#POSTERIZED: Rodney Williams. Need I say more?

So how about Minnesota thus far, huh?

Trevor Mbakwe has been relatively quiet and still the Golden Gophers have been killing it. Guys like Austin Hollins, Andre Hollins, Oto Osenieks and Elliott Eliason got extra opportunities to gain experience last year with out a healthy Mbakwe and Ralph Sampson III.

The same can be said about Rodney Williams. I had him pegged as the best dunker in the country heading into the 2011-2012 season, and while he did throw down on a weekly basis, he used last season to gain experience and hone his skills.

It looks to be paying off pretty early on:



Can you say "Dunk of the Month"? I certainly can. He makes it look so easy sometimes.

Rodney Williams and the Golden Gophers are starting to look like a legitimate contender in the Big Ten.

But was it as good as these:
Week In Review - Feast Week, 11/18 - 11/25
Tarik Black - Memphis vs. Minnesota, 11/23
Ben McLemore - Kansas vs. Washington State - 11/20
Andre Roberson - Colorado vs. Murray State, 11/18
Doug Anderson - Detroit vs. Drake, 11/17
Archie Goodwin - Kentucky vs. Lafayette, 11/16
John Brown - High Point vs. Appalachian State, 11/13
Stefan Jankovic - Missouri vs. Alcorn State, 11/14
Cole Dickerson - San Francisco vs. Cal State-East Bay, 11/13
Clancy Rugg - Vermont vs. UConn, 11/13
Jamari Traylor - Kansas vs. Michigan State, 11/13
Doug Anderson - Detroit vs. St. John's, 11/13
Kris Brewer - Kent State vs. Temple, 11/13
Rakeem Christmas - Syracuse vs. San Diego State, 11/11
Deandre Daniels - UConn vs. Michigan State, 11/9
Ben McLemore - Kansas vs. Emporia State, 10/31
Keion Bell - Missouri vs. Northwest Missouri, 10/31

Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: The N.I.T Dunk Contest

You may have forgotten about the N.I.T.

That's understandible. I mean, we just saw two No.15-seeds defeat No.2-seeds for the first time in tournament history.

But what Minnesota's Rodney Williams and LaSalle's Ramon Galloway threw down in the first half of their N.I.T. game this week was pretty epic too.

Just because the quality of play might be down, doesn't mean the quality of posterization is too.





If only their teams could have been better.

But was it as good as these?

James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina vs. Vermont, 3/16 Julian Boyd, Long Island vs. Robert Morris, 3/8
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. Syracuse, 3/8
C.J. Leslie, North Carolina State vs. Boston College, 3/8
Rondey Williams, Minnesota vs. Nebraska, 3/3
Isaiah Sykes, Central Florida vs. Memphis, 2/28
Brandon Mitchell, Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 2/28
John Henson, North Carolina vs. Virginia, 2/25
C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's vs. Temple, 2/25
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, 2/25
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. UConn, 2/25
Weekend Recap, 2/18
Tony Wroten Jr./Aziz N'Diaye, Washington vs. Arizona, 2/18
Chris Czerapowicz, Davidson vs. Wichita State, 2/18
Darius Miller, Kentucky vs. Ole Miss, 2/18
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. Ohio State, 2/16
Darrion Pellom, Hampton vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore 2/15 (DotY Candidate)
Trency Jackson, Northwest Florida vs. Chipola, 2/15
Kwame Alexander, Cal St. San Bernadino, 2/12
Tahj Tate, Delaware State vs. Coppin State, 2/11
Weekend Recap, 2/10 - 2/12
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech, 2/9
Joshea Singleton, Bucknell vs. Colgate, 2/8
Kelsey Barlow, Purdue vs. Ohio State, 2/7
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, 2/7
Roscoe Smith, UConn vs. Louisville, 2/7
Weekend Recap, 2/2 - 2/5
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State vs. TCU, 2/4
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse vs. St. John's, 2/4
Kwame Alexander, Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills (D-II), 2/3
Bradley Beal, Florida vs. South Carolina, 2/2
Doug Anderson, Detroit vs. Valparaiso, 2/2
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Oklahoma, 2/1
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26

Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: Rodney Williams: Better Late than Never, pt2

Finally, a dunk worthy of that lofty No.1 spot.

I told you all at the beginning of the season that Rodney Williams would be the best dunker in the country in 2011-2012, and he's starting to come on strong.

Last week we provided a Rodney Williams dunk that was a few weeks old but totally worth the wait.

On Saturday, Rodney Williams threw down one of the best one-handed dunks of the year. I don't have much more to say than that.

Enjoy.

At this point in the season, Rodney Williams seems to be running away with the "Best Dunker" award.



But was it as good as these?

