SoCalHoops College News

1999 John R. Wooden Classic
This Saturday At Pond--(Nov. 24, 1999)

This year's installment of the John R. Wooden Invitational Classic will be held this Saturday, November 27 at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. Two great games will be featured: The first game will feature Stanford v. Auburn, and the second game will feature Duke v. USC.  It will be a chance to see a lot of former and current players from the SoCal region battle it out (we almost said "duke it out". . . bad pun) in a great exhibition doubleheader.

And for those interested in why there is no "John R. Wooden High School Invitational" this year as there has been the past two years, it's really because the CIF doesn't allow games to be played (at least not 'official' games) prior to November 29, 1999.  The two prior years, the Wooden Classic college games have always been held in December, and there's been no problem with holding the high school games the preceding Thursday.  But not this year, at least according to what we've been told by the organizers of the event.  Maybe next year again. . .

This year, the Wooden Classic organizers have also teamed up with a new internet organization, Street Zebra, and they've put together a new version of the John R. Wooden Classic website and it's got all the information you'll need about the games, the teams (Duke, USC, Auburn, Stanford),  ticket prices, seating charts and a virtual tour of the Pond and more, but there's one little item we couldn't find: 

Game times.  Looked everywhere on their site, and couldn't locate it.  Maybe we just missed it, but we couldn't find the game times.    Not to worry though, because our media packet thoughtfully listed the various times of the games.  Here's what's up:

Stanford v. Auburn 12:00 p.m. (PST)
USC v. Duke , 2:30 p.m. (approximate).

There will also be a pre-game press conference with the coaches, which is scheduled for Friday, and we'll try to make it out there to give you some pre-game analysis and information.  The participants will be John R. Wooden, and the four coaches in the games, Mike Montgomery (Stanford) Cliff Ellis (Auburn), Henry Bibby (USC) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke). 

Evidently none of them plays golf, or they've got later tee times, because there's also be a John R. Wooden Classic Golf Tournment on Friday which will benefit the Special Olympics of Southern California.  The first tee time is 10:30 a.m. at Pelican Hill Golf Club in Newport Beach, and if you're interested in participating, you can get information at the Wooden Classic Website.  The golf will be followed by a 7:00 p.m. banquet at the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, and tickets are also available for that as well.  If you're interested call the Wooden Classic hotline at (714) 704-2920 for tournament, banquet, and game ticket information.

Tickets are $15, $20, $30, $50, $75, and $150 and can be purchased at the Pond Box Office which can be reached at (714) 740-2500.  Apparently the game will also be broadcast live on Channel 9 locally, and will also be available through syndicated national broadcasts.

Both USC and Stanford are hot right now. USC had a huge win yesterday in the Maui Classic over Memphis, a game in which Brandon Granville scored 19 points and set a USC school record for assists (15!), Jeff Trepagnier scored 19, David Bluthenthal scored 18, Sam Clancy scored 15, and Brian Scalabrine scored 17, and in fact as we are writing this, USC was just absolutely demolishing Utah State in the early minutes of the game today.

Auburn is going into the game undefeated, having beaten two exhibition teams easily, and they also knocked off Alabama Birmingham 65-59 and Arkansas Pine Bluff 100-44. Auburn is also hot, really hot, and they've been ranked by everyone as one of the best teams in the country: #1 in the nation by Sports Illustrated (but what do those yahoos know anyway, their rankings were really screwy, right?), #2 in the nation by Lindy's (ok, so they're pretty good), #3 in the nation by Basketball News (getting closer to reality), #4 in the nation by USA TODAY/ESPN POLL (there's a consensus going here. . .), #4 in the nation by AP, Sporting News, and ESPN.com, #5 in the nation by Street & Smith's, and "Final Four" by Athlon Magazine. And the Tigers also have a Compton grad David Hamilton, who is tearing it up.

Duke, the defending ACC Champion,  is currently 2-2,   and after their loss to Stanford at Madison Square Garden, they're probably not looking forward to being in the same arena with the Cardinal again. . . or maybe they'll schedule an impromtu rematch.  Hey, we'll bet that USC would gladly switch it's game to Auburn to accomodate the rematch. . . At the very least though, a USC v. Duke matchup will give us the chance to see how the Trojans really stack up against some top competition from the east, including some of the freshmen who spent lots of time here in SoCal at the Double Pump camps and tournaments like Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer. Both of them are averaging 9 ppg right now, while Carrawell (18.5 ppg), Battier (15.5 ppg) and Jason Williams (13.8 ppg) are leading the Blue Devils in scoring.

As for Stanford, Eric Sondheimer also thoughtfully reminded us about the game in his article this morning in the LA Times which was principally about the Collins twins, Jason and Jarron, which also featured some quotes from their Harvard-Westlake classmate, Alex Gelbard who has been with the Stanford team for the last three years as a walk-on.  Here's the link to the article, and some excerpts from the story:

Collins Twins Are Again Double-Parked in Lane

Eric Sondheimer, Times Staff Writer

Twelve days ago at Madison Square Garden, Jason and Jarron Collins, the twin towers from Harvard-Westlake High, gave their Stanford teammates a glimpse at the special bond that exists when the two are together on a basketball court.   Jarron, 6 feet 11, was encountering defensive pressure against Iowa and reacted with the same brotherly instinct that has guided him all his life--he passed to 7-foot Jason, who jammed home a dunk. 

