Torch and Flag Bearers selected for Team USA!

http://www.wugusa.com/torch-and-flag-bearers-selected-for-team-usa/#more-911

USA Athletes will march into Shenzhen Bay Stadium tomorrow to officially begin the 2011 World University Games.   USA Head of Delegation Dr. Gary Cunningham announced that Men’s Basketball player Orlando Johnson will lead USA Athletes as the official Flag Bearer.   Johnson plays guard at University of California, Santa Barbara.  Johnson was selected out of over 400 athletes on the USA Team.  “It’s unbelievable. I was proud to make the basketball team and to play for my country, and now to carry the flag and lead the U.S. delegation feels real special. I feel very honored.” Said Johnson.  More than 140 countries are represented in the 2011 Universiade and each has designated a Flag Bearer to lead their country. “I just hope I don’t fall. I hope that I can help bring honor to my country and hold the flag high and hold it proud. I’m definitely looking forward to it, walking out with the rest of the athletes who are all here to compete and do our best.” Said Johnson.  The games officially begin tomorrow and Opening Ceremonies kicks off at 7:30pm China time.

USA Men Warm Up In China With Practice Scrimmage Against Japan

http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/worlduniversity/11_mwug_pr_scr_japan.html

Orlando Johnson (UC Santa Barbara)

How do you feel physically after a long travel day yesterday, and then three quarters of scrimmaging today?

I thought the travel day went pretty well. It was a long trip, but you just have to come ready and get your mind right so you are ready to play. 

Was today's scrimmage helpful as you prepare for your first pool play game on Aug. 13?

Today's scrimmage helped us get our legs back a little bit. We definitely feel a little jet-lagged, but we'll be fine. We are just ready to get to the exhibition game tomorrow and to keep building. Our ultimate goal is the gold medal, and we have some work to do to get there. 

How do you think the team played today?

We weren't at our best today, we know that, but as long as you can control your effort, how hard we play on defense and our communication, things will be fine. I think we did a pretty good job of that today. We still have things to clean up, and we'll probably watch some film and talk about those things. 

What are your first impressions of the athletes' village?

It's pretty cool how you see all of the different countries here and to get a chance to interact with them. Especially being a basketball player from the U.S., a lot of people look up to us because of how dominant we have been in basketball. When they recognize that and they respect you for that, it makes you feel pretty good about yourself. So, I'm very honored to be here and to have the chance to not only play with some great athletes but also to meet some great athletes from around the world.

Orlando Johnson is a Product of Brotherly Love

http://ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/Orlando_Johnson_story_by_USA__Basketball

Mangano, Johnson get a world stage

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/blog/_/name/katz_andy/id/6834066/mangano-johnson-get-world-stage

UC Santa Barbara’s Orlando Johnson continues his rapid ascent

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/UC-Santa-Barbara-8217-s-Orlando-Johnson-continu?urn=ncaab-wp4142&active_dimension=carousel_ept_sports_ncaab_experts&ysp_frm_woah=1

Not long after Wednesday's final day of tryouts for the U.S. team that will compete in the World University Games later this month, UC Santa Barbara guard Orlando Johnson sat in his room in Colorado Springs anxiously awaiting his fate.

A knock on his door meant the USA Basketball officials were there to inform him he was one of the final two roster cuts. No knock meant his spot on the team was safe and he was officially China-bound next week.

"I didn't get a knock, so I was good to go," Johnson said with a chuckle Thursday night. "It probably won't hit me until I get on the plane and land in China because I've never been out of the country. It's going to be an amazing experience. I can't wait to put that jersey on and see that USA on it and try to win a gold medal."

That Johnson made the U.S. roster isn't a huge surprise even if he isn't a household name among fans because he doesn't play at a marquee program.

He averaged a Big West-best 21.1 points per game as a junior and shot 40.5 percent from behind the arc. Furthermore, decisions by potential preseason All-Americans Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin and Tu Holloway of Xavier not to try out for the U.S. team depleted the backcourt talent available to the coaches, lowering the bar a bit for the remaining guards.

Wearing a USA jersey on his chest is the next step for Johnson in his evolution from lightly recruited college prospect to mid-major standout to NBA draft hopeful. The 6-foot-5 senior received scant attention from top programs during his days at Palma High in Seaside, Calif. but he has proven critics wrong with his improved jump shot and relentless work ethic.

"When I started college, I was just happy to have a chance to get my degree," Johnson said. "If basketball took me somewhere, then I was going to do it, but I didn't really put much thought into it. Now that I've really been putting time into my game and really working hard, I've seen I can be one of the top players. It's crazy how fast things have changed."

