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2025 NBA Mock Draft 2.0

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Version 2.0 (April 17, 2025)

This is still basically a Big Board. We will base some selections on team needs after the draft lottery is completed.

Round 1

  1. Utah – Cooper Flagg, 6’9/205, CF, Duke, Freshman
  2. Washington – Dylan Harper, 6’6/220, PG, Rutgers, Freshman
  3. Charlotte – V.J. Edgecombe, 6’4/180, SG, Baylor, Freshman
  4. New Orleans – Ace Bailey, 6’9/200, CF, Rutgers, Freshman
  5. Philadelphia – Tre Johnson, 6’6/185, SG, Texas, Freshman
  6. Brooklyn – Kasparas Jakucionis, 6’6/205, PG, Illinois (Lithuania), Freshman
  7. Toronto – Kon Knueppel, 6’7/215, SF, Duke, Freshman
  8. San Antonio – Khaman Maluach, 7’2/245, C, Duke (South Sudan), Freshman
  9. Houston (via PHX)  – Derik Queen, 6’10/245, C, Maryland, Freshman
  10. Portland – Jeremiah Fears, 6’4/185, PG, Oklahoma, Freshman
  11. Miami – Asa Newell, 6’10/205, Georgia, Freshman
  12. Dallas – Egor Demin, 6’9/190, PG, BYU (Russia), Freshman
  13. Chicago – Noa Essengue, 6’9/195, SF, France, International
  14. Atlanta (via SAC) – Jase Richardson, 6’3/185, CG, Michigan State, Freshman
  15. San Antonio (via SAC) – Liam McNeeley, 6’8/185, SF, UConn, Freshman
  16. Orlando – Nolan Traore, 6’3/185, PG, France, International
  17. Minnesota (via DET) – Ben Saraf, 6’5/200, PG, Israel, International
  18. Miami (via GSW) – Thomas Sorber, 6’10/250, C, Georgetown, Freshman
  19. Washington (via MEM) – Collin Murray-Boyles, 6’7/230, CF, South Carolina, Soph.
  20. Brooklyn (via MIL) – Labaron Philon, 6’4/180, CG, Alabama, Freshman
  21. Utah (via MIN) – Rasheer Fleming, 6’9/245, PF, St. Joseph’s, Junior
  22. Atlanta (via LAL) – Walter Clayton Jr., 6’3/195, PG, Florida, Senior
  23. Indiana – Nique Clifford, 6’6/200, SG, Colorado State, Senior
  24. Orlando (via DEN) – Carter Bryant, 6’8/225, CF, Arizona, Freshman
  25. Oklahoma City (via LAC) – Will Riley, 6’9/195, SG, Illinois, Freshman
  26. Brooklyn (via NYK) – Hugo Gonzalez, 6’6/205, SF, Spain, International
  27. Brooklyn (via HOU) – Boogie Fland, 6’2/185, PG, Arkansas, Freshman
  28. Boston – Alex Condon, 6’11/250, C, Florida, Sophomore
  29. Phoenix (via CLE) – Kam Jones, 6’5/200, CG, Marquette, Senior
  30. LA Clippers (via OKC) – Danny Wolf, 7’0/250, C, Michigan, Junior

