2013 NBA Draft's Top International Prospects

1. Dennis Schroeder-PG-Germany-6'2"

Dennis Schroeder
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Schroeder is the top international player for good reason. The 19-year-old has the aptitude to become a high-quality point guard. He is fast with a large wingspan and 6'7" for his height. He is strong on defense. He has the potential to be a shut-down defender. A great characteristic of Schroeder is that he can run an up-tempo or half-court offense. A question mark is his shooting. He shoots a good percentage from three, but not from inside the arc. His biggest weakness is his high turnover rate. This needs to be fixed; quickly. Schroeder also needs to improve going to his left. For his team, the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig in Germany's BBL, he averaged 11.9 ppg, 3.3 apg, and 0.9 spg. He shot 40.2% from the three and 43.6% from the field. A good spot for Schroeder would be 13th to the Dallas Mavericks.

2. Rudy Gobert-C-France-7'2"

Rudy Gobert has something that every team wants. That is size. He is 7'2" and a wingspan of 7'9". Gobert is good around the rim, offensively and defensively. His offense is mostly in the low post. He also works well in pick-and-rolls. On defense, he protects the rim very well. He needs to add some pounds to his frame. He is only 238 lbs. If he does not bulk up, he is going to have  difficultly playing down low. He also has no mid-range game at all. For Chelot of France's Pro A league, he averaged 8.4 ppg, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.9 bpg. He is very raw and will need to be drafted by a team willing to let him develop over time and possibly play another season in Europe. Two fits that I feel are best are the Boston Celtics with the 16th and the New York Knicks with the  24th pick.

3. Giannis Antetokounmpo-F-Greece-6'9"

Antetokounmpo is versile at 6'9", has ginormous hands, and has a 7'3" wingspan. The youngest player in this years draft, he will be 19 in December. His ball-handling and passing skills are good. He can also finish at the basket. His defense lacks fundamentals and needs a lot of work. He will also need to work on his outside game. For Filathlitikos of Greece's second rate league, Antetokounmpo averaged 9.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg. His shooting percentage from inside the arc was 62.1%, which is excellent. Antetokounmpo has a high ceiling and a has bust potential. Whoever picks him up will need to wait for him to develop in Europe for the next few years or must be confident in their developing program. I think the San Antonio Spurs at 28 will be a good fit. They will give him time to develop. 

4. Sergey Karasev-SG-Russia-6'7"

Sergey Karasev
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Karasev is a shooter and scorer. His lefty shot is very smooth. Karasev has the potential to be a great shooter in a few years. I think his shooting can improve to where he may be able to become one of the best shooters in the league. Karasev is not the most athletic player, which may be a problem on defense. He will also need to get stronger to help hide his athleticism problem. For Triumph of the PBL, he averaged 18.4 ppg and 5.3 rpg in the PBL and 16.1 ppg and a 49% shooting percentage from three. He also was on Russia's bronze-medal winning team at the Summer Olympics last year. The Minnesota Timberwolves at 26 would be a great spot for Karasev. They are desperate for a shooter and he would fill the role. 

5. Lucas Nogueira-C-Brazil-7'0"

Nogueira is a physically imposing player. He is 7'0" with a 7'6" wingspan, is very athletic, quick feet, fast reflexes, and has excellent speed for a big man. He can become an excellent shot blocker and defensive player. However, at this moment, his defense skills are very weak and lacks fundamentals. His rebounding is very good and so is his finishing. Nogueira will most likely be kept in Europe for a few years so he can develop into a complete center. The Oklahoma City Thunder with the 32nd pick or the Memphis Grizzlies ten picks later would be very good spots for Nogueira.

2013 College World Series Final: UCLA vs. Mississippi St

College World Series logo
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The Men's College Baseball Tournament started with 64 teams vying for eight spots in the College World Series. Now, only two teams in the College World Series remain. They are the Mississippi State Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins. Both teams have had to earn their way to the finals. Their roads to the finals have been somewhat similar, yet their strengths and weaknesses are different.

UCLA has had recent success in college baseball. This is their third appearance in the College World Series in the last four years. It is also their second appearance in the finals in that time span. They lost in the finals to South Carolina in 2010. The Bulldogs have had nine previous appearances in the College World Series. This is their first since 2007. They have made the tournament the last three years though. Neither team has ever won a College World Series Title.