Isaiah Sykes, Central Florida vs. Memphis, 2/28 Brandon Mitchell, Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 2/28
John Henson, North Carolina vs. Virginia, 2/25 C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's vs. Temple, 2/25
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, 2/25
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. UConn, 2/25
Weekend Recap, 2/18
Tony Wroten Jr./Aziz N'Diaye, Washington vs. Arizona, 2/18
Chris Czerapowicz, Davidson vs. Wichita State, 2/18
Darius Miller, Kentucky vs. Ole Miss, 2/18
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. Ohio State, 2/16
Darrion Pellom, Hampton vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore 2/15 (DotY Candidate)
Trency Jackson, Northwest Florida vs. Chipola, 2/15
Kwame Alexander, Cal St. San Bernadino, 2/12
Tahj Tate, Delaware State vs. Coppin State, 2/11
Weekend Recap, 2/10 - 2/12
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech, 2/9
Joshea Singleton, Bucknell vs. Colgate, 2/8
Kelsey Barlow, Purdue vs. Ohio State, 2/7
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, 2/7
Roscoe Smith, UConn vs. Louisville, 2/7
Weekend Recap, 2/2 - 2/5
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State vs. TCU, 2/4
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse vs. St. John's, 2/4
Kwame Alexander, Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills (D-II), 2/3
Bradley Beal, Florida vs. South Carolina, 2/2
Doug Anderson, Detroit vs. Valparaiso, 2/2
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Oklahoma, 2/1
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26 Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: Rodney Williams: Better Late than never

At the beginning of the year, I predicted that Rodney Williams would be the top dunker in the country. Well, even with the suspension, Tony Mitchell seems to have run away with that award, but the following clip is one of the reasons why I thought Sir Rodney could be the best in the land.

This dunk happened two weeks ago. How come it has taken 15 days for me to find this. I can't do this all by myself, people!





But was it as good as these?

Isaiah Sykes, Central Florida vs. Memphis, 2/28 Brandon Mitchell, Arkansas vs. Ole Miss, 2/28
John Henson, North Carolina vs. Virginia, 2/25 C.J. Aiken, St. Joseph's vs. Temple, 2/25
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt, 2/25
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. UConn, 2/25
Weekend Recap, 2/18
Tony Wroten Jr./Aziz N'Diaye, Washington vs. Arizona, 2/18
Chris Czerapowicz, Davidson vs. Wichita State, 2/18
Darius Miller, Kentucky vs. Ole Miss, 2/18
Darrion Pellom, Hampton vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore 2/15 (DotY Candidate)
Trency Jackson, Northwest Florida vs. Chipola, 2/15
Kwame Alexander, Cal St. San Bernadino, 2/12
Tahj Tate, Delaware State vs. Coppin State, 2/11
Weekend Recap, 2/10 - 2/12
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Louisiana Tech, 2/9
Joshea Singleton, Bucknell vs. Colgate, 2/8
Kelsey Barlow, Purdue vs. Ohio State, 2/7
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State, 2/7
Roscoe Smith, UConn vs. Louisville, 2/7
Weekend Recap, 2/2 - 2/5
Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State vs. TCU, 2/4
Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse vs. St. John's, 2/4
Kwame Alexander, Cal State-San Bernardino vs. Cal State-Dominguez Hills (D-II), 2/3
Bradley Beal, Florida vs. South Carolina, 2/2
Doug Anderson, Detroit vs. Valparaiso, 2/2
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Oklahoma, 2/1
Markel Brown, Oklahoma state vs. Texas Tech, 1/31
Royce White, Iowa State vs. Kansas State, 1/31
Savalace Townsend, Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Grambling State, 1/28 (DotY Candidate)
Weekend Recap, 1/25 - 1/29
Tony Wroten Jr., Washington vs. Arizona State, 1/26 (DotY Candidate)
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Dayton, 1/25
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Missouri, 1/25 (DotY Candidate)
Larry Nance Jr., Wyoming vs. San Diego State, 1/24
Dion Dixon, Cincinnati vs. Syracuse, 1/23
Victor Rudd Jr., South Florida vs. St. John's, 1/17 (DotY Candidate)
C.J. Fair, Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, 1/16
TrayVonn Wright, North Dakota State vs. South Dakota, 1/14
Bandja Sy, New Mexico State vs. Utah State, 1/12
Kenny Hall, Tennessee vs. Mississippi State, 1/12
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Duquesne, 1/11
Kadeem Batts, Providence vs. Louisville, 1/10
Karam Mashour, UNLV vs. CS-Bakersfield, 1/6
Tony Snell, New Mexico vs. Houston Baptist, 1/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgia Tech, 1/3
Trevis Simpson, UNC-Greensboro vs. Miami, 1/2
Orion Outerbridge, Rhode Island vs. Boston College, 1/2
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Indiana, 12/31
DeShon Minnis, Texas Tech vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 12/30
Keith Gabriel, VMI vs. Old Dominion, 12/22
Eric Etherly, Loyola (Md.) vs. Kentucky, 12/22
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. Texas-Arlington, 12/21
P.J. Hairston, North Carolina vs. Texas, 12/21
Robbie Hummel, Purdue vs. IPFW, 12/20
Robert Brown, Virginia Tech vs. North Florida, 12/19
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Kansas State, 12/17
Torye Pelham, Southern Mississippi vs. Ole Miss, 12/17
Quincy Diggs, Akron vs. Florida A&M, 12/17
Anthony Davis, Kentucky vs. Chattanooga, 12/17
Langston Galloway/C.J. Aiken/Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Villanova, 12/17
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. UC-Santa Barbara, 12/16
Jared Cunningham, Oregon State vs. Howard, 12/15
Raheem Appleby, Louisiana Tech vs. McNeese State, 12/14
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Detroit, 12/12
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. UW-Green Bay, 12/11
Ronald Roberts, St. Joseph's vs. Creighton, 12/10
Dion Waiters, Syracuse vs. George Washington, 12/10 (DotY Candidate)
Victor Oladipo, Indiana vs. Kentucky, 12/10
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, 12/10
Vander Blue, Marquette vs. Washington, 12/6
Terrence Ross, Washington vs. Marquette, 12/6
Deville Smith, Mississippi State vs. West Virginia, 12/3
Terrence Jones, Kentucky vs. North Carolina, 12/3
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Georgetown, 12/1
Anthony Marshall, UNLV vs. UNC, 11/26
Michael Kidd-Glichrist, Kentucky vs. Portland, 11/26/11 (DotY Candidate)
Markel Brown, Oklahoma State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/25
Rodney Williams, Minnesota vs. DePaul, 11/24
Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Ray Willis, North Carolina Central vs. Wagner, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26



