September 2009 - Posts
Tennessee isn’t messing around when it comes to Emmanuel Negedu’s basketball career.
Regardless of what the Vols need on the court – like a promising 6-7 forward – docs must have told coach Bruce Pearl just how serious hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can be.
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Rick Pitino isn’t letting life’s trials beat him down. Just ask any of the 17,000 people who watched his motivational speech on Tuesday.
Sure, he’s had a trying few months. He admitted to having an extramarital affair and is still dealing with an alleged extortion scheme.
Seems the angry Pitino who lambasted the media in late August is gone, replaced by a more serene, accepting man, who admits he “can’t fight” being judged.
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It wasn’t long ago that talk circulated about Jim Calhoun possibly retiring.
It wasn’t just age talking, either. The UConn coach, 67, was miffed about allegations of NCAA violations, which bubbled over after a Final Four loss.
And it looks like he’s going to stick around a lot longer.
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The Binghamton basketball, contrary to conventional wisdom and most reasonable assessments, is not a zoo.
So say the folks from the actual Binghamton Zoo.
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It seems wrong to borrow a baseball metaphor for college basketball, but it can’t be helped: Just read five “where are they now?” stories that knocked it out of the park.
There’s something for everyone in this batch of former NCAA tournament heroes.
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Here’s a little slice of heaven for hoops fans – Gonzaga and Xavier just agreed to a home-and-home series, starting next season. The Zags will play host in 2010-11, while the Musketeers get the 2011-12 game.
But the matchup of two of the best non-BCS schools got me thinking: Who would be college hoops non-BCS Final Four? Then I can dream about a four-team tournament during the season that would give someone bragging rights for the season.
Gonzaga and Xavier are easy calls. But who would be the other two teams?
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Coaches are the face of college hoops. Whether it’s Mike Krzyzewski appearing in seemingly every other commercial during March or John Calipari swooping in as the game’s newest rock star, the coaches are the guys everyone knows.
Maybe it’s because the players don’t stick around for four years anymore (with some exceptions), or because they’re the face of the programs, schools simply don’t win without a good coach.
Thus, the ever-lasting search for the next great coach. This year, there were 27 of ‘em, not counting the recent switch at Army. Here’s a rundown of the 10 most notable coaches.
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Quick hitters on 17 of college hoops' 27 new coaches this season.
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A down year for Pac-10 hoops means a couple of things.
1. The conference may have to endure the catcalls the SEC dealt with in 2008-09. Cal and Washington are going to get most of the hype, but the jury’s out on everyone else.
2. If usual conference powers like UCLA and Arizona are struggling, that opens the door for another team to sneak toward the top.
Perhaps someone like Oregon State?
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Things are back to Defcon 5 in Lawrence. Well, maybe Defcon 4 or 3. Tempers may still be running a little hot from the Tuesday/Wednesday scuffles.
Both Bill Self and football coach Mark Mangino made the rounds for apologies, general statements and trying to paint a picture “one big family” on campus.
Self, who was out of town on Tuesday and Wednesday, was part annoyed, part pissed off. And hey, why wouldn’t he be?
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Who is college basketball’s athlete of the decade?
Sporting News asked the question in August, with just two choices: Tyler Hansbrough or Jason Williams. Those were the two most logical selections, but I did think it was odd to only have two. As did some of the commenters in this post. Other names thrown out there: Carmelo Anthony, Juan Dixon, Jameer Nelson, and J.J. Redick, among others. Heck, Mateen Cleaves probably could’ve received some mention if his career didn’t span the ‘90s and 2000s.
ANYWAY, SN revealed its pick today.
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Attention all Bracketologists: Hold off on penciling in Binghamton for back-to-back appearances in the Big Dance.
Seems as though a fracas with the Kansas basketball and football isn't always the worst thing that can happen.
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By ranking Maryland’s Greivis Vazquez as the second-best shooting guard in the country (pretty good right?) and Scottie Reynolds No. 7, Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News managed to spur non-stop banter about his basketball acumen. Namely that he didn’t have any.
