Arc: This time, Hoyas don't brawl with Chinese

UPDATE: The Hoyas actually have one more game. (Sighs). Changed the post as such.

No fights this time for Georgetown. Just basketball.

Three days after a brawl broke out during an exhibition game between the Hoyas and Chinese professional team Bayi Rockets, Georgetown closed continued its tour of China with a 92-69 win against the Liaoning Dinosaurs, another pro team. It was, according to a New York Times report, a little sloppy at first, but was a massive relief for Hoyas coach John Thompson III.

“I would be misleading if I didn’t saw the last couple of days have been trying and stressful,” he told Karson Yiu of ABC News. “But it’s good for myself as a coach and it’s good for our players to get back onto the court.”

It was quite the setting, too. Admission was free and the court was outdoors under a giant tent as part of a promotional event in Shanghai. But the packed house and unusual venue didn’t create any issues.

Thursday night’s game did enough of that.

The full-court melee made headlines thanks to its unexpectedness (it was an exhibition) and circumstances, (U.S. Vice President was making an official visit to China at the same time) and ferociousness. Video captured players swinging chairs at each other and minutes of mayhem.

Now, the Hoyas can end their overseas trip on a positive note. They have one more game, which looks to be Taiwanese National Team tomorrow. That’s more than enough for Thompson.

“It’s important for our players to walk away understanding that we are Georgetown,” Thompson told Yiu. “The things that you do, the things that we do, whether you think about it or not, in some way shape or form can have an effect that goes above and beyond our little group.”

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.

Source: http://beyondthearc.nbcsports.com/2011/08/22/hoyas-end-china-trip-with-one-last-uneventful-game/related

Memphis avoids violation with top recruit

Memphis fans had reason to be slightly nervous these past few months, and not only because head coach Josh Pastner seems intent on cramming yet more work into his already insane regimen. No, for a little while there, it seemed as though the Tigers could be in some hot water over their recruitment of top 2012 recruit Shabazz Muhammed.

The Memphis Commercial Appeal's Kyle Veazey has the skinny:

Muhammad's claim that the Tigers were "calling and calling and calling" prompted a question from the NCAA's Basketball Focus Group, an arm of the enforcement division formed in 2008 to gather information and explore potential violations in the sport. [...] But since he was not yet a senior in high school when he gave the interview, NCAA rules limited calls from schools to Muhammad at one per month.

The Basketball Focus Group began asking around about how Muhammed paid for an unofficial visit to Memphis, and it was interested in the recruitment of Minnesota forward Trevor Mbakwe, too. Memphis did its own investigation and reported back with its findings last fall, and on Friday the BFG called Memphis and said that it had accepted Memphis's self-reporting and confirmed that the school had committed no violations.

Why the confusion in the first place? You guessed it: obscure phone call rules. See, Muhammed's father is an AAU coach, so the school is allowed to call him more frequently than other parents and guardians provided the subject of those phone calls is about evaluations of players and not specifically about asking Muhammed to sign with Memphis. It's a loophole, yes, but it's a legal one.

Which is yet another reason why the NCAA needs to reform its phone calls by removing these sorts of restrictions altogether. The two major reasons for restricting phone calls -- cost and annoyance -- are now outdated. Coaches can't text with players, but they can send unlimited emails and private Twitter and Facebook messages. With push notifications and smartphone apps, these sorts of messages are basically the exact same thing as texts. And if you have unlimited texting -- and I'm pretty sure every 16-year-old has to have unlimited texting or their cell phone plans would engulf their parents' entire monthly budget -- the user experience on the front end is basically identical.

In other words, same takeaway, different day. When a rule as silly as phone calls can have this many unintended, needless side effects, it's probably not a very good rule. That's why the NCAA has moved toward changing it this offseason. In the meantime, coaches have to be as aware as Pastner -- who is universally hailed as a devoted compliance stickler -- to make sure they know the phone calls they're making aren't putting their program in unintended jeopardy. Hopefully, the Era of the Cell Phone Scandal will soon meet its end.

(Hat tip: CBS)

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/34386/memphis-avoids-violation-with-top-recruit

How will Texas A&M’s move affect SEC hoops?

Its not a secret what the end game is in conference realignment.

At this point, it appears as if four 16 or 18 team super-conferences are unavoidable. With the billion-dollar — and, yes, I do mean billion — TV contracts that those conferences are going to generate, its difficult to imagine a scenario where, at best, the power conference schools gain an even larger advantage over the mid-majors or, at worst, the four super-conferences secede from the NCAA.

As both Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com and Eamonn Brennan of ESPN.com wrote yesterday, that is a very bad thing for college basketball and will, in all likelihood, permanently change the NCAA Tournament for the worse. What makes the situation even more frustrating is that, despite providing a massive portion of the NCAA’s budget with its 14-year, $10.8 billion contract with CBS, the NCAA Tournament is a complete afterthought. These college commissioners and school presidents are going to ruin the sport we love and the world’s greatest sporting event and they simply don’t care.

But, hopefully, that inevitability won’t happen for a number of years.

Until then, what we should be concerned about is how Texas A&M, the SEC, and the Big 12/10/9/whatever will be affected if the Aggies do happen to jump ship. There’s no doubt in my mind that A&M will immediately become the best basketball program in the SEC West. While they haven’t had a ton of postseason success over the last six years, in the words of the esteemable DJ Khaled, all the Aggies do is win. Every year, they seem end up with around 24 wins overall, 10 or 11 wins in league play, and a five in the NCAA Tournament regardless of who they lost the year before.

Now imagine what will happen when the Aggies get to play LSU, Ole Miss and Auburn twice every year.

This past spring, Mark Turgeon left College Station to take over for Gary Williams at Maryland. He was replaced by Billy Kennedy, whose hiring was considered a homerun when it happened and now looks even better. Kennedy is a southerner through and through. He was born and raised in New Orleans, he coached at just about every school there is in Louisiana and he spent the past five years coaching at Murray State in Kentucky.

“It’s premature to talk about it, but I’m more familiar with the SEC since most of my players have been from Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,” Kennedy told Andy Katz of ESPN.com.

Kennedy should still be able to recruit Texas as well, particularly if the Big 12 disintegrates. College Station is about two hours from Houston and a little more than three hours from Dallas. Its the second best hoops program in the state, and depending on where Baylor, Texas Tech, TCU and even Houston end up when all the pieces stop spinning, the Aggies may end up being the only other high-major program in the state, behind the Longhorns.

Kennedy brought in ace recruiter Glenn Cyprien as his associate head coach. He’s already earned commitments from top 100 players in the Class of 2012 (J-Mychal Reese from Houston) and 2013 (Kendrick Nunn from Chicago).

As far as SEC hoops is concerned, its continuing to get stronger. Alabama is on the rise under Anthony Grant, potentially being a top 15 team nationally this season, while Arkansas should experience a resurgence under Mike Anderson. The SEC East is stacked, with Kentucky and Florida sitting atop the league and Georgia, Tennessee and Vanderbilt sitting a notch below them. Adding another top 25 program to the weaker western division will only help the league’s balance.

The Aggies football team may end up being permanently mediocre playing in the same division as the likes of LSU and Alabama, but their basketball program should be able to thrive.

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.

