College Basketball Blog

Overstocking pays first dividend for Pitino

2011-09-09T12:44:00.001-07:00

With all the injuries and attrituion that have come his way in recent seasons, Rick Pitino was wise to over- prepare for contingencies, stocking the roster with 18 basketball players for the upcoming season.

His first player loss occurred Friday when it became public notice that incoming Kevin Ware has not even enrolled this fall at the University of Louisville. He failed to meet initial NCAA eligibility requirements and a waievr and appeal have been denied.

Now Ware is working to become eligible for the second semester.

“I’ve never seen anyone this close to being eligible,” said U of L Coach Rick Pitino. “He is just fractions away and he fully intends to enroll here.”

But Pitino remains prepared for any eventuality.

Mitch McGary Breaks Backboard

2011-08-29T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mitch McGary has been making a name for himself as the big man of 2012. McGary is ranked #3 in the nation according to Scout.com, and #4 to Rivals.com. He made headlines this past weekend at Venice Beach while playing in the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Event, shattering the backboard with a powerful dunk during warm ups. While McGary is considering Michigan, Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke, the 19 year old, would be eligible to make the jump straight to the pros.

An early look at the 2011-2012 backcourt

2011-08-22T09:05:00.001-07:00

It’s been a quiet couple of weeks since the conclusion of the July evaluation period, but it’s time to ramp back up once again as the official start of basketball practice is less than eight weeks away.

Here’s an early look at some of the storylines to keep an eye on with next season’s backcourt:

– A battle for minutes: Of the twelve scholarship players on Indiana’s roster, eight will fight for minutes in the backcourt rotation. And for the first time since his arrival in Bloomington, Tom Crean should have enough depth to allocate minutes to those will defend the best on a consistent basis. An inability to stop penetration from the perimeter or close out on shooters were two of the many reasons the Hoosiers finished as the worst defensive team in the Big Ten last season. If Indiana hopes to climb out of the conference cellar in season four of Crean’s tenure, progress will be largely determined by an improved defensive presence in the backcourt.

– Will Jordan Hulls take the leadership reigns? Recent comments by Derek Elston suggest that the junior guard from Bloomington is taking on the role of team leader this offseason and if that spills over into the season, it will be a huge positive moving forward. The Hoosiers have been without a player that the coaching staff can rely on as an on-court extension of themselves the past three seasons. Many believed Jeremiah Rivers might develop into that role upon his arrival from Georgetown, but that never materialized. In Hulls, the Hoosiers might finally have that guy.

– Last call for Verdell Jones: It was a mixed bag of results for the Champaign native in his junior season in Bloomington. On one hand, Jones became the 33rd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point barrier. On the other hand, his 83 turnovers were a team-high and Jones struggled from both the foul line (67.2 percent) and the 3-point line (29.8 percent). The 6-foot-5 guard has been at his best in an IU uniform when he relies on his solid mid-range game. The scoring and ball handling burdens may lessen on Jones as a senior, but improved efficiency and better decision making will go a long way in defining his final collegiate season.

– Maurice Creek’s health: Injuries have cost the junior guard significant portions of his first two seasons, but will this be the season Creek returns to the form he displayed during that brilliant 12-game stretch as a freshman? No one knows yet. Updates on Creek’s progress have been scarce as he recovers from surgery on a stress fracture suffered in his right patella during last season’s 80-61 home win over Michigan. If Creek can return to play major minutes, his presence could significantly alter the course of Indiana’s success in 2011-2012.

– The other guys: Besides the aforementioned Creek, Hulls and Jones, five guys — Austin Etherington, Matt Roth, Remy Abell, Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey — will all be in the mix to play a role. Both Oladipo and Sheehey have, based on reports from the Indy Pro-Am League, made important strength and conditioning gains. Both should play major roles. Abell, the final addition to IU’s 2011 recruiting class, is an adequate ball-handler that excels at getting to the basket. And Etherington and Roth, depending on who has the hot hand, should get looks when the Hoosiers need a shooter.