Continue reading...

Pics/Vids: Game 4: Indiana vs. Minnesota

Thursday, January 12th
Assembly Hall, Indiana University
Minnesota 77, Indiana 74


Game 3 - Xavier vs. Duquesne
Game 2 - Kentucky vs. South Carolina
Game 1 - Belmont vs. Lipscomb

(It was the perfect weather for a weekday night Big-10 Conference game.)

Continue reading...

Minnesota exposes Indiana as a flawed basketball team

You can find the rest of the features from the #BIAHRoadTrip here.

This post is sponsored by the Fairfield Inn Bloomington.

BLOOMINGTON, IN - Indiana fans are going to want to chalk up the Hoosier's 77-74 loss to Minnesota, who was previously winless in Big Ten play, to having an off day.

They wouldn't necessarily be wrong. Indiana did have an off day. Coming off of a game at Penn State where they shot 16-24 from beyond the arc, the Hoosier's pedestrian 4-18 performance provides a stark contrast.
Continue reading...

Hoops Housekeeping: Tim Abromaitis, Trevor Mbakwe with serious knee injuries

Tim Abromaitis has never had knee problems.

Every athlete goes through the typical aches and pains that come with being a college basketball player -- banged knees, twisted ankles, sore backs -- but Abro had never missed time because of knee problems. Which is why, when his right knee gave out has he came to a jump-stop in a 2-on-2 drill in practice on Friday morning, the severity of his injury was shocking. No one saw this coming. And now, one of the best kids is all of college basketball may finish his collegiate career on the bench in street clothes.

"Going on the court [at practice], it felt like one of those first four games where it's just waiting to get back out there," Abromaitis told the South Bend Tribune. "I kind of had to remind myself that it's done for the season.

"I'll eventually come to grips with it, I guess. I don't know if there's any technique to getting used to it."


The injury is a crushing blow for the Irish. Already in a rebuilding year, Notre Dame will now be forced to face the rigors of the Big East schedule without their leading scorer and best player. Abro's minutes will likely end up going to freshman Pat Connaughton, another 6'6" shooter that has played well in the first seven games of his career. Scott Martin and Jerian Grant are going to be expected to boost their scoring, while sophomore point guard Eric Atkins will continue his transition to becoming the star for this team.

If there is a silver lining to the suspension that Abro had to deal with earlier in the year, its that Notre Dame has had to play without Abro.

The question now becomes whether or not Abro will apply for a sixth-year of eligibility. This is his fifth-year in college. He redshirted his sophomore season, a decision that was actually the cause of his four-game suspension earlier this year as he played in two exhibitions games. If Abro, who already has two degrees from Notre Dame, does decide to return for a sixth-season -- which isn't a guarantee at this point -- there is no indication of whether or not the NCAA will actually clear him.

