I’ve been impressed with the way the basketball community has stepped up to help out with relief efforts. Talking with Utah Flash president Brandt Andersen on Monday, it was clear that his time in Haiti had affected him profoundly. During halftime of the Flash – Red Claws game the team raised more than $17,000, including donations from fans and businesses.

Here are two other amazing stories from the Andersen’s group in Haiti:

Haiti quake sends father on blessing-filled odyssey for daughter

Haiti binds a broken heart

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On the other side of the ledger of humanity, Tuesday’s Twitter talk was all about Greg Oden and Paul Shirley, for reasons related to the same word. It’s a noun for Oden, and an adjective for Shirley. I’m only linking to Shirley’s nonsense to make sure people never pay attention to him again. As I said elsewhere, it’s a case study in well-constructed self-destruction. Nice to see ESPN dump him as a contributor. Dave Zirin’s response said everything I’d hoped to say. Go read that and then come back.

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Here’s the press release regarding the relief efforts by the Flash Family Foundation:

UTAH FLASH RAISE $20,000 FOR HAITI

Flash Family Foundation will construct new orphanage outside Port-au-Prince

OREM, UT, Jan. 26, 2010 – Over the past four home games the Utah Flash has raised over $20,000 to help victims of the earthquake destruction in Haiti. During last night’s game each dollar donated from a Flash fan was matched by corporate partners Pinnacle Security, PMI and Hoopes Vision.

Every dollar raised will be used by the Flash Family Foundation to build a new orphanage on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince. During a recent trip to Haiti Flash owner Brandt Andersen and a relief crew found a remote orphanage that had been devastated by the earthquake.

Andersen discovered 50-plus orphans living in the front yard of their destroyed orphanage. They lacked a roof over their head, a place to sleep and running water. During his time in Haiti Andersen acquired a three-acre piece of property near the old orphanage site, and is working with an engineer on the design for a new housing facility.

“Traveling to Haiti did more for me than I was able to do for the Haitian community,” said Andersen. “You cannot see these people, and not want to help. These are beautiful people who will bounce back from this tragedy if we all reach out and help.”

The new facility will have dorms for the children, as well as bathrooms, classrooms, and a playground. Funding for the project will come from donations to the Flash Family Foundation by local partners, season ticket holders and The Flash Family Foundation.

A special donation was made to the project during last night’s Flash game by Check City. The $10,000 Check City donation will be an important piece for the Flash Family Foundation effort to immediately begin construction of the new dormitory for the orphanage. With matching by Pinnacle Security, PMI, and Hoopes Vision the Flash Family Foundation has raised over $20,000, every dollar of which will go directly to the construction of the orphanage.

Additional donations can be made to the Flash Family Foundation by calling 801-434-4667.

Boxscore

Playing against the Reno Bighorns for the second game in a row, the Utah Flash clawed out a win to snap a two-game losing streak. Luke Nevill got sneaky buckets and ended up with 22 points while Dontell Jefferson put up 17 with 9 assists. Desmon Farmer scored 18 and also took an elbow to the face that left him with a bloody nose.

Notes:

• In NBA trade rumor news, sitting courtside was Jazz assistant coach Scott Layden, who said he hadn’t even heard of the Ronnie Brewer to Memphis talk. So there’s that. Meanwhile, he was sitting next to Memphis scout and former Jazz coach Gordon Chiesa.
• Apparently the D-League’s shoe deal with Adidas means that to wear anything else, players must black out any other logos and have a note from a doctor. In the words the great @tuffyr, “To whom it may concern: My patient must wear Converse for his health. Signed, Dr. J.”
• By my count, more than half the players were wearing blacked-out Nikes.
• Bighorns coach (and former Jazz player) Jay Humphries was ejected late in the second half. He must have used some magic words because he was calm and smiling during the whole episode. Jazz fans remember Humphries as the other half of the Blue Edwards trade with Milwaukee.
• Gordon Chiesa has an encyclopedic memory. He rattled off the details of the Blue Edwards / Jay Humphries / Larry Krystkowiak like he had it written on a 3×5 card.