31. Minnesota (via UTAH) – Yaxel Lendeborg, 6’9/240, PF, UAB, Senior

32. Boston (via WAS) – Sergio de Larrea, 6’6/200, PG, Spain, International

33. Charlotte – Noah Penda, 6’7/225, CF, France, International

34. Charlotte (via NOP) – Tahaad Pettiford, 6’1/175, PG, Auburn, Freshman

35. Philadelphia – Johni Broome, 6’10/240, C, Auburn, Senior

36. Brooklyn – Darrion Williams, 6’6/225, SF, Texas Tech, Junior

37. Detroit (via TOR) – Bojoljub Markovic, 6’11/190, CF, Serbia, International

38. San Antonio – Ryan Kalkbrenner, 7’1/250, C, Creighton, Senior

39. Toronto (via POR) – Chaz Lanier, 6’5/210, SG, Tennessee, Senior

40. Washington (via PHX) – Adou Thiero, 6’8/220, CF, Arkansas, Junior

41. Golden State (via MIA) – Tyrese Proctor, 6’5/185, CG, Duke, Junior

42. Sacramento (via CHI) – Alex Toohey, 6’8/225, SF, Australia, International

43.  Utah (via DAL) – Maxime Raynaud, 7’1/245, C, Stanford (France), Senior

44. Oklahoma City (via ATL) – Rocco Zikarsky, 7’3/230, C, Australia, International

45.  Sacramento – Joan Beringer, 6’10/230, PF, France, International

46.  Orlando – Michael Ruzic, 6’9/220, CF, Croatia, International

47.  Milwaukee (via DET) – Johann Grunloh, 6’10/235, PF/C, Germany, International

48. Cleveland (via) MIL – Hansen Yang, 7’1/250, C, China, Iternational

49. New York (via MEM) –  Izan Almansa, 6’10/215, PF/C, Spain, International

50. Memphis (via GSW) – Milos Uzan, 6’4/210, PG, Houston. Junior

51. LA Clippers (via MIN) – Sion James, 6’6/220, SG, Duke, Senior

52. Utah (via LAC) – Cedric Coward, 6’6/206, SF, Washington State, Senior

53. Phoenix (via DEN) – Dink Pate, 6’8/210, SF, G-League

54. Indiana – John Tonje, 6’5/218, SG, Wisconsin, Senior

55. LA Lakers – Koby Brea, 6’7/215, SG, Kentucky, Senior

56. Memphis (via HOU) – Max Shulga, 6’5/210, SG, VCU, Senior

57. Orlando (via BOS) – Payton Sandfort, 6’8/215, SF, Iowa, Senior

58. Cleveland – Eric Dixon, 6’8/260, PF, Villanova, Senior

59. Houston (via OKC) – Hunter Sallis, 6’5/175, CG, Wake Forest, Senior

This mock draft is the work of Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball.

Top Players from USA’s OT Win at the Nike Hoop Summit

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Portland, OR – The USA men’s team needed overtime to get past the World team 124-114 at the Nike Hoop Summit which was held at the Moda Center on Saturday evening. The USA was led by 24 points from both AJ Dybantsa (BYU) and Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas). Dybantsa scored most of his points in the first half while Acuff Jr. came on in the second half. Cameron Boozer (Duke) added an impressive 22 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Trey McKinney (Michigan) also came on late and finished with 22 points.  6’5 Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor) led the World team with 24 points.

Most of us who were at the practices during the week thought the USA team would likely win the game by a fairly large margin, so the competitiveness of the game was a bit of a surprise. The World team took a nine-point lead into halftime. Then the USA used a 37-point third quarter to storm out to a 15-point lead. The World team then made a late comeback and tied the game at 98 on a Yessoufou layup to send the game to overtime. McKinney helped the USA take control in  overtime with nine points and Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville) closed the game out with ten points at the foul line. The 124 points scored by the USA was a Hoop Summit record.

Much has been written about the top USA players (Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Acuff Jr. etc.) so we’ll review some of the World players that impressed us during the game and at the practices earlier in the week.

Yessoufou was the most impressive World player, both in the game and at the practices. At 6’5”+ and 216 pounds he’s a strong lead guard who can score on penetration as well as from outside. The Baylor commit has the strength and ability to step right into a starting role as a freshman. Yessoufou is from Benin and is ranked No. 14 in the 2025 class.

Dame Sarr, a 6’7.5” shooting guard from Italy impressed with 17 points and four rebounds. Sarr checks all the boxes for an NBA level shooting guard and has a 6’11.75” wingspan. He has been in the Barcelona club system since 2022 and played for their top team in Liga Endesa this season, averaging 5.8 points in 13.4 minutes per game. Sarr has excelled in the European youth championships he played in, averaging in double-figures. Sarr appears likely to play in college next season with Illinois, Duke and other high majors in the picture.

