Demetrius Andrade Wins First Fight, Moves On To Second Round

Providence, Rhode Island native Demetrius Andrade was able to win his first fight at the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing, China. Andrade beat Kakhaber Jvania by the score of 11-9:

Another American boxer wins, and another bows out with a health scare. Although the U.S. team isn't the world's most consistent bunch, it's been consistently dramatic in the Olympics so far. Welterweight favorite Demetrius Andrade won a brawling Olympic debut Sunday night, but light welterweight Javier Molina lost a one-sided decision to Bulgaria's Boris Georgiev at Workers' Gymnasium. Andrade also had to be the bigger man in his 11-9 victory over Kakhaber Jvania of Georgia, who charged, pushed and shoved the Rhode Island native all night. Andrade got few chances to show off his peerless reflexes, but kept his composure with just enough counterpunching, including the clinching point on a whip-quick left hand in the final seconds. "I fought him in the world championships, and he did the exact same thing," said Andrade, who thought the judges missed several of his fast scoring punches. "It was a rough fight. Nobody in there wants to box me, so I guess I'm going to have to slug it out, bang out the body shots and then go back to boxing." Andrade said he was buoyed by loud cheers from the crowd. "It felt good," Andrade said. "That gave me a boost to keep on going, even though I knew the score wasn't fair." (Fox News)

After watching this bout, I have not changed my opinion that Olympic Boxing is a joke and I can't wait to see Andrade fight in the pros. The other fighter was trying to push, shove, and hold is way to a win but thankfully Andrade was able to land enough punches to win the fight. I still hope that Andrade is able to win the gold medal in the welterweight division but I would not be surprised if some funny business happens and Andrade misses out.

Rocco Baldelli - Getting Back In The Game

Another Rhode Island connection in the article below about Rocco Baldelli's struggles return from injury and a mysterious disorder. If the Rays can add Baldelli and pitcher David Price to their team down the stretch, then they could have two players who can really give them a better chance of making the playoffs. Here is the story, via the NY Times:

With a bird’s-nest beard over his increasingly haggard complexion, Rocco Baldelli looks like a castaway, cut off from the world he knew.

This is no accident. Once a youthful and vibrant star outfielder for Tampa Bay, Baldelli has spent almost two years in his own surreality show while a mysterious cell disorder has left him exhausted, unable to run or swing, and unsure if he will even live normally. Fans’ dreams of Joe DiMaggio, which he conjured as a rookie sensation in 2003, gave way to nightmares of Lou Gehrig.

Baldelli has worked his way back to the point where he could be activated any day. But he will return to a different world, one in which the Rays are leading their division, and one in which, at 26, Baldelli understands he probably will never again be the athlete he once was.

“My body isn’t able to do what I’d like it to do or what I could do as of a couple of years ago,” Baldelli said Wednesday before the Rays beat the Cleveland Indians, 10-7, before flying to the West Coast. “But I didn’t know if I’d ever play again. I was having trouble swinging at all, in batting practice. I was thinking: ‘This is awful. How am I going to do this? How am I ever going to play baseball anymore?’ ”

Chronic exhaustion and muscle cramps sidelined Baldelli for most of last season. By the end of the year, his condition was maddeningly mysterious. Baldelli could not run without his hamstrings feeling as if they would tear in half; he would wake up almost unable to move because his leg muscles seized up; and the slightest workout left him too exhausted to even swing a bat. The answer vacuum was filled by speculation — shared by team executives and even Baldelli himself — that he might have either multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“You got scared for his life — no one knew what it was,” said the Rays’ current center fielder, B. J. Upton. Baldelli added, “It makes you think about a lot of things you never thought about before.”

It also made him try anything to get a diagnosis. He visited maybe 10 doctors, and underwent dozens of tests. Baldelli pulled up his uniform sleeve and shorts to reveal nasty four-inch scars on his left biceps and both thighs — all from tissue biopsies where doctors cut out muscle to try to learn what was going on.

