Athletes of the i e

darren collison

Darren Collison was born August 23, 1987 to parents, June and Dennis Collison. He attended Etiwanda High School where he was McDonald’s All-American Top 40 candidate and the No. 2 point guard in the West. He was also an All-CIF Southern Section I-AA Player of the Year and a Los Angeles Times All-Star. Collison led Etiwanda (31-2) in points (20.7), three-pointers, steals (2.1), assists (4.0) and added 4.0 rebounds per game.

Collison attended UCLA, where he was considered one of the top point guards in the nation and led them to three consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances and became the UCLA record holder for games played during his career as a Bruin.

Collison was named third team All-American and selected to the All-Pac-10 Defensive Team during his collegiate career. He was recognized as the Most Outstanding Player of the Pac-10 Tournament and was the recipient of the 2009 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (an award given to the nation’s outstanding senior male collegian 6’0 and under who has excelled both athletically and academically). He also received his Bachelor of Science degree in History from UCLA.

Darren was drafted by the New Orleans Hornets as the 21st overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. Collison handed out a rookie-record 18 assists for the Hornets in January 2010 and averaged 12.4 points and 5.7 assists per game on his way to NBA All-Rookie First Team honors.

In August 2010, Darren was traded to the Indiana Pacers and immediately took his place as the team’s starting point guard, averaging 13.2 ppg and 5.1 apg.

On July 12, 2012, Collison and Dahntay Jones were traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Ian Mahinmi. Collison became the Mavericks’ starting point guard, replacing Jason Kidd who left as a free agent

the off season, Darren is available for corporate appearances, motivational speaking engagements, VIP meet and greets, autograph signings, basketball camps and product endorsements.

http://www.darrencollison.com/

Miles Parish, of Etiwanda High School, has been named Athlete of the Year for the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin’s All-Area track team. (Jennifer Cappuccio Maher / Staff Photographer)

It’s a good thing Miles Parish is 6-foot-5.

He needed every inch of his towering frame to win the CIF State championship in the 400 meters.

“My coach told me before the race that it was going to be so close I would have to lean at the finish,” Parish said. “I didn’t know for sure I won until the announcer said it.”

At that very moment, it all become worth it. All the excrutiating ladders, the weight lifting, the monotonous training.

It was the kick that Parish developed last summer that was his greatest weapon, one he unleashed like never before on June 1.

His time of 46.53 at the state finals stands as the third best 400 meter time in the country this season.

The adrenaline was running so high in the 400 state final that the top three times in the state were achieved in that one race. Parish had to close a significant gap over the final 150 meters to edge Eureka’s Alexis Robinson by two hundredths of a second.

“It was a photo finish,” Etiwanda coach Bennie Gooden said. “Miles just out-leaned him at the line. He was behind where he was supposed to be entering the final 150, but he just kicked it into gear.”

Parish isn’t typically alarmed when trailing.

After all, he calmly erased a five-meter gap in the final 100 meters to win CIF-SS Masters by two tenths of a second, a lifetime compared to his margin at state.

But he knew the state final wasn’t unfolding according to plan. Against the best competition he had seen all year, he was too far behind entering the final curve. In an event that Gooden calls the thinking man’s race, Parish hadn’t executed properly to that point

“The top of the last 150 has been my weakest point,” Parish said. “My coaches would make me run a full 400 and start my teammates at the last 150 mark and let them run full speed from there. At the state final, I just found another gear and at the finish all I could do was hope it was enough.”

Once the euphoria wore off after winning his first state championship in his first trip to the state meet, Parish had another realization. The senior signed a letter of intent with Arizona for 85 percent of a scholarship. The Wildcats, however, made him a deal.

The faster he ran throughout the season, the closer he would get to a full scholarship.

True to their word, Arizona drew up a new letter of intent for Parish after the state meet. With a time like the one he posted, nothing less than a full scholarship would have been fair.

“This whole season turned out better than I could have possibly imagined,” Parish said. “They way it all happened, it was just crazy.”

By Clay Fowler, Staff Writer

Posted:   06/18/2013 10:48:21 AM PDT

Updated:   06/19/2013 05:11:46 PM PDT

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/ci_23483618/2013-all-area-boys-track-team-etiwandas-miles?source=rss