Darius Miller scores 9 points in Team USA's 102-53 romp over Hungary

2011-08-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

Kentucky Wildcat Darius Miller went 3-6 from the field and scored 9 points as Team USA blew out Hungary in the World University Games 102-53. The USA team was led by Vanderbilt's John Jenkins who had 2o points, which included 6 3-pointers. Miller came off the bench in this game, but played 17 minutes and also had a rebound.

Miller bookended a 12-0 USA run in the second quarter with scores. When the streak was over, Hungary trailed 46-13 and the US continues to increase their lead. Team USA (2-0) faces South Korea (1-1) at 3:30AM on Monday morning. We should have the results of the game to include in the "5 for Monday" at 8AM tomorrow.

This time of year, most college basketball players trying to hone their game. When they are nDraymond Green Makes Team USA for World University Games

2011-08-08T08:25:00.000-07:00

This time of year, most college basketball players trying to hone their game. When they are not playing video games or going out and partying Korie Lucious style, they are working out or getting shots up in an empty gym.

It is the only way for most players to stay in shape and enhance their skill-set during the off-season. Over the next few weeks, there are 12 lucky college players who will be able to get legitimate game experience against quality players.

I am happy to tell you that Draymond Green is one of those 12 guys. He has officially been named a member of the USA’s World University squad. The team will have an exhibition game against New Century, a professional team that plays in China on August 13th. The games begin on August 14th, when The USA tips off against Hungary.

Other notable players on the team are Minnesota’s Trevor Mbawke, Detroit’s own Ray McCallum, and Notre Dame guard Tim Abromaitis, who is indeed a basketball player and not some sort of medical condition.

The United States has not won a gold medal since 2005, which is a sign of the quality of the teams in this tournament. For Green to get 4+ games against some valid competition is exciting. Plus, he gets to spend some time abroad in China and have an fun trip. Good thing Shawn Kemp never played an international tournament in China, because their ‘one-child’ policy would have presented a major issue.

What will Draymond’s role be for the team? He will be directed by Purdue coach Matt Painter. “We have some interchangeable parts, some guys at the three and four positions that can swing either way,” Painter said in a press release. “We can play smaller and we can play big.”

I do not mean to put words in his mouth, but I assume Painter is including Day-Day in the group of guys who can play the three and four. If he can get minutes at the three, I think it will be very beneficial. If the youngsters are not quite up to speed, it is very possible that Izzo gives Draymond some minutes on the wing this year. He has played on the perimeter a little bit in his college career, but could use some more playing experience there.

The thing I am most excited for? I want to see if Draymond steps up and grabs a leadership role on this team. It could be great practice for him in that department, a confidence builder and trial run before he grabs control of the Spartans this winter.

Kentucky Wildcats 5 for Monday: Darius Miller close to making Team USA

2011-08-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

The first initial cut has been made for the USA World University Team and Kentucky's Darius Miller is still alive. The roster was cut from 21 to 14 over the weekend and there will be one more cut to get the team down to 12 players. With only two more players to be axed, you have to feel pretty good about Darius's chances to represent the USA in China in August.

Most of the class of 2012 are now busy paring thei lists and trying to set those five official visits now that AAU ball is starting to wrap up. Even though he still does have a long list of schools, it does appear that Kentucky will get a visit from Anthony Bennett:

When asked if he would visit UK, Bennett said: “Yes, probably. Kentucky is a power school and all of the top players want to go there, and they do great. I have heard the fans are crazy, so I want to see the environment.”

Coach K break the rules? That's unpossible! Apparently not. Glenn Logan over at A Sea of Blue has more of that NCAA villain Coach K. I predict that Coach K will get a slap on the wrist as the rule appears to fall in a grey area, but it's fun to watch the Dookies squirm for a change. And after this, they can never say "Coach K never breaks the rules" again.