Last November, a plausible theory emerged: mitochondrial disease, a disorder in which cells do not properly turn food and oxygen into adenosine triphosphate, which produces energy. The primarily genetic condition, which forced the cyclist Greg LeMond to retire in 1994, can appear at any age and shares some characteristics with diseases commonly associated with aging, like Parkinson’s disease, according to the Web site of the Cleveland Clinic.

“If he were a basketball player, forget it, his career’s over,” the Rays trainer Ron Porterfield said. “Can you get along with it in baseball? That’s what we’re hopeful about.”

There is no cure for the condition, but Baldelli’s daily mix of about 10 medications and nutritional supplements, increased sleep and better hydration and diet have helped mollify its effects. Baldelli spent this season’s first half learning how to manage his situation, to the point where he was able to play in parts of 13 rehabilitation games for the Rays’ Class AA affiliate last month.

Baldelli hit .297 with three home runs and eight runs batted in in 37 at-bats, but he still was not the Rocco Baldelli most baseball fans recall from 2003. At 21, Baldelli was a blindingly fast, spectacular athlete who had been an all-state volleyball and basketball player in high school and was expected to develop power with age. Comparisons to DiMaggio might have been absurd, but those to Dale Murphy were not.

Knee and elbow injuries cost Baldelli all but 92 games of the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and hamstring problems — perhaps related to the mitochondrial disorder — knocked him out after 35 games last year.

If Baldelli emerges from his long tunnel this weekend in Seattle, which club officials described as probable but not necessarily expected, his role will remain limited. He probably will not have the vigor to play a full nine innings, but he could serve as a designated hitter or as a pinch-hitter against left-handers. He could also play the late innings on defense.

Baldelli’s energy will be so precious that he will work out mostly in ballpark and hotel swimming pools, where the water can buoy his legs. “The thing that’s tough is that you can’t really exercise him,” Porterfield said.

Baldelli said he would take any playing time at this point. He boarded the team’s charter to Seattle on Wednesday hoping merely to be activated on the trip — to play one game, even one inning — so that he can feel part of the team again and build toward contributing to the pennant race.

“I’ve gone through so many difficult times, ups and downs, that I don’t really get antsy, I don’t get wary,” Baldelli said of the anticipation. “It’s almost like the stuff I’ve been through has kind of numbed me.”

Members of the Rays, several of whom grew beards to show support for Baldelli, said his first at-bat would be one of the most special moments in the team’s season. The veteran Cliff Floyd said, “We might have to have some Kleenexes in the dugout.”

The Birth - Theo (Mixtape)

"...Welcome one, welcome all to my lovely city/it's Providence, yeah I know it ain't the obvious/the Renaissance, the rebirth, the city of hate...."

New mixtape from Theo reppin' my home city of Providence, Rhode Island. I had mentioned in my post of Theo's joint with Skyzoo that I was feelin' Jon Hope more out of all the Providence MC's, but make no mistake about it Theo is dope too.

So check this mixtape out cause it's pretty damn tight and you know it's gotta be tight for me to give it props because like Theo said Providence is the "city of the hate" and you gotta come extra correct to get props here. This gotta be one of the most negative places to live but hey it made me who I am, so I ain't complaining.

The Birth - Theo (Mixtape)

Tracklist:

01. Hi
02. There's Meaning
03. Good Morning America
04. Sweetest Language
05. T.V .Show (My Life)
06. Hola Oh Theo
07. Star Struck
08. Lightwork
09. Dillagence
10. Ridin Down The Freeway
11. Keep Doing Your Thing ft. Skyzoo
12. Grammy Family (Gramphone Flow)
13. Creator
14. High Life ft. J.A.M.E.S Watts
15. Somethin' For Me
16. iDream
17. Theo 'till Infinity

More: Mixtapes

Keep Doing Your Thing - Theo feat Skyzoo

New joint from Theo, who just happens to rep my home city of Providence, Rhode Island. This joint features Skyzoo and is off of his upcoming mixtape/album The Birth. Right now I'm feelin' Jon Hope more than Theo when it comes to Providence cats.