UCLA are currently 47-17. Their record in the PAC-12 was 21-9 and 39-17 in the regular season. UCLA hosted a regional, with Cal Poly, San Diego, and San Diego State joining them at Jackie Robinson Stadium. In their first game, they beat San Diego State, 5-3. Next up was Cal Poly and UCLA beat them 6-4. That put them in the regional final against San Diego. The Bruins shutout the Toreros, 6-0. After their regional win, they went to nearby Cal State Fullerton to face the Titans in the Super Regional. In game one, they needed extra innings. UCLA got two runners across in the tenth and took home the victory. In game two, UCLA shutout the Titans 3-0 to advance to the College World Series.

Nick Vander Tuig
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Their first game in the College World Series was against a very good LSU team. Adam Plutko went seven strong innings for the Bruins, giving up only run. In the eight inning, the score was 1-1 and Eric Filia was up with a runner on second. He hit a ball to short, but an error was made, allowing the runner to score. That won the game for the Bruins. Their next game was against North Carolina State was just as low scoring. A two-run fifth inning was all that was needed for the Bruins as Nick Vander Tuig went seven strong for UCLA picked up the 2-1 win. In their third game, they went up against the number one seeded North Carolina Tar Heels and it was again, low scoring. UCLA had a four-run lead going into the ninth. UNC started a rally, but it was not enough as UCLA won and advanced to the final.

UCLA is based around their pitching and defense. Vander Tuig is 13-4 with a 2.31 ERA and two complete games. Plutko is 9-3 on the year with a 2.29 ERA. David Berg is lights-out when he comes out of the bullpen. He has an 0.96 ERA and 77 strikeouts with 23 saves. He already has five this postseason. Their team fielding percentage of .980 is sixth in Division I baseball. Many of their fielders have made very few errors. Filia has played in all 64 games for the Bruins and has not made one error.

Mississippi State are currently 51-18. They went 43-17 in the regular season and SEC Tournament and 16-14 in the SEC. To start the tournament, they hosted their own regional. In their regional with them was South Alabama, Mercer, and Central Arkansas. In their first game, they defeated Central Arkansas, 5-3 and then South Alabama, 6-2. They then lost to Central Arkansas 5-2, but redeemed themselves with 6-1 victory over UCA to make the Super Regional in Charlottesville. The Bulldogs defeated Virginia, 11-6, in game one of the best-of-three series. Game two was moved back a day due to rain, but it didn't matter. Mississippi State withheld a late rally and won 6-5.

Their first game of the World Series was against Oregon State. The Beavers got out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the Bulldogs soon countered with three runs in the top of the second. Oregon State then got one run in the fourth and one in the fifth. Mississippi State regained the lead with two runs in the eighth and took a 5-4 lead. The Bulldogs held on to win. Next up was Indiana. Mississippi State got on the board first with one run in the first. Indiana then got three unanswered, followed by a run for the Bulldogs. Then, in the eighth inning, Mississippi State drove in three runs to take the lead. Indiana got one run in the ninth, but could not get the tying run across. The Bulldogs won the game 5-4. In their next game they faced Oregon State again, this time with a chance to make the final. Mississippi State scored one run in the fourth and three in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. They kept the lead for the rest of the game, only giving up one run. They won the game 4-1 and their trip to the final.

Hunter Renfroe
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The Mississippi State lineup is led by two juniors, Adam Frazier and Hunter Renfroe. Adam Frazier is a great lead-off hitter. He has a .358 batting average, .404 on-base percentage, twenty doubles, seven triples, and a nation-leading 106 hits. In the postseason, he has sixteen hits including four doubles. Renfroe is an excellent middle of the lineup guy. He has 18 homers, 65 RBIs, and a .637 slugging percentage. The thirteenth overall pick in this year's draft already has one homer here in the College World Series. They have a very good bullpen. Ross Mitchell is 13-0 on the year with zero games started and a 1.27 ERA. Jonathan Holder has 21 saves on the season (including three in the their three College World Series games) with 86 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA.