Bogoljub Markovic, a 6’11 forward from Serbia was solid with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Markovic showed the ability to score inside and out, connecting on 3-of-4 three-pointers and 6-of-7 from the field overall.  This season he averaged 13.7 points on 39.1% three-point shooting, with 6.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists playing for Mega in the Adriatic League. He’s projected as an early second round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

UConn recruit Eric Reibe, a 6’11.75” center from Germany showed a nice skill set during the week and had 11 points and eight rebounds in the game. Reibe is another big who can score inside and out and runs the floor well. He’s had some injury problems in the past but if he can stay healthy, he’ll be in UConn’s rotation next season.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Nikola Cvetinović

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Career Goals

Nikola is trying to leverage his European basketball network into an assistant coach position at a Division 1 school that would like to emphasize international recruiting.

College Experience

Nikola played for four years at the University of Akron, starting for two years and making the All-MAC second team in his junior season.  He averaged in double-figures his final two years and still holds the Akron record for most games played.

Serbian National Team

Growing up in Serbia, Nikola was a member of the Serbian National youth teams. Cvetinović was member of the team that represented Serbia at the 2011 Summer Universiade in Shenzhen, China finishing as the gold medal winners.

Professional Career

Nikola’s professional career spanned 11 years, ending in 2023. He played professionally in Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Spain, Lithuania, Belgium, Romania and Serbia. He enjoyed his greatest success in Spain where he played for six seasons including time in Liga Endesa the top domestic league in Europe. He was one of the leading scorers in the Spanish LEB-Gold league twice.

Professional Network

Nikola career throughout Europe has given him many contacts, both on the player and agency side. He is now scouting the Serbian youth leagues as well as talking with his contacts throughout Europe and would be a great hire for any schools looking to expand their European talent.

Maryland, Arizona Advance to Sweet Sixteen from Seattle

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Seattle, WA –The second round of the NCAA Tournament in Seattle featured matchups betweenNo. 4-seed Maryland vs. No. 12-seed Colorado State followed by No. 5-seed Oregon vs. No. 4-seed Arizona.

In the first game Derik Queen scored on a bank shot from the side of the basket to give Maryland a thrilling 72-71 win over Colorado State. His shot came right after Jalen Lake had given the Rams a one-point lead with four seconds remaining. In the nightcap, Arizona came back from a 15-point first half deficit to beat Oregon 87-83. Caleb Love was outstanding for the Wildcats, finishing with 29 points (5-of-7 3’s) and added nine rebounds and four assists. Jackson Shelstad led the Ducks with 25 points.

Colorado State got off to a good start in the opening game, going on a 16-2 run to pull out to a 22-10 lead. The Rams’ Lake hit his first three shots, including two three-pointers. Queen kept the Terrapins in it, scoring 10 of their first 14 points, including two 3’s. Colorado State maintained the lead through the half led by Nique Clifford’s 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. They went into halftime with a 37-30 lead. Queen had 12 points for Maryland but didn’t see the ball much after he scored his 10 early points. Julian Reese grabbed seven rebounds for the Terrapins.

Maryland came back quickly in the second half and took a 57-54 lead on five quick points from Selton Miquel, a long three-pointer and a basket after a steal. The Rams came right back with six straight points, with a Bowen Born basket on a drive giving them a 60-57 lead. The Terrapins tied the game at 64 after a Rodney Rice lay-in after a nice Queen block at the rim. They then took the lead on two Resse free throws. Maryland extended the run to 9-0 after a short Resse jumper. Clifford ended that run with two free throws, cutting the margin to 68-66 with 1:36 left.  Lake then tied the game at 68 on a jumper. Reese was then fouled after pulling down an offensive rebound, making both free throws to give Maryland a 70-68 lead with 22 seconds remaining. That set the stage for Lake’s three-pointer and then Queen‘s winning shot.