Keep Doing Your Thing - Theo feat Skyzoo

More: New Joints

Demetrius Andrade - Going For Gold In Welterweight Boxing at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China

“I used to be a little kid dreaming of being in the Olympics and now I’m talking to kids with the same dream. I tell them to never let anybody say no to their dreams. It feels great to represent the United States, Rhode Island, Providence, family and friends. "

Demetrius Andrade is going to be representing the Unite States as a welterweight boxer in the upcoming Summer Olympics and I will be rooting for him extra hard because he is from my home city of Providence, Rhode Island.

Living in the state of Rhode Island which only has a population of 1 million people and is the smallest state in size in the whole U.S, it's not very often that someone from here makes a name for themselves. Since the state is so small, when someone does make a name for themselves, it's almost as if the whole state is getting some shine, so forgive me if I happen to give props to those who come from here. On top of that, my home city of Providence, where Andrade is also from, has one of the highest poverty rates in the whole country, which makes it even more rare to see someone from Providence make a name for themselves.

Andrade is 20 years old and has been the top U.S. ranked welterweight for over 3 years, so he has an excellent chance to win a gold medal and make the country and the city of Providence, Rhode Island proud. I haven't yet decided how much of the Summer Olympics I am going to cover here, but you can be sure I will be following all of Andrade's fights.

Plus, you gotta love the kid because his favorite song listed in his bio on the USA Boxing Website is "Ether" from Nas:

Home: Providence, RI
Birthdate: 2/26/1988
Weight class: Welterweight/152 lbs
Height: 6-1
Weight: 152 lbs
Born: February 26, 1988 in Providence, R.I.
Lives: Providence, R.I.
Coach: Paul Andrade
School: Cooley High School
Children: daughter Autumn Andrade
Began boxing: 1994
Career Highlight: The 2005 U.S. Championships, Silver Gloves, Dual Meets and Junior Olympic International Invitational
Biggest Influence: My dad because he taught me everything I know in my lifetime
Draw to boxing: My dad
Greatest strength in the ring: My jab
Goals in and out of the ring: To be the greatest boxer I can and give back to my fans
Favorite movie: Four Brothers
Favorite TV Show: BET
Favorite Song: Nas Ether
Hobbies outside of boxing: Playing football
2008 UNITED STATES OLYMPIAN
2007 WORLD CHAMPION
2007 PAN AMERICAN GAMES TEAM MEMBER
TWO-TIME NATIONAL CHAMPION
TWO-TIME NATIONAL GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMPION

Here are some articles on Demetrius Andrade:

