Hoops Housekeeping: Tyshawn Taylor suspended, Corey Stokes returning

Tyshawn Taylor and Thomas Robinson: Kansas head coach Bill Self announced this afternoon that Taylor, the starting point guard for the Jayhawks, will be suspended indefinitely.

“Although we are disappointed in Tyshawn, he will remain a member of our team and practice with our team until he is reinstated for competition,” Self said.

There is no word yet on what Taylor did to get himself suspended or what the length of his suspension will be. In his absence, KU has plenty of options. Brady Morningstar and Tyrel Reed have both been playing very well of late, but neither of then are natural point guards. Obviously, there is Josh Selby, the uber-talented freshman, although he has had a bit of an up and down first year. The x-factor in this equation will be Elijah Johnson. Like Selby (and Taylor, for that matter), Johnson is a super-talented kid that just hasn't figured out how to put it all together and earn minutes.

The bigger issue, as I wrote about over at Beyond the Arc, is that this is just another example of the lack of leadership on this Kansas team.

Bill Self also commented on the status of Thomas Robinson. The sophomore has been out after tearing his meniscus, saying "My anticipation is it’s a 50-50 chance he can play a little bit."


Corey Stokes: Stokes will be in the lineup tonight as Villanova hosts Syracuse on Big Monday. He has missed the last three games with turftoe he suffered against Rutgers.

“It feels good,” Stokes said. “I’ll be able to play.”

That said, Wright announced that Stokes will be coming off of the bench and he will be wearing a protective insole.

“We can’t prepare to go in with him as a starter, then have something happen in warmups where he can’t go,” Wright said. “It’s not just running or jumping off it. You have to worry about him getting stepped on or kicked. So he won’t start, but then we’ll bring him in, give him a shot and see how he responds.”


Chandler Parsons: Parsons sat out Florida's win on Sunday over LSU as he continues to battle the deep thigh bruise he suffered 10 days ago against Tennessee. The injury was apparently bad enough that it was bleeding. As of now, Florida head coach Billy Donovan is not expecting that Parsons will be back.

"Right now, I'm not personally overly optimistic that he'll play," Donovan said on the SEC teleconference. "We've got a couple days here to see how much progress he can make."

He tried to practice on Friday in preparation of Sunday's game, but he wasn't effective.


Chris Singleton: Jeff Goodman caught up with Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton in an attempt to learn more about Chris Singleton's foot injury. The verdict? Hamilton doesn't even know (or isn't willing to share) the extent of the injury.

"Everyone heals at their own genetic rate," Hamilton said. "There's no way anyone can predict if or when. It does us no good to speculate."
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Hoops Housekeeping: Gibbs will be back Saturday, Stokes Monday, Witherspoon tonight

Ashton Gibbs: There was originally speculation that Pitt's leading scorer would be able to return for tonight's game against South Florida, but according to Adam Zagoria, Gibbs said he will "be back Saturday" pending a doctor's clearance to take on St. John's in Madison Square Garden. (Gibbs is an NYC native. No chance he was missing that game.)

"He never came out when he was hurt in the game anyway, so he's never felt he's been hurt anyway," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Sunday at the PrimeTime Shootout at Kean University. "He's been ready to go since the injury."


Wesley Witherspoon: The 6'8" Memphis small forward has been in and out of the lineup this season due to injuries and disciplinary matters, but according to Jason Smith of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal, Witherspoon will dress and be available to play tonight against UAB.

"The biggest issue is he's just not in condition. He gets winded very quickly, which is very normal obviously," Pastner said. "He doesn't have his full athleticism back just yet."

'Spoon hasn't played since January 12th against SMU. He was suspended after the game due to inappropriate behavior on the bus ride home then sat out while his surgically repaired knee continued to heal.


Tennessee's point guards: According to Tennessee beat writer Wes Rucker, Bruce Pearl will be shaking up his back court rotation tonight against South Carolina. Pearl has yet to say who will start, but he did announce that Skylar McBee will be taking over Trae Golden's minutes at the point. He did say that it will probably be Goins starting, and that the changes have nothing to do with his senior's attitude or energy.

"It's factual," Pearl said. "Where are we in points? Where are we in assist-turnover ratio? Where are we in steals? Where are we in shooting percentage? Where are we in 3-point percentages? We're not where we want to be.

"Defense can't be measured, and your heart can't be measured. And certainly, Melvin has played terrific defense, and he's to be complimented on that. But we've got to get better offensive play. So it looks like tomorrow we'll be going with Skylar and Melvin."


Corey Stokes: Villanova's senior guard missed his second straight game after sitting out the second half of the Wildcat's loss to Rutgers with turf toe. He's not expected to play on Saturday against DePaul, either, as the team tries to get him prepared for a Big Monday matchup with Syracuse on the 21st of the month.

It may end up being a blessing in disguise. Last night, freshman James Bell went for a career-high 21 points against Seton Hall playing some of Stokes' minutes. He had 31 points on the season coming into the game. It can't hurt to have a player like Bell with his confidence at a high level this team of the year.
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In other news, Corey Stokes is no different than your typical college kid

Let's just cut to the chase.

From ZagsBlog:

Villanova junior guard Corey Stokes was issued a citation for public urination early Thursday morning. Stokes was urinating between two parked cars at about 3 a.m. while surrounded by several teammates when a police car pulled up. The incident occurred outside a bar down the street from the Villanova campus after the Wildcats beat South Florida, 74-49.

He wasn't arrested, and will not be missing any game time as a result.

"This was a simple mistake by a college student," Villanova coach Jay Wright said in a statement. "Corey regrets it and has apologized for it. We will now deal with it within our basketball family."