This looks to be a very good College World Series final. I feel the match-up is very even. I expect the series to go to a third game. Mississippi State, will, in the end, win the series and take home their first College World Series title. I believe their hitting can beat UCLA's pitching. The Bruins do not have the power at the plate to come from behind multiple times. The Bulldogs pitching may not be great, but they can shut down the UCLA lineup. In a few days, there will be celebrations down in Starkville.

3 Interesting Position Player Prospects

We are almost halfway through the regular season and some top prospects are starting to make their debuts in the majors, with Jurickson Profar and Yasiel Puig being some of the most notable names. Some of the most promising and exciting prospects are still in the minors, due to many different factors. Here are three players who all have to potential to be stars. 

Billy Hamilton
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Billy Hamilton

Hamilton made national news last year when he broke the record for most steals in a season. This season, however, Hamilton has struggled. He is only hitting .243 with a .301 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage .338. I would place some of his struggles on him switching positions. Hamilton has played shortstop almost exclusively during his career. Now, he has been moved to the outfield. He probably spent most of the winter focusing on his fielding in the outfield. That probably set his hitting back. He does have 46 steals in 69 games, which is not as good as last year, but is still excellent. Hamilton had a good chance of being called up before September, but due to his struggles, I wouldn't expect to see him in a full time capacity until the middle of next year. 

Oscar Taveras

Taveras was a top three prospect coming into the year and still is. However, the other two high profile position players, Profar and Wil Myers, have been called up to the majors. Taveras is in a much different situation. The Cardinals outfield is not weak or injured, meaning there is not spot for him to go. He also had a right ankle injury that took him out for about a month. Taveras is playing fine in Triple-A, but a major flaw is being exposed. Taveras is having difficulty hitting left-handed pitching. Against righties, he is hitting very well with a .361 batting average and a .567 slugging percentage. It is the exact opposite against southpaws. Taveras is hitting an abysmal .197 batting average plus a .273 slugging percentage. He needs to improve drastically against lefties. Once he does, he will become a much better player. Even with his struggles against southpaws, I would expect the twenty-one year old to be up in the majors by the middle of July. 

Byron Buxton
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Byron Buxton

Buxton is playing very well for the Ceder Rapids Kernals. His performance has feature him being excellent on every part of the game. He is hitting for power and contact, is stealing bases, and is playing solid defense. The number two overall pick in the 2012 MLB Draft currently has eight homers, fifteen doubles, eight triples, forty walks, and 52 RBIs. His batting average (2nd in the Midwest League), on-base percentage (1st), and slugging percentage (2nd) are .339, .425, and .553 respectively. He also has 29 steals. His fielding percentage in center is great at .993 and including three assists. Buxton may be on his way to becoming the next great all-around star. He can bat leadoff or cleanup or anywhere in the lineup. Expect big things from him.

2013 MLB Draft Notes and Numbers

Mark Appel

Mark Appel
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For the second straight year, the Houston Astros had the first pick in the draft and for the second straight year, Mark Appel was available to be picked. In 2012, they instead drafted Carlos Correa and Appel dropped to the Pittsburgh Pirates at nine. Appel could not strike a deal with Pittsburgh and he returned to Stanford for his senior season. This proved to be the right move. The Houston native went 10-4 with a 2.12 ERA, .203 opponents batting average, and 130 strikeouts for Stanford and was drafted by the Astros with the number one pick. Appel has the potential to be in the majors and stay by as early as next April. He has good stuff that can develop in to great stuff. I have high hopes for Appel. 

First Round Numbers

Number of Picks: 33
Number of College Players selected: 18
Number of High School Players selected: 15
Number of Pitchers selected: 15
Number of Position Players selected: 18
Number of College Pitchers selected: 9
Number of High School Pitchers selected: 6
Number of College Position Players selected: 9
Number of High School Position Players selected: 9
Number of RHP selected: 11
Number of LHP selected: 4
Number of Catchers selected: 2
Number of Infielders selected: 10
Number of Outfielders selected: 6

Chad Jones

Chad Jones when he was at LSU
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With the 285th overall pick in the draft, the Cincinnati Reds selected Chad Jones. Jones is one of the most interesting picks. He hasn't played baseball since 2010. He was a two-sport star at LSU, winning the BCS Championship in 2007 and the College World Series in 2009. Jones was drafted twice before. He was selected in the 13th round in 2007 Draft by Houston and in the 50th round in the 2010 Draft by Milwaukee. He gave up baseball for football after being drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. However, he never played a down in the NFL due to injuries sustained in a car accident. Jones has had 18 surgeries since then. After being released by the Giants last year, Jones attempted a comeback in football. It was not very successful, so he turned his attention back to baseball. He was originally an outfielder but moved to pitcher during the 2009 season. From reports, it looks like he has gotten some of his stuff back. Jones' fastball is the reportedly hitting the 90s and his slider is working well. If he can have success and stay healthy, Jones may have a chance to make the big show.