The biggest honor for an amateur athlete is to represent his or her country in the Olympics. In less than a month, Providence boxer Demetrius Andrade, who has been ranked the top U.S. welterweight (152 pounds) for more than three years, will do exactly that at the Beijing Games. “It means the world to me to fight for the USA at the Olympics,” said Andrade, 20, who trains at the 401 Boxing Gym, in Cranston. Andrade earned a place on Team USA after putting on several dominating performances at the 2007 Golden Gloves (April 30 –May 5) and the United States Olympic Trials, which were held last Aug. 20-26 in Houston. He has been living and training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., for the last 10 months. The 6-foot-1 phenom returned to Providence on July 11 for a brief visit with family and friends, and to work out one more time with David Keefe and his father, Paul, who are his co-coaches here before flying back to Colorado last Sunday. “I’ve sacrificed a lot to get this far, and I’m going to show the world what I can do in Beijing,” Andrade said. Andrade says he wants to do more than just compete in the Olympics. “My goal is to win the gold,” Andrade said. Andrade is considered to be one of America’s favorites to bring home a medal. He is one of only two world champions on Team USA. He has not lost a fight against American competition in the 152-pound weight class in more than three years. “I feel he will do well,” Keefe said of Andrade’s chances at the Olympics. “I think he will medal. If we get a fair shake with the judges, he should bring a gold back to Providence. The main thing for him is to take one fight at a time, because there are no do-overs.” Andrade, who has competed only once this season (a victory in a Team USA-Russia event), won the 2005 and 2006 U.S. Championships welterweight crown but had to withdraw from the U.S. Championships last year because of a medical emergency. In addition, he won the 2006 and 2007 National Golden Gloves Tournament. At the Olympic Trials, Andrade dominated his three opponents, stopping David Lopez in the quarterfinals and Charles Hatley in the semifinals before earning a convincing 21-13 victory over Keith Thurman for the championship and to earn his spot on the national team. In international competition, Andrade won a world title at the AIBA World Championships (Association International de Boxe Amateur) last year. He was never in danger of losing any of his fights at the World Championships, winning all his bouts by an average of 17 points before stopping Non Boonjumnong, of Thailand, in the finals for the world title. Andrade also won the silver medal at the Pan Am Games last year. He lost a controversial decision to Pedro Lima of Brazil, 7-6. “That was a good experience,” Andrade said. “I learned different techniques and I learned what punches score. But in the finals I fought a guy from Brazil and the tournament was in Brazil — but I feel like I won.” Andrade has been fighting against international competition since he was 16 and he says that will give him a big advantage over everybody else at the Olympics. “I’m pretty much know every style,” Andrade said. “I’ve fought the Russians, the Cubans … everybody.” Andrade began boxing when he was 6 under the tutelage of his father and later, Keefe. “Demetrius has settled down a lot,” Keefe said. “When he was a kid, he was a bit wild like most kids are. Myself and Paul used to laugh about his wild uppercuts and hooks, that used to put him way out of position. Now he is relaxed, and his punches are more precise. He has always been able to make adjustments on the go, but off his adjustments he now throws nice crisp punches.” Looking back, Demetrius Andrade says he always believed he would make it to the Olympics. “When you are little, you always think that you are going to do it because that’s what you thought you were going to do. But then when reality kicks in, you find out it’s harder than what you thought it would be. “I just went through the hard work, and thanks to David Keefe and Paul Andrade, they brought me up to where I am at now, and I tell all of the little kids that they can do the same thing also. All they have to do is stick to it and stay focused.” As for the Olympics, Keefe says Andrade’s biggest competition will be Hanati Silamu, from China, Magomed Nurudinov, from Belarus, and Kim Jung-Joo, of South Korea.“This is a dream come true,” Andrade said. “I’m going to come home with the gold.” (Providence Journal)