Readers were miffed that Vazquez wasn’t listed among the top point guards, and weren’t happy to see him among the shooting guards.
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It’s funny. Planned to do a post this morning on Kansas guard Xavier Henry and how he’s already loving life in Lawrence. He’s bonding with his teammates, impressing in practice and raising the level of play.
Sounds like he’s not the typical freshman. You know, acting immaturely or getting into fights and stuff. Guess that falls to everyone else.
The Kansas basketball and football team reportedly scuffled Tuesday night, which resulted in sophomore guard Tyshawn Taylor suffering a dislocated left thumb.
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Pundits (thus far) aren’t giving the Pac-10 much attention. Conventional wisdom is that the league doesn’t have a true national title contender, so it’s been slotted 6th in most conferences rankings I’ve seen. That’s from ESPN, Fox, Lindy’s and yours truly.
But it’d be foolish to sleep on the Pac-10.
California is going to be a Final Four contender and UCLA’s always tough. But the most entertaining team could be Washington.
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This shot’s gonna go viral real fast.
One of the guys from Dude Perfect – aka, six college students from College Station, Texas, who film themselves making trick shots – chucks a ball from the top deck of Kyle Field and banks it into a hoop set up on the field below.
It’s quite a heave, too. If you’ve never been to Kyle Field, well, how to put it … the thing is as tall as Texas is wide. The press box is 120 feet above the field and when fans do the Aggie War Hymn, the damn thing sways. It’s an unnerving feeling.
Anyway, hucking a ball from that height and making the shot is quite the feat. If it’s real. Watch the two videos and see what you think. Either way, it’s a quite the sight.
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Some coaches are all about the Tweet.
John Calipari has more than 770,000 Twitter followers and seemingly Tweets every other hour. (Which assistant coach got stuck with that task, anyway?) UCLA fans aren’t following Ben Howland en masse yet, but it didn’t stop him from Tweeting after an appendectomy last week – and promoting UCLA’s medical center.
Gary Williams doesn’t have the same Twitter flair as Calipari, but the Maryland coach is a dogged Tweeter, though he rarely toots his own horn. (Tweets his own horn?) I mean, could this Tweet on his 1-year contract extension be any more self effacing?
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If you haven’t yet read Andy Katz’s epic story on how agents influence college hoops, don’t miss out. It’s a comprehensive look (at almost 5,000 words, it better be) at how agents get in touch, advise and influence players and how they’re now doing it earlier than ever.
Whether it’s how everything used to be (coaches dealt with agents, and agents with players after school was done) or the way it’s done now (coaches are largely restricted from player contact, which gives agents more access and probably more influence), it’s an enlightening story that deals with both sides – though I’m not sure people want to side with agents in this one.
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Does anyone really need a reason to watch college hoops? I suppose there could be conflicting interest occasionally, but I’m here to correct that: Non-conference games you can’t miss.
Essentially, there’s a game to watch starting mid-November. So just print this page and cross ‘em off as they come along. I’m user-friendly that way.
Pay special attention to Nov. 27, Dec. 6 and Dec. 22. You won't be able to get up from the couch those days.
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Self-promotion/programming alert!
The plan to roll out a new preview for the 2009-10 season began Sunday with the Top 10 conferences. Coming this week: Games you can’t miss.
I know, I know, you can hardly wait. Perhaps these links will help tide you over.
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Myles Brand’s death on Wednesday prompted an outpouring of stories and columns reflecting on his time as the NCAA president, his impact in that position and the move that vaulted Brand into the public eye, how he handled and eventually fired Bob Knight at Indiana.
Here’s a roundup from the best I read on the web.
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The college hoops godsend returns for another season. And it’s even better.
ESPN announced the schedule for its hoops marathon to open the 2009-10 season. It added a few timeslots, bringing the total to 19 total games – 17 on the men’s side and 2 from the women.
And, unlike last season when ESPN used a kickoff show to fill some of the time, it’s truly a round-the-clock day. Monmouth and St. Peter’s, two New Jersey schools, play each other at 6 a.m. ET. It’s followed by Drexel at Niagara at 8 a.m. That's some dedication.