Source: http://beyondthearc.nbcsports.com/2011/08/16/how-will-texas-ams-move-affect-sec-hoops/

Full-Court Press, April 24: Oregon has its coach

According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com, Oregon has finally found a head coach.

Creighton head coach Dana Altman has been offered the Ducks’ job, and will agree to it as early as tonight or tomorrow, sources tell Goodman.

“[Former Oregon athletic director] Pat [Kilkenny] continues to speak with multiple coaches about the Oregon job,” Oregon senior associate athletic director Joe Giansante said. “But every step of the way, Dana Altman's name has come up in the coaching fraternity. He's talked to a lot of people and without question, he's considered one of the best coaches in the country.”

Since Ernie Kent stepped down in March, Oregon has gone after big names, missing out on each one of them. The search has lasted 37 days thus far.

Altman has spent 16 season at Creighton, going to seven NCAA Tournaments and winning at least 20 games in 11 straight seasons prior to this past campaign.

Joseph ends recruitment

Cory Joseph, the top unsigned senior in the country, has made a decision.

The 6-3 point guard from Canada chose Texas on Friday, picking the Longhorns over Connecticut, Villanova, Minnesota and UNLV.

“Coach [Rick] Barnes and the staff, we have a good relationship,” Joseph told Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com. “The style of play, they go up and down. I really feel like it can excel my game to the next level there. It was the best fit for me.”

At Texas, he will join Tristan Thompson, who was a teammate of Joseph on his high school team at Findlay Prep and his AAU team, Grassroots Canada.

Joseph has played his recruitment very close to the vest. His older brother, Devoe, plays for Minnesota, while many thought that Villanova could be the leader for his services.

“There’s no seconds or thirds or fourths or fifths,” Joseph said. “The five schools were great schools. It was a very hard decision. They all have great coaches. I got to talk to the coaches, and I just felt where I could fit best was Texas.”

Other tidbits

- 2011 forward Jaylen Bond committed to Pittsburgh on Friday, after visiting the Panthers and West Virginia last weekend.

- According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com, former Iowa sophomore forward Aaron Fuller has transferred to USC.

- Senior forward Jason Carter chose Alabama over Ole Miss on Friday. The Texas native also had offers from Arkansas and Oklahoma State.

- As reported by Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, former UCLA sophomore center J'Mison Morgan has transferred to Baylor.

Source: http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/2010/04/full-court-press-april-24-oregon-has.html

PBT: Memphis hires Luke Walton as assistant

Luke Walton hasn’t played much for the Lakers over the past two seasons, due to a combination of injuries and a diminished skill set relative to the rest of the talent on the roster. In his eight seasons in Los Angeles, however, he’s long been regarded as one of the more cerebral players on the team.

Now, with the NBA two months into a lockout that doesn’t have an end in sight, Walton will have a chance to share his knowledge of the game with young players in an official capacity.

The University of Memphis has hired Walton as an assistant coach, according to a report from Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. As is the case more often than not in college coaching circles, there’s a connection here. Walton played under current Memphis head coach Josh Pastner back in college at the University of Arizona, when Pastner worked under Lute Olson as a graduate assistant.

Walton’s knowledge of the game is extensive, but the coaching game is also about motivating and relating to the younger players you’re trying to teach. This is a great opportunity for Walton to get some experience in those areas, while waiting to see if his services will be needed by his current employer in the coming months.

And for Lakers fans wondering if this development will preclude Walton from contributing the 1.7 points per game he averaged for the team last season, fear not: Walton’s deal allows him to leave just as soon as the NBA is back in business.

Source: http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/22/luke-walton-hired-as-assistant-coach-for-the-university-of-memphis/related/

Luke Walton hire makes Memphis’ staff as young as it gets

Memphis relied on one of Conference USA’s youngest rosters last season. It’ll have a coaching staff to match in 2011-12.

The Tigers announced Monday that Lakers forward Luke Walton will be its newest assistant coach, giving Josh Pastner’s team four coaches in their 30s. Walton, 31, joins Pastner, 33, and assistants Jack Murphy, 32, and Damon Stoudamire, 37. That’s one way to connect with freshmen and sophomores. Hire guys who could be their peers.

Is that a good thing when it comes to developing talent and building an offense that was sorely lacking last year? Remains to be seen.

Not that Pastner’s worried. All three assistants have extensive NBA playing experience or have spent at least two years working with NBA teams. That outweighs everything else.

“Are we young? Absolutely,” he said. “You’re talking experience, a guy like Damon Stoudemire, 13 years in the NBA as a player, let alone not even talking about what he did as a coach. Luke Walton’s played in four NBA finals. You can coach your whole entire life you can’t talk about those experiences.”

Besides, it never hurts your recruiting to trot out NBA guys. And Walton will be doing just that (provided the hire is approved by the Tennessee state board of regents). Pastner said he’ll be giving Walton recruiting responsibilities and get him on the road if needed. Walton’s expected to be in Memphis by the weekend, assisting in various duties. (Walton better crack the NCAA rule book.)

Given the Arizona flavor to the staff – all four coaches spent their college years in Tucson – one might expect Lute Olson to join the staff as an advisor, much like Gene Keady did with Steve Lavin at St. John’s. Pastner says the Arizona connection is merely a coincidence, though there are worse things than building an Arizona-esque program.

Walton’s a solid prize for Pastner, too. NBA assistant Tim Grgurich recently passed on the same gig, so Walton gives the Tigers another NBA presence on the bench. He reportedly has a feel for coaching, too.

The only hitch? Once the NBA lockout ends, Walton’s back with his other employer, the Los Angeles Lakers, to whom he’s under contract for the next two years. (He’s not about to leave $11 million on the table, no matter how much he wants to get into coaching.)

But Pastner’s OK with it. He wants Walton on board and with his Tigers.

“I’d be willing to take the risk to try to get the best person for this immediate year, and even for the long term,” Pastner said. “The rewards outweighed the calculated risks.”

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.

Source: http://beyondthearc.nbcsports.com/2011/08/22/walton-hire-makes-memphis-staff-almost-as-young-as-its-roster/

Big 12 could look to make schools legally binded together

The Big 12 staved off extinction last summer with the 10 remaining school pledged to stick together. But one year later Texas A&M is making noise about leaving for the SEC due to dissatisfaction with Texas and its Longhorn Network.

While the conference is saying it will survive whether Texas A&M stays or goes, there is movement toward making some safeguards that ensure school don't exit in the future.

"We do have to do get something to secure our future ... and that probably means putting your name on the dotted line," Texas Tech president Guy Bailey told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Doing that in a legally binding way is pretty important."

Bailey suggests written agreements with "real enforceable commitment" would help as the league expands by one or three schools if Texas A&M leaves, which he said the conference has to plan for to protect itself.

"It's incumbent on us to be aggressive in assuring the future of the conference," Bailey said. "If not, we're going to be in the same boat again next year or the year after."

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeMensBasketball-TopStories/~3/syUzDSmNZ8k/1

Full-Court Press, April 26

There is plenty of news from the past couple of days to catch up on, so let’s get started.

Pullen returns to Kansas State

Kansas State junior guard Jacob Pullen has decided to return to the Wildcats for his senior season, according to a release from the school.

Pullen averaged 19.3 points last season, garnering first team All-Big 12 honors and All-American consideration by multiple outlets.