Queen led the Terrapins with 17 points while Reese added 15 points and 11 rebounds. Clifford led the way for Colorado State with 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Lake added 13 points, making 3-of-6 3’s.  Maryland advances to face Florida in the Sweet Sixten on Thursday evening.

In the second game Oregon got off to a hot start, running out to a 19-4 lead and led 24-10, helped by 10 points by Shelstad before Arizona came roaring back.  They were helped by strong offensive rebounding from Tobe Awaka, who had a double-double at halftime. The Wildcats went on a 32-14 run to end the half to take a 42-38 lead into the break.

Arizona extended their lead to 11 points (56-45) before Oregon battled back. A Shelstad jumper cut the lead to 72-70. The Ducks had a chance to tie the game late, but TJ Bamba missed on a shot after penetration. Oregon got within 81-80 on a lay-up by Shelstad but Arizona was perfect at the free throw line, making six in a row to end the game.

The Ducks came into the game with their best free throw shooting team in the past 11 years but that wasn’t the case tonight. They shot only 12-of-22, leaving ten points at the line. That, combined with their poor first half rebounding, was the difference in the game.  Awake finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds for Arizona. Arizona moves on to face Duke on Thursday in the East Regional in New Jersey.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner ofr NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Oregon and Arizona Head to Showdown on Sunday in Seattle

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Seattle, WA – The second session of the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Seattle featured matchups between No. 4-seed Arizona vs. No. 13-seed Akron followed by No. 5-seed Oregon vs. No. 12-seed Liberty. Neither game was competitive. Arizona romped over Akron 93-65.  Oregon followed that with an easy 81-52 win over Liberty.  The two teams will face off on Sunday in an anticipated game to determine who gets to the Sweet Sixteen at the East Regional in New Jersey.

In the opening game Arizona scored the first nine points of the game and led 41-31 at halftime. They gradually pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Zips by 52-34 to get the 28-point win. Jalen Bradley led the Wildcats with 19 points, connecting on 3-of-5 3’s, and added six rebounds and three assists. Trey Townsend added 16 points on 7-of-8 from the field with eight rebounds.

Arizona enjoyed a large size disparity of took advantage of it throughout the game. They used Townsend on pick and rolls as Akron didn’t have the size to defend him at his position. Arizona out rebounded Akron 53-22, including 15-4 on the offensive glass. They dominated the paint to a tune of a 48-20 point advantage The Wildcats had 21 assists compared to only six for the Zips. They also shot 12-of-25 on 3’s.  The game would have been even worse for Akron if it weren’t for Arizona’s 17 turnovers.

The second game was similar.  Oregon has had rough starts in quite a few games this season but that wasn’t the case today. The Ducks came out focused and raced out to an 18-2 lead over the Flames.  Jackson Shelstad connected on his first four shots, scoring ten early points. This game was similar in height disparity as well, with Liberty’s tallest starter being 6’8.  That gave Nate Bittle a big advantage in the post. The 7’0 Bittle scored nine points and eight rebounds at the break, as the Ducks took a 44-20 lead into the locker room. Shelstad led Oregon with 15 points, making 3-of-4 3’s, one on the final shot of the half.  The Ducks had a 22-13 rebounding edge at the half.

Liberty came out with a little fire at the start if the second half, scoring the first four points but Oregon came right back, scoring the next six points and the rout was on. The only question was the margin of victory, with the lead being around 30 points for much of the rest of the game. Oregon was able to use their bench more than usual as they were able to get their starters some rest leading into the Arizona game on Sunday.

Shelstad led the Ducks with 17 points, making 3-of-4 3’s, and added four rebounds and three assists. The Ducks enjoyed a 43-27 rebounding edge and shot 10-of-21 on three-pointers.

Oregon has been a very good team in defending the three-point shot this year. They are holding their opponents to 31.7% and are ranked 61st in the country. Liberty came in as the 5th best three-point shooting team in the nation at 39.1%. The Ducks’ defense dominated, holding Liberty to 8-of-37 (21.6%) from deep.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner ofr NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Colorado State, Maryland Advance at NCAA Tournament in Seattle

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Seattle, WA –The first round of the NCAA Tournament in Seattle tipped off this afternoon with matchups betweenNo. 5-seed Memphis vs. No. 12-seed Colorado State followed by No.4-seed Maryland vs. No. 13-seed Grand Canyon.  Colorado State and Maryland advanced and will face each other on Saturday afternoon.