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Wednesday officially marks the end of an era: Tamir Goodman is retiring from pro basketball.
Don’t give me that look. Surely you remember the “Jewish Jordan,” the guy who received acclaim as a high school player in the late ‘90s when he was tearing it up for Talmudical Academy of Baltimore?
Goodman, an Orthodox Jew, averaged 35.4 points a game and was at one point ranked the 25th-best high school player in the country. 60 Minutes, ESPN and SI did profiles on him. Maryland offered him a scholarship. Ring any bells?
Yep, that Tamir Goodman.
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What do Thad Matta, Rick Barnes, John Beilein and Bruce Pearl have in common? Is it:
A) They all won at least 20 games last season.
B) They all make more than $1.3 million per year.
C) They all work at football schools.
D) All of the above.
The observant reader and college hoops fan undoubtedly chose D. Yet oddly enough, C plays a big reason why the answer is all of the above.
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Any school stuck with the “mid-major” label hates the label, and rightly so. It’s the defacto way to refer to any non-BCS school – yes, a football term applies to basketball references – and becomes a catchall term for people in the media and the blogosphere.
Is it nice? Probably not. (Ask Lefty Driesell if he ever coached at a mid-major.) Is it here to stay? Yeah.
But the bigger problem isn’t the term mid-major. It’s the money those schools don’t receive because of the BCS.
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It seems that most of the snickers surrounding Billy Gillispie’s DUI on Aug. 27 have died down, which is good to see. Kicking a guy when he’s hit rock bottom stinks.
Just ask Larry Eustachy.
The one-time national coach of the year spoke to Gary Parrish about alcohol addiction and what it’s like to try and rebound from those demons. Give it a read. Eustachy is frank about his own past and is fairly blunt about people who have disparaged Gillispie.
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Two fabled college hoops arenas will enter the new season fresh off a bit of a makeover. Ty Pennington’s crew wasn’t involved, thankfully.
There’d be riots if Cameron Indoor Stadium or Allen Fieldhouse were razed…
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Today’s reality check: Midnight Madness is just over a month away.
All the NFL, college football and U.S. Open stuff is dominating the news, but it’s always a pleasant thought to think how close the college hoops season is.
On that note, it’s time to start previewing 2009-10. Every Sunday, until the season begins, I’ll focus on different topic, including the best freshmen, player of year candidates, All-American team and more. Let’s start with rating the conferences.
The Big East was by all accounts the top NCAA’s top league last season. It featured title contenders in UConn, Pitt, Syracuse, Villanova and Louisville and posted a 17-7 record in the NCAA tourney. North Carolina may have been the top team, but the Big East had better teams overall and far more depth.
That’s not the case this year. The best conferences are in the middle of the country.
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It’s not summer heat John Pelphrey’s feeling in Arkansas. That’s good ol’ fashioned job pressure.
Any grace Pelphrey earned during his first season in Fayetteville (a 23-12 record and NCAA tourney berth) is quickly disappearing. His team dropped to 16-14 last season – ending on a 2-15 skid! – and has dealt with some serious attrition issues.
More fuel for the fire came when former guard Patrick Beverley said he had a paper written for him while in school. And, earlier this season, the NCAA notified the program that its academic-progress rate was too low.
The latest mess?
Three players were recently investigated for allegedly raping a woman at a party. They won’t face any charges, but it’s the kind of news that only hurts a team, especially when it has other issues.
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The best part about Michael Jordan’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is everyone wants to reflect on Jordan’s career. And as a guy who can’t get enough hoops history and topics to argue about, it’s a dream.
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Sure, Dick Vitale’s got a big mouth. He knows his college hoops, and isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind. Love him or hate him, he’s a great ambassador for the game because of his passion and his often overwhelmingly positive attitude toward the athletes.
Bottom line: He’s a good guy.
And if that intro graf didn’t convince you, this story will.