Don't forget, tickets are still available for the August 15th UK Legends game at Rupp Arena and they go on sale at 10:00AM on Ticketmaster. Don't expect them to be available long, so get your credit cards ready to buy, buy, buy.

Taylor to miss World University Games

2011-07-25T09:11:00.001-07:00

Wisconsin point guard Jordan Taylor will miss USA Basketball’s World University Games team training camp that begins next week, according to the Associated Press.

Taylor needs minor surgery on his right ankle, and a Wisconsin spokesman told AP that he will not miss any practice time leading up to his senior season at Wisconsin. He will, though, miss the Games, which will be held Aug. 13-22 in China.

Taylor’s 18.1 points per game last season were second on the team, and his 4.7 assists per game were a team-high.

He helped lead the Badgers to a 25-9 overall record and a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament appearance. Wisconsin has made the NCAA Tournament for 13 consecutive seasons.

Lawsuit filed between family over Duke hoops season tickets

2011-07-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

A family squabble over season tickets to Duke men's basketball games has resulted in a legal fight.

A woman filed a lawsuit Friday against her sister, her sister's husband and Duke University regarding the transfer of two tickets that once belonged to her father for games at Indoor Stadium. Katina Dorton is seeking unspecified damages and asking the court to invalidate the "fraudulent transfer" to Gordon and Sophia Caudle that occurred without the knowledge or consent of her father or other family members, according to the complaint.

The lawsuit was filed in Wake County Superior Court.

"This is important and it's valuable," said Randall M. Roden, an attorney for Dorton. "She's a graduate. She genuinely wants to support the Blue Devils and go to the games. But she was shocked by the way Duke handled this."

Michael J. Schoenfeld, Duke's vice president for public affairs and government relations, declined to comment Friday.

Mason keeps fighting to make leap from juco to Division I

2011-07-12T06:50:00.000-07:00

ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Josh Mason looked as though he had been through a war.

The skinny, 6-foot-4 Minneapolis native had a bandage that ranged well across his forehead, the result of a collision in an open gym before his arrival in St. Charles, Mo., for the Jerry Mullins junior college showcase.

Then came the apparent broken nose midway through his third and final game of the night on Friday.

However, there was no way Mason's dream would end as a spectator. He checked back in the game moments after taking a shot to the nose, this time with a pair of long cotton swabs jutting out of each nostril.

Everyone has a story, especially at a last-chance juco event like the one Mullins put together on Friday, but Mason's was fascinating.

This was a kid who was cut from the basketball team both his freshman and sophomore seasons at Wayzata High in Minnesota. His grades plummeted, largely due to the disappointment, and he wound up transferring to Roosevelt High -- where he made all-conference and primarily got looks from Division III schools and junior colleges.

Mason wound up at South Georgia Tech down in Americus, Ga., but didn't play all that much, maybe in a half-dozen games. The team, which also featured Marquette forward Jae Crowder, earned a trip to the prestigious national tournament at Hutchinson JC in Kansas.

However, just before the event, the players were hit with the news that the school had been deemed unaccredited by the NCAA.

"We walked onto the court -- and all the D-I coaches walked out," Mason said.

So Mason and most of his teammates -- including Crowder -- looked elsewhere for new homes. Mason landed at State College of Florida in Manatee, but had to sit out the season because he didn't have enough credits.

He enrolled part-time so he wouldn't lose the entire year.

After the season, he saved up as much of his financial aid money as possible and attended a couple showcase events -- one in Atlanta and another in Las Vegas, where he made the all-star team and then celebrated by spending the night in the airport while eating rock-hard pizza for dinner following a canceled flight.

Finally, Mason received his opportunity this past season.

But the setbacks continued, this time with a dislocated knee in the second practice. He didn't miss any games, but he missed a couple of the Jamborees -- can't-miss events for a recruit to be seen by D-I coaches.

Mason played well this season, but there was that all-important academic issue holding him back from his dream of playing D-I college hoops. He didn't have enough credits.