Its a shame to see a great kid and a good player have his college career ended this way. Abro deserved better. Life is just unfair sometimes.

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Trevor Mbakwe tears his acl: We knew this was bad as soon as it happened.

Mbakwe crumpled awkwardly to the ground during the second half of Minnesota's loss to Dayton in the Old Spice Classic finals. He had to be carried off the court and spent the remainder of the game in tears on the bench with his knee wrapped in ice. He even tweeted from the locker room "Lord please get me through this."

All of a sudden, all the depth that Minnesota had in their front court is gone. Colton Iverson transferred to Colorado State, Mo Walker is still battling a knee injury that ended his freshman season and Ralph Sampson is battling a sprained ankle. That leaves redshirt freshman Elliott Eliason up front. I would say that Minnesota will be forced to play at a faster pace now, but they are without a point guard this season thanks to a number of transfers.

One year ago this week, Minnesota was in the top ten after a dominating performance at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament. My, how things have changed.


"My family and I would like to thank everyone for their support," said Mbakwe in a statement.

"Trevor's done everything we've asked him to do in his time here at the University of Minnesota. He's been through an awful lot," said Gopher head coach Tubby Smith. "That says a lot about his toughness to be able to recover from the things he has already endured. He had a knee surgery before (at Marquette) and for it to happen a second time, you hurt for him, but you know he's a guy that has the will power and has been through it before and can recover again."

Michael Eric reinjures his knee: Temple fans will be waiting with baited breath over the next week as the status of their team's starting center is reevaluated.

Eric injured his right patella in practice on Friday. Its the same knee in which Eric fractured his patella in February of last season, an injury that caused him to miss the final ten games of the season. Without Eric, the Owls have almost no interior presence. The 6'11" senior had been averaging 10.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg and 2.0 bpg while replacing Lavoy Allen up front.


Erik Murphy tears his meniscus: Florida's starting power forward suffered the injury last Thursday in practice and sat out the Gator's game against Stetson on Friday. Its unclear how much time he is going to miss, although Billy Donovan has speculated that it can be anywhere from a week or two to a couple of months.

Murphy is a major loss for Florida. His ability to shoot the ball from the four spot really spread the floor for the Gators and opened up the paint. It allowed them to use pick-and-pops in the half court and created space for penetration from Florida's talented back court. No Murphy will be a major blow heading into Friday's trip to Syracuse.


Harrison Barnes is fine: We all saw North Carolina's loss to UNLV in Vegas over the weekend, which means we also all saw the nasty fall that Barnes had in the second half. He rolled his ankle in the process and immediately headed for the bench, where he sat with his head down for the next couple of minutes. He left the arena on crutches, but that appears to have been a cautionary move, as he was off of the crutches when the team left the airport the next day.


Stephen Van Treese reinjures his knee; Rakeem Buckles returns to practice: After being healthy for just two weeks, Van Treese was injured in practice over the weekend. The timing was good, at least. Rakeem Buckles has been cleared to return to practice and should be back on the court within a week or two.


Travis Wear cuts foot while snorkeling: Exactly what it says. He needed five stitches.
Continue reading...

POSTERIZED: Rodney Willams hits the trifecta

Minnesota's Rodney Williams is one of the top-5 best dunkers in the country. I know it and you should all know it too. But despite this declaration, we had yet to see him make an appearance in B.I.A.H POSTERIZED this season.

But on Thanksgiving, Williams showed up and showed off.

3x.

1. You can't lose sight of him




2. Stay out of his way




3. Just give up already



I guess you could say that Rodney was feasting on some "tur-dunk-en"


But was it as good as these?

Thomas Robinson, Kansas vs. Duke, 11/23
Stan Okoye, VMI vs. Ohio State, 11/23
Kyisean Reed, Utah State vs. Southern Utah, 11/19
Ra'Shad James, Iona vs. Western Michigan, 11/18
Alandise Harris, Houston vs. Arkansas, 11/18
Sam Thompson, Ohio State vs. Jackson State, 11/18
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Wichita State, 11/18
Eric Griffin, Campbell vs. North Carolina A&T, 11/18 (DotY Candidate)
Olek Czyz, Nevada vs. Pacific, 11/17
Chris Watson, Pikeville vs. Mountain State, 11/16
Mike James, Lamar vs. Ohio, 11/15 (DotY Candidate)
Quincy Acy, Baylor vs. San Diego State, 11/15
Deniz Kilicli, West Virginia vs. Kent State, 11/15
Chris Evans, Kent State vs. West Virginia, 11/15
Tony Mitchell, Alabama vs. Oakland, 11/14
Isaiah Brown, East Tennessee State vs. Virginia Tech, 11/12
Michael Lyons, Air Force vs. Army, 11/11
Dezmine Wells, Xavier vs. Morgan State, 11/11
Jeremy Lamb, UConn vs. Columbia, 11/11 (DotY Candidate)
Andre Drummond, UConn vs. CW Post, 11/4
Moe Harkless, St. John's vs. CW Post, 10/26



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POSTERIZED: For God sakes, don't get in Rodney Williams' way

This is the third time this season Minnesota's Rodney Williams has been featured in a B.I.A.H POSTERIZED post. He's becoming one of the most prolific dunkers in the country.