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nba.com recap:

OREM, UT, Jan. 22, 2010 – In the second of a back-to-back matchup with the Reno Bighorns, the Utah Flash hit free throws down the stretch to get the victory Friday night. The Flash had six different players score in double figures to get a 109-104 win.

Utah started the game jumping to a 10 point lead midway through the first quarter behind Luke Nevill’s 10 first quarter points. Mo Charlo led the way for the Bighorns with eight points but the team trailed 23-28 at the end of the first.

Reno started the second quarter on an 11-2 run and outscored the Flash by eight in the quarter to take a three point lead going into the half 44-47. The Flash shot just 39 percent from the field in the half and committed 14 turnovers. The Bighorns were led by Mo Charlo and his 14 points in the half.

Four minutes into the third quarter a Carlos Wheeler ally-oop dunk led a balanced Flash attack to take the momentum and a nine-point lead into the fourth. Wheeler had 11 points in the quarter as the Flash led 76-67 at the end of the third.

Reno’s head coach was ejected from the game with his second technical foul with 3:04 remaining to play in the game. Reno hung around in the fourth quarter looking to cut into the Flash lead with a 7-0 run with under two minutes to play. The Bighorn’s late rally cut the lead to four points on a Desmon Farmer three point basket. They couldn’t get any closer though as the teams exchanged free throws down the stretch and the Flash came away with the victory.

After losing two at home we needed to do whatever it takes to win the game whether it is pretty or ugly,” said head coach Brad Jones. “Tonight was an ugly win but all wins are pretty.”

The balanced Flash attack was led by Nevill’s 22 points and Dontell Jefferson’s 17 points and nine assists. Mo Charlo let the way for Reno with 20 points while Daryl Dorsey and Farmer scored 18 points apiece.

The Flash will stay at home to host Maine on Monday night at 7p.m. at the McKay Events Center.

You probably thought tonight’s game was Kobe in MSG against the Knicks, on the 4-year anniversary of his 81 point game, right? Well, yes, you’re right. But the other game tonight is the second half of a two game tilt between the Utah Flash and the Reno Bighorns. Reno snuck away with a five point win on a Wednesday, but the crowd was sparse because of the Jazz/Spurs ESPN game and the scorching cross-town BYU Cougars had a home game.

Tonight’s game is the only game in town, so it should be fun.

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On a Haiti relief effort note, Flash owner Brandt Andersen continues to blog from Port-au-Prince and it’s just crazy. Please continue to support the humanitarian effort of your choice. The following picture was taken by Andersen at an orphanage.

If you’re not following Brandt Andersen’s dispatches from Haiti, you should probably start now. As a man who has lived in the Dominican Republic during the best of times, I can only image what neighboring Haiti is like during the worst of times. In Andersen’s words, “the images will change you. This place has changed me.”

During Tuesday night’s Flash game, just a $5 donation to relief efforts bought two tickets to an upcoming game. Great work by the Flash and Brandt Andersen especially.

From the press release:

OREM, UT, Jan. 20, 2010 – Utah Flash owner Brandt Andersen has traveled to Haiti to assist in the relief efforts following the recent devastating earthquakes. The Utah Flash has also decided to help raise money to donate to the Red Cross during a busy week of home games.

The Utah Flash front office staff has donated one day’s pay to the Red Cross to assist in the relief efforts. The Red Cross had volunteers at last night’s game, and will continue to have volunteers at the games on Wednesday and Friday to collect donations that will be sent directly to Haiti via the Red Cross.

The NBA D-League franchise has also decided to donate a portion of game night revenues from this week’s games to the devastated country. The Flash hope to raise $5,000 during this week’s three home games to donate to the Red Cross.

“We have seen the devastation that is taking place in Haiti and want to find a way to help,” said Flash Team President Joe Brown. “We hope our contribution will make a difference to those in need.”

Andersen traveled to Haiti this past Sunday to assist in the relief efforts. “These are good people who are ready to rebuild but they need help. PLEASE reach out and donate to one of the organizations that are helping. The Red Cross and others are doing amazing good. They are working hard. Be overly generous,” said Andersen in a statement on his blog.

