Friday Morning Dump

- You've seen it by now, but the must-read of the day comes courtesy of Dana O'Neil, who anonymously interviewed 20 coaches about the pitfalls of recruiting. Along those same lines, Jay Bilas has some questions he wants answered about the sport of college basketball.

- The other must read today is from Jason Whitlock, who says to blame the NCAA for issues with agents, not Reggie Bush. I tend to agree.

- Good read on Tony Wroten, the 2011 point guard out of Washington that is the third high profile recruit that looks like he will come down to the Huskies and Kentucky.

- Eventually, John Calipari is going to learn not to mix sports and politics. First, the president. Now, the governor.

- Mike DeCourcy had a chance to catch up with Quincy Miller. And, it seems, Miller is one hell of an interview subject.

- Dan Dakich, a graduate of Indiana, the former coach at Bowling Green, and the guy that was named the interim coach after the Kelvin Sampson debacle at IU, will be heading to the ESPN studios to become an analyst.

- Luke Winn ranks the top 20 players at this year's Euro championships.

- Pitt is the fifth best college sports program? Wow.

- USA Today's Rob Harrington on the themes of the summer thus far.

- The knock on Maryland is their inability to land the talent that is present in the DMV, the Beltway region, and in Baltimore. That might change, as the Terps are set to hire Orlando "Bino" Ranson, a noted recruiter.

- Seth Greenberg here, commenting on the "First Four".

- Jon Scheyer sounds like he got a pretty nasty eye injury.

Be careful hitting the links with Draymond Green:



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Josh Pastner broke a rule recruiting Trevor Mbakwe

Trevor Mbakwe, a 6'8", 240 lb, power forward who has spent time at both Marquette and Miami-Dade CC, was supposed to provide Minnesota with some size, strength, and energy up front.

Mbakwe never was able to step on the court for Minnesota, however. You see, he is facing some pretty serious assault charges in Florida stemming from his time at Miami-Dade, and as they did with Royce White, Minnesota refused to allow him to play until the legal situation is cleared up.

His court date is August 23rd.

But that hasn't stopped Mbakwe from asking Minnesota for a release from his scholarship pending an NCAA waiver that would allow him to play elsewhere next season. One of the places he has been recruited by is Memphis, who will be loaded in the back court next season, but could use some front court depth.

Tubby Smith knows about this recruitment.

He also knows that Josh Pastner has committed a violation during the process.

You see, coaches are only allowed to watch recruits play at NCAA-certified events, events like Nike's Peach Jam or the AAU games being played out in Vegas this weekend. Mbakwe has been playing in the Howard Pulley Pro-Am in St. Paul, which he is allowed to do. But Pastner, on July 13th, went to see one of those games, which he is not allowed to do.

It is a relatively minor violation that Memphis has already reported to the NCAA and Conference USA. It seems to have stemmed from a miscommunication or a misunderstanding of the rules. Pastner called Smith to inform him of the violation.

I'd be surprised if the Tigers even got a slap on the wrist for this.

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What is going on at Providence?

First, it was freshmen Johnnie Lacey and James Still, who beat up a fellow student seemingly at random. They weren't just kicked off the team, they got the boot from school.

Next was Greedy Peterson, PC's leading scorer and rebounder, an athletic 6'6" wing that was always a 20-10 threat. He was dismissed from the team for the dreaded "violation of team rules", and has since attempted to pursue a career overseas.

More recently in the news, Joseph Young has been dealing with issues regarding the LOI he signed with Providence. He doesn't want to go to Providence anymore, in part due to an ailing aunt and, in all likelihood, in part because his father was rehired at Houston, and Providence won't release him.

As if all of that drama wasn't enough, Kadeem Batts, a redshirt freshman with the Friars, was arrested early Sunday morning for failure to disperse and disorderly conduct. Apparently, he was outside of a club after it closed, and didn't move away quick enough when cops told him too.

Providence has already hired two additional members of their staff, and also implemented a curfew and a strict no bar and no club rule. Still, this sort of behavior by the players is not becoming of the school.

Keno Davis has just three years of head coaching experience. Some might question whether he was ready to take the reins of a Big East program when PC hired him after a single season at Drake.

But so far, Davis is handling things the right way. Kids that violate the rules are getting the boot. Eventually, players that join the Friars are going to learn that they need to behave, or find a new school. Providence will likely have a tough season in 2011, but Davis is laying the groundwork for a disciplined program.

Now he just needs to improve the quality of the athlete, both on and off the court, that he can recruit.
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Thursday Morning Dump

- The best read of the day is from Joe Posnaski at SI, who talks about Dean Smith.

- Mike DeCourcy and Gary Parrish, two of the best reads about college basketball, got into a twi-bate early yesterday morning regarding John Wall and the academic prowess of the one-and-done's. Its interesting stuff. Our general opinion is that quite a few of the one-and-done players -- or anyone that has decided that they are leaving school early -- stop going to class, but that the percentage is probably lower than many assume.

- Jeremy Lin, the former Harvard star, had a great summer league playing with the Warriors Mavericks. It was enough to earn him a contract with the Warriors. Golden State fans should be happy, this kid can play.

- If you have some free time on your hands, I have a great way for you to waste your time -- Kim English, who is one of our favorite hoopsters, went on the radio to discuss all things Mizzou. It is great. English is open and honest about things like Kansas losing to UNI, the free throws he hit against Marquette, and Carmelo's wedding.

- Adam Zagoria got a chance to talk to Jim Calhoun and Kemba Walker, who come into this season without much hype. Will it motivate them?

- Tre'Von Willis, who was arrested last month, has been charged with one felony count.

- Good stuff here from Andy Katz on officiating next season. The part I find interesting? John Adams, the head of officiating, wants refs to focus on calling a foul/violation when there is a foul/violation, regardless of the time on the clock.

- Jeff Borzello over at MMAS caught up with John Thompson III at Peach Jam.

- Coach K isn't the only Dukie on the USA team rosters.

- Crazy story about Coniel Norman, a former Arizona basketball star. He was, literally, "lost", as his family reached out to the Arizona media because they had no idea where he was. Eventually, he was "found", and he is actually getting back on his feet.

- Ohio State will still be wearing the LeBrons next season.

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Until the cheaters get punished, nothing is going to change

Its never been a secret that agents and their runners pursue the cream of the athletic crop at the collegiate level.

The goal? To build a good relationship with future professionals, strong enough that when those kids with the talent to make a living playing their sport -- generally football and basketball -- finally do turn pro, said agent will be the one picked to represent them. Agents make a living off of commission. The more players they represent -- and the better, and younger, those players are -- the more commission the agent earns.

Far too often, however, the way that agent forms a relationship is by showering a player with money and/or expensive things. (Personally, I don't have a problem with an agent being an adviser. They know the business -- how to maximize your draft stock, how to market yourself to teams and sponsors, essentially how to make the most money possible -- better than anyone. At times, it is actually a good thing.) Give any kid $20,000, or let him drive a luxury car, or fly him to South Beach to party, and odds are good that kid is going to like you. Represent that kid when he turns pro, and that agent can potentially make millions in commission off of a relatively small investment.

That's a bit oversimplified, I know, but its not that far off from what is actually happening. It has been that way for a long time, and for a long time it has seemed like the NCAA has ignored it, both in basketball and football. Why? As Gregg Doyel explains, its not because the NCAA didn't care. They did. But during the Myles Brand era -- 2002-2009 -- the focus was not on eliminating agents.