You'd think opposing defenses would just step aside when he drives to the lane. Northwestern obviously didn't get the memo



(Update: I got a better video, and is that some Gus-Jeezy I detect in the background?)

The Wildcats aren't visiting Ballin' is a Habit as much as they should be, because if they did, they'd know standing in front of Rodney Williams is a bad idea.

But was it as good as one of these?:

POSTERIZED - Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette
POSTERIZED - Darrius Garrett, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Travis Cohn, Jacksonville
POSTERIZED - Ramon Galloway, South Carolina
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Justin Tubbs, East Tennessee State
POSTERIZED - John Williams, UNC-Ashville
POSTERIZED - Kevin Smith, Richmond
POSTERIZED - Mitchell Watt, Buffalo
POSTERIZED - Chandler Parsons, Florida
POSTERIZED - Kenny Gabriel, Auburn
POSTERIZED - Paris Horne, St. John's
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Laurence Bowers, Missouri
POSTERIZED - Drew Gordon, New Mexico
POSTERIZED - Tony Mitchell, Alabama
POSTERIZED - Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt
POSTERIZED - LaMarcus Reed, UT-Arlington
POSTERIZED - Marcus Morris, Kansas
POSTERIZED - Jared Cunningham, Oregon State
POSTERIZED - Langston Morris-Walker
POSTERIZED - Chris Wright and Juwan Staten, Dayton
POSTERIZED - D.J Stephens, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Reeves Nelson, UCLA
POSTERIZED - Kendall Marshall and John Henson, UNC
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Joe Jackson, Memphis
POSTERIZED - Shay Shine, High Point
POSTERIZED - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina
POSTERIZED - Kent Bazemore, Old Dominion
POSTERIZED - CJ Fair, Syracuse
POSTERIZED - LeBryan Nash
POSTERIZED - Rodney Williams, Minnesota
POSTERIZED - Travis Leslie, Georgia
POSTERIZED - Terrence Jones, Kentucky
POSTERIZED - Marcus Jordan, Central Florida
POSTERIZED - Lorenzo Brown, NC State
POSTERIZED - Tai Wesley, Utah State
POSTERIZED - Trent Lockett, Arizona State, and Derrick Williams, Arizona
POSTERIZED - Brandon Paul, Illinois
POSTERIZED - Jordan Hamilton, Texas
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Final thought on Trevor Mbakwe's punishment

Last Trevor Mbakwe post, I swear.

The Minnesota big man has officially been allowed to return to practice and he will be playing against Purdue on Thursday night, albeit off the bench. He apologized to the team today (video via the previous link):



Minnesota also released the full transcript of what Mbakwe wrote in the facebook message that got him arrested (consider the whole thing sic):

I know we haven’t talked in forever and trust me I’m not trying to start any drama with nobody in your life or anything. I just wanted to wish u the best with everything and I hope all has been well with you and your family. I am still disappointed how everything played out and I do wish that in the future we could be cool again. Idk how u r going to take this msg hopefully its not bad but I just wanted to wish u a happy new year and send out a congrats for graduating. I’ve been well I’m finally playin bball again in everything down in miami finally got taken care of thank god. Well idk if u will respond or not but best wishes for 2011.

This only reaffirms what I wrote about Mbakwe for Beyond the Arc yesterday -- that he didn't deserve to be suspended. The message, as Tubby Smith put it, was "well intentioned but misguided." He wasn't being malicious, he was trying to make amends. To right a wrong. To rebuild a burnt bridge. (I'm out of cliche sayings.)

I also think that not starting Mbakwe and forcing him to deal with "internal" punishments -- which is coach speak for a whole bunch of running -- is the correct move. Mbakwe did, in fact, violate a no contact order. It doesn't matter what his intentions were, he broke the law. The cops had no choice but to arrest him, and when you are arrested for just cause, there needs to be some sort of repercussion.

In this case, the punishment fits the crime.

And I think the embarrassment that Mbakwe caused himself, and those close to him, with this message will probably outweigh any "internal" punishment that Tubby throws at him.
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No suspension for Trevor Mbakwe

Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe was arrested last night for violating a restraining order. If you remember, Mbakwe sat out all of last season as he dealt with legal issue surrounding an accusation that he assaulted a woman in Florida.