"I just remember doing that so many times throughout the years," Jarron said. Added Jason: "That definitely was old Harvard-Westlake times."  Watching from their seats, Portia and Paul Collins were in tears, as any mother and father would when their sons are reunited after a trying time.   "I felt proud, thrilled, excited," Portia said. "My heart was moving too quickly the whole game. I was dripping wet. I was feeling it." 

From the moment they were born 21 years ago, Jason and Jarron have been inseparable on and off the court. That's why there was family trauma the last two seasons when injuries to Jason's knee and wrist forced him to the sideline.   "Injuries are part of sports," Jason said. "Unfortunately, I've had more than my share."  Jason lost two years of playing college basketball alongside his brother, and only those who have followed the twins realize the impact they can make playing together. 

"It's an impressive thing," said Alex Gelbard, a Stanford reserve who played with the twins at Harvard-Westlake. "I forget how dominant they were since they haven't been out there for so long. You realize how well they work together, the connection they have and the basketball knowledge they possess." 

Jason started against Iowa for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic because of a hamstring injury to forward Mark Madsen. He responded with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Jarron scored 17 points, had 10 rebounds and was selected the tournament most valuable player.  "[Jarron] had the biggest smile on his face for his brother," Paul said.  Adding to the emotional moment was the presence of nearly a dozen former Harvard-Westlake classmates attending colleges on the East Coast who traveled by train and bus to watch the tournament. 

Of course, the twins probably need no one other than Gelbard to provide encouragement. Gelbard, who wants to become an orthopedic surgeon, is Stanford's towel-waving walk-on who started on Harvard-Westlake's 1996 state championship team."I've been playing with them for eight years, so it's really about time they got off my coattails because they've been riding on my back for so long," Gelbard joked.  

Aside from his stand-up routine, Gelbard is uniquely qualified to evaluate Jason's progress.  "It's been two years off where he hasn't been playing, so he's just getting the feel of the game back," Gelbard said. "It's definitely coming back to him and he's just figuring out where he needs to be. Maybe [Jarron] has jumped ahead a little bit, but Jason will catch up. It's so great to have them back on the floor. It's kind of scary." 

Jason still needs to rest his surgically repaired knee during practices and must adjust to double teams during games, but two years in the weight room have made him a powerful post player.  "I have to stay healthy and become a dominant force inside," Jason said.  Said Jarron: "I'm just happy he's out there playing basketball and enjoying it the way he used to. I think he's still one of the better post players in the nation." 

John Wooden, who met the twins when they played in the McDonald's all-star game as seniors, saw them play on television two weeks ago and was impressed. 

"I think they've improved," he said. "I'm sorry [UCLA] didn't get them. It's nice to get twins who are talented and good students." 

When UCLA recruited the twins in 1996, they became part of a controversy involving then-coach Jim Harrick. They were present at a recruiting dinner at a Westwood restaurant that became the focal point of UCLA's investigation into questions surrounding Harrick's expense report. 

Harrick was fired and the twins decided Stanford would best fit their needs. It has proven a wise decision. The two have made Stanford's academic honor roll, with grade-point averages above 3.5. 

Jarron takes pride in being more than a basketball player. He was annoyed Saturday at UC Santa Barbara when Gaucho students heckled Stanford players regarding the school's academics.

"I heard some of the students saying, 'Oh, I'm stupid, can I go to Stanford to play basketball on a basketball scholarship?' That's not the way it works," Jarron said. "I've known many athletes who have tried to get in and can't because of their grades. They can call me a nerd, a dork or whatever, but to say I'm a stupid athlete, that bothers me." 

Jarron took out his frustration with 21 points and 12 rebounds in Stanford's 62-49 victory. 

He'll be in town Saturday when Stanford plays Auburn in the John Wooden Classic at the Arrowhead Pond. 

On Dec. 2, the twins will celebrate their 21st birthdays. Don't expect them to take a trip to Las
Vegas.  "I think I have a paper due that day," Jarron said. 

Jarron is a junior in eligibility and Jason is a redshirt freshman. The day is approaching when the two won't be together at Stanford. 

"I try not to think about that because I've been playing with him all my life," Jason said. "That will be a very tough adjustment." 

In the next two years, the twins intend to show how much havoc two giants can create on the court.

The 1999 Wooden Classic games will also be available on the internet with charts, stats and play by play through TotalCast. The games should also be available with live audio through Broadcast.com

The Wooden Classic is organized by Atherton Communications.   Established in 1994, the John R. Wooden Classic is an annual tribute to the legendary former UCLA coach and the excellence he personifies. The event traditionally hosts college basketball's elite programs, including the last four NCAA Champions. The Wooden Classic is a celebration of the game of basketball and the activities benefit Special Olympics Southern California.

See you Saturday.

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