Bill Belichick doesn't invite many amateur boxers to drive up from Rhode Island to meet with him and the New England Patriots. With a world championship pedigree and a glistening pro career stretching out beyond Beijing, Demetrius Andrade is like no other American amateur boxer. To the U.S. welterweight, a summons from Belichick just seemed like another opportunity to seize the day. "You know, if you want to win next year, put me out there," Andrade told the Patriots coach. "Running back or wide receiver, or I'll play defense, I don't care. All I do is win." Andrade was a pretty good football player as a kid, but Belichick is among a growing circle of fight fans who realize the Beijing Olympics could be Andrade's kickoff to a remarkable boxing career. He's favored to win gold next month in the division he has dominated for three years, joining flyweight Rau'shee Warren as the Americans' top medal hopes. The 20-year-old realizes a standout performance could open doors to even grander destinations than the Patriots' locker room, though he claims he'd be happy just to galvanize the entire U.S. program into a return to international prominence. "It feels like just yesterday I was sitting down, talking with my dad and my other coach about how I wanted to be in the Olympics," Andrade said after a recent workout at historic Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn. "Everything that's happened is just crazy. I can't believe it's finally here, everything I've been working for." Andrade got his nickname, Boo Boo, from his father after a few childhood tumbles left him with bruises. Paul Andrade chuckles at the name's inappropriateness now, since his son's defensive prowess has kept his body mostly punishment-free in a brutal sport. Andrade is more than one of the world's best defensive fighters, however. He's a skilled technical boxer with surprising power when he chooses to unleash it, and none of the world's top amateur welterweights have been able to keep up with him. If Andrade doesn't come home with the Americans' second boxing gold in the last three Olympics, coach Dan Campbell will be surprised. "He's extremely cerebral," Campbell said. "He's a thinking boxer from Round 1. He's got beautiful defense, and he has a huge arsenal. He can throw a lot of punches from a lot of different angles, and that's the key to this sport." Andrade (pronounced "AN-drayd") grew up in the Providence area among the city's sizable Cape Verdean population. His father and grandmother speak Portuguese to each other, and he picked up enough of the language and its Spanish similarities to help him out when his amateur success took him around the globe. He was introduced to his sport at the 401 Boxing Gym after his father decided he was too aggressive for karate classes, and Boo Boo quickly became obsessed. The only time he remembers crying in his tween years was when his parents banned him from the gym for acting up at school. Andrade won U.S. championships in 2005 and 2006, along with Golden Gloves titles. Though injuries prevented him from winning the U.S. crown in 2007, he demolished everybody at the Olympic team trials and the world championships to establish himself as the strong Beijing medal favorite. Andrade could have turned pro in 2006, and some people in his circle urged him to do so. The pull of Olympic honor was too great. "I had an older brother that fought, and he turned pro early, and now he doesn't fight any more," Andrade said. "My dad never really forced anything on us. He supported us in whatever we did, and I was always thinking about what the gold medal would be like." Still, dreams of the future pulled at Andrade every day during the U.S. team's yearlong residency program in Colorado Springs. He misses his 2-year-old daughter, Autumn, whose birth hardened his work ethic, and he can't wait to get back to being a father in Providence after the trip to China. His teammates describe him as an uncommonly frustrating fighter, even in a sparring session. His defensive reflexes remind some of Floyd Mayweather Jr., though Andrade is taller and rangier than the former bronze medalist. Andrade credits his skill to his father and co-coach David Keefe. Although Campbell has clashed with the parents and local coaches of several U.S. fighters who don't want to surrender control to a national team coach, he's got no problem with Paul Andrade. "His dad is a very good coach when it comes to technical things, and that's something that gets left out of a lot of amateur fighters' training," Campbell said. Andrade has been seasoned by a robust travel schedule to tournaments from Moscow to Chicago. Though he prefers "warm weather, good food" destinations like Venezuela over Azerbaijan, he prides himself on being able to adapt to anything. "I'm well-traveled at the age of 20," Andrade said. "Every year there were different things I had to learn about cultures, about how the world really goes around. It just made me glad to be from the United States." Erislandy Lara, the Cuban gold medalist from Athens, would have been Andrade's top rival in Beijing after they met in a lively bout in Brazil last year, but Andrade's path cleared when Lara was abruptly kicked off the Cuban team for attempting to defect during the Pan-Am Games. He's now a professional after escaping to Mexico and Germany earlier in the summer. With Lara gone, the rest of the field doesn't have Andrade's talent or pedigree - and Campbell thinks those boxers probably know it. "He doesn't even know his own talent," Campbell said. "They're not going to try to box him. They're going to try to rough him up, get him frustrated. I think he'll know how to handle it. He's handled everything else really well." (Pilot Online)

