. That Bibby, the Kings guard, was even in the house going head-to-head against Bobby Jackson on this night - he had 49 points and Jackson 52 - speaks volumes of the quality of play in the SPDL.
In Year 20, the league has emerged as one of the premier summer league sessions in the country. It has changed names and venues a half-dozen times, but one thing remains: The SPDL has become a magnet for regional high school and college players, past and present, looking to sharpen their craft.
Or, ultimately, to earn a basketball paycheck somewhere - anywhere - with the ultimate gauge coming in the form of the periodic NBA talent.
For Bibby, Jackson and 2004 Kings first-round pick Kevin Martin, the SPDL might be their only run for a good while if there's an NBA lockout.
The glue to the operation and the man who ensures that the SPDL thrives is Guss Armstead.
He's a local hoops guru who makes a living in a T-shirt and shorts, a ball and a workout plan never far away. A native of Lompoc who played at Sacramento State in the early 1980s, Armstead mentors high school and college players, boys and girls, in individual workouts.
The SPDL is an invitation-only, no-pay deal. Games are high-scoring and frenetic, officiated by some of the same men who referee Kings training camp scrimmages. So this isn't your smackdown at the local park.
"No one's out here trying to kill anyone," Armstead said. "Guys respect each other too much."
Jackson and Bibby said they'd much rather work up a sweat passing and shooting (there isn't much defense in this league) in this venue than labor over a StairMaster in solitary torture.
"I can't stand working the machines," Bibby said. "This is much better."
Jackson lured Martin, assuring the forward that the SPDL was competitive and the experience necessary.
"As a young guy, he needs to play as much as he can," Jackson said. "The whole key here is Guss. He does a great service for a lot of guys. He'll work with anyone, guys looking to get into college, guys with big contracts, guys lookin' for contracts."
Said Martin: "You can always get better, and I need to get better."
Matt Barnes is here to polish a refined shot. One of four former Bee Players of the Year in the SPDL, Barnes has been a regular since his Del Campo High School and UCLA days, parlaying the experiences into NBA employment with the Kings and Philadelphia 76ers last year.
"I wouldn't have made it without Guss or this," Barnes said.
Others, such as former Jesuit and Washington State great Isaac Fontaine and Phil Ricci of Galt and Oregon State, make annual returns. Fontaine has been in five NBA training camps over the years and has played overseas.
Ricci is trying to shed any "tweener" label, a man seemingly NBA ferocious and determined, but a dime a dozen at 6-foot-7. Ricci was in the Kings' training camp two years ago and played in Spain last summer.
The Bee's Player of the Year this past season was Kevin Galloway of Sacramento High. Rare was it a night that the swingman didn't dominate. A senior-to-be, he's been brought to earth a bit in the SPDL.
"I found out in the first minute how much faster these guys are, how much stronger," Galloway said. "It really woke me up."
And there is Sam Luong. A guard from McClatchy and tiny Dominican College in the Bay Area, he plays below the rim, feeds the finishers and longs for a contract in China. "I got better every year because of this league," Luong said.
There are scoring runs and dunks in the SPDL, which makes high flyers such as Jameel Pugh and Zach Andrews naturals. Pugh of Grant and Sacramento State had a Kings workout last month and craves another, from anyone, anywhere. Andrews of Cordova and Yuba College is using the SPDL as a launching pad to Bradley University, where he will play on scholarship for Jim Les, the former Kings guard who used to light up the SPDL with three-pointers.
Doug Cornelius, the Yuba coach, coaches one of the SPDL teams that includes a host of his college players.
"This is great for our guys," Cornelius said. "You get humbled real quick. You don't want to look bad out there guarding guys, but you will look bad. It's a fact."
Before it was the SPDL, it was the Kings Pro-Am.
George Putnam, a local attorney, oversaw the league in the early days when it was common for Kings players to make appearances, including Otis Thorpe and LaSalle Thompson once going for 61 and 55 points in a game, respectively.
Putnam handed the reins to Armstead after four years, though he still keeps involved as a referee.
It was during this time that Armstead was an assistant coach at Sac State. He would open the gym for Thompson, Thorpe and a host of others to work out.
"The first year we had it, we had the summer league finals at Arco, and LaSalle saw all these fans and said, 'We've got more here than we did when we played in Kansas City,' " Putnam said. "It was good then, then dipped a little, and since Guss took over it's really flourished."
And it's remained a pretty healthy experience. Arthur Holt, the SPDL trainer, recalled only one frightening injury, in 1991 when former Kings center Ben Gillery slipped and fell hard on his back.
"Had to haul him away on a stretcher, with his feet hanging over the end, but he came back a few days later to play," Holt said.
Harold Pressley, the one-time Kings first-round pick, logged eight summers in the SPDL.
"This is what you have to do to keep in shape, and Bobby and Bibby and Kevin Martin are a perfect example," Pressley said. "They'll be in better shape for this. Look at Peja Stojakovic last season. He came into camp heavy. This is what you have to do to maintain because you can't just do it in the weight room."
Attachments
Last edited by a moderator:
