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That’s also why the two practice courts at the facility have looked like a guard camp for NBA prospects the last few weeks, as Graham and the developmental staff have worked out the likes of Illinois’ Keaton Wagler, Houston’s Kingston Flemings, Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr., Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr., and Stanford quick-climber Ebuka Okorie, to name a few. None will likely influence the Bulls’ first pick at No. 4 but all of them come in play at No. 15 – the team’s second first-round pick – in case there’s an unexpected slide for one of them or the Bulls want to jump up a few spots.
Former Stanford teammate Anthony Goods: To paint a picture: Mitch Johnson is a cool dude. I don’t mean he has a cool personality. I mean a laidback kind of cool, like how they used the term in the 1970s. Mitch walks slow. He talks slow. He even drives slow. When we were in college together at Stanford, we hung out all the time. If the speed limit was 65 miles per hour, I would be doing 80. Mitch would be going 62. That’s just Mitch. He knows who he is. And that’s why he’s a great leader.
Anthony Goods: Playing for Trent Johnson at Stanford wasn’t easy. He was a tough coach. Mitch would pick guys up. He went out of his way to make sure everybody was feeling good and that they had the energy they needed, all the way down to the walk-ons. We had a walk-on named Kenny Brown, and Mitch was always gassing him up in practice. He was everybody’s biggest cheerleader. He was the heart and soul of our team because he had relationships with everybody.
Tom Petrini: Mike Brown with high praise (and a playful burn) for Mitch Johnson: "He's lightyears in front of me. He's a way better coach than I was when I was a young guy. The job that he's done is fantastic. It's second to none. He's got a great guy to help him out in Pop. Not only does he have Pop around, but, you see Manu, you see, Tim Duncan, you see David Robinson, even Sean Elliott, you have those guys around as players that can not only give you guidance here and there, but also uplift you when you're down... To have that support system around with the knowledge that he has already as a young coach is phenomenal. I don't know him well, but I know he appreciates the situation that he's in, because he's blessed, lucky and fortunate. The only thing is, I think even though he went to Stanford, I went to University of San Diego, better player than him, that might be the only advantage I have, but we're not playing."
Stanford's Ebuka Okorie, North Carolina's Henri Veesaar and Duke's Isaiah Evans plan to stay in the NBA draft, each player said on Wednesday at the NBA draft combine. All three were projected as late first-rounders in ESPN's post-lottery mock draft. Okorie, a 6-foot-2 guard, was one of the best freshmen in the country last season and is on track to go from an unranked three-star recruit to a one-and-done first-rounder. "I already talked with Coach Smith, Kyle Smith, and I talked to my agents and my family," Okorie said. "I'm staying in the draft."
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Brevin Knight: I said crazy day because my Stanford family also lost Jason Collins. He showed a lot of courage to live his life proudly. We supported him as much as he supported every teammate he had and person he came in contact with. Condolences to his family! 🙏🏾🙏🏾
Jason Collins told ESPN in November that he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma, one of the deadliest forms of brain cancer. He traveled to Singapore this past winter to receive experimental treatments not yet authorized in the United States. Those treatments were effective enough for him to return home, attend NBA All-Star Weekend events in Los Angeles and a game at his alma mater, Stanford. But the cancer returned recently, and Collins died peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family.
To many of the younger Johnson’s childhood friends from Seattle, he was never called Mitch. He was and still is “Maestro.” That nickname was bestowed on Johnson in middle school by his father, homage to the kid’s uncanny ability to control a basketball game like a symphony. Years later, the moniker followed Johnson to college at Stanford. “He was our conductor,” said Los Angeles Clippers center Brook Lopez, who starred with his twin brother Robin on Stanford teams from 2006 to 2008. “He was leading us out there.”
Stanford star guard Ebuka Okorie will enter the NBA draft after leading the ACC in scoring as a freshman. Okorie developed from an under-the-radar recruit out of New Hampshire into one of the top freshmen in the country in his one season with the Cardinal under coach Kyle Smith. Okorie thanked Smith and the coaching staff on Thursday in his announcement on social media to enter the draft.
The former Cal and Stanford standout, Andrej Stojakovic says his dad has never focused on outside noise. “He’s someone who just enjoys watching basketball and all he cares about is myself and the rest of the guys on the team finding enjoyment from playing,” he said. “He doesn’t care that we made the Final Four. It’s not about that. It’s about the hard work we put in finally paying off. And the idea of us loving the game as a showing right now.” While suiting up for the Illini, he tries to strike a balance between using and valuing the insight his father can offer, while knowing he is his own player – and not just a replica of his dad on or off the court. “It’s been great taking advice from him throughout my playing career, not just about basketball but about life in general,” Stojakovic said.
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Michael Scotto: Sacramento Kings G League general manager Gabriel Harris will be named University of Memphis Tigers general manager, league sources told @hoopshype . Harris and the Stockton Kings recently won the 2025 G League championship. Harris also played for Stanford University.
Ziaire Williams seems to have finally gotten beyond his reputation for inconsistency which has plagued him since his freshman year at Stanford. “He’s taken advantage of all those opportunities. He’s embraced what we’re doing and the process, which is the best thing. He understands. He’s about the right things,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said. “I’m happy with him, and I’ve seen what I had to see. I also need him to go through this [remaining] stretch of eight games. “So, he’s embraced every situation. I’m very happy with what I’ve seen from him, and then we’ll make decisions when we have to. Obviously, it’s very collaborative around here. I’m not the one making decisions on the roster, but I’m always asked, and right now, we’re in a good place. The process is the best thing; it’s just going through it.”
Spencer Jones—the 24-year-old Nuggets forward still trying to make a name for himself in the NBA—followed a similar path. Knowing a future pro career wouldn’t last forever—if he was able to make the NBA at all—he learned about venture capital investing, looked over pitch decks, and analyzed health and tech start-ups looking to raise capital. He joined LinkedIn near the end of his senior year at Stanford to formalize the relationships he’d built over five years on campus. “The weight of each follower on LinkedIn carries a lot more than any other platform,” Jones says. “Venture capital is a fairly small community once you’re really in it, and so founders typically know other founders. You get insights on them, and you get insights on how companies are performing beyond what they send you. And so my due diligence has only increased with the increasing network.”
Spencer Jones On his LinkedIn activity . . . I’m not really a social media guy, but it initially started because, leaving Stanford, you want to hold onto the network. It was just very purposeful. I had a specific small audience. I could see the growth for it as well, but it was mostly just to keep the presence of mind of, ‘Hey, I’m on a two-way contract. It’s much more likely for it to not go past the couple years then to, just looking at just general numbers.’ And so I wanted a backup plan. I’ve always had one my entire life. I just wanted to take advantage of the brand for as little or as long as I had it.