Posted by Ryan Mink on Thursday, September 8th, 2011 at 6:19 pm

HIGH SCHOOL-Scout.com ranked him as the No. 53 safety in the nation, while Rivals.com pegged him at No. 57 in the athlete category (and as the No. 64 overall prospect in California).  A three-year letterman in football, he was first-team All-Southeastern Conference on both offense (wide receiver) and defense (cornerback) as a senior. He was named first-team all-county and his team’s most improved player.  On offense, he had 53 receptions for 1,123 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 21.2 yards per catch.  Defensively, he totaled 47 tackles, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and 15 pass deflections.  He also averaged 36 yards on punt returns with one touchdown. As a junior, he was named first-team all-league and second-team all-county on defense. He had 30 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns on offense, and at his cornerback spot, he tallied 57 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, an interception and eight passes broken up. He garnered honorable mention all-league accolades on defense as a sophomore starting at safety, when he had 45 tackles and four interceptions on the season-his first year playing football.  Top games his senior year: against Redlands East Valley, he caught six passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, along with nine tackles, four passes broken up an interception in a 41-40 loss; in a 50-12 win over Redlands, he had four catches for 130 yards (one TD), while making three tackles on defense; in a 56-38 win over Rancho Buena Vista, he made seven catches for 171 yards (two TDs) to go with seven tackles. Under coach Harold Strauss, his team went a combined 30-6 in his three years playing football: 9-3 as a senior, 10-2 as a junior and 11-1 as a sophomore; Colton advanced to the second round of the playoffs each year.  He also lettered in basketball and track, earning a combined seven letters between the two.

ACADEMICS-He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology in December 2010.

PERSONAL-Born July 26, 1988 in Fontana, Calif.  Hobbies include playing video games and hanging out with friends in his spare time.  Four brothers have played college football: Ryan Smalls (Millikin), Terrance Smalls (Illinios), Paul Smith (New Mexico) and Anthony Smalls (Idaho State).  After college, he aspires to be an FBI agent.

Chaffey College hurdler Khallifah Rosser won the 400-meter hurdles at the California Community College Athletic Association championship meet last month and will compete in the United States Junior National meet on June 19-23. (Jennifer Cappuccio Maher / Staff Photographer)

Khallifah Rosser planned to compete in multiple events in track and field in his freshman year at Chaffey College, even going out and purchasing a pricey pair of jumping shoes.

A month or so into his spring season with the Panthers, those plans changed.

Head coach Blackman Ihem and hurdle coach Orentheus Hutcherson saw so much potential in their prized recruit they thought it would be better if he focused on one event rather than spreading him too thin, possibly risking injury.

“I told him keep those shoes as a souvenir, he wasn’t going to need them,” Ihem said after a morning workout with his athletes at Grigsby Field. “We knew he had potential to do something special if he just concentrated on one thing.”

Rosser, a graduate of Summit High School, has been thriving ever since. He won the 400-meter hurdles at the California Community College Athletic Association championship meet last month at College of San Mateo with a time of 52.08 seconds, despite having his shoe come untied halfway through the race.

Next up is the United States Junior National meet held in conjunction with the prestigious United States nationals in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 19-23. It is for athletes ages 16 to 19.

And yes, Rosser, 17, has Olympic aspirations.

“I’m not thinking that far ahead, but I would like to have that chance,” Rosser said. “I’m just going to keep working hard and trying to get better and see where it goes.”

There are a lot of factors in Rosser’s favor. At a lean 6-foot-2, Rosser has the perfect body type for a hurdler.

His age is another factor. He’ll be 20 come time for the 2016 Olympics, with another two Olympics coming in the time it typically takes male track athletes to reach their prime.

Diet is not an issue. Unlike most his age, he stays away from fast food and soda.

Ihem and Hutcherson like the progress their pupil already has made, without the benefit of conditioning work that normally takes place in the fall.

A nagging hip injury prevented Rosser from participating in the offseason strength and conditioning program, and yet he was still able to cut almost three seconds off his time in his event by the end of the season. He ran a 54.22 in his first meet of the season.

Hutcherson was hoping to see Rosser get down to 50 seconds flat and thinks that might have happened at state without the shoe mishap. He could still get down to that by the time his sophomore year officially starts.

“We knew he was going to be good, but you never know with guys,” Hutcherson said. “When we saw how much he improved in such a short time, we knew what we had. He also has a great work ethic. He wants to get better.”

Rosser’s improvement also comes even though the event is relatively new to him. High school hurdlers run 300 meters rather than the 400 meters in hurdles, but Rosser also competed in the open 400 meters.

“It really wasn’t that tough because it was a combination of both of those, which I did,” he said.

Rosser, one of seven siblings, played several sports growing up, including soccer, football and basketball. He didn’t try track until his sophomore year of high school and did so because he had watched older brother Fred, who competed for Silverado High School and now attends Division II Humboldt State.

His times are already better than those of his 20-year-old brother. It is a fun, yet coemptive rivalry. It’s also nice to have a relative in which to confide after a bad race or practice.

He looked into going to several four-year schools in the Cal State and UC systems but opted for the school closest to home. Friends also recommended Ihem to him.

