Catching up with Alfonzo McKinnie

By Jamie Newell

HOFFMAN ESTATES – At this time last year, Windy City Bulls forward Alfonzo McKinnie was playing for a basketball team that was a long way from where he grew up on the west side of Chicago.

Fresh off a four-year college career, that was split in half between the first two years at Eastern Illinois and the second two at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

When the offers to play professionally in the United States weren’t forthcoming, McKinnie knew that to continue his basketball career. He had to leave the country and go overseas to play.

McKinnie found a team called the East Side Pirates, who play in the second division in Luxembourg.

“There is a major difference between playing here and in Luxembourg,” McKinnie said “In Europe, you play once a week. Here, we may play three or four games a week. We also practice every day and that has been the biggest difference.”

McKinnie also inked a contract with Rayo de Hermosillo of Mexico before finding his way back into the United States and into the training camp for the Windy City Bulls.

The 6’-8” 215-pound forward was rewarded for his hard play by making the team’s final roster.

So far, in his first season with the Bulls, McKinnie has played in all 12 games and is averaging over 12 points per game in 26 minutes of game action and is one of the first players that coach Nate Loesner calls off the bench and sends into the game.

“I don’t really look at it as coming off the bench,“ McKinnie said. “I just try to come into the game and try to keep up the good work that the guys have started. I just try play my role and do what I can to get a win.”

McKinnie has been a beast on the glass as he is averaging 8.8 rebounds a contest.

“So far I am enjoying my time with the Bulls,” McKinnie said after a recent shoot-around. “Since I am a Chicago kid and being able to be not so far from home and being able to have my family and friends to come and see me play, is awesome.“

McKinnie did see a familiar face when he started training camp. Windy City Bulls center Alec Brown was a teammate of McKinnie’s at Wisconsin-Green Bay.

“I played with Alec (Brown) in college,” McKinnie said. “It has been interesting playing with him. Just to play with a guy that you are familiar with and played with in college for a couple of years.  Having him as a roommate and a teammate on the professional level has been pretty cool.”

Like any player in the D-League, McKinnie’s goal is to make it to the next level and into the NBA.

Bulls Looking to Get Back to the .500 Mark vs 87ers

By Colin Mieczkowski

 

 

The Windy City Bulls return right back to action tonight, to take on the Delaware 87ers.  Bulls looking to bounce back from last night’s 124-121 loss to the Swarm from Greensboro.    

 

This will be the 2^nd game between  the Bulls and 87ers,  in game 1 it was J.J. Avila who would have the hot hand for the Bulls going 10-14 with 24 points. Jerian Grant led all scorers with 34 points that night.

 

 

On the other side, Shawn Long led the way for the 87ers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Dionte Christmas was also well involved, scoring 23 for the team.

 

 

However, in this rematch, both teams have some new look rosters, especially the Bulls. Point Guard Spencer Dinwiddie signed a deal with the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, after helping carrying the WC Bulls early on.

 

 

Also, the new additions of Andre Dawkins, Devin Brooks and Ferrakhon Hall have shaken the depth of the squad as well. Players such as Avila, Alec Brown and Aaron Thomas still  remain however.

 

 

Thomas specifically has been one of the D-League’s hottest scorers, dropping over 100 points in a four game stretch. Although Avila has been a crucial part to the team’s wins and is somewhat of a leader on the team, it is Thomas who has alone been worth the price of admission.

 

 

 

Thomas will have the opportunity to battle it out like medieval knights with Christmas who too can fill it up at will. Christmas has dropped 34 points in his last two games.

 

 

While at Temple, he was a two-time Atlantic 10 conference tournament MVP. In three consecutive seasons, Christmas led the Atlantic 10 in scoring, so he’s no stranger to getting buckets, even if he’s not putting up 30 a night.

 

 

He also finished his time at Temple with 2,043 points for his college career. He’s only the fourth player in school history to drop over 2,000 points for his career.

 

 

Furthermore, the 30-year old has some NBA experience in his back pocket, having played for a season with the Phoenix Suns in 2013-14.. In 31 games played, he would average 2.3 points off the bench which includes a nine point effort in his NBA debut.