[Brand] cared about basketball and academics, and sought to clean up both. And he did. Brand indirectly shut down scores of seedy prep academies, storefront schools designed to turn academically indifferent stud basketball recruits into college-eligible scholars. And he oversaw the creation of the APR, which measures graduation rates in the real world -- allowing for transfers, early professional departures, etc. -- and ties those rates to scholarship reductions and other NCAA penalties.

Brand was great as NCAA president, but his office wasn't big enough to do it all. Something had to slip through the cracks ... But this is a different NCAA. Prep basketball factories have been eradicated. The APR is in place. So what matters now to the NCAA? Agents matter now.

Simply put, the NCAA didn't have the manpower to fight a war on two fronts. So they took on high school basketball factories first, wiped those out, and are now moving on to the next issue: agents and amateurism. And their coming with a full arsenal, guns blazing. They've beefed up their investigation staff, with eight full time employees doing nothing but, well, investigating.

It has paid dividends already.

Football players from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama are all being investigated for illegal benefits they received from agents. USC just had their football program leveled because of the Reggie Bush scandal.

The problem, up to this point, is that there has never really been repercussions for illicit dealings with agents. Amateur athletes get funneled five and six figures worth of cash and gifts that essentially allows the agent to have that athlete on retainer. Remember, these are 18-22 year old kids. Many of them come from impoverished backgrounds. The overwhelming majority of them having been brought up with a sense of entitlement, the right to get cash and gifts for free, the right to break the rules without punishment because of their athletic ability.

That's the point -- without a significant punishment, we expect these kids, out of the goodness of their heart, to pass all that up? Please.

USC pleaded innocence in their case. They said they didn't know that Bush was getting money thrown at him from all angles. The ruling that the NCAA handed down basically tells every other major program in the country that now knowing is not an excuse. For the schools, there is no more plausible deniability. If it happens on your watch, its your business. Find out about what is going on under your nose, or face severe consequences when the NCAA does.

Depending on the punishments that the NCAA hands down to the players being investigated, the same could be said for them. Take money from an agent while you are a student, and you will lose your athletic eligibility. If a player misses a year and drops from a first round pick to a sixth or seventh round pick, it will take a big chunk out of their bank account. When those punishments continually get handed down, eventually the players are going to get the point.

But for the problem of agents and runners to truly be eradicated, there need to be consequences for everyone involved. Agents supplying money to players need to be suspended or forced to pay an excessive fine. Coaches -- not just the assistants, the head coaches -- that look the other way need to be hit hard, whether it is a show-cause penalty or a fine. The NBA and the NFL players that were involved with agents in the past need to take a financial hit. Couldn't the NCAA force them to pay the money that is owed when a team has to vacate victories?

Right now, the only people that are truly punished when the hammer drops are the people that are still associated with the program once the cheaters leave.

The USC basketball team was on their to becoming the story of the 2009-2010 season when news broke that they were going to be banned from the postseason because of violations that occured when Tim Floyd and OJ Mayo were there, two years prior.

Its not fair to the Mike Gerritys and the Dwight Lewis' that graduated without the chance to play in the Pac-10 or the NCAA Tournaments their senior seasons. Its not fair to the Kevin O'Neill's of the world, a coach who took a chance on a team and a program that looked to be going no where and turned them into something.

Those are the people that receive the brunt of the punishment when entitled stars cheat.

And that won't change until the cheaters themselves start to get punished.

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Bobby Gonzalez pleads not guilty

As you should know by now, Bobby Gonzalez was arrested for shoplifting a $1,400 man-purse/satchel from a Polo Ralph Lauren store at the Short Hills Mall last month.

It was the culmination of what has been a horrific four months for the former Seton Hall coach. Watching someone have a complete meltdown in a public forum is not a comfortable experience. The last time I addressed the Gonzalez situation, I urged you to avoid laughing and joking about Gonzalez.

But ... ahh, its just gotten so hard not too!

Take a look at this picture the New Jersey Star Ledger got of Gonzalez in court today:


I mean, do I even need to comment on this? Gonzo's reputation is that of a man just a bit off his rocker. Doesn't this picture scream "I got a case of the crazies"? Can he look any creepier? Is it just me, or does he look a little too much like Jack Nicholson in The Shining?

He stole a satchel. Not just any satchel. A $1,400 Polo satchel. The unintentional comedy is off the charts. (There's a Hangover joke to make in there somewhere.)

Anyway, Gonzo pleaded not guilty to shoplifting charges in Essex County Court in Newark today. And while it certainly is not a joking matter, especially for those in the Gonzalez family and the Seton Hall community, that picture was just too funny not to post.

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Wednesday Where Are They Now?: Luke Jackson, Oregon

Ever wonder what happened to those college stars that couldn't catch on in the NBA? The guys that put up the great numbers or the guys that left early, and were never heard from again? Every Wednesday, we at BIAH will take a look at a former college star that never made it in the NBA, and we will update you on where he is playing or what he is doing. We're guessing the results will surprise you. To request a player, hit us up on twitter @ballinisahabit or via email at contactbiah@gmail.com.

Luke Jackson, Oregon

Luke Jackson was a two-sport star at Oregon's Creswell High, playing basketball and baseball. But after winning the Oregon Class AAA player of the year twice (in 1998 and in 2000), leading his team to the 2000 state title, and becoming the fourth all-time leading scorer in the state (2,095 points), Jackson correctly made the decision to pursue basketball.


Jackson would head to Oregon, where the Ducks would struggle mightily his freshman season. Jackson would eventually work his way into the starting lineup, showing flashes of how good he could be. He averaged 7.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 2.0 apg, including a 14 point, 11 rebound, and 10 assist triple-double against Washington, but the Ducks finished the year just 14-14, winning only five games in Pac-10 play.

But that 2000-2001 Oregon team showed some potential, and they lived up to that potential in 2002. While Jackson was blossoming into one of the best all around players in the country -- as a sophomore, he averaged 16.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, and shot 40% from deep -- senior Fred Jones was turning himself into a lottery pick while fellow sophomore Luke Ridnour was slowly making a case as one of the best point guards in the country. Oregon would go on to win the Pac-10 regular season title and make a run to the Elite 8.

Jones would become a lottery pick after the season, but with Ridnour and Jackson still sharing a backcourt, the Ducks were still a dangerous team. After an up and down regular season, Oregon finally clicked during the postseason, winning the Pac-10 tournament and earning an eight seed. They were knocked out in the first round by Utah, but Jackson's 16.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, and 3.6 apg were enough to get him recognized with a second straight all-Pac 10 selection. He was the only player in the league in the top ten in points, rebounds, and assists.

Ridnour, who won the 2003 Pac-10 player of the year award, left early for the draft and ended up in the lottery, which meant that Jackson would finally become the focal point for Oregon, and he didn't disappoint on an individual level. Jackson averaged 21.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.5 apg, and shot 44% from long range to earn all-america first team honors. He recorded the second triple-double of his career against Florida A&M, making him just the third player (Jason Kidd and Loren Woods) in Pac-10 history to do so. A stat sheet stuffer, Jackson finished ranked in the top ten in nine different statistical categories in Oregon history, and became just the second player in Pac-10 history to amass 1,900 points, 700 rebounds, and 400 assists.

Gaudy numbers, no doubt. Gaudy enough to get the 6'7" lefty picked tenth by Cleveland in the 2004 draft. He lasted for two seasons with the Cavs, but was never really able to break into the rotation, playing in just 46 games combined. After the 2006 season ended, Jackson was traded with a bunch of cash to Boston in exchange for Dwayne Jones, essentially signifying his status as a draft bust, at least in the eyes of the Cleveland front office.