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When it comes to newspapers trying to dominate coverage of popular area sports teams, most use the saturation approach. Anything and everything gets mentioned.
Big, medium or small, doesn’t matter. Everyone tries it ‘cause fans wanna know everything. So what’s after saturation coverage? What’s out there that others don’t have?
Names. Give a former athlete/coach a voice and people respond.
The Las Vegas Sun launched Shark Bytes last year, a blog from former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian. It’s about what you’d expect – funny anecdotes and stories from a guy who’s been around. (Tark’s health woes this year made for infrequent posts, but still amusing. You can hear Tark’s voice.) It’s a worthy addition for the paper.
But what about a sports figure’s relative? Is it the same kind of value? The Hartford Courant will find out.
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Michael Jordan being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame surprises no one. In fact, the announcement was months ago.
But MJ selecting David Thompson, the original ACC high flyer and dunk king, was a surprise. Jordan could’ve gone with Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen or Dean Smith -- Smith seemed like the odds-on favorite – not the greatest player in N.C. State history.
But his Airness did just that. And it makes perfect sense. After all, Jordan is a guy with a sense of history.
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Most good column topics double as excellent bar arguments. Or lame pseudo-arguments on Around the Horn.
Anyway, it’s essentially the basis for Rivals.com’s weekly roundtable. Throw out a topic and see what people say. And this week’s is perfect for arguing: Which coach would be the best to play for?
Four writers tossed out a group of good coaches for a variety of reasons, but three emerged as their picks: Mike Montgomery, Jay Wright and Roy Williams.
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Never underestimate sports’ fans feeling toward politics. Something that might seem innocuous just may be the thing that ticks people off.
Case in point: Kentucky coach John Calipari irked fans by sending President Obama a copy of his new book, “Bounce Back: Overcoming Setbacks to Succeed in Business and in Life” and a jersey with the president’s name on the back.
The jersey didn’t go over well with some fans. Oops.
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Paying $20 for the chance to see Vince Carter throw down alley-oop dunks from Ty Lawson still seems like a sweet bargain. Same for watching Antawn Jamison and Rasheed Wallace play together, taking passes from Raymond Felton.
The “teams” for UNC’s event this Friday were announced Thursday. Fans won’t get to see a title matchup between the 2005 and 2009 squads, but it’s a fun showcase nonetheless. (No Tyler Hansbrough due to a shin injury.)
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Doc Sadler spent part of his summer in Larry the Cable Guy’s entourage. No surprise there.
A sense of humor is essential to being Nebraska’s basketball coach. (Cue laugh track.)
Seriously though, laughter would be a necessity with the Huskers. Most basketball coaches would lose their minds swimming upstream at a place like that.
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The din surrounding Rick Pitino’s last few months – the alleged extortion, the sex scandal, the strange presser – clouded that he’s still one of the nation’s top program builders. The guy knows how to recruit, coach and boost the fan base.
And sometimes, he does it in an effective, if somewhat shady way. Like hiring someone close to a top recruit.
Louisville hired Shabaka Lands, an assistant high school coach of Marquis Teague, the top point guard in the class of 2011. This presumably gives the Cardinals the inside track to signing Teague, the kind of player who can turn a good team into a title team.
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Buyer’s remorse seems likely when a 13-year-old commits to your hoops program. But it turns out Tom Floyd’s ouster gave USC a chance to re-think things.
Ryan Boatright says USC is no longer recruiting him, which re-opens his school prospects. And that’s probably a good thing. After all, a lot can change between 13 and 17, especially where a prospect wants to play and who he wants to play for.
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Florida International had us all fooled. If getting trounced by the defending national champions can help the “greater good,” that’s OK with the Panthers.
The Panthers’ athletic director, Pete Garcia, bitterly complained last week that Isiah Thomas’ FIU coaching debut would be against North Carolina. Garcia claimed that the event’s organizer, the Gazelle Group, was reneging a previous agreement that FIU would play Ohio State. FIU even considered withdrawing from the event.
But it turns out Thomas isn’t above a good thumping.
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