Players from Bahamas, Curacao, and Italy

Bahamas, Curacao, and Italy each had one player born in that country drafted this year. The first of these three players was Champ Stuart of the Bahamas. He was drafted by the Mets with the 176th pick (6th round, 10th pick). He went to Bernard College, a Division II school in North Carolina for the last three years. He had a .300 batting average and .444 on-base percentage for Bernard this year.

Sherman Lacrus followed in the foot steps of fellow Curacao native, Atlanta Braves Shortstop Andrelton Simmons and went to Western Oklahoma State College. The result was being drafted 820th overall (27th round, 24th pick). He can hit for power as he had 12 homers on the season, get on base as his on-base percentage was .503, and can run evident by his 26 steals. He played both Catcher and Outfield at Western Oklahoma, but he will most likely stay in the outfield. 

The Baltimore Orioles selected Federico Castagnini from Verona, Italy with the 909th pick overall (30th round, 23rd pick). He spent the last season at Creighton University after two seasons at Barton Community College. This year, Castagnini batted .320 with 54 hits and eight doubles. While at Barton CC, he was a NJCAA All-American Honorable Mention. He is a third baseman, but may have to move because he does not have the power to give the production needed from the spot.

Top College Teams Represented 

Rankings based on seeding in College World Series'

 #1 North Carolina: 6 Players Drafted---Notable: Colin Moran, 3B, 6th overall (1st round, 6th pick) 
#2 Vanderbilt: 6 Players Drafted---Notable: Mike Yastrzemski, OF, 429th overall (14th round, 23rd pick)
#3 Oregon State: 7 Players Drafted---Notable: Matt Boyd, LHP, 175th overall (6th round, 9th pick)
#4 LSU: 9 Players Drafted---Notable: Ryan Eades 43rd overall (2nd round, 4th pick)
#5 Cal State Fullerton: 4 Players Drafted---Notable: Michael Lorenzen, RHP, 38th overall (Competitive Balance Round A, 5th pick)
#6 Virginia: 3 Players Drafted---Notable: Kyle Crockett, LHP, 111th overall (4th round, 5th pick)
#7 Florida State: 5 Players Drafted---Notable: Stephen McGee, C, 277th overall (9th round, 21st pick)
#8 Oregon: 6 Players Drafted---Notable: Ryon Healy, 1B, 100th overall (3rd round, 27th pick)

Cory Hahn

Cory Hahn
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A great moment happened in the 34th round on Saturday. With the 1020th pick in the draft, the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Cory Hahn. Hahn went to Arizona State, but he only played three career games. He was drafted by the Padres in 2010 Draft, but decided to head to Arizona State instead. On February 2011, Hahn slide into the knee of New Mexico second baseman Kyle Stilner. He was taken off on a stretcher due to a spinal injury. The 2010 Mr. Baseball in California is now paralyzed from the chest down. He was spent the last two seasons as a student coach for the Sun Devils. He was drafted in the 34th round because he wore the number 34 at ASU. The Diamondbacks are hoping to make Hahn an employe. This is one of the greatest story in baseball this year. 

The 2013 Games of the Small States of Europe

Logo of the 15th Games of the Small States of Europe
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Of the many multi-sports competitions, the Games of the Small States of Europe  is one of the more unique concepts. It is for the smaller countries in Europe. All members have a population of less than a million people, hence the use of Small in the games' name (Cyprus, however, is over a million including Northern Cyprus). Of the fifty internationally recognized states in Europe, nine of them compete in the Games. They are Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, and San Marino. The 2013 Games was held in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg from May 27-June 1. This was the fifteenth ever Games of the Small States of Europe and the second ever held in Luxembourg. There were nine sports Olympic played during the five days of competition. They are athletics, basketball, cycling, gymnastics, judo, swimming, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball. 