For what its worth, the "bust" label isn't completely fair, as Jackson has dealt with injuries, especially with his troublesome back which has required two surgeries.

Jackson would bounce around the NBA and the NBDL over the next three seasons. In 78 games over the course of three years playing with the Idaho Stampede of the D-League, Jackson averaged 15.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and 4.0 apg while knocking down an impressive 43.6% of his triples.

It was enough to land Jackson a few cups of coffee in the league. He played three games with the Clippers in '06-'07 before joining Toronto later in the season. He performed well enough with the Raptors to earn a second ten-day contract and then a contract for the rest of the season. He was waived during the off-season by Toronto, but he caught of with Miami in December of the 2007-2008 season. He lasted 14 games and two months with the Heat before he headed back to Idaho and the D-League.

Heading into the 2008 season, Jackson had turned 27, and most teams realized that he had probably reached his full potential. After spending a year in the D-League without getting a shot in the NBA, Jackson decided to head abroad, playing for Carife Ferrara in Italy's top club league. He averaged 15.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg in his one season, good enough to earn himself a spot on this year's Atlanta Hawks summer league team out in Vegas.

Jackson didn't put up gaudy numbers in that summer league, but he did draw some praise for his smarts and his ability to keep the floor spread.

Arguably the biggest news regarding Jackson is that not only is he now married, but he is expecting a son in September. As of now, Jackson is still unsigned for the upcoming season, but based on this interview, it seems unlikely that he will be heading overseas with a newborn.

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Wednesday Morning Dump

- Wow. Mt. Whitlock erupts. Non-basketball, but wow.

- Andy Katz explains why Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears are confident they can make it to Houston in 2011. The most interesting part? After a storm damaged their usual court, they've been renting the court that was used at Reliant Stadium for last year's Sweet 16 and Elite 8, which Baylor played on.

- Fan favorite, Sudanese national, and all-Name team member Bol Kong is leaving Gonzaga, unfortunately. Its a bit disappointing, especially when you consider what he went through to get here. He's the fourth player in the last year to leave the program.

- Charles Jenkins, the reigning CAA player of the year, went through three coaches in the span of a couple of months.

- Mike DeCourcy sat down with FSU's Chris Singleton. I like Singleton's game. He's going to be a first rounder when it is all said and done.

- Wake Forest may have lost Jeff Teague, James Johnson, Al-Farouq Aminu, Dino Gaudio, and a slew of big men in the last two years, but I still think anyone writing them off is crazy. They have a good crop of freshmen coming, they have some young talent returning, and they landed a good coach in Jeff Bzdelik. I'll get more in depth on this later on, but for now, check out one of the incoming freshmen, JT Terrell, going for 47 points in a summer league game:



- Fran Fraschilla ranks the ten most likely one and done freshmen.

- Mike Brey all but tells us what the punishment is going to be for Tim Abromaitis and Eric Atkins: "So we'll deal with it as it runs its course. ... A lot of sweating will be involved. That's the one thing I can say specifically and then we'll handle it from there." Yeah. That doesn't sound like its going to be pleasant. At least they will be in shape.

- So, who is the best conference?

- Just when you thought the coaching carousel was over and done with, Illinois-Chicago head coach Jimmy Collins announces his retirement.

- Mike Garrett, the guy in charge for OJ Mayo's and Reggie Bush's time at USC, is out as AD. The Trojans will erase and and all history involving Bush and Mayo.

- New Mexico coach Steve Alford got an extension through 2020. Good contract.

- We've all seen the recruiting rankings and expert lists ranking the best of the best in the high school ranks. But what do the players themselves think? Jeff Goodman and Matt Norlander found out.

- Nice column from Gary Parrish on UCLA. Five members of the program, including Ben Howland, had off-season surgery. They lost a transfer. A big time big man recruit is following in the steps of J'Mison Morgan, and that's not a good thing. Can the Bruins turn it around this season?

- MaxPreps breaks down the upcoming AAU Tournament in Las Vegas.

- Brady Morningstar played H-O-R-S-E against a couple news anchors?

- 2011-recruit PG Chasson Randle cuts his list to three - Purdue, Illinois, and Stanford

- Mount Vernon-recruit Jabarie Hinds will trim his list of potential suitors. Thank goodness. As of Tuesday, the list contained 15 different schools.

- A season preview of the Duke Blue Devils (Michelle Beadle holding a grenade launcher? Count me in!)

- Parsing the WAC is your home for Western Athletic Conference hoops links and news

- Part 1 of the off-season Big East roundtable

Mason Plumlee has some SERIOUS hops



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Matt Painter has an interesting clause in his contract

Early today we talked at length about Matt Brady, the current coach at James Madison, and how a clause in his contract has brought about a law suit.

Believe it or not, that's not the only contract clause that has made the rounds today.

Over the weekend, the West Lafayette Journal & Courier got a chance to take a look at the contract that Matt Painter signed back in April, giving him $1.3 million a year for eight years, retroactive to July of 2009. What they found could put a scare into Purdue fans.

Matt Painter is one of the brightest defensive minds in the collegiate ranks.
(photo credit: AnnArbor.com)

You see, most contracts signed by coaches in this day and age have a buyout clause. If the coach decides to leave before the contract is up, the school is owed a certain, usually large, amount of money. RichRod might know a thing or two about that.

Painter has a buyout in his contract, too. Had he left by July 1st of this season, he would have owed Purdue $1 million. If he leaves by July 1st of next year, he owes Purdue $750,000.

After July 1st, 2011?

Painter would owe Purdue nothing. Not a dime.

"Once you get into negotiations, there's going to be a hard line drawn in the sand somewhere by both parties. When those things happen, sometimes their side can't move any more financially and then you're going to look at other areas to try to put yourself in the best possible situation to give yourself a little bit of freedom," Painter told the Journal & Courier. "Maybe if you don't have quite the guaranteed money as some of your peers in your league, there's going to have to be some other things that are advantageous to you and that was one example of that."

"Some coaches have had astronomical buyouts and they go to another job and they're paying it off for three, four, five or six years and you don't want to be in that kind of position. Anytime you can put yourself in a position to have a lower buyout, that only makes sense."

It would be ideal for Painter to leave after next season. He's built Purdue into a national power, a preseason top five team for the second straight season with a core of three seniors that will make quite a few preseason all-america teams. But the Boilermakers are facing quite a drop-off next season with Robbie Hummel, E'Twaun Moore, and JaJuan Johnson graduating.

If an offer comes along at a better, higher-paying program -- which certainly could happen, he's done a fantastic job at Purdue -- what's to stop him from leaving?

Certainly not a buyout.

There are even quotes in the J&C article where Painter talks about doing what is best for him and his family. Purdue doesn't have the budget to pay him the money of some of the other schools in the Big Ten, which is why Painter took the lower salary. Purdue has to deal with the risk of losing their star.

To make matters worse, there is no where in the article where Painter mentions anything about staying at Purdue for the duration of the contract. Nothing about committing to the school or honoring the deal he signed. (For the record, I think this is the smart move. Never make any guarantees or promises that you don't intend on keeping. If he says he is a lifer, then bolts for a higher paying gig when there is no buyout, he looks like every other slick-talking, full-of-bullshit coach out there. If he says he will stay at Purdue so long as it is what is best for his family, then leaves to make more money, he looks like anyone in the world that gets offered a higher-paying job.)