In the opening game Colorado State pulled off the upset, outscoring Memphis by 13 points in the second half to get the 78-71 victory.  The Rams won with solid three -point shooting from Kyan Evans, who hit 6-of-9 from deep, while leading the winners with 23 points. Jalen Lake connected on 3-of-7 3’s and added 12 points. Dain Dainja dominated inside for Memphis and finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds.

The two highest rated players of the game, Nique Clifford of Colorado State and PJ Haggerty of Memphis were not at their best. Clifford scored 14 points on 3-of-13 shooting, missing all six three 3-point attempts. He played a solid floor game though with eight rebounds, six assists and no turnovers. Haggerty shot only 7-of 23 (18 points) and missed his first seven three-point attempts before making one in the last minute.  Colby Rogers took up the slack for Memphis scoring 18 points and hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers. Colorado State rebounded better in the second half, cutting Memphis’s edge on the boards to 41-34.

Memphis got off to a good start and led the Rams at halftime 36-31. Dainja dominated inside, scoring 15 first half points and grabbing five rebounds. Colorado State stayed close with solid outside shooting from Evans (12 points on 3-of-4 3’s) and Lake (2-of-3 3’s).  Memphis outrebounded Colorado State 24-13 including 8-4 on the offensive glass. They also dominated the paint with a 20-8 margin. The Rams’ Clifford of only had three points on 1-of-5 shooting, missing his three 3-point attempts. Haggerty shot only 3-of 10 (7 points) but did pull down six rebounds. Rogers helped Memphis out with 12 first half points, hitting 2-of-3 three-pointers.

In the second game Maryland dominated and coasted to an 81-49 win over Grand Canyon. The Terrapins used their size advantage to dominate the boards. They had a 43-33 rebounding advantage with Derik Queen pulling down 15 rebounds and Julian Reese grabbing nine. Maryland dominated the paint to the tune of a 40-14 scoring advantage. Resse led Maryland in scoring with 18 points while Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 and Queen contributed 12 points. Tyon Grant-Foster had one of his best games of the year, leading Grand Canyon with 23 points, making 3-of7 3’s. Maryland connected on 7-of-16 3’s compared to 5-of-23 for the Lopes.

After a slow start Maryland came out strong and took a 20-point first half lead. Grant-Foster (16 first half points) hit a last-second three-pointer to cut the Terrapins lead to 42-28 at the break. Reese was tough inside for Maryland, ending the half with 12 points and six rebounds. Gillespie connected on two 3’s and had 11 points at the break. Maryland had a first half 24-6 edge in points in the paint and a +6 rebounding advantage.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner ofr NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Westchester Tops College Park in G-League Action

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

College Park, GA – The Westchester Knicks defeated the College Park Skyhawks in a high scoring affair by the score of 138-123. The Knicks never trailed. They dictated tempo for the majority of the game. The Knicks had seven players reach double figure scoring led by Kevin McCullar Jr. with 20 points, achieving his first professional triple double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

In the first quarter, Westchester came out red hot from 3. They made six of their first seven attempts from three, including Johnny Davis making a tough contested three in the right corner late in the shot clock. The Westchester Knicks shot 9-of-14 from three in the first quarter. On the other side, College Park went only 3-of-11 from three. The Skyhawks started Joey Hauser at center to help spread the floor and take Moses Brown away from the paint. Unfortunately for the Skyhawks, Hauser struggled by missing all four of his three-point attempts.

