Tag: Isaiah Wong

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins and the 6 best NBA draft prospects playing in the Final Four

UConn’s Jordan Hawkins is a ready-to-play movement shooter perfect for the NBA.

This is a fascinating Final Four in the NCAA men’s tournament, especially because we may only have one first-round draft pick playing in either game.

Between the two matchups, UConn vs. Miami is the game to watch if you want to see likely future NBA players. Even if there aren’t many players selected in the first round, there are several who could find their way onto your favorite pro team.

Before the two games have their tipoffs in Houston on Saturday, these are the top NBA draft prospects you should keep your eyes peeled for whenever they are on the court.

NOTE: UConn’s Donovan Clingan would also make this list if he decides to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft.

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11 pictures that prove how chill Miami’s Isaiah Wong is on the court

Miami will need his relaxed play to pull off an upset of No. 1 seed Houston on Friday night.

When the No. 5 seed Miami Hurricanes take on top-seeded Houston Friday night in the Sweet 16, viewers will have a chance to watch the most chill athletes in men’s college basketball. Isaiah Wong, a guard for the Hurricanes, is an incredible player. He’s in his fourth year of college basketball, and the Piscataway, New Jersey native has the chance to lead his team back to the Elite Eight for the second-straight season.

MORE: 2023 March Madness: Staff picks against the spread for the men’s Sweet 16

Wong does a little bit of everything with steals, assists and a 39 percent mark from three. What really stands out, however, is just how chill the guy is at all times on the basketball court. Whether he’s playing defense or shooting the ball or in the huddle, Wong keeps his cool. His expression level.

Here are 11 pictures that illustrate just how chill he really is.

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UNC wing Leaky Black finishes second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting

UNC basketball wing Leaky Black finished second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting for the 2022-23 season.

The ACC announced its league awards on Monday afternoon. While UNC basketball players received honors, they were vastly different than the expectations coming into the season.

Armando Bacot headlined the group. He was a first-team All-ACC selection, coming in second in ACC Player of the Year voting.

No other Tar Heel made it on the All-ACC teams.

UNC wing [autotag]Leaky Black[/autotag] came in second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting. Despite being a guy opposing coaches consistently raved about on the defensive side of the ball, Black fell 11 votes short of the top spot, which was given to Virginia’s Reece Beekman.

Black consistently guarded opposing team’s best players. Some of his notable performances were holding ACC Player of the Year Isaiah Wong of Miami to just 10 points on 3-of-8 from the field and three turnovers, first-team All-ACC wing Hunter Tyson of Clemson to two shot attempts in 32 minutes and Terquavion Smith of NC State to a combined 10-of-31 in two matchups.

On the season, Black averaged 1.3 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He was ranked second in the league in defensive box score plus/minus and fourth in defensive win shares.

He was also part of the All-ACC Defensive Team.

Here is the final voting:

Reece Beekman, Virginia, 29 votes
Leaky Black, North Carolina, 18
Jesse Edwards, Syracuse, 13
Dereck Lively II, Duke, 6
Federiko Federiko, Pitt, 3
Ja’von Franklin, Georgia Tech, 3
Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech, 2
Norchad Omier, Miami, 1

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ACC men’s basketball leaders through Dec. 4

Notre Dame has one player on this list.

ACC play is underway, at least partially. While we we’ll have to wait a few more weeks to see conference teams going at it on a nightly basis, if this past weekend was any indication, there is some thrilling basketball in store. Here’s who leads the conference in the major categories after that preview:

ESPN lists Armando Bacot as favorite to win ACC Player of the Year

Who in the ACC can contend with Armando Bacot for ACC Player of the Year? ESPN has their answer.

We are still a few weeks away from the start of the college basketball season and for North Carolina, it’s an offseason that has been filled with excitement and a lot of hype. For good reason too.

The Tar Heels return four of five starters from a Final Four team a year go plus welcome in transfer Pete Nance. Among the returners for UNC is Armando Bacot, a senior who averaged a double-double while developing into one of the best bigs in the nation.

So far going into this season, Bacot is being honored in the preseason with some recognition. Just a few days after Bacot was named the ACC preseason player of the year, ESPN has also listed him as their conference player of the year.

But who can contend for it and take down Bacot?