If that puts a knot in your stomach as a resident of West Lafayette, no one would blame you.

Having said that, Painter was born in Indiana. He is a Purdue alum. He played with Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson. He was hand-picked by Purdue to replace Gene Keady. This could very well be his dream job, and its not like $1.3 million per year over eight years is chump change.

He's already proven he can win at Purdue. He has a roster for next season that, in addition to the Big Three, returns some decent young talent like Lewis Jackson, Kelsey Barlow, and Sandi Marcius. He landed a solid three man recruiting class with Terone Johnson, Anthony Johnson, and Travis Carroll.

Purdue may be "down" once the Big Three moves on, but given Painter's defensive philosophy and the fact that he brings in four year players, its tough to envision the Boilermakers ever really struggling. Wisconsin and Pitt have had a lot of success that same way.

Painter can clearly coach. Eventually, he is going to have options, and be faced with the decision of whether or not he wants to leave Purdue.

Me?

I'd like to see him stay at Purdue and try to hang some banners at his alma mater. It would be a great story.

I'm sure there are quite a few people out in West Lafayette that agree with me.

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Good news for DJ Newbill

You'll probably read DJ Newbill's name on this site more times this summer than throughout his entire collegiate career.

If you remember, Newbill is the kid that got the boot from Buzz Williams and Marquette when Jamil Wilson decided he wanted to transfer back to the state of Wisconsin. Since a 6'7" former top 100 recruit is more desirable than a 6'3" combo guard, Newbill was shown the door.

Regardless of your feelings on Marquette's decision (you can find ours here), I think we all hoped that Newbill, who hadn't done anything wrong, would be able to land on his feet.

Well, he has.

Newbill announced he will be headed to Southern Mississippi yesterday. According to the Philly Inquirer article that broke the news, Newbill will compete immediately for a starting spot with the team. Southern Miss is expected to be fairly decent this year as well, competing for that second spot in C-USA behind Memphis.

Newbill won't be alone in heading down to Hattiesburg either. Dwayne Davis, who graduated high school in Philly and committed to Morehead State but never gained eligibility, is a buddy of Newbill's and will be joining him there.

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Tuesday Morning Dump

- Your must read of the day, courtesy of the ByLaw Blog. They take a look at agents in college athletics and why the NCAA is going after the at what seems to be a much greater rate. Seriously, good stuff here.

- Carrick Felix was originally supposed to go to Duke, but changed his mind and withdrew from his commitment. He eventually landed at Arizona State, where he is going to provide some much-needed energy and athleticism. He spoke with AZ Central about his decision.

- Interesting stuff here from Adam Zagoria. Roy Williams recruited Dexter Strickland with the assumption that Strickland would play the point his senior year at St. Patrick's -- he had been a two-guard all his life. But Kyrie Irving transferred into St. Patrick's before Strickland's senior season, forcing Strickland back to the two. If you didn't notice, Dexter Strickland struggled a bit this season in Chapel Hill.

- Rush The Court takes a look at the NCAA Tournament ticket lottery system, which could very well undergo a face-lift this summer. You see, the way it is set up currently, anyone that applies for Final Four tickets must pay a non-refundable application fee, which could make this "lottery" illegal in the state of Indiana, where the NCAA is headquartered. Interesting stuff here.

- SLAM got an interview with Brandon Knight. Not much new information here, but for UK fans it is definitely worth the read.

- Andy Katz on Shelvin Mack. Butler may be down without Hayward, but I think it is going to be interesting to see what Shelvin Mack is able to do as Butler's star.

- Excellent post taking a look at the usage of bench players from Dan Hanner over at YABB.

- Rush the Court's John Stevens breaks down Dean Smith's memory loss, speaking from the medical side.

- UConn AD Jeff Hathaway has been named the NCAA's committee chair for the 2011-12 season. Just more proff that no one actually cares about NCAA infractions or rule-breaking; the basketball program at UConn is currently dealing with some recruiting violations and will face the Committee of Infractions in October. For context, read this.

- The Pump Brothers are now off-limits to college coaches. Its probably about time that this happened.

- Did you know Mitch Albom made up a story once?

- Jacob Pullen doesn't believe in ghosts.

- 2011 small forward Maurice Harkless is making a mess of the recruiting process.

- Kentucky's Darius Miller starts mini-twitter riot.

- Wichita High star Perry Ellis is getting home-state looks.

- Marquette's Liam McMorrow is transferring to Tennessee Tech. McMorrow never actually suited up for the Golden Eagles due to an undisclosed medical issue. The good news is that he is offically on the All-Name-Team radar map.

- A must-read from the Providence Journal about the recruiting battle for Alex Murphy, one of the top recruits in the class of 2012.

- South Florida loses 2010 recruit to JuCo.

- Nevada adds highly-touted-recruit to collection.

- Jarrod Uthoff, one of the top 2011 recruits from the Midwest, will announce his decision tomorrow.

- The winners and losers of the Vegas Summer League.

- AUhoops.com, the unofficial official blog of American U. hoops (Can blogs be
deemed "official"?) gets a face lift. Ahh I love summer hoops linkage...
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The ruling in the Marist v. Matt Brady case may end up hurting recruits the most

In March of 2008, Matt Brady, then the coach of the Marist Red Foxes of the MAAC, left the Poughkeepsie, NY, school for the head job at James Madison University. (Random Note: I was working at the Poughkeepsie Journal during my last semester in college at this time.) Brady landed a five-man recruiting class in his first year at JMU. Four of those players -- 6'10" center Trevon Flores, 6'9" power forward Alvin Brown, 6'7" small forward Andrey Semenov, and 6'6" small forward Julius Wells -- he recruited while still at Marist, and Semenov had actually verbally committed to the school.

Usually, there is nothing wrong with this. It is actually a common practice. I've said this before and I'll say it again, college basketball recruits aren't choosing schools based on the education they will receive. They pick a school based on the coach. If that coach gets a better job, and he wants to bring along the players he had been recruiting, there is a good chance they will tag along.

But this was a problem for Brady.

Matt Brad brought four players to JMU he recruited while at Marist. This violated his contract.
(photo credit: Boston.com)

You see, Brady was replacing Dave Magarity, who had spent 18 years at the helm of the Red Foxes. Marist didn't want to become a program that coaches used as a stepping stone; they wanted some longevity and a commitment to the school and the program. So when Brady negotiated a contract in 2007, Marist added two clauses to try and deter him from jumping when a better job came along.

• Brady was not allowed to negotiate a contract with another university or leave for that position without written permission from Marist.


• Brady was also not allowed to continue recruiting any kids that he had recruited while at Marist.
  

It doesn't take Stephen Hawking to figure out that Brady breached his contract in his dealings with JMU and his first recruiting class.

So as any employer would do to an employee in breach of contract, Marist sued Brady and JMU last July. For those more fluent in Legalese than me, the Sports Law Blog explains it like this:

In its complaint, Marist alleged that Brady, with JMU’s full knowledge and encouragement, contacted Marist recruits in order to entice them to join JMU’s basketball team. The complaint also alleged that JMU offered scholarships to four of the Marist basketball recruits who were on The List. One of those recruits had already committed to play for Marist. JMU moved to dismiss the case on a number of grounds, including lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim.