But according to this tweet from Myron Medcalf, the Minnesota beat writer for the Star Tribune, Minnesota sent out a release saying that "no change in Mbakwe's status." Tubby Smith also said that Mbakwe had a "lapse in judgment."

This report from Gopher Hole said that Mbakwe sent a facebook message to an ex-girlfriend that simply said "I hope all is well with you" when Mbakwe heard that she was going through a tough time in her life. If that is, in fact, the case, then a suspension probably isn't deserved as much as a dose of common sense.

We will post the entire release when it is made available.

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Minnesota's Trevor Mbakwe arrested

Minnesota just can't have a normal basketball season, can it?

Last year, while they played the waiting game with Trevor Mbakwe as he dealt with a felony assault charge in Florida that kept him out the entire season, the Gophers got to watch the entire Royce White soap opera play out.

This year hasn't been much better. Devoe Joseph left the team last week, transferring to Oregon. And Monday night, Mbakwe found himself in more trouble. According to KSTP, Trevor Mbakwe has been arrested as a result of a violation of a restraining stemming from a facebook posting that Mbakwe made. (This blog is reporting more details, but we won't be repeating them here.)

"We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Trevor," Minnesota Athletic Director Joel Maturi said in a statement. "Until we know all of the facts surrounding the charges, it would be premature for us to have any further comment."

Mbakwe has been Minnesota's best player this season and arguably the best big man in the Big Ten not named Jared Sullinger as he has averaged 13.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg.
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Conference Play Primer: The Big Ten

Favorite: Ohio State

The favorite in the Big Ten is pretty easy to identify right now. Ohio State is playing as well as anyone in the country -- in fact, they overtook Duke as the No. 1 team in Kenpom's rankings. Offensively, this group is terrific. Their offense is based around the play of Jared Sullinger, the freshman big man that is on the short list for first team all-american. He's a bully on the block that plays with the strength and the savvy of a veteran. Its not just Sullinger, however. David Lighty, William Buford, and Jon Diebler are all capable of going off for 25 points if the situation calls for it. Dallas Lauderdale blocks shots, Aaron Craft has proven to be a solid point guard as a freshman, and DeShaun Thomas is instant offense coming off of the bench. The thing that is so impressive about this team, however, is that every player understands and has bought into their role. The Buckeyes are going to be a tough team to beat.


Player of the Year: Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

The a Player of the Year thus far is probably Sullinger, but seeing as I just talked about the Buckeyes, let's mix it up a bit, eh? Northwestern's John Shurna has been terrific this season. He's averaging 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 3.4 apg. (Those numbers would be better if he didn't miss half of Northwestern's last game against Mt. St. Mary's with an ankle injury.) He's shooting 61.1% from the field and an absurd 62.3% from three, taking more than five per game. He's a huge reason that the Wildcats have gotten off to this 9-1 start. The problem? Northwestern still hasn't beaten anybody. This is a program that has never made the NCAA Tournament, and with guys like Michael Thompson and Drew Crawford around Shurna, this may be the year. We will get a real feel for the legitness (I know that's not a word, but it should be) of Northwestern after their first three Big Ten games -- at Purdue, home for Michigan State, at Illinois.

All-Conference Team:

• G: Demetri McCamey, Illinois: 15.7 ppg, 7.5 apg, 49.2% 3PT
  
• G: E'Twaun Moore, Purdue: 19.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.8 spg
  
• F: Jon Leuer, Wisconsin: 19.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 50% 3PT, 1.8 bpg
  
• F: John Shurna, Northwestern: 23.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.4 apg
  
• C: JaJuan Johnson, Purdue: 19.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg
  

Biggest Surprise: Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota had a bit of hype coming into the season, but not enough to warrant much consideration nationally for the top 25. Boy, did we miss on that. The Gophers blew through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and, at one point in the season, climbed all the way into the top ten. The biggest reason has been the addition of Trevor Mbakwe, a strong, athletic power forward that is a perfect complement to Ralph Sampson and Colton Iverson, as he is averaging 13.3 ppg and 9.8 rpg on the season. Minnesota hit a rough patch in December, dropping a home game to Virginia, as they dealt with their starting point guard Al Nolen, their best perimeter defender and distributor, sitting out. With Nolen in the lineup, and guys like Blake Hoffarber and Rodney Williams having good seasons on the wing, this team can compete with anyone in the conference.


Biggest Disappointment: Michigan State Spartans

The Spartans are currently 8-4 on the season. Not a great start, especially by a team that was considered Duke's biggest challenger in the preseason. MSU has a bad habit of starting a season out slowly, and all of their four losses have come to teams currently ranked in the top 13 nationally. The bigger issue, however, is how the Spartans have looked in those losses. They are not playing like typical Tom Izzo clubs. Their defense is not where it needs to be and they aren't competing on the glass like we've come to expect out of Sparty. I have complete faith that Izzo will turn this thing around. There is just too much talent on that roster not too.