“I work and get better in smaller settings,” Rosser said. “Not just when it comes to athletics, but the classroom too. I find I do better.”

Like it or not, Rosser just might have to get used to that bigger stage.
By Michelle Gardner Staff Writer

Posted:   06/04/2013 09:03:45 PM PDT

http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_23390274/local-colleges-chaffey-college-hurdler-khallifah-rosser-quickly

2011 NFL – Oakland Raiders

HIGH SCHOOL: He was a 2005 Super Prep All-American, Prep Star All-American, Super Prep All-Farwest, Prep Star All-Western, Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West first team, Orange County Register Fab 15 second team, Tacoma News-Tribune Western 100, Cal-Hi Sports All-State third team, All-CIF Southern Section second team, All-CIF Division I first team, Riverside Press-Enterprise All-San Bernardino first team and All-Citrus Belt League selection as a senior defensive back and running back at Colton (Calif.) High. He had 68 tackles and 2 sacks in 2005, plus ran for 1,094 yards on 78 carries (14.1 avg.) with 16 TDs and caught 13 passes for 336 yards (25.8 avg.) with 4 TDs despite missing the first 2 games with a broken left hand.

As a junior in 2004, he made the Riverside Press-Enterprise All-San Bernardino squad while recording 102 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries and rushing for 1,297 yard on 139 carries (9.3 avg.) with 14 TDs. Current Trojan Allen Bradford also prepped at Colton

PERSONAL: He’s sociology major at USC.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images
ANAHEIM, Calif. — On its surface, the story does not make sense.

Kawhi Leonard needed someone to drive him? Leonard, a 6-foot-7, do-everything talent for San Diego Statewhom his coaching staff and teammates hail as the Aztecs’ most tireless worker and the man behind the wheel of their historic N.C.A.A.tournament journey, could not drive himself?

Not exactly. But in what has become a comical subplot to the tale of a player who is one of the topN.B.A. prospects in the tournament, Leonard’s basketball career was once threatened by an inability to secure transportation.

“The coach wouldn’t let me play when I was a freshman,” Leonard said by telephone this week of his first year at Canyon Springs High School in Moreno Valley, Calif. “I missed the tryouts, and I sent him an e-mail saying why and how my mom was out of town and I couldn’t get a ride over there. He knew I was a good player, but he just didn’t want me to play.”

Inspiration, however, is hardly in short supply for Leonard, a 19-year-old sophomore forward.

The memories of his father, Mark Leonard, and how he was shot to death at the age of 43 at his Compton car wash in 2008, remain agonizing and persistent. Yet as the shy and wary Leonard deals with the tournament hype, questions about his father keep coming.

He answers them all respectfully, making clear how much he wishes his father was still part of his life instead of part of his bio. No, he does not want to know the identity of the killer, who was never found. Yes, he misses those weekend days scrubbing cars with his father, with whom he did not live but with whom he spoke every day.

Leonard started playing basketball as a sophomore at Canyon Springs, then transferred toMartin Luther King High in Riverside as a junior and was named Mr. Basketball for California as a senior. The night after his father’s death, he scored 17 points for Riverside King in a loss to Compton Dominguez. Those in attendance saw him burst into tears afterward in the arms of his mother, Kim Robertson.

Those who came to know him later would see the same penchant for perseverance.

“Kawhi has had to deal with more stresses in his life than most at a young age, and he has managed to do that, to do it in his own way, and to do it with his head held high,” Aztecs Coach Steve Fisher said. “He is soft-spoken, quiet off the court, and someone who is filled with the burning desire to compete, improve and win, and he has done that everywhere he has been.”

The next challenge comes Thursday when No. 2 seed San Diego State (34-2) takes on No. 3 Connecticut (28-9) in the West Regional.

The Aztecs had never won an N.C.A.A. tournament game until this year, but victories over Northern Colorado and Temple have them wanting more and have Leonard thinking twice about his future.

There were already plenty of accolades on his résumé, from the back-to-back Mountain West conference tournament titles to his selection by Sporting News as a second-team all-American. But Leonard, who has yet to decide if he will enter the N.B.A. draft in June despite being widely projected as a late lottery or mid-first-round selection, said the fun of the tournament might affect his thinking.

“It’s tempting to come back,” said Leonard, who is averaging 15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds a game. “People like to have a winning team. It makes you want to keep playing.

“My family doesn’t need the money right now. We’re not starving, hungry, living poor. It will be nice to have a lot of money, but I think my family could hold out two more years if I play through my senior year.”

He no longer wants for transportation as he once did. And as Leonard has shown, he will be the one picking his path.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/25/sports/ncaabasketball/25leonard.html