Believe it or not, Marist actually won. Earlier today, New York State Supreme Court Justice Charles D. Wood ruled in favor of Marist:

Judge Wood found that Marist had properly stated the existence of a valid contract with a third party, (the) defendant's knowledge of that contract, defendant's intentional and improper procuring of a breach, and damages. The judge noted Marist's claims that Brady had an enforceable contract in effect when he discussed leaving Marist to coach at JMU, that JMU knew of the contract's existence, that JMU intentionally induced Brady to violate his fiduciary obligations under the contract, and that Marist suffered damages as a result of the breach of those obligation.

Court will reconvene of July 26th as actual damages will be assessed. Its tough to determine exactly how much damages in this situation are, but think about this: Marist made the 2007 NIT the year they award Brady with his four year contract. This past season, they went 1-29. One of the players Brady recruited -- Julius Wells -- averaged 16.6 ppg and 5.2 rpg for the Dukes.

You think he could have helped Marist?

Julius Wells was recruited by Brady at Marist.
(photo credit: Basketball Forum)

For those in and around the world of collegiate athletics, this will be interesting to follow. Most of the reaction you will see likely is going to center around contract enforcement. Coaches leave midway through contracts all the time when a better job becomes available. The reason that most don't go to court is because buyouts are incorporated into the contract.

But what you need to remember is that Marist didn't sue because Brady left. They sued because Brady snagged one committed recruit and three other players interested in Marist when that was explicitly forbidden in the contract he signed, and because JMU approved, and even encouraged, this behavior.

And now a Supreme Court Judge has upheld Marist's "No-Contact-With-Recruits" clause.

To be honest, I don't think Brady necessarily did anything wrong. He formed a relationship with these kids. The kids wanted to play for him, and he wanted to coach them. When he found a better job -- and no matter how you slice, a job as a head coach in the CAA is better than being a head coach in the MAAC -- he took the better job, as 99.9% of you reading this would do. (If you were a server at Friday's, and a position opened up at The Palm, would you take it? If you were pushing papers at a small investment firm, and JP Morgan offered you a position, what would your answer be?) And when he got to that better job, he brought some of those kids along with him.

The way I see it, Brady didn't do something out of the ordinary. He certainly didn't do something that I would consider morally or ethically wrong. His only mistake was being dumb enough to sign a contract with a "No-Contact-With-Recruits" clause in it. (And to Marist's credit, they didn't try to punish the players -- that must be a Big East thing -- because they didn't want to go to Marist. They went after Brady and JMU. They deserve to be acknowledged for that.)

The more important question, if this ruling does, in fact, stand up, is going to be whether or not a "No-Contact-With-Recruits" clause will become more popular and prevalent in collegiate coaching contracts.

Its no secret that people hate the NCAA and the people running it. There are many legitimate reasons for that, but what irks me the most is how few rights these players have, especially when it comes to choosing a school. We've written plenty on the issues with LOI's and the absurdity of a school's abiliy to determine where a player is not allowed to transfer.

Now player's can have their options for where to attend school and play basketball because of a contract a potential coach signed with a previous school? Like I said, Marist did the right thing in not trying to prevent the kids from being allowed to play at JMU. But what if this happens at a big-time school?

Let's pretend Billy Donovan, the head coach at Florida, has a clause like this in his contract. Now let's pretend he left Gainesville to take the Oregon job. Is there any chance that he doesn't try and bring Austin Rivers and Bradley Beal, both top five recruits in the Class of 2011, along with him? The bigger question -- would Florida attempt, or be able, to file an injunction to prevent Rivers and Beal from going to Oregon because Donovan recruited them at Florida?

I dread the day that a school can have any influence on where a kind is allowed to play because a coach spurned that school.

Its a scary thought.

Its also fairly unlikely. Coaches that get jobs where they are capable of landing McDonald's All-Americans are probably smart enough, or have smart enough representation, that they won't sign a contract with a clause like that. And schools that don't land McDonalds All-Americans probably don't have the money to throw around for a legal case like that.

But you never know. The NCAA Tournament was supposed to be 96 teams, and the Big XII wasn't supposed to exist anymore.

Stranger things have happened.
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The Big XII's Big Monday schedule released

ESPN and the Big XII have released their portion of the Big Monday schedule, seen below.


It kicks off with a unique beginning on Martin Luther King, Jr., day. Kansas State will play at Missouri at 4:30 pm, followed by Kansas heading to Baylor in a nightcap at 8:30 pm. All four of those teams should be top 25 clubs, which makes Monday must see basketball. (The Big East's Big Monday schedule isn't out yet, but I'm assuming they will also have two games on the schedule.)

In general, the conference did a pretty good job of getting their best teams, and biggest draws, on the schedule. Kansas and Kansas State both play four times. Missouri, Baylor, and Texas both play twice. Texas A&M and Oklahoma State both play once. Colorado is probably the only team that has a shot at making the NCAA Tournament that won't be playing on Big Monday, but with the school's defection to the Pac-10, is it any wonder why?

The one question I have is why Kansas and Texas aren't playing on Big Monday. Those are the two best programs in the conference, and while they aren't going to be the two best teams in the country this season, the Jayhawks and the Longhorns have developed a nice rivalry. Wouldn't Kansas-Texas make more sense on the opening double-header than Kansas-Baylor?
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Providence should release Joseph Young, they are the ones that look bad

What is it with Big East schools and letters of intent?

First, it was DePaul. The Blue Demons, under head coach Oliver Purnell, initially refused to let Walter Pitchford, Jr., out of the LOI he signed during the Jerry Wainwright era. After Pitchford appealed the NCAA (and lost), Purnell finally relented and released Pitchford. Midway through July. Most kids are already in summer school. Pitchford still doesn't have a school to play for.

Next came Marquette, who signed DJ Newbill to an LOI only to drop him once Jamil Wilson decided he wanted to transfer in. We wrote on all of that two weeks ago.

Now?

Its Providence's turn.

Joseph Young is a highly-regarded two guard recruit out of Houston's Yates high school. He made some headlines when he committed to and signed with Providence and Keno Davis despite the fact that his father is a director of basketball operations for Houston University. But back in June, Young made clear his desire to be released from his LOI, as his aunt in Houston is sick and preparing to get a heart transplant.

When Young made his statement, Davis was unresponsive, saying that he "expects [Young] will honor his commitment. Six weeks later, and nothing has changed. Young, according to his father, will not be enrolling at Providence and is not even thinking about school right now. The Providence coaches, on the other hand, are not budging from their position either. As explained by Kevin McNamara from the Providence Journal:

One school of thought has Young pledging to PC last summer when the Friars were the best offer on the table. At the time, it was clear that then-Houston coach Tom Penders was considering retirement and would not be around for Joseph's college career. Sure enough, Penders did retire after leading the Cougars to an NCAA Tournament berth. He was replaced by James Dickey, who quickly chose to rehire Michael Young as the programs's director of operations and program enhancement.

What Providence believes, essentially, is that Young's mind wasn't changed by an illness to his aunt. He wants to play in the program where his father works.

The point that Providence and Davis are missing is that it shouldn't matter why Young wants out. The only people that truly know why this young man wants out of his LOI is the Young family. Could Joseph really have that close of a relationship with his aunt that he wants to remain near her for school? Of course. Did his father's rehiring at Houston make the local school more attractive? Quite possibly. More than likely, it was a combination of those two, and multiple other, factors that swayed his opinion.

None of that matters, however. Young no longer wants to go to Providence. He wants out of his LOI. Even if Davis and company get Young to spend a year at Providence, how hard is he actually going to play? Regardless of talent, do you really want a kid in your program that isn't going to give his all? Young would likely be on campus for just one season before transferring, so how much would he really care about team success? If he was a cancer in the locker room, would anyone really blame him? No one wants to be forced to do anything, especially when that "anything" is as significant as the college you attend.