Teams to keep an eye on:

• Illinois: There is talent up and down this lineup, led by Demetri McCamey, who is arguably the best back court player in this league. But Illinois has been, well, Illinois -- they settle for too many jumpers and are too soft on the interior.
• Wisconsin: Jon Leuer has been unbelievable early in the season, Jordan Taylor's filled Trevon Hughes' shoes, and Bo Ryan is still coaching this team. The Badgers will always be in the discussion with him at the helm.
• Purdue: The Boilermakers have arguably the best 1-2 punch in the conference in JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore. They defend as well as anyone in the country. If they continue to get solid performances out of their role players, this team will make a lot of noise this winter.

Teams to forget about:

• Indiana: Tom Crean has been cleaning up on the recruiting trail, landing seemingly every high-major talent in the state of Indiana. The problem with that? He is getting commitments from kids in the class of 2014, while his team is losing games at home to Penn State this season. Cean needs results, not recruits.
• Penn State: I love Talor Battle. Jeff Brooks has been good this season as well. But a team that can lose at home to Maine is not a team that can compete with the big dogs in the Big Ten.
• Michigan: John Beilein always has teams that are difficult to play against because of the system that he runs. The problem is that this season, he just doesn't have the talent level to be effective with that system. To make matters worse, his best player -- Darius Morris -- was benched at the start of Tuesday's game against Purdue.
  

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Tuesday's Pregame Beat: Wisconsin and Minnesota kick off Big Ten play

Once again, afternoon hoops has thrown a wrench into the Pregame Beatage. If you missed it, Purdue went into Ann Arbor and lit up Michigan 80-57. But just because the Boilermakers played this afternoon doesn't mean we can't discuss a solid slate of hoops tonight.

7:00 pm: No. 13 Minnesota @ No. 24 Wisconsin: With all due respect to Purdue and Michigan, as well as Indiana and Penn State, tonight is the real kick off of the Big Ten season as the Gophers and the Badgers provide us with our first marquee matchup. Minnesota has been a bit up and down this season. They came basically out of no where to storm through the Puerto Rico Tip-Off tournament and into everyone's top 25 before struggling through the rest of the non-conference portion of their schedule as Al Nolen battled an injury. Well, Nolen is now back in the lineup, providing Tubby Smith's club with their best perimeter defender and playmaker.

That playmaking ability will be key tonight as Wisconsin one of the most efficient and effective half court teams in the country. They Badgers have yet to really hit their stride this season, but if you now anything about college basketball, you know that Wisconsin never has any preseason hype and is always in the thick of the Big Ten race.

The key in this one is going to be the front courts. Minnesota is big. Trevor Mbakwe, Ralph Sampson, and Colton Iverson can matchup inch for inch and pound for pound with just about any front line in the country, but none of those three bigs are a good matchup defensively with the versatile Jon Leuer. Big Ten basketball isn't always pretty, but this one should be a dandy nonetheless.

9:00 pm: Providence @ No. 5 Syracuse: This is an interesting matchup. Providence wasn't expected to do much in the Big East this season, but here they are at 11-2 heading into conference play. Syracuse is as good as anyone in the league defensively, but offensively they are not quite as dangerous as they were last year. If Providence can rebound the ball on the defensive end and push the ball, getting shots before the Orange zone can get set, they have a chance. As an added bonus, if you haven't had a chance to see Marshon Brooks play (which most of the country hasn't), I'd recommend tuning into ESPNU. He's averaging 23.1 ppg and 8.9 rpg.

Other Notable Games:

• 7:00 pm: Coppin State @ No. 12 Kentucky
• 4:00 pm: Alabama A&M @ NC State
• 7:00 pm: CSU @ Georgia
• 7:00 pm: DePaul @ Cincinnati
• 7:00 pm: Kent State @ Morehead State
• 7:00 pm: Albany @ Xavier
• 7:00 pm: South Florida @ Seton Hall
• 9:00 pm: UNC vs. Rutgers in MSG
• 10:30 pm: Hartford @ Cal
  

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JayVaughn Pinkston and Devoe Joseph to miss game time

Villanova has released their statement on JayVaughn Pinkston, their talented freshman forward who was involved in an altercation at a party last weekend:

On Saturday night, November 6, an incident involving Villanova men’s basketball player JayVaughn Pinkston and several other students occurred at an off-campus location. The University has been informed that the Upper Merion Township Police are charging JayVaughn Pinkston with two counts of simple assault and harassment. Earlier this week, Villanova opened its own internal review to determine whether Code of Student Conduct violations had occurred in this matter. The University is moving forward with this review as quickly and diligently as possible in order to assure fairness to everyone. Until a decision is reached, JayVaughn will not play in games, but will be allowed to participate in other team activities.