It looks like SouthCoast boxing fans will have someone to cheer in Beijing, China, next summer.Demetrius "Boo-Boo" Andrade of Providence, with whom local fight fans may be familiar from his appearances in the Southern New England Golden Gloves, won the 152-pound division at last month's Olympic Trials in Houston. He only needs to finish in the top 16 in his division at the World Championships in Chicago (Oct. 23-Nov. 3) to secure a spot in the 2008 Olympics. A two-time national champion in both the Golden Gloves and the U.S. Boxing tournaments, the 19-year-old is considered by those close to the Olympic boxing scene as one of the U.S. team's best bets to medal in Beijing. "Representing America means everything to me," Andrade said after his success in the Trials. "Not everybody in this world gets a chance to have this opportunity, you know. Most don't even get to see what it looks like at this level. So I'm going to try my hardest. I'm going to fight the best I can, and I'll have my family and my coach, David Keith, in China to support me." The first time I saw Andrade fight in Fall River, I was greatly impressed with not only his skills, but his poise in the ring. (And that was before I learned he was only 16.) He has since participated in several international tournaments, winning a silver in this summer's Pan-American Games that probably should have been gold. "It was one of those hometown political decisions," said Paul Morrissette, the Southern New England Golden Gloves tournament director and manager of the New England team. "He lost 7-6 (to Pedro Lima of Brazil) and had a point deducted for throwing his opponent down, but that was because the other kid kept grabbing him. He didn't want to fight. He just wanted to grab." Morrissette likes to tell the story of a sparring session between Andrade and pro boxer Paulie Malignaggi of Brooklyn, N.Y., a couple of years ago at Peter Manfredo's gym in Pawtucket. Malignaggi, who won the IBF junior welterweight world title last June, was looking for sparring partners and had come to Manfredo's gym at the invitation of Andrade's father. "Malignaggi came in real cocky, complaining that he couldn't get any quality sparring partners in New England, like there wasn't any good fighters around here," recounted Morrissette. "He was wearing a sweat suit and didn't even bother to take the top off for his sparring session with Boo-Boo, like Boo-Boo wasn't good enough to make him break a sweat. I told Boo-Boo, 'If you don't do anything else, at least make him take that damn sweat suit off.'" After a couple rounds, Andrade did just that, getting Malignaggi to take off the top. "Then they went back at it and Boo-Boo dropped him, a clean knockdown. 'No, no, that was a slip,' yelled Malignaggi, but after they were through, he admitted it was a knockdown."The kid can fight,' he said." (South Coast Today)

Reigning AIBA World welterweight champion Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade is prospecting for gold in China. The 20-year-old from Providence isn’t there to visit the The Great Wall, purchase a Ming vase in the Temple of Heaven, picnic in Tian’anmen Square, or cruise down the Yangtze River. Andrade is Team USA’s most promising hope to medal in the Olympic boxing competition. “It’s crazy,” he said right before leaving Colorado Springs training camp, “but everything’s good. I’m relaxed, stayed out of the public eye, and have remained focused on winning a gold medal. I’m not happy just being in The Olympics, or even winning a silver or bronze medal; I’m going for gold.” His gold medal performance at this year’s AIBA World Championships catapulted him into the No. 1 ranking in the world at 152-pounds. Andrade’s toughest competition figures to come from Asian champion Bakhyt Sarsekbayev (Kazakhstan), World Championships silver medalist Non Boonjumnong (Thailand), as well as bronze medalists Adem Kilicci (Turkey) and Hmati Silamu (China), European champion Andrey Balnov (Russia), and of course, Cuba’s representative, Carlos Banteur. The Olympic draw doesn’t matter to him because Demetrious believes he’s the best 152-pound amateur in the world. He defeated Boonjumnong and Kilicci in the World Championships. “Nobody they put in front of me can beat me,” a confident Andrade offered. “Only the judges can beat me and I’m not going to let them. I’m going to take the other fighters and judges out of it by beating my opponents so badly that they can’t take a decision away from me. I’ll stay on the outside, use my tough defense, and not allow any cheap shots. I’ve been fighting internationally for awhile and I’ve been robbed a few times. But I can’t let anybody beat me in The Olympics. “I’d prefer to get the tougher guys out early – second or third round – and have one less contender for the medal rounds. I really don’t know or care who I draw. Everybody else is fighting for second place.” Proud to represent the red, white and blue, “Boo Boo” has dreamed about boxing in the Olympics since he first laced-up a pair of gloves. He is a two-time U.S. National Championships winner and double National Golden Gloves champion who cruised through the U.S. Boxing Trials preceding the World Championships. “It feels good to be called an ambassador,” Andrade reflected. “I used to be a little kid dreaming of being in the Olympics and now I’m talking to kids with the same dream. I tell them to never let anybody say no to their dreams. It feels great to represent the United States, Rhode Island, Providence, family and friends. “I haven’t worried about anything. Inside the ring is another environment with just you and your opponent. I’ve been focusing on the physical part of boxing. My (co-coaches) dad (Paul Andrade) and Dave Keefe have helped me all of the other stuff. Impacted wisdom teeth and the best amateur boxers in the world couldn’t stop Demetrius at the World Championships. Now, he’s digging deep for gold in China. (Unlimited Fight News)