More importantly, doesn't Providence look terrible right now? What recruit is going to want to sign with the Friars after seeing this? How easy is negative recruiting going to be for coaches going against Davis for a prospect? "Hey, don't sign with Providence. You could lose a family member, and they won't care." Young could very well be concocting this entire sick aunt story, but the Providence staff are still the ones that will come out of this looking bad.

Remember, this is a high school senior making the most important decision of his young life. I think we can forgive him for having a change of heart given this situation.

Hopefully, Providence will come to their senses and release Young from his LOI. (He's already appealed the school, and will file one with the NCAA if that doesn't work.) That's the only way that this situation comes to a happy ending. I understand Providence's frustration, and if they wanted to give Young a little 'eff you' on his way out the door, so be it.

But Keno, PC, do the right thing, fellas.

Because right now, you are the ones that look bad.

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Derrick Roland's appeal denied

The NCAA had a chance to turn Derrick Roland's bad break into a great story. If you remember, Roland was a guard on Texas A&M that suffered a gruesome leg injury in a game at Washington just three days before Christmas. (Warning: Do not click that link if you are at all squeamish.)

Roland, who was a part of the best recruiting class in Aggie history, joining with fellow seniors Bryan Davis and Donald Sloan to lead A&M to 100 wins in their four years, obviously missed the rest of his senior season.

This was Roland, just seven months ago.
(photo credit: Seattle Times)

To throw salt in the wound, the Washington game was the 12th game of the season. The NCAA's rule on injuries is that if you play in over 30% of your team's games, you cannot get back that year of eligibility. The Aggies went 24-10 on the season, meaning that Roland played in 35% of the games.

So as you would expect, the NCAA denied Roland's appeal.

"I appreciate all that Coach Turgeon and Texas A&M have done for me," Roland said. "Not only with this appeal, but for my career and for helping me to grow into the man I am today. I would have loved to come back for even half of a season, but it did not work out. At least I went out with my brothers -- BD & Sloan. We gave it everything we had. I will be okay."

It would have been an amazing story if the NCAA had reinstated Roland. Not just because of the incredible comeback -- just seven months after the injury, Roland is already back playing with the Aggies -- but because Roland, by all accounts, was a fantastic kid.

Think about it like this: Roland is relatively small and unathletic, but he was successful because he played harder and worked harder than everyone else. That's why he was the Aggie's leader on the court. After suffering a catastrophic, potentially career-threatening broken leg, Roland worked his way back by mid-summer, developed a new-found shooting stroke, and became the Big XII player of the year while leading the Aggie's to a conference title.

Ok, I took some creative liberties with the ending, but that story writes itself. That right there is a movie deal. Get Rob Brown to play Roland, Sean Connery to play head coach Mark Turgeon, find some way to get Denzel Washington a part in the movie, and you have a money maker.

It would be like Rudy, Coach Carter, and Remember the Titans all rolled into one. I would absolutely go to see that movie.

That said, as great as that story would have been, the NCAA made the right decision is denying Roland.

A rule is a rule. Texas A&M played 34 games, and Roland took part in 12 of them. That means he can't get an extra year of eligibility. And when you put sentiments aside, a season-ending injury is a season-ending injury. Other than how nasty the injury itself was, is there really a difference between Roland's broken leg and a torn acl? A ruptured achilles? The broken wrist that cost Ed Davis the end of his college career?

If the NCAA is going to start changing rules for the best story, they might as well go back and count Gordon Hayward's half court heave that bounced off the rim and ended to 2010 Tournament.

Yes, that comparison is drastic, I know, but you get my point.

Derrick, if you ever read this, I'm pulling for you. Its an inspirational story. I hope the best for you and your family as you chase a career as a professional basketball player.

But you're going to convince me the NCAA made the wrong decision.
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Tim Abromaitis and Eric Atkins arrested over the weekend

Over the weekend, 44 people were arrested by South Bend police after they were called to break up a fight and discovered a house party. Of those arrested, two were Irish basketball players -- rising junior and leading returning scorer Tim Abromaitis and incoming freshman Eric Atkins.

Apparently, the party was for a junior defenseman on the Notre Dame hockey team that had turned 21, and it sounds like quite a party. From the South Bend Tribune:

South Bend police said they were dispatched to the neighborhood at 1:41 a.m. on the report of about a dozen people fighting, throwing punches near the corner of Washington and Eddy streets, one block north of Jefferson Boulevard.

Upon arrival, officers heard glass breaking from the back of the residence and immediately called for more units. South Bend police said pandemonium began to occur, with numerous men and women jumping out of windows and off the roof of the residence.

Excise Police officers arrived at 1:53 a.m., according to a news release, and 15 or more South Bend police officers left their patrol beats from across the city to assist and catch people who were fleeing, police said.

Look, I know underage drinking is illegal. I know that running from the cops is generally a terrible idea. I get that when there are a dozen people brawling in the street, its been taken too far.

But come on.

This is college. And these are college kids. They just so happen to be bigger, stronger, taller, and faster than your average college kid. That doesn't mean they are any smarter or make better decisions than the rest of their classmates.

Think back to your time in college, whenever that was. How many times did you drink while underage? How many parties did you go to that were busted up by the cops? How many times did you run from that house to avoid the cops? How many times did a fight break out at a college party? If the biggest issue your athletes have is that they attend house parties and do some underage drinking, then as a coach you don't have all that much too worry about.

Having said that, Abro and Atkins still deserve to be punished. They got caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing. It doesn't matter if everyone else is doing it, underage drinking is against the law. But in this instance, that punishment should be handled in-house.

Anything more than some extra suicides, some water and ball duty, and maybe a benching or two early in the season would be too much.


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Monday Morning Dump

- Dean Smith and his family sent a letter out to former UNC players regarding the coach's health. He has a 'progressive neurocognitive disorder.'

- Luke Winn gives us an awesome take on the Kansas State-Xavier classic from the 2010 Sweet 16. If you like numbers and stats and charts, then this is a must-read.

- Georgia is looking pretty damn smart for their hiring of Mark Fox from Nevada to replace Dennis Felton. The Bulldogs, who have barely been competitive in the SEC of late, were a respectable club last season, knocking off Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Florida, and Illinois. With Trey Thompkins and Travis Leslie both returning, things seem to be headed in the right direction next season. Over the weekend, Georgia got more good news as 6'5" shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell, a top 15 recruit in the class of 2011 from Georgia, committed to the Bulldogs.

- Rivals profiles Joe Jackson, a Memphis native that will suit up for the Tigers. The best quote: "I'm still crushed over that because I wanted it to come back to Memphis, but with all the NCAA stuff [the vacating of the Final Four appearance], it would have never counted anyway."

- Seth Curry, Steph's little brother and a rising sophomore at Duke, sprained an ankle at the NC Pro-Am. Speaking of Duke, Kyrie Irving has apparently been lighting people up in the Pro-Am.

- Mike DeCourcy talks a little James McAdoo.

- 6'9" and a point guard? My guess is that Kyle Anderson is going to be a name that a lot of people know one day.

- Fantastic read on former NC State star Chris Washburn.

- Jeff Goodman caught up with Tom Izzo after the LeBron fiasco.

- Would you have ever guessed this -- West Virginia is doing great in the classroom under Bobby Huggins?

- Memphis has released their non-conference schedule. Not terrible. Dan Wolken, however, is not impressed by it.