So there you have it. Pinkston will be suspended pending the conclusion of the University's investigation. I don't think anyone expected any less. There is also a report that Pinkston has been charged with two counts of simple assault and harassment.

Villanova kicks off the season tonight at 8:00 pm against Bucknell.

Pinkston isn't the only player in trouble heading into the weekend.

The rest of this post can be seen at Beyond the Arc.

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Trevor Mbakwe finally gets some good news

The basketball career of much-maligned power forward Trevor Mbakwe has seemingly taken a step in the right direction.

Mbawke spent the 2007-2008 season with Marquette before transferring to Miame-Dade Community College. That's where his trouble started. Mbakwe was accused of assaulting a woman in April of 2009 in Miami, and after enrolling at Minnesota last season, Mbakwe was deemed ineligible as a result of the pending charges.

As his legal case dragged on for over a year, Mbakwe waited and watched the Golden Gophers play their way into the NCAA Tournament. When summer rolled around with his legal case going no where, Mbakwe began looking into a transfer, the Memphis Tigers emerging as his biggest suitor. Many believed Mbakwe, like Royce White, would never end up playing for Tubby Smith.

Minnesota fans hope they will be seeing plenty of this in 2011.
(photo credit: Commercial Appeal)

Well, that all changed today as Mbakwe's case came to a close. Mbakwe agreed to skip trial in exchange for a six-month intervention program. He must a $100 fine, do 100 hours of community service, and avoid contact with his accuser, and he will have everything erased from his record. The program is not an admission of guilt either.

As a result, Mbakwe has been reinstated by Minnesota AD Joel Maturi. He will be allowed to practice with the team on August 21st, as the Gophers begin preparations for a trip to Canada for some exhibition games.

The question is will he want to? He meets with Tubby Smith later this week.

My advice?

He already sat out an entire season. Who knows if the NCAA will actually grant you a waiver to transfer again without penalty. Minnesota brings back a roster that could really use a bid-bodied, 6'8" bruiser. Mbakwe would be a great complement to a front line that currently features Rodney Williams at small forward and the combo of Ralph Sampson III and Colton Iverson at center.

The Gophers are a borderline NCAA Tournament team right now, but Mbakwe has a chance to contribute major minutes immediately in a loaded Big Ten.

Staying means he can finally play some big-time basketball.

Why risk it again?

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Royce White deserves a shot at Iowa State

Royce White's career at Minnesota wasn't much of a career.

He was suspended before the season even started, stemming from a shoplifting charge he received at the Mall of America and accusations he stole a laptop from a dorm room on campus. This led to arguably the most compelling soap opera of the 2009-2010 season, as White announced -- via youtube -- that he would be leaving Minnesota and "retiring" from basketball. He would attempt a return to practice before eventually telling reporters in February that he, once again, would be retiring.

White's one season at Minnesota didn't go well.
(photo credit: Minnesota)

So yeah, things didn't really go as the former five-star recruit had planned during his first year in college. Hopefully, his second season will pan out a little bit better, as White has signed with Iowa State. New Cyclone head coach Fred Hoiberg is hoping White can turn his life around:

"I am aware of Royce's situation at Minnesota," Hoiberg said via the school's release. "I have talked with a lot of people who are close to him, spoken with Royce in person multiple times and feel he is sincerely committed to meeting the expectations we have for our players. On one of his campus visits, Royce also met with institutional staff both inside and outside of the athletics department and he left very positive impressions on everyone."

This is a big get for Hoiberg, who got the job at Iowa State without any previous head coaching experience. While White may be troubled, the kid deserves a second chance. We all make dumb decisions when we are kids -- remember, White was just a freshman, maybe the Minnesota incident was a wake-up call for him.

Say Hoiberg is able to get through to White. Say he is able to get the young man to focus on basketball and his studies. This is a 6'8" power forward that we are talking about. This is a kid that was a five-star recruit, that could play at just about any school in the country. This is a kid that, despite the issues, was reportedly heavily pursued by Kentucky during the past few months. (White says in this interview that John Calipari offered him a scholarship.)

Its a risky move for Hoiberg, but it is a risk that is worth taking, not only because the new head coach could land the centerpiece for his team, but because White should get a second chance at making.

It may not be that simple, however. White left Minnesota during the middle of the second semester, which is not an ideal way to get yourself academically eligible. He's filed a waiver request with the NCAA, but there is a chance he may not be eligible by the second semester.

Regardless, White would do well to take advantage of this opportunity. Everyone deserves a second chance. Third chances? Not so much.

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