As Mike Reiss noted in Sunday's Boston Globe football notes column, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has developed an admiration for Rhode Island boxer Demetrius Andrade, who is bound for the Olympics in Beijing. Belichick was introduced to the 20-year-old Andrade through a former Wesleyan classmate. The coach watched some of the fighter's pats bouts, and he's going to be pulling for Andrade this month. "I was impressed by how many matches he's already fought for such a young kid and how he's been up against men a bit older than he is," Belichick said. (ProJo Blogs)

Some of the greatest human-interest stories come from those U.S. athletes with ties to Africa. Demetrius Andrade, whose nickname of “Boo Boo” seems slightly incongruous for a welterweight boxer, is of Cape Verdean descent. He hails from Providence, Rhode Island, home to many immigrants from this island nation located off Africa’s west coast. Andrade won the gold at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in 2007 and hopes for a repeat performance this year in Beijing. (America.Gov)

Demetrius Andrade, 20, is the top-rated amateur welterweight in the world and the odds-on favorite to win a gold medal in Beijing. The Providence, R.I., native is a tall (6-foot-1-inch), rangy southpaw with good power, fast hands, and a solid chin. He's the 2007 World Amateur Champion, a two-time National Amateur Champion, two-time National Golden Gloves Champion, and the best pro prospect on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team. (NY Sun)

If you haven't seen Demetrius Andrade box then check out the video below of the AIBA Amateur Finals, where Andrade went to town on Non Boonjumnong to win. Andrade is lighting quick with the combinations and I feel bad for all those kids my younger cousin said Andrade used to get in fights with in middle school, when they had no idea he was a boxer.

Telescopes - Reks feat Jon Hope & Lucky Dice

New joint from Reks off of his upcoming Grey Hairs album, featuring Jon Hope reppin' my home city of Providence. Jon Hope kills this joint by the way:

I wipe the sweat off my dome, spit the flem on the beat
In the street, they fight cold wars with heat
Believe the more drama, the more karma
It's not a myth, I was Hope before Obama
With the visions of the world where we educate the careless
I never lift weights, but I raise awareness.
I'm strong, my third eye see my first born quiver,
math class, harrassed when he first heard nigger,
I said, it's not the first nor the last,
but bored in class, use your brain like a gun shot blast,
and the impact will keep 'em intact when they provokin' 'em
I know it's in arm's reach, society Utopian
Now how you like them apples, pears, and oranges
You didn't think that this nigga here from Providence,
could change the world, as I stand in the session,
I'm not poor but I beg the question...so answer

Telescopes - Reks feat Jon Hope & Lucky Dice

More: New Joints

Agreed - Jon Hope

New video from Jon Hope reppin' my home city of Providence.