- Former Indiana player pleads guilty in a fraud scheme.

- I never would have guessed that people cared this much about Wyoming basketball.

- Andy Katz caught up with Clemson's replacement for Oliver Purnell, Brad Brownell.
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Looking Back: The class of 2003

We have now officially entered the dog days of summer. As the temperature rises, news in our college hoops universe comes to a standstill. Recruiting news, on the other hand, doesn't. There are two extremely important observation periods during the month of July, and more than a few scholarships, and spots on top 100 lists, are on the line. Unfortunately, BIAH doesn't pay the rent (click on some ads people!!!), which means we can't be out on the road at events like Nike's Peach Jam. In other words, we won't be putting out top 100 lists for the class of 2013. But since it is July, and since basketball in July is dedicated to recruiting, we are going to spend these next few weeks looking back past recruiting classes and rankings. Some of the results will surprise you.

The Class of 2003

The crown jewel of the class of 2003 was obvious. Some 6'8" kid from Akron, OH, named LeBron James. Ever heard of him? I think he spent some time in the news recently.

The class of 2003 was more than just LeBron, however. It also produced one of the best point guards in the NBA as well as quite a few capable pros and excellent collegians. Hit the jump to see the consensus (using Rivals and Scout) top 50(ish) from the class of 2003 and where they ended up:

Click the chart to enlarge.

Top 20

1. LeBron James: Duh.

2. Luol Deng: Deng, a native of Sudan, spent one season at Duke, where he averaged 15.1 ppg and 6.9 rpg on a team that made the Final Four. Deng would go on to be the 7th pick in the 2004 NBA draft, landing in Chicago after a trade. He's battled some injuries, but in six seasons has a career average of 15.8 ppg and 6.5 rpg, averaging 17.6 ppg and 7.3 rpg in 70 games in '09-'10.

3. Ndudi Ebi: Ebi was an Arizona commit, but he was one (of many) in this recruiting class to head straight to the league. Ebi was drafted by the Wolves with the 26th pick, but only hung around for two seasons before heading to the D-League. Ebi spent some time in Israel and Italy before turning up at the Orlando summer league with the 76ers this year.

4. Shannon Brown: Brown spent three years at Michigan State, making the Final Four with the Spartans in 2005 and earning 2nd team all Big Ten honors as he averaged 17.2 ppg and 4.4 rpg as a junior. Brown left school after his junior season, getting scooped up by the Cavs with the 25th pick. Brown bounced from Cleveland to Chicago to Charlotte to the D-League before eventually finding a home with the Lakers this year, averaging 8.1 ppg in 82 while playing a key role for the NBA Champs.


5. David Padgett: Padgett was a McDonald's all-american coming out of Reno, but transferred out of Kansas after he freshman season. He ended up at Louisville, where he was a vital part of the Cardinals team, averaging double digits for two of his three seasons there and playing a key role as a high post passer. Padgett wasn't drafted out of Louisville, and after bouncing around some professional leagues, including the Canary Islands, Padgett is now a member of the Louisville coaching staff.

6. Charlie Villanueva: Villanueva, a high school teammate of Deng's, originally committed to Illinois, but after Bill Self left for Kansas, he backed out and headed to UConn. He spent two seasons with the Huskies, winning a national title as a freshman and earning 2nd team all-Big East as a sophomore. Villanueva would go on to enter the 2005 NBA Draft, where he was picked 7th by Toronto. He was runner-up in rookie of the year voting, and has been a productive pro ever since, averaging 13.9 ppg and 6.0 rpg in five seasons.

7. Kendrick Perkins: A Memphis commit, Perkins went straight to the pros out of high school. He was picked 27th in the 2003 draft by Memphis, but was traded to Boston on draft night. Perkins has steadily gotten more playing time every season, becoming a starter in his third season in the league, winning a title in 2008, and averaging a career high 10.1 ppg this past year.

8. Leon Powe: Powe is a tremendous story (I won't go into details, but watch this clip from ESPN during the 2008 finals). He was the Pac-10 freshman of the year at Cal, but missed his sophomore season due to injury. As a junior in 2006, he averaged 20.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg for the Bears and entered the NBA Draft. Powe was the 49th pick, landing with the Celtics. He played a key role as a reserve in the Celtics 2008 title run as well as their 2008-2009 team. Powe spent 2010 with the Cavs.

9. James Lang: Lang went pro out of high school, going in the second round. He bounced around the lesser professional leagues, getting a cup of coffee with the Wizards in 2007. Unfortunately, Lang suffered a stroke in November of 2009, just nine days after the Utah Flash of the D-League cut Lang for "medical reasons", and was reportedly left paralyzed on the left side of his body.

10. Brian Butch: Butch dominated Wisconsin competition in high school, and despite being an all-american, Butch elected to redshirt as a freshman at Wisconsin. Butch was nothing more than an average center for the Badgers, battling through mono and a nasty elbow injury during his collegiate career. He would go undrafted in 2008, and after playing in Germany and Greece, Butch has been playing with the Nuggets in the Las Vegas summer league.

11. Mustafa Shakur: Shakur headed to Point Guard U., starting all but two games in his four year career with Arizona. He averaged 10.1 ppg and 5.1 apg over those four seasons, but went undrafted in 2007. He's gotten chances with the NBA -- 10 day contracts and trips to summer leagues -- but most of Shakur's professional career has come overseas. His biggest claim to fame may be that he's a cousin of Tupac.


12. Chris Paul: I think we all know who Chris Paul is. The former Wake Forest star has turned into arguably the best point guard in the NBA.

13. Brandon Bass: Bass, a Louisiana native, spent two years at LSU before heading to the NBA. As a sophomore, he averaged 17.3 ppg and 9.1 rpg en route to being named the SEC player of the year. Bass would eventually be the 35th pick of the 2005 draft, spending two years with New Orleans before signing with Dallas. He proved to be a valuable role player with the Mavericks, signing an $18 million deal with the Magic in the summer of 2009.

14. Travis Outlaw: Outlaw is another guy who went straight to the NBA out of high school. He spent his first six seasons in the NBA with Portland, turning into a very good role player and scorer off the bench. He averaged 13 ppg in '07-'08 and '08-'09. This offseason, he signed a 5 year, $35 million contract with the Nets.

15. Linas Kleiza: Kleiza was a stud in his two seasons at Missouri, averaging 11.1 ppg and 8.4 rpg as a freshman and 16.1 ppg and 7.6 rpg as a sophomore. He would enter the draft after his sophomore season, getting scooped up by the Blazers with the 27th pick. After playing limited minutes as a rookie with the Nuggets, Kleiza eventually worked his way into the rotation, becoming a double digit scorer with Denver. This past season, he played for a team out in Greece, but terminated that contract to sign with the Raptors for four years and $20 million.

16. Kris Humphries: Humphries originally committed to Duke, but backed out to play for Minnesota, his home state. The Golden Gophers had a miserable season, but Humphries was sensational, averaging 21.7 ppg and 10.1 rpg, both of which led the Big Ten. He would enter the draft as a freshman and get picked 14th by the Utah Jazz. He's played six mostly ho-hum years in the league -- starting just eight games -- but averaged career highs of 8.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, and 20.6 mpg with the Nets this season.

17. Olu Famutimi: Famutimi, a 6'4" guard, signed with Arkansas. After two mediocre season -- 8.3 ppg and 3.8 rpg for his collegiate career -- Famutimi went pro and wasn't drafted. He spent time in the D-League and made a couple of NBA training camps and summer league teams, but has spent the majority of his pro career overseas. He's currently in Turkey.