In the second quarter, the red-hot shooting continued for the Knicks. The team went 4-of-5 from three to start off the second quarter. The efficiency was great because McCullar did well with dribble penetration, collapsing the defense and kicking out to three-point shooters. McCullar had eight of his 10 assists in the first half. The Knicks extended their lead as high as 21 points by the middle of the second quarter. The Skyhawks made a run towards the end of the half led by Daequon Plowden who had a career high of 27 points. The Skyhawks cut the deficit down to 12 heading into halftime.

The Skyhawks continued their momentum in the start of the third quarter. Now they began to make their threes while Westchester was going through a cold stretch from 3. With Moses Brown at center, College Park made it a point of emphasis to push the ball every time down the court off of a missed shot because Brown is slow getting back on defense. College Park had a season high 30 fast break points. They cut the lead down to two points but were never able to take the lead.

The Westchester Knicks were able to maintain their lead in the fourth quarter because they dominated College Park on the offensive glass. They had 21 offensive rebounds which led to 22 second chance points. The downfall of starting small in which the Skyhawks did by starting  Hauser at center is that you are vulnerable to offensive rebounds by the opposing team. The Knicks also won the free throw battle by 11. The Skyhawks players and coaches were frustrated throughout the game because they felt like the whistle was one-sided. The lack of calls seemed to affect their play, especially on the defensive side of the floor.

With the win, the Knicks improved their record to 18-12 as they prepare for a playoff run. With the loss, the Skyhawks dropped to 15-14 looking outside of the playoff race with six games left. These two teams play again at the Gateway Center Arena in College Park this Friday.

This article was written by Daeshaun Brathwaite, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Gonzaga’s Defense Helps Them Win WCC Tournament Title

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Las Vegas, NV – The finals of the West Coast Conference tournament took on a familiar ring with top-seed St. Mary’s taking on No. 2-seed Gonzaga.  The teams faced off for the WCC tournament title for the fourth straight year, and the sixth time in the last seven years. Both teams played good defense but also shot very poorly. Gonzaga maintained a small lead through most of the game and came away with the 58-51 win. Braden Huff led the winners with 18 points. Mitchell Saxen led the Gaels with 20 points and added seven rebounds.

St. Mary’s used the height and superior rebounding to win both previous games against Gonzaga his season, 62-58 at St. Mary’s and 74-67 at Gonzaga. Coach Mark Few tried to counter the Gaels’ advantage by starting the Huff along with 6-9 Grahan Ike.  That move proved to be a good one as Huff scored seven early points to help the Bulldogs take a quick 20-7 lead. St. Mary’s countered as center Saxen scored nine points as they cut the deficit to 24-17. Harry Wessells made a nice block on an Ike layup attempt with led to a Saxen basket that cut the Gonzaga lead to 31-25. The Gaels extended their run to eight points on two Saxen free throws to reduce the margin to 31-29.  Ike broke the run with a lay-in but then Ryan Nembhard was called for a technical foul (his third foul). Augustas Marciulionis (12 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists) made both free throws and the half ended with the Zags up 33-31.

Saxen scored 14 first half points for the Gaels while Luke Barrett was active again on the boards with eight rebounds. Huff led Gonzaga with nine points at the half. The Gaels continued their rebounding efficiency with a 23-14 first half advantage, including 8-4 off the offensive glass. Gonzaga had a 6-0 edge on fast break points. The Zags only committed one first half turnover compared to St. Mary’s seven and enjoyed an 11-3 edge in points off turnovers.

Gonzaga maintained a small lead for most of the first part of the second half and expanded their lead to 48-42 at the under 8-minute time out. They were helped by a lay-in by Khalif Battle. (14 points, 5 steals) after a St. Mary’s turnover. They maintained their lead at 52-47 with three minutes remaining and St. Mary’s couldn’t get closer than four points the rest of the game.

The teams shot horribly with Gonzaga making 1-of-15 on 3’s and with St. Mary’s missing all 16 of their three-point attempts. The Gaels maintained their rebounding advantage by a 43-28 margin. Gonzaga won the game with solid defense and creating turnovers. They forced 18 turnovers while committing only four and had a 20-3 edge in points off turnovers.