With Pullen’s return, Kansas State could enter the season ranked in the top 10.

Temple’s Allen will test waters

Temple junior forward Lavoy Allen announced on Friday that he would be entering the NBA Draft. However, Allen will not hire an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Owls for his senior campaign.

“Lavoy informed me of his intentions to declare for this year’s NBA draft, and we will support him as we gather additional information through evaluations,” Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said in a release.

Allen averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds last season, picking up first team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

Northern Arizona’s Jones enters draft

Northern Arizona junior guard Cameron Jones has entered his name into the NBA Draft pool, he announced in a release on Friday.

“My goal is to get my name out and see if any teams are interested,” Jones said. “It is mostly setting me up for life after my senior year of college basketball. Putting my name in will get my name out there and the scouts will be looking for me next year. I want to help my opportunity after college and my senior season.”

Jones averaged 19.3 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, gaining a spot on the All-Big Sky first team.

Nicholls State’s Bole tests waters

As first reported by DraftExpress via Twitter, Nicholls State junior swingman Anatoly Bose will enter the NBA Draft.

In an email to DraftExpress, Bose said he will “test the NBA draft waters and will not hire an agent.” The 6-6 Bose can return to the Colonels for his senior campaign if he maintains his amateur status.

Bose averaged 21.1 points and 6.0 rebounds last season.

Paul George signs with agent

Fresno State forward Paul George has officially ended his college career, as the 6-8 sophomore has hired an agent.

"He's a projected first round pick," Cleveland said, according to the Fresno Bee. "Based upon his family and Paul's projections I'm not surprised at all. There seems to be a lot of talk about [an NBA] lockout next year. I'm not saying that had an impact, but there's a lot of guys going out right now ... Paul and his family would not make this decision unless they were confident."

George, who averaged 16.8 point and 7.2 rebounds last season, signed with Aaron Mintz of Priority Sports and Entertainment.

Warren, Sidney return to school

As first reported by Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Mississippi guard Chris Warren and Mississippi State forward Renardo Sidney will forgo the NBA Draft and return to school next season.

Warren, a 5-10 junior, averaged 17.2 points and 3.6 assists last season, while the 6-10 Sidney sat out the entire season because of an NCAA investigation.

McDermott to Creighton

Creighton wasted no time in replacing Dana Altman.

According to multiple reports, the BlueJays have offered the head coaching job to Iowa State’s Greg McDermott, and he is expected to accept the position Monday afternoon.

Altman left for the head job at Oregon, while McDermott has spent four years at Iowa State after coaching at Northern Iowa.

Howard hires DePaul assistant

DePaul hired assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry last week – and he is already moving on.

Nickelberry, the former head coach at Hampton, accepted an offer to become the head coach at Howard, according to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com.

Nickelberry was the head coach of the Libya National Team for the past season, but had been an assistant at Clemson and Charlotte and the associate head coach at Holy Cross before taking over at Hampton in 2006.

Ross to Washington

Terrence Ross, one of the top unsigned players left in the country, is set to commit to Washington during his official visit today.

“I am going to Washington because of the great relationship I have with the team and coaches,” Ross told Alex Kline of ZagsBlog.com. “I thought it would be the best choice for me and I would fit in with the team.”

Ross, a 6-5 scoring guard, chose the Huskies over Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon and Oklahoma. He had previously committed to Maryland before opening up his recruitment.

2011 stud commits to Duke

Duke has not rested since winning the national championship, as the Blue Devils secured a commitment from Tyler Adams, one of the best big men in the class of 2011, on Sunday.

"The reason I went with Duke is I feel like it's the best fit for me," Adams told Evan Daniels of Scout.com. "The last couple of months they've been recruiting me pretty hard. A program like this, not many people get a chance to go there. So I wanted to go ahead and go with Coach K."

Adams, a 6-8 center, chose Duke over Mississippi State, Alabama, Memphis and Clemson.

The Citadel finds a coach

According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Maryland assistant coach Chuck Driesell is likely headed to The Citadel.

Driesell is the son of legendary Terrapins coach Lefty Driesell, and has been an assistant with the Terps for four seasons. He was also an assistant coach at Georgetown and an associate head coach at James Madison.

Source: http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/2010/04/full-court-press-april-26.html

Georgetown, China reps meet Friday after on-court brawl

UPDATE: ESPN is reporting on Friday that coach John Thompson III and some of his players met with players from the Bayi team. The Washington Post's Gene Wang tweets: JTIII, Hollis Thompson and Jason Clark met with Bayi Coach and several players this morning before coming to Shanghai.

The Georgetown men's basketball team got into a brawl with a team from Beijing while on an exhibition trip in China.

Here is a statement from Georgetown coach John Thompson III, who pulled his team off the floor with 9 1/2 minutes left and the score tied.

"Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams. We sincerely regret that this situation occurred.

We remain grateful for the opportunity our student-athletes are having to engage in a sport they love here in China, while strengthening their understanding of a nation we respect and admire at Georgetown University."

The Washington Post's Gene Wang first tweeted about the incident. Chairs were being thrown. Players and coaches had to dodge water bottles hurled from stands.

Here's a video:

Thompson pulled his team off the court after fans threw bottles at them.

Wang, who attended the game, later wrote that after Hu Ke fouled Georgetown's Jason Clark the two got into a shoving match and both benches emptied. Chinese police were on hand but did not try to break up the fights.

This from a Georgetown message board:

Two minutes into the fourth, they were pressing full court, trapped one of our guards (I forget who it was), and then must have pushed or punched him on the ground after he made the outlet pass, because then there was a shoving match and then a bit of a fight, and then the whole thing set off. He tried to get away as quickly as possible as the Chinese players sort of converged on him, and then benches cleared, and then people on the Chinese bench started picking up chairs. Everyone on the other side of the court started fighting as well. Brawl spread all over the court, and then off the court. After it kicked off it immediately became possible for the crowd to get involved, and then they did. As we tried to get the team off the court, bottles (plastic ones, thankfully) came out of the crowd at the team and everyone left. Security was there (sort of), but it was more equivalent to mall cop-quality security rather than actual security. The Georgetown staff wanted the security to get on the floor, but honestly these guys didn't have a clue what to do. They escorted the whole alumni contingent out fairly quickly after that. Game over, 64-64 (following another intentional foul).

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeMensBasketball-TopStories/~3/2ynnM7U8FuQ/1

Summer Buzz: Butler Bulldogs

Our friends at The Mag are previewing one high-profile school per day for their Summer Buzz series. For the sake of all that is synergistic, yours truly will be attempting the same, complementing each comprehensive preview with some analytic fun. Today's subject: Butler.

Why do we love college basketball?

[+] Enlarge

Howard Smith/US PresswireCoach Brad Stevens must again mold Butler into a team that is better than the sum of its parts.

It's not just because crazy things can happen in the NCAA tournament. After all, crazy things can happen in every sport, and if the only reason you love college hoops is unpredictability -- if that love has nothing to do with the squeak of a sneaker on a freshly waxed floor or a well-oiled swing pass to a wide-open corner shooter -- then you can just as easily get your jollies from, say, roulette.

But insanity does play its role. As we saw in 2011, the craziness of March Madness -- in which not one, but two good-but-far-from-great mid-major squads somehow found themselves squaring off in the Final Four -- can out-crazy just about anything else in modern sports.

