Hoops Housekeeping: Jordan Taylor won't play for Team USA

Jordan Taylor isn't a flashy point guard. He's isn't a guy that's going to throw gorgeous no look passes or beat two defenders off the dribble and dunk in traffic.

That said, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that truly understands college hoops and tempo-free stats that would disagree with me when I said that Jordan Taylor is the most valuable -- if not the best -- point guard in the game.

Taylor, however, won't be joining Team USA at the World University Games. The rising-Wisconsin senior will be undergoing minor ankle surgery this week, which means that he had to withdraw from the tryouts.


"It's the appropriate decision," Taylor said in a statement. "While it's hard to pass up an opportunity to play for your country, I had to do what's best for my team, the Wisconsin Badgers. That's the reality of it."

"I really wanted to play for USA Basketball; there's no greater honor than that. It's definitely a bummer. But I have to get ready for our season and by having the surgery now it will give me a chance to get completely healthy. We have a lot of goals for our team this year. [...] My teammates are here at Wisconsin – these are my teammates for the entirety – it's my family. I definitely owe it to them to be healthy going into my final year."

Taylor should be healthy by the time the season starts.


Maurice Harkless will be eligible for St. John's: Its official. Incoming freshman More Harkless will be allowed to play for Steve Lavin and the Johnnies this season.

"We are pleased that late Thursday, the NCAA informed us they have concluded their review of incoming men's basketball student-athlete Maurice Harkless," read a statement released by St. John's. "Harkless will now be a part of the incoming 2011 class that will begin school in the fall semester. We have been working in collaboration with the Big East conference and the NCAA's basketball focus group throughout the review process."

There was concern over his eligibility because Moe Hicks, who is currently an assistant with the program, was an administrator for the NY Gauchos, a team that Harkless played a couple of AAU tournaments with.


Jared Sullinger ... yoked up: Remember how Jared Sullinger was losing weight?


Good luck to the rest of the Big Ten. (photo via Mike DeCourcy)


John Hart out three months: Purdue reserve guard John Hart may be out as long as 16 weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot. Hart averaged 3.8 ppg for the Boilermakers last season.


Drake loses their center to shoulder surgery: Seth VanDeest, a center for Drake that averaged 8.8 ppg and 4.3 rpg last season, could miss the start of next season. VanDeest tore the labrum in his right shoulder and underwent surgery last week. Its expected to take six months to recover. Drake plays Mississippi State on November 18th in the Paradise Jam.