18. Von Wafer: Wafer was an unknown in the recruiting world until the summer after his junior year, when his stock took off. He eventually became a McDonald's all-american, spending two seasons at Florida State, where he averaged 12.5 ppg as a sophomore. Wafer was the 39th pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, but bounced around for three years before finally getting a chance in '08-'09 with the Rockets. He averaged 9.7 ppg, which was enough to get him a $10 million contract in Greece. He was waived halfway through the season, and bounced around the NBA and the D-League for the remainder of 2010.


19. Trevor Ariza: Ariza played for a loaded high school team (Hassan Adams, Brandon Heath, Bobby Brown) out in LA before eventually playing one season at UCLA, where he averaged 11.5 ppg and 6.5 rpg. He would go on to turn pro, getting picked by the Knicks at 43rd. Ariza made an immediate impact with the Knicks and the Magic due to his ability to defend. He was eventually traded to the Lakers, where he burst into national notoreity with a tremendous performance during the 2009 playoffs. That performance landed him a 5 year, $33 million deal from Houston, where he averaged a career high 14.6 ppg last season.

20. J.R. Giddens: Giddens has had an up-and-down career. He started out at Kansas, where he averaged double figures for two seasons but was asked to leave by head coach Bill Self after he was stabbed in the calf during a bar fight in May, 2005. He transferred to New Mexico, and after sitting out a season, Giddens averaged 15.8 ppg and 6.5 rpg as a junior. But he was suspended for a couple of games that year due to his attitude. As a senior, Giddens was named MWC player of the year, averaging 16.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg, before getting picked 30th by the Celtics in the 2008 draft. He bounced between the Celtics and the D-League for a season and a half before being shipped ot New York as a part of the trade for Nate Robinson.


Other notable 2003 prospects:

32. Ronnie Brewer: Brewer signed with Arkansas, where his dad was a star in the 70's. Ronnie stepped right in and contributed, averaging 12.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.4 apg, and 2.0 spg as a freshman. As a junior, Brewer turned into one of the best prospects in the country thanks to his length, athelticism, and ability to contribute on both ends of the floor. He averaged 18.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.3 apg, and 2.6 spg. Brewer was picked 14th by the Jass in 2006, becoming a starter by the end of his rookie season. Brewer spect three years at the starting two guard in Utah before being traded to Memphis, where he played just five games before getting hurt.

34. Aaron Brooks: Brooks, a Seattle native, very well might be the third best player to come out of this class. A dynamic scoring point guard, Brooks slowly developed into a star at Oregon, averaging 17.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 4.3 apg as a senior. He would get picked by the Rockets at 27th overall, turning into a starter midway through 2009. By 2010, he was the Rockets best player, averaging 19.6 ppg and 5.6 apg.

Quincy Douby: Douby (Rivals 52nd, Scout 51st) was a scoring dynamo for Rutgers for three seasons, but was never able to get the Scarlett Knights out of the NIT. He would go on to be picked 19th by the Kings, but was never able to latch on in the league.

Josh Boone: Boone (Rivals 54th, Scout 65th) won a title with the Huskies as a freshman, earned all-Big East as a sophomore and junior, and was named the conference's defensive player of the year once. He was picked 23rd by the Nets, where he has ben ever since. Boone has started 88 games in four years, averaging 5.2 ppg and 4.9 rpg.

Marcus Williams: Williams (61st in both Rivals and Scout) twice was suspended for the first half of the seasons, once for grades and once for trying to sell stolen laptops, but Williams was still able to 12.3 ppg and 8.6 apg for an under-talented UConn team in 2006. Williams was picked 22nd by the Nets, but has only started 10 NBA games. He spent some time in Puerto Rico, and is currently a free agent after spending last season in Memphis.

Dominic McGuire: McGuire (Rivals and Scout 88th) started his collegiate career at Cal before transferring to Fresno State. He would eventually get picked 47th by the Wizards. McGuire spent three seasons in DC before being traded to Sacramento. He's currently under a one year deal with Charlotte.

Renaldo Balkman: Balkman (92nd Rivals, 91st Scout) was a relative unknown coming out of high school, and after playing three years at South CArolina, was an unknown entering the NBA Draft. Balkman still managed to get picked, 20th by the Knicks in a surprising move by Isiah Thomas. He's spent four uneventful seasons in New York and in Denver.

Paul Millsap: Millsap (130th Rivals) ended up at Louisiana Tech, where he led the nation in rebounding for three consecutive years. He finished his three year career with averages of 18.6 ppg and 12.7 rpg, getting selected 47th by the Jazz in the 2006 draft. Millsap has become a very good pro, putting up career numbers of 9.5 ppg and 5.7 rpg, averaging a high of 13.6 ppg and 8.8 rpg in '08-'09.

Aaron Gray: Gray was the 148th player in Rivals' top 150, and while he had a slow start to his career at Pitt, Gray was a monster his last two seasons, averaging around 14 and 10 over that span. A legit seven feet, Gray was picked 49th by the Bulls, where he played for three seasons. He was traded to the Hornets last year, and just recently resigned with them.
If I missed anyone from this class, please leave a comment and let me know.

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Is Mike Gilchrist still the best recruit?

As we mentioned on Wednesday, Michael Gilchrist, a 6'6" small forward from St. Patrick's in New Jersey (where he teamed up with Kyrie Irving), has essentially been the consensus No. 1 player in the class of 2011 since the class of 2011 has been ranked.

Yeah, he's that good.

But after the performances and the exposure that some kids got this week at the Nike Peach Jam event, Gilly might not have the strangle hold on that spot that many thought.

The conversation starts with Austin Rivers, Doc's kid and Jeremiah's brother. Rivers is a 6'4" scoring machine with range and athleticism for days. A Florida kid, he was originally committed to the Gators, but many believe he is on his way to Duke.

Then there is Quincy Miller, a 6'8" combo forward with the ability to step out and hit a jump shot. Some are already calling Miller a poor man's Kevin Durant. He didn't play in the Peach Jam, in part because he just got back from Germany with the U17 squad, but that doesn't change the fact that every coach in the country -- including John Calipari -- is chasing this kid.

But the real winner this past week was Anthony Davis. Davis is a bit of a late-bloomer. He finally cracked Scout's top 100 list in May, mainly because he's sprouted a good six or seven inches in the last year or so, but that doesn't change the fact that Davis might have the highest ceiling in the country.

Wanna talk about making an impression?

Four of the most respected names in the business -- Jeff Goodman, Dave Telep, Mike DeCourcy, and Evan Daniels -- gave Davis rave reviews this weekend. Davis now stands 6'10", and with his mobility, athleticism, and length, he is already a terror on the defensive end. He will only get better offensively as he grows into his body, which is why he is drawing so much attention.

Take a look for yourself (videos via Chris Littman):





Davis, who is listed as 8th by Rivals and 5th by Scout in their latest top 100's, is apparently down to just three schools -- Kentucky, Ohio State, and Syracuse. (Can you imagine Davis playing a wing in Syracuse's zone with Fab Melo in the middle? Terrifying.)

Whoever lands this kid will be landing a star.


(On a side note, part of what makes Gilchrist so appealing as a prospect is his humility. He's said in numerous interviews he's nothing more than a mama's boy. Last night, he tweeted this:

Shout out to Anthony Davis, a lot of people think I would be mad that he's number 1 but I'm happy for him for real!

Tough to root against either one of these young men.)
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