He took 24 hours -- eight classes -- in the fall while also rehabbing his knee.

"Schools like Sam Houston and UAB were interested, but it was like that girl you meet in the club," Mason said. "You never hear from her again."

"I'd send my transcript," he continued. "And that was the last I'd ever hear from them."

But Mason, who spent about $2,000 in online classes in addition to his own course load, smiled as he pulled out a stapled group of papers from his bag and showed that he had the necessary 62 hours that would enable him to be eligible to play D-I ball next year.

"I was the happiest person in the world," Mason said. "It was hard."

But his ride wasn't over. Mason paid his $100 entry fee to Jerry Mullins and still needed to show the 300-plus coaches in the stands that he was a legitimate Division I player.

And this was basically the final audition for the D-I coaches. Likely his final game in front of the D-I coaches.

Mason came into the game off the bench -- and immediately looked nervous. One coach told me the scouting report on him was, "good passer, long, gets to the basket, but doesn't shoot the ball well."

But Mason was pressing and trying to show he could score the basketball.

Mason took the ball to the basket immediately and was called for a charge. On the next possession, he spun in the lane and was called for a walk.

Mason eventually settled down and showed his floor game, setting up teammates, getting into the lane and to the foul line -- and also doing a nice job defensively.

There were plenty of D-I head coaches watching: Quinnipiac's Tom Moore, UT-Arlington's Scott Cross, Liberty's Dale Layer and UT-Pan American's Ryan Marks, just to name a few.

Mason was hoping to blow them all away.

That's not quite how it happened.

Two coaches felt that he might be able to play at D-I, in the right system, but the others felt his abilities would be more suited to the Division II level.

Mason did show his resiliency by coming back into the game after suffering the nose injury and finishing strong.

After the place had nearly cleared out around 10:30 p.m., there was Mason, walking down the same hallway, limping and clearly frustrated.

He didn't say much, but it was clear that Mason knew he had missed out on an opportunity.

The next morning Mason got on a plane headed home to Minneapolis -- via Atlanta -- hoping that he did enough on Friday that some Division I coach dials his number and offers a scholarship.

"I just want to play Division I basketball," Mason said. "I don't care where."

Now he can only wait to see whether his dream comes true.

Next Level Invitational Loaded With Talent

2011-07-08T09:20:00.000-07:00

The fourth annual Next Level Invitational, held July 6-9 in Mequon, Wisconsin, will feature some of the top AAU programs in the Midwest. Teams from California, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin will be in the event. There are 44 17-and-under teams, 32 in the 16 and 15-and-under division and 16 squads in the 14-and-under division.
The top teams include TP Elite, Wisconsin Swing, Wisconsin Playmakers, Playground Elite, Randolph Boys Club, Ray Allen Select, Wisconsin Blizzard, Milwaukee Rebels, BTI Pump N’ Run, Inland Empire, SYF Players, Dakota Schoolers, ECI Select, Net Gain Sports, Howard Pulley, Minnesota Magic, Minnesota Southside, SW Minnesota Stars, Minnesota Comets, Minnesota Heat, Grassroots Hoops, Kingdom Hoops, Iowa Barnstormers, Iowa Pump N’ Run, Art FX Supreme, Peoria Irish, Team NLP, Illinois Rising Stars, Rockford Wildcats, SW Illinois Jets, IBA Select, Colorado Titans, HLC, Fox Valley Fire, Friends of Hoop, Wisconsin Shooters, Wisconsin Scholars, Racine Warriors, Wisconsin RAP, Wisconsin Hoyas, Fox Valley Swing and the Wisconsin Academy. Action will tip off at 8:00 each morning at Homestead High and finishing at 10:00 p.m. the first three days and 7:00 p.m. on championship day.

Abdul Gabby Committs to Arizona—Again

2008-09-16T10:07:00.001-07:00

Abdul Gabby Committs to Arizona—Again

Well, it is official—again.