Previously: Savoir-Jon Hope

WIll Daniels Signs With Chicago Bulls Summer League Team

Got some more updates on where some of the better college players who went undrafted in the NBA Draft will be playing in the NBA summer league, via Hip 2 Da Game:

Will Daniels, URI: The URI basketball team has player movement involving former, current and future players. The most noteworthy, for the present, is that Will Daniels has signed to play for the Chicago Bulls. He will head to Florida this week to play for the Bulls from July 7 to 11 in the 2008 Orlando Pro Summer League. (Providence Journal Blogs)

Interesting move by Daniels to try and make the Bulls squad. The Bulls already have a similar player to to Daniels in Andres Nocioni and they have a decent amount of PF's and SF's who would probably play ahead of Daniels, like Loul Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Drew Gooden. Of course, Deng is a free agent and the Bulls are also rumored to be involved in some upcoming trades, so if some of these guys get moved in a deal that sends Kurt Hinrich out of town, then Daniels might have a shot to stick with the Bulls.

URI's Will Daniels Goes Undrafted

I promised to follow the careers of players like Will Daniels and Josh Duncan, so even though they went undrafted last night I will continue to do that as long as I can find info on them.

Here is the scoop on Will Daniels going undrafted, via The Providence Journal:

The NBA Draft concluded last night without a team calling Will Daniels’ name.

The University of Rhode Island star was hoping to become the first Rams player to be picked since Lamar Odom in 1999, but now he’ll attempt to sign with a team for this summer as a free agent.

Daniels worked out for 11 pro teams, including the Celtics, Heat, Pistons, Bobcats and Wizards. He was seen by scouts as a player who could play either forward position and was looked at by several teams that held selections toward the end of the second round.

Reached before the draft, Daniels was sure of his next move regardless of whether he heard his name called.

“It’s important but not the end of the world. Not everything works in your favor,” he said.

“Regardless of whether I get picked or not, I’ll go to the summer league and try to make it as an undrafted guy.”

Daniels finished his Rhody career with 1,678 points (eighth all-time) and 662 rebounds. Last season, he ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game, and 11th in rebounding, at 6.5 a game.

Daniels says the scouts he has spoken with see his 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame and like his ability to shoot the ball and play either forward position.

I think Daniels' best shot would be the with the Heat or the Wizards, so I'll keep an eye on that to see which teams he are looking to bring him in for summer league.

You can check out a video of Will Daniels' Draft Night here: Will Daniels' Draft Night

NBA Draft Sleepers - Will Daniels

Here are some NBA Draft sleepers courtesy of Basketball Prospectus:

Will Daniels (6'8" SR, SF, Rhode Island)

Daniels improved in each of his four seasons at Rhode Island, morphing from a low-percentage player with questionable shot selection to a very efficient scorer as a senior. As a freshman, he shot 40.5 percent from the field; he upped that to 50.1 percent during his final season. His scoring averaged progressed from 6.4 to 11.0, 17.4 and 18.6 during his time with the Rams and he managed that with the only increase in court time coming between his freshman and sophomore campaigns. Daniels is something of a longshot, but he's got ideal size for a small forward and has a very nice midrange shooting touch, hitting 55.5 percent of his two-point attempts. If he can play defense, he can stick.

Savior - Jon Hope

New joint from Jon Hope reppin' my home stomping grounds of Providence, RI.

Joint is tight, so check it out and I highly recommend checking out the bonus joint and the previous Jon Hope post I put up.

Savior - Jon Hope


Bonus Joint: The Rush - Jon Hope

Previously: Jon Hope-Various Joints

Ryan Gomes & Hoops For Heart

Former PC Friar and Boston Celtic and current Minnesota Timberwolves' player Ryan Gomes needs help with his Hoops for Heart health foundation. You can check out that link for the details. Gomes is really great in the community and I have been following his career closely since he began playing at Providence College, which is literally seconds from where I live.

More: Providence College