THE
SMARTEST
POINT GUARD
EVER!

Pictured here is Brian Earl: The smartest point guard in organized basketball history. Earl played in every minute of 34 college games in the backcourt for the Princeton Tigers and was the point man in more winning games than any other player in Princeton or Ivy League history. Playing in a league of smart kid schools, Earl was the most dominant player in the Ivy of his time. He finished 1st all-time in 3-Point-Shooting, 5th in scoring, 6th in assists and 7th in steals and took home the Ivy League Player of the Year in 1998-1999.

He had decent help though, Princeton’s coach for 3 of Earl’s 4-years was Bill Carmody guided his non-scholarship squad to a 26-9 record against teams that offered scholarships during that time. The Tigers went 27-2 and were ranked as high as #7, with big wins over Georgetown, Wake Forrest, UNLV and Rutgers during Earl’s junior year in 1997-98. Earl was the backbone, an Ivy League standout of national fame with a game every million dollar banker or oil man could safely tell their sons to model after while they’re busy robbing the middle class. However as many 6’2 college guards come to know, size and speed are the substance of the next level.

On the pro side of things, Earl was less lucky. Drafted into the USBL by the old-Atlantic City Seaguls, Earl played in the little-known EBA with the Harrisburg Horizon. There he allegedly helped the team win the league title before signing to play professionally in the UK. In mid-season, his club, the Manchester Jets folded and Earl has been off the radar ever since.

Italians Dressing in the NBA

Before Andrea Bargnani was officially taken as the first pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, only a few Italian players had ever made it to the NBA. Despite the growing popularity of basketball as a global phenomenon, Italy has rarely made hoop headlines. Despite a 12th place finish in the 2006 FIBA World Championships, many of the Italian players impressed both spectators and scouts alike.

Bargnani is going through his growing ups and downs with the Raptors who are, as of press time, holding down the second spot in the Atlantic. Bargnani is averaging a respectable 10 points, and less impressively only 3.4 boards his Italian predecessors weren’t as successful. Here is a list of Italians in the NBA before they were being imported into the NBA with the first pick in the draft.

Hank Biasatti / Toronto Huskies 1946-1947

Born in Beano, Italy, Henry Arcado Biasatti stood 5-feet-11 inches tall and played his college ball at Long Island University in Brooklyn. He was taken by the Boston Celtics in the 1947 BAA draft but played in only 6 games in one season for the Toronto Huskies. Biasatti also went on to play for the Philadelphia Athletics in 1949 and batted 0.83 in 24 at-bats. He died in 1996 in Dearborn, Michigan.

Vincenzo Esposito / Toronto Raptors 1995-1996

Born in Caserta, Campania, Italy in 1969, Esposito played in 30 games for the Raptors in his only season in the NBA. Isaih Thomas made him the first player ever signed to the then brand-new Toronto Raptors. He was already 27 years old and averaged just below four points and nearly one assist for the Raptors who finished 21-61 in their first season. Since leaving the league, Esposito has been a mainstay on mostly Italian pro-teams.

Stefano Rusconi / Phoenix Suns 1995-1996

Rusconi, a 6’9 power forward, also made his NBA debut at 27-years-old. Drafted by the Cavs in the 2nd round of the 1990 draft, he didn’t suite up in the league until 1995-1996 with the Suns. In seven games, Rusconi averaged an anorexic 1.1 points-per-game and nearly averaged a lone rebound. Though he was never thought of to be a great NBA prospect he was an effective center in Europe with the Bennetton team that featured Toni Kukoc.

WANTED: NBA CONTRACT



Low Down "Majic" Dorsey Aims For NBA

Ok so, pictured above, Daryl “Majic” Dorsey looks like he’s posing for a Marietta Police Department mug shot rather than a photo for the local minor league team. Though he was once falsely accused of murder, Majic Dorsey has turned his life around and is making his best in hopes of landing a shot in the league. ESPN mag cover boy Dorsey first came to my attention in SLAM magazine. He was being called the best junior college player in the country and no division one team would touch him really. He’s a tough, but totally humble and cool, Baltimore cat I had the chance to interview this summer for ProBasketballNews.com. He had finished up in the WBA this past spring and was playing in the Mexican pro league. While he was playing and working out south of the bored he emailed me several times letting me know of his progress, recently a professor of his from juco emailed me wondering where he was and if she could tell him how proud she was. He signed to Southern Indiana, a D2 school, but dropped out before the season started to sign with the Las Vegas Rattlers of the ABA. He bounced around and recovered from an injury before signing this fall with the Anaheim Arsenal of the D-League.

This is part of an email he sent me not long after the D-League Draft:

“MATT WHAT’S GOOD? I WAS THE ONLY POINT GUARD THAT WAS DRAFTED TO THE ANAHEIM TEAM. THE COACH TOLD ME ITS MY SHOW WHEN I GET THERE AND RUN THE TEAM GOOD. AND HE WANTS ME TO SCORE ALSO. ONE OF THE THINGS HE SAID IS THAT WHEN HE ASK AROUND FOR A POINT GUARD PEOPLE SAID I WAS THE BEST POINT NOT IN THE NBA. AND THATS THANKS TO YOU AND THE ARTICLE YOU DID. I GOT SO MUCH EXSPOSURE OFF OF THAT…….I’M GOING GET TO THE LEAGUE, TRUST ME. LARRY SMITH IS GIVING ME THE GREEN LIGHT TO RUN THE TEAM. NOW I JUST NEED THE POLITICS ON MY SIDE AS WELL….AND YOU CAN HAVE A TEE SHIRT ANY DAY. AND IF YOU HELP ME OFF THE COURT TO GET THERE. LOTS OF OTHER THINGS WILL FOLLOW” –Majic Dorsey

Majic is proving he can play right now in the D-League. He’s averaging 13 points and 2.5 assists starting 5 of 8 games for Anaheim. Right now, Majic would benefit from some really solid showings in over the next month and boost his numbers. I think there is a chance somewhere down the line a team like the Boston Celtics, who always test a lot of point guards, or Raptors or maybe to one of Anaheim’s affiliate teams like the Blazers or Orlando Magic might give him a call. Maybe even the 76ers now that Louis Williams is in the down low and that Iverson might be on his way out. He’s got to prove, like Corey “Homicide” Williams too, that he can play the true point guard. Majic lead the Arsenal charge with 22 points and 3 assits against the Austin Toros on Dec 1.

"Interview w/ Daryl Dorsey: MaJic' Dorsey keeping pro hoop dreams alive"

http://www.probasketballnews.com/caputo_0727.html

ALSO IN
THE
DOWN-LOW:

<--E.Rob The Return!

.......Two players making professional comebacks after injury couldn’t have been more popular in their time in the league. Eddie Robinson, who played for the old-Charlotte Hornets and for the Chicago Bulls, signed to play with the long time CBA Idaho Stampede who are making their debut in the D-League this season. Robinson has been out of the league since 2003-2004. He averages 7 points and 2+ rebounds as a hardworking role player from a D2. He’s working on either getting back to the league or moving on to Europe……….Also Ex-Duke point guard Jay Williams signed with the Austin Toros. The NJ-native was cut from the Nets after not being 100% in the preseason. But while they’re at the top of the division, the Continental Airlines Arena looked pretty empty and the local kid could fill a few seats down the road....Also, word out of the league is that both the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavs to have D-League teams in town to boost the attraction at their venues on off nights. This would be after the Lakers have already placed their "D-Fenders" in the Staples Center.....