Johnson entered his name in the NBA draft last spring but withdrew when it became clear he would not be a first-round pick. He's focused on improving in the areas NBA scouts told him he was lacking: ball handling, mid-range shooting and perimeter defense.

The opportunity to compete against the likes of Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs and Vanderbilt's John Jenkins on a day-to-day basis can only help Johnson reach his goals.

"Its' definitely helping me become a better player because you're seeing top-level competition every day," he said. "If you don't bring it, you're going to be exposed. It makes you work harder and really want to compete to try to be on the same level the other guys are on."

This is Soccer Heaven

This is another great video from Soccer Heaven.



http://youtu.be/kvLGpDuCIsE

Orlando Johnson Makes Final Cut for Team USA, Will Head to China

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/20110804s8jor3

Roster Announced For 2011 USA Men's World University Games Team

http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/worlduniversity/11_mwug_team.html

Listed on the roster are: Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame/Unionville, Conn.); Marcus Denmon (Missouri/Kansas City, Mo.); Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh/Scotch Plains, N.J.); Draymond Green (Michigan State/Saginaw, Mich.); JaMychal Green (Alabama/Montgomery, Ala.); Scoop Jardine (Syracuse/ Philadelphia, Pa.); John Jenkins (Vanderbilt/ Hendersonville, Tenn.); Orlando Johnson (UC Santa Barbara/Seaside, Calif.); Greg Mangano (Yale/Orange, Conn.); Trevor Mbakwe (Minnesota/ St. Paul, Minn.); Ray McCallum (Detroit Mercy/Beverly Hills, Mich.); and Darius Miller (Kentucky/Maysville, Ky.).

Orlando Johnson, UC Santa Barbara

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/781894-college-basketballs-top-25-players-you-might-not-know-but-should/page/25

Orlando Johnson Becomes First Team USA Gaucho Since 1988

http://www.ucsbgauchos.com/sports/m-baskbl/2011-12/releases/Johnson_Makes_National_Team

Our Stories: The Thunderdome

http://youtu.be/o6k61aNarls

College Basketball Predictions: Top 10 Scorers in 2011-12: Orlando Johnson

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/739968-college-basketball-predictions-the-top-10-scorers-in-the-country-in-2011-12/page/9

College Sports Madness Top 144 Previews

Here are previews of Big West rivals Cal Poly, SLO and Long Beach State:

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/657

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/1090 

Long Beach State dominated the Big West last season, but an upset loss at the hands of UCSB in the Big West Conference Tournament left the 49ers out of the big dance and stuck in the little dance. However, the big four are back and all seniors and they will not let that happen again.

Cal Poly may give Long Beach State a run for their money, but this team is too talented to lose the Big West. With Ware, Anderson, Robinson and Phelps leading the way, it is impossible to find a more talented group of starters in the Big West.

Ummm, this should be good locker room material in the Thunderdome, and in Anaheim.

Pacers hire former UCSB star Shaw as associate head coach

http://www.ksby.com/news/pacers-hire-former-ucsb-star-shaw-as-associate-head-coach/

Kobe takes on teen trash-talker

Here is another video of Kobe Bryant at his basketball camp in UCSB's Thunderdome. 


http://outofbounds.yahoo.com/?vid=25909171

Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant basketball camps at UCSB

UCSB is a beautiful campus in a beautiful location.  It's been home to Michael Jordan's Flight School basketball camp for years. 

http://michaeljordanbasketballcamp.com/navigation.html

And for the 2nd year, it is also home to Kobe Bryant's Basketball Academy. 

http://www.kobeacademy.com/

Here is a video of former UCSB and NBA star Brian Shaw at Kobe's camp:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxBfoJr6oQY&feature=player_embedded

College Basketball: Ranking the 12 Best Players of 2011-2012, Honorable Mention: Best of the Rest

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/757919-college-basketball-ranking-the-12-best-players-of-2011-2012/page/14

Orlando Johnson, Guard, UCSB: Johnson is the most unknown talent in all of College hoops. The two-time Big West leading scorer is in a league of his own. Two game winners last year and multiple 30+ showings are an appealing prospect for NBA teams looking for a second round steal.

Orlando Johnson invited to LeBron James Skills Academy

http://www.fivestarbasketball.com/articles/07-06-2011-lebron-james-skills-academy-preview

Student splits $40K in winnings among runners-up

This is a feel-good story about a recruit from one UCSB's Big West Conference rival programs, CSUN. 

http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1237085

On the Mark The AD Report

http://ucsbgauchos.com/information/on_the_mark