Graham Ike of Gonzaga was named tournament MVP. Moe Odum (Pepperdine), Saxen (St. Mary’s), Marciulionis (St. Mary’s) and Battle (Gonzaga) joined Ike on the All-Tournament team.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

St. Mary’s and Gonzaga to Meet Again for WCC Tournament Title

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Las Vegas, NV – The semifinals of the West Coast Conference tournament took place tonight with Pepperdine trying for their fourth win in four days as they faced top-seed St. Mary’s. In the second game San Francisco took on No. 2-seed Gonzaga.  Both favored teams won and St. Mary’s and Gonzaga will face for the WCC tournament title for the fourth straight year, and the sixth time in the last seven years.

In the opener St. Mary’s showed why they are one of the top defensive and rebounding teams in the nation, shutting down a hot Pepperdine team and ran way with an 74-59 win. They held the Waves to 39% shooting overall and only 20% (5-of-18) on three-pointers. Paulius Murauskas scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the winners. Point guard Augustas Marciulionis also scored 15 points and added seven rebounds and five assists with no turnovers. Luke Barrett added 13 + 8. Moe Odum led the Waves with 19 points.

Pepperdine’s (13-22) Odum continued his hot shooting early, scoring ten points as the Waves took a 18-13 lead. The Gaels came right back, going on a 10-point run to take a 5-point lead. Four straight points from 6-8 Lithuanian forward Murauskas extended St. Mary’s lead to 30-21. They maintained that lead the rest of the half, going into the break with a 39-29 lead. Barrett was all over the court for the Gaels scoring nine points and adding seven rebounds.  Marciulionis also scored nine points. Odum led the Waves with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.

St. Mary’s came into the game rated No. 11 in defensive efficiency according to Kenpom and they made it tough for Stefan Todorovic to get off an uncontested shot. Todorovic, averaging 24 points over the first three games, scored eight points in the half on only 2-of-9 shooting. He finished the game with ten points on 3-of-14 from the field.

In the second half, a lay-in after an offensive rebound by Murauskas extended the Gaels’ lead to 48-33.  The lead was 21 points (59-38) at the under 12-minute time out and St. Mary’s didn’t look back. They led by as many as 28 points (68-40) and coasted to the win, resting their starters for tomorrow’s title game. Pepperdine closed the game on a 14-2 run, making the final score closer than it could have been.

The Gaels came in as one of the top rebounding teams in the country, rated No. 2 with a 40.2 offensive rebounding percentage. They also limit their opponents to a 25.1 offensive rebounding percentage (ranked No. 15).  That advantage was evident tonight as in the first half the Gaels had a 25-12 rebounding edge with an 8-4 edge on the offensive glass. For the game St. Mary’s outrebounded the Waves 45-22, including 15-7 on the offensive boards.

In the second game, Gonzaga faced a San Francisco squad that was missing their starting point guard, Marcus Williams, who was out of action due to a possible NCAA rules violation. Ryan Beasley, starting in place of Williams, got the Dons off to a decent start by scoring their first seven points. Michael Ayayi came off the bench to give a boost to the Zags with two strong dunks. Back-to-back three-pointers from Junjie “Barry” Wong gave the Dons a 29-24 lead. A three-pointer from Beasley (10 first half points) gave USF a 37-35 halftime lead. Grahan Ike led the Dons with 10 points and seven rebounds. Ayayi played well and provided energy, ending the half with nine points and seven boards.

Ike scored eight straight points for the Zags starting the second half as the Zags took a 43-39 lead. Khalif Battle then got hot, hitting a three-pointer midway through the half to give the Zags a 59-53 lead. A dunk by the Dons’ Tyrone Riley cut the lead to 60-59 with under eight minutes left. Five quick points by Ike extended the Zags lead to 67-61. Gonzaga (24-8) was solid the rest of the game and closed out with an 85-76 win over San Francisco (24-9).