Consider the trajectory of Butler's 2010-11 season: The Bulldogs were essentially left for dead on Feb. 3, when a loss to laughingstock Youngstown State, the team's third in a row, made them 14-9 overall and 6-5 -- 6-5! -- in the Horizon League. Then, naturally, Butler ripped off 15 straight wins, including its first five NCAA tournament games.

For the second straight season -- this time much more miraculously than the first -- Butler got to the national championship game. Then, naturally, the Bulldogs put up one of the worst shooting performances in college hoops history and lost a stinker of a finale to Connecticut (a surprising national champion in its own right). Looking back, nothing about Butler's season, from the early struggles to the late tourney run to the composition of the Final Four -- Virginia Commonwealth! -- to the unfortunate and ugly final performance, was remotely predictable.

In other words, it's difficult to predict where Butler goes from here. Can Brad Stevens build his team's recent postseason shockers into lasting national status? Or is the inequality between schools from mid-major and BCS conferences too much to overcome? Will Butler maintain its excellence despite the loss of its three best players from the past two seasons? Or are the two-time national runners-up consigned to life as a historical footnote?

In the immediate future, it seems the Bulldogs are likely to struggle. But that doesn't mean we should write an ending to Butler's section in the college basketball almanac just yet.

Gordon Hayward, Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard -- the alternating cornerstones behind the past two seasons' March glories -- are gone. We already saw how difficult Butler's life was in the post-Hayward era; without him the Bulldogs lacked a player that could consistently score against more athletic, taller defenders like UConn's.

Things will only get tougher without Howard and Mack. Howard was especially excellent as a senior. He expanded his outside game, cut down on his fouls and posted one of the more efficient seasons of any big man in college hoops. Mack took on the majority of Butler's scoring load, especially on the perimeter, and he was at his best in the most important spots, where lesser players would allow shooting woes or other struggles to consume their appetite for the ball. Howard was consistent and workmanlike; Mack was cold-blooded and brutal. And both were far more important than their numbers reveal.

Howard won't be easily replaced, but the Bulldogs do have some frontcourt pieces that could come close. First is center Andrew Smith, who shone in his sophomore season with a brilliantly efficient performance in limited attempts. He will have to get better at creating his own offense in the post, not being able to rely on weak-side defenders who collapsed on Howard. But his size (6-foot-11) and interior skills give him a huge advantage in the Horizon League, which often lacks true centers with Smith's frame.

The other is sophomore forward Khyle Marshall, who entered Butler last season as one of the highest-ranked recruits ever to choose Butler. Marshall is a 6-7 forward with an array of talents, chiefly his athleticism. He could be a breakout star as soon as this season. Whether you play in the Horizon League or the Big Ten, that frontcourt tandem is an enviable quality. (Just ask, say, Indiana.)

Butler's backcourt transition could prove much more difficult. Mack is gone, as are solid senior contributors Shawn Vanzant and Zach Hahn. Senior guard Ronald Nored is back, which is good news on two fronts. First, Nored is a great defender, one of the best perimeter defenders in the nation. Second, Nored is a born leader, and his continuity could be crucial for a team that lost so much at the top when Howard and Mack moved on.

Still, there is no obvious replacement for Mack. Junior guard Chase Stigall is an interesting offensive player, but his game is mostly of the spot-up variety (and even then Stigall only made 32 percent of his 3s in 2011). And, in terms of returners, that's pretty much it: Mack, Vanzant, Hahn, Nored and Stigall were basically Butler's only backcourt players last season (at least when Howard wasn't facing up around the perimeter). Who fills that gap?

That brings us to recruiting, the best indicator of whether Butler has turned the past two seasons into a pathway toward long-term excellence. But the 2011 class wasn't a major statement in either direction. There are some intriguing players here, but no one as good as Marshall. The best prospect in the class is probably small forward Roosevelt Jones, who is ranked No. 33 at his position.

Things are looking better for 2012-13, as Stevens landed Arkansas transfer Rotnei Clarke and has already received a commitment from ESPNU top 100 player Kellen Dunham. And Butler has had a hand in high-profile recruitments like that of Indiana commitment Cody Zeller. But the Bulldogs haven't experienced a recruiting revolution just yet. There might be a springboard effect at work eventually, but right now, its impact appears to have been limited.

That means, in 2011-12 at least, Stevens will be doing ... exactly what he's been doing throughout his tenure at the school, actually. He'll be charged with taking a group of talented but not elite players, molding them into a team over the course of the nonconference and Horizon League season, and then out-scouting and out-smarting everyone with more talent along the way.

After all, Butler's recent rise wasn't just luck. It came thanks to Stevens' brilliant work preparing his teams in the past two NCAA tournaments. As we saw last year, it's a mistake to count Butler out. Major pieces have gone, and replacing them won't be easy. But no coach -- frankly, no program -- in the country is better at forging a capital-T Team built to exceed the sum of its parts.

Then you get in the NCAA tournament. Howard makes a last-second tip-in, Nasir Robinson suffers a mental brain fart at the worst possible time, and the next thing you know, you're right back in the Final Four.

The surprising underdog isn't the only reason we love college hoops, but it's definitely one of them. Butler might not be the next Duke -- let's wait a few years before we render that final judgement. In 2011-12, though, merely being Butler ought to be enough.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/34376/summer-buzz-butler-bulldogs-2

Dick Vitale Goes Off On The Dan LeBatard Show

Yesterday, Dick Vitale went on The Dan LeBatard Show to discuss the scandal at Miami and the implications it could have on college sports. After LeBatard started off the interview with a few fairly benign questions about the Miami scandal, to which Vitale gave the expected media-speak answers (other than his assertion that Donna Shalala must step down as president of the University of Miami), LeBatard asked him about John Calipari and the scandals that have followed him at Massachusetts and Memphis. Vitale brushed it aside, saying that the NCAA has never implicated Calipari. LeBatard’s co-host Jon Weiner (aka Stugotz) then chimed in with the statement/question: “Best guess, Dick. Best guess. I know you are friends with him, but best guess. John Calipari has cheated at some point in his life.” Vitale responded first with silence, then said “Alright, let’s go to the next point.” After some discussion where LeBatard cleared up the fact that it was his co-host who had asked the question, Vitale suggests that there should be laws against boosters like Nevin Shapiro.

When Vitale went on to state that none of the major coaches he knows would have tolerated what happened at Miami (citing Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, and Bob Knight as examples), Stugotz suggests that every coach or program has committed at least one NCAA infraction even if only unknowingly. After Vitale got upset at him and brought up the prostitutes, Stugotz clarified by saying that he never implied that other programs were using prostitutes or doing things as big as Miami is accused of doing. Despite this clarification, Vitale becomes increasingly infuriated at the radio hosts and hangs up. Partial clip below:

While Kentucky fans are widely applauding Vitale for defending Calipari, it seems more like Vitale is on a crusade to defend college basketball, or college sports as a whole, instead of a single coach or program. Although Stugotz’s initial question/statement about Calipari was indelicate, his follow-up questions about programs unknowingly violating rules are valid ones. Unfortunately, it seems that Vitale was so incensed by the earlier question or the storm surrounding the NCAA right now that he was unwilling to hear it. Perhaps if Vitale had stayed on the phone long enough to engage in a reasonable conversation, they could have discussed Krzyzewski’s “controversial” phone call to Alex Poythress or Sam Gilbert’s association with John Wooden‘s UCLA dynasty (OK, maybe that would have set him off). In any event, although many college basketball fans (particularly Kentucky fans) will support Vitale in this case, he does come off as petulant and condescending here.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 19th, 2011 at 12:37 pm and is filed under media matters. Tagged: bob knight, coach k, dick vitale, john calipari, john wooden, massachusetts, memphis, miami, mike krzyzewski, roy williams, ucla. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://rushthecourt.net/2011/08/19/dick-vitale-goes-off-on-the-dan-lebatard-show/

USC's Fontan out for season with knee injury

updated 8:34 p.m. ET Aug. 18, 2011

LOS ANGELES - Southern California guard Jio Fontan will miss the upcoming season after tearing a ligament in his left knee during the Trojans' exhibition tour in Brazil.