In the men's 100 meters, Cyprus took home the top two medals, with Christos Charziangelidis taking gold with a time of 10.77 seconds and Michail Charalampous taking silver. The bronze medalist was Iceland's Kolbeinn Hodur Gunnarsson. In the women's 100 meters, Cyprus again took home gold with Anna Ramona Papaioannou winning with a time of 11.57. Tiffany Tshilumba of Luxembourg took home silver and Iceland's Hafdis Sigurdardottir got bronze.

The men's 400 meters was won by Malta's Kevin Arthur Moore with a time of 47.53. The silver  went to Iceland's Ivar Kristinn Jasonarson. Gunnarsson won his second bronze of the Games with a time of 48.21. The women's 400 was won by Anita Hinriksdottir of Iceland. Her time was 54.29. Luxembourg's Charline Mathias won silver and Cyprus' Kalliopi Kountouri received bronze.

Jean-Francios Schneiders
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Swimming was headlined by two stars, Jean-Francois Schneiders of Luxembourg and Anton Sveinn McKee of Iceland. Schneiders won seven gold medals in his seven events. The individual events he won were the 100 meter freestyle, 200 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke, and 200 meter backstroke. He won the following team events; the 4 x 100 meter medley relay, 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay, and 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. He broke the men's record in the 100 meter and 200 meter backstroke and helped Luxembourg break the record in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay. To cap it all off, he was the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies for Luxembourg. McKee won the 200 meter medley, 400 meter medley, 400 meter freestyle, 1500 meter freestyle, 100 meter backstroke, and 200 meter backstroke. He came in second in the 200 meter freestyle, 4 x 100 meter medley relay, and 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. He won bronze in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay.

Volleyball was dominated by Cyprus, winning gold medals in three of the four events. In men's indoor volleyball, Cyprus had no competition. The won all four of their matches and did not lose any of their twelve sets. Men's beach volleyball, is the only volleyball event that Cyprus did not win gold. They won the silver. Liechtenstein took home the gold by winning all five of their games.

In women's volleyball, Cyprus won every game with ease. They went 3-0 and only lost one set. Women's beach volleyball had the most teams competing and the only one that had a group stage and a knockout round. There were two pools. In Pool A, Cyprus and Malta advanced with a 2-0 and 1-1 record respectively. Monaco was eliminated. In Pool B, Luxembourg went 3-0 and Liechtenstein went 2-1. Both teams advanced, while Andorra and Iceland did not. In the fifth place game, Monaco beat Andorra 2-0. In the semi's, Cyprus beat Liechtenstein and Luxembourg defeated Malta. In the bronze medal match, Liechtenstein won against Malta to take the bronze medal. In the gold medal match, Cyprus defeated the hosts, 2-0 to win gold.

In men's basketball, Cyprus and Luxembourg dominated. Five teams competed, Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, San Marino, each team played each other once. Cyprus won their first three games and so did Luxembourg. The final game of the tournament was between the two. The winner would get gold, while the loser gets silver. In front of a crowd of 3145, Cyprus won 79-67. Antony Lamar King led Cyprus with 23 points on 9/15 shooting. He also had help from Iakovos Panteli, who had eleven of his 18 points in the fourth quarter.

The Games' torch lit
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At the end of the games, Luxembourg led the metal count. The host's had 36 gold medals, 39 silver medals, and 31 bronze medals for a total of 106. The runner-up in total medals is Iceland, with 28 gold, 29 silver, and 30 bronze medals for 84 total medals. After Iceland, comes Cyprus with 28, 17, and 24 gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively. Liechtenstein won eleven gold, 16 silver, and eight bronze medals. Montenegro won a total of eleven  medals, made up of nine gold and two bronze medals. That may not seem like a lot, but they only sent twelve athletes to the games. Monaco had seven gold, eight silver, and fifteen bronze medals. Malta's two gold, eleven silver, and thirteen bronze medals put them at 26 in total. Last in gold medals is San Marino with only one gold medal, four silver, and seven bronze medals. The last in total medals is Andorra with two gold, one silver, and three bronze.