Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "puerto rico"

Kings host six draft prospects at practice facility

2010-05-14T05:13:41Z

The Sacramento Kings welcomed six college seniors hoping to make the jump into the NBA this summer.

Jerome Randle from UC Berkeley (Cal), Houston's Aubrey Coleman, Kansas State's Denis Clemente, South Carolina's Devan Downey, Tasmin Mitchell from LSU and Michighan State's Raymar Morgan are preparing for the 2010 NBA Draft, competing for a spot on one of the league's 30 team rosters.

Six other players, including the Kings' Jason Thompson's brother and Rider product Ryan and Seattle University's Charles Garcia, dropped by the practice facility on Tuesday.

Out of the six players who participated in today's workout, Randle, who played about 80 miles away from Sacramento, is the only player who is projected to be drafted in the second round of the 2010 NBA Draft. The rest are projected to be undrafted.

Randle averaged 18.6 points and 4.3 assists per game last season. He played with current Magic forward Ryan Anderson. Anderson played at Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills two years ago. Although Randle said his role at Cal was to score, he wants to lead a team as a point guard.

"I'm really comfortable," the speedy guard said about being a leader on the court. "One thing is you have to take your time. A lot of people just want to speed up the game. If you just take your time and take it possession by possession, I feel like I'll be alright.”

Coleman led the nation in scoring, finished second in steals per game and shot an average of 15 free throws attempts last season. Although he's listed at six-feet-four-inches, he fits the mold of undersized shooting guards in the NBA like Eric Gordon of the L.A. Clippers, O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies and Ben Gordon of the Detroit Pistons.

Coleman, however, was tired after flying from a workout with the Miami Heat across the country.

"The Heat, they really wanted to see if we were in shape," he said. "This workout was a little lighter than the Heat’s was."

Coleman was the top scorer in NCAA college basketball last season, scoring 25.6 points per game, and finished second in steals with 2.7 per game. He also rebounded the ball well for his height with 7.4 rebounds per game.

Although he was one of the best scorers in the nation, Coleman said he could set up his teammates as well and that he'd fit well with the Kings.

"I'm a playmaker when my shot's not falling," he said. "I lead the nation scoring and No.2 in steals, and I (rebound) too. I took a look at this team, and I think they could use a scorer."

Clemente, a Puerto Rican native, was the second-leading scorer for the Wildcats, averaging 16.6 points and 4.2 assists per game. He said he models his game like fellow Puerto Rican and Dallas Mavericks guard Jose Barea and Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis.

"I want to be there," Clemente said about making the NBA. "To be there, you've got to work, you've got to be dedicated to play basketball. I'm ready to be at this level."

Clemente is familiar with Kings swingman Francisco Garcia, who is from the Dominican Republic.

"That's an inspiration for me to see somebody who came from the (Caribbean islands) and play in the NBA," he said.

There are 450 roster spots in the NBA and most of them are already taken. If any prospects aren't drafted this summer, they still have a chance to make a roster by playing for a team in a summer league or surviving a training camp roster in the Fall. They can also try out for a National Basketball Developmental League team as well and hope to be called upon by its NBA affiliate.

Just because a player doesn't land on a roster before the season starts doesn't mean his career is over. Former King and current Chicago Bulls player Brad Miller was not drafted in the 1998 NBA Draft, and he played in Italy.

The Charlotte Hornets, now in New Orleans, picked him up as a free agent after the NBA season began. Later in his career, he became one of the only five undrafted players in history to play in the NBA All-Star Game. He played in back-to-back all-star games from 2003-04 with the Pacers and Kings, respectively.

Sacramento is one of many stops across the country for these prospects. Maybe one of them might be back to play at Arco Arena, right next door to the practice facility where they were trying to make that dream a reality.