USC confirmed Fontan's injury on Thursday, two days after he landed awkwardly on the way to the basket during an exhibition against a Brazilian pro team. Fontan will undergo surgery soon.

The 6-foot Fontan was the Trojans' second-leading scorer and top playmaker as a junior last season, leading USC (19-15) to the NCAA tournament. He started 24 games despite sitting out the first semester after transferring from Fordham.

Trojans coach Kevin O'Neill says he's never felt worse for any player in his career, calling Fontan "the heart and soul of our team."

O'Neill expects touted freshman point guard Alexis Moore to replace Fontan.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44197489/ns/sports-college_basketball/

Longhorn Network planning to show high school highlights

The NCAA may have halted the Longhorn Network's plan to show live high school football games, but that doesn't mean it won't be showcasing some of the nation's top prep players.

A spokesman for ESPN, which is partnering with Texas on the network, told the San Antonio Express-News that it is planning to show highlights of games when it debuts next week.

"As we've said, we appreciate and support the discussions surrounding the complexities of televising stand-alone high school games on Longhorn Network," ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said. "In the context of news coverage, it's obviously a completely separate matter and we plan to report on high school athletics in a way that is relevant to the audience."

The Big 12 issued a moratorium on all high school coverage on the Longhorn Network. However, spokesman Bill Burda said it is leaving the interpretation of whether highlights are allowable to the NCAA.

Dissatisfaction with the Longhorn Network and the likelihood of an uneven playing field among Big 12 schools has led Texas A&M to consider moving to the SEC.

A&M spokesman Jason Cook released the following statement regarding LHN's plans: "Our recent conversations are reflective of our ongoing concerns."

MORE:  Follow Erick Smith on Twitter

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeMensBasketball-TopStories/~3/oRTRHPpqnpI/1

Arc: Team USA back on its game for University Games

The United States didn’t waste any time shaking off its surprising loss to Lithuania in the World University Games. Took about five minutes.

Team USA used a fast start to drill Romania 94-73 on Sunday, earning a spot in the fifth-place game Monday vs. Germany. Five different players each scored during 12-0 start and Romania trailed 15-4 late in the first quarter and 47-29 at halftime.

That was more than enough for the win, though the Lithuania loss still loomed large.

“We could have either went one of two ways, we could have come out like we weren’t the United States and we didn’t have pride in our country and just played like trash, or we could come out and play with a lot of energy,” forward Draymond Green said. “We wanted to bounce back, and no matter what, we are still playing for something, and that’s the way we came out, with intensity. And we defended, that was the main goal. We really keyed in on the defensive end, and that led to a lot of quick offense.”

Green led Team USA (6-1) with 16 points, while Tim Abromaitis, JaMychal Green and John Jenkins also hit double figures.

“We were pressuring the ball, and a lot of guys were getting transition buckets and dunks,” guard Ray McCallum said. “We just had fun tonight.”

Germany also should be fun.

The German team is also 6-1 and didn’t lose a group game. It did beat Romania by just 11 points and is coming off an 84-63 win over Finland. That sounds good until you consider that Team USA beat the Fins by 60.

Fifth place might not be a lock, but it’s close. (It’ll mark another fifth-place finish for the U.S. during a summer tourney.)

And the champs? That’ll be between Canada (!) and Serbia. Hands up. Who saw that coming?

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.

Source: http://beyondthearc.nbcsports.com/2011/08/22/team-usa-back-on-its-game-at-university-games/related

Georgetown, Bayi play nice, but Sunday’s game is off

Georgetown and the Bayi Rockets (finally) played nice Friday.

Georgetown coach John Thompson III issued a statement saying two of his Hoyas met with representatives of the Bayi Rockets and tried to reconcile. They met at the Beijing airport, exchanged souvenirs and pleasantries.

Makes sense. The two teams are were supposed to have another exhibition game on Sunday in Shanghai. And no one – not the school, the pros or China – wants another melee. But they shouldn’t worry. That’s game’s off. From the AP:

The two teams had been scheduled to play each other again Sunday in Shanghai, according to Georgetown’s original itinerary for the trip, but the school will be playing the Liaoning Dinosaurs instead. Georgetown said Friday that the schedule change was made before Thursday’s game and was unrelated to the brawl.

So they talked, shook hands and called it a day. Makes sense. Why take the chance for another mess? ”My understanding is that it’s all cleared up,” Chinese Vice Foreign Minsiter Cui Tiankai told reporters. “We’re pleased about this outcome.”

Less pleased? Fans.

This story details how the Bayi team irritated fans with their behavior, which has been an issue with some Chinese teams for some time. According to the AP, China’s national coach, a manager and three players were suspended for a fight with the Brazil team in October.

The problem, writes Ed Flanagan of NBC News, is the Bayi team’s military background.

Bayi’s military background – the team was founded by members of the PLA – has deeply influenced their style of play, translating into an aggressive, attacking defensive game that often overpowers opponents. The results of such a style speak for themselves: 34 national titles and a Yankees-esque eight wins in 16 CBA championships.

“It’s a big honor to play for Bayi, that and the national team,” said Rauch. “It’s not as big of a deal now since they aren’t winning as much, but it’s still a big deal to be selected to play for them.”

And what’s all this mean for Georgetown? Anyone who watched early video from yesterday’s brawl probably thought the Hoyas weren’t too tough. (I figured they simply weren’t ready to start throwing down. I mean, they’re on a foreign tour. Time to relax, see the sights and try new food!)

But the video at the bottom of this SportsGrid post saves their rep a little bit. After all, the last thing Georgetown needs is for the rest of the Big East to think they’re soft.

BONUS UPDATE! Thanks to a tip from Matt Norlander, there’s a hilarious animated “news” video of the event, complete with a Panda bear, a ridiculous ref and a Bayi player breathing fire. Yes, it almost sounds too good to be true. Thankfully, there’s video below to prove it.

You also can follow me on Twitter @MikeMillerNBC.

Source: http://beyondthearc.nbcsports.com/2011/08/19/georgetown-bayi-play-nice-sundays-game-appears-set/

Full-Court Press, April 26

There is plenty of news from the past couple of days to catch up on, so let’s get started.

Pullen returns to Kansas State

Kansas State junior guard Jacob Pullen has decided to return to the Wildcats for his senior season, according to a release from the school.

Pullen averaged 19.3 points last season, garnering first team All-Big 12 honors and All-American consideration by multiple outlets.