To help fans can call the Flash office and pledge a donation to the Haitian relief fund. All donations will receive a pair of tickets to an upcoming Flash game. Donations can also be made by visiting www.redcrossut.org.

Andersen’s first-person perspective can be followed on twitter by following @flashbrandt, or on his blog at www.dleagueutah.com.

The Flash dropped a very winnable game in overtime 108-116 against the Idaho Stampede.  The game was a showcase for Ross Siler lookalike Coby Karl of the Stampede, who scored 36 points on a variety of aggressive drives to the basket. The Flash threw every defender at Karl and couldn’t find an answer. It was Karl who saved the game for the Stampede by hitting a twisting fadeaway with 4.2 seconds left to tie the game at 100 and force overtime.

On the previous possession the Flash actually held a 3-point lead but newly-acquired Gabe Pruitt was called for a foul before the ball was in-bounded, resulting in a technical free-throw by Karl. The Flash fell apart in the overtime and gave up several easy baskets as well multiple 3-pointers, while missing multiple point-blank layups.

The missed layups, missed rebounds and missed assignments were the story of the game. It all added up to a big missed opportunity for a team that has lost 9 games in which they had the lead in the fourth quarter.

Tonight the Flash continue their homestand against Rod Benson and the Reno Bighorns at 7:00pm in their newly-renamed home, now that the McKay Events Center is now just the Events Center.

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Orem, UT, Jan. 19, 2010 – The Utah Flash returned home from a five-game road trip Tuesday night to host the Idaho Stampede. For the second time this season, it took overtime to decide the outcome between the Flash and Stampede; this time with the Stampede coming out on top 116-108.

Utah took control of the first quarter shooting 47% from the floor, and putting 29 points on the scoreboard. The Flash took control behind strong play from Orien Greene and Bennett Davis. Greene had eight points and four boards in the first quarter, and Davis chipped in six points off the bench.

Idaho played from behind for the majority of the first half. Pushing the ball up the court and looking for the fast break at every opportunity, the Stampede began to chip away at the Utah lead. Down as many as nine mid-ways through quarter number two, the Stampede battled back and took a 52-50 halftime lead. Utah struggled to shoot the ball as the pace of the game sped up, finishing the half shooting just 42% from the field.

The Stampede scored 10 unanswered points to open the third quarter, and jumped to a 62-50 lead. Utah cut the lead from 12 to just two at 70-68 with two minutes to play in the third. Greene picked up the play for Utah again in the third scoring six more helping to bring the Flash back from their deficit. Guard Dontell Jefferson also contributed on the offensive end, scoring 11 points in the third quarter. After a third-quarter 12-point lead from Idaho, the quarter came to a close tied at 77.

The game went back and forth in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. Down three points with nine seconds remaining Stampede guard Coby Karl knocked down a clutch free throw to cut the lead to one point. Karl then hit a 15-foot fade away jumper to tie the game at 100 with 4.7 seconds to go. Jefferson took the final shot of regulation for the Flash which came up short, but was tipped in by Wheeler to give the Flash a two point lead. However, the officials ruled Wheeler still had the ball in his hands as time expired and the game went to overtime.

In overtime the Stampede began to pull away behind the play of Karl and great offensive rebounding which helped Idaho to extend possessions down the stretch. The Stampede built an eight point lead and never looked back. Led by six players in double figures including 34 points from Karl, Idaho proved to be too much for Utah in the overtime period. Utah had five in double figures, 18 from Nevill and 17 from Jefferson, but shot a dismal 36% from the field for the game.

Coach Brad Jones said “The headline of the game was a Utah missed opportunity, the game shouldn’t have gone to overtime, but we just missed to many layups and free throws to expect to win.”

In the end the Stampede came out on top 116-108 in a hard fought game. Karl led the way for Idaho with 36 points and was helped by Donell Taylor with 23 points and NBA-Assignee Patrick Mills chipped in 21.

Utah Looks to rebound tomorrow night when they host the Reno Bighorns at 7 p.m. in the McKay Events Center.