Abdul Gabby, the 6'3", 170-pound point guard out of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma Washington, has committed to the University of Arizona for next season.

Scout.com has him ranked as a five-star player, and the second-ranked point guard in the recruiting class. It came down to point-guard U and UCLA, and Lute won out.

Gabby, who had decommitted to Arizona in May because of the coaching changes, has apparently been shown that Lute is here to stay and that Arizona is the place for him.

There is no doubt that he will make an immediate impact on our 'Cats, and we're glad to have him back on board (again).

A Look at Auburn Basketball's 2008-2009 Schedule

2008-09-15T14:07:00.001-07:00

A Look at Auburn Basketball's 2008-2009 Schedule

Auburn Men's Basketball finalized their schedule at some point recently. Although the official Auburn athletics website hasn't published it yet, the 2008-2009 schedule has been published in the programs sold at the football games. Here it is:

11-7-08 v Tuskegee (EXB) 7:00 CT
11-14-08 v Missouri State 7:00 CT
11-19-08 v Mercer 7:00 CT
11-22-08 v George Washington 1:00 CT
11-25-08 @ Dayton (Chicago) 7:00 CT
11-29-08 @ Northern Iowa (Chicago) 4:30 CT
12-3-08 @ Xavier TBA
12-6-08 v Louisiana-Monroe 1:00 CT
12-20-08 @ Virginia TBA
12-22-08 v Alabama State 7:00 CT
12-29-08 v Alabama A&M 7:00 CT
12-31-08 v Southeastern Louisiana TBA
1-3-09 v Tulane 4:30 CT
1-10-09 @ South Carolina TBA
1-14-09 v Florida 7:00 CT TV:Raycom
1-17-09 v Alabama TBA
1-21-09 @ Kentucky 8:00 CT TV:Raycom
1-24-09 @ Arkansas 12:00 CT TV:Raycom
1-27-09 v Texas-Pan American 7:00 CT
1-31-09 v Vanderbilt 1:00 CT
2-4-09 @ Ole Miss 7:00 CT
2-7-09 v Tennessee 12:00 CT
2-11-09 v Arkansas 7:00 CT
2-14-09 v Mississippi State TBA
2-18-09 @ Georgia TBA
2-21-09 @ LSU TBA
2-25-09 v Ole Miss 7:00 CT
2-28-09 @ Mississippi State TBA
3-3-09 @ Alabama 8:00 CT TV:ESPN
3-7-09 v LSU TBA

The non-conference part of this year's schedule is fairly challenging, considering the projected success of this team. To me personally, five of their first six games (not counting the exhibition against Tuskegee) could be losses.

Missouri State and Northern Iowa come from the always strong Missouri Valley Conference, while Dayton, George Washington, and Xavier consistently make runs at the NCAA Tourney from the Atlantic-10. The second half of the non-conference schedule is considerably easier, as Virginia is the only fearsome school remaining. Keep in mind that Tulane beat Auburn last year.

The conference schedule is always tough. Auburn plays each Western division team once at home and once on the road, and plays each Eastern division team once on a rotationally year-by-year system.

Teams like Georgia, South Carolina, and LSU seem to be generally on Auburn's level. The problem is that those three teams only make up four of Auburn's 16 conference games. Teams like Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State will make it hard on the Tigers.

The one positive is that the gap between teams in the SEC is not that large. Auburn has the talent to keep up with almost any team on their schedule. It will be a matter of finishing games in the second half and finding consistent offensive weapons that will determine where the Tigers will finish.

My personal goal for Auburn is anywhere between 6-10 and 8-8 in the SEC, with anywhere from 15 to 19 wins overall. That would put them on the bubble for a postseason bid.

Blue Devils Finally Nab Two Basketball Recruits

2008-09-14T18:37:00.001-07:00

Blue Devils Finally Nab Two Basketball Recruits

Coach Mike Kryzyzewski didn't hit the summer recruiting trail as much this year as he's done in the past, setting aside the needs of his full-time gig with Duke University in order to coach a team in a little event called the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Most recruits should be understanding, but K's absence began to make some of the Duke faithful uneasy; recruits were committing to other schools, and some recruits who had once listed the Blue Devils highly seemed to be drifting away.