With Pullen’s return, Kansas State could enter the season ranked in the top 10.

Temple’s Allen will test waters

Temple junior forward Lavoy Allen announced on Friday that he would be entering the NBA Draft. However, Allen will not hire an agent, leaving open the option of returning to the Owls for his senior campaign.

“Lavoy informed me of his intentions to declare for this year’s NBA draft, and we will support him as we gather additional information through evaluations,” Temple head coach Fran Dunphy said in a release.

Allen averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds last season, picking up first team All-Atlantic 10 honors.

Northern Arizona’s Jones enters draft

Northern Arizona junior guard Cameron Jones has entered his name into the NBA Draft pool, he announced in a release on Friday.

“My goal is to get my name out and see if any teams are interested,” Jones said. “It is mostly setting me up for life after my senior year of college basketball. Putting my name in will get my name out there and the scouts will be looking for me next year. I want to help my opportunity after college and my senior season.”

Jones averaged 19.3 points and 4.6 rebounds last season, gaining a spot on the All-Big Sky first team.

Nicholls State’s Bole tests waters

As first reported by DraftExpress via Twitter, Nicholls State junior swingman Anatoly Bose will enter the NBA Draft.

In an email to DraftExpress, Bose said he will “test the NBA draft waters and will not hire an agent.” The 6-6 Bose can return to the Colonels for his senior campaign if he maintains his amateur status.

Bose averaged 21.1 points and 6.0 rebounds last season.

Paul George signs with agent

Fresno State forward Paul George has officially ended his college career, as the 6-8 sophomore has hired an agent.

"He's a projected first round pick," Cleveland said, according to the Fresno Bee. "Based upon his family and Paul's projections I'm not surprised at all. There seems to be a lot of talk about [an NBA] lockout next year. I'm not saying that had an impact, but there's a lot of guys going out right now ... Paul and his family would not make this decision unless they were confident."

George, who averaged 16.8 point and 7.2 rebounds last season, signed with Aaron Mintz of Priority Sports and Entertainment.

Warren, Sidney return to school

As first reported by Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Mississippi guard Chris Warren and Mississippi State forward Renardo Sidney will forgo the NBA Draft and return to school next season.

Warren, a 5-10 junior, averaged 17.2 points and 3.6 assists last season, while the 6-10 Sidney sat out the entire season because of an NCAA investigation.

McDermott to Creighton

Creighton wasted no time in replacing Dana Altman.

According to multiple reports, the BlueJays have offered the head coaching job to Iowa State’s Greg McDermott, and he is expected to accept the position Monday afternoon.

Altman left for the head job at Oregon, while McDermott has spent four years at Iowa State after coaching at Northern Iowa.

Howard hires DePaul assistant

DePaul hired assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry last week – and he is already moving on.

Nickelberry, the former head coach at Hampton, accepted an offer to become the head coach at Howard, according to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com.

Nickelberry was the head coach of the Libya National Team for the past season, but had been an assistant at Clemson and Charlotte and the associate head coach at Holy Cross before taking over at Hampton in 2006.

Ross to Washington

Terrence Ross, one of the top unsigned players left in the country, is set to commit to Washington during his official visit today.

“I am going to Washington because of the great relationship I have with the team and coaches,” Ross told Alex Kline of ZagsBlog.com. “I thought it would be the best choice for me and I would fit in with the team.”

Ross, a 6-5 scoring guard, chose the Huskies over Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon and Oklahoma. He had previously committed to Maryland before opening up his recruitment.

2011 stud commits to Duke

Duke has not rested since winning the national championship, as the Blue Devils secured a commitment from Tyler Adams, one of the best big men in the class of 2011, on Sunday.

"The reason I went with Duke is I feel like it's the best fit for me," Adams told Evan Daniels of Scout.com. "The last couple of months they've been recruiting me pretty hard. A program like this, not many people get a chance to go there. So I wanted to go ahead and go with Coach K."

Adams, a 6-8 center, chose Duke over Mississippi State, Alabama, Memphis and Clemson.

The Citadel finds a coach

According to Jeff Goodman of FOXSports.com via Twitter, Maryland assistant coach Chuck Driesell is likely headed to The Citadel.

Driesell is the son of legendary Terrapins coach Lefty Driesell, and has been an assistant with the Terps for four seasons. He was also an assistant coach at Georgetown and an associate head coach at James Madison.

Source: http://www.collegehoopsnet.com/blog/marchmadness/2010/04/full-court-press-april-26.html

PBT: Memphis hires Luke Walton as assistant

Luke Walton hasn’t played much for the Lakers over the past two seasons, due to a combination of injuries and a diminished skill set relative to the rest of the talent on the roster. In his eight seasons in Los Angeles, however, he’s long been regarded as one of the more cerebral players on the team.

Now, with the NBA two months into a lockout that doesn’t have an end in sight, Walton will have a chance to share his knowledge of the game with young players in an official capacity.

The University of Memphis has hired Walton as an assistant coach, according to a report from Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal. As is the case more often than not in college coaching circles, there’s a connection here. Walton played under current Memphis head coach Josh Pastner back in college at the University of Arizona, when Pastner worked under Lute Olson as a graduate assistant.

Walton’s knowledge of the game is extensive, but the coaching game is also about motivating and relating to the younger players you’re trying to teach. This is a great opportunity for Walton to get some experience in those areas, while waiting to see if his services will be needed by his current employer in the coming months.

And for Lakers fans wondering if this development will preclude Walton from contributing the 1.7 points per game he averaged for the team last season, fear not: Walton’s deal allows him to leave just as soon as the NBA is back in business.

Source: http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/08/22/luke-walton-hired-as-assistant-coach-for-the-university-of-memphis/related/

Around The Blogosphere: August 22, 2011

If you are interested in participating in our ATB2 feature, send in your submissions to rushthecourt@gmail.com. We will add to this post throughout the day as the submissions come in so keep on sending them.

General News

• Jeff Hathaway is out at UConn: After a long power battle Hathaway is out and Paul Pendergast is replacing him as the interim athletic director. (The UConn Blog: Part 1 and Part 2)
  
• Lithuania 76, USA 74: “For the second time in less than two months a Lithuanian team eliminated an American team from medal consideration in an international tournament, as the Americans dropped a two point decision, 74-76, to that Baltic Republic in the World University Games held at Shenzhen University.” (Villanova by the Numbers and Kentucky Sports Radio)
• USA 94, Romania 73: “A change in the starting five brought a change of fortunes at Shenzhen University Sunday as Team USA posted a 21 point win over fellow quarter final loser Team Romania, and advanced to a showdown with Team Germany for fifth place at the World University Games.” (Villanova by the Numbers)
• Georgetown Hoyas Defeat Liaoning Dinosaurs 91-69 in Shanghai: “In their first game since the infamous game ending brawl with the Bayi Rockets, the Georgetown Hoyas got another win against a professional Chinese team, defeating the Dinosaurs of Liaoning by a score of 91-69.” (Casual Hoya)
• Cal Men’s Basketball Beats Danes, 81-73: The Bears defeated the Danish National Team behind 21 points from Robert Thurman. (California Golden Blogs)
• Cal Men’s Basketball Has Room for Seconds, Polishes off Danish 95-78: “For the weekend re-match against the Danish national team, the Golden Bears would have to get it done without starting big men Harper Kamp (knee) and Richard Solomon (eye). Although both players could probably have made a go of it for a regular season game, it was a great experience for the youngsters to step up.” (California Golden Blogs)
• Gonzaga Conference Schedule: A look at the current schedule with times and TV appearances. (The Slipper Still Fits)
• Blackshear and Ware good to go, Swop nearing 100%: Rick Pitino offers some updates on the eligibility of several players. (Card Chronicle)
• Pac-12 Basketball Tournament May Be Moving: “Larry Scott talked to ESPN.com earlier this week about some of the changes that have come to the conference since he bacame commissioner two years ago. While the conference’s expansion and the two massive media deals were the lead topics of the discussion, Scott teased that he is rethinking how the Pac-12 basketball tournament is organized, including its current home in LA.” (Bruins Nation)