The Utah Flash made a few interesting roster changes today, bringing back Gabe Pruitt and signing former UNLV star Joe Darger. To keep the team from becoming a Mountain West All-Star team, Lee Cummard was released, along with the injured Jason Richards.

Gabe Pruitt had some huge games with the Flash when he was with the team as an assignee of the Boston Celtics. More recently he has been known mostly for embarrassing himself by appearing on an episode of Bad Girls Club, which I’m absolutely not going to link.

Joe Darger has been practicing with the team and is familiar with the system. He had a nice run in the NCAA tournament a few years ago.

The Flash are back in action at home tonight against the Idaho Sundiatas.

From the press release:

OREM, Utah, Jan. 19, 2010 – The Utah Flash have acquired guards Gabe Pruitt and Joe Darger. Pruitt played with the Flash in the 2008-09 season while he was on assignment from the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 18 games for the Flash and averaged 18.9 points and 3.9 assists.

Darger, a product of the Mountain West Conference, was selected by Utah in the fifth round of the 2009-10 NBA Development League draft. He was waived from the team during training camp, but has continued to be a practice player for the Flash since being waved. Darger, a rookie out of UNLV, started all 32 games of his senior year, averaging 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Recently Pruitt has played with the Los Angeles D-Fenders where he appeared in 10 games. Over that 10-game span Pruitt averaged 11.4 points per game while collecting 4.6 rebounds and dishing out 3.9 assists per game.

To make room for the two new guards the Flash have waived Lee Cummard and Jason Richards. Richards was waived due to injury.

The Flash will host the Idaho Stampede Tuesday, Jan. 19. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the McKay Events Center.

By @deejay14 / deejay14@ymail.com

Special to Salt City Hoops

I would call it a once in a lifetime opportunity but this was my third trip to Boise for the Utah Flash’s annual double header with the Idaho Stampede. My trip began the day after Christmas at 9:30 am. I drove straight to Boise making just one stop at the border to fill up on gas. After 6 hours of driving I had arrived at my destination! Upon my arrival I went to the Comfort Suites, the official hotel for any team playing the Stampede, and got on their computer to check out what was going on in the world. After exceeding the 15 minute time limit, head trainer Nate Hunt walked by and saw me with my Flash shirt on. After a double-take he realized that it was me. In confusion he asked me a few questions then went on with his business.

I didn’t see any players in the next few minutes so I decided to make a trip to the local Wal-Mart just two exits west of the airport. Not sure why I went there because I ended up buying a bag of Christmas M&M’s and some undershirts. Getting closer to game time I hurried back to the hotel to see if I could catch a few guys before they took off to Quest Arena. I got there just in time to watch them loading up in the taxi. I walked inside to get warm, passing by former Charlotte Bobcat call-up Dontell Jefferson. He chuckled and said hi to me, remembering last year when I drove up. That was two hours before game time but apparently the arena doesn’t open their doors until an hour before – so I got to exceed the computer time limit in the hotel lobby once again.

Before the preseason game in Burley the Stampede staff gave away BOGO coupons hoping that a fellow Idahoan would make the 3 hour trip up for a game. They probably didn’t count on Flash fans willing to drive six hours. I brought one up and they let me use it to get one ticket for that night’s game and another for the game on Monday.

When I walked down to the court to watch the team warm up the guys saw me and all started smiling and shaking their heads as they greeted me and continued to take shots. The only one who wasn’t surprised was Andre Ingram as he has been with the team for all three years. Mark Madsen gave me the opportunity to rebound for the team with him.

The attendance for the game was 2384, a thousand below the D-League average. The game started off great; it looked like the Flash would walk over the Stampede, making 8 of their first 11 shots and jumping out to a 20-11 lead. Unfortunately for Utah, Idaho’s backcourt includes both Lanny Smith and call-up prospect Sundiata Gaines and they fought back. At the end of the first quarter the teams were all tied up at 27.