Once the gold medals were handed out, the press interviews had been completed, and the glad-handing was over, K returned to Duke with the recruiting needs his No. 1 priority.

This weekend, Duke made not one, but two splashes in the class of 2010 by getting verbal commitments from Josh Hairston, a 6'8" forward from Virginia who also held offers from Virginia and Virginia Tech, and Tyler Thornton, a combo guard from Washington, D.C.

Thornton and Hairston had both spoke highly of Duke in the recent past.

Will St. John's Ever Be a College Basketball Powerhouse Again?

2008-09-13T22:37:00.001-07:00

Last season the St. John's basketball program celebrated it's 100th season, finishing with a 11-19 overall record and 5-13 mark in the Big East.

You can't help but wonder what happened to the once-prominent powerhouse. As it stands now. St. John's is still fifth in all-time wins (1,689) in college basketball history. The only problem is if they are to hold onto the spot, they will have to turn things around really fast.

The St. John's program has been floundering for years now. The team hasn't made an official NCAA tournament appearance since 1999* and doesn't even have its own tag on Bleacher Report. One has to wonder where the program dropped the ball.

Most people blame it on Mike Jarvis, who was coach from 1998 to 2004. Yes, he was coaching the team to its last deep run in the tournament in 1998, but that was with a roster full of former coach Fran Fraschilla's players.

In the reign of Jarvis, the team lost out on top talent that the previous coaches had picked up on. He also left amid NCAA rules violations, as well as a full-blown sex scandal involving players.

Jarvis' rosters usually consisted of mediocre players, and the Johnnies fell to the bottom of the food chain in the Big East. The recent Big East expansion to 16 teams has only been more of a burden to the basketball program.

Norm Roberts, who was hired in 2004, was supposed to resurrect the program, but has had little success up to this point. In three seasons at St. John's, Roberts has totaled a 32-52 record and still has yet to put a guy that can take over a game on the court.

That being said, the question remains: Will St. John's Basketball ever be a powerhouse again?

*- St. John's vacated its NCAA apperance during the 2001-02 season, along with 46 other games during the 2000-01 and 2003-2004 seasons, due to NCAA rule violations.

Providence Friars Begin Keno Davis Era: Ryan's 2008-09 Basketball Preview

2008-09-13T02:53:00.001-07:00

The black cloud is gone.

For the first time in years, Providence Friar basketball fans have something to be excited about. Keno Davis, the 2008 Coach of The Year has signed on as the Friars' new Men's Basketball Coach, bringing with him new energy and focus, something missing from the program in recent years.

Davis has the unenviable task of coaching in the Big East conference, easily the toughest conference in the country in terms of competition as well as style of play. However, Coach Davis is confident that he can make his players rise to the occasion and compete with the best.

Along with the new coaching staff, the Friars will be playing in the newly renovated Dunkin Donuts Center in downtown Providence. The state of the art arena will be sure to bring more excitement and intensity to the already exciting conference schedule.

The Friars have talent at most positions, but it has been getting that talent to work together that has been the problem in recent years. Far too many times, players have disappeared from games altogether, played lacadaisical defense, and not made the extra pass. This year is a fresh start for both Davis and the program, as the roster looks to be much different next year.

This year the Friars will feature six seniors in big-time roles which is much different from last year when the only senior was forward Charles Burch. Point guard Sharaud Curry, hampered by injuries last season, will remain a junior and extend his period of eligibility. Geoff McDermott was also injured last year and the Friars are counting on the senior forward to be a leader both as a scorer and as a rebounder.

Guard Weyinmi Efejuku also is facing a great deal of responsibility, as he is the barometer for the Friars. Throughout his entire career it seems that when he has a big game, the Friars usually come through with a win, as evidenced in his 26 point performance at UCONN two seasons ago.