Recruiting

• Marcus Hunt commits to Georgia Tech: “Very surprising news this morning as North Clayton (Ga) shooting guard Marcus Hunt has committed to Georgia Tech and new head coach Brian Gregory.” (Card Chronicle)
• 2012 guard Darrick Wood commits to St. John’s: “Once again, the St. John’s program gets their man. After Darrick Wood’s official visit to the university on Thursday, it took just two days for Wood to decide to join the high-end talent at St. John’s. Wood announced via Twitter.” (Rumble in the Garden: News and Analysis)
• Pitt Completes 2012 B-Ball Recruiting Class: “I mean, assuming no transfers or squeezing out anyone. Right now, Pitt has only two scholarships available for the 2012 recruiting class. Ashton Gibbs and Nasir Robinson are the only seniors on the team. One spot is going to New Zealander — and now the #8 recruit in the 2012 class according to Scout.com — Steven Adams. That alone has seemed like a big get, even though Pitt was the only one aware of him for what seemed a year before blowing up. Well, the other open scholarship is going to a point guard. Truly. A legit point guard. James Robinson. This consensus 4-star player from DeMatha High. Is also a top-100 recruit for the 2012 class in every list: #94 on Scout.com; #56 on Rivals.com; and #49 on ESPN.com/Scouts, Inc. A true rarity, all three sites list his height at 6-3, and put his weight at 195-200 pounds.” (Pitt Blather)
• UK Makes Kasey Hill’s Final Seven: “John Calipari and the University of Kentucky Wildcats made the final list of seven schools that Kasey Hill will consider. This should surprise absolutely no one, but Hill has made it official that these are the only schools he plans to focus on as his recruitment move forward. Kasey is a 6′1″ Floridian PG from the class of 2013. The rankings from site to site differ on him at the moment, but let’s be clear – he is a stud and probably the best point guard of his class.” (Kentucky Sports Radio)

Analysis

• The Rise of Yarou: “The talk at Villanova is always about the guards. Jay Wright likes to trust his point guard to take the reins and become the star of his offense. He preaches from the pulpit of the church of the scoring point guard, at least in recent years. In 2011-12, however, it seems that his center may  truly become the focal point of the team for the first time of his tenure on the Main Line. According to Jay Wright, and the stat sheets that back him up, Yarou was very impressive in Europe.” (VU Hoops)
• 2011-12 Tennessee Basketball Schedule – Cuonzo Martin vs RPI: “It’s interesting to me that we used to hear Bruce Pearl talk about his power and influence on the basketball schedule all the time, and yet just two days ago we heard Derek Dooley say he wasn’t in charge of the football schedule. Maybe they both had the same amount of influence over their respective schedules and just said it differently, or maybe the athletic director has more say so over the non-conference games in football because there’s so much money involved. Either way, UT’s 2011-12 basketball schedule is Pearl’s last “gift” to the program:  a truly elite schedule for a team that is, according to all observers and prognosticators, no longer truly elite.” (Rocky Top Talk)
• What Happens Next For Mizzou Basketball?: “I had hoped that if I were to be writing a full basketball post in mid- to late-August, it would be about Rodney Purvis committing to Mizzou. No such luck, eh? Instead, we have to do some speculation regarding whether we will soon be making yet another hire to lead the Missouri Basketball program. Good times.” (Rock M Nation)
• What Now? Without IA Changes Coming: “Minutes varied by player throughout the European trip, but the starting lineup was rather constant. In all three games, the ‘Cats opened the first period with the same five players on the court: Maalik Wayns, Dominic Cheek, James Bell, Isaiah Armwood and Mouph Yarou. Now, Armwood has left school to return home to Baltimore and contemplate where he will finish his college career. So where does that put Villanova?” (VU Hoops)
• Opinion: It’s Time For Jim Calhoun To Go: Calling for the Hall of Fame coach to resign. (A Sea of Blue)
• An early look at the 2011-2012 backcourt: Previewing what Indiana’s backcourt will look like this year. (Inside the Hall)
• Rising Seniors — Eight to Watch: Trying to predict which rising seniors will have breakout seasons. (Villanova by the Numbers)

This entry was posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2011 at 7:01 am and is filed under around the blogosphere, Regular Features. Tagged: california, connecticut, darrick wood, georgetown, georgia tech, gonzaga, indiana, isaiah armwood, jim calhoun, Kasey Hill, louisville, marcus hunt, missouri, mouphtaou yarou, pittsburgh, st johns, tennessee, uconn, villanova. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://rushthecourt.net/2011/08/22/around-the-blogosphere-august-22-2011/

Video: Highlights from Duke's victory

Eamonn Brennan

Brennan joined ESPN.com in 2009 after several years of blogging at Yahoo! and other places around the Internet. The Iowa native lives in Chicago with his roommates, his dog, and a crippling addiction to caffeine.

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Diamond Leung

Leung joined ESPN.com in 2009 after five years at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, Calif., where he covered sports at UCLA, USC and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat. He lives in San Francisco.

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Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/34397/video-highlights-from-dukes-victory

Jimmer returns to BYU to host exhibitions

Jimmer Fredette hasn't played his final game at BYU after all, and when he returns, he's bringing his friends from the NBA.

Fredette this morning announced this morning he'll be hosting rookie exhibitions in Utah -- Sept. 21 at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City and Sept. 22 at the Marriott Center on the BYU campus -- that will serve as his professional debut, but really be more like a rock concert.

He told KSL that many top draft picks are expected to play, including fellow national player of the year finalist Kemba Walker and fellow Sacramento Kings rookies Tyler Honeycutt and Isaiah Thomas. Coaching the teams will be BYU's Dave Rose and San Diego State's Steve Fisher.

"We knew that it would be something that would be fun for everybody here in Utah to be able to come and watch us play for two more times," Fredette said. Since there was an NBA lockout, we knew that we weren't going to be able to play much organized basketball, so it might be a good thing to get a couple games in in front of fans especially."

Fredette told KSL that proceeds from the game would go to a charity that raised awareness for the vestibular system brain injury that his older brother, T.J., still suffers the effects from today.

The fans are certain to pack both arenas. Consider that when Fredette traveled with BYU last season back to his hometown of Glens Falls, N.Y., people camped out for tickets and showed that Jimmermania was alive and well thousands of miles from Provo.

Most of Fredette's fans could only watch on television as Fredette played his final college game in New Orleans during a loss to Florida in the Sweet 16. A return to BYU for one more homecoming game would give them a chance to applaud the All-American once again.