The third quarter wound down with back-to-back buckets by both Lee Cummard and Luke Nevill and the Flash led by ten, up 78-68. Then came the 4th quarter…

Things started off well enough with a three point bucket by Ingram, who leads the league with 33 of them (.471), giving the Flash a 12 point lead. Then the wheels came off with a flashback from last week’s game against the Dakota Wizard when the Flash blew a 22 point fourth quarter lead, giving up a 32-11 run. This time it was Idaho’s Emmanuel Jones, who scored half of his points in the first five minutes of the fourth and led the Stampede on a 10-0 run, cutting the lead to just 2. From then on it went back and forth until 5:14 left in the game. The Flash had the lead at 91-87 lead but would shoot just 1-8 from the field and score just five points in the final five minutes.

With 1:07 left in the game, down one, Carlos Wheeler went hard to the bucket and was fouled by Boise State alum Roberto Bergersen. Wheeler missed both free throws. Luckily for the Flash, Mildon Ambres would miss a three point attempt at the other end and Carlos would have another shot at the line. This time he made both, giving the Flash a 96-95 lead with 42 seconds to play. After an Idaho turnover, Dontell had his shot blocked by 6’10” Cedric Simmons. Bennett Davis fouled Lanny Smith with five seconds left and both free throws were made, giving the Stampede a one point lead. The inbounded pass was stripped at the other end of the court as time expired and that was the game. Final Score: Utah 96, Idaho 97.

Final Stats (pts-reb-ast-stl-blk)
Utah:
O. Green: 12-10-6-4
A. Ingram: 16-6
C. Wheeler: 16-7-4
D. Jefferson: 14-2-2
L. Nevill: 11-8-2
B. Davis: 14-5

Idaho:
S. Gaines: 21-3-3-3
C. Simmons: 8-11-0-0-7
M. Ambres: 13-10
L. Smith: 21-3

Following the loss I got a chicken wrap for dinner and it was off to bed. I parked right outside the hotel to hopefully go to sleep. It only took me about 20 minutes to adjust to the 20° temperature. I woke up three or four times, but after I put on an extra blanket I was good. When I say “good,” I mean considering the circumstances. In livable conditions, 20° is not good. I woke up around 9:30am to find myself freezing cold, which was expected. My toes were frozen hard and I had some serious hunger in my stomach. So what did I do? Naturally, I took my ice scraper and scraped off the snow on the inside of my car, changed my clothes, and went inside the warm hotel to take advantage of their continental breakfast for all who stayed on their property. I just ate a waffle and a yogurt. Bennett Davis and former UVU star Jordan Brady were just finishing up. They got done just in time for the team to leave for shoot around.

The next hour of my day was spent sitting on the couches in the hotel lobby, browsing on the computer and watching the news. By now it was around 11 o’clock on Sunday so I put on my church clothes and Google mapped the closest LDS church. After driving around for 20 minutes looking for the church, I found a small brown brick building but it ended up being some kind of museum so I went back to the hotel to get better directions. This time the printer didn’t work but I managed to draw a map with enough information to get me there. I got to the church at 11:30am but found out that the meetings had started at nine, so I was just catching the end of it. I could only find the Primary room for the kids and the Elders that were in the chapel so I snuck in there to listen to them.

The meeting ended and I wasn’t really sure what to do but I had a feeling that I should stick around. LDS meetinghouses usually have several wards using the same building so I waited for a while until more people showed up. It ended up that the next meetings were starting at 12:30. I met a family who has a son on a mission in Japan and my bro is also in Japan so we talked a bit about that and they were really nice.

So the meeting began and just seconds after the Bishop started talking Coach Mark Madsen, Lee Cummard, Nate Hunt, Jordan Brady and his wife all snuck in. I went over and sat by them and they were surprised once again. Madsen wore a purple tie with pink and yellow flowers. Brady’s outfit matched 100% and sort of looked like he was going to Prom with all that brown he had on. [Editor’s note: Apparently guys wear brown to Prom at DeeJay’s high school. Come on American Fork, throw on some black.] After church they took their taxi back to the hotel and went in their respective rooms while I chilled in the lobby making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

The following hours were spent repeating what I did the day before in the lobby – moving between the couch and the computer. At least I got to watch the Redskins / Cowboys game, so time passed by pretty fast. Then it was off to “bed.” This night wasn’t near as cold as the first and I only woke up once. Monday morning I woke up to find a nice hot breakfast waiting for me back inside the Hotel. This time I was in a bit earlier so I got to eat breakfast with Lee, Jason Richards, (Stephen Curry’s college pg), former Boston Celtic Orien Greene, Bennett and Coach Madsen.