I think it is safe to say that we have all been there, and that this is, in no way, a big deal.

My only advice?

Corey, you're 6'4". You're teammates are much taller. You're a starter for a top 10 basketball team. People, and cops, tend to notice these things. Maybe next time you go around a corner when you need to take a leak.

If anything, all Stokes did was create some fodder for Syracuse fans leading up to Saturday night.
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No. 5: 2009-2010 Team Preview: Villanova Wildcats

2008-2009 Record: 30-8, 13-5 Big East (4th)

Key Losses: Dante Cunningham (16.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg), Dwayne Anderson (9.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Shane Clark (5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Key Returners: Scottie Reynolds (15.2 ppg, 3.4 apg), Corey Fisher (10.8 ppg, 2.8 apg), Corey Fisher (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 42% 3's)

Newcomers: Maalik Wayns, Mouphtaou Yarou, Isaiah Armwood, Dominic Cheek

Scottie Reynolds and Jay Wright are both back after flirting with the NBA this summer.
(photo credit: beliefnet)

Villanova did lose some talent during the off-season as Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark, and Dwayne Anderson all graduated. But when you consider the recruiting class that Jay Wright brings in and the amount that the three teams above Nova in the Big East last year lost, the Wildcats look primed to make a run at a Big East title.

As was the case during their last Big East title in 2006, Villanova will very much be a perimeter oriented team. It all starts with Scottie Reynolds. Reynolds had an excellent freshman season, as he averaged almost 15 ppg, which resulted in a lot of expectations being thrown his way. He never quite lived up to those expectations, however, although a lot of that is a result of the Villanova team as a whole improving quite a bit. When he was a freshman in '06-'07, Nova had just lost Allan Ray, Randy Foye, and Kyle Lowry, and desperately needed someone to step in and be a scorer on the perimeter. Reynolds filled that void.

Reynolds can score, there's no doubt about that. He is an above average shooter from deep, and can really be dangerous once he gets it going offensively. While he isn't the quickest or the most explosive guy in the country, he has a knack for keeping a defender off-balance and is creative when finishing in the lane. He uses his body well to absorb contact and create space, but he also has a dazzling array of floaters, pull-ups, fade-aways, turn-arounds, etc., that he can use off the dribble from about 8-10 feet.

Part of the reason that Reynolds' number have not exploded has been the addition of the two Coreys, Fisher and Stokes. Stokes is a big, strong two guard. He is not a great athlete, doesn't really put the ball on the floor well, and has an average floor game. What he does well is shoot. He is one of those guys that, when given an inch, will make you pay. And when he gets it going, watch out, because he has range out to about 25 feet. Fisher is one of the most underrated guards in the conference. He is a great complement to Reynolds. While Fisher is not the greatest shooter in the world, he is a quick, dynamic play maker at the lead guard spot. He can really break down a defense, creating looks for himself in the lane or drawing defenders and finding an open man.

As much as I want to say Fisher is going to have a breakout season, I don't think he will simply because Villanova's back court is going to be so good. In addition to the three guys mentioned, Villanova also returns Reggie Redding, who will join the team after a semester's suspension. Redding is a perfect glue guy for this team. He rebounds the ball, he can defend multiple positions, and he can create open looks for his teammates off the bounce.

Villanova also adds two freshman stars to the fray. Maalik Wayns is an athletic, 6'1" play maker. Not much of a shooter yet, Wayns has break-your-ankles handle and quickness, and will be very tough to keep out of the lane. His biggest issue right now is learning to harness his ability. He is always going full speed, which will result in some charges, turnovers, and tough shots early on. Wayns was also noted for his ability to pressure the ball defensively, which will earn him minutes with Wright. Dominic Cheek is the other freshman guard Villanova brings in. Cheek is a long, slender two-guard, standing 6'6" but weighing just 175 lb. He has the frame to develop into an excellent defender once he adds some strength, but right now he seems to be more of a threat offensively. He is solid at getting out and running the floor, but he biggest weapon offensively is his jumper, with range extending well beyond the three point line.

The place where Villanova is going to be hurting is inside as they lost their two leading rebounders in Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham. They do bring back Antonio Pena, who is a solid big man, but he is still the same Antonio Pena. He's big and strong, will play good positional defense, and will grab you some rebounds, but he isn't a scoring or a shot-blocking presence inside. That may be provided by freshman Mouphtaou Yarou. Mouph is a load on the block. Standing a muscular 6'9", 230 lb, Yarou is not the world's greatest athlete, but he more than makes up for it with hustle and desire. He has some decent post moves, especially using a drop-step, but this season he is going to get most of his offense off of dump-offs and offensive rebounds. Isaiah Armwood, another highly regarded freshman, is a 6'8" athletic specimen. He is of slender build and is quick enough to defend on the perimeter, which means that he may see some time on the perimeter this season. Where Armwood excels at this stage in his development is when he is allowed to let his natural ability take over - getting out and running a lane on the break or crashing the offensive glass.

Outlook: Villanova has great guard play. They have great leadership. They have enough inside to at least hold their own against some of the bigger front lines in this league while taking advantage of mismatches on the offensive end. What Villanova is missing this year, and what was so critical to their success last year, is the defensive toughness and versatility of Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark. Both of those guys could, legitimately, defend one through five. That ability is part of what made Villanova's switching man-to-man defense so devastating. Without them, the Wildcats are not going to be as good on the defensive end, which means that they are going to be relying more on their offense. The question is whether or not Reynolds and company will be up to the task. Personally, I think they will be, and expect Nova to win the Big East.

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