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/34385/jimmer-returns-to-byu-to-host-exhibitions

Morning Five: 08.23.11 Edition

1. Forgive West Tennessee residents if they feel like their beloved Memphis Tigers have taken on a colorful desert hue lately.  Head coach Josh Pastner announced on Monday that his open third assistant coaching position will go to former Arizona star and currently locked-out Los Angeles Laker, Luke Walton.  Walton continues the Wildcat theme on the banks of the Mississippi River, as Pastner and his two other assistants, Jack Murphy and Damon Stoudamire, are also UA graduates having come from the coaching tree of Lute Olson.  Walton will be responsible for big man instruction as well as some recruiting at Memphis, and the 31-year old who has only played intermittently because of nagging injuries the last two seasons, is probably looking for a comfortable landing spot once his playing career ends.  If you’re interested in more information on this, Pastner discusses the hiring of Walton in this clip.
2. New Penn State head coach Patrick Chambers received great news with the completion of transfer paperwork for Southern Mississippi guard DJ Newbill on Monday.  Newbill, a native of Philadelphia where he was the Pennsylvania Class AA player of the year in 2009-10, had a fantastic freshman season in Hattiesburg.  He was selected as an all-CUSA frosh after a year where he contributed 9.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG while shooting 53.5% from the field.  His rebounding numbers are what sets him apart, though; at only 6’4″, 195 lbs, the lithe Newbill finished in the top 200 players nationally in offensive rebounding percentage (11.3%) and had six games of double-figure boards.  When he becomes eligible with three years remaining in 2012-13, Penn State fans are going to fall in love with the heart, effort and desire of this guy.
3. It’s been a week since the Nevin Shapiro/Miami fiasco hit the media, and in the interim, Gary Parrish writes that Missouri brass have done exactly the wrong thing in leaving their new head coach (and subject of allegations) Frank Haith dangling in the wind.  By stating on the record that they are “waiting for the NCAA process to carry itself out,” they’re essentially cutting the legs out from under Haith’s ability to compete on the recruiting trail against schools that are without question using that uncertainty against him.  Of course, what Parrish argues makes complete sense here: Either you come out with full public support of your coach, or you don’t, but to leave him in a purgatory of pending is to effectively emasculate your own program.
4. We talk a lot about the difficulties that mid-majors have in developing good schedules to improve their RPIs and, by proxy, their chances at the NCAA Tournament or the NIT.  But we rarely discuss the quandary that lower-level power conference teams face when setting their non-conference schedules.  As this piece by Brian Rosenthal at the Lincoln Journal-Star shows, Nebraska assistant coach Chris Croft called nearly every major basketball school in America in an effort to improve the Huskers’ schedule in 2011-12.  Most had no interest in a game with Doc Sadler’s team anywhere, and even fewer were inclined to travel to Lincoln during the winter.  Eventually they confirmed games against USC, Wake Forest and Oregon, but other schools, like Notre Dame (“stop calling”) and Duke (“only in Durham”) were considerably less interested.  Furthermore, with Nebraska’s recent move to the Big Ten and a less-than-amicable split from the Big 12 still fresh on everyone’s minds, the Huskers got a full Heisman from their old league — not a single school would play them next year, anywhere.  Go figure.
5. Staying in the Big 12, Kansas announced on Monday that it would be holding an alumni game called “Legends of the Phog” on September 24 in Lawrence.  The NBA lockout has created a situation where NBA players have more available time for games like these (Kentucky, as you recall, had something similar in Lexington and Louisville last week).  The Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce has already committed to the game, and you can bet that many of Bill Self’s recent Jayhawk stars such as Sherron Collins, Cole Aldrich, Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers and others will be in attendance.  Some of the proceeds will go to charity, and tickets will go on sale the week after Labor Day.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 am and is filed under morning 5, Regular Features. Tagged: arizona, big 12, bill self, DJ Newbill, frank haith, gary parrish, josh pastner, kansas, luke walton, memphis, miami (fl), missouri, nebraska, paul pierce, scheduling, southern mississippi, transfers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Source: http://rushthecourt.net/2011/08/23/morning-five-08-23-11-edition/

Georgetown makes up with Chinese team after bench-clearing brawl

Members of the Georgetown basketball team and a Chinese professional team met Friday, one day after their game ended prematurely with a bench-clearing brawl.

The Hoyas were at the airport preparing to leave Beijing for Shanghai when coach John Thompson III and two players met with representatives of China's Bayi Rockets.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minsiter Cui Tiankai confirmed the visit and the sides exchanged souvenirs.

"My understanding is that it's all cleared up," Cui told reporters at a briefing on Vice President Joe Biden's ongoing visit to China. "We're pleased about this outcome."

The two teams were expected to play again Sunday as part of Georgetown's 10-day goodwill trip to the country that has been cited by the U.S. State Department as an example of sports diplomacy that strengthens ties between the two countries' peoples.

However, the school it will be playing the Liaoning Dinosaurs as part of a schedule change that was made before the brawl.

The game Thursday was stopped in the fourth quarter after rough play evolved into an ugly scene with the players fighting and chairs and water bottles being thrown.

After the game, Thompson issued the following statement:

"Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams. We sincerely regret that this situation occurred.

"We remain grateful for the opportunity our student-athletes are having to engage in a sport they love here in China, while strengthening their understanding of a nation we respect and admire at Georgetown University."

Contributing: The Associated Press

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Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomCollegeMensBasketball-TopStories/~3/nEgiqt5VECA/1

Summer league games winding down at Rainier Vista

The 2011 Jamal Crawford Summer Pro-Am Basketball League, one of the best-kept secrets of the NBA summer basketball circuit, is nearing an end.

The final regular-season games are today at Rainier Vista Boy's & Girl's Club. Admission admission is $5, but children 17 and under get in free.

Today's slate of games begin at noon with the Hawks (NBA players Jamal Crawford and Isaiah Thomas) against the Trail Blazers (former Washington star Will Conroy and former Eastern Washington standout Alvin Snow).

At 1:30 p.m. the Sixers (NBA player Terrence Williams, former UW standout Tre Simmons and Husky freshman Tony Wroten Jr.) take on the Sonics (NBA player Nate Robinson and former Nevada player Jerry Petty).

The 3 p.m. finale pits the Mavericks (former UW star Donald Watts, NBA player Ryan Anderson and high school player Anrio Adams) versus the Bulls.

The playoffs begin Sunday with games at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. The semifinals are August 27 at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. and the championship game is Aug. 28.

At 11 a.m. before the title game, the Jamal Crawford Foundation will host its annual Back to School Clinic where students receive backpacks with back-to-school supplies.

The league also announced regular-season awards.

MVP --- Jamal Crawford
SIXTH MAN --- Juwan Buchanan
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR --- Rashaad Powell
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR --- Marcus Bradford
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER --- Bruce Cooper
COACH OF THE YEAR --- Daralin Lawson

FIRST TEAM--- Marcus Bradford, Garrison Carr, Will Conroy, Carlos Singer and Nate Robinson.
SECOND TEAM --- Shawn Henderson, Jerry Petty, Alvin Snow, Isaiah Thomas and Donald Watts.

Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/huskymensbasketballblog/2015962941_summer_league_g.html?syndication=rss