After changing the computer wallpaper in the lobby to Dontell Jefferson (they later changed it back to a fish??), I found a place to eat on the way to downtown called Chapala Mexican Restaurant (1201 South Vista Avenue) and ate there. It was really good and the guys were way nice. If you’re ever in Boise be sure to check it out, it’s a little green building. Then it was back to the hotel until the team left for shoot around at 5pm. I found a Subway just blocks away from the arena and enjoyed a nice sandwich before arriving at the arena just as the doors opened.

For the second consecutive game the Flash got off to a hot start leading the game 17-6. They continued to dominate the first quarter. The Stampede cut the lead to just five before Lee Cummard hit a 3 and then followed it up seconds later with a drive for a lay-up. At the end of the first quarter the Flash had a 17 point lead 33-16. You know what happened next. Idaho went on a 21-6 run to cut the lead to 2. Utah finally got a hold of it again and the half ended at 50-45. Things went back and forth throughout the third quarter until a minute left. Gaines nailed a 3 pointer from the elbow and the Stampede took their first lead of the game. This is when it got interesting. Jordan Brady was running back on defense and Lanny Smith came from behind and wrapped his arm around Brady and pulled him to the ground. The refs, one with the Bill Simmons-approved name of Daisy Lane, ran towards them and asked Lanny what happened. He told them that Brady ran into him and pulled him down. Jordan replied to Lanny saying “Who pulled who down?” Daisy and the others didn’t like this so they T’d him up with a $150 fine. Idaho had a 4 point lead at the end of 3.

Then things got crazy. 1:19 left in the game, Flash down 4 and future call-up Dontell Jefferson nails a 3 to cut the deficit to 1. The crowd is loud, including one annoying lady 6 rows behind the bench who yelled nonsense the entire game. Gaines takes a 3 but misses. Still down one, both Dontell Jefferson and Andre Ingram take 3s but miss. Luckily my pick for player of the game, Orien Green, gets consecutive offensive rebounds and the Flash are still in the game. Dontell Jefferson gets fouled. Takes the first shot – it’s good! Tie game and 1,900+ are on their feet. The second shot is no good. Idaho has the ball with the score tied at 98. Gains yo-yo’s the dribble, drives the lane and passes it to a wide open Roberto Bergesen, who hits the 3. The Flash bring the ball up with 13 seconds left. The ball goes to Orien Green – Jones yells at them to play on because they are out of time outs. Orien calmly pulls up at the 3 point line and nails it! Tie game, and Jefferson knocks away the inbounds pass to the other end of the court and it’s the end of regulation.

In overtime, Dontell nails a 3 in front of Utah Jazz GM Kevin O’Connor, who also made the trip up to Boise, putting the Flash up 2. After that it was a fight from the free throw line. The Flash go 9/10 from the charity stride during the final 1:19 and win the game 112-109, improving to 7-5 for the year, leaving them standing in fifth place in the league.

I was exhausted so I went straight to my bed (trunk) and fell asleep. The next day I made the 6 hour trip back home just in time for my mom’s birthday cake. Overall it was an amazing road trip. I would strongly recommend you to go to one of your favorite team’s road game. I would also recommend that you rent a hotel.

Final Stats (pts-reb-ast-stl-blk)
Utah:
O. Green: 15-10-3
A. Ingram: 122-6
C. Wheeler: 20-14-4
D. Jefferson: 17-7-6
L. Nevill: 14-5
B. Davis: 12-8-5

Idaho:
S. Gaines: 31-4-7-5
C. Simmons: 29-13
M. Ambres: 17-12

*Update on James Lang: From his sister: “He is doing much better. He has been walking and trying to talk”