Four Shells, Five Answers: Obi divination - Mouthpieces of the Orichas

2009-09-19T06:58:56Z

“Ago Obi, Ago Obi, Ago Obi”

The prayers begin for Obi, the system of divination from the Yoruba religion to obtain “Yes” and “No” answers to questions in various levels of intensity and meaning. This system, crucial to all in the African religious concepts under the major heading of Ifa and their various levels of dilution under the categories of Lukumi and Santeria, are a methodology of the ways Nigerian kola nuts (Obi Abata), fresh coconut meat (darle el coco) and four cowrie shells speak to us and are considered the ‘mouthpieces’ of the Orichas. The Orichas, as they are collectively known, are African based Gods and Goddesses of Nature who rule various places and elements of the World and are considered ‘guardian angels’ of each and everyone who inhabits the Earth. Each and every one of us is considered having that particular Deities’ “Ache” or “Spirit” and it is within the patakis, or stories of the Orichas’ interactions with each other and the World that the message is delivered.

Obi’s spirit, once mortal, ascended to being an Oricha once good deeds had been done, fell from Grace because of Ego. Upon descending to Earth, Obi’s spirit embodied the coconut palm tree. Although Obi cannot speak with his tongue, he communicates through the white (“clean”) side or brown (“dark”) of coconut meat. If cowrie shells are used, it is the side that has been filed open to indicate “Yes” (“clean”) and the closed ridged side that indicates a “No” (“dark”) side of the answer pattern that fell during questioning.

After prayers, I utilize Obi divination with cowrie shells to answer questions during a card reading using the Tarot of the Orichas. Obi gives clarity to questions regarding messages of the cards to a client. Clients can ask Obi a question and I may also be prompted to ask as well when the layers of cards upon themselves are not in association with the clients’ dilemma. Obi, not to be taken lightly, is regarded as a tool to help Mankind seek clarity in decision making, regardless of whether you are fully initiated into the religion or not. There are 5 levels to Obi; two affirmative or positive in different severities, two negative or “no” answers, and a “maybe” answer that needs a second question to extract a less ambiguous answer.

The five different shell patterns that will fall during a questioning session are as follows:

“Alafia” – “Yes with blessings!” – The most affirmative answer, it can be over eager in delivery and must have a second toss to confirm and secure the answer. The second fall of the cowries must be another “Alafia” or “Ejife” or “Etagua” answer to be taken as a “Yes” answer.
“Ejife” – “Yes” (but without emphasis) – This affirmative answer is interpreted as a “Yes, and your World is balanced”, meaning what you have proposed or achieved (or about to) brings balance to the contradictory struggles of the World to keep in harmony.

“Etagua” (or “Etawa”) – “Maybe” – This answer comes when the question needs clarification (posing it in a way to obtain a “Yes” or “No” answer) or Oricha is pondering the situation and needs a second question to be able to answer. When Etagua appears, the second answer of the second toss of shells is the true answer. If another “Etagua” (Etagua-Meji) falls after the first one, the meaning is “do not ask what you already know”.

“Okana” – meaning darkness is surrounding the client and a positive outcome is not available, perhaps without additional spiritual work. One open shell and three closed ones indicate to focus on the small beam of light in darkness.

“Oyekun” – The most serious “No” answer, it tells of being out of touch with spirituality and walking in darkness. A dire warning; it presages unforeseen problems, accidents, fires and even portends death. Additional questions need to be asked in the clients’ behalf to determine why Oyekun has come. Water must be sprinkled on Oyekun and if it appears more than once, the shells must be placed in water to ‘cool’ down the answer.

After the reading with me, the client has an opportunity to ask questions that were not addressed in the card reading. These may be additional clarity on the original shell toss or other unrelated questions on relationships and business strategies. Once we begin to receive multiple “Etaguas” to questions in an obvious pattern, this indicates that the line of questioning needs to end as the client is asking questions to obvious answers they are facing.

While not always an immediate answer, Obi gives insight on things to come. Clients who return for a follow up reading three months later will exclaim, “The shells were right! I just didn’t see it (the situation) evolving before me!” and other affirmations that indicate that revelations of Truth that Obi gives come true. For me, as well as over 70 million plus devotees of this African indigenous religion, we know Obi does not lie.

Jacqueline Mathers, educator and author, uses Obi divination in her readings for clients. She is also a certified Rootworker in the Southern style of conjure, studying under Cat Yronwode. Many years of study of African based folkloric and religious beliefs have earned her the title “native informant” with various institutions of education in the Central Valley. She is also the producer of the Holistic Healing Expo in Elk Grove, CA and can be contacted at (916) 284-5552 or at jacqueline (at)tarotbyjacqueline.com