However, he rarely plays with intensity when he is not scoring and struggles at times when guarding other quick and athletic Big East guards. Keno Davis has to correct this problem, as the explosive Efejuku is integral to the Friars success in the competitive Big East.

The Friars are buoyed by two sophomores who are key to the Friars' depth. Jamine Peterson, a 6-6 forward from Brooklyn averaged a menial 4.7 points last season and 2.9 rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game.

Marshon Brooks, a 6-5 guard/forward from Georgia averaged nine minutes and scored 3.4 points per game, including two 15 point performances versus Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Both should see more minutes this year and will have to contribute especially on the defensive side of the ball.

The Friars still have some glaring weaknesses on the team this season, most notably the center position. Senior Randall Hanke and junior Ray Hall must play the best basketball of their collegiate careers in order to give the Friars a chance in the smash mouth Big East Conference.

The Friars have been snake bitten by the underwhelming performances of both players over the years, as they have been exposed by the bigger and quicker centers and forwards in the Big East. Their offense is not as necessary to the Friars success as their defense is something that Keno Davis has to hammer home to both Hall and Hanke.

The Friars have an easy non-conference schedule, but will participate in the Anaheim Classic starting with a game against Baylor. They also will be playing in state rival URI at home after an embarrassing loss last year, as well as Boston College on the road.

Their Big East schedule is pretty much the same as last years, but the Friars will play back to back home games versus Notre Dame and Pittsburgh in the last week of February. Both of these games have potential NCAA tournament implications.

I expect a NCAA berth from Providence, as the Keno era begins with a bang.

Kevin Love to Be on Cover of "NCAA March Madness 2009"

2008-09-11T11:37:00.001-07:00

Tim Duncan. Carmelo Anthony. Kevin Durant. Kevin Love.

Kevin Love is going to be on the front cover of NCAA March Madness 2009.

Yep. Love has join the very exclusive and accomplished group of NCAA March Madness 2009 cover boys. Wow. A big congrats to Love (and a shoutout to the molson for the tip), the best ambassador this program has seen since Kareem Abdul-Jabaar:

EA Sports is unveiling the cover for the new NCAA '09 game on Thursday, and it certainly seems as though new Timberwolf Kevin Love is going to be on it. How do we know that? Well, according to a press released passed along by a friend of RandBall, Love and UCLA coach Ben Howland are going to be on hand to answer questions and play the game with members of the media. Seeing as how it would be awkward to invite Love to answer questions about a new Michael Beasley or OJ Mayo cover, we have to assume he is the man.

Seriously, I was kinda hoping they’d have OJ Mayo instead of Love on the front cover. Maybe there would be a wad of cash under the instruction manual, eh?

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Hoop Dreams

2008-09-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

While the Irish football team is fighting to get back to the top, the basketball team is already projected there. Some have ranked the Irish as high as 4th in the country. And this weekend Mike Brey added a third commitment to join 6'8" Jack Cooley and 6'5" Joey Brooks. The Irish added Mike Broghammer a 6'8" forward who's been a rising player on the AAU circuit.

A scrimmage report on The Pit describes the 6'8" Broghammer as "physically imposing, but didn't do much offensively. Claimed his space in the paint well." As most Brey recruits do, Broghammer has a good outside shot. He also has a cool ethnic name.

Here's the rest of the scrimmage update from The Pit (also note Kurt ONeill's update on Ryan Kelly:)

1. Vogrich shot the ball well, but was very undersized. Maybe it was just that he was standing beside TJ, Gody and the rest who look very put together physically, but he looked waifish. I've got to say...nothing about his presence said Big East guard to me. Probably hit 3 of 6 from behind the arc.

Broghammer is physically imposing, but didn't do much offensively. Claimed his space in the paint well, but didn't see much from him offensively. He played with Gody, who got the vast majority of his team's touches.

