Tag: Scout

Veteran Rockets scout B.J. Johnson dies in bicycle accident

“B.J. was a standup and genuine human, and a basketball purist all over the world,” The Athletic’s Shams Charania wrote on Twitter.

Veteran Houston Rockets scout Brent ‘B.J.’ Johnson passed away Thursday night, as first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

“B.J. was a standup and genuine human, and a basketball purist all over the world,” Charania wrote on Twitter.

“I’m stunned. Absolutely stunned,” added Marc J. Spears of ESPN’s The Undefeated. “B.J. was one of the most generous, caring, and humorous people I ever met with one of the greatest basketball IQs to boot. My prayers and condolences to his wife and his children.”

Rockets forward and native Houstonian Danuel House Jr. shared the news on Twitter with several sad emojis.

Per Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the 65-year-old Johnson died in a bicycle accident. An avid rider, he typically rode his bike for approximately 30 miles per day, according to Feigen.

“He was riding his bike and hit a culvert,” said Johnson’s wife, Claudette. “There was construction. They are thinking he fell forward and broke his neck, because there was no blood.”

Johnson had worked in Houston’s basketball operations department since the 1994-95 championship season, which was then run by head coach Rudy Tomjanovich and general manager Carroll Dawson. He remained with the department through numerous coaching and leadership changes, primarily working to scout college and NBA players.

Johnson leaves behind a son and two stepchildren.

See below for a sampling of the immediate social media reactions from many connected with the Rockets and the broader NBA community.

Jets need Joe Douglas to bring his UDFA wizardry to New York

Joe Douglas has prior success in the undrafted free agent department and hopes to bring that skillset to the Jets this offseason.

A lot has been said and written about Joe Douglas’ ability to build a roster. Whether it’s through free agency or the draft, Douglas proved at every stop he is capable of building a competent team. One of his many skills that goes mostly unnoticed, though, is his ability to identify undrafted rookies who can become contributors and even starters in the league early on.

Douglas played an integral role in finding undrafted free agents for the Ravens during his time as a scout from 2000-2014. Former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome told ESPN back in March that he put Douglas in charge of finding undrafted free agents to sign during his time as a scout. Thanks to Douglas’ efforts, the Ravens have been one of the most successful franchises when it comes to finding undrafted free agents. They’ve rostered at least one undrafted rookie in 16 consecutive years, according to ESPN. Some of those players included Pro Bowl kicker Justin Tucker, Pro Bowl long snapper Morgan Cox, safety Will Demps and newly-signed Jets linebacker Patrick Onwuasor.

“We’ve made a living getting two or three college free agents a year,” Newsome said. “It started with Joe D. and his ability to lay the foundation for that program.”

The Jets haven’t been awful in the UDFA market, but they haven’t been great, either. Defensive lineman Kyle Phillips is the most recent success story after tallying 39 combined tackles, seven tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits and 1.5 sacks in 2019. Robby Anderson had a great four-year career in New York before he left in free agency. Defensive end Damon Harrison came out of nowhere after going undrafted in 2012 and started every single game for the Jets from 2013-2015 and tallied 193 combined tackles.

Douglas’ arrival means the Jets could soon bear the fruits of his scouting labors. Douglas signed nine undrafted players this offseason – three defensive backs, two wide receivers, two defensive linemen, one edge rusher and one offensive tackle – and the Jets hope to see a similar return on investment that the Ravens enjoyed over the last 16 seasons.

Any of those players could become important for the Jets. Douglas gave edge rusher Bryce Huff the most money of any UDFA – $90,00 guaranteed – and he plays a position of need for the Jets. Offensive tackle Jared Hilbers – who earned a $62,000 guarantee – has a great chance to make the roster as well because of his position in the Jets’ tackle depth chart. Receivers Lawrence Cager and George Campbell would provide big targets for Sam Darnold, and defensive backs Lamar Jackson, Javelin Guidry and Shyheim Carter all have the makings of great depth players in the secondary.

The Jets will need help from anywhere and everywhere after an up and down first season under Adam Gase. Douglas laid the groundwork with a solid offseason, but now it’s on the coaching staff and the players to put it all together. There is still a big need across the roster, and Adam Gase will need help from anywhere and everywhere in order to field a winning team.

Chiefs scout attends Colin Kaepernick’s workout despite location change

Only six teams were reported to have representatives after the workout with a last-minute location change.

Most teams didn’t show up to QB Colin Kaepernick’s workout, but the Kansas City Chiefs were one of the few teams represented.

Kaepernick and his camp felt no choice but to arrange their own workout and switch locations after the NFL refused transparency in the workout they had arranged. The alternate location was reported to be a high school, roughly an hour away from the Falcons’ facility. There were as many as 24 teams expected to be represented at the initial workout and only six of them showed up at the new location to see Kaepernick throw. The Chiefs were represented among those six teams with scouting assistant Ricky Seale in attendance.

Nothing about this situation was ideal from the get-go, but Kaepernick continued along with his plan to hold a workout. When it was all said and done, those in attendance and watching the stream seemed to be impressed with several facets of his game. First, they liked that he was still in football shape, despite the short notice of the workout. He also showcased the signature arm strength that was part of his repertoire when he first entered the NFL. His accuracy was shaky at times during the throwing session, but that’s to be expected. Kaepernick also had a chance to showcase his ability to throw on the run, which was always one of the stronger parts of his game in the NFL.

Following the workout, Kaepernick addressed a few of the scouts in attendance, including and urged them to relay a message to the owners of the teams they represented.

I can’t imagine the comment will be taken well by those in charge of making the decisions.

The Chiefs, of course, aren’t in need of a quarterback right now. They have four players at the position between the active roster and the practice squad.  It’s important to keep in mind that Kaepernick’s workout wasn’t necessarily held with this season in mind as we’re already well into the 2019 season. Good teams always look for ways to make their team better, no matter who they already have at the position. This feels like one of those situations for Kansas City, but we’ll see how things play out for Kaepernick in the future.