Graham Ike led the Zags with 27 points and ten rebounds. Battle added 21 points (3-of-6 3’s) and Ryan Nembhard added eight assists against only one turnover. Malik Thomas led the Dons with 27 points (5-of-8 3’s), eight rebounds and four assists.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

Pepperdine and San Francisco Advance to WCC Semifinals

by Carl Berman
written by Carl Berman

Las Vegas, NV – The West Coast Conference tournament played their quarterfinals tonight as Pepperdine tried for a third straight win facing No. 4-seed Santa Clara. In the nightcap Washington State faced No. 3-seed San Francisco. 

Pepperdine (13-21, 7-14) did it, holding on for their third straight win in three days, upsetting Santa Clara 78-76. The Waves continued to get excellent play from Stefan Todorovic and Moe Odum. Both scored 19 points and made three 3’s. Odum Jr. added 13 assists and five rebounds. Tyeree Bryan led the Broncos (20-12, 12-7) with 18 points, connecting on 4-of-6 from deep. In the nightcap Ryan Beasley scored 29 points (4-of-8 3’s) to lead San Francisco to an 86-75 win over Washington State. Ethan Price led the Cougars with 26 points, connecting on 3-of-6 three-pointers and added six rebounds.

Pepperdine stayed close with the Broncos throughout the first half with Santa Clara taking a 40-36 lead into the break. The Broncos shot 8-of-20 on 3’s with Bryan, Brenton Knapper and Johnny O’Neil each connecting on two. Pepperdine only shot 3-of-13 from deep. Knapper led the Broncos with ten points while Odum, Todorovic and Boubacar Coulibaly each scoring nine points for the Waves. Santa Clara enjoyed a 21-13 edge on the boards including 6-2 on the offensive glass.

The Waves tied the game at 56 on a three-pointer from Todorovic and then took a 58-56 lead on a short jumper from center Danilo Dozic (7 points) midway through the second half. The Waves extended their lead to eight points as they went on an 8-0 run and held the Broncos without a field goal for six minutes. Santa Clara stayed withing striking distance and cut their deficit to 71-68 on a three-pointer by Knapper (17 points). A Dozic three-pointer extended the lead back to six points after the under 4-minute time out. Todorovic then hit a tough jumper in the lane with 1:23 left to extend the lead to five points. A Christopf Tully steal and dunk got the Broncos to within three points. Santa Clara had the ball with 10.3 seconds remaining with the chance to tie the game with a three-pointer. An Adama Bal three-pointer wasn’t close and Pepperdine closed the game at the free throw line.

Odum has been outstanding at the tournament.  In the three games he has been in double-figures in points and assists in each game. He started with 31 points and 11 assists. Last night he had 17 points and ten assists and then 19 points and 13 assists tonight. He’s shot a combined 12-of-24 on three-pointers in the three games. Todorovic is averaging 24 points over the three games with his career-high of 34 points in last night’s win over Oregon State.

In the second game, Washington State and San Francisco battled evenly through the first half with USF taking a 34-32 lead into the break. The Dons destroyed the Cougars on the boards by a 31-14 margin, including a 15-1 edge on the offensive boards, but did not shoot well. They shot only 33% overall and 2-of-15 on 3’s. Ryan Beasley made their only two three-pointers, the rest of the team was 0-of-10. Malik Thomas led San Francisco in scoring with 12 points. Ethan Proce continued his strong tournament play, leading Washington State with 11 points.

USF got off to a quick start in the second half with an 8-0 run and extended their lead to 46-36 after a steal and three-point play from Beasley. The Cougars stormed right back on a 9-0 run helped by another Price three-pointer to cut USF’s lead to 52-50. USF came back with a 7-0 run, taking a 63-54 lead. Beasley then hit another three-pointer to extend the Dons’ lead to 66-56. USF kept a safe lead from there to finish with the ten-point victory. USF had a 49-25 rebounding edge, including 21-5 on the offensive glass.

Pepperdine advances to the semifinals tomorrow evening against top-seeded St. Mary’s. In the nightcap San Francisco (24-8, 14-5) will face No. 2 seed Gonzaga.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

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