Myron Medcalf recently broke down the player of the year race in the preseason and which player could challenge the top guy for it. In the ACC, he listed Miami’s Isaiah Wong for that honor:

Armando Bacot | 6-11 | F | North Carolina Tar Heels

Bacot (16.3 PPG, 13.1 RPG, 1.7 BPG) is a candidate for every national player of the year award after leading the Tar Heels on an incredible turnaround and to the national title game last season.

Top Competition: Isaiah Wong | 6-4 | G | Miami Hurricanes

After averaging 16.2 PPG during Miami’s surprising Elite Eight run last season, Wong is one of America’s top returnees — and one of the ACC’s top players.

Wong is a popular name to contend for the award with Bacot and is coming off a big season for the Hurricanes. If he plays like he did in the NCAA Tournament run, he has a legit shot to win it too.

But Bacot is as good as anyone in the nation and with UNC having something to prove, he should be on his A-game as well. This could be a very fun race to watch here in 2022-23.

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All-ACC Preseason Ballot: North Carolina, Armando Bacot remain the favorites

Take a look at the ballot I submitted before the ACC releases preseason accolades.

The men’s college basketball season is about to get underway with games starting in just under three weeks. We already have the first AP poll of the season, led by last year’s runner-up North Carolina (despite Gonzaga having the best odds, according to a couple of sportsbooks).

As the action gets closer, each conference is releasing its preseason predicted order of finish and players of the year as voted on by the media. The Atlantic Coast Conference, home to the aforementioned UNC squad, is announcing the predicted order of finish, All- ACC Preseason First Team, ACC Preseason Player of the Year and ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year awards today (October 16) at 5:30 p.m.

I attended the ACC Tip-Off in Charlotte, N.C., last week, so for transparency’s sake, here is my ballot as it was submitted (plus my reasoning).

Let’s get to it.

Oklahoma City Thunder to hold pre-draft workout for Miami guard Isaiah Wong

The Oklahoma City Thunder worked out Miami guard Isaiah Wong this upcoming week, per @MavsDraft

The Oklahoma City Thunder held a pre-draft workout with Miami guard Isaiah Wong this upcoming week, per Locked On’s Mavs Draft.

The Thunder will regularly hold workouts with potential draft prospects from now until the 2022 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 23.

The Thunder own four top-34 draft picks, which include two lottery picks whose order will be determined in the 2022 NBA Draft lottery, which will be held on May 17.

In 37 games last season, Wong averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists on 45.2 percent shooting and 30.2 percent three-point shooting on 4.3 attempts. In 95 career games at Miami that span three seasons, Wong averaged 13.3 points, four rebounds and 1.8 assists.

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Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison in the transfer portal

Could the Tide add yet another big-time wide receiver?

For the first time in college football, we have a free agent. Former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver, Jordan Addison, has entered the transfer portal, with all options open and no expectations of an immediate decision.

Addison was the 2021 Biletnikoff winner with 100 receptions, and 1,593 yards, and found the end zone 17 times. With one year of eligibility remaining, every coach in the country is wondering how to get him into their facilities.

USC has been rumored to be in the lead of the mad dash for Addison. With the additions of Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams, everything LA has to offer, and a few million dollars in NIL that is a hard offer to pass on.

But what if Coach Saban comes calling?

Alabama doesn’t have to offer millions of dollars, that’s the difference. If you want to be the best you can be, you’ll find a way to Tuscaloosa. If you end up in Alabama you will get the best coaching and all the opportunities to make an NFL career.

While yes it may be nice to have an extra million or two dollars right now, Coach Saban wants his players to build careers. Saban’s players have accumulated $1.7B in just NFL contracts. So while you may take less money now in college, the things that Saban will do for your career far exceed two million dollars.

Jameson Williams was the third receiver on a very good Ohio State team. He took a chance with Coach Saban and became a top-12 pick in the NFL draft. The money he made going from being a day 2 or 3 NFL draft prospect to the 12th pick far exceeds a million dollars.

However, this free agency issue isn’t going to be exclusive to football. Miami Basketball player Isaiah Wong has already stated that he will enter the transfer portal if he doesn’t receive more NIL after leading the Hurricanes to an elite eight finish this past season.

We are entering a new era of college athletics.

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