 

 

Although Christmas is a very consistent scorer, he’s been very quiet in almost every other area. For example; in his last game against the Oklahoma City Blue, Christmas scored 15 points, but only had one assist and two rebounds.

 

Thomas in his last game against the Grand Rapids Drive, he accumulated 23 points and grabbed five rebounds. So, on paper, Thomas looks to have the upper hand, as he’s capable of grabbing between four and six rebounds on any given night to go along with his scoring.

 

 

However, Christmas and Thomas are very similar players statistically. This will only make for a fun game if these two can light the Sears Centre arena up like a Christmas (not Dionte) tree.

 

 

 

Tip-off is at 7pm CST, and you can listen to all the home games and read up about the squad on your official radio home of Windy City Bulls D-League basketball, SportsTownChicago.com. 

Bulls Seek Revenge vs Greensboro Friday Night

The Windy City Bulls will take on the Greensboro Swarm this Friday night at the Sears Centre Arena. The Bulls look to get a little revenge, after losing to the Swarm in Greensboro, 130-125, back on December 10th.


A player who has played very well the past couple of games for the Bulls is newcomer Andre Dawkins. He has been able to fill it up from behind the three-point line, something the WC Bulls have lacked most of the season.


In the last game against the Swarm, Dawkins went an impressive 5-7 from behind the arc, finishing with 17 points off the bench. Dawkins, an All-Rookie Third Team selection in the D-League last year, has proven how good he can be.


In college, playing for Duke, he was the backup guard on the 2010 championship squad. In an Elite Eight game against Baylor in that same season, Dawkins hit two big three pointers in the first half, to stop the game from slipping away early.


Six years later and he is still getting buckets from deep. Speaking of three-point shooting, Dawkins changed his number from 20 to 34, as a tip of the cap to his idol, Ray Allen.


The Duke Blue Devils’ official website even called him a “deadly three-point shooter” on his bio page. No doubt, the Bulls got a very solid sniper in the former Texas Legends player.


He’s also noted as being an avid golfer. This certainly has had to help his precision because, similar to basketball, the goal of golf is to get a ball in a hole that’s the same shape as the ball itself.


Just think of a three-point shot as a long putt, minus the slopes of the putting greens. But, if Dawkins can continue to be that key spark plug, then it should be a fun matchup because the Swarm have a very solid player of their own who needs highlighting.



How can we forget the Harrison twins who played for the Kentucky Wildcats? These guys hit big shot after big shot in the NCAA Tournament throughout their college career.


Well, Aaron Harrison now plays for the Swarm, and he played extremely well against the Bulls previously. Harrison went off for 28 points that game, while also collecting nine rebounds.


One obvious thing that stands out about Harrison is his ability to heat up at the right moments to help his team get a win. He’s done this a few times in college, more famously in the NCAA Tournament.


One of those gleaming moments was in 2014, when he hit a three-pointer to beat the Michigan Wolverines in the regional finals and advance. Furthermore, he hit another game-winning long range bomb, to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in the semi-finals in that same tournament.


He’d finish with eight points and it he scored those in the second half, when the intensity was revving up. Just because college and D-League basketball are two totally different animals, doesn’t mean you lost the clutch bug.


Some guys are just great at it. In the last three games with the Swarm, Harrison racked up 15 points in two of them.


That’s definitely not what he did to the Bulls the last time these squads dueled. Even if he doesn’t drop 28 points every night, he’s still that deadly weapon the Swarm could use if the game gets tight.


So that’s who the Bulls should try to keep an eye on Friday night. If both Dawkins and Harrison are drilling threes like they are both capable of, then we can be in for quite a treat.


Be sure to listen to ALL home games and read up about the the team, on the official radio home of Windy City Bulls basketball, SportsTownChicago.com.

Buzzer Beater Gives Bulls Thrilling Victory!

By Colin “Ghost Panda” Mieczkowski

On Friday night, the Windy City Bulls took on the last place Canton Charge, to try to extend their winning record to two games. The Bulls would go on to win the game off a beautiful buzzer beating shot from Jerian Grant, 96-94.