2. Tj, Ayers, Abro, Luke and Vogrich beat Mac, Gody, Broghammer, Peoples and some kid I don't know three straight. Ayers was the best offensive player in the building those first three games, drilling everything. Mac was pretty pissed off at his team for all of the clean looks Ayers got.

3. Gody was probably 8-12 from behind the 3-point line during the scrimmage. They ran multiple plays to get him free from deep, and he responded. It was very impressive. He looks awesome physically. He had many big dunks and soft moves around the hoop. Looks ready to replicate last year's stats.

Gody is also sporting a new tattoo up his left side that says TBH (maybe TDH?)...not sure what this means.

4. Once Mac's team lost twice, he left the court and didn't come back. Looked good while he played. At no time while sitting out did he not have a ball in his hands...constantly dribbling between his legs, doing trick-speed stuff. An absolute gym rat.

5. Ayers, as I mentioned above, shot often and with a lot of confidence. TJ kept feeding him, and talking him up the whole game. Ayers seems like a player that needs confidence to perform, and Jackson knew it.

6. Scott has added a little bulk, but needs more. He's still freakishly athletic, but he never really made a decisive offensive move that I saw. Nash looks a little bigger, and is very comfortable with the ball in his hands.

7. Zeller provided the best moment off the whole scrimmage. TJ fed him the ball streaking baseline, prompting Zeller to dunk emphatically over Broghammer. The team cheered and laughed like it was something they had never seen before. Zeller also shot the ball very well.

8. Abro looks very even keel and is a solid shooter, but is definitely a step slow.

9. Hillesland looked to be nursing his right foot and didn't play. People only played the first game.

College Basketball Has Lost a Giant

2008-09-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Don Haskins, portrayed in Disney’s “Glory Road” as the legendary coach who won a national title in 1966 with five starting black players on UTEP (then Texas Western), has passed on September 7 at age 78.

The Hall of Fame coach had a career record of 719-353, 14 NCAA tournament appearances, 7 NIT berths, 14 WAC championships, and 4 WAC tournament titles in his 38 years of coaching El Paso before health issues forced his retirement.

Haskins was the prime example of being color blind when dealing with race. He grew up in Oklahoma playing one-on-one with one of his childhood friends Herman Carr, an African American.

Forever dignified, Haskins was always an everyday person, approachable by many. He never meant to take advantage of his celebrity, but always willing to help others in need regardless of whom they were, even when he himself was not better off.

Rather than worry about his job or image, he played black players with the sense of “If you don’t take them I will and win with them.” Unlike the events parlayed in the movie, Haskins always started his best players throughout the season, who just so happen to be all black.

He never meant to be a pioneer, just someone unbiased to give individuals a chance to excel in both sports and life. To prove such a point Don was one of the few coaches, if not only, to play more than one or two non-white player at a time on the floor during the early ‘60s because he cared more about winning than race.

That decision came with the hardship of being one of the most despised men in the South. He had received thousands of hate letters leading up to the national championship and Civil Rights leaders thought he was using his players like puppets. Even so his high flying offensive, defensively stingy team continued to trudge along to 23-1 in the regular season.

Haskins played only his black players against Adolph Rupp’s all-white Kentucky squad in a 72-65 win for a 28-1 season and the national championship. Rupp viewed the game after the loss picturing Texas Western as “urban street thugs, quasi-professionals imported from Northern cities to win Haskins a championship.”

The win opened the door for Perry Wallace to become the first African American to play in the SEC and rose the flood gate for others to be heavily recruited to major college basketball powerhouses thereafter.

Haskins’ coaching tree includes the likes of current USC head coach Tim Floyd, friend Norm Ellenberger after Lobo-Gate, and the outspoken Nolan Richardson, who won the 1994 NCAA tournament and lost to UCLA in the final game the next season.

It was only fitting that the namesake of the Don Haskins Center passes exactly a year after his 1966 team was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He leaves behind his wife Mary and three sons, Brent, David, and Steve.