Afternoon Rumble: God`sgift Achiuwa looks to join Orlando Sanchez, links

The morning/ afternoon Rumble returns! Have a hot link or an interesting story to share? Interested in one of the stories below? Post in the comments and let's talk about it.

ESPN's Andy Katz with a quick video report on three teams looking to lean on senior leaders. St. John's will look to D`Angelo Harrison to be the senior leader. He's been, since his suspension, working to be a leader on the court. Can the number of experienced seniors on the Red Storm elevate their play?

St. John's players who left the team after last season have found landing places - Marc-Antoine Bourgault in France, JaKarr Sampson in training camp with the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Sanchez in training camp with the Knicks (and likely with the D-League affiliate, Westchester Knicks)...

Now the last senior with no contract is working to get paid playing basketball a little longer. God`sgift Achiuwa is trying out for the Westchester Hawks. Thanks for catching that nugget, Ridiculous Upside!

Approximately 75 basketball hopefuls hit the hardwood with an ambition to prove they have what it takes to compete in the NBA D-League. From this group of prospects, the Knicks have an opportunity to invite a very select few to compete for a spot on the team during training camp later this fall.

Needless to say, it's an uphill battle for those hoping to get noticed once and for all.

In any event, there were still some interesting players to see. God's Gift Achiuwa, a local product at St. John's University last season (alongside recent New York Knicks training camp invitee Orlando Sanchez) was one of the more notable participants.

Good luck to Achiuwa. God`sGift's stats as a backup in 2013-14 (2.5 points/ game, 2.1 rebounds, 57% shooting) don't stand out. But in extended time in 2011-12, Achiuwa scored 9.4 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Plus! Last year in Big East play, he played stout defense, grabbing 20% of available defensive rebounds and blocking 10% of shots attempted while he was on the floor - a defensive plug in for the Johnnies to change the tenor of the game, even if his minutes waxed and waned like a manic moon.

Creighton added Iowa guard Marlon Stewart to their 2015 class. He isn't as heralded as some of their other targets - Stewart had offers from Bradley and Green Bay - but the lure of playing in a higher-level conference was too great to pass up.

The off-topic station - controversies

Video side-eye --> ESPN's Outside the Lines defends their reporting against the Ravens' owner's accusations of slant. Good on them for having journalistic integrity. It helps that public sentiment is very much against the lying and cover-ups that seem to be a bigger part of the story than football player Ray Rice punching his fiancee - and maybe that's the correct reaction.

Forgotten Serbian favorite?--> Darko Milicic, the onetime #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft who didn't meet great success, is taking his nasty demeanor in a ring and becoming a kickboxer (the link has a GIF and reasons why Darko will make a great fighter. Tongue-deeply-in-cheek reasons).

Longread of the day --> On the University of Texas, football, race, and the long road from the days of segregation. As expected, the comments are a mix of priceless, uninformed and retrograde.