Grant would finish with 20 points and nine assists to go along with six rebounds. With the both sad and happy news that Spencer Dinwiddie signed with the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA, Grant took over the spotlight.

But, it was center Alec Brown who had the best game, winning the game’s MVP award. Brown had his best game of the season, going a remarkable 9-11 from the field, while racking up 8 rebounds and three blocks.

The 7’1” Brown also hit a three point shot in the game. This is something he’s capable of doing on a regular basis.

But, some solid defense from Brown late in the game kept the game close. Then Grant would stare down his opponent like a tiger, and then hit the shot to a win, which brought the Sears Centre into a frenzy.

The play was briefly reviewed, but it was officially good. Had the shot not counted then we would have went into overtime.

For the Charge, it was reigning D-League Rookie of the Year Quinn Cook who took the “charge”. Cook dropped 30 points, and showed why he is one of the most dangerous players in the league.

However, what killed Cook and the Charge was his whopping eight turnovers. Although the game was tight, things could’ve been different had Cook not had all of those turnovers.

Other than Cook, it was Chris Evans who had a nice game, scoring 21 points including hitting three long range shots.

But, it wasn’t enough to stop Grant. Brown and the Bulls, as the Sears Centre fans went home happy. And one of the best duels in the league so far is now complete, thanks to clutch defense and a huge shot.

Be sure to listen to all home games and read up about the team, on your official radio home of Windy City Bulls basketball, SportsTownChicago.com.

Bulls look to take some Charge out of Canton

By Colin Mieczkowski

On Friday night, the Windy City Bulls return home to the Sears Centre, for a game against the division rival, Canton Charge. It has been the Aaron Thomas show for the Bulls during the road trip.

Thomas has accumulated an amazing 82 points in his last three games. His best performance over that period was a rematch against the Long Island Nets, where he dropped in 33 points and collected five rebounds.

A scoring machine like Thomas, gives player like Spencer Dinwiddie a chance to play more traditionally at the point guard position. This also takes the pressure off of he and J.J. Avila who have carried most of the load offensively.

Certainly, the Bulls still need Dinwiddie and Avila, but having Thomas opens more doors of opportunity. Thanks to Thomas’ stellar play, the Bulls have won four of their last five games.

Thomas, who was once declared ineligible for the Florida State Seminoles for a whole season, is now proving his worth at the professional level. If he keeps playing like this, then the Bulls shouldn’t have too much trouble with the last place Charge who charge their way into the Sears Centre.

Despite the Charge’s 3-6 record, they still have some threats on the team to be aware of. In particular, the dangerous Quinn Cook, who dropped 27 points against the aforementioned Nets.

Cook was an all-star and the D-League Rookie of the Year last season. He was also hot player coming out of high school. He was ranked as a top 40 recruit from Rivals, Scout, and ESPNU in 2010 before committing to Duke.

Despite a successful college career where he made Sporting News’ All-American second team, Cook went undrafted in 2015. Although he would sign with the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA, he was let go after a few preseason games.

He was the resigned by the Charge, where he currently plays, and continues to play well. Cook may possibly be the Bulls’ toughest individual matchup yet.

This is where Thomas needs shine once again. He doesn’t need to drop 30 or more points, but if there is enough balanced play between the Bulls’ “big three” of Thomas, Dinwiddie and Avila, then they may overwhelm the Charge and the reigning Rookie of the Year.

Although former Fresno State star Kevin Olekaibe, and former Kent State baller Chris Evans played well last game for the Charge, look for them to feed Cook. Much like in the NBA, D-League teams have alpha dogs, who are given more scoring opportunities.

Cook, is one of the league’s alpha dogs. If the Bulls have a ‘captain’, it would likely be Dinwiddie due to his NBA experience. But, he’s not the ‘best’ player right now, as they title probably belongs to Thomas at the moment.

However, the good thing about the Bulls is that, things are constantly changing. It’s not just one person carrying the team all the time, despite Thomas’ hot streak.

It just shows the versatility on the roster, and ultimately, it could very well pay dividends for the Bulls on Friday night.

Be sure to listen to all home games and read up about the team, on your official radio home of Windy City Bulls basketball, SportsTownChicago.com.